Colliers is no stranger to growth. With operations in 66 countries, $99 billion in assets under management, and $4.5 billion in annual revenue, it’s a global leader in real estate services. But behind the scenes, rapid expansion had created an integration nightmare. Every acquisition brought new local systems, tailored to regional markets. While this flexibility benefited clients, it left the IT team grappling with a sprawling web of disconnected systems.
For Laurence, the stakes were high. Property data had to be accurate, up-to-date, and seamlessly shared across platforms for Colliers’ clients—pension funds, real estate investors, and retailers—to make informed decisions. Manual processes, such as updating property listings on multiple websites, slowed operations, created potential errors, and drained resources.
“It wasn’t just about keeping systems running. We needed to rethink how we worked entirely,” Laurence recalls.
The solution had to address multiple needs: streamline integrations, enable automation, provide real-time reporting, and be manageable by non-technical users. But finding the right balance between scalability and agility was no small feat.
Laurence and his team partnered with a third-party evaluator to narrow down their options. They explored enterprise-grade platforms for robustness and open-source tools for flexibility. After months of research and rigorous testing, one solution stood out: Frends Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS).
“Frends offered something unique,” says Laurence. “It had the visual, low-code configuration we needed for quick deployment, and it was also powerful enough to handle our complex integrations.”
Frends allowed business analysts to define processes visually, which developers could then implement. This democratization of integration development was crucial for a company as decentralized as Colliers. It also meant that local teams could continue using their preferred systems, while Frends provided a unified integration backbone.
Colliers began with a pilot in Finland. The results were immediate and striking:
“The difference was night and day,” says Laurence. “For the first time, we had centralized control without sacrificing local flexibility.”
Buoyed by this success, Colliers expanded Frends across its EMEA operations. Today, the platform integrates over 50 systems across 10 countries. Over 1,000 property listings are automatically updated, and financial data—like invoices and payroll—is processed without a hitch.
The impact on Colliers’ operations has been profound:
Laurence sums it up:
“Frends isn’t only an integration platform for us; Frends is a foundation for how we do business now. It’s helping us stay ahead in an industry that demands agility and precision.”
With Frends, Colliers is equipped for the future. The platform has become a trusted partner in the company’s digital transformation journey, setting the stage for continuous innovation.
Laurence reflects:
“For me, the real success is seeing how this platform empowers our teams. Whether it’s a property manager in London or an analyst in Helsinki, they now have the tools to work smarter, faster, and better.”
For other companies facing similar integration challenges, Laurence has one piece of advice: “Choose a solution that doesn’t just solve today’s problems. Pick one that grows with you.”