The portal is designed to help system integrators, building owners and IT-based solution and application developers bridge the gap between Building Management System (BMS) and Internet of Things (IoT). The new portal is based on open standards and aims to fulfil the goals of implementing intelligent building solutions in an efficient and simple way.

The growing demand for more efficient buildings, whether it is in terms of energy consumption, space management or comfort, increases the requirement for a real synergy between intelligent building solution providers such as controls manufacturers, system integrators (SI) and digital services companies. Solution providers offer optimal and customisable solutions that provide the right tools for owners to get the most out of their space, optimizing operating costs and providing tenants with advanced occupant services.

“As technology develops and we become more connected, the line between BMS and IoT within a commercial building is becoming blurred,” comments Joel Désiré, Connected Building Solution Manager at Distech Controls. “Building owners and occupants want to have more tools to help them understand and improve building performance and gain better insight of how their premises are used. The ability to update parameters in real time, if necessary, to allow continuity of service and an optimum level of comfort with systems that are more “future proof” are important to stakeholders. Therefore, we are launching the Developer Portal to meet these needs. No matter the size of the building, the number of sites or the level of connectivity, we have the hardware and software tools to help.”

New tools to meet new needs

It is not only the SI and the facility manager who want access to the analytics of a building. Building owners, real estate managers, workplace strategists, IT managers and even human resources want to understand the operation of their buildings so they can work as efficiently as possible.

In the BMS world, BACnet, LonWorks and ModBus protocols are common but the introduction of IoT has brought forth new IP-based protocols and PaaS (Platform as a Solution) models. Distech Controls’ Elypse Connected Controller Series is an ideal, open platform to sit across BMS and IoT as it has a wide range of technologies available to meet specific needs of offering control for building owners and occupants.

The new Developer Portal supports Distech Controls’ products and solutions, including the ECLYPSE Sky Ecosystem (a best-in-class comfort management solution which leverages Bluetooth Low Energy) by providing integrators and installers with an easier way to program and configure solutions for building owner and occupant control. Additionally, the Developer Portal supports ECYLPSE solutions with RESTful API, by enabling on premises communication, making integration easier for SIs and enabling web services to more easily interact with software applications. For cloud-based communication with multiple sites or to leverage applications hosted on the cloud, the Developer Portal integrates with ECYLPSE solutions for connection to Microsoft Azure, a PaaS solution that gathers data to the cloud, thus enabling the monitoring and control of buildings remotely.