ControlTalk NOW for the week ending August 30, 2015 features guest interviews with Neptronic’s Luis Melgares and SI Consultants’ Vinayak Sane; new products from Thermokon and Functional Devices; Tridium N4 Crossover Training Video; Fred Gordy’s continued focus on Cyber Security; Sierra Monitor Corporation’s Varun Nagaraj’s Part 1 series on IIoT; and an updated ControlTrends Events Calendar.

Thermokon’s Newest Products — Released in 902MHz EnOcean’s Frequency for North America. Thermokon is pleased to announce several game-changing 902 MHz EnOcean products recently added to their extensive EasySens product platform, which include these application advantages: Cost savings due to Energy Harvesting: producing energy from the sensor environment; Flexibility with sensor location – quick and easy mounting and commissioning; Reduction of fire load – no need for wires.

ControlTrends Event Information Calendar Update. Global EasyIO Partner Event 2015: Paris, September 20-22! EasyIO is changing the way Building Automation is deployed, while significantly reducing installation costs. EasyIO’s global partner event will unveil awesome new products and features that will further enhance building management and energy solutions — for all building types. EasyIO has already a reputation to hold up for their amazing event programming.

Product Update: The New Functional Devices EnOcean Relay. Wireless is all the rage in todays building automation and smart buildings control systems. But to get the most out of your wireless system you need reliable wireless components like the EN3 EnOcean relay from Functional Devices. The EnOcean technology is an energy harvesting wireless technology used primarily in building automation systems; but is also applied to other applications in industry, transportation, logistics and smart homes.

Luis Melgares, Neptronic’s Vice-President, Sales and Marketing ControlTalk NOW’s first guest interview. ControlTrends caught up with Luis while he was on the road in Western PA and WV, technical support to system integrator and developing new business. Luis gives ControlTrends the latest scoop on Neptronic’s newest hardware and software, and previews Neptronic’s next generation TUC thermostat/room controller expected to be released fourth quarter 2015 — that will definitely be on display at the 2016 AHR EXPO in Orlando.

Tridium Niagara 4 Crossover Training Promo Video — World Class Technical Training for the Niagara Community. Tridium Niagara 4 Crossover Training Promo Video featuring World Class Technical Training for the Niagara Community. At Tridium, our training goals are simple; help our customers to be effective using the Niagara Framework. We do that by offering a variety of training classes covering the broad spectrum of Niagara-based solutions.

Vinayak Sane, with SI Consulting, based in Mumbai, India is ControlTalk NOW’s second guest interview. In this introductory video, we meet Vinayak and hear how he got started in the BMS/HVAC markets. Vinayak will be providing ControlTrends with progress updates on India’s immense efforts to bring 100 Smart Cities on-line, while proving insights on the some of the primary challenges facing India’s Smart Cities Mission, Building a Smart India, from an engineer’s perspective.

Practical Application for Using Shodan. Finding Devices, Protocols, Vendors, etc. Shodan’s search engine is fairly flexible and easy to use. The various lists below are what I found using a URL search like the two shown here (you must be logged in for the URL search to work). https://www.shodan.io/search?query=PDU+country%3A”US“ Notice the two bold sections of the URL string. The first is what you are looking for and the second is the country. The URL Encoded Characters for a colon are %3A.

If You’re Breached, You May Be Facing Two Battles. According to an arstechnica article Monday, August 24, a federal appeals court ruled that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can now sue a company that employs poor IT security practices. This resulted from a lawsuit that the FTC filed against the Wyndham Worldwide Corporation who suffered three breaches from 2008 to 2009. (click here to see FTC vs Wyndham) FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramierz wrote in a statement to Ars, “Today’s Third Circuit Court of Appeals decision reaffirms the FTC’s authority to hold companies accountable for failing to safeguard consumer data.

Sierra Monitor’s Varun Nagaraj: A Model to Categorize IIoT Use Cases – Part 1. There is no shortage of stories and case studies about the IIoT. In aggregate, they support the assertion that the classic Buffalo Springfield song makes: “There’s something’s happening here; what it is ain’t exactly clear”. Unfortunately, the many IIoT case studies being written up throw the phrase “cloud” around like there is no tomorrow, and all the stories begin to blur together! Personally, I find it useful to have a model that helps me categorize IIoT use cases.

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ControlTalk NOW for the week ending August 23, 2015 continues its focus on Cyber Security Awareness with Data Center Equipment Exposure; CABA’s Landmark CyberSecurity Research Initiative; and White Hat Billy Rios brings ICS/SCADA training to Georgia. Also featured: Eric Stromquist presents the Belimo Energy Valve to the Atlanta Better Building Challenge; Neptronic’s and ecobee’s newest product releases; the 2016 AHR EXPO registration is now available; 7 Minutes in Control with Rob Allen and Mike Bonner discussing their successful Honeywell N4 migration; and the amazing history of KMC Controls.

Data Center Equipment Exposed With Default Manufacturer User and Pass. Shodan Cataloging of Liebert & APC (Disclaimer – It is not the intent of this post to point out a particular BAS software vendor. The intent is to show that we, the system integrator, still have work ahead of us to do our part.) Last week I searched for Niagara systems on Shodan and the numbers were 27k plus in just the US. This week the US number is down just over 15k.

CABA Launches Landmark Research on CyberSecurity: Is Your Organization Prepared? What steps have your organization taken to ensure that your customers, products/services and organization are safe from privacy issues and cybersecurity attacks? The CABA Board of Directors and the CABA Connected Home Council (CHC) have selected the next CABA Landmark Research Study to be “Cybersecurity and the Connected Home”.

7 Minutes in Control with Stromquist’s Rob Allen and Mike Bonner. The two gentlemen provide great insight to a successful Honeywell WEBs AX migration to N4 that included several JACE controllers, numerous Honeywell Spyders, and an AX Supervisor, connecting multiple buildings over a wireless IP LAN. Please stay tuned to 7 Minutes in Control as Rob and Mike continue with N4 project migration updates.

World’s Largest HVACR Marketplace is Headed to Orlando, FL — January 25-27, 2016. The World’s Largest HVACR Marketplace is headed to Orlando, January 25-27, 2016, Orlando, Florida — ORANGE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER! The AHR EXPO brings the entire HVACR Industry together under one roof to see the latest products and technology, learn about innovations & trends, and build relationships.

Neptronic Announces its Next Generation VAV and Fan Coil Controllers are Here! Neptronic, a leading manufacturer of HVAC Products and Solutions since 1976, is proud to announce that their game-changing Next Generation VAV and Fan Coil Controllers — are Available NOW! Huge hardware, software, and network improvements provide better precision, greater application versatility and more. Visit Neptronic today to see more features and benefits of Neptronic’s Next Generation Controllers!

Hey Siri, meet ecobee3 — Ahem, the HomeKit-enabled ecobee3. HomeKit makes it easy to discover, group, and control Apple HomeKit-enabled accessories in your home. Control your ecobee3 by using Siri on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Requires iOS 8.1 or later. Your iPhone is now a universal remote that controls your home. Imagine all your smart accessories working together and customized around you.

ControlTrends at The Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge. I got a chance to hang out with the movers and shakers of the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge last night. Atlanta’s mayor, Kasim Reed, gave us an update on the progress Atlanta Building owners are making towards reducing their energy spend by 20% by the year 2020.

KMC Controls — A History of Great Success Built with Great People and Great Products. KMC Controls, an almost mythical American success story begins with a summer job at Barber Colman in Rockford, IL, where Ken Krueter was first introduced to the world of HVAC and controls. Ken Kreuter’s pioneer efforts were soon augmented by a remarkable family and a cast of industrious and harmonious visonaries that would sustain KMC’s growth — and allow KMC to make significant contributions to the HVAC industry — for the next fifty years.

ICS/SCADA Security Essentials, Atlanta – Billy Rios, Instructor. My friend and mentor Billy Rios will be he instructor for the upcoming SANS Institute ICS/SCADA Security Essentials in Atlanta, September 28 thru October 2. Billy is not only an expert on this subject, but is highly engaging and thought provoking. His instructional delivery method coveys information that can be easily understood and is comprehensive.

The Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge, Pecha Kucha, and The Belimo Energy Valve. Here is a video of my Pecha Kucha at the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge. Pecha Kucha is a presentation style that allows the speaker 20 slides and 20 seconds to explain each slide. The Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge is the vision of Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed. He challenges commercial buildings in Atlanta to reduce their energy consumption 20% by the year 2020.

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ControlTalk NOW for the week ending August 16, 2015 focuses on Cyber Security Awareness with a vulnerability summary from the National Cyber Awareness System, Tridium’s Niagara AX security updates, and Fred Gordy’s BAS exposure report from the Shodan site. Delta Controls’ Und de Boer shares her insights about “Doing Things Right.” Join Chris Ryan and “30 Minutes with Lynxspring,” and another great application from Data Center Monitoring experts, Sierra Monitor Corporation.

National Cyber Awareness System: SB15-222: Vulnerability Summary for the Week of August 3, 2015 08/10/2015 06:14 AM EDT. Original release date: August 10, 2015 The US-CERT Cyber Security Bulletin provides a summary of new vulnerabilities that have been recorded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) National Vulnerability Database (NVD) in the past week. The NVD is sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) / United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT).

Sierra Monitor’s Featured Application — Data Center Monitoring. Sierra Monitor — Experts in Data Center Monitoring Applications. A data center is a facility used to house networked computer servers and storage systems that are securely connected to the Internet. A data center generally includes redundant or backup power supplies, redundant data communications connections, environmental controls (e.g., air conditioning, gas detection, fire suppression), and physical access control systems.

Niagara AX Updates Available Now — Versions 3.6, 3.7, and 3.8 are Affected. Niagara AX updates available now. Versions 3.6, 3.7, and 3.8 are affected. The August 2015 Update Releases are available for download on Niagara Central. The updates include important enhancements that increase the security of a Niagara AX system, including a newer revision of the Java Virtual Machine. VYKON strongly encourages all customers to update Niagara AX to one of the newly available releases.

“30 Minutes with Lynxspring” Webinar Series – August 19, 2015. We are always thinking of ways we can help you maximize your company’s productivity and profitability.This month’s “30 minutes with Lynxspring” discusses the services we provide through our Professional Services Group and how they will help you turn projects over quicker, maximize resources and productivity, allow you more time to increase your customer base, pay more attention to your existing customers, and have the time to spend in front of them discussing additional opportunities.

What Makes a Company Great? It starts with their Philosophy. As we prepare for the nomination period for the 2015 ControlTrends Awards, I am reminded of how many great people, products and companies we have in our industry. It made me wonder what is at the core of these amazing players that make up the Building Automation Controls and HVAC Group. I came across this video and post from Una de Boer, the director of marketing at Delta Controls. Una is one of the bright, hardworking, thoughtful people in our Industry and does a wonderful job of answering my question. So, with her permission, please check out the following video and Una’s words from one of her LinkedIn posts.

Top US Cities With Exposed Niagara Systems. (Disclaimer – It is not the intent of this post to point out a particular BAS software vendor. The intent is to show that we, the system integrator, still have work ahead of us to do our part.) The information I list below I got by running a report on Shodan today (8/13/2015). And it didn’t cost a dime and I didn’t have to use any query language… just plain ole English. I opened the site (https://www.shodan.io/) and in the search bar I typed “niagara”.

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ControlTalk NOW for the week ending August 9, 2015 is co-hosted by Rob Allen as we discuss Niagara 4 and the TridiumTalk Update; WattStopper’s new DLM product launch; 2015 Annual Demand Response Forum announcement; BACnet Attack Framework video from Brad Bowers; Better Buildings August Bulletin; EasyIO’s Global Conference in Paris; Interview with Ron Zimmers and CABA’s Big Data Research; and the updated ControlTrends Event Calendar.

TridiumTalk: Niagara 4 Tagging and Templating and Launch of Niagara Community.Presenting the latest additions to our TridiumTalk series: Join us for a demo of a key feature of Niagara 4 and learn more about the new Niagara Community website. Niagara 4 Tagging and Templating: How to quickly integrate devices and make data readily available. Niagara 4 delivers many notable improvements to help businesses take full advantage of the Internet of Things.

WattStopper’s Digital Lighting Management (DLM) Product Launch. Based on simplicity, flexibility, and scalability, WattStopper’s Digital Lighting Management (DLM) platform continues to revolutionize lighting controls projects across North America. Today we’re excited to announce the availability of new DLM fixture-integrated controls — products that add granularity to our already-proven suite of room and area controls.

2nd Annual Demand Response World Forum 2015, October 6-8 in Costa Mesa, CA. Utilities around the world are under increasing pressure to maximize energy efficiency, control load, and integrate distributed energy resources. These factors plus a changing regulatory environment are driving new requirements for network resiliency, flexibility, and power quality — all of which impact the traditional utility business case.

What You Always Wanted to Know About BACnet (… but were Afraid to Ask). Although this video is a little bit dated, it contains a lot of vital information and critical content for those in the awareness and knowledge gathering phases of the cyber security “human patching” process (Gordy). At ShmooCon 2013, Brad Bowers‘ BACnet Attack Framework presentation “How To Own A Building: Exploiting the Physical World With Bacnet” brings to light the vulnerabilities of one of the most standard communication protocols used in the operational technology side of the HVAC and Building Automation industries.

Better Buildings Bulletin: August, 2015. The Better Buildings Bulletin is a monthly feature to help keep you up to date on partner successes, program updates, opportunities to participate, and more. View the Bulletin online. At the 2015 Better Buildings Summit, over 200 speakers presented their solutions. These presentations are posted to the Solution Center where you can easily browse presentations using filters for building type.

EasyIO Global Conference Paris 2015 Update. Global EasyIO Partner Event 2015: Paris, September 20-22! EasyIO is changing the way Building Automation is deployed, while significantly reducing installation costs. EasyIO’s global partner event will unveil awesome new products and features that will further enhance building management and energy solutions — for all building types.

CABA — Where the Pros go to get Big Data on Big Data. I got a chance to catch up with Ron Zimmer from CABA. If you need to get the facts and information on all things Smart Buildings, and Building Automation Controls, Ron and the team at CABA can hook you up. Watch Ron and learn more. The Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA) is an international not-for-profit industry association dedicated to the advancement of integrated technologies for homes and buildings. The organization was founded in 1988 and is supported by an international membership of over 300 organizations.

ControlTrends Event Information Calendar Update. Global EasyIO Partner Global EasyIO Partner Event 2015: Paris, September 20-22! EasyIO is changing the way Building Automation is deployed, while significantly reducing installation costs. EasyIO’s global partner event will unveil awesome new products and features that will further enhance building management and energy solutions.

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ControlTalk NOW for the week ending August 2, 2015 has two provocative cyber security posts from SmartCore’s cyber security evangelist and guru Fred Gordy, who shows us the ballistic cyber world with real-time Threat Maps and Shodan. Fred warns, “If you have setup a customer’s system that is directly connected to the internet, Shodan has either found it or will find it and put into its database for the world to see.” Read Ken Sinclair’s AutomatedBuildings and the August theme: Transformational Change our Mission Possible. DOE funds STEM training; Lynxspring Exchange updates; Easy IO’s Mike Marston with more Control Pub Talk; and Angie Jarvis and ProLon have a VAV Solution for you!

Real-Time Threat Maps: If you haven’t seen these maps, it can be eye opening. These are real-time and/or near real-time threat maps that are readily available online. Various companies who are touting their cyber security offering like to throw these up behind them during photo ops. They are impressive, but more importantly they show us the unseen cyber world and the fact we are under attack.

Shodan – Are Your Sites Listed?If you haven’t heard what Shodan is and why do we care, I would suggest you get familiar with it. Shodan has been called the “Google” for the internet of things (IoT). Shodan is continually cataloging web facing, connected devices such as control systems, computers, CRACs, power systems, etc. Why should we care? We should care because if you have setup a customer’s system that is directly connected to the internet, Shodan has either found it or will find it and put into its database for the world to see.

Lynxspring Exchange 2015 Announces Sponsors and Supporters: LEE’S SUMMIT, MO-July 29, 2015 Lynxspring, a premier developer and provider of open, IP-control solutions for building automation, energy management, cyber protection, and device-to-enterprise integration today announced the latest sponsors and supporters for The Lynxspring Exchange and Partner Conference being held October 26th-28th at the Argosy Hotel and Casino in Riverside, Missouri.

ProLon: The Easy Way to do Zoning. Are you looking for an easy to use and configure zoning system — that has the capabilities of a much more complex zoning system? We caught up with Angie Jarvis and the team from ProLon at the 2015 CGNA Vendor Showcase and ProLon just might have the answer! Check this video out and see just how easy it is to set up a zoning system. Reach out to your local CGNA controls distributor and try ProLon on your next zoning job.

Energy Department to Fund Master’s and Doctoral Training in Power Electronics ($10 Million)! Energy Department to Fund Master’s and Doctoral Training in Power Electronics. As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to accelerating American manufacturing and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz’s support of STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) to create the next generation of engineers and manufacturers.

How to Make Beer with the EASY IO FG Controller. In episode 2 of Control Pub Talk with “Mad” Mike Marston, Mike shows us the EASY IO FG-32 Controller being used in several unique applications. Want to make beer? The powerful FG32 is the control solution of choice for micro brewers in the know. Could you control vending machines with the EASY IO Controller? Watch this video and find out!

Automated Building’s August Theme: “Transformational Change our Mission Possible.” Transformational change is the process of altering the basic elements of an organization’s culture, including the norms, values, and assumptions under which the organization functions. Getting some great comments directly, off the record and in articles and comments in our August issue about the “Transformational Change” that is happening to allow the Map of the possible.

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