Digital transformation is more than just a buzzword. The future of most companies hinges on their digital strategy; they are unsure, however, on exactly how to proceed. The growing uncertainty gnaws at them as the demands shoved upon them escalate. It’s no surprise that 87% of digital transformation projects fail to meet their original objectives, according to research in MIS Quarterly Executive.
The COVID-19 pandemic and climate change have raised the stakes, pushing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues to the top of the corporate agenda. Companies are wary of the fact that they will be evaluated based on their ESG initiatives.
While acknowledging sustainability and corporate social responsibility, few have tangible plans of action; they are vulnerable to lagging behind their peers.
An effective ESG program requires regular monitoring and assessment using key performance indicators (KPIs), many of which are derived from data coming from the physical environment. That’s the problem. How does one capture the physical environment data and information to monitor performance on key ESG issues such as energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, carbon intensity reductions, or water conservation?
"The ESG emphasis on health and wellness has highlighted one of the glaring deficiencies in buildings today . . . the almost total inability of a “modern” Building Automation System (BAS) to capture advanced environmental data"
What could an organization achieve by accessing this data in real time?
Commercial Real Estate (CRE) in particular has fallen short due to the severe shortage of actionable data captured from buildings. For example, the ESG emphasis on health and wellness has highlighted one of the glaring deficiencies in buildings today . . . the almost total inability of a “modern” Building Automation System (BAS) to capture advanced environmental data such as Particulate Matter, Volatile Organic Compounds, Ozone, or other key Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) metrics.
Additionally, the quality of data from buildings is lacking.
Organizations mapping out a digital strategy struggle with the heart of the problem going forward . . . uncertainty. They must account for a significant portfolio of unique buildings/conditions, an evolving science of measurement capabilities, development of relevant KPIs, and unknown, future challenges presented by a rapidly changing regulatory and investment climate. That the investment community is scrutinizing their ESG performance guarantees growing discomfort at the thought of being left behind. Those fears are forcing them into action.
The key is gaining access to the “right” data from their buildings. A common complaint is that organizations have too much data; what they actually mean is that they have too much unusable or “wrong” data.
The Challenge With Software-Only IoT Platforms
The Internet of Things, or IoT, refers to technologies that connect the physical environment to the Web. IoT Software platforms have proliferated, promising to make sense of data. They sing a familiar refrain of being hardware agnostic as they attempt to distance themselves from the real challenge posed by hardware. Unknowingly, they are actually prolonging the problem as they “wait” for needed hardware to show up.
In January of 2007, Steve Jobs ended the wait for his industry. He launched his vision for Apple and the iPhone by acknowledging the wisdom of industry pioneer Alan Kay who said in July of 1982, “People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware.” Tim Cook has reiterated this belief that Apple is at its best when it makes the software AND the hardware to ultimately power the services they envision.
We at Senseware agree. We took on the challenge and developed our own modular IoT hardware to pair with our IoT cloud core software. By combining our software AND our hardware we are able to tackle building and physical assets digital transformation challenges 5+ years ahead of the industry.
How We Do It
We adopted a high-velocity modular IoT hardware architecture. It is specifically designed to combat the IoT industry’s low-velocity problem, which relies on too many manual development stages to produce IoT edge hardware solutions for getting needed sensor data to the cloud.
Senseware’s IoT hardware is rooted on the same foundational industrial design principles of modularity that enabled Sony to produce more than 250 variations of its Walkman-type products during a 10-year period.
This IoT modularity provides major advantages when it comes to solving the building digital transformation challenge. We can deliver greater edge hardware variations at mass-produced prices, faster technological upgrading of our hardware solutions, and reduced time to market for new hardware introductions. This enables our partners to remain ahead of the technological curve.
The Challenge with Purpose-Built IoT Solutions
Conventional IoT solutions have been designed as narrow, purpose-built products to accomplish a single task. Their sensor specifications and capabilities are frozen during production because modifications will require re-engineering, re-qualification, and re-certification. This prohibits an agile technology roadmap that can accommodate the rapidly evolving challenges demanded by today’s dynamic digital strategies.
This is why we have designed our technology with one primary purpose: to give the market access to the latest sensor technology with little to no development time adapting seamlessly to any future changes in an organization’s data needs. This way, our partners are assured that they’ll have access to the unique set of data (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Environmental) they actually need, and of having early access to the next-generation of sensors for the highest quality of data. They don’t have to wait months or years to see their data.
Why We Do It This Way
We give our partners confidence and assurance that they can execute their digital strategy even with the knowledge that their data needs WILL change over time. We eliminate the fear of having to rely on narrow, vertical IoT products that risk obsolescence, or of having to find a new IoT product to meet new data requirements. They are covered throughout their digital transformation journey.
We believe that digital transformation of the physical environment is more feasible than ever and our approach is simple; make available a platform that is attuned to the market needs, configured to its specifications.
About Senseware:
Senseware is a first of its kind sensor-based technology platform with 42 patents. It provides real-time assurance to the entire built environment stakeholders. Building owners, engineers, and facilities managers gain visibility into critical areas such as indoor air quality, energy consumption, risk of water leaks, equipment status, and more. Since no two buildings are the same, the Senseware platform is fully customizable. Get assurance today through real-time data and into the future with the flexibility to monitor more.
Customer Spotlight: Download a digital transformation case study on a real estate investment trust that reduced their water consumption by 30% by using Senseware technology.