The latest trends in IIoT micro-segmentation in the Smart Buildings

The latest trends in IIoT micro-segmentation in the Smart Buildings

Find out how Penn State securely connected and isolated their building controls across 640 buildings in record time, using IIoT micro-segmentation. Download this case study sponsored by Tempered Networks. 

Tom Walker, system design specialist, leads the FAS group which is responsible for maintaining the high availability, integrity, and confidentiality of building systems supporting nearly 150,000 students and University employees. The group handles functions including automation engineering, network administration, and monitoring the University’s digitally connected buildings. With over 41 million square feet of buildings spread across 24 state-wide campuses and 22,000 acres of land, they are always busy protecting valuable assets.

“We have glacial ice—it is irreplaceable,” Walker said. “So, we have monitoring on the freezers to make sure they don’t defrost themselves. We also have an atomic clock in the basement where the temperature must be controlled down to one-tenth of a degree.”

As the University grows, their ongoing $3.28 billion capital spending plan contains multiple major construction projects including new installations of building automation systems (BAS), while concurrently upgrading their legacy BAS across campus. The goal is to improve security and availability, while centralizing data analytics to help inform business decisions.

Winning the IBcon Digie Award The FAS group was recognized at the annual 2018 IBcon conference for their innovation and success in deploying the Most Intelligent Building Project on a college campus. “It’s gratifying to have our smart building and IoT [Internet of Things] efforts acknowledged by the industry’s foremost entity focused on driving innovation and efficiency across real-estate operations,” Walker explained. “Our increasingly connected world can certainly bring exciting opportunities and efficiencies, but we can only be successful if we can network systems in a highly secure and scalable way.”

This is an excerpt from a Tempered Networks case study. For more details, download the e-book.