“Rapidly accelerating advances in the way we are automating data and the recognized value of data are changing what it means to be “data-driven in the building environment.” Marc Petock
Data. It is transforming everything. It has changed how companies in every industry do business and manage performance. And it is no secret that data is the most valuable information in the smart building environment.
However, data can be bewildering and meaningless. When it comes to data, we need to move past “data drowning” and get to a point where we are automating the collecting, sorting, and exchanging critical information that directly correlates to improving our building operations and meeting business outcomes.
The challenge is to make the data available in the right format and deliver it to the right person at the right place and time within a secure environment. This is the basic requirement to create a data value chain.
How businesses access and use data has changed dramatically over the past several years, especially as data analytics tools have grown more user-friendly and other data platforms, have begun offering self-service solutions. To realize the full value of data, it must be collected securely, on time, standardized in the correct format, made ready to be used, put in context with operations and events and presented to the right persons at the right time to enable timely decision-making.
Automating its use and process combined with operational integration and interoperability is becoming a standard and a “must have” in the way buildings need to be operated and managed.
Why?
Automating data has multiple benefits and delivers value for organizations. Some of the key advantages include the following:
Increased Efficiency. Automating data reduces the time and effort required to process and analyze volumes of data, which increases overall efficiency and time to use. It reduces redundancies, acts as a single source of truth, and accelerates the ROI of data tools and campaigns across the organization.
Improved Accuracy and Integrity. By automating data, organizations can reduce the risk of human error and incorrect data and ensure accuracy, leading to better insights and decision-making.
Cost Savings. The automation of data can help reduce labor costs associated with manual data gathering and processing, which leads to cost savings.
Enhanced Insights. With automated data gathering and analysis, companies can quickly generate insights and identify trends, allowing for more informed decisions.
Better Agility. By automating the collection and exchange of data, organizations can quickly adapt to changing facility conditions and occupant needs.
While it all starts with asking the right questions and developing a strategy and a plan that includes defined operational and business outcomes, there are six layers helping to drive an automated data-driven smart building:
Data empowers companies to seek and make good fact-based decisions that drive better outcomes. It is not about more data but rather asking the right questions to get the right data, understand it and help solve specific problems and address specific issues. Automating data provides numerous benefits, including increased efficiency, improved accuracy, reduced errors, cost savings, better insights, and increased agility. As such, it has become essential for managing and operating facilities and making buildings smarter and more competitive.
Interested in getting more from the use of data?
