Johnson Controls has acquired cybersecurity provider Tempered Networks for undisclosed terms. The Seattle-based company’s Airwall technology is being integrated into Johnson Controls’ OpenBlue platform, a smart building software platform with advanced AI-enabled building management capabilities. 

The Airwall technology is described in an announcement as an advanced self-defense system for buildings that enables secure network access across diverse groups of endpoint devices, edge gateways, cloud platforms and service technicians. The technology is said to ensure that buildings’ data exchanges and service actions can only take place between people and devices that are continuously authenticated. 

The acquisition gives Johnson Controls 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, according to the announcement. 

"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," said Vijay Sankaran, vice president and CTO, 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." 

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. 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. 

"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,” said Bryan Skene, CTO, Tempered Networks. “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."