Week 13: A New Definition of Smart – Why Interoperability Beats Features
Welcome to Week 13 of our 52-week series exploring how data and digital infrastructure can unlock value in commercial real estate.
I’m Bill Douglas, CEO of OpticWise and co-author of Peak Property Performance. This series delivers weekly insights to help CRE owners turn digital chaos into clarity—and uncover the hidden value inside their properties.
“Smart” used to mean shiny. An app for this. A dashboard for that. Occupancy sensors, access control, leak detectors, HVAC controllers… all with their own logins, all pulling data into separate silos, and none of them talking to each other. Pure data-systems-netowrks-PropTech mayhem.
But we’re in a new era now. The future of CRE doesn’t belong to the most feature-rich buildings. It belongs to the most intelligent ones.
Interoperability is the new smart.
Instead of piling on more gadgets or SaaS tools, leading owners are rethinking how their data and digital infrastructure are architected. The goal isn’t more. It’s flow—flow of data, insights, and outcomes.
Here’s why this matters:
- Disconnected tools = disconnected teams. Facilities, leasing, ops, and vendors all rely on different systems. This makes coordination harder, not easier.
- Too many interfaces create friction. Tenants don’t want five different apps to control their experience. They want one seamless, intuitive interface.
- Isolated data can’t inform decisions. Without collection and coordination, your occupancy sensor data can’t optimize lighting. Your access logs can’t improve leasing. Your HVAC settings can’t predict churn.
None of this is possible without foundational digital infrastructure. That’s why we offer the PPP Digital Infrastructure Review—a diagnostic process that helps owners understand their current state, uncover hidden opportunities, and define a future-ready path forward.
We’re not talking about a single vendor’s platform. We’re talking about interoperability across your entire ecosystem—with the owner in control.
The “Smartest” Buildings Are the Ones That Talk to Themselves
When systems communicate, the building becomes more than a shell—it becomes a strategic partner in NOI generation. You can drive efficiency, responsiveness, and tenant satisfaction in real time.
And the best part? It doesn’t require starting from scratch.
It starts with visibility and intentional design.
Want to know how smart your building really is? Schedule your PPP Digital Infrastructure Review today at OpticWise.
And connect with Bill Douglas for more ideas on turning your asset into an intelligent ecosystem.
Order your copy of – Peak Property Performance – which was published in June 2025 and it is already officially a best-seller and #1 in several categories already. I have been working with Bill and Drew at OpticWise for some years and I fully endorse this masterpiece, it shows how CRE operators and owners can monetise the commercial asset in a very different way,
Andrew Stanton Founder & Editor of 'PROPTECH-X' where his insights, connections, analysis and commentary on proptech and real estate are based on writing 1.3M words annually. Plus meeting 1,000 Proptech founders, critiquing 400 decks and having had 130 clients as CEO of 'PROPTECH-PR', a consultancy for Proptech founders seeking growth and exit strategies. He also acts as an advisory for major global real estate companies on sales, acquisitions, market positioning & operations. With 200K followers & readers, he is the 'Proptech Realestate Influencer.'
- Andrew Stantonhttps://proptech-x.com/author/andrew-stanton/
- Andrew Stantonhttps://proptech-x.com/author/andrew-stanton/
- Andrew Stantonhttps://proptech-x.com/author/andrew-stanton/
- Andrew Stantonhttps://proptech-x.com/author/andrew-stanton/
