Reflections on Cisco Live—an Engaged, Positive View of How We Are Building the Future Together

Last week, Cisco Live in Orlando gave me the opportunity to discuss the future of technology with a broad cross-section of business leaders and self-professed “geeks”—both in person and via social media. In my keynote on Tuesday, I outlined a vision of what life in 2023 could be like, enabled by the Internet of Everything (IoE). And I enjoyed some lively conversations in response to this vision. Here are a few of the themes that emerged:

First, many people were surprised at just how fast things are changing, and the sheer volume of people, processes, data, and things that are being connected at an exponential rate.

People appreciated not just seeing a vision of technology, but having that vision connect back to the real-life issues we all will face around work, healthcare, aging, and the need to nourish our relationships with family and friends, even at a distance.

Third, the people with whom I spoke are engaged and positive about the future, recognizing opportunities for a whole array of new services and capabilities that will be enabled by the 50 billion IoE connections we’ll have in 2023.

Finally, many people expressed the importance of talking about technology not just for technology’s sake, but in terms of how it can help humanity—how we can use technology and IoE connections to better produce and deliver food, manage and conserve our resources, make high-quality healthcare more available, improve education for underserved populations, and make our cities more livable.

How we implement these sweeping changes will create new winners and losers across all industries. Earlier this year, Cisco analysis showed that IoE will create $14.4 trillion in Value at Stake over the next decade. And our most recent groundbreaking research —called the IoE Value Index—shows that $1.2 trillion of value is “up for grabs” in calendar year 2013 alone.

Many of the people I met at Cisco Live will be the innovators who create this value—and who will develop the new solutions that will transform every aspect of our lives. Reflecting on the conversations I had, it’s clear that this technology community is engaged, forward-thinking, and inspired by growing opportunities to create real solutions to real problems through the Internet of Everything.

How do you see the future shaping up in the Internet of Everything? Join me, @DavetheFuturist, in the conversation at #IoE2023.