[PODCAST] Cybersecurity For Smart Cities As 5G Creates More Connectivity

About this Discussion:

We may not be thinking about Cybersecurity in our everyday lives, but it's something that is affecting us. In fact, it happens so often that we have completely become numb to it, and find ourselves moving on, changing a password or log-in without even thinking twice.

The fact is, the problem is only going to get worse as we see more rollout of 5G and welcome more and more IoT devices into our lives and homes. Plus as Smart Cities initiatives become the #1 agenda item for most local governments, the risk becomes even more of a concern.

In this discussion with Adam Pershke of Novam we discussed his proprietary software, and how they're making a huge impact in the Cybersecurity world, specifically around Smart Cities. We also discussed his involvement with various hackathons, and how they can be a great tool in not just finding outside talent, but finding the gems within an organization too.

About Adam Perschke:

Adam Perschke is CEO at NOVAM. He specializes in emerging technology innovation and is a serial entrepreneur. He’s provided technology innovation guidance to global entities including, but not limited to, the U.S. Department of Defense National Security Technology Accelerator, Amazon, T-Mobile, Toyota Connected, and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. Previously, Adam founded Inteligus Solutions, a security technologies company, focused on purpose-built OEM security solutions for access control systems, identity management and digital security for the leading Hewlett Packard Enterprise OEM in the surveillance industry.

Here's the official episode breakdown:

6:10 - The story of Novam, and where the idea stemmed from

9:00 - After one of the biggest security hacks happened how Adam’s team decided to look into other technologies to come up with an overall solution

10:15 - With the emergence of IoT, is everyone aware of the risk as more devices deploy, especially from a Smart Cities perspective

12:00 - How aware are city officials of the threat and understanding of what needs to be within cities as they become more connected

14:08 - How Blockchain can be combined within this whole solution, and the additional problems it helps to solve

15:40 - Understanding the difference between standard blockchain and distributed ledger, and why you would focus on using one or the other

17:30 - In Distributed Ledger if there are more layers, then how exactly does it make it more secure (Syya and I become very confused….)

19:30 - Help in trying to understand blockchain and how it can be applied vs. just jumping on the keyword bandwagon

21:53 - Why you’re starting to see some anchoring in the larger enterprise companies 

22:48 - Cybersecurity is definitely all about defending the attack, but what happens when something actually happens

Adam suggests shodan.io 

24:49 - We get schooled on Shodan and the impact of attacks

25:55 - How does the 5G rollout affect Adam’s company and his work with Smart Cities.

27:15 - Is this lighting a fire under cities to figure out how to make this new connectivity availability as secure as possible?

28:00 - We discuss the accelerators that Novam has been accepted into   

30:10 - We discuss the different models of Accelerators and how they create win-win situations in various forms

31:22 - How enterprise companies with innovation labs can partner with these accelerators and even hackathons to augment their R&D

33:10 - How can hackathons be utilized throughout various organizations and the problems they help solve

36:10 - Why internal hackathons can also help breathe new life into a company

38:14 - Are hackathons always trying to solve a problem?

40:49 - Some of the cool companies that have developed because of a hackathon

44:14 - What’s the optimal size of a hackathon to see some great results and could this be part of a company’s hiring process

49:45 - Has Novam transformed because of the data gathered in the hackathons that Adam has been a part of?

51:39 - The emergence of eSports in Dallas, and why it’s an interesting space to watch

Want to connect - www.Novam.ai or Email Adam - adam {at} novam.ai