Latin America. Smart buildings bear that name for more than one reason. At a major level, network connectivity between a building's systems allows security, lighting, communications and other factors to be automatically regulated, returning to the interconnected building.
On the other hand, smart buildings are also an effective means for a company to increase efficiency, reduce costs and streamline operations; however, being an integrated communications infrastructure of wired and wireless networks and applications, it represents great challenges for administrators.
"Smart buildings have state-of-the-art systems deployed inside, such as LED lighting, Category 6A cabling, optical networks, advanced security systems and other digital infrastructure. In addition, all these systems are currently integrated into a platform to generate even more benefits: performance analysis, automated operations and infrastructure management, critical for the efficiency of operations within a building," said Juan Carlos Riveros, Technical Sales Manager CCAS Region – CommScope.
However, for a building to be completely intelligent, its network infrastructure, in addition to being compatible with the latest generation of fixed and wireless technology for employees, customers and visitors, must also be able to support the wide variety of IP devices that with the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) today connect in a building.
With more smart devices in buildings there are other challenges, for example, managing energy delivery becomes key to efficient operations and building safety. Power over Ethernet (PoE) powers a large number of IP-connected peripheral devices, such as wireless access points, cameras, video monitors, or lighting systems, and more emerge every day, so security has become critical.
"Network security is essential in connected buildings. It's something that needs to be addressed at all levels: from application-level encryption, to authentication, virtual private networks (VPNs), firewalls and the physical layer," added Leonardo Cossio, Sales Engineer at Axis Communications. "Intelligent access control systems are, therefore, vital at various levels of security, since using them guarantees that whoever has permission to access a building, floor or room is really authorized, and that not just anyone can enter."
When we talk about access control systems, we talk about physical systems that can be controlled, for example, the use of cards, smartphones through Bluetooth readers or other devices that can function as a token key. However, with technological development, there are currently also lighting systems that can perform this function, and not only that, but make the use of light more efficient and guarantee low levels of energy consumption.
"As you can see, the challenges faced by smart building managers are increasing and on multiple levels, leading us to wonder if we are really prepared for increasingly connected buildings. In CommScope we are aware of the accelerated evolution that networks have worldwide, so through the webinar on 'challenges and challenges of Smart Buildings' that we will teach together with Axis Communications, we will talk about the great needs that these constructions have, such as mobile connectivity with the arrival of 5G, the need for a future-ready infrastructure and, of course, the need for network convergence to support new technologies such as IP devices or innovative smart lighting systems", concluded Juan Carlos Riveros, Technical Sales Manager CCAS Region – CommScope.
