Wim Elfrink

3 min read

Last month, Gartner published one of its well-known Hype Cycles, and a Forbes headline summed up a key assertion very well. “It’s Official: The Internet Of Things Takes Over Big Data As The Most Hyped Technology.” This comes as no surprise to anyone engaged in this market phenomenon – the explosive growth of things connecting to […]

4 min read

Seven years ago, many people (including my mother-in-law) thought I had made a career-ending decision to accept a high-risk assignment and relocate to India. My mission:  build from the ground up Cisco’s second headquarters, a Globalization Centre East in Bangalore focused on innovation, talent and partner development that envisioned 10,000 employees in three years, including […]

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As cities and communities prepare for the future and the Internet of Everything, they must confront a tsunami of challenges that can overwhelm how people live, work, play and learn. More than half the world now lives in cities for the first time, and the influx is growing faster than many cities can accommodate. Today, […]

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Barcelona, Amsterdam, Nice, London and New York are arguably some of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities. However, they have more than glamorous fashions, exquisite cuisine and vibrant nightlife in common. All are connecting things, such as cars and trash cans, to the Internet, making their cities work more efficiently. As the Internet of Things continues […]

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Once a Viking fishing village founded in the 10th century, Copenhagen today stands tall among the world’s most technologically enlightened cities. Most everyone knows that Denmark’s capital is praised worldwide for its green initiatives, which are obvious from the pure air, clean sidewalks, ever-present bicycles and fresh-water canals, which I’ve enjoyed swimming in over the […]

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Hamburg will swiftly emerge as the world’s first Smart Seatropolis. With an advanced, end-to-end network that connects real-time information between urban services and adjacent port operations, historic Hamburg is leapfrogging into the 21st century. Two weeks ago, I signed an agreement with Hamburg’s city officials to co-develop a framework upon which Internet of Everything services can […]

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When people think of the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, they often think of bicycles, canals and progressive social values. Some may even know about its leadership in international trade, catalyzed centuries ago by the Dutch East India Company, the world’s first multinational corporation. Others may be more familiar with Amsterdam because of U.S. President Obama’s […]

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Today, cities are becoming the epicenter of the Internet of Everything (IoE), where people, things, data and process can be connected to deliver new and amazing value. At the current pace of connectivity, Cisco predicts some 25 billion devices will be connected by 2015, and 50 billion by 2020. Today, furthering IoE innovations, Cisco and […]

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Today, Cisco announced that Public Sector entities worldwide could realize some US $4.6 trillion in value by embracing the Internet of Everything (IoE). The Value at Stake calculation comes from a bottoms-up analysis of 40 case studies of Smart city, state and country solutions proven to enhance everything from healthcare and education to traffic flow, […]

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It’s only been six weeks since the breakthrough Internet of Things (IoT) World Forum in Barcelona, but the momentum to build web-enabled Smart Cities appears to be crescendoing toward a tipping point. Just this past week, I participated in two highly energized Smart City forums in “old” cities that attracted executive-level leaders from government, vertical […]

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New World of Education Driven by Internet of Everything Last week at Cisco’s Customer Briefing Center in New York City, I had the pleasure of announcing to international media the proliferation of our Global STEM Alliance that brings world-class education to students of all ages most anywhere. We are now experiencing a multiplier effect with […]

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At Cisco’s inaugural Internet of Things (IoT) World Forum in Barcelona this week, I spoke about how IoT is impacting multiple industries and public sector creating tremendous business value for companies, cities and governments around the world. IoT, which we define as the networked connection of physical objects has made its way from vision to […]

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In my keynote today at the National Parking Association Convention (NPA) in Chicago, I addressed the traffic problems caused by those looking for parking. Today, 30% of all traffic congestion in urban areas is caused by drivers circling to find a parking spot. Cisco believes that the Internet of Everything will solve this problem through […]

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This past week, the Meeting of the Minds convened in Toronto, Canada with more than 375 invited CXOs debating the convergence of urban sustainability and connected technologies. During the three-day summit, a variety of smart public policies and breakthrough technology innovations were presented by leading innovators. The solutions showcased– from lighting to energy grids to […]

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Last week, I presented at the Colorado Innovation Summit in Denver, Colorado where leaders from higher education, industry, start-ups, government, and research labs came together to discuss a wide array of innovation topics such as technology, education, social entrepreneurship and economic development.  The need to transform and revitalize communities around the world to make public […]