Real estate advisor Avison Young is deepening its ties with CGI (GIB-A-T) selecting the Canadian IT and business consulting firm to deliver AI-powered managed services to modernize its global operations.

Founded in 1976, CGI is an independent IT and business consulting firm with some 94,000 consultants and professionals worldwide. It provides services and support for a range of global companies.

Avison Young is a commercial real estate advisory and brokerage firm covering office, industrial and retail real estate. It operates in 19 countries with over 100 offices.

“CGI will support Avison Young by bringing an AI-powered managed services model that integrates application, infrastructure and cloud operations in a more unified way,” said Gaurav Juneja, senior vice-president, consulting services with CGI in an interview with TechNX. “In practical terms, that means combining day-to-day operational support with automation, AI-enabled service delivery, governance and continuous improvement so Avison Young has a digital environment that is more resilient, scalable and easier to evolve over time.”

Martin Jepil, principal, global chief information officer at Avison Young, told TechNX this expanded partnership with CGI is just another step the two firms have taken together over some five years. The relationship spans helpdesk and infrastructure support and has moved onto support for cybersecurity measures, business intelligence and data management.

With this announcement, CGI will assume responsibility for all of Avison Young’s technology services, except product development that will remain in-house, Jepil added.

Going beyond traditional IT support

Juneja said this expanded partnership goes beyond traditional IT support as in the past. It will now include ongoing planning and management needed to keep critical platforms operating, including operational support, patching and upgrades to security, stability and service improvements.

He said this is part of the firm's ongoing modernization strategy as it moves toward modernizing its systems, and from having systems being simply managed to now rolling out services that are adaptable and can evolve as business needs change.

“Over time, this model creates opportunities for a more proactive and predictive approach to service management,” Juneja continued. “Including the use of AI to spot patterns in operational data, address issues earlier and accelerate resolutions. More importantly, it reflects a broader shift toward environments that can learn, adapt and support change more effectively as business needs evolve.”

This expanded partnership should also not be thought of as one-way, Jepil said. It is better to think of the firms working together as a mutually supportive and beneficial relationship that creates efficiencies for both, especially when it comes to AI.

Jepil said Avison Young has been using AI and machine learning for years across its real estate intelligence platforms. 

By combining CGI’s manager services with AI, Avison Young will have greater reliability, scalability and intelligence in its digital environment. It will allow its teams to operate with greater efficiency, and more quickly respond to changing market and client demands.

“In a dynamic market, speed and adaptability matter,” added Juneja. “AI-powered managed services will help Avison Young respond more effectively by reducing operational frictions, improve visibility across systems and create a more productive support model.

"This helps (them) spend less time reacting to issues and more time focusing on client needs, business priorities and new opportunities.”