Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1081695
March/April 2019 I 7 Society is in the midst of rapidly advancing technologies. These technologies are shaping the world in ways unimagined just a few years ago. One of the areas of rapid change is Intelligent Building (IB) design. Those in the ICT industry hear frequently about connected, intelligent or smart buildings. These terms are often used interchangeably. While many have not had the opportunity to work on an IB project, the time to get smart about how to design for an IB and understand the implications to the data and voice systems is now. The alternative is that ICT professionals who do not plan for building intelligence could be thought of the way designers of those miniscule phone closets of the not so distant past are recalled. In hindsight some muse, "If only they knew what the future would bring, they could have made our lives so much easier." The information about IBs provided through the media focuses on different buzz words depending on the author's expertise and target audience. When addressing ICT professionals, it is important to define what an IB is, suggest how ICT professionals can bring value to the design and implementation processes of a building with integrated systems, and also provide some thoughts on positioning ICT to support IBs on day one and into the future. COVER ARTICLE By Patti Fisher, RCDD, DCDC, OSP, RTPM, WD