Next time you leave your meeting room, just don’t bother to turn the lights off, since an intelligent server will do so automatically. Security cameras will record entries and exits to car parks and can determine the number of cars. Real estate is the next big industry that is expected to leverage the benefits of technology-driven environments. The industry has started seeing deployments, though currently at a miniscule stage, of building management solutions over Internet Protocol (IP) that enables convergence of multiple proprietary networks. This would largely mean that intelligence is added on the server that will enable individual control of power, water, and communications.
Anil Bhasin, senior vice president-India, Cisco Systems, says, “We have done deployment of network in real estate across Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and China. We are currently in talks with our key clients to deploy the technology in India.” Dhananjay Ganjoo, VP – Enterprise Solutions, Nortel, says, “We are in talks with the top 6-7 real estate developers to deploy various solutions through our network.” India’s top real estate giants like DLF, Unitech limited, Hiranandani Group, Rahejas Corp, and Indiabulls are expected to increasingly use various technologies in their upcoming projects.
These network providers, in support with management solutions providers like Honeywell Technology Solutions Lab, Siemens, IBM and Jonhson Control are expected to tap IT implementation in real estate. This part of the IT industry, say experts, is worth a billion dollars in the next 12-18 months.
IBM, that offers solutions for risk management, sees a huge opportunity in the real estate sector. Nipun Mehrotra, VP & GM, Global Technology Services, IBM India/South Asia, says, “Risk mitigation is one of the top priorities for enterprises today. Our Digital Video Surveillance (DVS) is based on ‘Smart Surveillance System’ and we are deploying it with some of our key clients in the real estate and infrastructure industry.” He adds, “With the amount of investment and growth witnessed in these two industries, we believe more cities, real estate, and infrastructure players will adopt such smart solutions.”
Pujit Aggarwal, MD, Orbit Corporation, says, “We too are expecting to deploy such technologies in our coming projects because of the increase in demand. But its usage will be very limited in India, especially in the living segment. This is largely due to Indian lifestyle and also because of lack of awareness to use the technology.”