Buyer's guide

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Building X applications require live building data in order to run properly and help you make data-driven decisions. Building X hosts a cloud-based data lake that all applications pull the data from. Your buildings need connectivity solutions to get their data into the cloud, which means they need to connect to the internet. To do this, there are two options:

• Upgrade older devices to new cloud-native devices (hardware or firmware)
• Use gateways to capture and send the data

Even if some of your buildings already have automation, such as fire or security devices, they may be older, operate onsite and may have been installed before the newest technologies emerged — so you still need connectivity solutions.

Siemens offers both options for connectivity. There are building management systems you can install that allow data to flow directly into a data lake for use with analytics or Building X applications — they are cloud native. Or, if your buildings use third-party or legacy systems, or don’t have any automation systems, we also provide hardware or software gateways to integrate your buildings with Building X.

Learn more in our connectivity white paper

We offer several gateways that help you connect devices to Building X. Using our Connect X edge gateways, you can integrate third-party devices based on the protocol or application used, allowing you to collect the relevant data. 

Desigo CC is our well-established, multidiscipline building management software installed onsite. Building X is our cloud-based platform that centralizes building data and feeds that data into use case-based cloud-native applications. You can seamlessly connect Desigo CC to the Building X platform without needing an additional gateway. 

Do you need Building X if you have Desigo CC?

Building X adds a layer of advanced analytics so you can get insights and make data-driven decisions. For instance, as a portfolio manager you might want to use Building X to access multiple Desigo CC sites remotely and then monitor their status under a single pane without using a VPN. Additionally, you may want to use applications like Energy Manager or Sustainability Manager to connect your Desigo CC sites, benchmark your portfolio, and monitor sustainability metrics with ease to achieve your net-zero goals.  

Storage

Building X is hosted in Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers in Ireland, with all related data primarily stored in the same data centers. Depending on specific parts of the offering, different AWS locations may be used to ensure optimal performance and reliability.

Security

Siemens develops its cloud offerings according to internally defined requirements. Such requirements are based on the principles of Cybersecurity by Design and contain standards for secure communications, secure data deletion, login protection, secure storage, backup features and more. 

Siemens maintains a cybersecurity management standard that is modeled after ISO 27001. 

For more information refer to our cybersecurity white paper.

The owner of the building data is always the owner of the building itself. This distinction ensures that the building owner retains control over all data generated within their property, giving them the authority to decide how it is accessed, shared and used. 

For our customers, this means that any data-related services or solutions provided by Siemens will respect the building owner's rights and interests. We prioritize transparency and ensure that the building owner's ownership of their data is always upheld, fostering trust and confidence in our partnership.

Building X allows you to flexibly create your data structure in a semi-automated way. It helps define data points, equipment and locations within your organization. Because of AI-based semantic enrichment, it automatically recognizes the majority of relationships in buildings and enriches them semantically. This process involves adding attributes, tags or a structural hierarchy to the data, allowing you to efficiently add meaningful information.

This enrichment helps you easily identify and correctly use the data, significantly improving the efficiency and accuracy of building management. 

Multiple Building X applications provide reporting functionalities that allow users to download data in various formats (for user-specified time intervals). 

In addition, customers can access various types of data through the Building X open API, such as device data from HVAC systems, data points from onboarded equipment in the building, live data of data points and events data. These APIs allow building data to be accessed in other customer applications, as needed.