IT-Label translates standards into an IT delivery level

Buildings today are assessed on many aspects. There is an energy label for energy performance, there are sustainability assessments, safety requirements and accessibility standards. For almost every part of a building, there is now a way to make its quality visible. Yet one part that is becoming increasingly decisive for modern organizations often remains out of sight: the digital infrastructure.

That invisibility is problematic, because nearly every business process now depends on connectivity, network capacity and reliable data cabling. A building can be technically excellently equipped, but if no one in the chain can explain that in the same way, its value remains untapped.

The IT-label was established to solve exactly that. It is important to clarify upfront: the IT-label does not replace existing standards. It translates the present IT infrastructure into an understandable IT delivery level for commercial real estate, so that all parties involved can more easily compare buildings on their digital readiness.

Why the IT-label exists

The reason is simple. Real estate is becoming increasingly digital, but the way we talk about buildings has not kept pace. Where the energy performance of a building is visible at a glance, digital quality remains hidden in technical documents, specifications and installation drawings that far from everyone can read.

For an organization that depends on cloud applications, video conferencing or data traffic with a data center, that digital quality is at least as important as insulation or ventilation. Yet a common language to describe that quality is lacking. The IT-label makes the digital readiness of a building transparent, precisely because that information has so far been fragmented and difficult to access.

Why existing standards remain important

Standards such as ISO and NEN guidelines play an indispensable role within technology, installations and information security. A standard such as ISO 27001 focuses on the management of information security within an organization, while NEN standards, for example, set requirements for electrotechnical installations and cabling. These standards are in-depth, detailed and aimed at specialists.

The IT-label does something different. It:

• does not replace these standards;
• is not a certifying body with legal status;
• does not establish a new technical standard itself;
• uses the present technical quality to communicate it in an understandable way.

Anyone wanting a sharper picture of the difference will find a detailed explanation in the article on the difference between the IT-label and ISO 27001. In short: the standard determines the technology, the label translates what it states into something the entire chain can understand.

The challenge in the real estate chain

The biggest obstacle is not the technology itself, but the communication around it. Every party in the chain speaks its own language. An estate agent thinks in square meters and rental prices, an installer in patch rooms and cabling classes, an IT specialist in bandwidth and redundancy, and an investor in return and risk.

As long as every party has a different idea of "good IT", no one is comparing like with like.

Take a term like "fiber present". For one person that means a connection up to the facade, for another an active connection all the way into the meter cupboard of the rented space. Something similar applies to statements like "good IT", "modern network" or "WiFi available". These terms sound reassuring, but on their own say little about actual performance. The fact that everyone speaks a different IT language in real estate leads to misunderstandings, wrong expectations and sometimes to investments that do not match the actual need.

Recognizable examples

A developer delivers a building with an excellent fiber optic connection, but the rental brochure only states "equipped with modern IT". A fit-out contractor sets up a floor without it being clear which network level the new tenant expects. An operator takes over management without a clear picture of the available patch room and data cabling. In all these situations the information is there, but a shared benchmark is missing.

How the IT-label solves this

The IT-label translates the technical reality into a clear IT delivery level. Instead of separate technical terms, a classification emerges that summarizes the digital readiness of a building. This ranges from IT1+ PREMIUM for buildings with the most complete infrastructure to IT5 SHELL for buildings without fitted digital facilities. The complete classification from PREMIUM to SHELL shows how these levels relate to one another.

The result is that those involved can compare buildings without everyone needing in-depth technical knowledge. The underlying technology does not change, but the way it is communicated does.

The advantages of this are concrete:

• more transparency about what a building offers digitally;
• better communication between parties with different backgrounds;
• fewer misunderstandings during delivery, rental and management;
• a more objective comparison of buildings with one another;
• greater appreciation for investments in digital infrastructure.

How the IT-label relates to other labels

It helps to place the IT-label alongside well-known building labels. Each label makes a different aspect of a building transparent:

• the energy label focuses on energy performance;
• BREEAM focuses on sustainability;
• WELL focuses on health and wellbeing;
• the IT-label focuses on digital infrastructure.

These systems do not compete, they complement each other. A building can score excellently on energy and sustainability while at the same time being limitedly equipped in digital terms. The difference between the IT-label and the energy label makes clear why both exist alongside one another. Together they provide a more complete picture of the quality of commercial real estate.

Why digital readiness is becoming increasingly important

Attention to digital infrastructure is growing due to developments that reinforce one another. Artificial intelligence requires heavy and stable data connections. Cloud computing moves business processes to external data centers. Hybrid working makes reliable connectivity a basic requirement. Add to that smart building technology and IoT, and the growing attention for cybersecurity in real estate.

All these developments have one thing in common: they place higher demands on the digital foundation of a building. Anyone developing or acquiring a building today looks not only at the current situation, but also at whether the building will still meet requirements in five to ten years. Transparency about digital readiness is therefore becoming an increasingly weighty factor in rental, acquisition and valuation.

For tenants, this often starts as early as the very first orientation. The question "what kind of connection is available?" comes up earlier in the conversation than it did a few years ago, as also described in the article on the first question of modern tenants and buyers.

Getting started with a common language

The IT-label builds a bridge between technology and real estate. Not by replacing existing standards, but by translating the present IT infrastructure into an understandable, transparent and comparable IT delivery level. This creates a common language for the entire chain, enabling tenants, landlords, investors, developers, estate agents, fit-out contractors, installers, operators and IT specialists to make better informed decisions.

Do you want to know what this means for your own situation? Take a look at how the IT-label works as information for real estate owners, or first browse through the knowledge base to explore the background and levels step by step. This way you can determine yourself which digital readiness fits your building and the organizations that use it.