Ahmed Banafa '93G was interviewed by ABC television for his expertise on the Internet of Things (IoT) to kick off their coverage of the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
"This is the wave of the future," Banafa said during the interview. "Everything is listening and reacting to what you're doing. By the end of 2020 we will have 50 billion connected devices."
IoT is the name given to the network of devices (appliances, automobiles and other items associated with a "smart home") that contain embedded electronics and software, allowing them to connect to the Internet and exchange data, with the ultimate goal of improved efficiency and reduced human intervention.
Banafa has several IoT devices in his home, including Amazon's Alexa and a Microsoft Xbox as well as his smartphone. "It will take a while to be accepted, like everything new," Banafa continued. "People will see the benefits. They will say, 'This is safe. This is more convenient.'"
Ahmed Banafa is a professor of business and technology at San Jose State University and Northwestern Polytechnic University. An experienced instructor, Banafa was named "Instructor of the Year" on five occasions and has taught at a variety of universities across the country. He has published more than 80 articles in a wide variety of publications on IoT, cloud computing, and big data and is a contributing author to several other works. His research on IoT and blockchain -- a technology that allows for fast, secure and transparent peer-to-peer transfer of digital goods -- was included in a June 2017 article in Forbes magazine.
LinkedIn has named Banafa as one of their Top Tech Voice to Follow. LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network with more than 530 million users in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Over 18,000 users follow his posts on LinkedIn.
Banafa earned a bachelors from King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia and a masters in electrical engineering from Lehigh. He can be reached at banafa@yahoo.com.
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