The control systems we use in commercial buildings today have evolved over the last 30 years to provide systems that are cost effective, and provide good performance. 

For many of us involved day to day with the design, installation, and operation of BAS, it often seems like there has been little in terms of new products and innovation.

Cyber attacks are becoming more common and brazen. You may already have been a victim of one of these attacks and only find out when your credit card company calls to asks about suspicious activity.

As I complete my transition from leading a practice focused on the design of integrated control systems to focusing on research efforts, it is time to bid farewell to writing this monthly column.

For the last decade, I have had the privilege of being an Engineered Systems columnist.

During the past 12 years, I have had the opportunity to work on many controls projects.

While it seems like just yesterday, it is now 21 years since the BACnet standard, ASHRAE 135, was approved and published.

There is a great line in the classic 1980’s movie Top Gun, where Maverick says to his co-pilot, Goose, “I feel the need,” and they then say in unison “the need for speed.”

There is a fair amount of press about the concept of the “Internet of Things” — or as it is commonly abbreviated, IOT. The concept of IOT is simply defined as a network of physical devices.