While adopting a tech stack for CRE, there is always a dilemma in choosing the system. Choosing between BAS or Building Automation System and BMS or Building Management System seems complicated. Based on their primary capabilities, it can be argued that both systems are almost identical. Yet, with the evolution of automation and analytics, some differentiation between the two is now becoming every minute.

So, what system should the operators use for maximizing their return on investment? Let’s find out.

Building Management System and Business Automation System: What’s the difference?

A Building Management System (BMS) is a solution that controls and monitors electrical and mechanical facilities. The primary objective of a BMS is to manage the internal environmental conditions within a commercial property. The system tracks HVAC control, power and lighting systems, and fire and security facilities and provides real-time insights into their working.

Building Automation System is considered a subset of the BMS, and its objective is to simplify the building management. It may or may not have the features of a BMS and often include certain additions too. BAS improves the capabilities of BMS and provides remote control of the business facilities as well.

Since BMS has more features and control over a commercial property, knowing its capabilities is crucial. BMS manages efficient monitoring of energy consumption and tenant comfort. Further, it helps business managers to optimize their office environment and reduce operational costs.

In addition, the energy consumption in a commercial building depends on malfunctioning equipment and/or tenant usage. The BMS can display the abnormalities occurring due to any of the factors. The insights help the required personnel identify whether the use is intentional and rectify any issues causing it otherwise.

Consequently, the stakeholders can optimize their processes, extend the working life of various equipment, and reduce wastage. A practical implementation of a BMS system can save money by putting a check on both wastage and maintenance schedules.

The Flaw in the plan! Why BMS or BAS will not be enough

In commercial real estate, the concept of a smart building depends on machine-to-machine communication within the management systems and essential equipment to control and optimize their functionality as per need and building intelligence.

Although a BMS improves the operational efficiency of CRE properties, certain events can affect the regularity of the processes even with minor modifications. Changes in occupancy levels, seasonal variations, or even hardware upgrades can change the working of BMS since it is slower in deploying any changes immediately.

Although a BAS is faster, it only incorporates a fraction of the BMS’s capabilities. Therefore, implementing it would not make much difference too. Only an accurately configured management system with adequate monitoring points can identify the actual cause of the issue and alert the facility manager. Without the availability of a proper system, the problems could remain undetected and result in the wastage of energy, resources, and money.

The era of Smart Control: Building Operating System

Since the impact of BMS or BAS becomes reduced with an increase in scale, the need for an improved ecosystem might be required. A proprietary Building Operating System, known as Know Your BuildingTM, can benefit these scenarios. It understands the condition of each commercial property and ensures you have control over it. The processes and operations become smarter and faster.

The objective of a smart building is to manage and deliver essential services to increase the occupant’s convenience and productivity, with minimum cost and environmental impact. The hallmark of any smart building is optimizing energy usage and promoting using clean energy resources. Further, it focuses on standardizing and maintaining the safety and security of the occupants from external elements.

A smart building is established by connecting the IoT-powered sensors with the equipment to be monitored. The signals and feedback can be collected and analyzed using a dashboard. Moreover, the data generated while using these sensors are collected to observe the facilities’ general trends and understand the scope of optimizing them