Property managers who have several commercial buildings in their portfolios have a lot to consider, including security for those buildings. Advancements in security systems, property management systems, and AI have streamlined security and security, maintenance and repair, energy and water usage, and more. Here are a few practical use cases of AI in commercial building management that property managers can use to improve processes and manage their buildings more efficiently:

1. Implement biometric-based access control.
2. Monitor unusual behavior.
3. Use location tracking to increase occupant safety.
4. Take advantage of predictive maintenance to reduce costs and prevent building issues.
5. Drive energy savings with AI-optimized improvements.
6. Automate repetitive administrative tasks.

1. Implement Biometric-Based Access Control

A 2025 Honeywell study found that over 80% of commercial building decision makers plan to increase their use of AI over the next year to improve security and streamline processes. Almost 60% of these decision makers have already implemented AI to streamline maintenance and repair processes and have security and safety as top priorities.

When it comes to improving commercial building security, effective access control is an essential component. Traditional keys can easily be lost or stolen. Even single-card or code access readers can pose risks for large and high-occupancy commercial buildings. Multi-modal access control readers and biometrics are enhanced and secure access control options.

In addition to integrating access control systems with other security systems, like video surveillance, AI is being used to help with facial recognition, behavior analysis, intrusion detection, and liveness detection. Liveness detection uses technology to automatically monitor, detect, and differentiate between real and artificial biometric inputs. Not only does this add security enhancements to your access control, but it also helps prevent biometric spoofing.

2. Monitor Unusual Behavior

Security cameras equipped with smart capabilities and analytics are key elements of comprehensive commercial building security. The presence of security cameras alone acts as a deterrent. In addition to that, AI and intelligent video capabilities can use predictive analytics and risk management to monitor, detect, and alert for unusual behavior.

This applies to people and activities that are unusual for improved incident response, as well as insights for proactive security improvements. AI efficiently aggregates and reviews data from incidents, security camera footage, alarms, and more. In addition to reducing false alarms (false positives) and avoiding false negatives, this technology can identify unusual and non-obvious relationships to flag existing security gaps and vulnerabilities.

Additionally, it can use predictive analytics to identify emerging risks, both for building vulnerabilities and system vulnerabilities. For building security, this allows security teams to improve incident response, security processes, and proactively address vulnerabilities to reduce risks and incidents. On the cybersecurity side, AI can help avoid downtime and disruptions via automated patch management when system vulnerabilities are detected.

3. Use Location Tracking to Increase Occupant Safety

Location tracking, paired with AI analytics, can increase safety for occupants in commercial buildings and track personnel, equipment, or assets. RFID tags and other sensors can track people or assets within the building. Sensor systems can monitor specific areas, like entries and exits, for highly accurate occupancy data in real time.

Security cameras can track movement between areas, identify loitering, track directional changes, and more to enhance security and safety. AI-integrated technology enables these intelligent video analytics capabilities and features while also increasing capabilities and efficiencies when it comes to processing and analyzing data. This can:

• Reduce risks of violence, property damage, and theft
• Identify potential risks and improve response times to help maintain building security
• Enable quicker response times in emergency situations
• Assist with remaining in compliance with fire and building codes
• Analyze building space usage and efficiency

Using location and usage data, AI can identify underused areas within the building and help property managers optimize the use of available space. Location and occupancy data, along with this information, can help identify opportunities to optimize power consumption with adaptive lighting and temperature adjustments without sacrificing tenant comfort.

4. Take Advantage of Predictive Maintenance to Reduce Costs and Prevent Building Issues

Various asset tracking systems and monitoring systems already have features related to locating equipment, tracking maintenance, and helping to keep up with repairs. With the addition of more advanced AI technologies, predictive maintenance has only improved.

Predictive maintenance is one of the most common and practical use cases of AI in commercial building management. Not only does it allow you to easily track and create a historic record of maintenance and repair, but it also allows you to identify emerging issues. Predictive maintenance with AI identifies patterns and trends to predict future events and can provide insights like:

• Detecting unusual events or anomalies
• Monitoring and analyzing equipment usage
• Alerting for upcoming preventive maintenance tasks
• Identifying the best times to perform maintenance work
• Prioritizing work orders and optimizing technician routes
• Flagging at-risk equipment and potential equipment failures

Instead of reacting to issues that come up with your buildings, predictive maintenance allows you to proactively address emerging risks before they become larger issues. Not only can this help prevent larger building issues, but it can also help reduce costs while also improving efficiency and extending the life of building equipment and systems.

5. Drive Energy Savings With AI-Optimized Improvements

Another one of the practical uses of AI in commercial building management is in improving the overall energy efficiency of your buildings. AI can be used to monitor, identify, and optimize usage for improvements in overall energy management.

Water usage monitoring and temperature control can increase comfort and convenience while also increasing efficiency. By using AI to monitor usage and optimize HVAC systems, you can proactively monitor for, identify, and address issues, in addition to reducing energy waste and providing cost savings.

6. Automate Repetitive Administrative Tasks

Property managers can free up time and get peace of mind by using AI to automate repetitive administrative tasks, like:

• Scheduling
• Accounting
• Lease management
• Lease renewals
• Responding to common commercial tenant questions
• Providing virtual tours of commercial spaces available for lease

With training and monitoring, AI databases and chatbots can be used to handle surface-level, time-consuming, and repetitive customer service interactions. Customizing rules and parameters, AI tools can also review and categorize commercial tenant communications and automatically flag, elevate, and alert for those that require a more involved response.

This streamlines building management and allows property managers to focus on priorities that require more of their time and attention. Additionally, AI can identify common topics and trends within communications and requests to provide operational insights that can help property managers make better, more informed business decisions.

Upgrade Your Building Security With NEPPS

You need more than security cameras to secure your property, and AI can help you make the most of them to improve security and processes. These are a few practical use cases of AI in commercial building management. Not only can they help property managers streamline operational processes and improve efficiency overall, including energy efficiency, but many of them can also help improve building security. If you own or manage a commercial building or facility, the right mix of security products and systems is essential for protecting it.

The right commercial security solutions will vary depending on each building and operation’s unique needs and considerations. Partnering with an experienced security systems integrator can help make sure you get the comprehensive security your building needs. Contact NEPPS at 1-800-736-1456 to get the security your buildings need.