Picture this. One unfortunate homeowner who was also a specialist in restoring old Porsches came home one winter’s day to find his prized high-performance vehicle in his garage encased in several inches of ice after a water pipe froze and burst. The temperature was so low and the water loss so severe that the weight of the ice caused tires on the Porsche to burst. That’s cold—and that’s the price of water damage, which is the second most common cause of homeowner loss.

Let's face it: the restaurant business is flat-out difficult. Research shows that 59 percent of hospitality businesses fail within the first three years, so if you are going to open a new eatery you need to be sure you are maximizing your resources. Building automation technology (IoT gateway)  can play a major part in improving efficiency and boosting your profit. Here are some the of the ways you can do it:

Can the Internet of Things (IoT gateways) make you safer? Picture this. A large office building that houses a number of different companies officially closes at 6 p.m. Of course, many employees in the building have to work past normal business hours on certain days, so the building management hires a security guard to ensure that only authorized personnel have access to the building.

As summer approaches, HVAC companies everywhere will be on high alert, installing new systems and making sure existing ones are in proper working order. Of course, as temperatures gradually rise your customers’ bills are likely to follow suit. The hotter the weather outside, the higher air conditioning units everywhere are cranked up.

Most utility companies are quite accustomed to complaints from customers about their energy bills. Businesses are constantly looking for ways to reduce expenses and tend to get worked up when an unexpectedly hefty bill arrives.

If you follow technology even casually, chances are you've heard a lot about the possibilities that machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions can offer for real-world problems. You may not be aware, however, about some of its more cutting-edge applications. So here are three M2M uses I think are pretty cool, and I hope you'll agree!

Sure, M2M technology used in building automation has all kinds of practical uses for companies and homeowners alike. But recently, the technology has been used for some heartwarming projects, like building “smart” homes that make life easier for wounded veterans. The advantage of M2M goes beyond increasing efficiency and cutting costs—such technology can change lives.  

If you watch even a little bit of television, you are likely to have seen commercials displaying the wonders of home automation by now. AT&T, for instance, has aired spots that show how easy it can be to adjust your thermostat or activate your security system or communicate with a growing number of the Internet of Things, with just the touch of a smartphone button. Gone are the days of worrying about whether you forgot to set the alarm or left the air conditioning on before leaving on a 10-day vacation.

As a business owner overseeing a building, you are likely entrenched in an ongoing search to streamline day-to-day operations and cut costs without sacrificing anything essential. As it happens, the growing array of the "Internet of Things" is a solution may have been staring you in the face.