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Facility Executives Should Involve IT in BAS Planning

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I’m Ed Sullivan, editor of Building Operating Management magazine. Today’s topic is the importance of involving the IT department in planning for a building automation system.

One way to make a building automation system more affordable is run it on the organization’s network, rather than over a dedicated cabling system. If you’re considering this option, be sure to involve the IT department early in the planning process. Failing to involve the IT department can cause problems when it’s time to install the BAS, and questions about firewalls or virtual private networks are raised.

Given the sometimes rocky relationship between facilities and IT, a facility executive may be reluctant to bring IT into BAS planning. In most cases, that concern is misplaced. The IT department wants to make sure that nothing will jeopardize the reliability and security of the network. They’re not concerned about which BAS is selected or which features the system will have. What’s more, most BAS vendors are accustomed to meeting with IT and have ready answers to IT concerns.