What’s holding you back from installing Internet of Things (IoT) devices in your facility? For many facilities managers, IoT’s wide spectrum of possibilities is precisely the problem. It can be tough to know where to start with smart building technology when there are IoT applications for nearly every building system.
Facilities managers who haven’t invested yet also may fear being replaced by automation, notes Joe Herbst, Vice President of Controls for Revolution Lighting Technologies. That concern isn’t entirely unfounded—a 2017 report from McKinsey Global Institute predicted automation could eliminate as many as 73 million U.S. jobs by 2030.
However, building automation isn’t a replacement for a facilities manager’s ability to lead a team or develop smart maintenance strategies. It exists to make your job easier by keeping an eye on performance and pointing out potential issues that would be difficult (and in some cases, impossible) to detect with conventional hands-on management.