latest trends in IT – roundtable 23


Taylor: “What frightens me is that Sony did have good security in place and yet it still got hacked.”


Harris: “Organisations like Sony may have spent millions and millions of pounds securing the perimeters of their premises, but companies today need to realise that the edge of their IT network is wherever their user is. He could be on his laptop using an unprotected broadband connection in China, so you need that device secured.


printing technology did not have a currently-obvious widespread future market, although it definitely had applications in some specialist areas. Medical, manufacturing, prototype design (Formula 1 grand prix), spare parts were all highlighted. Cost was also a factor, and lower pricing as the technology developed may help its market.


Sykes mentioned that HP had already produced a product for home users – the revolutionary HP Sprout. This is an all-in- one desktop PC plus, projector, cameras, dual display, touch input, and 3D scanning that also enables 3D printing. It’s probably ahead of its market and at around $1,900 outside most household budgets, but who knows … smartphones were science fiction just a few years back.


The Internet of Things: Will we run out of addresses?


Tim Walker


“Within the current businessworld it is very easy to forget our IT lessons. We have seemingly unlearned all the stuff about security of computers and laptops in the office when it comes to remote working using mobile phones.”


Clarke said training was the answer. “It’s all very well having massive amounts of technology to secure yourselves but if you don’t train your people to understand the need for security and follow IT procedures then you might as well forget it.”


Taylor: “We overlook these things because of the convenience of IT.”


Google is now a verb


“Google is now a verb,” said Wynne. “People gain access to information on the move. Today, many of our customers access the Internet on their mobiles instore, using Google to inform themselves not only beforehand, but during their shopping with us.


“It’s a massive challenge for us to keep on top of mobile information and people-power. The information that people have access to in their hands whilst making a decision is incredibly powerful.


“It’s very easy to provide your customer with lots of data, but the information needs to be useful, accurate and presented for quick use or decision-making. The timespan between knowledge and decision-making has shortened so much nowadays.”


Sprouts that enable 3D printing? Generally, the Roundtable felt that 3D


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – MARCH 2015


“Isn’t the explosion in the use of Internet- enabled devices predicated on the move to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6),” queried Clarke. “We are running out of IP addresses and if we don’t move to IPv6 soon there will be problems with millions and millions of devices such as wearables coming down the line.”


Harris: “Nobody wants to do it because it will be expensive. It has been around as an issue for some time and seems like it’s ‘Who’s going to blink first?’ “


The big question, the Roundtable agreed, was ‘Who owns the Internet?’ The answer could be that one of the big American network vendors would make the first move; otherwise the Internet of Things (IoT) would be delayed, if not stymied, by lack of IP infrastructure development.


Taylor agreed but felt IoT would happen because the enhanced connectivity and possible commercial applications were so advantageous. He mentioned how IoT would enable travel and insurance sectors, healthcare monitoring and management of the home. Utility smart grids and sensors in the home might still be some way off, he felt. “Do we really want to follow the Hollywood stuff?”


Wynne: “Applications of this type of technology will find a home in time, but at the moment we are not ready for it.”


Clarke felt that people might soon start to get concerned about the amount of personal information being gathered by smart technology. “They’ll begin to wonder who else is accessing this information and think they’ve walked into Big Brother.”


Wynne: “It’s true. If technology is embedded in a product, then you have to be careful not to cross a line with which the purchaser is not happy, and feels something has been foisted upon them.”


Taylor: “It’s an age thing. Teenagers nowadays don’t care about sharing their information in the way the 30-and-upward demographic does.”


Clarke: “It will be interesting to see if that ‘over-sharing and not caring’ stays with them as they get older.”


Embedded technology and living longer


Sykes mentioned an interesting Gartner announcement. “In 2020 they say the average human lifespan will be six months longer due to predictive health technology embedded in wearables.” Personal fitness and health assessment was now a growing market for wearables such as Fitbits, Jawbone, FuelBand, and Apple Watch.


He had even heard of one CEO who was considering mandating that his senior executives all wear Fitbits so the company could constantly monitor their health.


Clarke suggested reading a novel – The Circle by Dave Eggers – for a thought- provoking view of what the future of wearable technology and information sharing might become.


David Murray


Sykes explained that the CEO’s view on Fitbits was prompted by a recently employed executive having died following an aneurism. The difficulties and costs of gaining and retaining talented employees in competitive markets might merit using such technology to keep them healthy – for their own sake and in the interests of the company.


Clarke mentioned that drug-testing was also becoming more prevalent within US companies.


Sykes exampled one company he knew that undertook employee urine testing.


“I think that’s called IP,” joked Taylor. www.businessmag.co.uk


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