An Effective Lighting Strategy Starts at Beginning, Not at the End of Designing an Intelligent Building

Light-emitting diode (LED) technology is transforming both the lighting industry and the definition of an intelligent building right before our eyes. Not too long ago, LED lights were relegated to “sitting at the kids’ table” by the average person, along with Christmas trees lights, building signage, watches and perhaps the occasional disco ball. The days of being treated like one of the kids are long gone, and LEDs have matured into a power player. With increased market acceptance, innovative companies and pioneering thinkers are using LED technology as a platform to reinvent not only the light bulb, but also reevaluating how a building or data center is designed, managed and optimized starting (not ending) with an effective lighting strategy.

Our view at CommScope is that the more information you have about what is going on inside a building or data center, the better. Our friends at Redwood Systems believe the same thing and have developed an innovative fine grain sensor network (delivered as part of a lighting solution) that measures temperature, occupancy and the light levels inside a building. All the data from the Redwood network is made available to facility professionals and can be integrated with a building’s automation system to monitor, manage and optimize heating, cooling and security. Did I also mention that this system is powered, controlled and verified as an application using a CommScope Intelligent Building Infrastructure Solution platform? By integrating Redwood’s platform with CommScope’s Intelligent Building Infrastructure Solution, facility managers can now deploy a complete intelligent platform that operates many different aspects of their buildings, including LED lighting that will also assist in reducing energy cost from lighting.

This is a bold statement; however, I like to think of LED technology as similar to the invention of the iPod (I know this is a stretch, but bear with me). When the iPod was first introduced, none of us, not even Steve Jobs, could have predicted how this new device would not only change the way we consumed music, but would pave the way for how we consume all forms of media and interact intelligently with each other via integrated, smart apps. If we think in terms of how the iPod changed music and media consumption, how do you think LED technology and continued integration with an “Intelligent Building Theory” will change the way we look at designing data centers in the coming years? What other innovative solutions, using LED technology, have you seen that are transforming how you design and manage your data center or intelligent building?
 

Melanie Reid is a member of the Channel Organization within CommScope’s Enterprise Solutions division. She has more than 10 years of telecommunications and marketing experience and currently manages CommScope’s Global Alliance Program. Melanie holds an MBA from Boise State University with an emphasis in High Technology Marketing.