The OT Network Linchpin – building analytics that just work

Over the course of this year we’re going to unpack the operational technology network one product at a time. We believe a strong, secure and smart OT network is the future of building automation and controls. We’ve assembled an all-star cast of product partners that are strongly positioned to lead the charge and we’ll introduce you to them on a regular basis. To kick off the series, we’re starting at the top in the cloud with building analytics and a brand new product called onPoint.

“Building analytics” has been bubbling up as an industry buzz phrase over the past five years. Most controls contractors and integrators are still figuring out what to do with it. The term has penetrated the C-suite where decision makers are talking in board rooms about “doing analytics” on building assets. There are a handful of analytics products at various stages of implementation across customer sites. Some start and carry on without a hitch. Some start and never really take off. Others cycle in a continuous loop of little return.

When done correctly, building analytics turn building management systems into energy management systems that give back more than they take in. In order to see the full return on a BMS investment and keep a system operating at its peak throughout its lifetime, the system needs to be continuously commissioned. The constant monitoring, adjusting, troubleshooting and optimizing of a system contributes to energy savings and repair reductions quickly and over time.

Analytics make this continuous commissioning possible and Kodaro’s onPoint is the most cost-effective and easiest way to get started.

The building analytics projects that fail typically follow the same trajectory: analytics are sold on the notion that there are energy and operational inefficiencies to identify. There is one solid computer programmer on staff at a controls contractor. That programmer gets pulled into the new analytics job and begins diving into the platform and programming language that was spec’d into the project. An emergency breaks out at a different customer site and the programmer is urgently dispatched to the field to deal with that issue. The programmer returns a few weeks later and starts at square one with the analytics project. Rinse, repeat.

As anyone who has attempted building analytics will tell you, they’re far more complex than their buzz suggests. Most analytics platforms are just that – platforms that are intended to be programmed upon. The platform can do anything as long as someone knows how to program it. In many cases, it’s necessary to have more than one someone who can do that programming to deliver timely progress and ultimately tangible results.

For us, onPoint is the linchpin to the OT network because data is the gold in any comprehensive operational technology effort. onPoint analytics allow for continuous commissioning on multiple buildings and takes away the need to dedicate your top programmer to one analytics project at a time. It also allows integrators to expand service offerings and grow long-term engagements. Crucially, onPoint provides custom reporting to drive action and show results to everyone on the team.

The onPoint base package includes an IT connection using a secure VPN tunnel between building equipment and the Kodaro cloud, plus data modeling and database integration along with proven airside analytics and a team of engineers and data scientists. We’ve been in the loop throughout Kodaro’s development of this product and we’re excited to dive into it with you when you’re ready. Browse the base package and add-ons in our web store, then contact us to schedule a web or in-person demo.