NETx Automation, is one of the leading providers of innovative software for building automation. With more than two decades of experience around the world, NETx Automation’s product range consists of reliable server systems, shading control, visualizations, energy reporting and much more. The company’s software is BACnet certified, and the products are based on open standards such as OPC, KNX, Modbus, BACnet, DALI or SNMP. The advanced multi-protocol gateway and the availability of various useful interfaces, such as Fidelio/Opera, Infor, Protel, CharPMS, VingCard, Salto, Kaba and RMS Cloud, provide a complete solution that meets the needs of customers.
As the requirements of the projects often span multiple distributed buildings, they offer a scalable solution for the central management of all buildings. NETx Automation’s solution enables efficient operation and direct and automatic interaction of the various trades such as lighting, heating and air conditioning, security systems and fire protection between all distributed buildings.
Interview with Paul Furtak, Owner & CEO of NETxAutomation.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Paul Furtak: Our software solution is designed for complete building automation integration, supervision and control. It provides building owners, facility managers, engineers option to manage all important parameters of building automation. From energy savings to monitoring critical operating parameters to reporting on building performance indicators, NETx provides an end-to-end building control platform for any type of building project.
The aim of NETx is to solve the problem of information exchange that arises when heterogeneous building automation systems are used. Located at the management level, we are able to collect and share data and information from the building automation system using different technologies, protocols and systems.
E.E: What’s the news about new products?
P.F: We are one of the most innovative companies in our industry with new solutions being introduced in the market frequently. This keeps us one step ahead of others when it comes to offering the latest in building automation and management.
Our recently launched “Cloud Portal” & “mySmartSuite” are ideal examples of our agility to provide the latest and most sophisticated solutions to our customer.
We are happy to share via your magazine that we are working on a highly effective solution for our industry that will set new standards in building automation software.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
P.F: We offer two main products that cover the complete market needs – NETx BMS Platform and NETx Multi Protocol Server.
The NETx BMS Platform is a fusion of a Multi-Protocol Gateway, visualization, alarm management, trending, reporting, scheduler, logic engine, DALI lighting, shading control, IoT and web interface – an all-in-one solution and the first preference of integrated building approach.
The Multi-Protocol Server is a software gateway that can handle multiple industry-standard protocols to connect building automation devices from different manufacturers and translate their communication protocol to be forwarded to third-party systems like BACnet, OPC and MQTT.
Paul Furtak, Owner & CEO of NETxAutomation.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
P.F: We are seeing the emergence of whole building management software solutions, and this is happening at a very fast pace. Customers see a clear distinction between the management/control side of buildings and the implementation side. They are not only thinking about the reliability and performance of the hardware, but they are paying equal attention to the way the end user interacts with the building. This is where we, as a global brand, come in with our software expertise. We manage the complexity of building automation by translating it into a user-friendly platform that end users can interact with on a daily basis. We are providing a perfect blend of service, security, design, and partnership with system integrators to deliver such smart services in buildings.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
P.F: Let’s define it this way. (IoT + AI) * Cloud = future, which means we shall see software and software-enabled services dominating the game because it will not only ease the life of building owners/operators by how the building is managed but also bring in new possibilities to the installers in terms of offering value additions over the entire lifecycle of the building.
We see this already happening very fast in mid and enterprise-level projects across all building types e.g commercial, hospitality, infrastructure, and industrial. So, the short and medium-term vision will be to what extent and how fast this will happen. It’s just a matter of time.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
P.F: The NETx BMS Platform, which is the main offering today, is one of the best the industry has ever seen. It is because we have combined our expertise over the last 20 years in different solutions and put the best of everything into it. Because of its scalability, flexibility, stability, and reliability, it has been the first choice of the customer for quite some time now. With new drivers and features being added regularly, the BMS Platform has an impeccable position in the market.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2023?
P.F: Our solution is being used in more than 100 countries now. We are entering into strategic partnerships with leading engineering companies in all markets. In 2023, we will continue these efforts and go even deeper into each market segment. We are expanding our offerings into new, emerging areas, such as data centers, horticulture, oil and gas, etc. We look forward to 2023 and the future.
