Monday Nov 03, 2025

HMS Red Lion on Cost, Complexity & Cyber at the Edge - Ep 045

Live from Inductive Automation’s ICC 2025 in Sacramento, Mike sits down with Mark La Liberte (HMS Networks) to unpack why Red Lion’s DA50/DA70 and FlexEdge have become go-to edge gateways for energy, water/wastewater, and data centers. We dig into store-and-forward, Sparkplug B / MQTT, OPC UA, DNP3, ruggedization, and how Crimson® 3.2 collapses multiple boxes (edge gateway + router/firewall + HMI + cellular + basic control) into one platform.

We also cover:

- Why Ignition 8.3 and the expanded ICC venue are a “level up”

- The case for a “Prove It” track focused on the energy sector

- Practical wins: reducing cost & complexity while improving cybersecurity

- Real-world stories: Modbus RTU to MQTT in minutes, DA50/DA70 in the field, FlexEdge sleds

- Support & training: free tech support, fast response, hands-on enablement for OT & IT

Guest: Mark La Liberte, HMS Networks

Topics: Edge computing, MQTT/Sparkplug B, OPC UA, Crimson 3.2, FlexEdge, DA50/DA70, N-Tron switches, CANbus/J1939, cellular/Starlink backhaul, NAT, deadbands, UDTs/AOIs, store-and-forward.

Presented by OpSite Energy — Insight-Driven Remote Optimization.

🔗 Energy Tech Podcast: https://opsiteenergy.com/all_podcast

🔗 OpSite Energy: https://opsiteenergy.com/

🔗 HMS Networks: https://www.hms-networks.com/

Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 – Intro / music

00:10 – Welcome & guest intro (HMS + Mark La Liberte)

01:08 – Why HMS supports the Ignition community & digital transformation

02:12 – ICC “Leveling Up”: new venue, Ignition 8.3, and “Prove It” ideas

03:29 – Red Lion strategy and role within HMS Networks

03:32 – Security + protocols: DNP3, Modbus RTU → OPC UA / MQTT / Sparkplug B

05:20 – Field story: Modbus water meters → MQTT with a Red Lion DA50

06:11 – DA50/DA70 & FlexEdge: HDMI, headless HMI, store-and-forward (256 GB)

07:40 – Bandwidth savings with MQTT publish-on-change / deadbands

08:05 – Modular sleds, cellular as a weak link, NAT & networking notes

09:52 – Rugged switching (N-Tron) & harsh environments / temps

10:07 – Popular sleds & protocols: RS-485/Modbus, OPC UA sharing, CANbus/J1939, Starlink

12:06 – Targeting the “big three”: cost, complexity, cybersecurity

13:20 – Crimson 3.2 as the differentiator; replacing multiple boxes (under ~$3K)

14:38 – Crimson capabilities: multi-protocol, headless HMI, VPN, diagnostics, deadbands

16:26 – Fast time-to-value: AB tags, UDTs/AOIs, publishing in minutes

18:58 – Getting started: download C3.2, emulator, Windows 11; free tech support & response times