Peggy Smedley Show

Peggy says more than 1.25 million people lives are cut short every single year because of a road traffic accident. She explains there are many reasons people end up in accidents, but one of the most preventable reasons is distracted driving. She asks: What exactly can we do about this problem? The same technology that creates value for us in business isn't doing us any favors when used during a task like driving that requires our full attention, she explains. She dives into the conversation of autonomous driving and if it will help solve the problem.

In advance of Distracted Driving Awareness Month, Peggy interviews Phil Renaud, executive director for The Risk Institute at Ohio State University, who says distracted driving is a behavioral challenge. Research shows that people believe they are good drivers, and therefore believe it is OK to look down at their phones. He says recent research shows the worst group of drivers is between 19 and 24, addressing the reasons why these drivers tend to justify the behavior.

Peggy is joined by Weisong Shi, professor of Computer Science, Director of the Mobile and Internet Systems Laboratory, Cyber Physical Systems Program at Wayne State University. He says cloud computing was introduced around 2005 and is widely recognized today. However, in the last few years, because of the Internet of Things, there is a huge amount of data being generated at the edge of the network, and some people are looking at how to process this huge amount of data. He adds that the cloud providers are trying to move services as close as possible to the end users.

Peggy introduces the topic of quantum computers, as it relates to the cloud. She says quantum computers can perform complex molecular modeling that we can't perform today due to computational limitations. A quantum computer can process all possible solutions at once to come to an answer. She ties it into the cloud, saying cloud-based quantum computing is being pioneered by many large companies and also startups. The cloud can provide access to quantum processing.

Show regular and technology and business consultant Craig Brown returns to the show. He and Peggy talk about harnessing the power of computing to make sure all the devices and people can talk seamlessly in realtime. He points to the example of the connected car, and that there can't be any lag in latency—that all needs to be eliminated.

Peggy is joined by Glenn Lurie, CEO and member of the Board of Directors, Synchronoss Technologies, who talks about his new role. He explains his search for a company with a sound reputation and a product set was met with Synchronoss Technologies since it has been involved in digital and IoT for many years. He talks about the foundation of the company as a digital company, which includes everything from activation, messaging, and monetization. The company is also very heavy in the personal cloud experience. He says without question the industry is shifting, and that we are already in the middle of the fourth industrial revolution.

Peggy says in 2016 manufacturing contributed an estimated $178 billion to the worldwide IoT (Internet of Things) spending, while the second highest, transportation, contributed $78 billion. She explains that cloud computing and fog computing are quickly becoming a key part of the industrial IoT equation. Today's edge devices are capable of packing more compute, storage, and analytic power, she says.

Marjorie Mauldin, author of "Feedback Revolution", and founder and president of Executive Forum, chats with Peggy about helping leaders and teams give successful and effective feedback, which improves employee productivity and morale. She explains Millennials have always been supported and they have always had a seat at the table. They think they are part of the team from the get-go and you really need to treat them as part of the team.

Ketan Bhardwaj, research scientist II, College of Computing, Georgia Tech, joins Peggy to talk about the model of edge computing. He says the edge is a very different environment. His explains this edge becomes the edge of the wireless network and says edge will change the dynamic of how you deploy services and the way networks operate. He explains there will be a complete shift where info resides and where it is sent to.

Peggy takes a deeper dive into edge computing, pointing to three of the reasons why more companies are turning to the fog: latency, network bandwidth, and cost effectiveness. The top three industries looking to adopt fog solutions include manufacturing and factories, smart cities, and transportation. She explains that many organizations are working toward advancing fog computing by addressing some of the hurdles.

Joshua Peschel, assistant professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, Iowa State University, joins Peggy once again to talk about the cloud, fog, and mist. He explains that mist gives us strength in numbers—and it takes us out as far as you can possibly go. The win is you can deal with a lot of the low data rates and low-power consumption needs. It is really important for agriculture systems and studying climate dynamics in Alaska, for example, he says.

Peggy is joined in the studio by Michael Morton, chief technology officer, Dell Boomi. He explains how everyone wants to talk about the device and device data, but the one thing "we" have learned is to stop talking about technology. Everyone is anxious to be the geek, but we should have the conversation about the business value achieved from the data coming from devices. He says it is incredible how IT-driven construction companies are becoming, as one example. Morton says it needs to be non-invasive on a person, explaining there will be gateways on a job site. He adds there are so many pieces that come together and it is one of the challenges for businesses to put all of these pieces together.

Edge computing results in faster response time and more optimal use of the network, says Peggy. In conjunction, 5G is set to grow exponentially. Autonomous vehicles will have a big influence that are going to benefit from the intersection of 5G and fog computing trends. She explains that the users' experiences need to be consistent no matter what their connection are like. She sums it up that 5G will need to work hand-in-hand with fog computing.

Are Millennials the key to advancing smart cities? John Pletz, senior reporter, Crain's Chicago Business, joins Peggy to talk about how this generation is shifting what is happening in city centers. He explains that smart cities need to incorporate data to account for the shift that is current happening—and they need the data to help make better decisions.

Peggy and Chuck Byers, principal engineer and platform architect, Cisco, discuss interoperability and he questions how we are going to achieve interoperability if there are 900 different platforms. Interoperability—and security—are big challenges that face the industry. He believes quantum computing is a threat to IoT (Internet of Things) security, but the arms race is going to be won by the good guys. At the same time, having one player in the market is an impossible task, as no one can do everything, he explains. When discussing bringing companies into the OpenFog Consortium, he says the big Web-scale companies have been invited to join, but politely refuse. Byers speculates that it is because the companies believe they have the power to influence the industry all by themselves and they are smart because they know where the share owners want them to go, but it might not be best for the industry.

The sensor market is growing rapidly in part because sensor technology has advanced to the point where sensors consume less power and battery life is significantly longer. For these reasons and others, sensors are playing an important role in advancing smart cities. Peggy discusses how sensors that are built in to all kinds of devices and structures have the ability to improve lives and businesses, enhance safety and security, and make processes more efficient.

Technology and business consultant Craig Brown chats with Peggy about inter-operability and the need for data to be shared in the places where it is authorized to be shared. He says there are a lot of buzzwords around the technology, but there are no standards. It is coming, but it is not here yet. Eventually, all of these capabilities will come together and ultimately they will work, as all of our past technological advances have done, he explains.

Harald Haas, professor, chair of mobile communications, University of Edinburgh, joins Peggy to talk about Li-Fi. His says we are moving into the fourth industrial revolution, and we will see environments that are enriched with hundreds of thousands of sensors, and we need a transmission system to send the data to a central processor and into a brain, which would be the cloud that would get all the information. In his view, we need to build a nervous system between the sensors and the brain. With Li-Fi, we have a very strong solution to enable a huge data pipe that is free and unregulated in order to build that nervous system, he explains.

Peggy introduces Li-Fi to listeners, explaining the technology. She says PureLiFi has already come to market with a couple of products that leverage Li-Fi technology and can be installed alongside existing lighting infrastructures. With the market expected to reach $75.5 billion by 2023, there are a number of opportunities from industrial settings to public places in smart cities. She continues that if we give innovators a way, they will innovate beyond our expectations every time, but cautions that these devices have to talk to each other.

Robin Raskin, founder and president, Living In Digital Times, joins Peggy Smedley to talk about the smart home. She says door locks, cameras, and thermostats work well, but what doesn't work well is the inter-operability. She continues that if technology companies make it too difficult no one is going to buy it. What we are missing is the infrastructure to make all of this easier, she explains.

Science is the foundation for inter-operability and smart communities. Peggy Smedley chats with Ken Calvert, division director for the computer and information science division of the computer and network systems, and Erwin Gianchandani, deputy assistant director for computer and information science and engineering, National Science Foundation, about smart communities. Calvert says it provides 83% of the federal funding that goes to academic research for life science, and it encourages researchers to connect with and collaborate with communities so they can get input of stakeholders of the communities. Gianchandani adds that the National Science Foundation is very intentional and it understands the cities and communities are on the front lines and trying to address challenges.

Peggy Smedley identifies hurdles and milestones for EU's GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), explaining we still have a ways to go in what compliance really means—and the May deadline is just around the corner. She says uncertainty can be very costly and too many businesses remain unprepared and they will pay big time for it.

Joshua Peschel, assistant professor of agriculture and biosystems engineering, Iowa State University, says interoperability has been a problem for a while, and we have started addressing with standards, but as systems grow complex, it is still going to be a persistent, lingering issue. He says we all have a better job to do with interoperability. More specifically, there is a smart-cities paradox because of security silos that exist today, and this doesn't currently exist in agriculture, according to Peschel.

Peggy Smedley continues the interoperability and smart cities discussion and welcomes guest Mahesh Veerina, president and CEO, Cloudleaf. They discuss how bad guys are trying to hack the infrastructure and how interoperability is critical to help this. Veerina says by the time you collect data and process data, there is already historical data—and interoperability is important to help with this. The cloud plays a big role in helping enable this interoperability. Veerina explains that one of the things that is helping is the convergence of sensors becoming so cheap and the cloud coming at the right time, along with machine learning and big data.

Peggy Smedley says the vulnerability in security in IoT (Internet of Things) devices is leading to new regulations. She talks about the EU GDPR (general data protection regulation), explaining that it will replace the previous directive. The new one aims to protect citizens by directing how organizations should store personal data. She says the new is the law of the land, which means there are consequences for not following the law.

Gary Morton, author, Commanding Excellence, says optimizing the selection process from an employer standpoint is understanding the type of people you want and how they will fit inside your organization. It may not come out of the resume or school coursework, but if you have a way to measure and validate that, then it can help optimize the selection process. The more complex the role, the more talent comes into the equation. He explains that talent rules, and bringing the right talent is not age specific. Critical to this is purpose, passion, and ingenuity.

David Drake, chairman, LDJ Capital, talks about getting the whole world—and the U.S.—behind cryptocurrency. He talks about the knowledge that is needed to raise capital in the U.S. and the many challenges that currently exist with global cryptocurrencies. Today, people are spending money across the globe, and taking those funds and running away. He says there is no protection and some form of regulation necessary. Peggy asks Drake if some of these blockchains are just another Ponzi scheme, and he responds that participation to date is simply based on trust; but admits there are no regulations and it has the appearance of a madhouse. Drake says the winners in all of this are going to be the ones who make a blockchain user-friendly and trustworthy.

Peggy Smedley says enterprise needs IoT (Internet of Things) technologies to stay competitive. In particular, robotics are making a mark on industries like manufacturing with benefits including quality and safety. She wagers that during the next five years we are going to see a huge boon in robot adoption in warehouse and logistics.

Donald Lee Sheppard CEO of Sheppard Properties and author of The Dividends of Decency says ethics is what you do when no one is looking, and the same thing with integrity. He explains that there isn't any shortcut to it and you will always get caught because you can't fake honesty and integrity. Having values is a powerful business tool, because it focuses on achieving success, and it is not something you can learn. He says successful leaders understand that the primary goal of any organization is not profit. Successful leaders know who the most important parties in their life are: customers, employees or associates, and then vendors and outside parties who support an organization.

Has blockchain become a trusted approach for IoT companies? Scott Schober, president and CEO, Berkeley Varitronics Systems Inc., says the whole concept of blockchain emerged in 2008 or 2009, and it is a buzzword. He says while people say it is not hackable, it is, but it is harder to hack. Hackers are looking for the lowest hanging fruit to compromise. Schober explains the fundamentals of a blockchain is good because people can only see parts of it and it is encrypted, but it is depending on other people in the chain to protect it.

Peggy Smedley asks the question: Should IoT (Internet of Things) companies invest in blockchain? She says blockchain will change the game for businesses, explaining that if you are an IoT company, you need blockchain. However, there is a growing surface of attacks and the prize is getting bigger for the bad guys, while the burden is growing for the good guys to keep their systems and data secure.

Joshua Peschel, assistant professor, agriculture and Biosystems engineering, Iowa State University, says everyone wants a robot now. A robot is a physically embodied agent and can interact with people, roads, or water, and relies on computation. He explains that a robot can go places that your computer can't, but the biggest concern is related to surveillance and being able to capture information from places remotely about other people or events.

Louis Parks, president and CEO, SecureRF, says in the mid-1970s public key or asymmetric cryptography came to be. This technology allows two devices to meet another element such as a server and authenticate each other. He explains that one of the struggles or issues is that a product or solution is focused on what it does, and then afterwards people think about securing it too. Parks says the difficultly in quantum computers is the nature of math used and will always be susceptible to these attacks.

Peggy Smedley helps listeners understand blockchain. She says blockchain technology makes crypto-currency different from regular currency because it provides an open, distributed, and public ledger for bitcoin transactions. Also, she addresses how blockchain is poised for tremendous growth as the technology matures, and as industries find new ways to leverage it.

In the final segment, Peggy details her vision of the cars of the future. These vehicles will be packed with conversational AI, V2I (vehicle-to-infrastructure) capabilities, immersive in-cabin experiences, and, of course, will be fully autonomous. But what hurdles and consumer concerns will manufacturers need to overcome before these vehicles hit the road? Peggy delves into the need to beef up security before "bad actors" limit the ability to deliver these amazing computers on wheels.

Steve Koenig, senior director, market research, Consumer Technology Assn., admits that consumers are beginning to embrace digital assistants and people using them to shop is increasing. He discusses what autonomous shopping can mean for the retail market. Koenig also provides his insights into what we can expect at CES this year beyond connected cars and new startups. He believes AI (artificial intelligence) will be "omnipresent" at CES and that this will mark a technology trend going into 2018. With this shift towards more autonomous living and AI advances, Koenig highlights the importance of creating sustainable smart cities around the globe.

Peggy Smedley helps us get over our "post-holiday" blues by previewing CES 2018. Peggy expects autonomous cars and AI (artificial intelligence) to dominate the show floor this year with an increased focus on digital security and more. Technology is poised to affect advertising and entertainment in the coming year and Peggy delves into the how and why.Peggy Smedley helps us get over our "post-holiday" blues by previewing CES 2018. Peggy expects autonomous cars and AI (artificial intelligence) to dominate the show floor this year with an increased focus on digital security and more. Technology is poised to affect advertising and entertainment in the coming year and Peggy delves into the how and why.

Andrew Scheuermann, founder and CEO, Arch Systems, has always been passionate about bringing technology into the physical world and has since dedicated his career to bridging the gap between the IoT (Internet of Things) and the real world. Scheuermann explains how he and his partner are using sensor technology to bring clean drinking water to remote parts of Africa and how modular sensor design combined with M2M communication is making it all possible.

Meredith Perry, founder and CEO, uBeam, joins Peggy to talk about how wireless power transmission is leading the charge into the future of device-power management. Perry explains what exactly ultrasound wireless charging is, how it works, and why her company, uBeam, has focused on it. She also gives her views into what it means to be a leader and how to motivate a modern, tech-savvy staff.

Host Peggy Smedley digs into data security and the risks facing smaller companies that might not be able to afford cutting-edge defenses. Peggy also tackles the recently released Cisco Cybersecurity Report, DeOS attacks, and the Cyber Shield Act of 2017.

What are the hottest trends in the IoT going into 2018? Joe Barkai, consultant, author, and speaker, answers that question by giving Peggy Smedley a rundown of the upcoming year's hot topics. Barkai also shares his insight on digital twins, which can be used to optimize the operation and maintenance of physical assets. He goes on to discuss why data security is going to be a priority and how current security concerns have led to manufacturer hesitation in the adoption of new tech. However, Barkai believes we will see an increase in IoT adoption by manufacturers moving into the future so long as these security concerns are addressed.

Predictive maintenance has the power to significantly increase up-time for companies as well as save in energy costs. These savings, combined with additional benefits, can cause 13% reductions in the overall budget. Despite all these benefits, Saar Yoskovitz, CEO and co-founder, Augury, says 88% of companies do not leverage predictive maintenance practices. Yoskovitz postulates that startup costs are a big turn off for most manufacturers and explains how his company is working toward cutting those costs so that more companies can adopt these best practices. He goes on to speak about the importance of data security when it comes to new technologies and why companies shouldn't let their security concerns curb their implementation of new tech.

New Year. New format. Peggy Smedley rings in the New Year by updating listeners on what you can expect from The Peggy Smedley Show in 2018! Peggy delves into why cyber-security concerns have caused manufacturers to be reluctant to embrace the IoT (Internet of Things) in their facilities and on their jobs. Peggy outlines a few things these companies can do to curb their IoT fears and what they should keep an eye on when they start implementing new technologies.

Joshua Peschel, assistant professor, Agricultural and Bio-systems Engineering, Iowa State University, talks about what it takes to be a pioneer and how the younger entrepreneurial thinkers can stay motivated. He details his five keys to success for young entrepreneurs, how to ignore the "noise" of today, and how to overcome and learn from failure.

Branko Kerkez, assistant professor in the Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, joins Peggy to talk about the future of our water infrastructures. He talks about the hurdles associated with our current designs, dealing with the "risk aversion" tendencies of the water industry, and how IoT will affect our water systems in the future.

DeAnna Robear, partner enablement engineer, PTC, discusses what it's like to be named a Pioneer by Connected World going into 2018 and sheds some light on encouraging other women to enter engineering. She outlines teachers who impacted her life, the importance of a good mentor, and her personal passions for the work she performs in within the IoT community.

Is e-commerce killing traditional brick-and-mortar stores? What can these traditional retailers do to stay relevant in the face of intense connected competition? Can these stores become … autonomous? Host Peggy Smedley talks about how the IoT (Internet of Things) is changing the retail landscape.

Michael Jansen, CEO, Cityzenith, has created a Sim City, but for real cities with 5D Smart World. Michael joins Peggy to outline what cities can do with this new technology and how big data can change the construction landscape.

Andrew Thomas, co-founder and chief revenue officer, SkyBell, shares his vision of connected homes and the future of smart-security systems with Peggy. Andrew also talks about why he believes consumers connect with SkyBell, the feeling of liberation that connected technology can give us, and his own personal motivations.

Dan Work, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, joins Peggy to detail how we can use cyber physical systems to design and build the fully connected roadways of the future. Dan also gives a glimpse into some of the challenges that comes with working toward these goals.