Next week is IBM’s InterConnect Conference is Las Vegas.  I will be attending the conference as an IoT Futurist. It gives me a great chance to get a better handle on how changing technology impacts my clients’ businesses in the coming year. I always enjoy spending time at these conferences because they provide me a great opportunity to hear what’s going on in technology.

IBM InterConnect is a huge conference that can be overwhelming if you don’t prepare before you go.  So, I sent out a message to clients and partners to find out what they wanted to know about emerging trends in information technology.  There are three key ideas my clients want to know about for this year’s IBM Interconnect conference. They revolve around blockchain and the supply chain, Internet of Things, and cybersecurity.

It’s interesting that these topics all have an element of cyber and data security in them. I thought I would share what I hope to learn at the IBM InterConnect Conference. Then in the coming weeks, I’ll report back on what I learned to you, our readers.  If you have additional questions, you can drop me a note this week and I’ll try to find answers, or at least resources to help you solve your challenge.

IBM InterConnect has a special speaker to address the issues of blockchain. Don Tapscott, co-author of Blockchain Revolution is one of their featured keynote speakers. What makes Don Tapscott a great speaker is that he makes topics easy to understand.  What make his work challenging is that he chooses topics that are constantly changing and growing. Blockchain is no exception. When you understand the complexity of integrating blockchain into the supply chain, you can imagine the challenge.  Here are several questions I have:

• Is blockchain technology ready to move to market?
• Who will own the blockchain technology?
• Are more conservative indentures like financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing ready to adopt a blockchain strategy?
• What role will different governments play in the blockchain adoption?
• Will blockchain disrupt how today’s complicated supply chains work?
• Are there enough people and technologies available to successfully implement a blockchain solution?

Feel free to send me additional questions you have about blockchain and the supply chain. I will answer these questions over the next several weeks. If your interested in learning more about the blockchain you might want to grab a copy of this great book.

My clients also have many questions about the Internet of Things. The IBM InterConnect conference has many classes and exhibitors who promise they can help you come up to speed on IoT. I’ve considered myself an expert on this in the Industrial Internet of Things for many years. Before the concept was even named, I was working with Rockwell Automation and CISCO on Smart Manufacturing and M2M communications back in the 1990’s.

I then moved over to Microsoft on infrastructure and security.  Recently, I’ve added significant exposure to advanced analytics and cloud to my technology toolkit. IBM has helped me better understand and update my knowledge on the possibilities in the IoT space.  Now the good news for you, I’m not technical, but I’ve sold and implemented many projects in these markets for many midmarket and larger organizations.

Since I’m working extensively in this market, I thought I might bring a framework to bear on this conversation. Tomorrow, I’ll share an Internet of Things framework to help you better understand this emerging market before returning to the final topic of cybersecurity on Thursday. I will continue our discussion on the Internet of Things at Market Leadership Journal.

See you tomorrow.