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Challenges
The core challenges are obvious and we all know how imperfect things can be. For multi-sites, they are plentiful.
1. Every building has unique requirements leading to different levels of automation control
2. Budgets are limited and resources are few
3. Installing, integrating and maintaining automation systems specific to site can be costly
4. If a space is rented, then install options of servers and other IT equipment could be constrained
5. Amount of data produced by each facility is huge-difficult to collate and analyze for management decisions and actions
One of the major challenges confronting building managers is coordinating multiple facilities with different levels of automation in place – from simple (stand-alone) to sophisticated (integrated or full-blown building management systems). In these circumstances, the main objective of all facility managers is to:
- Understand the business/ Clients requirement
- Identify and anticipate all problems prior to their occurrence
- Create proactive-action plan for these problems
- Implement action plan to prevent or to solve these problems when required
However, when in chaos or in firefighting mode due to want of proactive actions, historical data, awareness of best practices etc., we move away from main objectives of FM. At times these challenges seem too overwhelming or too expensive to overcome. Many a time people fail to realize that building management is not just for large buildings anymore.
Opportunities
The smart building is very important to reduce on a huge amount of building energy is consumed by the management system of buildings. Optimizing operations is good for business but more important is the actual impact optimization can have. On an average, 20-25% of the energy consumed in commercial buildings is wasted (source US, Environment Protection Agency). Four out of five workers find it difficult to concentrate and three out of five take up to 25% longer to complete a task due to lack of occupancy comforts (World Green Building Council). Optimizing performance for controlling the environments in multi-sites can translate into a larger and more profitable bottom line and hence opportunities. One of the solution is Cloud based Building Management Systems.
Cloud based Building Management System
The Cloud is a general term for the technology that allows organizations to outsource data storage, communication, and/ or processing. The idea is simple: instead of purchasing and maintaining enormous IT centres, companies can use the cloud to strategically outsource portions of their operations. Any number of remote locations can be linked via the cloud, and more can be easily added as growth occurs. Instead of purchasing and maintaining vast IT centers, organizations can use the Cloud to strategically outsource part of their operations.
Cloud will provide more agile IT strategy and often provides maximum returns. With Cloud technology, products, services and solutions are delivered and consumed in real time over a network, IDC says. Cloud implementations come in different varieties: a public or multi-tenant, a private or singletenant, or a mixed public-private hybrid configuration..
The cloud is an ideal platform for multi-site facilities management. Why?
Listing few advantages of the platform:
- Quick deployment and easy integration
- Able to collect and process data from anywhere at anytime
- Convenience and Continues availability
- Scalability and performance
- No or minimum IT maintenance cost
- Cloud is environment friendly
- Device Diversity and Location Independence With advantages comes few disadvantages too:
- Cloud provider has full access to customers’ data, unless cryptography is used
- There is no control over which customers use the software; the software is used by a large amount of users (only for SaaS)
- Integration with other software on any other systems is either difficult or unsupported
- Contract lock-in period bindings
- Reliability Now that the decision has been made to go on a Cloudbased building management system (BMS) to manage multiple facilities across your enterprise, what next? We are well aware of the benefits it offers and the future capabilities. Summerly here are few benefit pointers post implementation of Cloud-based BMS in a nutshell:
1. Enterprise Visibility for decision makers
a) Live Monitoring of Energy consuming equipment
b) Occupant comfort across the enterprise
c) Dashboards, Graphs and Charts highlighting performance, trends etc
2. Control Capabilities
a) Allowing remote adjustment of local environmental settings.
b) Manage entire facilities landscape as single structure
c) Global scheduling for any number of buildings across the enterprise
3. BMS data for analytics
a) Discover trends in energy use, identify faults, perform RCA and prioritize
b) Understand why a building is operating efficiently (or not) for corrections
c) Convert intelligence into “actionable information”
d) Enable facility managers to proactively optimize building operations
Cloud-based BMS with a simple and intuitive interface facilitates a wide range of monitoring, reporting and diagnostic tools thus putting the FM in complete control. Let us look at the key capabilities of the system:
1. Improved Operational Controls – Dashboards on employees’ / customers’ requests / complaints management, compliance in SLA & Statutory requirements, effectively utilizations of shared facilities like conference room / guest house & FM resources.
2. Proactive maintenance -Problems can be identified before they become serious – for example, declining performance in a chiller can indicate failing equipment, and maintenance can be dispatched before a crisis occurs.
3. Occupant comfort -Local conditions & life safety standards can be continuously monitored to ensure the comfort of workers and/or customers at all times, in all facilities.
4. Energy Management System: Monitoring, Analyzing, Corrective actions, Trainings, Design change implementations, Compliances, Saving Trends & Audits are key expectations which can be implemented.
5. Real-time alerts -Unexpected events and out-of-spec conditions can trigger automatic alerts, enabling swift action and problem resolution.
6. Crowd sourcing -The Cloud makes it easy for people to share information, Idea’s, enabling an enterprise to take advantage of crowd sourcing, or “bottom-up” solutions. Reusable assets data can be stored in the Cloud and accessed anywhere.
7. Continuous improvement – Facilities managers can see into individual or overall building operations, evaluate energy use and costs, and compare performance across sites to drive continuous improvement.
The system once implemented can also manage property lease, tenant agreement and terms, alerts on expiring leases, payment confirmations on lease rental amount and this can help further in space inventory, utilization & availability.
[box type=”shadow” ]Cloud Services
1.Software as a Service (SaaS), uses the web to deliver applications that are managed by a third-party vendor and whose interface is accessed on the clients’ side. Most SaaS applications can be run directly from a web browser without any downloads or installations required, although some require plugins.
Example: Google Apps, Salesforce, Workday, Concur, Citrix GoToMeeting
2.Platform as a Service (PaaS), is used for applications, and other development, while providing cloud components to software. What developers gain with PaaS is a framework they can build upon to develop or customize applications.
3. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is self-service model for accessing, monitoring, and managing remote datacenter infrastructures, such as compute (virtualized or bare metal), storage, networking, and networking services (e.g. firewalls). Instead of having to purchase hardware outright, users can purchase IaaS based on consumption , similar to electricity or other utility billing.
4.Example : Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco Metapod, Microsoft Azure
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Getting Started: Cloud based Building Management System
The Cloud solution has to be well designed. It should, for instance, be able to grow without running into barriers, like slowing down a lot or even halting when the 10th or 100th system is added. There will be an initial investment in local building controls so that HVAC, lighting, and sensors can be standardized and linked to the Cloud. It is expected to have following requirements:
1. Smart AC and heating controls to allow advanced scheduling
2. Door and motion sensors that trigger lighting and AC based on occupancy
3. Lighting control for scheduled on/ off, adjusting intensity based on time of day or actual sunlight.
4. Window sensors that can detect when a window is open and trigger new HVAC settings or security alarms
5. Smart Meters for energy usage monitoring & stable internet connectivity
Implementation
1. A Cloud-based facilities management system can be installed in stages, or modified to fit different situations
2. Start with key facilities and then deploy to other locations as needed or desired
3. Option to use existing control technology (if ‘smart’) and linking disparate systems through custom programming.
4. Standardization will make it easier to add BMS and analytics capabilities later on
5. Upgrading local controls is easy and cost-effective with the use of wireless communications technology
6. In a typical building, the various controls communicate wirelessly to a gateway, which then forwards the data to the Cloud
[box type=”shadow” ]Network Security ( Option to Safeguard)
Security is an important concern in every enterprise. Cloud computing can provide an environment that is more secure and less costly than most internal IT systems, due to centralized data storage, governance, and control. Some Cloud services offer the same technology as that used by secure banking.
Choice of cloud is important:
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Return on Investment
ROI from properly-applied IoT sensors, switches, and analytics can occur in six months to two years, a fraction of the time it takes to recoup investment in traditional BMS systems. Beyond the pure monetary savings, additional benefits related to reduced truck rolls, tenant appeal, retention, sub-metered billing, sustainability, and environmental stewardship can also be realized, with detailed data to support them.
1. The level of investment is easy to cost-justify for most facilities.
2. If we assume a minimum of 10% savings in energy costs (which is frequently achieved in any installations), full ROI can usually be realized within one to two years depending upon the locations, local conditions etc. (Source from few renowned solution providers).
3. Improved occupant comfort will further improve their performance & productivity
Way Forward
Integration of Cloud Computing and Internet of things (IoT) or the “CloudIoT” will further improve the control system on facilities. Integration of Cloud Computing and Virtual Reality / Augmented Virtual Reality if used in Facility Management will allow facility managers to do remote walk through of facilities. The above integrations will take the Facility Management to next level but with additional cost and can be very useful at advanced laboratories and in Hotel industries as well.
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Cloud Services
1. Software as a Service (SaaS), uses the web to deliver applications that are managed by a third-party vendor and whose interface is accessed on the clients’ side. Most SaaS applications can be run directly from a web browser without any downloads or installations required, although some require plugins.
Example: Google Apps, Salesforce, Workday, Concur, Citrix GoToMeeting
2. Platform as a Service (PaaS), is used for applications, and other development, while providing cloud components to software. What developers gain with PaaS is a framework they can build upon to develop or customize applications.
3. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is self-service model for accessing, monitoring, and managing remote datacenter infrastructures, such as compute (virtualized or bare metal), storage, networking, and networking services (e.g. firewalls). Instead of having to purchase hardware outright, users can purchase IaaS based on consumption , similar to electricity or other utility billing.
Example : Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco Metapod, Microsoft Azure
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