10 Reasons buildingCONNECT is the Right Tool for the Job

Stephen JohnsonAutomation & Control Solutions, Cybersecurity, Security, Systems Integration & Controls, TechnologyLeave a Comment

McKenney’s is over seventy years old. When my boss’ grandfather began selling and installing floor furnaces in the 1940s, the controls (such as they were) were 100% analog. To say things are different today is a monumental understatement. In the years that have followed, McKenney’s has not only developed the process and facilities to produce the hardware needed for even … Read More

Software Helping Teams Stay Safer

Stephen JohnsonAutomation & Control Solutions, Building Intelligence, Building Services, Commissioning, Corporate, Energy Services, Systems Integration & ControlsLeave a Comment

Commercial offices have long lists of best practices to ensure the safety of everyone who walks through their doors, but what if your facility could leverage software to ensure a healthy building and predict a healthier environment? By the second quarter of 2020, our Automation & Controls team, deep in the trenches of COVID, was certain that our customers had … Read More

Smart Systems that can Lower Operating Costs

Andrea LaMontHVAC, Systems Integration & Controls, TechnologyLeave a Comment

smart systems

Regardless of industry or market, facility owners and managers have two mandates: to keep systems running and keep costs low, all while keeping the building’s occupants comfortable and safe. This is difficult enough in a campus spread out across several acres, and exponentially more in large Class A buildings with multiple stories. To remedy these stumbling blocks, a solution needs … Read More

Identify System Deficiencies to Improve Facility Operations

Andrea LaMontAutomation & Control Solutions, HVAC, Mechanical, Plumbing, Security, Systems Integration & ControlsLeave a Comment

Improving Facility Operations

The top goal of facilities management is to operate efficiently and effectively. This is true regardless of the industry or setting. Inefficient management wastes resources and increases costs. Good management improves the facility’s bottom line. The following are some best practices that can be implemented to help meet the goal of improving operations. Automate systems A facility’s major systems, such … Read More

Keeping an Eye Watch on the Industry: Johnson Controls’ Merger with TYCO

Stephen JohnsonSystems Integration & ControlsLeave a Comment

Anyone in the building automation industry will tell you that technology is moving at the speed of thought. Most people tend to focus on the “big four,” which are Johnson, Trane, Honeywell and Siemens. Whenever any of these parties makes a major play, the whole industry asks two questions, what is going on and what does this do to our … Read More

Cloud Based Physical Security

Leroy WaldenSystems Integration & ControlsLeave a Comment

Yes, you read the title correctly even though it may seem to be contradictory that providing Physical security of your facility designed to maintain the safety of your building occupants and protect your company’s valuable assets can be managed by a cloud hosted service that does not require any physical network infrastructure in your building. But it is true.

Realcomm and IBcon 2016

Leroy WaldenSystems Integration & ControlsLeave a Comment

I just returned from the 17th annual Realcomm/IBcon conference held this year in the heart of Silicon Valley – San Jose, California. The event featured six unique tracks with education sessions presented from more than 100 advisors from the Real Estate, Technology, and System Integrators communities. Since its inception, Realcomm/IBcon was intended to bring together the brightest minds and most … Read More

Ambiguity and Mystery in Building Automation

Stephen JohnsonSystems Integration & ControlsLeave a Comment

From the days of pneumatic tubing and controls to the finest digital building control system, there have been quite a few technology leaps; yet, the fact remains the same: the whole industry wants their buildings smarter and more automated. Removing the mysterious veil from automation has become a high priority in the cyber-driven, technology-centric marketplace, and the customer is increasingly … Read More