Johnson Controls, Inc., is a global leader in building management with a history of innovation. In the 1970s, its engineers were the first to apply computers to energy management for buildings. After years of developing their own proprietary software, the company was ready to adapt its homegrown network to a standard IT architecture. Business ChallengeSoftware engineers at Johnson Controls had developed the Metasys Building Management System, a combination of electronic components and software programs that automate a building's core systems, which helped owners and managers of commercial, institutional, and government facilities worldwide maximize comfort, productivity, safety, and energy efficiency. Metasys was proprietary code and required a huge investment in staff and resources. The rapid pace of technological changes meant that the company had to scramble to keep up, and its people were ready to make a change. “We came to this brick wall where our engineers could no longer take care of everything in a building management system,” explains Terry Hoffmann, director of marketing, Global Products. Dr. Byron Hill, director of systems and technology marketing, put it this way: “To make the information in our systems more valuable, we need to make it more accessible and actionable. Customers want facilities solutions that are based on Internet technology—systems that they can access with Web browsers, smart client applications, and mobile devices.”
SolutionWhen Johnson Controls began to design the next version of its Metasys Building Management System, it needed a technology platform with rich functionality, a highly productive tool set, and comprehensive support for Internet standards. For help, the people at Johnson Controls turned to Microsoft products: | • | Microsoft Windows CE and Microsoft Windows XP Embedded
Johnson Controls' managers wanted to replace their propriety operating systems. They selected the Windows CE and Windows XP Embedded operating systems, which enabled them to capitalize on the expertise of Microsoft and save money by not having to support their own staff of experts. | | • | Microsoft .NET
By building on Windows, Johnson Controls' people could evolve their systems to embrace the latest technology advances such as Web services, a combination of protocols that enable computers to work together by the exchange of messages. |
Business BenefitsThe move to Web services opened up new levels of functionality for Johnson Controls' people—and their customers: Remote access. All functions of Metasys were available as Web-based resources. Before, facility managers had to be either in the building or at a dedicated terminal to check the status of a building function. Now they can monitor and control building functions from any Web-connected device. “Things that used to be done by reading meters and turning knobs can now be integrated into a Web page,” says Hoffmann. Interoperability. Because Metasys is now based on HTTP, XML, and SOAP, it can interact with other key applications with fewer hassles connecting new applications to existing systems. Hoffman's customers can take data generated by Metasys and integrate it into their business programs. They can import energy usage data into a spreadsheet so that their finance department can analyze and project energy spending. “We recognized that taking a Web-service, standards-based approach would give us the best tool to most effectively manage the interaction between an organization's systems, which in turn provides a tremendous competitive advantage to our customers,” says Dale Lueck, vice president and general manager, Systems Products Worldwide, for the Controls Group of Johnson Controls. Productivity gains. The move to Web services has empowered Hoffmann's co-workers and customers to garner insight from information, make decisions, and act on those decisions. The availability of commonly used development tools, such as the Microsoft Visual Basic development system, has unleashed creativity in the form of new programs by third parties, customers, and Johnson Controls' people. “People who have ideas can now put them into practice,” says Hoffmann, who cites a Johnson Controls sales rep who taught himself Visual Basic and writes his own programs. Of particular interest are programs that can predict failures or problems and intervene to prevent them. Cost savings. New programs reflect the convergence of building management systems and IT. For example, programs that book the use of auditoriums or conference rooms now can coordinate with energy management systems so that air and heat are turned on only when the rooms will be in use. Increased security. Many buildings have sensors that detect when someone enters a room and automatically turn on the lights. Now Johnson Controls can integrate these sensors with security systems, so facility managers can be alerted when someone enters a sensitive area. Some facilities are experimenting with digital video cameras to monitor building activity. With ActiveX components, the video can be analyzed automatically in real time for suspicious activity—such as someone climbing over a fence—and alert building managers when such a breach is detected. New business opportunities. Web services also have helped Johnson Controls' people expose their own knowledge and expertise. Now that their engineers can easily monitor and manage building functions remotely over the Internet, Johnson Controls' managers have a viable way to extend the company's facility management expertise to more customers.
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