Sami Nassar, Vice President, Cyber Security Solutions at NXP Semiconductors, answers several key industry questions prior to speaking at the 2016 CONNECTIONS Summit conference at CES:

What is the most important next step to engage consumers in smart home solutions, connected entertainment services, and/or value-added services like tech support and connected health?

Convenience, ease of use, reliability and privacy are key drivers for consumer adoption of any connected solution. We see two areas of adoption, entertainment/data services and automation services. In smart home automation, home security, doors locks and lighting are among the leading applications ready for consumers. As for the home entertainment we are seeing the TV, set up box and computers morph with a wider space including wearables, speakers, and streaming media boxes.

What is the biggest challenge your company faces in 2016?

We see one of the biggest challenges, and opportunities, for 2016 in ensuring the right level of reliably and security in terms of safety and privacy for new appliances or electronic devices that getting smarter and connected. The first phase of the creative process is to make it work. Now we are looking at making it reliably work as part of an ecosystem with other solutions.

What is the biggest driver for the connected consumer market?

The biggest driver for the connected consumer market is social networking and the increased access to digital content. 

What are the most important initiatives your company is taking in 2016?

Enabling secure connections for a smarter world. Connectivity and computing power will enable smarter electronics that bring more convenience to everyday life of consumers. Our job is to make sure these smarter, connected devices are also secure.

Describe your vision for the smart home and entertainment markets in 2020.

By 2020, I can see technology in our homes following the electronic evolution of our cars. Over the last decade we added close to 200 microcontroller in our cars all in concert on one network. They automatically manage the engine, the comfort settings, air conditioning, entertainment and safety. And now we see the car move into driverless experience. Our homes have a long way to catch up with our cars but I can imagine that we'll see great progress by 2020.  

Sami Nassar will speak during the session "Personalization and Big Data: Securing Consumer Privacy" on January 6 at 3:45pm. Moderated by Parks Associates analyst Brad Russell, this session will also feature insights from Cisco, Facebook, Intel Security, Verimatrix, and Zubie. Make sure to add it to your CES schedule!

For more information on how you can participate in or attend this year's CONNECTIONS Summit, visit www.connectionssummit.com.