NG Bailey's IT Services division broke the £60m barrier in its last fiscal year and claims to have a lead in the smart buildings market.

Over the past year, firms such as Cisco – with which NG Bailey IT Services is a Gold partner – have been keen to talk up the opportunity around the Internet of Things in buildings, or smart buildings. Some partners are beginning to dip their toe into the market to encourage customers to consider the technology. NG Bailey IT Services claims the group's background in building services and IT means it is already ahead of the curve.

David Hurcomb, NG Bailey's chief executive, said: "The market is in its infancy – the groundwork is being laid in new buildings in particular. If you are going to have smart cities, you're going to need smart buildings. One of the key things that has been missing in this whole process are the people. Technology is great but it is not about implantation, the goal is adoption. You need to ensure that technology interacts with the people in that environment – I don't think everyone has got that right and work needs to be done in that area."

NG Bailey's IT Services division's managing director Bob Dunnett added that his company's experience in both buildings and IT gives it an edge.

"We do think we are a little ahead of the curve," he said. "Scepticism normally comes from lack of understanding. If you can talk to the right people – it can be the CIO or CFO – and get them to understand the benefits, adoption follows reasonably quickly."