Allan McHale, Director of Memoori, reviews the business case for convergence and integration in buildings. Part one of this article ran in the May issue of A&S;, with the second part focusing on security systems delivering holistic solutions. Building automation is specified at the design stage for new construction, while security is frequently purchased after the building’s completion. This can pose the first barrier to integrating security with other building control infrastructures, but not convergence with IT. The emphasis is now on convergence with IT. For one, IT security issues are the responsibility of the IT department, including all data networks. The IT department increasingly takes the initiative to ensure more robust security solutions, particularly for use of existing data networks. More importantly, it appreciates the potential benefits for the business enterprise, which has become the driver for IT convergence with security. If there is a case for IT convergence, why is it taking so […]