View Full Image

The capacity to tap into enormous volumes of data to enable real-time, intelligent decision-making is of crucial importance for any smart building. Builders need a dependable and adaptable communications infrastructure that can serve both current and future use cases. Security is paramount to all digital technologies as traditional WiFi deployment architecture has become vulnerable. Builders and contractors must consider addressing these constraints to improve the experience of residents using WiFi in smart buildings.

Constraints over deploying WiFi in smart buildings: -

1. Leave no blind-spot - Someone might require network access in lobbies, meeting rooms, and other common areas. Physical security management teams increasingly require comprehensive coverage. Wireless IoT sensors could be deployed at elevator shafts, maintenance rooms, roofs, & parking garages. 
   
2. Cabling and installation - Twisted pair cabling improves the WiFi 6 and 6E performance. Category 6A cable should be installed as PoE (Power over Ethernet) devices get more complex, and frequently require more power to function. Ensure safe delivery of high electric watt supply to WiFi APs (Access Points), UHD (Ultra-HD) security cameras, IoT sensors, and PoEs.
   
3. Antenna and Radar - Antenna types such as yagi, panel, and parabolic are better alternatives for coverage and performance in regions with concrete or plaster walls or huge metal machinery. The interior-exterior environment such as office spaces, atriums, parking garages, maintenance, or engineering floors often decides the type of antenna to be deployed. WiFi access points with built-in antennas must be created for conventional office area deployments. This will bypass the physical obstacles such as drywall, cubicle barriers, office-grade doors, and glass panes.
4. Network subnetting - Strict WiFi access controls must be implemented by employing micro-segmentation to mitigate malware outbreaks and service disruptions. LPWAN (Low-Power-Wide-Area Networks) provides ease of deployment, and ultra-low power consumption is required to scale with low-computing, battery-operated IoT sensor devices. LPWAN system requires a single base station to link thousands of scattered endpoints across the building utilizing the basic star topology. LPWAN utilizes sub-GHz frequencies. This helps to avoid excessive interference from old wireless systems functioning in the building at 2.4 GHz range. This ensures long-term network dependability. At the end of the day, the robustness and reliability of your WiFi systems will determine whether your smart building architecture succeeds or fails.

The range of smart building applications is enormous, and it's developing all the time. As a result, in order to take advantage of everything that this transition has to offer, both existing broadband networks and future low-power IoT connections will need to coexist in the wireless architecture.

WiFi deployment in smart buildings helps in: -

1. Occupancy and damage detection - Integrating different systems over WiFi in smart buildings can help in regulation of safe distance measure and sanitation operations. It can also detect faults in time and prevent avoidable maintenance and energy expenditures.
2. HVAC and access control systems - Smart building systems can reduce utility expenditures, carbon emissions and increase tenant satisfaction by installing AI-enabled HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems. Smoke detectors, window/door sensors, intrusion, and fire alarm systems can also integrate with HVAC and the system can identify irregularities proactively to resolve them early on.
3. Monitoring of the environment & consumables - Smart building systems can monitor IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) conditions to enhance the health, comfort, and well-being of building occupants and to lower the risk of respiratory complaints. The WiFi enabled system can also monitor in real-time how much hand sanitizer, soap, paper towels, and toilet paper is being used in the building. To guarantee timely refills and the health and safety of tenants, receive notifications when products are running short.

Centex Technologies provide IT and networking solutions for establishments. For more information on deployment of WiFi for smart buildings, call Centex Technologies at (972) 375 - 9654.

What Is Multi-Cloud?

Multi-cloud means utilization of two or more public cloud service providers to serve the needs of IT services and infrastructure of an organization. The organizations may choose the best services from different cloud service providers based on multiple factors such as cost, technical requirements, geographic availability, security, etc. A simple example is where an organization uses one cloud service provider for development/test, one for disaster recovery, and another to process business analytics data.

Alternatively, an organization may leverage multiple public clouds in combination with private cloud deployments and traditional on-premise infrastructure.

What Is The Purpose Of Multi-Cloud Approach?

Here are the reasons why an organization should adopt a multi-cloud approach:

• Overcoming Data Gravity: Data gravity refers to the idea that it is difficult to move or migrate large data sets and thus, it is important to store the data in proximity with applications and services used to analyze them. Using a cloud-attached storage solution that connects to multiple clouds simultaneously can help in overcoming data gravity. Efficient solutions help in reducing latency by hosting data in close proximity to cloud data centers.
• Optimizing Work Loads: Every cloud service provider offers its own set of physical infrastructure components and application services, while releasing new features on a regular basis. Thus, no cloud service provider can provide cost-optimized services. By adopting multi-cloud approach, organizations have an option to select most suitable provider for every workload leading to enhanced application performance.
• Avoiding Vendor Lock-In: Vendor lock-in refers to a situation where it becomes difficult for an organization to transfer its business away from one service provider to another service provider or back to on-premise infrastructure. However, by adopting multi-cloud approach, an organization has the flexibility to transfer its application to any cloud service provider which allows the organization to take advantage of new technologies.
• Additional Benefits: Multi-cloud approach serves the purpose of enhancing disaster recovery capabilities, meeting regulatory compliance, curbing shadow IT, elevating application performance, etc.

How To Monitor Multi-Cloud Strategy?

• Use monitoring tools designed specifically for multi-cloud environment.
• Leverage a configuration management database.
• Adopt a mechanism that can sense, analyze, adapt, and visualize to help admins resolve outages.
• Use monitoring tools that support automation.

For more information on implementation of multi-cloud for organization, call Centex Technologies at (972) 375 - 9654.