The new year of disruption

BY SCOTT KOST

Another year has come and gone, and as we continue to strategize 2015, it is important to not only reflect on the current status of your business but also ensure that you are aligning your objectives to the correct emerging technologies.

Interestingly, there is a growing pattern beginning to develop in today’s technologies, a focus around three key areas: real-time, social and mobile. Nearly every emerging technology has at least one of these underlying elements, and together, it is shaping the marketplace in vast ways. This upcoming April also marks the 50th anniversary of Moore’s Law which explains that every two years processing capabilities will double, and this exponential improvement projection has proven accurate through half a century.

These are the factors that are disrupting the marketplace today and creating an extraordinary opportunity in technology trends. Not only is there a central influence from the three leading trends — real-time, social, and mobile — impacting today’s emerging technologies, but there is also external pressure from Moore’s Law compounding capacity for unprecedented growth in computing, storage and bandwidth functionalities. This dual impact from the inside-out as well as the outside-in is generating a unique climate for emerging technologies to flourish in unparalleled ways.

Big Data

Not only are smart machines like IBM’s Watson changing the way we look at data and cognitive computing, but the growing presence of algorithms in our daily lives will create tailored messaging across devices and audiences. Consumer behavior and engagement is changing how the market views the traditional relationship between user and device. In 2015, we will see a greater shift to a consumer-centric focus on personalized content and storytelling by device and interest areas via algorithmic curation of big data.

Wearables

Wearable technologies are continuing to gain traction in development, relevance and consumer adoption. Technologies that blur the line between smartwatch and wellness tracker are being truly useful by improving user’s wellbeing and efficiencies in unique and actionable ways. Additionally, new markets, such as wearables for children and professional athletic associations, indicate a growing acceptance across demographics. Recently unveiled at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, Bluetooth wearable adhesive bandages will have dramatic implications on health care and sports medicine fields.

Ambient Proximity

The next generation of geo-location has arrived. Ambient proximity is taking geo-location and push notifications to the next level via beacons that send and receive information from individual’s mobile devices. Imagine shopping and receiving dedicated information from your smartphone on specials, product-specific information, recommendations and even styling suggestions synced directly from Pinterest. From a retailer perspective, these beacons will provide a new channel to gather data on your customer — everything from the number of touches on a new display to the average time consumed per product and the ability to cross-sell and up-sell directly to the customer based on real-time data.

Security

The numerous wide-sweeping cyber-attacks of the past year, from Heartbleed to Shellshock, indicate a key focus moving forward on prevention and vulnerability detection. It will be business critical for organizations across industries to conduct regular, weekly security checks in 2015, especially as more personal data is being transferred and stored over the cloud for financial, government and health care institutions.

The Cloud

An effective, simple storage solution, the cloud will continue to see a growing number of applications being built on its platform over conventional on-premise software installs. Additionally, 2015 will introduce seamless indexing and sharing of content across devices on the cloud. Music, videos, articles and feeds will follow the same trajectory as e-mail and no longer remain device specific with users essentially creating an evolving playlist of various media on the cloud to access everywhere.

Internet of Things (IoT)

A network of hundreds of smart digital devices all communicating, monitoring activity and automating tasks to make your day-to-day simpler, faster and easier than ever. This is a growing reality — everything from traditional devices to your toothbrush, alarm clock and kitchen appliances all connected, each with its own unique address, feeding together to streamline operations. It’s slightly resonant of “Big Brother” but the potential for continual self-improvement and efficiency is astronomical. This machine-to-machine communication has brought us technologies like Nest, which creates a two-way channel between you and your home to create more efficient, economical heating and cooling practices based on data gathered from your lifestyle and preferences.

Smart Virtual Personal Assistants (SVPAs)

Predictive intelligence technologies, such as Emu, utilize data gathered over user’s devices — from calendars, project deadlines, and emails to contact information and location — to anticipate behavior and aid, much like a live personal assistant, in the management of tasks, finances, schedules, diet and more. The possibilities here are endless and powerful, and again, demonstrate the far reaching influences of big data and mobility on improving our daily lives in very real ways. PB

Scott Kost Director, Principal Eide Bailly Technology Consulting skost@eidebailly.com Twitter: EideBaillyLLP