The day has come, you've finally landed a job in the world of building automation systems, now what? 

If your experience is anything like mine, you probably got sent to a class to learn your manufacturer's software and now you're out sitting on a job or servicing a customer.

How do you learn more?

How do you become the BAS tech everyone wants to have on their projects?

How do you become the sales person who intuitively knows how to price jobs?

I answer these questions and much more in episode 60 of the building automation monthly podcast.

In this episode you will learn:

• Why understanding the construction process and timing is critical to your effectiveness
• The three things you can do right now to massively increase your effectiveness as a BAS professional
• Why mastery of IT is critical to your future as a BAS professional
• And much more!

In this episode, I discuss the feasibility of occupancy counting to control outdoor air ventilation. 

Man, who would have thought that we would be having this discussion? Lately, it seems that I am seeing more and more ideas that are combining different technologies to achieve outcomes. 

Case and point, I recently had a BAM nation member and personal friend Walter reach out to me with a question around the energy saving potential of using occupancy counting to reduce outdoor air flow.

In this episode you will learn:

• How outdoor air ventilation works from a technical and engineering perspective
• How to calculate energy savings from outdoor air reduction
• The effect of the engineering and contracting world on technology adoption
• How ASHRAE 62.1 determines the minimum outdoor air you need to provide

Most interviewers suck.

They focus too much on appearances and gut feelings and make stupid hiring choices that they regret later. You don't have to experience that. In this podcast episode, I discuss my experience with hiring dozens of building automation professionals and I provide you step-by-step processes for making sure you hire a stud and not a dud.

In this episode you will learn:

• Why focusing on technical skills is a recipe for disaster
• How determining where you will use your new hire is more important than how
• The one trick I've used to determine whether someone has the hunger to succeed in the world of BAS
• How owners can apply the interviewing process to selecting their consultants and contractors

Most interviewers suck.

They focus too much on appearances and gut feelings and make stupid hiring choices that they regret later. You don't have to experience that. In this podcast episode, I discuss my experience with hiring dozens of building automation professionals and I provide you step-by-step processes for making sure you hire a stud and not a dud.

In this episode you will learn:

• Why focusing on technical skills is a recipe for disaster
• How determining where you will use your new hire is more important than how
• The one trick I've used to determine whether someone has the hunger to succeed in the world of BAS
• How owners can apply the interviewing process to selecting their consultants and contractors

Application Programming Interfaces, also known as API's are the solution to every integration problem you have. 

And if your BAS has an open an API then your integration options are unlimited. 

Or at least that's what all the marketing folks would like you to believe. The problem with all the buzz around API's, SDK's, and system integration is that the folks writing and speaking on the topics couldn't integrate their way out of a cardboard box. So when a BAM Nation subscriber named Dave reached out to me asking me to help clarify how an API works I was thrilled to have the opportunity to discuss the topic!

In this episode you will learn:

• Why having an open API doesn't automatically mean integration
• What 3 steps you need to take before using an API
• The differences between an API and SDK
• Why you may need a coding background to work with an API... and why you may not...
• A walkthrough of the system integration process using an API

Interviewing sucks...

After you spend all your time getting through the HR screening and the "virtual colonoscopy" of pre-interview questions you find yourself in an artificial environment answering questions that you'd probably never be asked in the real world.

So how can you survive? 

Back in 2007 I got let go from my first BAS job and called every controls company in the US to get hired back into the BAS world. Since then I've worked my way to leading the technical integration program for the largest building automation manufacturer in the world.

In this episode, I walk through the 7 tips that have helped me to pass interviews and move up in the world of BAS.

Have you ever wondered how a temperature sensor really works? 

What does the RTD mean and why is 1,000 ohms resistance so important. 

In this week's Friday Fan Answers I discuss a question from Nick. 

Nick asks "Can you cover or explain the technical reasons for a 1000 ohm RTD sensor to suddenly begin to fluctuate drastically"

Sure thing Nick!

In this episode you will learn:

• The best way to wire up a temperature sensor
• Why vibration can lead to huge temperature issues
• What this whole 1,000 ohms thing is about
• How often and how to calibrate your temperature sensors

Lately, several folks have asked me, "Phil how did you get into the world of BAS?". While it's always fun to talk about myself, what I think folks are really asking is "Phil, how can I get into the world of BAS?" and "What career path is there for me beyond just being a technician?".

Over the next 4 episodes, I'm going to tackle these exact questions. In today's episode, I'm going to explore my path in the world of BAS and what I believe to be the key traits you need to be successful in the BAS world.

In this episode you will learn:

• The path I took to develop from knowing nothing about BAS to becoming a BAS integration expert
• The skills you need to be successful in the world of BAS
• The multiple different career paths you can take 

Welcome to the new podcast series called "Friday Fan Answers or FFA). Each Friday I will be answering a question from the BAM nation.

This week I am answering a question I commonly get asked. The question I often get asked how to find out what the IT requirements for different BAS devices are. If you are not part of the vendor organization this can be quite hard. Well, at least until now.

In this episode, you will learn

• Where the information around IT requirements and hardware requirements exist
• How to find this information
• Some Google search tricks to find the information you need even faster

Throughout my career, I've learned a lot of tips. Most of the time these tips came from the school of hard knocks but sometimes I was lucky enough to have someone come beside me and share the knowledge they gained. 

Well in this episode I'm doing just that! I'm going to teach you 7 of the most valuable tips I've learned in my career. Now at first glance, these tips may seem basic. However, their effectiveness lies in their simplicity. So sit back, relax, and get your learn on!

In this episode you will learn:

• My processes for working through almost any design or troubleshooting challenge
• Why the way you install your BAS has a tremendous effect on how you operate it
• How training your customer can massively decrease your warranty calls
• Why the as-builts you're creating suck and what to do about it
• The most common issue BAS folks experience with IT and how to solve it
• Why it's ok to bill your customer for 3 hours of work, even if you only worked for 15 minutes

Protocols define how pieces of technology communicate amongst one another.

But how much do you really know about the protocols that govern the "rules" of your BAS?

If you find BACnet to be a confusing topic you're not alone. The BAS world is already full of acronyms and confusion. This episode will help you to clear some of that up.

In this episode you will learn:

• The difference between BACnet/IP and MS/TP
• Tips for successful BACnet communications
• How BACnet objects are structured
• The difference between a BACnet object and a BACnet property
• How BTL listings, PIC's, and BIBB's come together to provide interoperability

For many in the BAS world information technology is a foreign topic. A lot of us who have entered the BAS profession have backgrounds in HVAC and electrical systems. Because of this IT can at times feel very unnatural.

That's why I've recorded this episode. I captured the 7 most common questions I get asked about IT and answered them in this podcast episode. 

In this episode you will learn:

• How cyber security and hacks can or cannot affect your BAS
• The different options you have for connecting remotely to your BAS
• How to work with IT to get IP addresses
• The difference between a virtual machine and physical machine and when you should use each one
• What the cloud is and how you can or cannot use it with your BAS
• Is wireless safe for your BAS?

How many times have you walked onto a project and wondered…

Hmm where do I start with this IT thing…

What do I need to do?

Do you go after remote access? Do you get a server? What about the database?

Well if you’ve ever felt that way then this segment is for you!

• In this episode, I take you through a full-proof plan on how to work with IT to setup your building automation system. 
• I walk you through a major Amazon Web Services issue that could majorly impact how we support BAS in the future. 
• I also take you through some BAM Nation questions 

All this and more on Episode 50 of the Building Automation Monthly Podcast.

Cyber security... Those two words strike fear into the heart of many a BAS professional.

No one wants to be the technician trying to convince the security expert to give him remote access, and no one wants to be the sales person trying to convince her customer that her BAS is secure.

Yet every day thousands of BAS professionals find themselves in these conversations. 

And imagine how the owners, contractors, and engineers feel. 

How can they wade through all the BS and get to the core of what they need to know?

Well, I've got good news. 

In this episode of the building automation monthly podcast I will help you:

1. Understand what cyber security is
2. Realize how to communicate to cyber security professionals
3. Secure your BAS
4. Counter the top four IT security objections

Welcome to Episode 48 of the Building Automation Monthly Podcast. 

This is the 2nd episode in the 3-part series on IT. In this episode, I will be teaching you a ton of information around compute, applications, and databases.

You will leave this episode with a much greater understanding of how to work with IT when it comes to servers, applications, and databases.

In this episode, I will be discussing:

• Call out for Listener
• What I've been up to
• Recap on where we are in the IT series
• A deep dive into the topics of
  • Compute
  • Applications
  • Database
• An expert tip that will save you hours of install labor on your projects
• The top 4 IT objections and how to handle them

In this episode, I take you with me on a journey into the world of information technology. One of the most requested topics is information technology and I understand why. 

For most folks in the BAS world, IT is like a black art. Something that is full of acronyms, onery IT people, and miscommunication.

Or at least it used to be. Over the next four episodes, I am going to unpack the topic of information technology. 

We are going to explore the four pillars of IT:

• Networks
• Compute
• Databases
• Cybersecurity

By the time you finish these episodes your knowledge of IT will have increased massively. In this episode, I will be discussing:

• What is IT
• What are the main areas of IT
• The fundamentals of networking
• The two most common IT networking objections and how to deal with them

In this episode, I answer a question I got from a BAM nation subscriber around C02 control. I then proceed to dive deep into the core concepts around pressure, airflow, and heat transfer. 

I look at these concepts from the perspective of a BAS professional and I share with you the valuable lessons I've learned working on some of the most complex BAS projects in the world. 

By the time you finish this podcast episode you will have an understanding of:

• How you can use a BAS to implement standards like ASHRAE 55 and 62.1 
• The effect of pressure and airflow on the performance of your building
• How understanding the concept of heat transfer is critical to having a successful career in the building automation space. 

Hydronic systems, also known as waterside systems, are critical to the performance of a building. 

In this episode, I will be discussing hydronic systems and the key points that a BAS professional needs to know about them. You will leave this podcast episode with a solid understanding of the role that a building automation system professional plays when it comes to hydronic systems.

Airside systems can be confusing to folks who don't work on them every day. In this episode, I dive deep into what airside systems are and explore what the BAS professional needs to know. 

2016 flew by and as I move into 2017 I've got a ton of ideas. But where do I start? What should I work on first. Add to the fact that I have very limited time due to my full-time day job.

As I was recording this podcast I realized that this challenge paralleled perfectly to the learning journey so many folks face when then first start learning BAS. How do you know what to study and how to study?

I discuss this and my plans for BAM in 2017.

Hey folks, Phil Zito here, and we are one podcast away from closing up the year with a bang! In this week's podcast I discuss the topic of Direct Digital Controls (DDC). 

In today's episode I will cover:

• What direct digital controls are
• How Direct Digital Controls revolutionized how we control our equipment
• Why DDC systems were such a mind shift for folks
• The next great mind shift that is coming with IP-based controls!

In Episode 41 of the Building Automation Monthly Podcast, I discuss electromechanical controls. This podcast is going to teach you a ton about electromechanical controls and the important role the serve in the modern Building Automation System.

In today's episode I will cover:

• What electromechanical controls are
• The three kinds of electromechanical controls
• Why electromechanical controls are still VERY relevant!

In Episode 40 of the Building Automation Monthly Podcast, I handle a much-requested topic and that is the topic of pneumatics. I also dive into my book launch strategy and walk you through everything I did and why.

In today's episode I will cover:

• What pneumatics are, how they work, and how to upgrade them
• My entire book launch strategy (from how I created the book, marketed the book, and sold the book) 
• My lessons learned from my first ever product launch

In Episode 39 of the Building Automation Monthly Podcast, I am doing something I've never done before. I am giving you access to the best recording from my new book. This recording is amazing and I encourage you to take advantage of it.

In today's episode I will cover:

• How to know if you need to upgrade your BAS ( if you don't ask yourself these four questions you could be upgrading a perfectly good system)
• Why so many upgrade projects fail (and the five planning steps you can take to make sure yours doesn't)
• Twelve steps that every upgrade project should include ( step number seven, writing out your upgrade plan and how to roll back the upgrade will keep your building running in case something goes wrong)

Episode 38 of the building automation Monthly Podcast is packed with information! 

In today's episode I will cover:

• My recent visit to Creston and my thoughts on A/V
• My latest article  The Ultimate Tridium Guide
• How smart building systems are being ignored in favor of talking about IoT
• Wide Area Networks and what they mean to your BAS
• The difference between MS/TP and Ethernet MAC addresses and why you should care