PEN Test Costs, Cybersecurity and Wireless Sensors

29/08/2023

Infographic, Libraries, Events, Blog, Smart buildings

3 min

Modern office spaces are complex, amazingly so. Pausing to think about the changing flow of visitors, the physical and digital systems that manage their comings and goings in even modest, multi-use buildings can be migraine-inducing. For building managers responsible for ensuring that physical works spaces—from offices to entire floors—meet tenants' demands, these issues are a daily concern.

The Role of Data Capture Systems in the Office Environment

Building management is a high-tech activity by necessity. A pandemic that profoundly altered how people work has only added pressure on building and office managers contending with irregular visitor flows. How the future of work looks is still taking shape, but droves of workers are returning to physical offices, if only for a few days a week.

Faced with these changes, facility managers and workplace space planners are looking for automated tools that deliver a real-time view on occupancy levels without offending privacy rules. An urgent need to obtain more insight into how workers use available spaces has led many commercial real estate firms to IoT solutions capable of improving spatial intelligence. Among them, data capture systems equipped to deliver real-time insights based on objective and anonymized data.

Data Captures Systems and Cybersecurity Tests

There are many solutions that can help different stakeholders understand employees’ and employers’ demand for physical workspaces, some more robust or able to deliver superior accuracy. Integrators working in the Smart Building space know well that cybersecurity is the top priority of all building and office managers.

Considering the importance of cybersecurity and risk associated with cyber-attacks, a data capture solution connected to an office building's mainframe must pass rigorous penetration testing (PEN test). The significance of the costs and time associated with PEN tests can create initial hesitation for building managers and integrators, who might view the outlay as a dilution of the benefits.

As the industry evolves, different parties associated with improving Smart Buildings globally are developing features that help all stakeholders deploy data capture solutions faster and a lower cost without sidestepping security protocols.

Wireless Connectivity as a Solution to PEN Tests

Most office spaces now use sensors to improve many different processes. From parking space occupancy to the lights in the restrooms, sensors, some simple motion detectors, have changed how visitors interact with buildings.

Xovis, a leader in managing people flow, has been working closely with building managers, property owners and office managers on data capture solutions built on our award-winning 3D sensors. The cybersecurity demands in this segment informed the development of our newest feature: Wireless Connectivity.

With Wireless Connectivity, the Xovis PC2RE, our WiFi-enabled sensor, does not need to be hardwired into a building’s network. As such, these units generally do not need to pass a PEN test, saving integrators and end customers significant time and installation costs.

The AI-powered PC2RE sensors can, of course, and have passed PEN tests required by a wide range of end users, from boutique firms to Fortune 500 companies. Wireless Connectivity, which connects through WiFi, allows integrators to start using Xovis sensors on a building occupancy project much faster, without increasing building managers’ security risks.

Opening the Door to Spatial Intelligence

Xovis has seen increased interest in the PC2RE not only because it helps manage costs associated with cybersecurity but also because it solves a placement challenge.

Because in-out counts offer actionable insights into how visitors use designated spaces, many office managers use sensors to monitor occupancy, usually by placing sensors at office doors. The problem: office doors are often far from an office's Individual Distribution Frame (IDF) room.

Without Wireless Connectivity, integrators must run cable from the sensor to the IDF room. Installation costs in this situation can be substantial. In addition to dispensing with the need for a PEN test, the PC2RE, which only requires a PoE injector for power, can also save integrators time and cost by doing away with the need to cable units at long distances from the IDF facility.

Smart Buildings Sensors and Smart Offices

Sebastian Ortiz

Sebastian Ortiz is an experienced Technical Account Manager working with a diverse portfolio of North American real estate technology providers that trust Xovis sensors to capture building occupancy data. A native of Ecuador and an avid runner, Sebastian is motivated by helping business leverage the power of objective, real-time data.

PEN Test Costs, Cybersecurity and Wireless Sensors

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