Many companies are looking to the tech solutions that will define business and industry in 2020 and the new decade that comes with it. In last year’s prediction blog, we focused on edge computing, 5G, cybersecurity and smart devices. We still predict that those technologies will continue to see a lot of growth and innovation in the years to come. However, in this year’s blog we’re highlighting four more areas that will skyrocket our capabilities for interconnection, intuitive processes and greater efficiencies as we continue to look to the future.
RFID adoption will accelerate
RFID, Radio Frequency Identification is a technology that uses wireless data capture and transaction processing for short- and long-range tracking and authentication. It’s already found applications in a variety of industries including healthcare, retail, meetings and events, manufacturing, and aerospace. However, 2020 and beyond are likely to witness even wider spread adoption now that there are so many successful test cases in the market.
Advanced RFID technology will allow businesses to track not just the location of their assets, but can also provide a more detailed history on the object when used with a high memory tag. The aerospace industry, for example, has been using passive UHF tags to store parts histories.
Employees will be upskilled and augmented
Technology continues to disrupt existing jobs and employer needs. To keep their labor needs met, organizations will be deploying technology to provide real-time skills updates and to augment their performance capabilities. “With widespread access to training and courses online and available on-demand, workers can be informed of skill updates while they work, ad will regularly top up their education with the skills they need to remain relevant in the workforce, ” says LearnUp CEO Alexis Ringwald.
Businesses are also expected to show increasing interest in human augmentation, or any type of technology that can be used by workers to enhance their physical, sensory or cognitive capabilities. Things such as smartwatches, AR glasses (like this use case from Caterpiller), prosthetics and RFID tags are some examples of human augmentation that can increase an employee’s efficiency and performance.
More Uses for Blockchain
A blockchain is a growing list of records, called blocks, that are linked using cryptography. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, a timestamp, and transaction data. Essentially, blockchain is the tech that allows digital information to be distributed, but not copied. It has far-reaching applications for data and cyber security, but in the past, companies have lacked the resources to digest the amount of data required to fully harness this tech.
Greater adoption of this and other encryption technologies will strengthen cloud security and increase traditionally risk-averse organizations’ appetite for innovation.
The Internet of Everything– not just things
The convergence of the digital and physical worlds makes it an inevitability that just about every business will become an internet of things (IoT) business. Whether it’s a service they sell, how they deliver the service, how they structure their operations, or how they equip their workers, every lasting business will rely on the interconnectedness that IoT and IIoT deliver.
“This transformation will fundamentally change how businesses operate,” says Jahinger Mohammed, CEO of Jasper Techonologies, Inc. “Those who recognize that the internet of things isn’t about things but about service will be positioned to meet these new customer demands, unlock new sources of revenue and thrive in this connected world.”
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