Greenlight Software Services

Streamlining deployments and maintaining smart building performance

CASE STUDY: Improve the speed, accuracy and tracking of complex IoT deployments at scale.

Customer Profile

Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), one of the largest commercial real estate services companies in the US, is known for helping businesses around the globe implement smart building technology strategies that offer long-term operating advantage and optimized employee experience. JLL’s commitment to employing cutting-edge building technology and human-centric design has led to it being recognized as a world leader in real estate services.

Being at the forefront of building management, JLL had test deployed a smart building solution for a Fortune 50 client when smart buildings were an emerging technology with few fully deployed sites in existence. Undeterred, JLL tested an IoT building solution for one of the world’s largest global brands. JLL found that although the smart building test deployment had been functional there were several factors that could have been improved to better serve their marquee client. Because of their longstanding relationship with IDS and our extensive knowledge of IoT smart building deployments, JLL turned to us to help them deploy a new and improved smart building strategy for their client, leveraging our GreenLight Software Services.

The Challenge

The commercial property in question was a sprawling campus in a major US city, consisting of three large buildings encompassing over 1.6 million square feet. The unique historical space, designated a Heritage building by the Planning Authority, was known for having the most modern and exclusive offices in the city. In addition to the workspace, the office floors boasted large hallways and an array of amenities including casual meeting areas, huddle rooms, and conference areas for more formal meetings.

square feet of space

It was imperative to JLL that the high-traffic campus experience minimal downtime during the retrofit and that the IoT deployment software used to support the campus’ IoT systems could precisely track a large volume of IoT devices.

JLL was aware that high quality post-installation asbuilt documentation was crucial for future device maintenance and support of the large campus. The GreenLight scanner mobile app and provisioning platform would enable JLL to easily obtain accurate digital asbuilt documentation during the IoT retrofit, which would prove to be integral to the overall success of the project.

The Solution

The standard procedure for building digital asbuilt docs involved manual scanning of IEEE stickers with a hard copy floor plan and multiple points of data, which made device deployment unreliable, time consuming and inefficient. The manual method also required that a specialized technician be on site during the deployment process.

Using the GreenLight provisioning platform, on-site contractors would simply place the IEEE device stickers in a workbook next to the corresponding device location and scan the physical workbook with the GreenLight scanner mobile application. After the install information had been transferred from the mobile app to the provisioning platform, a remote deployment technician would produce a real time punch list for the on-site contractor to reference a physical blueprint and address any deficiencies.

The GreenLight provisioning platform allowed onsite contractors to address device issues in real-time, minimizing downtime. The digital asbuilt documentation and remote deployment eliminated the need for manual data entry, greatly reducing human error.

As devices were being installed and scanned into the digital workbook, a third party used the GreenLight platform to remotely provision the newly installed hardware. All provisioning was able to be completed remotely by a skilled technician which greatly reduced site-time. The ability to deploy during the installation was key to reducing site impact for the client.

The GreenLight software automated punch list features also gave the real estate service company the ability to leverage up-to-date punch lists and reporting functionality. This gave the JLL team the ability to hold the contractors accountable to ensure a quality product for their client. Technicians overseeing the deployment of the campus would update any deficiency on the GreenLight provisioning platform alerting on-site contractors.

By leveraging the GreenLight scanner mobile application, contractors were able to identify device issues, determine the type of error and deploy a solution immediately, mitigating the client’s operational interruption during the project. The up-to-date punch lists were easy to follow and allowed contractors the ability to address device errors in real-time.

Finally, IDS ensured that their smart building strategy included additions that would positively impact the productivity and comfort of the campus occupants. A room finder application utilized occupancy data from the building’s smart sensors to broadcast room availability on LCD screens located throughout the campus buildings and in every elevator lobby.

Indicator lights were installed outside of huddle rooms to give another layer of visibility to easily signal unoccupied rooms. These modifications allowed JLL’s client to utilize the office space in a more productive way and offer a more human-centric work environment to the occupants.

The Results

Over 6,500 edge devices and 100 gateways were used for JLL’s Fortune 50 client site. All devices were provisioned through the GreenLight provisioning platform and were certified error-free at the time of deployment. An error-free deployment ensured that JLL was able to immediately glean vital building occupancy and environmental data that would help them service the large campus in the most effective way.

The digital asbuilt documentation that was provided through the GreenLight provisioning platform offered JLL the ability to pinpoint all data points in the IoT infrastructure making future device maintenance and retrofits fast and easy. On-site maintenance crews would now have the ability to immediately address any building tickets related to smart building infrastructure, allowing the Fortune 50 client to effectively troubleshoot IoT issues with minimum downtime.

Furthermore, data received from the IoT sensors would also allow JLL to accurately gauge critical insights for commercial property managers in the post-Covid-19 work culture such as dwelling activity and occupant behaviors. Insights into occupant behavior, indoor environment quality and building utilization would allow JLL to continue to lead the industry in human-centric, cost-effective smart building management.

greenlight logoGreenLight Software Services
Streamlining deployments and maintaining smart building performance

greenlight logoGreenLight Software Services

Streamlining deployments and maintaining smart building performance