What is a Building Operating System?
Because of the many connectivity and deployment challenges in the building sector, enabling the industrial digitalization of buildings through software platforms is key to achieving a smart building revolution. The Building Operating System (BOS) facilitates, accelerates, and organizes the development, deployment, and use of digital applications in buildings.
A Building Operating System is the core software platform, also known as middleware, creating a bridge between the building equipment and external applications. The role of a BOS is to hide the field complexity while providing quick access to data from the equipment of the building.
Components of the BOS
Here are the technical features and capabilities that constitute a BOS platform.
API
An Application Programming Interface provides a two-way communication channel with devices managed by the platform.
User Console
A real-time graph database management system allows users to visualize IoT/BMS data points.
Distributed orchestration system
It manages acquisition processes on each floor, analysis processes in separate server rooms, user interfaces on any support.
A secure rights management system
Access controls for the different profiles involved in the BOS, such as administrators, users, integrators, facility managers.
Local computing
In order to manage critical real-time aspects on a secure server for data privacy, data flow constraints, and system resilience, a BOS needs to be able to deploy locally.
Edge computing is a method of locally processing data closer to the source to reduce response time and save bandwidth.
The value of a Building Operating System for:
- Property Owners
With the digitalization of buildings, property owners not only increase the value of their property portfolio; they also help sustain it by improving the building maintenance operations through the integration of smart building apps. The BOS allows property owners to keep control of their BMS affordably.
Property developers and owners need to not only satisfy current tenants but appeal to prospects. The real estate market is highly competitive, so a big plus is a building that can match existing offers while providing innovative services. Buildings without a BOS represent a financial loss for property owners.
- Tenants
An essential role of smart buildings is to guarantee the comfort, health, and safety of residents. Tenants of commercial real estate (CRE) also reduce operational costs by having more efficient buildings. Smart buildings are the perfect choice for corporate tenants looking to gain smart insights into their businesses and optimize business operations.
- Facility Managers
Traditional building management systems are not equipped to offer the data and real-time response required from facility managers to make informed decisions concerning comfort, efficiency, and staff productivity.
However, FM companies can offer more competitive contracts with a BOS by delivering real-time monitoring services with state-of-the-art IoT solutions. Facility managers can improve their maintenance actions, reduce operational costs, simplify their data sharing process, and provide new services.
- Proptechs
PropTech startups are using BOS to quickly deploy solutions and software services that satisfy the new consumption patterns of property owners in the digital landscape. The arrival of PropTech in the real estate sector is a catalyst for the digital transformation of buildings.
The Smart Building industry has a billion-dollar energy savings potential for PropTech companies through the use of advanced IoT sensors, new metering technology, lighting equipment, thermostats, HVAC systems, security features, and many more.