The adoption of cloud computing and XaaS by city CIOs presents enormous opportunities for better community experiences, lower costs and a long overdue platform to unleash the innovation that cities so desperately need and desire.

Local governments are generally slower in embracing emerging technologies than other sectors of the economy. That’s no big revelation to anyone. This hesitancy is often for good reason. Many city systems are essential services and they don’t invite experimentation and risk-taking. The private sector by definition must push innovation and take higher risks because their competitiveness in the marketplace often depends on it. Governments don’t…

My new bestseller, Smart Cities for Dummies, provides details on maximizing the success of your smart city efforts. Here is a brief summary of just a few of my suggestions.

You should avoid the following:

1. Making Your Smart City Project a Tech Program and Putting IT in Charge
2. Garnering Insufficient Support and Engagement from Stakeholders
3. Limiting Efforts To Your City Boundaries
4. Paying Insufficient Attention to Inclusiveness Issues
5. Moving Forward with Inadequate Governance
6. Working with No Clear Vision for the Program
7. Downplaying the Essential Roles of Security and Privacy
8. Sharing Successes and Failures Too Narrowly
9. Sticking Stubbornly to the Old Ways of Doing Things
10. Thinking Too Short-Term

You’ll find an explanation of each of these 10 areas in my new book and a lot more clear guidance on building a smarter…

My new bestseller, Smart Cities for Dummies, provides details on how cities will define our future. Here is a brief summary that is expanded upon in the book.

1. Most People Will Live, Work, and Play Their Entire Lives in Cities
2. The Increasing Demands of Sustainability Will Shape Human Behavior
3. City Interactions Will Increasingly Be Digital
4. City Data Will Drive Community Decision-Making
5. People Will Have Expanded Opportunities to Co-Create and Collaborate On Urban Solutions
6. Crime May Be Reduced Significantly
7. More Diversity Will Show Up in What Humans Do and How They Work
8. The Way People and Goods Move Will Continue to Evolve
9. The Delivery of Healthcare Will Be Transformed
10. Everything Will Be Delivered

You’ll find an explanation of each of these 10 areas in my new book and a…

Many cities around the world have made the decision to implement a smart city strategy. They’re using existing and new technologies as well as innovative processes to improve the quality of life for the people in their communities — an ambitious and often expensive undertaking. With this type of commitment, there’s an expectation that results will follow. City leaders need metrics to manage progress and to help their communities understand how the benefits of the smart city work are being realized.

What gets measured, gets managed.

- Peter Drucker, 1954

Though specific metrics for local initiatives depend on each project…

Everyone who lives in a city has some form of a connection with it. Your feelings might range from apathy to love, not unlike the kind of relationship you can have with a person. These emotions are formed for so many reasons. You may love your city because it’s where you were born and you have deep roots in the community. Perhaps you moved to a city to take a dream job and discovered an exciting city culture. Other times, it may just be the sunshine or the snow, the beach or the hills. It’s probably a combination of things.

…

A little over a year ago, a senior editor from the publisher, Wiley, reached out to me and asked whether I would write a book on smart cities for them. At first it was going to be part of a new series of books, but later the decision was made to make it part of the popular For Dummies series. I was surprised to learn that this series is the world’s largest selling reference book collection, having sold several hundred million books on subjects from fishing to diabetes. …

On March 8, 2020, I departed San Francisco to Madrid to work on a project that had been scheduled many months in advance. I knew there was an elevated risk due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, but I was committed to taking precautions and anyhow, in Spain, the outbreak appeared to be minor.

I was wrong.

The week I left was the turning point for many European countries. I only stayed two days in Madrid and the day I left, the country began to roll out aggressive containment measures.

Next, I was on my way to Ireland to…

Quantum cryptography is opening up a new, ground-breaking chapter in secure communications. The science involved originates in quantum physics: the study of the behavior of the subatomic world such as particles and waves.

Unlike classical mechanics that relies on Newtons laws of motion and related concepts, the quantum realm has its own set of rules. While classical mechanics has enabled the computers that we all use today, quantum mechanics enables a completely new information theory of computing. This now includes possibilities for quantum-based encrypted communications. To say a new day is dawning for cybersecurity would be an understatement.

As a follow-up to my Introduction to Quantum Computing course, I’ve developed a short, easy-to-understand online video course on Quantum Cryptography.

Click Here to Watch my Short Introduction to Quantum Cryptography Online Video Course.