thought leadership

It’s the first day of April, and spring is finally here. Everywhere, a sense of renewal and optimism is spreading. So, today I’d like to focus on a few cutting-edge technologies that are transforming our world. Quantum computing? Artificial intelligence? Augmented reality? All pale in comparison to…

Last week I wrote about how digital fans are expecting new experiences at NCAA games as part of March Madness. (Wow – how about some of those games this weekend – and my Fighting Irish survive and advance to the Sweet 16! But I digress…) This week I want to look at another topic—a much more importan…

Digital disruption is here. According to a 2015 survey from the Global Center for Digital Business Transformation (DBT Center), a joint initiative of Cisco and the Institute of Management Development (IMD), 47 percent of retail executives say digital disruption increases the risk of going out of bus…

2016 is a big year for many reasons, but one of the biggest is that it is the year where we will elect the 45th President of the United States. Currently, there are many different candidates running on many different platforms, all with varying ideas of which policy issues are the most important. Ho…

As Cisco’s Chief Digital Officer, my entire focus is on enabling Cisco and our customers to accelerate the digitization of our businesses, countries, and cities. Digitization provides an enormous opportunity to enable, differentiate, and define new business models; yet at its core, the success of th…

These are especially difficult times for the retail industry. For starters, several of retail’s marquee names announced store closings or layoffs following a disappointing holiday sales season. Retailers simply haven’t benefited from cheaper gas and a relatively strong overall U.S. job market —retai…

Life in the Digital Vortex is challenging—especially for retailers. In an environment where averaged across industries four of the top 10 incumbents will be displaced by digital disruption in the next five years, retail ranks as the third most vulnerable out of 12. Retailers are also being squeezed…

Over the past six months or so, many of my blogs have dealt with the hot topic of “digital disruption” — both as a threat and an opportunity for companies, regardless of industry. Several industries already find themselves inside this swirling “Digital Vortex,” which possesses the potential to resha…

Machinery, supply chains, and raw materials have always been core concerns in manufacturing. Today, another asset is just as critical — data. General Electric Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Immelt said it well: “The industrial world is changing dramatically, and those companies that make the best use of d…