CTO Straight Talk - Issue 1 - 32

When we talk about the IoE, we are
implicitly talking about building
or strengthening a decision
management system and providing
a structure for data.

harnessed for their ability to deliver different
sets of information from many locations that
can then be leveraged in imaginative new
ways. As the IoE develops, there will need to
be more attention given to life cycle issues,
updating and managing devices and ensuring
that protocols interact. The devices or sensors
will then be joining the information flow
within the network, along with user-generated
information, which can be very meaningful
for business and society.

The Longer View
Today, we are just entering the IoE, and
communication service providers are likely to
play a major role in creating future demand.
For most service providers, only a small part
of their revenues with both businesses and
consumers are attributable to the IoE today.
That will change - and there is a desire on
the part of communication service providers
to grow the business, expanding connectivity
for devices of all kinds and adding services
on top. In addition, even though the price of
sensor and networking technology continues
to decrease, one of the most immediate and
obvious economic impacts of the IoE will
be on technology investments. Consider,

for example, how many more sensors will
be manufactured and deployed once there
is a market for more data. The number
willbe huge.
There are already applications where
sensors are being put in the soil to ensure
more effective irrigation and soil treatmentmuch better than the "best guess" approach
used today. The current drought in California
is a reminder of the importance of that kind of
smarter water use, which the IoE can enable.
Consider too what those fixed and mobile
sensors in the field will do to the need for
different connectivity and processing. Local
processing and storage of data, the intelligence
to forward urgent or important data, and the
intermittent nature of those connections
all will have a further impact on technology
investment and deployment.
Cisco and our partners are working with
a number of cities and city planners, both
in the growing cities in Asia and in the longestablished cities in Europe, where there is
a desire to digitize many services. The IoE is
part of the vision for connected cities, in which
services ranging from planning and traffic
management to emergency services become
more efficient and smarter. For example,
sensors and video cameras can provide timely

CTO Straight Talk | 32
CTO Straight Talk - Issue 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CTO Straight Talk - Issue 1
