Former President Clinton made the cover of Newsweek regarding 14 ways to employee America. In effect the article suggests the job creation of Kyoto accords could be the equivalent of the Y2K employment era. Ignoring the politics and just talking about his concepts, I found it interesting that Smart Grid and M2M were prominently featured. 

One space he mentioned was the retrofitting of the Empire State Building. I had taken a few classes there in my past and had the experience of opening the windows to cope with the lack of a thermostat that adjusted the room appropriately (very old school to have windows that open). So I understood that the building could use some maintenance.

It turns out that the Johnson Controls added sensors for lighting and temperature also created a tracking team that represents some permanent jobs. It also put to work a large team to retrofit the air conditioning, radiators and windows (goodbye cruel world of open windows).   

Clinton sees that these strategies should be done not just at the Empire State Building but on most of buildings and in all our homes. IMHO, so far the smart meter strategy has looked more like a billing device than an energy efficiency strategy. Getting the discussion on the right topic of personal efficiency and away from billing is essential.

M2M has turned the corner, into a phase of development that is platform driven, and away from device specific implementations. The M2M Conference in Austin will feature Viewbiquity (News - Alert) and its customer the Archdiocese of South Florida talking about not a building but a solution for their buildings. As you know the Catholic Church rivals banks in terms of number of locations and beats the Empire State Building when it comes to old windows ;<). However, it does represent a lot of employment opportunities. 

Regardless of why you deploy a sensor, the value is not in the sensor but in the intelligence it brings to decisions. If that does not create jobs it certainly makes for better ones.

Want to learn more about M2M technologies? Then be sure to check out the M2M Evolution conference, collocated with TMC’s (News - Alert) ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. The M2M Evolution Conference is for those industry professionals interested in capitalizing on a rapidly growing segment of the telecom industry. The M2M Evolution Conference embraces the any-to-any strategy of the Internet today. Co-sponsored by TMC Partner Crossfire Media, it showcases the solutions, and examines the data strategies and technological requirements that enterprises and carriers need to capitalize on a market segment that is estimated to grow to $300 Billion in the year ahead. To register, click here.