October 23, 2015 - Building Automation
Question: What are the benefits of IoT technology for building occupants?
Question: What are the benefits of the IoT for building occupants today?
Answer: The Internet of Things, which can be explained in basic terms as the interconnectivity of advanced physical and software systems, has tremendous potential for enabling users to move beyond manual processes. For example, when creating access control credentials, organizations can integrate human resources and access control systems so that personnel data automatically populates and programs identity card data fields. Another application is the integration of access control and HVAC systems to automatically adjust temperatures based on the number of people in a room. These automated processes allow staff to focus on their primary responsibilities and can help improve an organization’s overall effectiveness and efficiency as well as physical security.
Question: What advantages does IoT technology provide for facility professionals today?
Answer: The interconnectivity of multiple hardware and software systems makes it possible for users to monitor facilities and/or specific areas within facility locations in real time, while sharing data over a single platform. Using all this information, predictive analysis software can correlate historical data with current activity to create meaningful events and potentially deliver an alert when an event may be about to occur. Not only does this provide a more complete picture of the situation on hand, it also improves situational awareness to help security personnel mitigate or even avoid a potential risk or threat. Far superior to managing multiple systems and solutions, this approach significantly streamlines processes, making operations and personnel more efficient and offering organizations the potential to improve security while saving significantly on staff costs.
Question: Are the benefits and advantages of IoT technology being realized today, and can you provide a specific example?
Answer: As access control solutions continue to evolve to offer a greater number of advanced capabilities, these systems are transcending their traditional roles to become a single platform that allows users to share data with other systems. For example, advanced access control software is enabling school administrators to efficiently track student movements in a way that conventional written hall passes cannot. Teachers are provided with proximity devices and when students need to use restrooms or other facilities located in the main school building throughout the course of the day, they are given the proximity device in lieu of conventional hall passes. Through the placement of access readers in the classrooms and at all entrances to the main school building, students are monitored with a predetermined amount of time to walk from their classroom to the building. If a student fails to report in the allocated time period, the system issues a general alert. This is just one example of how advanced access control software can be easily programmed to provide an effective solution outside of traditional security system models.
Source: Robert Laughlin, President, Galaxy Control Systems.
For more insights on the products, technology, benefits and challenges of the Building Internet of Things, visit www.FacilitiesNet.com/IoT
