Creating intelligent buildings with the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is going to transform how we work and live in more ways than many of us can imagine. Rapid advances in technology such as cognitive analytics, pervasive connectivity and embedded sensors are transforming every part of business. This transformation is leading to improved operations and lower costs, and engaging and personalized experiences.

We are quickly approaching the day when we will walk into a building and it will become instantly, digitally aware of the environment it needs to create to help make you successful. Buildings and facilities are places we all work, collaborate, build—the IoT is helping buildings to become more than containers, rather places that help occupants increase productivity.

Cognitive buildings may seem futuristic, but there are already leaders that are driving these environmentally aware buildings. Others are using asset tracking and facilities management solutions to transform how they manage buildings. We have had the good fortune to collaborate with several of them to help build and implement cutting-edge solutions that are using the IoT as a catalyst for transformation.

Siemens

Real estate is often the second largest expense on the income statement for most companies, and in most organizations the real estate portfolio is the third most valuable or expensive single asset.

Siemens is combining its existing data analytics capabilities with a suite of IBM software made up primarily of Maximo and Cognos to help drive the future of the digital building by using data from different devices and sensors to enable local intelligence and analytics to help customers achieve their goals. The intelligent building is evolving from an automated building to a fully digital building that leverages data analytics to develop optimized strategies that help improve energy efficiency and productivity.

KONE

At any moment in time there are more people in KONE elevators than in all the airplanes in the world. One of the global leaders in the elevator and escalator industry, KONE is looking to IBM to provide cloud-based IoT technologies and services to help advance leadership in smart buildings. As part of the agreement, KONE will tap into the IBM Watson IoT Cloud Platform to connect, remotely monitor and optimize its management of over one million elevators and escalators in buildings and cities worldwide. By connecting its install base to the IBM Watson IoT Cloud Platform and Bluemix development platform, KONE will also be able to provide “People Flow” information for building owners, tenants, users and facility managers.

With real-time insight about the operation of its equipment, KONE’s plans to drive further innovation and develop new solutions and services that help make for a smoother, safer and more personalized experience for people as they move around buildings. For instance, new technology means that elevators can be ordered remotely to be waiting ready when needed with information about the destination already programmed. IBM’s open standards based Watson IoT Cloud platform will also enable KONE to open its services via APIs to the vast developer ecosystem fostering the development of new smart building applications by business partners around the world.

KONE is embedding intelligence across its operations and furthering its mission to help make buildings and cities better places for people around the world.

Deloitte

Deloitte and IBM recently announced the launch of the Deloitte LeasePoint solution, powered by IBM Internet of Things and real estate software TRIRIGA, designed to address the new lease accounting standards released by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). With an effective date of January 2019, compliance will mandate a two-year look back, requiring systems and processes to be in place no later than January2017. Companies must therefore act quickly to address these standards. With a potential $2 trillion impact on the balance sheets of companies holding leases, LeasePoint will arm clients with the tools necessary to address the new regulations, sustain compliance, and help better manage lease portfolios using cognitive insights and analytics.

This facilities management offering will not only help organizations achieve compliance quickly, but also efficiently and reliably sustain compliance over time. Clients can also use IBM cognitive analytics to provide actionable insights for improving lease accounting policies and to anticipate issues with managing a diverse portfolio of leases.

Kimberly-Clark Professional

Kimberly-Clark Professional’s mission is to create healthier, safer, more productive workplaces around the world, so we are collaborating with them to bring an exceptional experience to their customers through the launch of an intelligent restroom system. Over the next several years Kimberly-Clark plans to connect hundreds of thousands of devices to manage hygiene product levels and usage, ensuring tenants are never without essential washroom products and improving the customer experience. Intelligence and analytics help reduce costs through more effective use of restroom consumables and staff time, while continuing to build Kimberly-Clark Professional's leadership in the Office Building market via this entrée into the real estate technology automation space.

These Leaders are providing great examples of how the IoT can be used to create a new way of working. They are offering products and services designed to continually adapt—in context—to the connected consumer. They’re using deep insights to achieve new levels of engagement and gain valuable insights through user input. As a result, they’re seeing enhanced revenue and attaining true marketplace differentiation.

No matter what industry you are in or where you are on your IoT journey, there is an IoT opportunity that can help you propel ahead of competitors. Discover the possibilities and connect with us.

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