Facilities Managers, sick of managing multiple networks and connections within buildings? Welcome to the Digital Building revolution!
3 min read
Everything these days is getting ‘smarter’ – smarter cars, smarter phones, smarter roads, even smarter bins. So is it any surprise that we are now able to have smart buildings!
On the back of attending a mind-blowing 2 days at Smart IoT London, surrounded by creative like-minded people and innovation beaming from every stand in the IoT Solutions hall at ExCel, it got me thinking about the future of this ‘Digital Building revolution’. We know that Digital Transformation is changing the landscape of businesses everywhere, be it customer experiences, workforce innovation or business operations, but how can a building achieve digital transformation?
Imagine your workplace, a place where you spend most of your time to be completely digitised whereby the badging systems, lighting, HVAC, security, CCTV, sensors and audio-video equipment are all interconnecting and interoperating into a single converged system…no more having to spend 10 minutes of each meeting adjusting the room temperature and lighting, and having to re-dial into that conference meeting when you you’ve started it from your car!
Gone are the days when building owners are having to manage many number of networks and connections within buildings and dealing with its complexity. Technology convergence can now deliver enhanced occupant experiences and improved efficiencies in their buildings. By building systems and equipment that work together smoothly and efficiently to meet owners’ and occupants’ needs your workplace can be transformed!
Cisco’s network innovation and vision to build the next generation building architecture has led to the launch of the Cisco Catalyst Digital Building Series switch which is a big step towards creating the robust foundation for the next-generation of digital buildings. This is industry’s first purpose-built switch optimised for low voltage PoE deployments, IoT connectivity and building automation in smart buildings. For those of us that are not familiar with PoE – Power over Ethernet, this is the technology that is integrated into LAN switches that has been powering devices from IP Phones to access points for many years. It allows the LAN switches to deliver both power and data over a single ethernet cable to the PoE enabled devices eliminating the need for multiple cables to be deployed. The Digital Building Series switches will help customers combine disparate building systems (lighting, HVAC, CCTV, BMS) onto a single IP network, create new and engaging experiences for their employees and provide better insights back to the business through sensors and analytics.
Stu Higgins, Head of Smart Cities and IoT, Cisco really hit a cord when he talked about the future of Smart Cities embracing digital buildings….its all about the people and their experience with their surroundings (watch the keynote). To enable new customer experiences, accelerate workforce innovation and introduce innovative business models companies are digitising their business operations. Buildings – be it a retail store, a factory floor, a healthcare or an educational institution or your very own workplace – are central to this digital transformation.
5 innovations we are bringing to market to accelerate digital transformation of buildings are:
- Convergence – This switch enables IP convergence and interoperability of disparate building systems such as lighting, HVAC, badging systems, surveillance over CoAP protocol.
- Extending Cisco’s Digital Network Architecture to Digital Buildings – Automation, security, and analytics brought to digital buildings for IoT devices enabling faster on-boarding, automated provisioning and monitoring, intelligent threat detection and mitigation. For instance lighting ports can only be used for lighting and not to access other areas in the network.
- Fast & Perpetual UPOE – Industry’s first 60W per port Cisco UPOE technology delivers twice the power of current PoE+, thereby powering higher luminosity for bigger brighter lighting fixtures. Fast start up and non-stop power through Perpetual UPOE helps power lights back on within 5 seconds during a power outage.
- Simple Smart Installation – This is the 1st ever Bluetooth enabled switch with a mobile app for unmatched ease-of-use and installation (iOS & Android app). It simplifies the deployment experience to a point where any IT and OT personnel can install it.
- Fanless Design – Industry’s 1st semi-ruggedised fanless switch which makes it ideal for noise free deployment in ceilings. It enables a stellar noise-free customer experience.
These exciting new opportunities can be brought to our customers in the digital building and enterprise IoT space through our converged ecosystem of partners, products and solutions.
Simplify, secure and save through our network innovation for digital buildings –There has never been a better to make your buildings smarter. So, are you ready to embrace the Digital Building revolution?
Resources:
Cisco Catalyst Digital Building Series Switches
Authors
