Building Owners and Managers Association International

New Research Reveals Intelligent Building Security Risks, Vulnerabilities and Mitigation Strategies

August 7, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Report includes guidance to aid decision makers and help protect commercial buildings against threats and risks

(WASHINGTON, D.C. – August 7, 2018) The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International, in partnership with the ASIS Foundation and the Security Industry Association (SIA), today released groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind guidance for practitioners in the commercial real estate and security fields. Intelligent Building Management Systems: Guidance for Protecting Organizations provides a framework to help decision makers protect their buildings against risks associated with intelligent building management systems and ask relevant security questions to develop appropriate mitigation strategies. It also serves to establish a common language between the many intelligent building stakeholders.

 

The guidance document is based on original research, Building Automation & Control Systems: An Investigation into Vulnerabilities, Current Practice and Security Management Best Practice, by David J. Brooks, Michael Coole and Paul Haskell-Dowland of Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia. Also taken into consideration were the responses of BOMA International members, who were surveyed on their use of and security practices for building automation systems. The resulting report provides an exhaustive overview of identified intelligent building critical vulnerabilities and mitigation strategies.

Intelligent building management systems increasingly have become embedded into the built environment as technology has evolved and the demand for reduced operating costs and greater monitoring, control and operability has continued to grow. However, this growth also comes with a substantial set of security vulnerabilities. Importantly, the research finds a significant disconnect between the perceived understanding of intelligent building threats and risks versus actual dangers. In addition, the report reveals that a lack of common terminology and practices can result in misunderstandings and siloed views of associated security risks.

The report emphasizes the need to take a multidisciplinary proactive management approach to intelligent building vulnerability mitigation and fuse multidisciplinary participants into an intelligent building security team. It also highlights the importance of intelligent building integrators and cybersecurity experts as partners who can help organizations better understand threats and risks and more effectively achieve intelligent building security.

“BOMA International is pleased to have partnered with the ASIS Foundation and SIA to produce this cutting-edge guidance document,” said BOMA International Chair Brian D. Cappelli, BOMA Fellow, RPA, vice president of Asset Management for GBX Group LLC. “As commercial property owners and managers increasingly continue to leverage building automation systems to achieve greater levels of operational efficiency, it is crucial that the commercial real estate industry also takes steps to ensure greater levels of security for these systems.”

The ASIS Foundation, BOMA International and SIA developed this guidance document as a service to property professionals and security specialists. The information included in the report should be considered as guidance; consult with your security professional for your specific needs.

For more information or to download the report, click here.

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About BOMA International
The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International is a federation of 88 BOMA U.S. associations and 18 international affiliates. Founded in 1907, BOMA represents the owners and managers of all commercial property types including 10.5 billion square feet of U.S. office space that supports 1.7 million jobs and contributes $234.9 billion to the U.S. GDP. Its mission is to advance a vibrant commercial real estate industry through advocacy, influence and knowledge. Learn more at www.boma.org.

Contact
Jessica Bates
Manager of Communications & Marketing
BOMA International
(202) 326-6348
jbates@boma.org