Discover how Operator Display Integrated Network (ODIN) can smooth out the wrinkles in a building management system (BMS). The software finally makes it possible to take your building with you, no matter where you go. From standard metrics to emergency alerts, explore the features and functions of a truly remote building automation solution that helps you see what’s happening while you’re gone — and even fix problems without needing to travel on-site. ODIN can be the key to improving oversight while still leaving you enough time to take on new projects.
Table of Contents
In this post-pandemic, technology-immersed world, BAS functionality expectations have changed. Service providers specializing in building controls and facility managers alike are looking to modern BAS design for simplicity, data-driven insights, and optimal resource utilization. According to a pulse check of the European market (which often portends what will happen in the United States), the factors driving growth in the BAS market are “increasing awareness about energy conservation, government initiatives promoting sustainable practices, and the rising demand for smart and connected buildings.” In other words, the BAS is not just a control solution but an ally in strategic optimizations.
Is Your Castle on the Cloud?
A gradual evolution of building controls towards cloud-based management, the “Building Internet of Things” (BIoT), and the smooth integration of diverse legacy systems is hardly surprising. Tech in general is moving towards simplicity, automation, and “anywhere-ness.” Consider the recent explosion of cloud-based generative AI solutions among businesses and consumers. The prevalence of on-demand, smart solutions have adjusted expectations for stakeholders from service providers all the way to building occupants.
Service providers may now be able to do preparations for a service call remotely before going to the site. Technicians can find out if they need parts or what parts they’ll potentially need before even making the trip to the location. Such solutions are made possible with the right smart tools and remote access to vast building analytics.
A modern BAS must be managed on the cloud, including robust security, and feature a mobile-friendly interface to deliver the maximum benefits. ODIN (Operator Display Integrated Network) is a BACnet-certified, cloud-based building automation system that brings these conveniences to the palm of your hand in a mobile-optimized application.
Entering the Future: How the ODIN Remote BAS Works
Building automation has developed a well-earned reputation for complex setups and management. The technical details and nuances of many platforms ensure that average users would find them difficult to operate. It’s typical for building automation systems to require a third-party technician, on location, to install, set up, configure, and manage the system as well as diagnose or troubleshoot issues. Many systems are beyond the technical capabilities of most building owners just to make setpoint adjustments.
Facility managers and BAS service providers are rightfully searching for easier ways to provide remote access to building devices for easy off-site and off-hours control. This can be accomplished with modern cloud-based software that connects the building management system (BMS) — or even multiple systems at multiple locations — to your phone with an intuitive, user-friendly app.
With ODIN, our team is striving to shift the paradigm. ODIN can be set up with just a few easy steps:
With ODIN, you can integrate and adjust the BACnet trends and schedules within the same custom group, and create new trends and schedules within the app. Alarm notifications also offer customizations, whether you want them through email, text, or the app, and you can create new alarms through the app.
The cloud was always the next logical step for building management systems. Because cloud-based solutions are flexible enough to scale and typically more cost-effective than investing in private servers, the technology has been embraced by leaders, developers, and consumers alike since its introduction in 2006.
While on-premise building management systems can be more complex than anticipated, a cloud-based app like ODIN keeps things simple. It’s the next logical step in the Building Internet of Things (BIoT). Smart local devices are no longer stand-alone entities discoverable on the internet, but smoothly integrated in a unified system — even when they’re of different ages and from unique manufacturers. Remote building management empowers BAS operators with:
Advantages like these especially help to mitigate common pain points of facilities and industries that tend towards multiple locations, campuses, and offices in different regions. For example, medical buildings with multiple wards or outbuildings, a chain of retail stores, several museums, or the buildings on a college campus.
Each of the buildings in those groups may be using a unique BMS that requires a conventional connection to the local building network — often on specific on-site computers with the BMS software installed — to manage the building’s HVAC and energy devices.
Our software-as-a-service solution is adaptable for all browsers, mobile devices, and servers. If you’re used to working on legacy systems — ones that require you or a building engineer to be on-site — the remote functions of ODIN allow for the same access from anywhere, at any time, on any device. All you need is a smartphone or tablet when you have the ODIN app installed.
A cloud-based app that links each location’s BMS under one umbrella is the ideal way to monitor multiple facilities simultaneously and manage them from afar.
Efficient, sustainable, smart building management depends on robust data and analytics. Building analytics can reveal facts about the facility that have long gone overlooked — but only if there’s data from which to draw those insights. The key is to implement systems that will collect the right data and feed it into your building analytics tools.
Older systems collect basic information on energy use or times of operation. The sensors in a modern smart building can collect much more nuanced, filterable, and precise metrics. A sophisticated analytics platform can take that data and compile, scrub, and analyze it with minimal assistance from the building manager.
ODIN acts as a unifying and supporting player in this mission. It pulls data from your various systems (power, water, HVAC, multiple BMS software platforms, legacy software) and provides them to your analytics platform through a rich API. Access to this data ensures that your building analytics tools are not only more valuable but also more accurate. You’ll eliminate hours of manual work inputting and combing through data when sensors funnel it where it needs to go through the cloud.
Use ODIN in tandem with your building analytics tools to:
Automated buildings are a lucrative target for hackers, and the potential havoc wrought by compromised building data should be a primary concern for automation service providers. The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) published a detailed list of IoT attack surface areas as part of its Internet of Things Project. Some of the most common vulnerabilities include unsecured internet-connected devices, securities issues affecting communication protocols, and exploitable weaknesses in web application software.
As explained by Buildings, when assessing the cybersecurity of a smart building, you’re looking for systems that can:
Varied solutions may be in place to assist in each of these aims.
The latest iteration of ODIN has enhanced cybersecurity from multiple angles.
At ODIN, our products are more than just convenient. They can give your legacy systems a security boost that fends off even the more ambitious criminals.
ODIN was built with the end user in mind. Every feature, from the friendly displays to the extra layers of security, was created to take the burden off operation managers. Those who want more insight into their building don't necessarily need to spend more time on site. What's more, ODIN's technology keeps out the bad actors, so your devices can't be compromised.
Automated building management systems introduce an array of benefits to operations managers. Among the many advantages of the ODIN Remote Building Management System, service providers and facility personnel enjoy:
These benefits and more support the goals of service providers, owners, staff, and occupants alike. With true remote access, even unoccupied buildings stand to gain. Certain facility types may not be consistently in use — such as many churches, which spend large portions of the day with very low occupancy, then swell with numerous occupants for short periods of time. Smart, cloud-based solutions for this profile of building can maximize energy efficiency and create meaningful savings without the need to make BAS changes while physically on-site.
Learn More About ODIN Remote Building Management
The right building management system is a step into the future of building management. Technology will continue to evolve, and cloud-based solutions will enjoy real-time updates along with it. Our commitment to supporting further feature development and enhancements is a reflection of this drive for ever-increasing controllability, transparency, and security. Connect with the ODIN team today to learn more about the key features and benefits of a remote, cloud-based building automation platform.