Building Technology and Cybersecurity: What Property Teams Should Ask
A service provider can troubleshoot an HVAC issue without waiting for a site visit. A property manager can see when energy use starts creeping up. A tenant can submit a service request without calling the management office.
Each convenience depends on a connection, and each raises a question worth asking before the system goes live. Who can access your building’s systems, and what can they see or control?
In a recent article on smart building cybersecurity, CBIZ’s Jeremy Price examines the risk that comes with connecting more building systems.
For commercial property teams, the stakes are tangible. If a connected system goes down, the effects can show up at the front desk, in the engineering office, or on a tenant’s floor.
Ask what happens after installation
A service provider demo can show how quickly a technician can log in and diagnose a problem. The conversation gets more useful when the property team asks what happens after that service call, when the contract ends, or when the platform goes offline.
- Who can log in remotely? Find out whether access is limited to the systems and times needed for the work, and who can remove it.
- What happens if the platform goes offline? Ask which functions building staff can still operate locally and who handles recovery.
- Who owns the handoff? Agree on who manages updates, reviews access, and keeps track of what the new tool connects to once it’s in use.
These questions give property managers, engineers, and IT staff a way to evaluate the same technology together. A tool might make tenant requests easier to track or give managers better data for next year’s budget. Knowing who will support it and how the building will operate if it goes down gives the team a fuller picture.
BOMA/GLA’s Property Technology Committee will take up these decisions on Tuesday, November 17, from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at 1Cal Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles. The panel, How Technology Can Improve Building Operations and Tenants’ Experience, will look at how property teams can use technology for day-to-day operations, tenant communication, and budgeting while asking better security questions.
