Big Vision, Smart Start
Ambition is high in commercial real estate (CRE) when it comes to digital transformation. Whether the goal is better cybersecurity, ESG reporting, energy optimization, or tenant experience, smart building strategies are no longer a “nice to have”—they’re becoming essential for competitive, resilient portfolios.
But here’s the reality: For most organizations, turning that vision into action doesn’t start with a sweeping initiative across 50 properties. It starts with one building and one well-defined problem.
At Intelligent Buildings, we’ve seen this approach unlock clarity, accelerate progress, and reduce risk for leaders across the CRE spectrum—from REITs and private equity firms to enterprise occupiers and asset managers.
If you’re looking to build momentum in your smart building strategy, starting small may be the smartest thing you can do.
Why Start with One Building?
There’s a good reason the pilot approach is so widely used in transformation projects: it’s fast, it’s low-risk, and it creates immediate learning opportunities. For CIOs, CTOs, and operations leaders trying to advance building intelligence, this approach offers multiple advantages:
- Quick Wins: Focusing on a single site lets you target a specific challenge—like unknown OT assets, untracked vendor access, or inefficient HVAC runtime. The result is tangible improvement, often in 30–60 days.
- Clear ROI: When success is measured against one known issue, it’s much easier to calculate return on investment (ROI). You can show leadership how solving one problem in one building creates a model for many.
- Controlled Complexity: Every building has its quirks. Starting with one site lets you build context before scaling. You’ll better understand vendor relationships, system architecture, and policy gaps without getting overwhelmed.
- Data-Driven Storytelling: A single successful pilot generates meaningful data. That data becomes the basis for funding, prioritization, and executive support across your portfolio.
Three Impactful Areas to Start
You don’t need a massive upgrade budget or sweeping scope to get started. Many CRE leaders begin by solving one of these common, high-value challenges:
1. Mapping Unknown OT Systems
Do you know every device connected to your building’s network? For most IT and facilities teams, the honest answer is no.
Operational technology (OT) assets—HVAC controllers, lighting systems, access control devices, fire panels—are often installed by third parties and left unmanaged after deployment. Over time, that creates a security and operational blind spot.
What we typically find in pilot assessments:
- Dozens of devices not in any documented inventory
- Legacy systems still in operation but unsupported
- OT devices with open network ports or default credentials
- Zero central visibility into firmware versions or vulnerabilities
Starting with a single building lets you:
- Build a complete OT asset inventory
- Classify risk levels
- Create a structured process to replicate across other sites
2. Eliminating Uncontrolled Vendor Access
Another popular starting point is cleaning up vendor access. In most smart buildings, third-party vendors control many systems remotely—but few organizations have complete visibility or control over how and when they connect.
Without clear governance, this leads to:
- Shared passwords across multiple contractors
- Virtual private network (VPN) access that’s never turned off
- Zero session logging or change tracking
- No formal onboarding or offboarding of vendor users
By piloting a vendor access control strategy in one building, you can:
- Implement role-based credentials
- Enable secure access with expiration timelines
- Monitor and log sessions for accountability
- Train internal teams and vendors on new policies
That means fewer surprises, fewer cybersecurity gaps, and a much stronger audit position.
3. Reducing HVAC Energy Waste
Energy efficiency is often the most visible—and financially impactful—quick win. Even in high-performing buildings, HVAC systems are often:
- Running longer than needed
- Not optimized for occupancy patterns
- Operating in override mode without alerts
- Using outdated or inefficient control sequences
Through IntelliNet and targeted assessments, we’ve helped CRE clients cut energy costs in pilot buildings, often with no hardware upgrades, just smarter runtime logic and controls oversight. IntelliNet visualizes overrides, sequences, and control anomalies in real time—giving you a clear path to optimization.
What makes HVAC an ideal starting point?
- It affects cost, comfort, and carbon footprint.
- Fixes often don’t require hardware changes.
- The results are measurable in energy spend and system uptime.
Turning One Building into a Roadmap
Once you’ve tackled a pilot site, the next question is: How do we scale this success? That’s where a roadmap becomes essential. Build scalability into the first pilot by establishing success metrics that define what must be true to proceed with other buildings. Piloting one building aids in proving concepts, but to accelerate value for your portfolio, document your intentions upfront. This approach simplifies moving forward and unlocking scaled value.
At Intelligent Buildings, we help our clients develop scalable digital strategies by capturing learnings from pilots and translating them into enterprise playbooks. This often includes:
- Standardized OT assessment templates
- Portfolio-wide OT risk scoring
- Vendor access policy rollouts
- Energy optimization frameworks
- Governance structures across IT, facilities, and operations
By starting with one building, you don’t just prove the concept—you build the foundation for sustainable transformation.
Intelligent Buildings is a sophisticated, outcome-driven partner that helps well-aligned organizations turn pilot initiatives into guidance and managed services that scale and enable portfolio success. Our role in pilot engagements is to enhance clarity, structure, and cross-functional alignment—ensuring that even a single-building test delivers measurable results that can validate a strong existing vision or help shape a more compelling one. Whether you’re refining strategy or building momentum, IB brings deep experience and practical execution to help pilot programs scale with confidence and credibility.
Final Thought: Progress Starts with a First Step
The path to smarter, safer, and more efficient buildings doesn’t require a massive launch or a complete platform overhaul. It just requires a clear focus, a small win, and a plan to grow. Success in commercial real estate today benefits from intentionality.
Start with one building. One issue. One opportunity.
The results may exceed expectations—and build the business case you’ve been waiting for.