A patchwork of systems, long queues in the canteen and tenants who can't find the information they need. For many Norwegian commercial buildings, this is everyday life. Technology company Izy has spent the last few years developing a platform that brings together all the building's services in one place. We spoke to CEO Kjetil Sinding and CVO Ole Aabel about how they simplify everyday life for all parties.

Why patchwork systems cost farm owners time and money

“Our main goal is to have everything in one solution,” explains Kjetil Sinding when we meet him and Ole Aabel at the head office.

What started as a desire to create a digital front for commercial buildings has developed into a comprehensive platform that covers soft facility management – everything that is not about the building itself, but about the services inside the building: cafeteria, meeting room booking, visitor registration and building information.

"When we started, there was no digital front for buildings. Landowners spend huge sums of money building a profile and marketing their buildings as high-tech and modern, but when tenants walk in the door, they encounter a patchwork of different systems and solutions," says Sinding.

The solution was Izy – a platform that brings together canteen, meeting room booking, visitor registration and building information, while giving each user customized rights based on which tenant they belong to.

How Izy solves role and price complexity in multi-tenant buildings

One of the platform's most important features is what Aabel calls the "authorization hierarchy", a system that allows portal users to set up individual agreements with all tenants and users.

"Izy Portal is the administration tool where farm owners and service providers manage everything. From here we can handle the fact that ten different tenants in the same building have ten different price agreements in the canteen. Perhaps one department within a company also has its own price. All of this is easily managed through Izy Portal," explains Aabel.

The system also handles complex rights structures. One tenant may have access to certain meeting rooms, while another has access to others. Some employees can put their lunch on the company invoice, others cannot. Everything is managed centrally through the portal, but is experienced seamlessly for the end user who only sees the Izy app on their phone.

mAIfood: The AI payment that cuts the queue to 14 seconds

The most visible change for many users is mAIfood , Izy's AI-powered payment solution for canteens. With an image recognition system that automatically identifies all items on the tray, they have significantly reduced checkout times.
"An average transaction now takes 14 seconds from start to payment. The biggest delay is actually when the customer opens their phone to pay," says Sinding.

The system automatically recognizes whether there are weighted items involved and handles everything in one picture. For the canteen operators, this means they can focus on food production and service instead of standing at the checkout.

"The feedback has been very positive. It works, it's easy, and it frees up resources. In canteens with limited staffing, the offer is actually better because the employees can concentrate on ensuring that the buffet is always filled and that the food is of high quality," says Aabel.

Predictive data: reduce food waste and staffing by up to 30%

mAIfood offers more than just fast payment. The dashboard gives canteen operators insight into sales patterns and the opportunity for better planning.
“We can tell you which products are selling best and when. If it’s a salad bar, the system knows when it needs to be restocked. But the most important thing is that we can make staffing suggestions based on prediction – you know how many employees you need on the job based on expected visitor numbers,” explains Sinding.

This predictive capability contributes to reduced food waste by allowing the canteen to plan purchasing and production more precisely. Recording of actual food waste will be a feature coming before the summer, which will provide even better documentation for sustainability reporting.

Digital tenant handbook: push notifications that are actually read

For farm owners, Izy has become an important tool for managing and communicating with tenants. The platform functions as a modern intranet where all communication is centralized.
"Typical problems farm owners had in the past were that they had to create their own websites for tenant handbooks, caretaker information and contact information. Now everything is in the app," says Aabel.

The news module allows landlords to communicate directly with all or selected tenants. Is window cleaning in progress? Send a message. Is the elevator under maintenance? Push notification to affected floors. The system distinguishes between critical information sent as push notifications and less important messages displayed in the app.

Smart meeting room booking + access: avoid misuse and invoice correctly

In office buildings with shared meeting room facilities, Izy has solved a persistent headache. The system handles complex booking agreements where different tenants have different rights and payment terms.
"Some tenants have agreements for free use of all meeting rooms, others have some rooms free and have to pay for others. All of this is managed seamlessly through Izy," explains Sinding.

Integration with locking systems like Salto takes this further. Here, Izy replaces the plastic card – meeting rooms are automatically unlocked 10 minutes before the booked time and locked again 10 minutes after. Meeting room screens show who has booked and when the room is available again.
“We eliminate all the friction that occurs when someone sits in a meeting room they haven't booked, or when meeting rooms are left open and misused,” says Aabel.

Implementation in 2 weeks: workshop → live operation

The process from first contact to fully implemented system is shorter than many expect. After a 30-60 minute demo and a quote, a workshop is arranged to map the customer's needs.

"The system is designed to support multiple ways of working. The modules can be used in different ways and adapted significantly. This is what we are mapping out in the workshop," explains Sinding.
At launch, the Izy team is on site for one to two days to ensure a smooth start-up. All users are invited into the system, and rules are set up per tenant.

For mAIfood, the process is even simpler:

1. System setup – you only need internet access to use the machine
2. Image recognition – teach the system to know your products
3. Administration – manage everything from products to sales via the mAIfood portal

"The hardware is shipped, and when it is connected, a unique code is generated that activates the system. The biggest wait? Payment terminals from third-party vendors that can take 3-4 weeks to get in place," explains Aabel.

From 10-year contracts to flexible spaces – this is how Izy supports new rental models

The office market has changed significantly in recent years, and Izy has positioned itself to meet these changes. With a subscription model that makes the technology available to buildings of all sizes, they lower the threshold for modern building management.

"We see that ten-year leases have become rarer – now it's about flexibility and quick adaptations. Farm owners need agile systems that can handle these dynamics," reflects Sinding.

With Izy, farm owners can track usage patterns in real time and adjust areas according to actual needs. They own the data and have full control over their building and tenants.

Scale the modules as the building grows – subscription based on m²

“The beauty of our approach is that customers often start with one module and expand as they see the value,” concludes Aabel. “And with the AI technology that underpins solutions like mAIfood, the system keeps getting better.”

For Norwegian farm owners and service providers who want to modernize their buildings, Izy stands out as a partner who understands the complexity of the industry and delivers solutions that actually work in practice.

In an industry full of promises about the office buildings of the future, Izy has chosen a pragmatic approach: They deliver the solutions needed today.