One of the many problems we have with the term ‘smart buildings’ is that, rather than being an all-encompassing term, it conjures up very specific images in people’s minds.

It immediately leads us to visions of gleaming modern skyscrapers or sprawling tech ‘campuses’. But thinking this way only serves to limit our understanding of the possibilities for digitising the built environment.

Take the example of datacentres. These are crucial facilities, but how often do you hear them mentioned in the context of ‘smart buildings’? Although there is an awareness that they are not just ‘typical’ buildings, there is still a common perception that they are simply ‘where the servers live’.

However, the infrastructure demands of datacentres are huge and complex – in particular when it comes to security – and there are significant opportunities to realise massive efficiency gains through digitisation.

Security is non-negotiable

When thinking about datacentres, the first thing to highlight is that they are increasingly varied facilities.

Over the past few years, the need to push computing power further to the edge of networks has intensified demand for smaller datacentres – in addition to more traditional large-scale facilities.

But even with this variation in scale, bulletproof security remains mission-critical to the operation of any datacentre. And crucially, whereas in the past physical and cybersecurity would have been treated separately in a datacentre, with the advent of IP networks that division is blurring.

The increase in IP devices being attached to the corporate network – as opposed to traditional coax connections – means there is an ever-growing attack surface that compromises an organisation’s physical operations in tandem with its communications network.

Nowhere is this risk higher than in a datacentre.

This shift to IP networks has caused a significant amount of pain for traditional security installers. Suddenly the cameras and other devices they were responsible for are no longer a ‘security issue’ – they’ve become part of the IT domain.

The question is – how do we get these two previously siloed services to work harmoniously?

Taking care of security headaches

Putting in place security systems that encompass both physical and cybersecurity can be both complicated and labour intensive.

Very few organisations have the capability to cover both elements, but our integrated approach to digital building services is taking that pain away. And you have peace of mind that you’re getting a high-quality service – LMG is fully certified to NSI Gold standard for security system installation and maintenance.

It’s vital to close the gap between physical and cybersecurity. Companies must embrace the convergence of IT services and traditional security technology. Neither part of the equation can continue to operate in a silo. Best practice dictates that they must work together now.

To find out more about our security capabilities check out our service offering, or give us a call.