To help today’s busy building operators who are challenged to make improvements in their building management practices, global consulting firm Guidehouse Insights (formerly Navigant Consulting Inc.) has just released an assessment that rates and ranks key intelligent building software technology solution providers.
The report guides readers through a who’s who of players in the emerging field of intelligent building management software. These new systems allow for the easy integration of data from multiple building systems and provide valuable business outcomes previously difficult to achieve with point solutions. IoT-enabled, they use cloud and edge computing processes, and employ advanced tools and methods, such as data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML), to drive new levels of energy savings and smart building performance.
Guidehouse Insights ranks and highlights progress of smart building solutions
In their assessment of 14 Key Intelligent Building Software Market influencers, I am proud to share that Guidehouse Insights named our EcoStruxure platform as number 1 in the exclusive “leader” category. By scoring 81.4 out of a possible 100 (the highest score among the group of 14 companies evaluated), Schneider Electric outperformed an entire field of companies ranging from start-ups to global enterprises that Guidehouse Insights labeled as either followers, contenders, challengers or leaders, depending upon their composite scores.
The 14 intelligent building software platforms were evaluated in ten categories, including: vision, go-to-market strategy, partners, technology, cybersecurity, product capabilities, complementary services, hardware integration, breadth of offerings, and pricing. Among the “leaders” group, Schneider Electric was cited as the organization with the highest score in both the technology and vision categories.
Four strategic pillars and best practices for a smart, resilient building
So, what does Schneider Electric see as best practices for implementing a smart building? My team proudly works on the Schneider Electric EcoStruxure platform and focuses on four strategic pillars. We believe these four pillars are critical for building owners and operators who are facing challenges; they include personalized occupant experiences, highly efficient and sustainable buildings, superior indoor air quality, and workspace management.
Here are the four differentiators building owners and operators should look for when evaluating any of the new intelligent building platform solutions:
Open architecture & innovation ecosystem
Buildings are complex ecosystems consisting of many sub-systems. Intelligent building software offers an open architecture and provides the flexibility to integrate with a variety of hardware, software and sub-systems today and tomorrow while working collaboratively with a wider ecosystem. It is also extremely important that such software provides a well-organized structure to help unlock the tremendous value in the data collected. Our open and secure building management platform, EcoStruxure Building Operation, integrates multiple systems for centralized, real-time control and management across one to many enterprise buildings.
Digital IP backbone
Use of an IP network to control and manage buildings systems such as HVAC, lighting, blinds, building access etc. can unlock significant potential. As we have seen in IT infrastructure and industrial automation environments – an IP network simplifies operations and remote management, enables IoT use cases such as personalized control, ensures stronger cybersecurity defenses and reduces proprietary cabling interfaces and different types. It’s high time for the Building Industry to embark on the aggressive adoption of modern IP based controls and leave behind proprietary networks to tap into the true potential of IoT in buildings. Our range of IP building controls and Connected Room Solution provide customers a future proof digital backbone for an intelligent building.
Building Analytics Services
Buildings generate a huge amount of data from a variety of sensors and systems. Big data and analytics are now bringing in an entirely new dimension and range of opportunities – whether it is predicting equipment failure, identifying sources of energy efficiency, or helping to better understand and plan space utilization. These insights have the potential to help buildings become hyper-efficient. We have introduced a range of advisory services such as EcoStruxure Building Advisor and EcoStruxure Power Advisor to help facility teams, EcoStruxure Workplace Advisor for real estate and well-being management, the EcoStruxure Engage Mobile Application for personalized occupant services, and EcoStruxure Resource Advisor for sustainability improvements.
Cybersecurity and Resilience
Operations resilience has now moved beyond just the ability to recover from unanticipated downtime events, like power outages, with minimal physical and economic damage. Emphasis is now placed on intelligent building software that enables more predictable asset performance and continuous remote monitoring and management, while at the same time ensuring the highest cybersecurity standards are met across the full architecture. At Schneider Electric, cybersecurity principles are embedded throughout the development lifecycle. Our services such as EcoStruxure Power Advisor and Building Advisor, help building owners stay resilient via remote monitoring and management of critical building infrastructure.
These are just a few of the things we are working on. What else do you think we should consider in our innovation roadmap?
To download the full research report click here “Guidehouse Insights Leaderboard: Intelligent Building Software.”
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Natalia
3 years ago
Great article!