Cisco Systems to hold real estate road show in Saudi Arabia to promote intelligent building advantage

The show will be held on May 30 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh and on May 31 at Le Meridien Hotel, Jeddah.

The innovative CCRE framework converges all building management systems onto a single multi-service Internet Protocol (IP) platform, that offer not only voice, video and data connectivity, but also connects management solutions in one network. The network is considered as a utility, like gas, water or electricity.

CCRE allows building owners and operators to develop new revenue streams or business models in building management. Key tenant service offerings include high-speed Internet access, IP telephony and unified communications, wireless solutions, network and physical security, and control over tenants' office environments. Further, the building creates more productive and flexible workplaces, leveraging scaleable collaboration, mobility and remote connectivity tools, and enhances health as well as safety and security for the building's occupants. The solutions increase the value of the buildings and improve revenues for developers and leasers.

Commenting on the road show, Dr Badr Al Badr, Country Manager, Saudi Arabia, Cisco Systems Middle East, said, "The idea of the roadshow is to showcase the pioneering intelligent building concept. Most buildings today are installed with multiple proprietary networks for including building management systems, and telephony and data networks. The result is complex and expensive network management issues, high installation costs and limited automation functionality. CCRE streamlines the process by using a single IP intelligent network which copes with the service needs of the building."

CCRE is driven by two rapidly coalescing market forces - the Ethernet-based multi-function building automation systems that bring together separate applications like HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), security and access, energy, lighting, and fire and safety; and the convergence of multimedia voice, video and date services onto unitary IP-based infrastructures, bringing together various technology-specific and proprietary networks.

"Using a single IP network reduces a building's total cost of ownership owing to enhanced value per square metre. An analysis of building lifecycle tells us that the first three parts of the value chain only account for 25 per cent of the costs, and that it costs 75 per cent more to run the building for the remainder of the lifecycle," said Dr Badr.

"Moreover, the benefits of utilising building IP networks do not end with a single property, and network buildings can be linked together into a connected portfolio. As a result, building control systems across all properties can be controlled from a single place, which streamlines performance and controls an emergency and decreases costs," he concluded.