What Digital Transformation Really Means for Commercial Buildings
What Digital Transformation Looks Like in Building Operations
In broad terms, digital transformation refers to how you integrate technologies throughout an organization. Interconnected technology eliminates manual processes and consolidates data into a single platform. The IoT and technology stack enables the system to collect information from throughout your building or your building portfolio.
Digital transformation for building operations involves connecting building systems. Your building intelligence platform finds patterns and trends among multiple building management systems. You use the data to make decisions. With industry digitization in smart buildings, digital transformation keeps you competitive.
Relying on manual processes and disconnected systems makes it harder to detect and fix problems, because you’re only seeing part of the picture.
For example, say your HVAC and energy management systems report to a single platform. You can see how heating and cooling equipment uses energy. If you notice energy usage rising in a specific area, you can check the HVAC system for a broken fan or other performance issues before the system shuts down.
Why A Platform Beats A Collection Of Point Solutions
You can still optimize your building’s performance using data from multiple systems, but it gets complicated. You have to consolidate data into one location and spot all the patterns yourself. An IoT platform for facilities collects and analyzes information about indoor air quality (IAQ), energy management, and other building systems to provide operational insights.
For example, you can determine peak power usage in your building and develop strategies to manage these spikes. You can use temperature maps to identify and fix excessively hot or cold spots in your building.
Attune’s plug-and-play platform uses IoT sensors to collect IAQ data, energy insights, asset conditions, and more. We offer a comprehensive IoT technology stack that integrates with your hardware. IoT sensors send data to a single platform that creates charts, graphs, and other visualizations that help improve your building operations. Read our CEO’s perspective on digital transformation for more insight.
Modernizing Legacy Buildings Without Starting Over
Working with existing infrastructure to modernize your building tech can seem overwhelming. You don’t want to end up paving an old horse-and-buggy system and ending up with a city grid that makes no sense.
If your middling is older or contains a blend of older areas and new additions, you might think you have to completely gut cables and other technological infrastructure to install a building intelligence platform.
Look for an IoT solution that works with your existing hardware by bridging machines with cloud-based platforms. These situations give you the flexibility to modernize over time rather than replacing all your hardware at once.
Turning Connected Building Intelligence Into Measurable Results
Data visibility can transform your building management and maintenance strategy from reactive problem-solving to proactive planning. Real-time data and alerts enable your team to spot anomalies that could signal potential problems.
For example, asset monitoring systems help you set up routine preventive maintenance schedules and detect potential breakdowns earlier. Instead of taking down an HVAC system for multiple days to replace it, you can take it down for a couple hours for preventive maintenance.
Smart building digitization involves using a platform with algorithms that assess real-time data from your sensors. An algorithm can assess multiple anomalies to predict equipment failures faster than through manual inspection. You save money on the repair, and fixing the problem early keeps you from wasting energy, water, and other resources while the machine breaks down.
Digital transformation for building operations also automates workflows. An interconnected system can use IAQ levels to control ventilation, heating, and cooling, for example. Instead of ventilating the whole building, the system can use CO2 levels to ventilate areas with a lot of people.
Frequently Asked Questions About Building Digital Transformation
What is a Digital Transformation Platform for Buildings?
A digital transformation platform for buildings refers to software and hardware that connects information from multiple systems, such as HVAC, IAQ monitoring, and energy usage, into a single, cloud-based program. These platforms analyze data from systems to create dashboards and generate insights for decision-making.
What is the difference between a point solution and a digital transformation platform?
A point solution is a specialized tool that solves a specific challenge. Point solutions are narrowly focused on one area such as IAQ or water quality. Digital transformation platforms connect multiple systems to offer a view of your whole building or building portfolio. Point solutions often lead to data silos and manual workflows, while digital transformation platforms eliminate these silos.
How do I start digital transformation in an older commercial building?
Start by listing your various software systems to see if they are compatible with your new platform. List your priorities, such as cutting down energy use or improving tenant comfort. If you can’t find a digital transformation platform that integrates with all your systems, prioritize the systems you want it to access. Look for an IoT platform that integrates with your systems and use a cloud-based platform to collect and report the data. Start using your dashboards and analytics to optimize operations.
Driving Measurable ROI Through Connected Building Intelligence
Digital transformation for building operations may seem expensive, but you can receive multiple returns on your investment. Predictive maintenance and analytics can save you on costly repairs by identifying mechanical failures before they disrupt service.
Use energy use insights to change how you use lighting and HVAC systems. Stop excessively heating or cooling unoccupied areas and use smart systems to automatically turn on and shut off lights based on room occupancy, for example,
Attune’s can customize an IoT solution that captures and evaluates your data for the insights you need to attract and retain tenants through smart building operations. Schedule a demo today to see the platform in action and learn more about what we can do for you.
