The Morning Download: Steelcase CIO Bets Big on the Connected Office

Good morning, CIOs. Steelcase Inc., a 106-year-old manufacturer of office furniture, has a vision of the office in which chairs, tables, and other objects are part of a digital network.

Steelcase has been working with Microsoft Corp. for about three years on these efforts.

One new service, expected to launch this summer, offers Steelcase clients a mobile app that employees can use to find available rooms and other colleagues in real-time. “Steelcase Find” connects to a wireless network of infrared sensors and uses room-booking data that shows which workspaces are being used.

A mainstream thing. It’s an example of how the Internet of Things is hitting a different level of maturity, Steelcase CIO Steven Miller tells CIO Journal’s Sara Castellanos. “You’ve had some people just dabbling in it and testing the waters, but now it’s becoming much more of a mainstream thing that companies need to pay attention to,” Mr. Miller said.