Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1043933
November/December 2018 I 53 Building management systems (BMS) and building automation systems (BAS) are extremely important for any new high-performance buildings and are key to reducing operating costs. Building monitoring devices, system reporting, and analysis tools require IP/Ether- net connectivity. In recent years, POL has taken on the responsibility of integrating these functions. Since most BMS/BAS monitoring devices today are IP/Ethernet-based, the connectivity into an existing or new POL is seam- less. The POL can ensure adequate bandwidth, security, authentication, and quality of service specific to each monitoring and management device. LAN Security A secure LAN begins with system-wide centralized intelligence, control, automation, and management. Within the POL element management system (EMS), role-based access for users is established through strict authentication and authorization. This is where secure passwords are assigned and managed. Based on staff credentials, privileges are defined for what a user can view and modify. Then the activity of enterprise staff can be tracked, which helps root cause analyses during troubleshooting and can help with junior IT staff training. User management is very important for achieving the highest levels of security, stability and operational efficiencies. The POL EMS is where secure global profiles are created for ONTs, ports, connections and other network elements. Within these secure global profiles consistent policies and procedures can be ensured. Information managed within these global profiles include the ONT identifier and name, Ethernet port configuration, PoE, link layer discovery protocol (LLDP), network access control (NAC), IEEE 802.1x, and other settings that are configured as autonomous rules-based provisioning. The optical fiber cabling infrastructure can make significant contributions to overall security. Optical fiber cabling is more secure than copper cabling and is not susceptible to interference nor does it introduce interference. With optical fiber, there is no cross-talk, electromagnetic interference (EMI), radio frequency interference (RFI), or interference with electromag- netic pulse (EMP). The opposite is true of copper cabling, which radiates emissions that can be eavesdropped without physical access. A person cannot "listen to" fiber from any distance, and one would need to physically access fiber to gain entry to fiber-based communications. Physically tapping fiber is tremendously difficult, taking into consideration the expertise and equipment that would be needed. POL also uses stateful protocols that can detect all abnormal, rogue and intrusion events, so the physical tapping event can be thwarted. The POL ONTs are inherently secure as well. Optical LAN ONTs are designed with no local management access because there are few needs for human touch. The ONTs are basically simple optical-to-electrical terminals that are highly secure and reliable. Furthermore, optical LAN has centralized intelligence and management. Therefore, no information, such as user and provisioning data, is stored at the ONTs. User/device policies are managed solely at the OLT. Thus, ONTs can move freely around the LAN and be sent back to the manufacturer for repair or return without the risk of compromising network-user data. Optical LAN has greater gigabit Ethernet density in a smaller footprint and scalability to support thousands of future smart intelligent building IoT applications.