Building decision-makers list budget constraints and buy-in from senior leadership as the two biggest barriers to their adoption of smart technologies, according to a new research report from Johnson Controls. The report, ‘Thinking Smart: How the foundations of the UK will be defined by smart buildings’, found that 99% of decision-makers see the value of smart tech – yet just 34% of buildings are currently fitted with smart solutions. In the short-term, this could be putting occupant health and safety at greater risk, while long-term, sustainability targets will be impacted. During the COVID-19 pandemic, smart technologies helped 87% of respondents keep their buildings safe – and over a third (37%) say it was critical or essential to doing so. Despite these evident benefits, budget constraints caused issues for two-thirds (64%) of decision-makers, while 42% struggled to get senior buy-in. When it comes to the smart building budget abyss, commercial office space organisations have to make their money stretch furthest, with required budgets as high as £2.7 million per building, and real budgets coming in as low as £1.3 million. Higher education is also struggling, with a £300,000 deficit from the £1.8 million they need, while government and healthcare organisations feel they have sufficient budgets to see value from their smart technology investments. For senior leaders, this exposes a difficult question: whether to address the problem head-on and make major investments now, or be forced to make urgent improvements down the line – both to reduce ever-mounting costs and meet increasingly tough sustainability targets. But it’s not only a problem in the present. Occupant health and safety takes top priority now, but decision-makers say that in five years’ time, energy efficiency will be top of their priority list. In ten years’ time, sustainability and net zero will take the top spot, signalling a growing focus on climate change. Worryingly, without the right smart technologies in place soon, businesses will struggle to achieve these goals.   Priority in the next year  Priority in the next five years  Priority in the next ten years  Occupant health & safety  59%  32%  32%  Regulatory compliance   42%  28%  26%  Employee experience  40%  34%  37%  Operational efficiency   39%  42%  36%  Energy efficiency   38%  58%  37%  Cost efficiency   37%  44%  31%  Security   34%  32%  29%  Sustainability & net-zero targets   17%  37%  49%  Profits  16%  21%  22%  “Smart buildings haven’t only helped businesses get through the pandemic – they’re also essential to achieving ambitious sustainability targets like Carbon Net Zero,” said Andy Ellis, VP and General Manager, Johnson Controls UK&I. “Smart solutions that integrate with your fire, security, controls, HVAC, and occupancy systems can look across a whole building to see in real-time where efficiencies can be made. Without technologies like these to do the hard work for building staff, achieving new levels of sustainability targets and creating healthy workspaces – that support both the environment and employees – will be hard.”  “It appears that building decision-makers understand the challenge, so now it’s on organisations like ours to speak out, educate the market and embrace the challenges we face around sustainability. We can do this by using smart technologies, so taking this message to the C-Suite and senior leaders – with tangible evidence on the benefits they will bring – will be critical. Then, we can gain their buy-in to ensure our buildings and businesses can be future-ready.” 

The launch of a new mobile app for operators of mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) and mast-climbing work platforms (MCWPs) aims to bring training certification into the digital era and reduce the environmental impact involved in issuing the International Powered Access Federation’s (IPAF) PAL Card and all training certification. IPAF’s new ePAL mobile app is free to use and features the first ever digital IPAF PAL Card, operator log book and operator safety guide. It also allows operators to receive the latest best practice tips and safety information, and means operators can share their qualifications with site managers quickly and easily. “A typical year’s output in terms of IPAF PAL Cards and certificates issued used to amount to a 130-metre stack of printed plastic and paper, shipped from supplier, to IPAF, to the IPAF Training Centre and then on to candidates. Then, after five years, the candidate would dispose of it and start again,” said Peter Douglas, IPAF CEO & MD. “The new app will lead to us reducing the number of steps in processing a PAL Card and cut down on all that waste, as well as the expense, delays and carbon emissions involved in shipping items around the globe needlessly. Developing an operator app has been a key priority for IPAF since I took up post in 2019, and we were excited to team up with IPAF member Trackunit to bring its considerable technical expertise to bear to roll this out. “IPAF’s ePAL brings huge benefits for operators and IPAF Training Centres alike, while allowing us to streamline and digitise our processes. We are monitoring the roll-out of the new app and are already planning new functionality. These are exciting times.” The ePAL app is a major a step forward in IPAF’s ongoing drive to boost sustainability, as it shifts away from issuing plastic, credit-card sized PAL Cards via the post to every training candidate successfully completing or renewing an IPAF operator course. The new ePAL app also phases out paper certification of qualifications and logging of machine time and replaces the printed paper version of IPAF’s operator safety guide; it speeds up the processing time and resource required to issue training candidates with their PAL Card and certification. Søren Brogaard, CEO of Trackunit, IPAF member company and specialist in fleet management solutions for construction that helped develop the app, says: “This is a big step up for the industry when it comes to safety and efficiency. It has been long in the making, at least in terms of an industry wish-list, and now it is finally here. “The app allows IPAF to communicate directly with operators and offers them a digital platform to record, show and share their qualifications and operating experience worldwide. ePAL is a commitment to enable collaboration between the operator and the digital ecosystem. “We all know filling out paper operator logbooks and keeping them up to date can be a challenge. This app provides contractors and operators secure access to equipment and a convenient way to document machine activities. We can also use the app to encourage and make it easier to report an accident or near-miss incident through the new IPAF reporting portal. My hope is we can all contribute to building a safer, digital future for operators.” IPAF ePAL mobile app is available now in the UK and Ireland. It is initially offered in English with other languages to follow, and is available for Apple iOS and Android devices. The app will be updated with additional features as usage demands and developing technology allows.

The construction of Birmingham’s first smart-enabled building, Enterprise Wharf, is now underway at the Innovation Birmingham Campus in what is a major boost to the city’s economic recovery. The development of Enterprise Wharf by Bruntwood SciTech, a 50:50 joint venture between Bruntwood and Legal & General, marks the expansion of the region’s leading digital and tech campus, which is already home to an established cluster of more than 150 businesses working in high growth areas such as fintech, proptech, edtech, 5G and VR and will provide much needed grow-on space for tech businesses looking to expand or relocate to the city.  Located next to Aston University and Birmingham City University, in the heart of the Birmingham Knowledge Quarter, the 10 storey, 120,000 sq ft Enterprise Wharf will feature a large, open plan reception and collaboration space, cycle storage with kit drying room, space for electric vehicle charging, showers and a roof garden with stunning views over the city.  New external landscaping will create a new green space for the campus, providing direct, much improved access to the adjacent Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. Embedded with smart, Internet of Things (IoT) technology, Enterprise Wharf will collect and have the ability to monitor data from the Building Management System, HVAC, lighting and CCTV. Data from a range of sensors will be displayed in a purpose-built dashboard; allowing air quality, lighting and energy consumption to be managed and optimised, creating a healthy, productive and sustainable workplace.   Enterprise Wharf will be the first new development at the Innovation Birmingham Campus to incorporate measures towards the achievement of Net Zero Carbon; including an A-rated EPC together with 100 m2 of PV solar power, and a combined air source heat pump and chiller system enabling highly efficient heating, heat recovery, and cooling. The building’s  facade has also been optimised to provide high thermal efficiency, minimising internal artificial lighting requirements. David Hardman, Managing Director, Bruntwood SciTech – Birmingham, said: “Enterprise Wharf will be a valuable and important addition to Birmingham’s already thriving tech ecosystem.  Birmingham boasts world-class universities, a skilled talent pool and fantastic transport links making it the UK’s top city for startups. The Innovation Birmingham Campus has long held a reputation as a dynamic innovation community for SMEs. This expansion now opens up the Campus’ innovation capabilities to larger companies looking for opportunities to access innovation and talent in the region. “Birmingham’s first smart-enabled building offers a unique and unrivalled opportunity for tech businesses to benefit from super-fast and reliable connectivity, smart access control and visitor management as well as the ability to control temperature and lighting to reduce CO2 emissions and improve wellbeing and sustainability.” Part of the Bruntwood SciTech network, the Innovation Birmingham Campus is part of the West Midlands 5G testbed and home to ‘5PRING’, the UK’s first 5G commercial applications accelerator programme which provides offices and demonstration spaces alongside access to 5G technology, allowing businesses to experiment with features that aren’t yet commercially available to test solutions to major problems.   Planning permission for Enterprise Wharf was granted in April 2020. GRAHAM has been appointed as the main contractor and agents include Avison Young, CBRE and Savills. On GRAHAM’s appointment, David Hardman commented: “We’re very much looking forward to working with GRAHAM. Their commitment to the local supply chain and the development of future industry talent is more important now than ever. The development of Enterprise Wharf will help to support six work experience placements and three existing apprenticeships as well as create opportunities for two new apprentices and 65 full time positions in a boost to local employment.” Commenting on the project GRAHAM Regional Director, Ronan Hughes, said: “Enterprise Wharf is a unique development for Birmingham’s Knowledge Quarter, and we are looking forward to making the ambitious plans a reality through the implementation of our intelligent construction methodology and programme. “At GRAHAM, we pride ourselves on being ‘digital by default’, and we will apply our innovative digital construction and BIM Level 2 processes to add value to this smart-enabled building project. Equally, we are committed to making a lasting impact within the communities where we operate. That’s why we’ve developed a robust Employment Plan specifically for Enterprise Wharf that will generate a considerable social value impact, particularly in the creation of employment opportunities.” Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership has invested £5m from its Local Growth Fund to support the development of Enterprise Wharf, in line with its strategic aims to support the region’s digital and innovation sector.  Enterprise Wharf is due to complete in late 2022. 

Pelion, the Connected IoT Device service provider, and subsidiary of Arm, jointly announced a partnership with Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings. This partnership will accelerate innovation in connectivity, security and intelligence at the edge for Johnson Controls OpenBlue technology. “This partnership combines Johnson Controls deep domain expertise in healthy buildings with Pelion’s device and edge management capabilities to usher in an era of truly smart, updatable facilities at cloud scale,” said Mike Ellis, chief customer and digital officer for Johnson Controls. “OpenBlue’s AI capabilities at the edge will consolidate diverse points of intelligence distributed across various floors, sites or even continents into insights and actions, creating an updateable building that can self-heal and evolve over its lifespan.” This innovation mirrors the automotive sector, where software, multiple sensors and AI-trained models have transformed the industry by enabling autonomous driving and software updates that blend data to continually improve vehicle capabilities and experience. Johnson Controls is applying the concept to the built environment. They will leverage Pelion’s flexible device management capabilities to unite diverse device types and application layers to feed AI models that respond to dynamic workloads. “Johnson Controls has the strategic foresight to rely on a partner to streamline the complexity of IoT device management security and secure firmware updates over the air,” said Hima Mukkamala, CEO of Pelion. “Pelion’s connected device platform will standardise the onboarding process for all systems, including the edge and endpoint devices that run on them, plus offer world-class public key infrastructure for secure and simple integration with third-parties.” This secure, open and flexible approach to device management will allow OpenBlue to run any device and hardware configuration, from hardware gateways to constrained temperature sensors. In order to provide sustainable, low cost and low power intelligent processing at the edge, the partnership will utilise proven energy-efficient processors from Pelion’s parent company, Arm, which are a key part of Johnson Controls’ distributed hardware deployment.

Companies of all sizes can benefit from cloud-based HR software. From improvements in productivity and employee engagement to greater levels of data security, cloud-based HR software could hold the answers to a more efficient business model that attracts and retains the best talent (click the link for more info). Today, we’re going to look at some of the most compelling reasons to migrate your HR solutions to cloud-based software. Secure Data Storage  Businesses that fail to leverage cloud-based HR software often find that sensitive data is stored in a variety of unsecured locations. For example, employee data may be loosely stored in unprotected onsite databases or spread across a variety of management apps. Standard practices could even involve storing and sharing data in emails. HR software from a cloud-based vendor means that you will benefit from storing all of your data in a single secure location. Remote access to all of your business data is an added benefit of switching to a cloud-based HR model. Increased Productivity – PART I (HR Team) HR team members typically spend more time than employers would prefer on low-level tasks such as transferring data from one system to another. Specialist online software offers interconnectivity between systems, meaning that data pertaining to linked areas such as job applicants, training, and payroll can be stored and viewed in a central location.  By streamlining and reducing the number of necessary HR tasks, decisions can be made over the cost-effective number of HR staff members required to run the business.  Increased Productivity – PART II (Staff) Leveraging a central hub for all of your company’s day to day HR needs means that staff members can access and complete data tasks as needed without taking up HR resources. For example, where staff members can view and update their personal details (address, phone number, etc.) and book annual leave, the role of HR team members is reduced to approving system changes or requests (removing the administration duties).  Automated Performance Reports  Analysing workflow and average output to ascertain individual staff contributions is a time-consuming task. Data such as hours worked, absenteeism, and the training courses that are undertaken and completed can all be viewed at the click of a mouse. This means that your company can see what has been achieved by teams and individuals within set date ranges. Where departments may be lacking in comparison to other departments, decisions can be made that will help to bring output up to optimum levels across the organisation. GDPR Compliance Cloud-based HR software enables greater compliance with GDPR. Tailored dashboards can be preset to include prompts and reminders over specific areas of GDPR that may otherwise be overlooked if left to HR staff members to fulfil. For example, aspects of GDPR compliance include monitoring data retention periods to anonymise or delete data as appropriate, and allowing employees to access relevant data.  Integrated HR software from a cloud-based vendor brings all of the above benefits and much more – moving to an online software model for your HR needs is worth consideration.

Making your website better visible in the search results is one of the top tasks of all business owners, and backlinks building is one of the effective strategies to achieve this goal. There are a lot of approaches to backlinks building, and some of them are neither legal nor effective. However, in this article, we are going to talk about the life-proven way of obtaining high-quality do-follow backlinks. Yes, we are talking about guest posting, and in this article, you will find out everything you need to know about this SEO tactic. Your Backlinks Matter Google is quite famous for changing its ranking algorithms every year, or even more frequently. With the aim of delivering top-notch content, it is always looking for ways to match the users’ requests with the information delivered even more accurately. However, there is a thing that remains unchanged, and this is the presence of high-quality do-follow backlinks to your website. This is one of the indicators of your content quality. Also, Google is well aware of illegal link-building practices. It states that the backlinks profile should be built organically, that is, you have to create valuable and meaningful content, and somebody has to cite it on their blog or website. Despite this approach is quite right, there is a high probability of waiting for too long while the competition is strengthening. So, there is a way out – you may post links with the help of guest posts or guest posting services. Your Backlinks From the Websites with High DA Matter Even Most What’s more, the domain authority of the website that links back to your publication matters as well. The higher the domain authority of the third-party website, the more weight your backlink will have, and the better your website will be ranked in search results. That is, if you intentionally collaborate with reputable websites, you may get better chances of being promoted by Google. The only way to do it is to submit guest posts, i.e, publications that are specifically created to be published on third-party quality sites. However, how to find guest posting sites and how to collaborate with them? This is one more challenge you have to discover and deal with. But before proceeding with this issue, let’s find out one more benefit of guest posting as one of the leading building backlinks to your website strategies in 2021. You May Attract New Audience By Publishing Guest Posts In addition to the fact that guest posting allows for getting organic backlinks to your website, it also allows you to increase your organic traffic by attracting a live and interested audience. The only thing you have to do to achieve this goal is to find a website with high domain authority and a similar target audience that may be potentially interested in your product or services. You also have to place your backlink organically in the content published by the third-party website. It shouldn’t look like an ad but should look like an organic and useful mention beneficial for the readers. Thus, you also need skills to create such content pieces that will match the third-party website requirements, fit the expectations of their audience and look like a natural mention in the eyes of users and Google. Getting in Touch With The Websites Accepting Guest Posts May Be Challenging How to submit blogs posts on guest sites? Many business owners find it quite challenging to find suitable publishers, get in touch with them, agree on content placement and finally get their post published and backed up by a backlink. What’s more, placing your guest posts on a website with high domain authority may be quite costly, and creating an article that will match their content requirements even more difficult. Also, you should always keep the target audience specifics in mind – there is almost no point in creating top-notch content for the audience that isn’t interested in your products or services. Thus, when looking for platforms accepting guest posts manually, you can be at risk of wasting your time and money. Also, there is a risk of getting in touch with scammers and never seeing your post published, even despite the high domain authority. So, some business owners are looking for the most reliable guest posting opportunities. There Is a Way to Streamline Your Guest Posting Strategy Fortunately, there are a lot of guest posting services that may help you with your backlinks building strategy. As a rule, they have already collected a database of proven publishers who are ready to accept guest posts and place your link in exchange for a reasonable fee. There is also an opportunity to filter the websites according to their age, DA, and target audience specifics so that you may be sure that you are publishing your post on a promising platform. Such an approach allows for avoiding the main pitfalls of manual guest posting. What’s more. some of the guest posting services may also help you with creating valuable content for third-party sources, and thereby, you can fully automate and outsource your guest posting strategy. Conclusion Submitting guest posts is one of the winning and reliable backlinks building strategies. There are also advanced opportunities for complete automatization of your guest posting efforts so make sure to take your benefit. Also, don’t underestimate the value of backlinks. The practical experiment in search engine optimization suggests that this is the point that isn’t going to lose its relevance.