JLL has been increasing its focus on technology for some time. Not just as a user, but also as a vendor and investor. And now the company has taken another step, with its technology division, JLL Technologies or JLLT, launching a strategic technology program, "which provides assessment, strategic planning, goal setting and performance measurement services for real estate technologies," as a company release says.

"The Strategic Technology Program helps real estate leaders better manage and operate their real estate technology for optimal outcomes," it adds. "Real estate leaders can use the program's technology assessment, management and measurement offerings to align their technology portfolio to their building systems and data, sustainability, and facility management objectives."

This really turns JLL Technologies into a type of consulting arm or firm that is familiar in high tech. In addition to selling and implementing its own products, this potentially opens the door for a more vendor-agnostic approach in which the company can sit back and offer advice, doing profitable business even if it isn't selling specific products or ongoing services.