You'd have had to be locked in a broom cupboard to miss the buzz around The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Vegas this January. Despite being a B2B man through and through, it never fails to grab my attention. Every year it unveils dorky never-to-be-seen-again robotic innovations, and a treasure trove of electronic inventions (that’s part of what we all love) but it’s also, occasionally, a useful indicator of things to come in the business world. And this year was no exception.Image may be NSFW.
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Bendy TVs, memorable keynotes and 3D printers have grabbed the headlines this year, but it’s wearable technology that was the undisputed king. Part and parcel of the Internet of Things, that promised land of connected toothbrushes and fridges, it seems the revolution cometh. Where the industry disagrees is when and how exactly.
Some analysts predict 1.5 million wearable tech devices will be sold in 2014, with 2017 shipping estimates at 70 million. Now, that’s pretty big and pretty fast! In the near term, the obvious beneficiary looks to be the fitness market, already steeling a march with the dedicated running folk adorned with heart rate monitors and fuel bands (of which I am not one!) Further down the line, the trend offers exciting prospects for game-changing medical and healthcare services, and for retailers and service providers to change the way they engage with, and market to, customers.
Where consumers are concerned, the everyman’s wearable like Google Glass and iWatch are the ones to make an immediate impact. If organisations found BYOD a challenge, what will this mean in the enterprise? Many are predicting that as many of 80% of networks are going to be changed in the next 2 years due to pressure from mobility issues, but this anticipated rise in connected clothing brings another dimension to that change.
The last few years have seen businesses face a huge smart device and mobile app influx and many are still finding ways to cope with the escalating security, capacity and performance demands of this trend. When consumerisation of IT starts meaning access via watches, glasses and jewellery - network availability, security and performance will need some serious oomph!
The services, solutions and policies that the industry has built around BYOD however, stand them in good stead: already focused on the enablement of user productivity, this time the industry doesn't have to be caught unawares.
Take the network. Whatever wearables and connected devices win out (we only have four limbs and two eyes) we can count on needing data and access, fast. If there is Wi-Fi available for your connected glasses, you’re going to want to use it right? Imagine the cost of your 4G data bundle otherwise? (That is in fact a whole other blog!) So, there’s no doubt in my mind that the volume of data and capacity required for Wi-Fi will need addressing. Gigabit Wi-Fi innovations are going someway toward this, but will need to be matched with ever-smarter control and security approaches.
The lesson we’ve all learned in the last four years is that mobile will continue to evolve and adapt. We’ve already experienced quicker cultural and technical changes than we’ve seen in previous computing shifts. The iPad was futuristic in 2010 and BYO was known only to back street Italian restaurants and Oddbins! With the buzz around wearables this year, it looks as though we could be heading into Star Trek territory by 2020.
The opportunities for businesses everywhere are exciting. I’ve seen connected devices in retail, healthcare and manufacturing that are dramatically changing the way people work. They’re delivering better, more productive user experiences and adding to the bottom line.
The reality, when it comes to infrastructure, however, could be a little more daunting. But this time, there will be less denial. And there’s certainly no time for it! As an industry, we’ve already shifted to embrace the consumerisation of IT and the mobile enterprise: it’s now time to get ready for the next wave. Ok, glass…