IKEA joins Zigbee Alliance board of directors

The Zigbee Alliance, an organization of hundreds of companies creating, maintaining, and delivering open, global standards for the Internet of Things (IoT), announced that Swedish-based home furnishing retailer IKEA has joined its board of directors. The move underscores IKEA’s commitment to universal open IoT standards for its smart home product offerings. 

“The world is constantly changing, and our home furnishing designs are also ever-evolving with specific intent to create a better life at home for everyone,” said Ulf Axelsson, IoT Architect at IKEA Home Smart. “Elevating our membership within the Zigbee Alliance to the board level enables our company to play a larger role in influencing the global IoT movement that’s connecting technology, design, and imagination.”

Smart home items must connect to universal IoT standards

The IKEA Home Smart portfolio includes smart lighting, smart blinds, smart speakers, and wireless accessories. In 2018 alone, IKEA sold more than five million Zigbee devices.

“We’re excited for IKEA to bring that innovation and consumer-centricity to our open IoT standards, and help facilitate collaboration between smart products and the innovative companies behind them,” says Tobin Richardson, president and CEO, Zigbee Alliance. “Our shared commitment to align and move companies to open standards at product design is what helps ensure that all IoT products ‘just work’ once installed.”