Tridium’s History
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—John Petze is appointed president and chief executive officer. 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.
Rapid Growth
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.
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—Nino A. DiCosmo is appointed president and general manager of the company. 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.