The use of automated valves has increased continuously as the global demand for industrial and municipal infrastructure has grown around the world. Many developing countries have seen significant investment in both the private and public sectors which often involves building or expanding automated plants.

President Obama’s Fix-It-First program, announced during the February 2014 State of the Union address, calls for $40 billion in spending on a backlog of urgent repairs and upgrades to America’s infrastructure. This is in addition to the $31 billion that went into infrastructure as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Cyber security is of increasing concern around the world. At VMA’s 2014 Leadership Forum, speaker and cyber security expert Shawn Henry of CrowdStrike provided a sobering look at the multiple ways in which attack groups can threaten your company’s data and its security. Here Henry shares what he believes every company needs to know to defend itself against these escalating threats:

During the Valve Manufacturers Association’s last Market Outlook event, one of the issues raised was who the new chairman of the Federal Reserve would be and what that would mean for the economy. As this article is being published, the swearing-in of Ben Bernanke’s replacement, Janet Yellen, has taken place. This occurred in the same week as the State of the Union Address, where other issues affecting those connected with the valve industry were addressed.