A system and method for issuing commands to remote devices comprising determining a criterion that forms a rule for a service, the service comprising a service property, a service method, and a service event, distributing the rule to a behavior engine on a programmable device, the behavior engine comprising a set of rules, and evaluating, at the behavior engine, if a trigger criterion for the rule is met. Upon determining that the trigger criterion is met, the method may further comprise performing an action comprising evaluating, at the behavior engine, if a condition is met, and upon determining that the condition is met, issuing a command to perform a first action comprising setting a service property and calling a service method for all devices including the service property within a scope of the action, defining an action scope.