ABSTRACT
Management of facilities — from single office buildings through rental properties to large multibuilding facilities — has become a complex task involving multitudes of disciplines. Only thoughtful approach to systems integration, thorough understanding of the needs of the facility, and advanced planning can bring the desired results for systems integration. The greatest challenge for facilities managers and system integrators is to make decisions which would assure implementation of new technology and new systems and approaches into networks and systems already in existence, without obsolescence of existing systems. Considering the life cycle of automation systems and the rapid development of communication interfaces, it is advantageous to implement interfaces, which were tested by vendors, installed at other customer sites, and are supported by the vendor’s local office. Interoperability of systems of different categories on a facilities network is a new challenge for most facilities and systems engineers.
