Sensor Integration: How to Connect The Data Points In Your Workplace

Sensors are quickly becoming one of the most popular workplace solutions on the market today—and for good reason. Internet of Things (IoT) sensors provide workplace leaders with a volume of accurate, real-time data that was incomprehensible just a decade ago. But for many, the next big challenge is sensor integration. In other words, how do we connect all these data points and make them actionable?

Here’s a closer look at how to integrate sensors with your existing workplace solutions. 

Common Sensor Integrations

IoT sensors produce real-time data on things like occupancy and asset utilization. However, this data alone can be limited.

With sensor integration, you can access “thick” data, or data with more context to make smarter decisions about your workplace.

Here are some of the most common integrations that will make your sensor data more actionable:

1. Sensor Integration With Space Management Software

Sensor data can help you enhance space management by offering real-time insight into which spaces are occupied, which ones are vacant and how those spaces are being used.

When you connect sensors to your space management software, that real-time data is populated automatically so you’ll always have the most accurate space utilization data.

2. Sensor Integration With Room Reservation Software

We all know how frustrating it is to find all the conference rooms in your workplace are booked, only to discover later that half of them were actually sitting empty. Connecting IoT sensors to your room reservation software can help you eliminate “phantom bookings” and other conference room scheduling nightmares. With sensors placed outside conference room doors or beneath seats, you can see if anyone is actually using a room that’s reserved without interrupting the meeting. If sensors don’t pick up any activity within a set time period (say 15 minutes), you can even set up a trigger for that room to be available again.

3. Sensor Integration With Digital Signage

Digital signage can also help make conference room scheduling easier.

For instance, employees can glance at a conference room panel as they’re walking by to see if the room is booked and when it will be available. They can even reserve that room simply by tapping the panel.

Digital signage offers other benefits to your workplace, too. You can use it to help employees locate people, find their way around or alert your workforce to upcoming events.

4. Sensor Integration With Asset Management

If you don’t have a good handle on what you own or lease, you probably have no idea how much it’s costing you. You may even be making payments on equipment that’s sitting idle. Asset tracking software can help you determine the total cost of ownership and make smarter purchasing decisions. The software in itself is powerful, allowing you to store important records for each asset, search by location or asset type and prioritize maintenance.

When you add IoT sensors to the equation, you get even more timely data about critical assets like production equipment or HVAC systems.

For instance, you can receive an alert when a temperature-sensitive room falls below a certain threshold.

5. Sensor Integration With Facility Maintenance Software

The average automotive manufacturer loses $22,000 per minute due to equipment downtime, according to a survey commissioned by Advanced Technology Services. A preventive maintenance strategy can help your workplace avoid downtime by addressing equipment issues before they become bigger problems.

That makes IoT sensors a popular workplace solution for industrial manufacturers, but they have other benefits for maintenance applications, too. For instance, they can alert you when a restroom is out of paper towels or needs additional maintenance because it’s been used more frequently than normal.

When you pair sensors with facility maintenance software, you can even look at historical data on room utilization so you can be smarter about scheduling maintenance.

6. Sensor Integration With Employee Experience Workplace Solutions

It’s much more cost-effective to keep high-performing employees than to hire new ones. Recognizing this, many organizations are focusing more on the employee experience. They’re adding workplace solutions like mobile apps that enhance collaboration and make it easier for employees to access the resources they need to be productive throughout the day.

When these workplace solutions are connected to IoT sensors and an integrated workplace management system, you can see how employees are actually using the workplace and respond in real time.

Taking The Next Step With Sensors

A workplace solution like IoT sensors can add value to your workplace in many ways, but you need to be strategic about how you use them.

Before you begin implementation, you need to know what data you want to collect and how you plan to use that data. You also need to think about how you’ll integrate sensors with other workplace solutions and how you’ll address employee concerns.

Whether your organization is just beginning to explore IoT sensor technology or you’ve been using it for a while, we can help you make sense of the data and act on it. Talk with our team to learn more.