IPSO Alliance adds new members

July 10, 2009

COLORADO SPRINGS, Co. – The IPSO Alliance, an international non-profit group advancing greater awareness for Internet Protocol-connected smart objects, has added 12 new companies to its members’ roster, including several of the world’s leading technology and manufacturing brands.

The new member organizations include such familiar names as Intel, Bosch and Johnson Controls, along with more specialized tech and wireless firms CEA, Convergence Wireless, ECE, Ember Corporation, IAR Systems, Ibit World, INRIA, Maxfor, National Semiconductor, Somfy, Tridium and ZeroG Wireless rounding out the latest group of companies to join the organization.

These new members bring IPSO’s corporate membership to 51, joining companies such as Cisco, Ericsson, SAP, Sun Microsystems and Texas Instruments. The companies have come together to raise awareness of the use of established Internet Protocols in creating linked networks of physical objects--from household appliances to sophisticated communications devices and even military systems.

“Intel believes the IPSO Alliance will be an integral group to enable the interoperability and connectivity of devices for the embedded Internet,” said Tony Neal-Graves, general manager, Strategic Planning, Embedded and Communications Group, Intel. “Intel Architecture has played a central role in the build out of the Internet, and we are committed to delivering products and technology that will enable billions of embedded, connected devices.”

“There is a need for an open, informal and thought-leading association of like-minded organizations and individuals to promote the value of using the Internet Protocol for the networking of smart objects. Bosch is convinced that standards for embedded IP will foster an open systems approach and achieve high interoperability levels which are crucial,” noted Harald Hoenninger, VP Corporate Research at Bosch. “The IPSO Alliance seems to be the perfect forum to promote such a standard. As members, we plan to contribute to the Alliance and take a role in the existing and evolving business ecosystems of Embedded IT.”

The alliance was created last September and has quickly gained traction as a leading international advocate for networked devices and synchronicity of physical objects. Time magazine marked the formation of the alliance as one of the best inventions of 2008, noting, “The organization intends to create a new kind of network that will allow sensor-enabled physical objects--appliances in your home, products in a factory, cars in a city-- to talk to one another the same way people communicate over the Internet.”

A so-called “smart object” is any device which combines processing power, communications capabilities and a power source to provide real-time information to a computer system. Integration of the Internet Protocol, which allows the Internet to run smoothly, in turn allows smart objects to communicate directly with one another over the existing global network following a proven protocol that has been in place for nearly 35 years. The IP framework additionally provides unsurpassed scalability, a vital feature for large organizations.

“The introduction of IP sensors and smart objects provide for holistic building operational efficiency by marrying IT systems with HVAC, energy, fire, security and lighting systems,” commented Joseph Noworatzky, Vice President of Engineering for Johnson Controls.  “This convergence of systems creates new synergies and applications for our customers not feasible across independent networks.”

The real-life applications of this platform are already used in industrial applications – including factories, hospitals, electric utilities and government facilities--and are increasingly entering the consumer mainstream. IPSO offerings from existing Alliance members include:

  • Code Blue timers for hospitals to maintain an accurate and synchronized account of the events following a heart attack and wireless remote monitoring of a facility’s temperature and humidity and vibration monitoring (Primex Wireless);
  • Remote monitoring of electricity consumption (Arch Rock);
  • Building automation and Smart Energy home applications, as well as asset tracking in the healthcare, retail, and manufacturing sectors (GainSpan);
  • Building Automation, Energy and Security management (Tridium)

To lead the Alliance and its growing roster of top-tier companies the organization has recently elected a new Board of Directors to serve the group in their advocacy of Internet Protocol for smart objects. The new board includes Chairman Geoff Mulligan, industry consultant and president for Proto6 LLC; President Patrick Wetterwald, manager of Advanced Technologies for Cisco Systems, Inc.;Vice President Roland Acra, CEO and Founder of Arch Rock; Treasurer Marius Chilom, CEO and founder of Nivis, LLC; Secretary Pete St. Pierre, staff researcher for Sun Microsystems, Inc; board members David Loadman of National Instruments; Magnus Pedersen, director of product marketing of MCU Wireless for Atmel; Paul Shekoski, president of Primex Wireless; Steve Adams of Intel, and Ville Mickelsson, CEO of Sensinode Ltd.

Additionally, existing Contributor members Landis+Gyr and Silver Spring Networks have chosen to take a more active role in the IPSO Alliance and elected to upgrade from Contributor to Promoter member. 

Intended to complement the efforts of entities such as the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), which develop and ratify technical standards in the Internet community, the IPSO Alliance performs interoperability tests, documents the use of new IP-based technologies, conducts marketing activities and serves as an information repository for users seeking to understand the role of IP in networks of physical objects. IPSO Alliance membership is open to any organization advocating an IP-based approach to connecting smart objects. For more information, visit http://www.ipso-alliance.org