We just got back from the AHR Expo 2025, the biggest show of the year for contractors, engineers, OEMs, other HVACR professionals, and us.

It’s always a great show and it’s a lot of fun meeting up with (and learning from) customers, channel partners, and industry pros. They’re one of the many reasons the MSA FieldServer team never misses the show and why we’re already planning our return for next year.

The other reason? AHR always gives us the chance to dig into the issues and opportunities facing the industry. From automation advances and cybersecurity to energy efficiency, industry leaders—including our own Richard Theron—showcased what’s new and what’s next in HVACR.

Here’s an insider’s look at the Orlando-based event.

BACnet/SC (BACnet Secure Connect)

One of our favorite sessions was BACnet International’s Nate Benes’s. He delivered a compelling presentation (BAC to the Future: The Next Step in BACnet Evolution) that focused on enhancing the world’s most widely specified protocol.

According to Benes, the BACnet standard’s SSPC-135 committee included 17 addenda, 249 pages, and 67,000 words in the latest update, all aimed at enhancing capabilities in these key areas:

• Strengthening Security by adding authentication and authorization features
  The addition of BACnet/SC to the protocol is a proactive response to ever-evolving security issues. It’s designed to better protect the integrity of the network by ensuring that every device is authenticated and authorized.
  
• Improving Reliability by ensuring continuous and more dependable operations
  The updated standard delivers new functionality, such as device address proxy and adjustable parameters, to improve network performance.
  
• Preparing for the Future by addressing new needs and challenges in the building automation landscape
  In the works is a new way to standardize how data is modeled within buildings. This will help ensure backward compatibility, maintain interoperability capabilities within existing BACnet systems, and improve support for analytics.

IoT and Data Analytics

Another hot topic at AHR Expo 2025 was data analytics. As integrated, intelligent solutions continue to be embedded within the HVACR industry, there’s a lot of talk about data-driven building management systems (BMS).

From the speakers’ platforms to our one-on-one conversations on the Expo exhibit floor, the prevailing idea was that IoT, artificial intelligence (AI), and advanced analytics are going to be “the next big thing.”

We agree, especially since we’ve seen the impact they can have on efficient energy management, predictive maintenance, and system reliability.  Contact us if you want to learn more.

Cybersecurity In HVACR

Finally, we found several thought-provoking sessions that talked about the increasing need for cybersecurity within connected HVAC systems. Most of what we heard validated what we’ve talked about:

• Strategies to help prevent data theft
• Insights on penetration testing for IoT protocol gateways
• Making sense of the MQTT protocol for sending certain data to the cloud

But what about customers who want more control and flexibility within their BMS without the cloud-based cybersecurity concerns?

The answer is on-premise installation with distributed control, featuring Haystack and similar tools. (For more on Project Haystack and other protocol trends, read this.)

Cloud-based solutions will continue to have their place, of course, and all indications point to these solutions gaining ground—especially as security and data privacy concerns are addressed.

Either way, we’ve implemented best-practice cybersecurity measures within our organization as well as embedded security features into our gateway products, giving us the flexibility to support all types of automation systems, industrial applications, and networks.

The Future Starts Now

Finally, if this year’s AHR Expo left us with one key takeaway, it’s this: the future belongs to those who embrace connectivity, technology, and innovation.

From smart data analytics to remote monitoring and management to proactive maintenance strategies, if you’re ready to support sustainable, energy-efficient operations,  contact us today.