10 Reasons to upgrade from AX to N4
In just under 12 months, Niagara AX and JACE 2,3 and 6 will become obsolete, so it is time to start thinking about upgrading to N4. There are many reasons why you should plan for this: here are 10 of them.
1. Increased security
Authentication requires users to choose strong credentials, and both data in motion, and sensitive data at rest, are encrypted. Niagara 4 also uses Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), making user permissions easy to configure and less error-prone. A built-in Security Dashboard provides a comprehensive and actionable view of the security posture of your Niagara environment. All user actions and security-related events are recorded in Niagara’s security log for traceability.
Even if your BeMS network is not connected to the internet or your corporate network, it may still be at risk (see our blog on 10 steps to cybersecurity on your BeMS.)
2. Client Certificate Authentication
Facilitates kiosk-style interfaces using a dedicated pre-configured browser client.
3. Support for IEEE 802.1x
Whereas in the past, IT administrators have largely tried to ignore BeMS networks, the increased connectivity means that they now have no choice but to take an interest and to require building control devices to be network compliant. Both JACE® and Niagara Edge 10 adhere to the IEEE standard for port-based network access control (PNAC).
4. 3rd party module signing
When utilising the vast number of community-written Niagara extensions/modules, module signing improves the security posture of Niagara installations by making administrators aware of modules that may have been tampered with or introduced by untrustworthy sources.
5. Export refresh
Having created a new and insightful chart in Niagara, you can now easily share them, from your browser, using the improved functionality to export historical data.
6. JACE 8000 operating system refresh
It is of paramount importance to keep your system current by applying the latest updates. N4.8 includes updates to JACE 8000 to run the latest QNX operating system release, as well as a new Java virtual machine (JVM). This ensures future compatibility with new features and ongoing support.
7. Analytics data filter
Data sets can be incomplete or corrupted. Sometimes they have gaps, bad values, etc. The new Niagara Analytics engine is smarter and can exclude bad data sets based on the data being tagged as faulty, overridden, in an alarm state, etc..
8. ACE Deterministic Engine for Niagara Edge™10
There is a new control engine for Edge 10 that enables a fast startup to control time and deterministic timing when servicing IO. This enables enhanced operations, analytics, and optimisation in new building applications.
9. Security dashboard
The easy-to-read and actionable dashboard allows you to quickly assess the security posture of your Niagara network.
10. Easy conversion
Tridium has put a great amount of effort into providing a seamless transition process for customers migrating from Niagara AX to Niagara 4.The native Niagara Fox protocol works between the Niagara AX and Niagara 4 software systems, and the Niagara 4 software will work with any currently available JACE controller. For those making the conversion to the most up-to-date products, Tridium offers a station conversion tool that will adapt Niagara AX stations to Niagara 4 stations.
To upgrade from AX to Niagara 4, call us on 0345 072 9529, or email us at info@sseenergyoptimisation.co.uk
