Senior director and global manufacturing lead of the Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), Dr Dirk Schlesinger, will present the opening keynote address of ISE 2014 on Monday 3 February in the Forum of the Amsterdam RAI.
Titled ‘Kick-Starting the Market for Building Automation’, Schlesinger’s speech will discuss how a new cross-industry initiative set up by Cisco, ABB, Bosch and LG will attempt to transform the world of smart building technology by offering a common standard for data exchange across multiple appliances and disciplines.
“In October 2013, Cisco, ABB, Bosch and LG signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the development of a common, open and discrimination-free platform to unite diverse services such as lighting control, energy management, security, healthcare and, not least, audiovisual entertainment and communication,” Schlesinger explained.
“In my Opening Keynote Address at ISE 2014, I will explain how this platform will enable new business models, giving equipment manufacturers, software developers, service providers, systems integrators and other businesses in the ecosystem the tools they need to kick-start the market for home and building automation.”
Existing protocols will be used wherever possible. Once the operating company for the platform has been incorporated, the aim is that compatible appliances will communicate with each other over radio networks such as WiFi and Zigbee, and over other wired connections such as KNX. ‘Customer premise equipment’ within a building would then manage all the individual appliances and create a secure internet link to cloud-based services, with any unit being able to perform this function, regardless of manufacturer, provided it runs on software that satisfies the relevant standard.
“The initiative that Cisco and its partners ABB, Bosch and LG have started offers huge potential for the business leaders, owners and managers who attend ISE,” commented Mike Blackman, managing director, Integrated Systems Events. “While the emphasis is on promoting interoperability in the smart home, it’s clear that this initiative will have applications in commercial buildings as well, making it the perfect topic for a show that serves both markets such as Integrated Systems Europe.“
“The initiative’s timeline calls for an EU-wide launch in mid-2015, with the platform being made available to developers during 2014. ISE’s Opening Keynote Address will be the first occasion on which the business model is outlined in detail in front of an international B2B audience, and it is a measure of our event’s status that Dr Schlesinger has offered to make space in his schedule to deliver his talk on the eve of ISE 2014.”
The 6pm Keynote will be followed at 7pm by ISE’s traditional Opening Reception. Both events are free to attend for all pre-registered ISE 2014 attendees.
