About Tridium

Tridium is a global leader in business application frameworks that have fundamentally changed the way devices and systems connect. We are passionate innovators developing the operating system of the Internet of Things. From buildings and data centers to manufacturing systems, smart cities and beyond, Tridium’s open frameworks and environments are changing the rules for automation technology.

An established leader in software technology, Tridium works closely with international manufacturers and other software companies. For almost 25 years, our open framework has enabled and grown the Internet of Things.

Tridium is an independent business entity of Honeywell International.

The Early Days

In the 1990s, the Internet and the World Wide Web were becoming mainstream commercial technologies. Smart devices and systems began to appear in buildings, machines, homes, cars and virtually everywhere else, but few standards existed for interoperability among new and already-installed devices.

Initiatives to form standard communication protocols created a few open system environments (such as LonWorks^® and BACnet^®). But these protocols, focused at the embedded device level, provided interoperability only when all the devices were based on the same protocol.

Working out of a spare room in the west end of Richmond, Virginia, a small group of building industry experts and freshly minted graduates in electrical engineering and computer science gathered to solve the problem. The industry experts had the experience to know what businesses needed, and the new graduates were freethinking enough to take an unconventional approach.

That unconventional approach was to design an open, Internet-based infrastructure that would allow software developers to develop applications that could be used across a wide variety of systems, including existing legacy systems and competing systems from different manufacturers.

Tridium was founded by entrepreneurs who partnered with entrepreneurs. Our early success was based on a novel technology and a forward-thinking set of early adopters who took a chance and challenged the status quo of closed, proprietary systems.

In 1997, the company produced a functional system prototype. Two years later, Tridium launched its revolutionary Niagara Framework^®.

Launch and Alliances

1999 - Tridium launches the Niagara Framework^® and begins working with a network of independent early adopters to make the Niagara infrastructure a true industry standard. Building on Niagara, Tridium also creates the first Web-enabled application specifically designed for the building automation and energy services industries and names the brand Vykon^® the following year.

2000 - Honeywell and Tridium announces a multiyear alliance, allowing Honeywell to use Tridium’s breakthrough technology for its building automation customers. That same year, Vageri Electrical & Instrumentation, B.V., in the Netherlands becomes the first Tridium System Integrator to provide the Niagara Framework to the European market. Tridium raises $20 million in venture capital financing.

2001 - Tridium announces a series of strategic alliances with major industrial figures such as Emerson, Schneider Electric, Invensys and Carrier Corporation.

2002 - Tridium announces an additional $5 million round of capital funding.

2004 - Tridium hosts the inaugural Niagara Summit. This open conference brings together end users, integrators and developers for comprehensive learning and networking opportunities.

2005 - Honeywell announces the acquisition of Tridium, which becomes an independent business entity of Honeywell International. There are over 35,000 instances of Niagara worldwide. 

2006 - Tridium introduces Niagara Central, an interactive portal for the Niagara community. Wawa Food Markets begins working with Tridium as it integrates diverse systems across all 550 of its stores.

Rapid Growth

2007 - Tridium introduces the JACE^®-6 controller. A record number of integrators, consultants, manufacturers, end users and developers attend the European Niagara Forum.

2008 - The Niagara Framework surpasses 100,000 instances.

2009 - Tridium releases Enterprise Security, a modular, highly scalable security management and access control solution.

2010 - The Niagara Framework surpasses 200,000 instances.

Advancing the Internet of Things

2011 - Tridium continues its commitment to QNX Software Systems with the release of Niagara AX 3.6.

2012 - The Niagara Framework exceeds 300,000 instances, becoming one of the most utilized platforms for the Internet of Things.

2013 - Tridium announces the formation of its Professional Services Group to meet the increasing demand for consulting and education services.

2014 - Tridium acquires DataEye, an energy analytics application, from Controlco, a California-based controls products and solutions provider.

2015 - Tridium launches the next-generation IoT framework, Niagara 4, and all-new hardware platform, the JACE 8000.

2016 - The Niagara Framework surpasses 500,000 instances. Niagara Framework 4.1 and 4.2 are released. These releases incorporated Windows 10 support, N4 alarm portal, and HxPx rendering.

2017 - Niagara 4.3 is released and introduces enhancements that make it easier to manage and deploy templates. Asset Manager and Backup as a Service was also introduced making it easier to back up data and provides seamless, secure and scalable backups of Niagara to the cloud.

2018 - The Niagara Framework surpasses 750,000 instances. Niagara Framework 4.6 is released which offers power and potential not seen since the introduction of Niagara 4. Most exciting about Niagara 4.6 is how it modernizes the framework and provides ways for users to save time, effort and money during system installations. Tridium launches Niagara Edge 10, a 10-point IP-based field equipment controller that runs the Niagara Framework at the edge. By leveraging Niagara 4.7, the Edge 10 offers a single-tool infrastructure, the ability to create smarter, more efficient systems, and world-class security.

2019 - Niagara Framework 4.8 is released which includes new features such as ACE Deterministic Engine for Niagara Edge 10, Security Dashboard, and third party module signing.

2020 - Niagara Framework 4.9 is released with new features such as single sign-on with Niagara as an Identity Provider, integration with video surveillance and tag-based visualizations. 

2021 - Niagara Framework 4.10 is released and includes enhanced virtual graphics with Tag-based visualization, updates to Edge Tools. New features to 4.10 include UxMedia - a cutting-edge and performant UI, HTML5 Tag Manager, and Bulk Certificate Signing Tool.

The Niagara Framework surpasses 1,000,000 instances! This milestone is significant not just as a data point substantiating Niagara’s position as defacto smart building industry standard for data integration and normalization, but also as a testament to the power of the Niagara Community. 

Niagara Framework 4.11 is also released which includes Archive History Provider, WebWiresheet, Alarm Archive Provider, and BACnet/SC.