The Data Challenge Is Still Central — But the Conversation Has Evolved
If there was one thread running through nearly every session we attended, it was data. Not in an abstract sense, but in a very practical one: teams know they have valuable information sitting in their systems, and they're frustrated by how hard it still is to actually use it.
The focus has shifted from simply collecting data to making that data trustworthy, accessible, and actionable. HTM departments are dealing with incomplete asset records, inconsistent naming conventions, and information scattered across systems that don't communicate well with each other. The result is that even organizations with mature CMMS implementations are spending significant time cleaning and reconciling data rather than acting on it.
What teams are looking for are faster, more automated ways to get quality information into the right places — so that the downstream work of reporting, planning, and decision-making isn't constantly hampered by what's missing or unreliable upstream.
Integrations: The Demand for "Set It and Forget It"
Closely tied to the data conversation was a strong, consistent push around integrations. HTM professionals aren't asking for more integrations in the abstract — they're asking for integrations that hold up over time.
The expectation is straightforward: connect the systems, let information flow automatically, and don't require ongoing manual effort to keep things running. Whether that's device data coming in from biomedical equipment, work order information syncing across platforms, or asset records populating without manual entry, the goal is a connected environment that works quietly in the background.
The appetite for self-sustaining integrations is real, and the patience for integrations that require constant maintenance is running thin.
A Quiet but Persistent Question Around ISOs
One conversation thread that came up more than once — though not always at the center of the room — was the situation facing Independent Service Organizations. ISOs operate with workflows and business models that don't always fit neatly into the assumptions built into most CMMS platforms, and there's a growing sense that the tools available to them don't fully address their needs.
Whether vendors move to close that gap remains to be seen. The ISO market presents real complexity, and the economics aren't always straightforward. But the frequency of these conversations suggests it's a space worth paying attention to, even if the path forward isn't yet clear.
AI: Practical Interest, Healthy Skepticism
Artificial intelligence was a consistent topic at this year's conference — but the tone was notably more grounded than in previous years. The early excitement around AI has given way to something more useful: a genuine effort to identify where it actually makes HTM operations better.
And in nearly every conversation, AI's most compelling use cases came back to data. That makes sense. AI is well-suited to the kind of work HTM departments find most time-consuming: sifting through large volumes of records, identifying patterns, surfacing relevant information at the right moment. Whether that's enriching asset data, helping technicians access historical repair information, or supporting capital planning decisions, the value proposition tends to be clearest when AI is handling the analytical heavy lifting that currently falls on people.
HTM professionals are open to AI becoming part of everyday operations — but they're holding it to a reasonable standard. It should solve a real problem, fit into existing workflows, and deliver results that are visible. That's not resistance to change; it's a pragmatic orientation that will ultimately push toward better implementations.
One area generating particular interest is the evolution from predictive maintenance to something more like evidence-based decision support — where AI can bring together maintenance history, service costs, failure patterns, and asset performance data to help teams make faster, better-informed decisions. The goal isn't to replace the maintenance team's judgment; it's to reduce the analytical burden required to exercise that judgment well.
Where the Industry Is Headed
Perhaps the most telling signal from this year's conference wasn't any specific technology or topic. It was the maturity of the people in the room.
Many of the HTM leaders we spoke with have already navigated the foundational challenges — standardizing processes, building out their asset inventories, establishing reliable workflows. They've reached a level of operational maturity that allows them to ask a different set of questions. Not "how do we get our program off the ground?" but "how do we get meaningfully better from here?"
That shift opens the door to a more strategic conversation about how technology — including AI — can serve as a multiplier for the work HTM teams are already doing well. The organizations leaning into that question thoughtfully, starting with clear problems and grounding their technology decisions in operational reality, are the ones positioned to see the most meaningful progress.
We came away from this year's conference with a renewed appreciation for the rigor and expertise of this community — and a clear sense of the problems worth solving together.