What is a building automation server?

What does it do?

Should I cloud host my server? Should I use a desktop or server class platform?

If you've ever wondered these questions then this episode is for you!

In this episode, I unpack the topic of BAS servers. I dive deep into the topic of BAS servers.

You will learn:

• What a server is and how it works?
• Why you shouldn't use your server as a client
• When you should cloud host your server (and when you shouldn't)
• Why your choice of server architecture can make or break your BAS installation
• And much, much more!

One of the greatest challenges faced by BAS professionals is getting remote access to their BAS.

In this episode, I teach you my four-step process to get IT to give you remote access to your BAS.

I also explore analytics. I unpack what analytics are, how they work and why they are important.

By the time you finish this episode you will:

• Have a four-step process for gaining remote access for your BAS
• Understand what analytics are and how they work
• Be able to describe the two types of analytics and the methods for collecting data

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Lately, there have been a ton of questions about data tagging and data normalization. But what does that actually mean?

This is a super important topic especially when you consider that having common data formats is required to implement analytics, fault diagnostics, and other advanced services!

In this episode, I'm going to dive deep into data. You're going to learn:

• What data is and how it relates to a BAS
• Why data normalization is important and how you can plan for it
• What a data tag is and how it is used
• How data is related to API's

There's a lot of noise and miscommunication out there about IT technologies lately so when BAM Nation member Jim e-mailed me asking about Zigbee I was excited to answer his questions and help clear up some of the things he'd been told about Zigbee.

In this podcast episode you will learn:

• What Zigbee is and how it works
• The two main types of wireless communication
• The differences between physical standards and data protocols
• How integration is independent (mostly) of the physical media

There’s been a lot of chatter across the Facebook group recently about Comm trunks and Mixing and matching different vendors controllers.

There seems to be a lot of misinformation out there and I thought I’d do a podcast episode where I discussed both topics.

These two topics are very much interrelated when you start to mix and match third-party controllers you can effect your comm trunk so it’s important to have a process.

In this episode I will be teaching you:

• My 5-step process for adding third-party controllers to an existing network
• My 7-step process for troubleshooting communication trunk issues

You just finished your first integration project! Your all excited you finally stepped into the world of systems integration.

But then it happens!  You get that call telling you something's not working.

Maybe it's a value from one of the points you integrated?

Or perhaps it's that a command to control one of the integrated systems is going through. It doesn't matter really why. You just need to solve the problem.

But how do you do that? How can you resolve issues with integrations?

In this podcast I'm going to teach you:

• The danger of double dipping on integrations
• Why data models matter
• How to step through an integration to find the root cause of your troubles

For a lot of folks, systems integration is the hardest thing they will ever do in their BAS career.

And I get that, some of my biggest screw ups in my career were related to system integration projects. That's why you have to listen to my latest podcast episode.

I've got all the scars from systems integration! In this episode I draw on this experience to teach you:

• How to quickly disqualify a potential integration project
• The 6 questions you must ask before every systems integration project
• The three different approaches to systems integration
• How and when to apply each approach

I started my BAS career in service and I'm thankful I did because I learned so much from servicing BAS. But, there's a dark side of service.

You see not everyone had the power and clout behind that I did working at a Fortune 100 company. Often times BAS service providers are used and abused.

Customers dispute billing, disagree with scope, and flat out ignore recommendations that can improve the functionality of their systems.

Software upgrades anyone?

But, you have to understand it from the customer's perspective. So many service providers are like ninja's they swoop in, fix and issue and are off another call. They don't take the time to explain what was done and customers imagine the worst!

So how can we resolve these issues?

In this episode you will learn:

• Why you must approach planned maintenance and service calls differently
• My 7 step process for the perfect service call
• The three types of customers and how to deal with each one
• The 5 questions you must answer when creating a Planned Maintenance agreement

The day has come, you've finally landed a job in the world of building automation systems, now what?

If your experience is anything like mine, you probably got sent to a class to learn your manufacturer's software and now you're out sitting on a job or servicing a customer.

How do you learn more?

How do you become the BAS tech everyone wants to have on their projects?

How do you become the sales person who intuitively knows how to price jobs?

I answer these questions and much more in episode 60 of the building automation monthly podcast.

In this episode you will learn:

• Why understanding the construction process and timing is critical to your effectiveness
• The three things you can do right now to massively increase your effectiveness as a BAS professional
• Why mastery of IT is critical to your future as a BAS professional
• And much more!