Philip des Autels

CPO
DeviceTone

Open Ecosystems & Blockchain Accelerate Digital Infrastructure in Smart Cities

The software and systems choices cities and their partners make when designing and rolling out smart infrastructure have short and long-term consequences. Given the importance to balance economics and outcomes, security and efficiency, sensors and systems – and given the fragmentation that has caused the Internet of Things to not yet reach its true potential – building sustainable sense into the architecture is key to the success of every project.
Implementing and managing everything connected at the very edge of the network is hard, particularly given the natural scale of large infrastructure and digital infrastructure projects. It has to be well-thought out in advance, tested, and developed in such a way that multiple systems and clouds can talk to each other, without creating security vulnerabilities in the “fabric” that will be woven together to support modern, sustainable cities.
Understanding and governing the ownership and exchange of valuable data is also challenging, and fundmental not only to the efficient operations of connected cities but to the business models and innovations in funding including risk and revenue sharing across public and private entities, and coordination between local, state and federal agencies.
Building open ecosystems is less expensive, less risky and more flexible than approaches that can bring vendor lock-ins and unanticipated expenses and weaknesses. Leveraging enterprise-level blockchain for effective data sharing, access management, transaction and application security – in concert with open technology frameworks – is making the intersection of physical and digital infrastructure advancements more possible and practical than ever.
Philip des Autels, Chief Product Officer of DeviceTone and co-founder of the Linux Foundation’s EdgeX Foundry, together with Michael Hathaway, co-founder of Windmill Enterprise for the advancement of open-source blockchain platforms, will deliver their “contrarian views” to attendees at the Smart City Works Infrastructure Week event May 15, in Washington DC.
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About Philip

Philip des Autels is a multifaceted entrepreneur and advocate, currently serving as the Chief Product Officer of DeviceTone and Cloud of Things, while also continuing to contribute to The Linux Foundation EdgeX Foundry initiative, solving for the edge of the Internet of things as an active steward for open source evolution. Previously, Philip supported the establishment and growth of The AllSeen Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to building and delivering the open source IOT framework. The initiative includes more than 200-member companies including leading consumer electronics manufacturers, home appliance makers, automotive companies, cloud providers, enterprise technology companies, innovative startups, chipset manufacturers, service providers, retailers and software developers. Philip was CTO & Co-Founder, Xively a subsidiary of LogMeIn (LOGM : NASDAQ), where he built and Led Xively’s global technology team, designed and led the implementation of Xively’s open source library strategy, created, launched and managed Xively’s developer outreach program engaging 70K IoT developers, designed and developed the message-centric architecture upon which the new Xively and LogMeIn platforms are based and led efforts to define strategies for the addressing customer needs for the management and support of things.

Philip is also an advocate for human rights, including working with Verité on global supply chains in support of their mission that all workers are employed under fair, safe, and legal conditions. As technology advisor he worked to develop an architecture and detailed technology plan for the secure application of mobile technologies to inform workers of their rights, train workers with job and life skills and actively monitor worker rights. He is a recipient of the Globe Award for Sustainable Innovation. Philip graduated from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with MS, IME degrees, and earned his PhD from the Lulea University of Technology, with a research focus on the unintended consequences of technology on society and understanding the Internet of Things. Philip and his wife Michele are the current stewards of Ferment Farm, a small family farm in Southern Maine that specializes in the making of hard cider from farm-grown apples and the keeping of bees.

Other Articles by Philip des Autels

Two Faces of the IoT: a Conversation With Xivelys Philip des Autels

EdgeX Foundry Less Than a Year Later

Industrial IoT Consortium Community Come Together