Software-defined networks will provide some of this flexibility by separating the control function from data forwarding, but there are additional capabilities emerging, he says, such as intelligent switching of wavelengths, the ability to mix dedicated bandwidth with best-efforts networks, and application layer network traffic optimization, e.g.

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He sees the potential for Watson cousins customized with analytics for traffic-pattern optimization and emergency planning devoid of the emotions that bedevil mere people.

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The big idea: putting sensors everywhere that communicate in a mesh network and allow real-time tracking and optimization of everything from traffic to the power grid to the water supply.

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Improve Conversion Rate Optimization: You can drive all the website traffic you want, but if your sales pages do not convert at an optimal rate, you are wasting time, money, and energy.

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For example, Amazon can run a multivariate test in a matter of minutes, where a smaller site with lower traffic volumes might take weeks or months to collect the necessary data for optimization.

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