A Guide for Building Management Software and Systems

All property owners face the mundane day-to-day operations of a given building or space. This issue can lead to inefficiency in building management and rising operational costs. This problem is exponentially more complicated for those with several buildings in their portfolio. 

Thanks to the rising numbers of IoT companies, these building owners and managers now have excellent sources for third-party vendors to supply management software and systems to address things like HVAC, lighting, and maintenance. These systems take the strain out of building management and pave the way for smart buildings that are on the leading edge of future design and innovation for building management.

Let’s look at building management software and systems to give you a clear picture of how your building can benefit from these new services.

What is a Building Management System and What Software is Needed?

A building management system allows you to integrate, automate, and streamline the operations and procedures for any facility. In essence, when you implement a building management system, you get an intelligent building that is easily operated and maintained through technology. 

An excellent example of a simplified geographical information system (GIS) is Google Earth and Apple Maps. Using advanced GIS technology will give you access to all kinds of crucial real-time data about your building. A comprehensive building management system with GIS integration will allow you to access and proactively manage all building systems through one single platform. 

 Many suppliers offer a one-size-fits-all building management system, and this may not be the best system for your building. You need to look for companies that offer tailor-made solutions and who will address every component of your facility.

These are going to be the building management systems connecting cloud-based platforms, so you can get the real-time data required to build an effective system that covers all the bases. When you have the capability to look at all of your business systems together, you can get a clear picture of where you can cut business expenses, improve tenant relations, and alleviate some administrative and IT burdens.

What to Watch Out For

In this highly competitive business with so many companies offering building management systems and software, just be aware of the solutions you are seeking for your building.

If your building already has a management system in place, be careful about which systems and software can run in tandem with the current system. Sometimes, it may be cheaper to cut the old system out entirely and start fresh.

If the vendor you are interviewing doesn’t know if his system will work with yours, keep shopping until you find one that is compatible but cost-effective as well.

The Benefits to Look for in a Building Management System

With the innovations available for building management, keep your vision of what is best for your building. Look for a company that will provide your facility with the following benefits.

• Increase property values 

The higher degree of technology implemented in your business management system can be a selling point to attract high-end clients. These will be the clients that make your property value increase just by being a tenant!

• Real-time big data

 The more data you have, the more you can improve how you manage your building.  This kind of real-time data will allow you to improve areas like safety and utilities and even offer prospective and current tenants a higher quality building. In times of an emergency, it can even help first responders by giving them access to accurate details of your property.

• Improve tenant experiences

Through cloud-based building management systems and software, you can give your tenants access to a map of your property on their phones. Not only will this reduce confusion, but in times of emergency, these maps could be crucial to getting all your tenants to safety. 

Your building management system will only be as good as its software. Let’s look at the software side of a building management system.

Getting the Right Software to Operate Your Building Management System

Whichever building management system you choose will need software to manage everything. Good building management systems can be rendered useless because it doesn’t have the right software running the show. Make your building management system supplier aware of exactly what you want from the system and see if they can optimize the system to control the unique assets used to run your facility.

These systems use individual programs that are then linked to the corresponding components of the building via wires, cabling, or in some cases, even wirelessly. Programmable thermostats and lighting sensors are good examples of the building management system’s control. 

You can then tailor these settings to optimize electrical usage in areas where the lights and temperature are a non-factor because no one occupies those areas. Your building may need to give you some data about its power usage before you can tweak those settings to optimize them. 

In Conclusion

Building management systems and software have a wide range of applications to help monitor any facility. Whether you need better utility management or just want to increase the safety of your building, integrating a building management system can help. 

Choosing the right software for your building management system is easy when you create a plan of what you need out of a building management system. Start by looking at the individual systems your facility currently uses and which areas need to be optimized.

When you have an idea about the building management system you want to implement, Maptelligent has the solution. Just give the team at Maptelligent a call and see just how easy building management systems integration can be!