Firmware & Update Debt: Managing Software Lifecycles in Networked Buildings

Networked building systems—from access control and BMS to IoT sensors and elevator controllers—carry a hidden cost: software and firmware lifecycle. Left unmanaged, update debt accumulates into operational risk, degraded features, and expensive emergency work. In this episode Alex Morgan interviews Michael Harrington to unpack practical governance, scheduling, and testing strategies that property teams can use to keep systems current and resilient. We avoid vendor-name prescriptions and focus on decision frameworks: how to prioritize updates, balance security and uptime, coordinate with tenants and vendors, and budget for long-term maintenance. Listeners will get concrete playbook items—staging environments, maintenance windows, rollback plans, and inventory hygiene—framed by real-world examples and tradeoffs Michael has encountered across commercial properties. This episode is for anyone responsible for building uptime, vendor oversight, or capital planning who needs a pragmatic approach to the ongoing software work modern buildings require.