Let’s start with an uncomfortable question.
If your building sold tomorrow, would the buyer receive:
- The operating data?
- The tenant usage data?
- The energy and ESG data?
- The historical performance data that proves how the asset actually runs?
Or would that data stay behind—?
For most commercial real estate owners, the honest answer is:
“I’m not sure.”
And that uncertainty is quickly becoming a valuation problem.
locked inside vendor platforms, ISP-owned networks, and third-party dashboards
Real Estate Is Quietly Becoming a Data Business
Over the last two years, a subtle shift has been happening across CRE.
Owners, operators, lenders, and buyers are all asking new questions:
- Can this asset support AI-driven operations?
- Is ESG performance measurable and verifiable?
- How efficient is the building—really?
- How quickly can a new operator understand and optimize it?
All of those questions depend on data.
Not marketing data.
Not anecdotal reports.
But structured, historical, operational data tied to the building itself.
Yet most assets were never designed to treat data as something the owner owns.
The Myth: “We Have the Data”
Many owners assume they already own their data.
After all:
- They pay for the systems
- They pay for the software
- They pay for the internet
So the data must be theirs… right?
Not necessarily.
In reality, much of a building’s most valuable data is:
- Generated by vendor-controlled systems
- Transported across ISP-owned networks
- Stored in proprietary platforms
- Governed by contracts the owner never reads closely
Which means when ownership changes—or even when operations change—the data often doesn’t follow the asset.
A Simple Test Every Owner Should Run
Ask yourself this:
If the building sold tomorrow:
- Could you package five years of operational data and hand it to the buyer?
- Could you prove historical energy performance?
- Could you show tenant usage patterns and system efficiency?
- Could the buyer continue collecting the same data on day one?
If the answer is no—or “it depends on the vendor”—then the data is not really yours.
And if you don’t own the data, you don’t control the value it creates.
Why Data Ownership Is Becoming a Valuation Issue
As AI, ESG, and operational automation become standard expectations, buyers are starting to discount assets that:
- Lack historical performance data
- Can’t verify ESG claims
- Depend on vendor-specific platforms
- Require ripping and replacing systems post-acquisition
On the flip side, assets with owner-controlled digital infrastructure and clean data trails can:
- Onboard new operators faster
- Support AI optimization immediately
- Reduce operational risk
- Command valuation premiums
This is where digital infrastructure stops being an ops concern—and becomes an enterprise value multiplier.
Data Follows Infrastructure Ownership
Here’s the core principle most owners miss:
You don’t own the data unless you own the digital infrastructure that collects it.
When your digital infrastructure is fragmented:
- Data is siloed
- Access is restricted
- Portability is limited
When your digital infrastructure is owner-controlled:
- Data is unified
- Governance is clear
- Portability is built in
This is why OpticWise starts with infrastructure—not dashboards.
The PPP Audit: Making Data Ownership Explicit
Before data can add value, owners need clarity.
A Peak Property Performance (PPP) Audit answers questions most portfolios can’t:
- What digital infrastructure do you actually own?
- Which vendors control which data paths?
- Where is data leaking—or being monetized by others?
- What happens to your data during a sale, refinance, or operator change?
Only once those answers are clear can data be treated as an asset instead of an assumption.
Digital Infrastructure Is the Container for Value
Think of digital infrastructure as the container that holds everything modern CRE depends on:
- AI readiness
- ESG verification
- Tenant experience
- Operational efficiency
- Future adaptability
If you don’t own the container, you don’t own what’s inside it.
And if you don’t own what’s inside it, it can’t show up in valuation.
Final Thought
The question isn’t whether your building generates valuable data.
It does.
The real question is:
If the asset sold tomorrow, would the data be included—or would it walk out with your vendors?
If you don’t own your digital infrastructure, your vendors already do.
Start with a Peak Property Performance (PPP) Audit.
Clarify ownership.
Reclaim control.
Turn data from a hidden liability into a visible asset.
Because in the next decade of CRE, buildings won’t just be valued on location and rent.
They’ll be valued on what they know—and who owns that knowledge.