Johnson Controls’ CIO Helps 125 Year Old Company Become Leader In The Internet Of Things

Johnson Controls’ CIO Helps 125 Year Old Company Become Leader In The Internet Of Things

by Peter High, published on Forbes

10-20-2014

On the face of it, you would not think of Johnson Controls as a leading candidate to be an innovator in the world of the Internet of Things. Johnson Controls is a 125-year-old company based in Milwaukee that produces more than $40 billion in revenue per annum. The origins of the company were in building systems, which was primarily heating, ventilation and air control (HVAC). The company’s diversified in recent times to include three other divisions beyond HVAC:

• An automotive interiors company, which produces seats and door panels for cars
• A battery business producing both traditional lead acid and lithium ion primarily for the automotive market
• A facilities management service for buildings

For the past six years, Colin Boyd has been the chief information officer of Johnson Controls, and he has been one of the leaders in the company responsible for the transformation toward being a leader in this trend. In fact, he said that the companies leadership in the trend predates the name of the trend. The company has been involved in what it calls “the Internet of Buildings” for more than a decade.  Boyd’s role has been an important one, and it offers a look inside how the CIO might get more involved in taking advantage of this trends, while being mindful of the number of other divisions of the company that are necessary to engage along the way.

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