Parks’ 25th annual CONNECTIONS conference sheds light on smart home

DALLAS—Parks Associates recently hosted its 25th annual CONNECTIONS: The Premier Connected Home Conference in a virtual format, featuring new research on app usage, smart home platforms, new partnerships, and the expanded integration between various product ecosystems.

The event, sponsored by Alarm.com, Calix, Cox Communications, SmartRent, Xfinity Home, Bitdefender, Johnson Controls, Notion, Tuya, Ayla Networks, Plume, and Airties, addressed privacy and security issues, UI preferences, interoperability efforts, including the new initiative Matter, and the blurred lines between smart home and security solutions.

Parks Associates’ new research highlights the role of the app in the experience for consumers, with recent data showing that 61 percent of smart home product owners have one or more apps that control multiple products.

The session titled Smart Home: Bridging Platforms and Changing the Experience, sponsored by Johnson Controls and Privacy and Security, featured David Friedman, Chairman, Ayla Networks; Einaras von Gravrock, CEO, CUJO AI; Jeremy McLerran, Global Director of Marketing, Johnson Controls; and Mark Mulready, VP of Cyber Services, Irdeto.

"As organizations transition to hybrid work from a secured office environment to vulnerable home networks that might have rogue devices or outdated equipment, it’s critical to fortify remote workforce and secure workers within a well-defined network perimeter,” von Gravrock said. 

Mulready added, “The proliferation in the use of IoT-connected devices in the home, coupled with the shift to the cloud, increased digitization, and remote working during the pandemic, has created the perfect cyber storm. Hardly a day goes by without news of a new attack, and consumers are increasingly nervous about the security and privacy risks in this exponentially expanding attack surface. We need to make sure that first there is a robust security component to the offering, and secondly ensure that consumers are aware of it.”

Event Dates for 2022

Parks Associates also announced its 2022 event schedule, including in-person and virtual sessions for the 26th annual CONNECTIONS: The Premier Connected Home Conference, catering to the connected home and security industries.

The firm will first host CONNECTIONS Summit on Jan. 5 at CES 2022 in Las Vegas as part of the CES 2022, focusing on trends, new business models and technologies, and growth strategies for connected home players. Event sponsors include Cox Communities, EarlySense, Essence, Johnson Controls, Masonite, Notion, and Zen Ecosystems.

"The pandemic has had an enormous impact on business and consumers, and we will continue to analyze those effects through our research and industry events," said Elizabeth Parks, President, Parks Associates. "We are very excited to bring our events to Texas and also continue virtual sessions. Gathering the industry together for thoughtful and insightful interaction is critical for business, and we look forward to the year ahead."

In its 26th year, CONNECTIONS is the only connected home event to focus on the use cases and emerging business models that successfully engage consumers and grow revenues in the converging smart home, connected entertainment, and mobile ecosystems.

CONNECTIONS Dates and Topics:

• February 3: State of the Smart Home
• April 4: Expanding the Role of the Home Network
• May 17-19: In-person at the Omni Hotel, Frisco, TX
• August 18: State of the Home Security Market
• October 20: Broadband Future Proofing: Driving New Experiences and Value
• November 10: Tech Innovation and New Partnerships

Parks Associates is accepting speaker submissions for its events. To get involved, visit www.parksassociates.com