For years, building management systems have lived on-premise. Local servers. Mechanical rooms. Site-by-site maintenance.

But as HVAC, lighting, and access control become increasingly IP-connected, the conversation around Cloud BMS is accelerating.

In this episode of Quick Cuts, Ben Muwoki sits down with Dhaval Shah, VP and Head of Product, Software and Services Portfolio for Digital Buildings at Schneider Electric, to unpack what Cloud BMS actually means and whether it’s becoming an operational reality or remaining a strategy deck concept.

In this episode, we cover:

• What “Cloud BMS” really means (hosted vs hybrid vs cloud-native architectures)
• Why CIOs are now driving the conversation around building systems
• The impact of IT/OT convergence on building automation
• Cybersecurity, data governance, and resilience concerns
• How portfolio scale changes the economics of BMS deployment
• Why hybrid architecture may be the practical transition path
• What needs to happen for Cloud BMS to move from early adopter to mainstream

As Dhaval explains, the shift is not just technical. It’s organisational. Once building systems sit on enterprise networks and connect to cloud platforms, they become part of broader IT strategy, cybersecurity policy, and portfolio-wide standardisation efforts.

At scale, this stops being an architecture debate and becomes an operating leverage question.

If you operate or deploy BMS across multi-site portfolios, this episode offers a grounded view of where Cloud BMS stands today and what to watch over the next few years.

About Dhaval Shah

Dhaval Shah is VP and Head of Product, Software and Services Portfolio for Digital Buildings at Schneider Electric. He has spent his career across engineering and business leadership roles spanning industrial automation, automotive, solar energy storage, and building automation. He focuses on shaping the future of building systems through software, cloud architecture, and scalable service models.

The Climate Gap is powered by Element Six.

Element Six specializes in addressing talent challenges across the built environment and climate technology sectors. Partnering with technology vendors and solutions providers delivering decarbonization solutions, helping them find the leaders and teams they need to scale.

Decarbonizing the built environment takes bold ideas and brilliant people. Element Six brings them together.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.