For the last decade or so, the building automation industry has been abuzz over interoperability. Many companies have been advertising their ability to tie all building systems together, making it easier for building owners/operators to manage every system in a building at the touch of a button. Tying everything together into one neat little package is definitely appealing to the end-user.
But true interoperability hasn’t always been easy to implement. Many contractors and engineers have either been involved in, or heard the stories about, trying to get systems to talk to one another — the expense, trouble, and confusion — and they’re not always willing to put their reputations on the line in order to be pioneers in this area.