Podcasts
All the gadgets in the world won’t make a community live up to smart-community expectations if the foundational connectivity is neglected.
By Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
Maz Khan, the president of Vitalis Smart Communities, says the term smart community is thrown around too loosely nowadays.
“Somebody puts up a Nest thermostat and some sort of smart lock and all of a sudden it’s a smart community,” he said, while appearing on Beyond the Cable as a recent guest. “Well, that’s not it.”
Khan said he believes connectivity is the foundation of any smart community.
“You can put all the gadgets you want,” he said, “but if you don’t have a network that can support it, all you’ve done is just frustrate the residents and the tenants who are living in that building or community.”
Khan said a truly smart community is one where systems and solutions work together in full integration to make the lives of residents easier.
Seeing connectivity as the foundation
Similarly, he said AI offers lots of potential to enhance the smart community model. He argued, however, that without the foundation of solid connectivity communities will miss out on the benefits of AI.
“I want to look at connectivity as a basis and then build the layers on top,” he said.
Khan, who is also one of the company’s founders, said their parent company, Vitalis, owns and operates a commercial real estate portfolio worth approximately a quarter billion dollars.
Vitalis Smart Communities is mainly geared towards consulting for HOAs, condos, multifamily ownership groups, and developers on their telecom and technology strategies, Khan said.
“We’re right now one of the nation’s leading and fastest growing advisory firms,” he said. “And honestly, I think it’s due to all the hard work our team puts out and the references our clients are giving to the rest of the world.”
Listen to the full interview on Apple Podcasts to hear more of Khan’s nuanced approach towards smart-community connectivity.
