From NEN 1010 to IT-Label: digital infrastructure matters

A building has never been just a collection of stone and brick. Behind the facade lies a network of provisions that determines whether a property is safe, comfortable and usable. Over the years, the real estate world has standardised these provisions one by one and made them measurable, so that owners, tenants and investors know where they stand.

Electrical installations, fire safety, energy performance and technical systems are now standard parts of any quality assessment. They provide insight into safety, performance and reliability. There is, however, one provision that has become just as decisive for daily use, yet rarely appears in a classification: digital infrastructure.

That raises a logical question. Why do we know exactly how a building scores on energy, safety and installations, but often have little idea how well the digital infrastructure is arranged? This article follows the development of real estate quality and shows why digital infrastructure is the next layer that deserves to be made visible.

Electrical installations: why do we know NEN 1010?

Ask a technical manager about the electrical installation of an office and there is a good chance NEN 1010 comes up. This standard describes how low-voltage installations are built safely and reliably. A NEN 1010 office is not a luxury or an extra, it is the foundation everyone relies on without giving it a second thought.

Standards like this achieve four things at once: safety, reliability, quality and clarity. They make an invisible part of a building's infrastructure testable. Anyone buying or renting a property does not need to inspect the wiring themselves; the standard provides that assurance.

The comparison is obvious. A building without a safe electrical installation is unthinkable. But a building without reliable digital infrastructure is becoming less and less usable. Where power was once the dividing line between usable and unusable, that line is now shifting toward connectivity.

Fire safety: an accepted part of real estate quality

Fire safety has secured a fixed place in the technical quality of a building through legislation and regulation. Think of fire alarm systems, escape routes, compartmentation and additional safety provisions. These elements were not made visible because it was possible, but because they are essential for the safe use of a building.

The pattern is always the same. Something becomes crucial to how a building functions, so it gets standardised, checked and made visible. This allows everyone to rely on it without being a specialist themselves.

Digital provisions now carry a comparable form of vulnerability. When the connection fails, it is not just email that stops working, but potentially also access control, climate control and payment systems. Continuity and digital security have therefore become a quality issue, as we increasingly see reflected in cybersecurity in real estate.

Energy: from unknown to energy label

Energy performance was long a purely technical subject, reserved for installers and consultants. The arrival of the energy label changed that. Today the label is a familiar concept among tenants, investors, owners and users, and it plays a role in purchase, rental and valuation.

What energy was a generation ago, a technical detail for specialists, digital infrastructure is today: indispensable, but not yet made visible.

The strength of the energy label lies not in the technology behind it, but in the translation. A complex performance question was reduced to an understandable classification recognised across the entire market. That exact translation is still missing for digital infrastructure, as described in more detail in from energy label to IT-label.

The missing layer: digital infrastructure

Why is a comparable level of transparency still missing for the digital side of a building? Not because it is unimportant, but because dependence on it has grown so quickly that assessment has not yet caught up.

Organisations now rely on a range of digital provisions that cannot function without a solid building foundation:

• internet connections and available providers;
• cloud systems and cloud connectivity;
• hybrid working and video conferencing;
• digital access control;
• smart building applications and IoT;
• AI applications that require significant data traffic.

Digital infrastructure is therefore no longer an extra provision, but a fundamental building block for modern use. Yet this layer of building infrastructure is rarely made visible in advance during purchase or rental. Often it only becomes clear after moving in what is actually possible.

What does the IT-label reveal?

The IT-label provides insight into a building's digital readiness. It is an independent classification methodology from a knowledge collective, not a statutory inspection. The goal is not to judge, but to make visible what is there.

In practice, the methodology looks at the components that determine the digital foundation of a property:

• available internet provisions and providers;
• connectivity and network redundancy;
• network cabling and patch provisions;
• technical rooms and their suitability;
• possibilities for future digital applications.

It is important to emphasise: the IT-label does not assess the quality of an IT department or an organisation. It reveals the digital foundation of the building. That outcome is translated into a classification ranging from PREMIUM to SHELL, so the market understands at a glance where a property stands.

From traditional installations to digital infrastructure

It helps to place the developments side by side. Every layer of real estate quality has followed the same route at some point: from technical detail to recognisable standard.

The comparison at a glance

1. Electrical installations are assessed via NEN 1010 and reveal the safety and quality of power provisions.
2. Fire safety follows from legislation, regulation and standards and reveals the safe use of the building.
3. Energy is translated via the energy label and reveals energy performance and sustainability.
4. Digital infrastructure is translated via the IT-label and reveals the digital readiness of the building.

The methodology does not replace any existing standard. It adds the layer that has remained invisible until now. You can read about how this assessment works in practice in how the IT-label works.

Why IT infrastructure in real estate is becoming increasingly important

The reason digital quality now influences real estate value is that different parties have different interests at stake, yet all lack the same insight.

For tenants

A tenant wants a reliable digital working environment from day one. Advance insight into the digital foundation means fewer surprises and fewer of their own investments upon moving in. It is no coincidence that the question about the connection has often become the first question of modern tenants.

For owners

For owners, it is about positioning and future-proofing. Insight into digital readiness makes a property more attractive to modern users and helps substantiate the value of the real estate.

For investors

Investors are assessing quality ever more broadly. Digital readiness provides insight into future rentability and thus into a risk that previously remained out of sight. It is an addition to the familiar technical and energy assessment.

The future: digital infrastructure as the new building standard

The historical line is clear. First, power was a provision you could not do without. Then internet became a provision. Today the role is shifting again: digital infrastructure is becoming a precondition rather than a bonus.

This means future buildings must not only be energy efficient and safe, but also digitally prepared. Anyone developing or renovating now would do well to include the digital layer in their plans, as described in future-proof building. A property that meets today's needs but leaves no room for additional capacity tomorrow runs into the same limitations as a building with an outdated electrical installation.

Real estate quality does not stop at bricks, energy and installations

The real estate world has developed standards for everything essential to how a building functions. Electricity, safety and energy have now been made visible and widely accepted. The next logical step is digital infrastructure.

The IT-label makes visible what remained invisible for years: the digital foundation on which modern organisations and buildings function. If you want to know how your property stands digitally, explore the different label categories or get in touch via the contact page to discuss the possibilities for your building.