Flexibility of Choice Key in Office Connectivity

Griffin Towers in the South Coast Metro area of Santa Ana is one of the first properties in Orange County to become certified by Wired

SANTA ANA, CA—Tenants now want to choose the type of Internet connectivity they have, meaning that office providers need to have sophisticated infrastructure to offer this service, Equity Office Properties' VP—portfolio director Rich McEvoy and senior property manager Chris Pearson tell GlobeSt.com. The firm recently announced that two of its Orange County properties—MacArthur Place and Griffin Towers in the South Coast Metro area of Santa Ana—are the first properties in Orange County to become certified by WiredScore for superior Internet connectivity, joining the ranks of more than 750 properties worldwide to earn this distinction. In a world where tech infrastructure is paramount to the successful operations of companies large and small, superior connectivity is critical to tenant attraction and retention, the firm says. We spoke exclusively with McEvoy and Pearson about the certification, office Internet connectivity and how this service will continue to evolve.

GlobeSt.com: What does the WiredScore certification mean for EOP, these properties and their tenants?

McEvoy: The WiredScore certification process is a combination of identifying capabilities in building connectivity, in terms of the numbers and types of service providers available, property infrastructure, and readiness for Internet capability. While many of our tenants are not yet directly requesting the WiredScore certification, they are absolutely demanding superior Internet capabilities throughout the building due to the fact that the world is changing. Bandwidth is now a key component in making the decision of where tenants want to be located. By providing them with quality infrastructure and validating our capabilities within our buildings, we are able to offer better service and differentiate ourselves from what's happening in the market at this point.

GlobeSt.com: As Internet connectivity becomes even more important in office properties, how will this service continue to evolve?

McEvoy: Office owners are beginning to utilize technology more so than in the past, not only technology directly related to a tenant's ability to connect to the Internet for business, but also the new automated and integrated building systems that allow our buildings to  operate more efficiently, whether it's an HVAC or elevator system. This technology basically helps properties run more efficiently on a daily basis. As new systems and software become a more regular part of the CRE environment, they are allowing better infrastructure and readiness in these buildings, which will certainly help day-to-day property-management operations. This helps tenants because it's more efficient and less costly.

GlobeSt.com: What else should our readers know about this certification?

McEvoy: A big part of us pursuing and being a recipient of the gold certification from WiredScore is due to the fact that we have multiple providers and different cable types—copper, fiber, coaxial.  Tenants can choose the type of connectivity and have flexibility of choice in our environment. Part of us receiving the certification was proving we enhanced options for tenants by providing new vendor agreements. New service providers mean more flexibility and quicker service for our tenants. In the past, tenants have waited weeks and months to turn on their service; now, they wait only days.

Pearson: One of the reasons we wanted to get the WiredScore certification is do something in the marketplace that hasn't been explored yet. We want tenants to know we have this robust infrastructure in place, and telecom providers that can help them get up and running quickly. They can get their telecom and IT needs addressed quickly and efficiently, allowing them to focus on other business critical issues.

Griffin Towers in the South Coast Metro area of Santa Ana is one of the first properties in Orange County to become certified by Wired

SANTA ANA, CA—Tenants now want to choose the type of Internet connectivity they have, meaning that office providers need to have sophisticated infrastructure to offer this service, Equity Office Properties' VP—portfolio director Rich McEvoy and senior property manager Chris Pearson tell GlobeSt.com. The firm recently announced that two of its Orange County properties—MacArthur Place and Griffin Towers in the South Coast Metro area of Santa Ana—are the first properties in Orange County to become certified by WiredScore for superior Internet connectivity, joining the ranks of more than 750 properties worldwide to earn this distinction. In a world where tech infrastructure is paramount to the successful operations of companies large and small, superior connectivity is critical to tenant attraction and retention, the firm says. We spoke exclusively with McEvoy and Pearson about the certification, office Internet connectivity and how this service will continue to evolve.

GlobeSt.com: What does the WiredScore certification mean for EOP, these properties and their tenants?

McEvoy: The WiredScore certification process is a combination of identifying capabilities in building connectivity, in terms of the numbers and types of service providers available, property infrastructure, and readiness for Internet capability. While many of our tenants are not yet directly requesting the WiredScore certification, they are absolutely demanding superior Internet capabilities throughout the building due to the fact that the world is changing. Bandwidth is now a key component in making the decision of where tenants want to be located. By providing them with quality infrastructure and validating our capabilities within our buildings, we are able to offer better service and differentiate ourselves from what's happening in the market at this point.

GlobeSt.com: As Internet connectivity becomes even more important in office properties, how will this service continue to evolve?

McEvoy: Office owners are beginning to utilize technology more so than in the past, not only technology directly related to a tenant's ability to connect to the Internet for business, but also the new automated and integrated building systems that allow our buildings to  operate more efficiently, whether it's an HVAC or elevator system. This technology basically helps properties run more efficiently on a daily basis. As new systems and software become a more regular part of the CRE environment, they are allowing better infrastructure and readiness in these buildings, which will certainly help day-to-day property-management operations. This helps tenants because it's more efficient and less costly.

GlobeSt.com: What else should our readers know about this certification?

McEvoy: A big part of us pursuing and being a recipient of the gold certification from WiredScore is due to the fact that we have multiple providers and different cable types—copper, fiber, coaxial.  Tenants can choose the type of connectivity and have flexibility of choice in our environment. Part of us receiving the certification was proving we enhanced options for tenants by providing new vendor agreements. New service providers mean more flexibility and quicker service for our tenants. In the past, tenants have waited weeks and months to turn on their service; now, they wait only days.

Pearson: One of the reasons we wanted to get the WiredScore certification is do something in the marketplace that hasn't been explored yet. We want tenants to know we have this robust infrastructure in place, and telecom providers that can help them get up and running quickly. They can get their telecom and IT needs addressed quickly and efficiently, allowing them to focus on other business critical issues.