Johnson Controls says it has acquired zero trust cybersecurity provider Tempered Networks. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Based in Seattle, Tempered Networks has created ‘Airwall’ technology, an advanced self-defense system for buildings that is said to enable secure network access across diverse groups of endpoint devices, edge gateways, Cloud platforms and service technicians.
It represents a step-change in operational technology built on secure transmission pipelines to ensure buildings data exchanges and service actions can only take place between people and devices that are continuously authenticated, according to the company.
“When it comes to buildings, we must create easily implementable cybersecurity defenses as we’re often dealing with critical infrastructure, including assets such as data centers and hospitals,” says Vijay Sankaran, vice president and chief technology officer, Johnson Controls. “Tempered Networks Airwall approach is purpose-built for our sector as it’s designed around principles of zero trust, securing device communications as data moves between devices and the Cloud — so enabling remote building optimization in the most trusted way possible.”
Johnson Controls says the acquisition gives the company the capability to provide zero trust security within the fabric of its OpenBlue secure communications stack, advancing its vision of enabling fully autonomous buildings that are inherently resilient to cyberattack.
OpenBlue is said to provide a flexible computing approach for converging building technologies and making those technologies more insightful, powerful and optimized through edge AI and through full machine learning in the Cloud. The ultimate goal is to make all buildings smarter, healthier and more sustainable.
“Digital transformation is the primary way we’ll make the world’s buildings more autonomous and resilient,” says Bryan Skene, chief technology officer, Tempered Networks. “Being acquired by Johnson Controls allows us to fully integrate our Airwall technology into their software stack, providing an advanced security platform for a range of edge to Cloud applications. Our ambition, now that we’re part of Johnson Controls, is that building systems everywhere can be managed from anywhere and remain secure from cyber threats.”
The acquisition of Tempered Networks builds on the previously announced selection of the company as a core component of Johnson Controls OpenBlue platform and services.
Johnson Controls says the integration of Tempered Networks’ security technology further builds on other recent acquisitions, including Foghorn, whose technology is taking the company’s edge AI capability to new levels for compute-constrained devices. It also complements partnerships with Pelion and DigiCert to provide advanced secure device management and digital trust for smart building technology.
This article originally appeared on our sister site Security Sales & Integration.
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