Cisco’s Intelligent Workplace Experience Starts with aida™ at Penn One
Cisco’s Penn One office in New York represents a vision for the modern intelligent workplace, where building systems and network infrastructure work together to create a more connected environment. With aida™ Controller working alongside Cisco Spaces, the deployment demonstrates how building intelligence can become part of the workplace experience. The Customer’s Need Modern workplaces rely on multiple systems to support lighting, environmental conditions, security, and collaboration. When these systems operate independently, it can be harder for facility and IT teams to gain a unified view of how a building operates. Cisco’s Intelligent Workplace Experience brings these elements together through connected infrastructure and data-driven insights. At Penn One, the approach supports a more integrated workplace where building systems and workplace technology can work together. The Cisco Solution Cisco provides the network and workplace technology foundation for the intelligent workplace. This network-based approach creates a foundation for integrating building systems with workplace analytics. The aida™ Solution Building AI Solutions’ aida™ Controller adds a smart-building intelligence layer to the connected workplace. Together, Cisco Spaces and aida™ address complementary aspects of the intelligent workplace: how people use a space and how its connected building systems operate. The Outcome The Penn One deployment demonstrates how network infrastructure, workplace analytics, and smart-building controls can work together as part of a connected workplace strategy. By combining Cisco’s workplace technology with aida™, the deployment provides an example of how building intelligence can complement workplace-utilization insights and support more integrated building operations. The broader deployment program is also expanding internationally, with aida™ being deployed at Cisco Singapore and planned for Cisco locations in San Jose, Amsterdam, and Dubai. A Connected Approach to the Intelligent Workplace The Penn One deployment illustrates the potential of combining enterprise networking, workplace analytics, and smart-building technology. By bringing these capabilities together, Cisco and aida™ demonstrate an approach to making building operations more connected, observable, and responsive. Learn more: Read MHT Technologies’ article, Cisco’s Intelligent Workplace Experience Starts With the Network. Important before publication: The Penn One deployment and the international rollout status come from your internal project notes. The public MHT article provides supporting context, but it does not establish that Cisco has authorized Building AI Solutions to identify it publicly as an aida customer. Get that written approval first. I have also avoided inventing measured results or a customer quote. Source: MHT Technologies — Cisco’s Intelligent Workplace Experience Starts With the Network
NJOIT runs PoE lighting across offices, a warehouse and a data center with aida on Cisco switching
The New Jersey Office of Information Technology (NJOIT) partnered with MHT Technologies to modernize its 35,000-square-foot facility with a phased Power over Ethernet (PoE) lighting and environmental-monitoring deployment. Built on Cisco switching infrastructure, the project brings connected lighting, sensors, and centralized building controls to office and mission-critical environments. The Customer’s Need NJOIT needed a scalable approach to modernizing building systems across different operational environments. The deployment addressed office spaces in Phase 1 and extended the PoE lighting and monitoring infrastructure to warehouse and data-center areas in Phase 2. The goal was to bring lighting control and environmental visibility into a more connected infrastructure while supporting the operational needs of a government IT environment. The Cisco Solution Cisco switching provides the network infrastructure for the connected lighting system across both phases. This architecture allows building devices to use the network infrastructure for both power and communication. The aida™ Solution Building AI Solutions’ aida™ platform provides centralized monitoring, automation, and control across the deployment, with capabilities tailored to each phase. Phase 1: Office Spaces — aida Controller 2.0 The office deployment supports centralized management of lighting, shades, and environmental sensors. These capabilities give facility teams a central place to manage connected devices and monitor conditions across office spaces. Phase 2: Warehouse and Data Center — aida Controller 1.0 The second phase extends centralized lighting control into additional operational areas. Together, these capabilities support organized commissioning, centralized control, and greater visibility into lighting and occupancy activity across the deployment. The Outcome The project established a phased PoE lighting and environmental-monitoring infrastructure across office and mission-critical areas of NJOIT’s facility. Cisco switching provides the network foundation, MHT Technologies’ PoE hardware connects the building devices, and aida provides the software layer for lighting control, automation, and operational visibility. The aida dashboards also provide a way to review energy consumption by cluster and monitor occupancy and motion events. These capabilities can help facility teams understand building operations and identify opportunities for improvement. The publicly available project information does not provide verified energy-savings percentages, commissioning-time reductions, or exact counts of connected fixtures and rooms, so no numerical performance claims are included here. Building Intelligence on Existing Network Infrastructure The NJOIT deployment demonstrates how PoE lighting and environmental monitoring can be integrated with enterprise networking to support connected building operations. By combining Cisco switching, MHT Technologies’ PoE infrastructure, and aida™, the solution provides a foundation for centralized building control and future expansion. Before publishing: The public MHT page supports the project overview and 35,000-square-foot figure, but I couldn’t find a public source independently verifying all the detailed aida functions listed for each phase. Those technical details came from your draft, so it would be wise to have Ak review them. I also recommend leaving out a customer quote unless NJOIT has supplied and approved one in writing. Sources: MHT Technologies — Cisco-Powered Smart Buildings · MHT Technologies — Smart Building Case Studies Read the Full Case Study Discover how NJOIT uses Cisco switching and aida™ for connected building operations. Download Case Study (PDF) ↗
New World Prep’s PoE school building runs on Cisco and aida
New World Preparatory Charter School in Staten Island, New York, has a modern learning environment built on connected building technologies. Cisco networking and Power over Ethernet (PoE) technologies provide the foundation for connected learning, while aida™ supports the building’s smart-building systems. The Customer’s Need New World Preparatory Charter School, a K–8 school in Staten Island’s Richmond section, replaced its old building with a new facility designed for connected learning. The school serves many students from economically disadvantaged homes and wanted them to learn in a building as modern, safe, and comfortable as any in the city. The Cisco Solution The building uses Cisco networking, security, and collaboration technologies to support a connected learning environment, including: The aida™ Solution The specific aida™ functions used at the school also need confirmation, including whether the deployment includes scheduling, occupancy based control, daylight response, dashboards, or other automation capabilities. MHT Technologies’ Inspextor PoE lighting platform and Digital Building Solutions’ PoE integration provide the physical technology layer. The Outcome The school’s lighting and environmental systems operate on the same Cisco network as its IT infrastructure. According to Cisco’s published account of the building, connected lighting and environmental systems can respond to real time conditions, including changes in outside light and occupancy. Learn More Cisco has published an independent article about the New World Prep deployment, covering the building’s connected learning environment and the technologies delivered with its partners. Read Cisco’s article: In an underserved New York neighborhood, a school with the best in tech Read the Full Case Study Discover how connected building technology supports New World Prep. Download Case Study (PDF) ↗
