In 2012, more businesses will examine how to operate and protect a building and its occupants. There will also be an increased emphasis on designing and retrofitting green buildings. Without the benefit of a crystal ball, Andre Greco, Director of Sales, Security and Fire Solutions for Johnson Controls, looks at 12 trends in 2012.
In 2012, more businesses will examine how to operate and protect a building and its occupants. There will also be an increased emphasis on designing and retrofitting green buildings. Without the benefit of a crystal ball, Andre Greco, Director of Sales, Security and Fire Solutions for Johnson Controls, looks at 12 trends in 2012.
1.Better Building Systems Integration: Open-technology platforms collecting and managing data from disparate building systems and other data sources will improve facility efficiency. Cloud-based applications will provide additional efficiency-related tools. Available from a single source point, this data will make it easier and more affordable for operators of any facility to achieve better building performance.
2.Integrated Building Automation/ Security Systems: Allowing managers of large buildings to monitor and control temperature, lighting and water usage with security functions from a single console can improve overall facility performance.
3.Physical Security Information Management: Call it security at a glance. PSIM uses sophisticated software to capture and analyze vast arrays of data from disparate security systems — video surveillance, access control, intrusion detection and other sensors. Data is displayed with intuitive GUI, increasing situational awareness and helping users to make better security decisions.
4.Increased Interest in Green Building Certification: Building operators are seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification by introducing improvements that lower energy, operating and capital costs while improving indoor environments for both new and existing facilities. An Australian study showed that green building owners can generally charge higher rents and have lower vacancy rates.
5.Demand Response:This technology provides energy managers and building operators with real-time information to better manage electricity consumption and realize major savings. DR programs help them to reduce electricity consumption when the utility warns that the grid is at or near peak capacity — to decrease chances of power shortages or blackouts.
6.Education: Private companies are training the next generation of green building technicians and engineers. Sponsored programs expose elementary students to the values of sustainability, while high schoolers take summer jobs promoting energy conservation. The process continues in college, where students get hands-on experience operating renewable energy projects.
7.Public-Private Partnerships: These partnerships formed to identify and create energy- and water-saving projects are win-win situations. They involve performance contracting that can guarantee that savings will offset some or all of the costs of facility and infrastructure renewal projects. This can remove what is usually the biggest barrier to sustainability projects — financing.
8.Near-Field Communication: This technology allows smartphones to act as access cards, bringing greater security. The locks cost less than a standard card reader, yet they can create an audit trail to show who has accessed an asset and when.
9.Mass Access Control: New computer-based systems link stadium operators to Web portals where fans can purchase tickets and register to attend games. Turnstiles, along with biometric, proximity and barcode readers, at stadium gates rapidly process tens of thousands of people while comparing them with police databases to deny entrance to any known troublemakers.
10.One -Card Systems for Physical and Logical Security: Convergence is finally arriving as one access card now allows access to public or private facilities, as well as the enterprise network. This provides added safety for computers, printers and other peripherals. Smart chips in the cards permit the addition of a biometric identifier, such as a fingerprint or iris scan.
11.HD Cameras: End users and law enforcement continually want more information from their video systems. HD video can provide clear images that make it possible to do a better job of identification and scene assessment.
12.Open Standards: Following the path set by the IT community, security directors are demanding open standards for equipment ranging from cameras to access card readers. Open standards help protect investments in legacy systems, while making it easier to add new technology