Johnson Controls acquires remaining stake in Qolsys
Johnson Controls announced on Tuesday that it has acquired the remaining stake in smart security technology provider Qolsys Inc., having owned a majority since 2014.
In a statement, Johnson Control said that Qolsys’ founders and leadership team will remain in Silicon Valley and assume key roles in the company’s global intrusion business.
UPDATE 8/5: We caught up with Michael Hackett, Qolsys co-founder and VP of sales and marketing to clarify how the Qolsys line will mesh with Johnson Controls' established and in some ways, competitive, DSC line. Here's what he told us:
“JCI has a long history delivering traditional security via the DSC brand. For now, there won’t be much of a change or impact. Over time, we will strive to bring the innovative IQ Panel user experience, features and benefits to the higher end commercial segments served well (by JCI) today.
“Most exciting is how we already support the PowerG sensor portfolio….every IQ Panel 2+ includes PowerG, the same wireless protocol used by the DSC Neo and Powerseries platform,” Hackett added. “The IQ panel 2+ with powerG and 433 MHz could easily replace a legacy DSC panel installed in a customer’s home and (integrators can) re-use all the existing sensors, upgrade them to LTE, add new PowerG sensors for extended range and encryption, as well as adding cameras and Z-Wave lights locks, thermostats, etc.”
“Qolsys has grown from a startup to a leading security platform provider with over 4,000 dealers and service providers worldwide. Johnson Controls sees long-term opportunities to bring Silicon Valley innovation and culture to our broader cloud-enabled IoT solutions in building management, fire and HVAC businesses,” said Jeff Williams, president of Global Products, Johnson Controls. “The opportunity to acquire Qolsys allows Johnson Controls to achieve operational efficiencies and scale across our global markets, while further enhancing the suite of products and services offered on our digital platform, OpenBlue.”
Qolsys, which makes a variety of smart security and life safety products for the residential and light commercial markets, had $150 million in revenues during fiscal year 2019. The combined volume of Qolsys, DSC, Bentel, Visonic, PowerG and Tyco products will position Johnson Controls as a market share leader in the global intrusion detection market.
“As the world becomes more connected and the innovation curve continues to ramp at unprecedented speed, we are excited to join Johnson Controls,” said Qolsys CEO Dave Pulling, who will now become vice president and general manager of the global intrusion products business for Johnson Controls. “We are committed to our customers in the security channel while continuing to invest in our roadmap and emerging verticals around the globe. This is a major milestone in our 10-year journey to disrupt and transform the security industry with advanced cloud-enabled solutions that transcend traditional intrusion offerings including advanced automation, energy management, apartment management, building management and wellness for aging in place.”
