Being always connected has become a necessity, especially in the fast-paced business world. Reliable internet connectivity is now indispensable for the commercial real estate industry, as it helps landlords and brokers maintain a constantly open line of communication with both current and potential clients. Most businesses today are using a variety of web-based tools, apps and platforms to market their services or products and increase productivity, and such tools require fast and reliable internet connectivity at all times. This is exactly what WiredScore is attempting to achieve. The Wired certification program rates and recognizes commercial office buildings that feature best-in-class internet connectivity, similar in concept to LEED certification for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. Launched back in 2013 by Mayor Bloomberg and the New York City Economic Development Corp., the program examines the number and quality of internet service providers, bandwidth capabilities and connection reliability and awards buildings a coveted Wired Certification. So far, WiredScore has awarded the certification to more than 650 buildings around the world, totaling a quarter of a billion square feet of office space. Some of the world’s most recognizable buildings have sought and achieved the certification, including the Empire State Building in New York, the Chicago Board of Trade Building, Miami’s Southeast Financial Center, One California Plaza in L.A. and the Leadenhall Building in London. We spoke to Arie Barendrecht, co-founder & CEO of WiredScore, about the importance of the program in today’s business environment. Why has fast and reliable connectivity become so important to office property owners? Barendrecht: What’s important to tenants is important to property owners. In a survey that WiredScore performed on approximately 450 businesses in NYC, high-quality connectivity was identified as the third most important attribute of an office space (after price and location), and...