Karyn Hodgson

Feeling overwhelmed by the monumental task of staying on top of not only the physical but the cyber side of your organization’s security stance?

Two recently released reports highlight the increasing challenges faced by security practitioners, particularly those who have larger and more integrated systems between their IT and OT environments.

When it comes to smart buildings it is all too easy to collect so many “toys” (technology products and solutions) that you can’t possibly use them all at once. With children this problem is easily solved. Simply put them away for a while and when you bring them back out they will be “new” and interesting again.

What’s in a Name? If you plug in the term “smart building” to Wikipedia it automatically redirects you to the term “building automation.”

You may already be familiar with the term “PropTech,” short for property technology. Wikipedia defines it as “The application of information technology and platform economics to real estate markets.”

Smart buildings have been around for years, but often focus on the building controls side, such as HVAC and energy efficiency.

At the recent Securing New Ground conference, held virtually October 28, the topic of smart buildings came up multiple times — particularly in regards to new technology trends, pandemic impacts as well as cybersecurity concerns and the differences between IT/OT.

This October marks the 18th annual Cybersecurity Awareness month. Over that span, cybersecurity has gone from being a topic the IT department mostly worried about, to one that is top of mind for everyone from the CEO to the receptionist at most businesses.

Employees are currently able to pre-register guests both from their desktop and from their home computer or laptop. KGW is collaborating with Veristream to work on an app that will also allow them to do it from their cellphones in the near future.

At 110 stories, the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower) is the tallest building in North America.