So, what about Bob? Engineer-scientist, early Internet developer, Ethernet inventor, entrepreneur, pundit, a man who eats his own words and, now, a venture capitalist: Bob Metcalfe has seen it all in 40 years on the front lines of engineering and technology. From his perch at Polaris Ventures, above Boston's high-tech corridor, Metcalfe recently sat down with EE Times executive editor Patrick Mannion to chat about his investments in optical, wireless/RF, hybrid fiber/coax and supercomputing companies. Along the way, he waxed eloquent on the future of the Internet, the rise of the blogosphere, the demise of print media, why engineers should not become venture capitalists and how to solve the energy crisis. Fasten your seat belts.
EE Times: What technologies excite you right now?
Bob Metcalfe: Anything to do with video and anything to do with latitudes and longitudes. GPS is spreading, so companies that produce, consume or manipulate information containing latitudes and longitudes are a big thing. It's exciting.
I'm looking at my first energy deal right now. I'm determined to get the world out of its current energy mess. I don't like being beholden to monopolists in foreign countries or to the crazies currently running the environmental groups.
EET: What are the options?
Making the jump from outdated legacy technology to a more modern digital infrastructure will allow businesses to innovate at the speed and scale needed in today’s marketplace.
The business world is speeding up. The longer IT leaders wait to get their needs met, the more at risk their businesses and their jobs will be.
By arming SD-WAN networks with end-to-end intelligence, analytics-driven predictions, and predictive automation solutions, IT teams can simplify infrastructure management and assure higher levels of quality experiences for users.
