July/August 2019 I 47
devices both across the cloud
and within facilities. Even better,
because BACnet/SC is based off
of common IT standards like firewalls
and dynamic IP addresses,
it will be much easier for IT
departments to work with BAS
professionals to manage their
networks, because there will be
greater common ground.
MOVING FORWARD:
IT AND BAS
Undoubtedly, BACnet/SC is
a progressive move in the right
direction. It is only the first step
though in what IT and BAS can
accomplish together. As the industry
awaits its ratification, it is a good
time for IT and facilities managers
to increase collaboration for the
many non-BACnet/SC initiatives that
need to be accomplished, including
maintaining device ID lists, updating
physical security, and resetting
default passwords on BAS vendor
devices. Arguably, after security,
the most important of all is creating
a system for tagging data, which IT
has been proficient at for years, in
order to advance the BAS and smart
building development.
Trends in the industry are
reported to be “more around
software-based BACnet gateways
(to eliminate the need of implementing
BACnet on end-devices),
native BACnet support, and cloudbased
BACnet communication.
There is also a fair amount of use
of BACnet over wireless, which could
be one of the possible focus areas for
enhancement in the standard. There
may also be the possibility of BACnet
interface/integration with IoT multilayer
frameworks. An example of this
could be a go-iot.io software-gateway
to connect BACnet networks with
the IBM Watson IoT Platform.”9
Time is of the essence. ASHRAE
needs to continue to keep its focus
on security. It is also crucial that IT
and facilities managers work together
to develop the best cyber and
physical security systems possible
or the BAS can be decimated. There
are still thousands of unrepentant
Mitnicks ready to pounce.
BIOGRAPHIES: Daniel Tan has
a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc)
degree with a focus on computer
engineering. He has a great deal of
experience with smart building technology
and building automation systems, and he
was key in developing the software for
Optigo Networks’ BAS monitoring and
troubleshooting platform. Daniel has
advanced skills with statistical
programming languages and a keen
attention to detail. He can be reached
at daniel.tan@optigo.net.
Jeff Downton is an expert in distributed
and scalable computing. He has a proven
track record of managing technical teams
and successfully delivering analytical
projects to market. With a strong background
in high-tech startups, he has
worked in verticals which span from real
estate to gaming analytics, including a
significant period of time devoted to big
data analytics in the healthcare space.
Jeff provides the leadership team with the
technological perspectives to make timely
and accurate decisions. Jeff can be reached
at jeff.downton@ca.at.com.
REFERENCES:
1. Sjouwerman, Stu, World's Most Famous
Hacker Kevin Mitnick: IoT Is Exploitable,
Security Awareness Training Blog,
June 26, 2017, knowbe4.com, https://
blog.knowbe4.com/worlds-most-famoushacker
kevin-mitnick-iot-is-exploitable
2. Fisher, David. Isler, Bernhard. Osborne,
Michael., BACnet Secure Connect,
White paper, p. 3, 2018
3. Princeton University: Shining a Light on
Princeton’s Network Problems, Case study,
Optigo Networks Inc., www.optigo.net.
4. Lee, Joseph, IoT and DDoS:
Cyberattacks on the Rise, August 14, 2018,
A10 Networks, Inc,
https://www.a10networks.com/blog/
iot-and-ddos-cyberattacks-rise/.
5. Figure 5, © 2019 Optigo Networks Inc.
All rights reserved.
6. Ibid
7. BACnet–The Backbone of Building
Automation, February 27, 2018, Softdel,
http://testprizm.softdel.com/insight/
BACnet-The-backbone-of-buildingautomation
8. Figure 8, © 2019 Optigo Networks
Inc. All rights reserved.
9. BACnet–The Backbone of Building
Automation, February 27, 2018, Softdel,
http://testprizm.softdel.com/insight/
BACnet-The-backbone-of-buildingautomation.
/www.optigo.net
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