High-powered lasers are increasingly common in industrial environments, such as sintering in additive manufacturing, joining in auto body and e-mobility component processing, and drilling and cutting of aerospace components. Like any other machine tool, the technologies surrounding the laser system have advanced significantly over the past several decades. Yet the laser system is still made of physical components that can degrade or fail. How the changes on these modern laser systems are monitored and traced can affect the overall system's long-term efficiency and return on investment. In this session, we will address the myths that have developed surrounding the employment, operation, and maintenance of industrial lasers with a focus on understanding how laser light behaves in material processing applications, how modern-day laser products are different from legacy laser products, and when and where measuring your laser’s performance is important in order to optimize processes and reduce down time.