Three days. Hundreds of technical conversations. A packed Fort Worth Convention Center. And one clear message across every keynote, session, and hallway discussion: engineering teams are entering a new era of test and automation.
At this year’s , the focus was on how modern engineering organizations can balance innovation with reliability, scalability, and security. AI dominated many conversations, but so did an equally important theme: building systems teams can actually trust.
For JKI, NI Connect 2026 was especially exciting because it gave us the opportunity to be part of many of the conversations shaping the future of test, automation, and engineering software. Throughout the event, themes like AI enabled workflows, cybersecurity, modern software practices, and connected systems were front and center across keynotes, technical sessions, and demonstrations.
JKI contributed to those discussions through technical presentations, leadership forums, product demonstrations, and keynote participation. One major milestone during the event was the launch of the JKI Security Suite, which highlighted the growing importance of secure development workflows for LabVIEW and test systems. From discussions around AI assisted engineering to practical conversations about software quality, scalability, and compliance, NI Connect 2026 reinforced how quickly engineering workflows are evolving and how important collaboration across the community continues to be.
One of the biggest shifts at this year’s event was how cybersecurity moved from a niche topic to a core engineering requirement.
Across industries like aerospace, defense, transportation, and advanced manufacturing, teams are being asked to prove not only that systems perform correctly, but that the software behind them is secure, maintainable, and compliant with evolving standards.
That conversation was front and center during JKI’s sessions led by Sarah Zalusky, Partner and Staff Engineer at JKI, alongside collaborators from Amentum and Emerson Test & Measurement. Sarah shared practical approaches for implementing secure development workflows in LabVIEW based systems and discussed how organizations can integrate cybersecurity practices throughout the software lifecycle.
A major highlight was the keynote demonstration of the JKI Security Suite, where Sarah showed how automated analysis can help engineering teams identify risks in LabVIEW applications earlier in development.
Another important topic throughout the event was Software Bill of Materials, or SBOMs, and their growing role in secure software development and compliance initiatives. JKI also shared how its SBOM technology will be included in LabVIEW 2026, helping engineering teams improve software transparency and better align with evolving cybersecurity requirements.
Together, these conversations reinforced a major theme throughout NI Connect 2026: security can no longer be treated as a final review step. It has to become part of the engineering workflow itself.
AI was impossible to miss at NI Connect 2026.
From keynote announcements around Nigel AI to discussions about agentic engineering workflows, the event showcased how AI is beginning to reshape test and measurement environments.
What stood out most, however, was the emphasis on domain specific intelligence rather than generic automation.
The keynote demonstrations showed how engineering focused AI tools can leverage hardware awareness, validated IP, calibration data, and existing workflows to help teams move faster without sacrificing reliability.
That balance between innovation and engineering rigor became a recurring theme throughout the conference.
As NI Technology Fellow Charles Schroeder described it during the keynote, the future is not “AI or engineering judgment,” but “AI and engineering judgment.”
For JKI, that perspective closely aligns with how we approach modern engineering systems: use automation and AI to remove friction, while still prioritizing maintainability, traceability, and long term system reliability.
Beyond security and AI, NI Connect also highlighted how engineering teams are modernizing the way they build and maintain software systems.
Jim Kring, CEO and Founder at JKI, presented sessions focused on package management, dependency management, and modern CI/CD enabled LabVIEW workflows using VIPM. These conversations resonated strongly with teams looking to improve reproducibility, collaboration, and scalability across larger engineering organizations.
There was also growing interest in declarative workflows, automated dependency resolution, containerized development environments, and integrating LabVIEW more seamlessly into enterprise software practices.
One thing became increasingly clear throughout the week: the LabVIEW ecosystem continues to evolve alongside broader software engineering trends, and teams are actively looking for ways to adopt modern workflows without disrupting proven systems already in production.
While the technology announcements generated excitement, one of the most valuable parts of NI Connect remained the engineering community itself.
The conversations between sessions, discussions at partner booths, and opportunities to connect directly with engineers solving real world challenges are what continue to make the event special year after year.
We had the chance to meet with teams across aerospace, automotive, energy, semiconductor, and research industries, many facing similar challenges around software complexity, secure development, and scaling engineering workflows.
Those conversations help shape the work we do at JKI and reinforce why collaboration across the ecosystem remains so important.
NI Connect 2026 made one thing clear: the future of engineering workflows will be increasingly software centric, AI assisted, and security conscious. It's a direction reflected in the growing industry interest around tools like the JKI Security Suite, recently covered by Embedded Computing and Aerospace Testing International.
For JKI, it was exciting to contribute to those conversations and showcase how secure development practices, modern tooling, and scalable architectures can help teams build systems they can trust.
A huge thank you to everyone who attended our sessions, stopped by to talk with the team, or connected with us throughout the event. We’re excited to continue these conversations and help engineering organizations navigate what comes next.
Our recently launched JKI Security Suite has been gaining industry recognition as well, with coverage from Embedded Computing and Aerospace Testing International, a testament to the growing need for purpose-built security tooling in LabVIEW development.
Learn more about JKI’s work in secure LabVIEW development and modern engineering workflows at JKI
See you at NI Connect 2027!