In the midst of increased M&A activity in the smart building space, it is natural to consider the implications to building owners, operators and other competing solution providers. Do these acquisitions mean that smart building technology is maturing and has “arrived”. Or, were these acquisitions made opportunistically? It’s hard to know, and the answers may not be black or white, or even consistent across each transaction. However, our view is that this is not a sign of vast industry consolidation, at least not yet. Instead, this is a sign that some large OEMs are making opportunistic acquisitions of differentiated technology. Why do we think this? First, the firms that have been acquired are successful, but have not grown to a level where they really have disrupted the market. Recent acquisitions by established vendors appear to be focused on selling the innovative, acquired technology through established sales channels. Additionally, there are still many dozens, if not […]