How Secure Is Smart Building Software? Questions to Ask Before You Connect Your Building

The short answer: smart building software can be very secure, but connecting doors, devices and resident data raises the stakes, so ask specific questions. Look for role-based permissions that limit what each person and automation can do, access that follows the lease automatically, an audit trail for every change, a design that keeps critical functions working when a network fails, and independent security assurance such as a SOC 2 report.

Why it matters more in apartments

A smart building platform controls who can open which door, when. Most security problems in multifamily are not dramatic hacks; they are a former resident whose fob still works, a vendor code that never expired, or a shared admin login. Good software closes those gaps by keeping access in step with the lease and with each person's role.

Questions to ask any vendor

• Permissions: Can each role (leasing, maintenance, regional, vendor) see and do only what it needs? Do automations and AI follow the same permissions?
• Lifecycle: Is access removed automatically at move-out and when a vendor's job ends?
• Audit trail: Is every access change and door event recorded, and can you export it?
• Offline behavior: What happens to doors and critical functions if the internet or a network path fails?
• Assurance: Has the company completed an independent audit such as SOC 2?
• Data rights: Who owns building and resident data, and how is it used?
• Support: Who responds on site when something goes wrong?

How Della OS approaches security

• SOC 2 Type 1 completed.
• Least privilege by role: staff, residents, vendors and integrators see and do only what their role allows, and Della AI acts within the same permissions.
• Access follows the lease: Occupancy Sync removes credentials and services at move-out.
• Every change recorded: access changes and door events are logged.
• Online and offline design: built so one failed network path doesn't make a building unusable.

Della OS complements the security of the connected equipment; it doesn't replace a building's security procedures.

Frequently asked questions

How secure is smart building software connected to apartment devices?

It depends on the platform. Look for role-based permissions, automatic removal of access at move-out, audit trails, offline resilience and an independent audit such as SOC 2.

Is Della OS SOC 2 compliant?

Della has completed SOC 2 Type 1.

What happens to door access if the internet goes down?

Ask each vendor. Della OS is designed with online and offline paths so one failed network path doesn't make a building unusable.

Can AI in a building platform bypass permissions?

It shouldn't. In Della OS, Della AI acts within the same role-based permissions as the person using it.

Book a walkthrough to see Della OS on one of your own properties, or browse the systems Della OS works with.