The Internet of Everything

The Internet of Things involves connecting all kinds of objects to the internet such that the can yield and receive data. This would include cars, motorboats, televisions, coffee makers, roads, - you name it.

The Internet of Everything (IoE) extends this to include the connectivity and systems that enable those things to be integrated, monitored and managed. So says Cisco, the purveyor of connectivity and proponent of the Internet of Everything.

The IoE has a lot of potential. For example, consider interconnecting all the infrastructure of a city, including the water, sewer, power, roads, parking spots, bridges, garbage cans, dumpsters, - everything. Then think about the efficiencies that could be achieved by having real time data from those things to analyze so that resources can be directed to them when needed - and only when needed. Garbage can be collected only when the containers are full to a certain level, sewers pumped clear in areas where they start to back up, emergency crews given the best route to their destination on a moments notice. People could find the best parking spot when they need it. (And the cars will be able to drive themselves there and park themselves).

The Internet of Everything will revolutionize the way we live in cities. Some of it is already here, but the IoE extends the degree of connectivity and the ability to manage the components such that they become integrated into our daily lives. We will see IoE strategies being adopted by cities over the next few years. It's already started, given the example of Barcelona, Spain which has begun implementation with interesting results. Others are sure to follow. For more on Cisco's vision, check out this report.

Ignoring Social Media Not an Option for Companies

A survey conducted by Grant Thornton and Financial Executives Research Foundation on the uses that companies are making of social media found that 55% feel social media will be an important component of corporate marketing efforts going forward and 66% see their company's use of social media increasing over the next 12 months. Most agree that social media is a fact of life for companies and must be addressed. On the other hand, most do not yet have policies on its use.

Companies are using Linkedin the most, with Twitter and Facebook following closely.

Use of social media extends well beyond marketing now, into all areas of corporate communications, including recruiting, customer care and investor relations (the latter is not mentioned in the report).

Social media is an integral part of some companies' communications strategy, and ultimately this will be the norm.

For the report, please go to the Grant Thornton site.

Your Newest Android Device - The Automobile

Google has announced the formation of the Open Automotive Alliance (OAA), which is a consortium to advance the automation of automobiles. Their prime objective is to have their Android operation system adopted as the technological backbone for cars.

The OAA initially has representation from the automobile industry; specifically General Motors, Honda and Hyundai and Audi.

The potential is enormous. Cars already have extensive technology, but that technology is diverse and not necessarily coordinated. For example, the engines and drive trains are extensively automated. Just try finding out what's wrong with your car without a diagnostic machine from the dealership. it's expensive and inconvenient. Just think if you could use your phone of tablet to access your car and do your own diagnostic.

Or how about linking together the GPS, road sensors, telephone and entertainment systems? All on a system that is standard, upgradable and widely used.

it would actually reduce the risk of hacking because a standardized automotive system could be built so as to forestall the known hacker threats.

And Google is the leader in self drive autos, which are the future, and the Android system could play a role in operating these systems. For example, you could plot your route the night before on your android device, and then upload it to your car. when you leave the next day, lean back and read a good book along the way - on your Android.

The OAAs website is at http://www.openautoalliance.net

SDCs on the Way

Self Driving Cars (SDCs) have been announced for production by some of the big car makers by 2020 and are being predicted to reach the mainstream by 2035 with around 12 million cars on the roads by that year. There are various kinds of SDC in the planning stage, basically ranging in the degree to which they are actually capable of driving without driver intervention. Gradually, of course, they will proceed to the point where little or no intervention is required. A recent study also predicts that by 2050, most of the cars and commercial vehicles on the road will be SDCs.

Kind of scary when you think abut it - eighteen wheelers charging down the road without a driver on board. But then we already have jumbo jets that can fly and land themselves and we don't worry much about that -don't even think about it much. One difference however is that the jets have pilots on board to take over when things go wrong. With the trucks, this would be the situation for quite a while as well, but there is a likelihood that eventually the drivers will be phased out.

Lots of implications of SDCs, social, business and otherwise. Here's one article on the subject.  

The Nightmare of Cell Phones on Planes

Anyone who travels very much shudders at the thought of being stuck on a long flight beside a chronic cell phone user. For North America, that has been banned by the authorities because calls on planes could interfere with ground based cell stations. However, newer technologies have changed all that. It is now possible to avoid such interference and it is likely that the bans will come down.

However, the good news is that the airlines need to invest in the technology for their planes and allow voice calls to be made. Many of them are reluctant to do that because of the customer service nightmare that could result.

Cell service is already allowed on planes in various other parts of the world, notably in parts of Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The experience there is that most cell phone users use text and email rather than voice, at least in part and maybe largely because voice calls are treated as international data roaming charges and anyone who has been stuck with an international data roaming cell phone bill knows what that is all about. The rates are scandalously high.

Airlines will be able to allow texting and other data usages of cell phones and block voice communications. There's a pretty good chance that they will do just that. There's a very strong demand for texting, internet and other data usage on flights, but a lot of resistance about voice calls.

So right now we are entering into a time of change and many travellers will be watching what happens with bated breath. Here's a great article on the subject.

Is Privacy Sustainable?

Vint Cerf, acknowledged as one of (perhaps the) father of the Internet, spoke about privacy last week and made some very good points. He was speaking in the context of the Internet of Things, a developing phenomenon under which the coverage of the internet is growing to include the tracking and management of many objects, such as inventories and refrigerator contents.

He pointed out that as internet usage expands, privacy is going to take a beating. More importantly, he pointed out that privacy is a product of urbanization and the industrial revolution; that in small towns, privacy does not exist. A good point. It exists to some extent, but anyone who lives in a small town can tell you that it is much more limited than it is in big cities. Your neighbours know much more about you and what you are doing.

The internet is changing the nature of big city life by making it, in a sociological sense, more like a small town. That's because people willingly put so much of their life out there on social media. That will expand as the internet of things grows.

That means a maintenance of privacy will require a change in behaviour, not stronger laws. Another point that Mr. Cerf made. Here's a write-up on his talk.

It's quite possible that no amount of behaviour change will preserve the post industrial level of privacy. Welcome to the technological small town, or as Marshall McLuhan would have put it - The Global Village.

Why Bitcoin is Going to Fail

There have been numerous attempts to establish a currency that will work on the internet - eCash, eCheque, cashU - You name it. Most of them have failed, usually because they did not have the active support of the governments and/or of the banking system. Some might say Paypal is an exception, but it is not a currency, but rather a bridge to the conventional cash and credit card system.

Bitcoin is really an old idea that has been tried many times before and has most of the characteristics of those that have failed. Check out this article that goes into more detail.

Businesses Continue to Find New Uses for Tablets

Tablets are selling well for consumer purposes, but they are used by business in new and innovative ways. Most common is usage by field staff, who need to move between customers frequently or constantly. They offer the kind of convenience and functionality that business needs. In the example from this linked article, Reliance Home Comfort distributed tablets to their field staff with functions that enabled them to access the programs on the main system that they need to service customers. Previously it was a case of entering data in several different software packages from paper based source documents, which took a lot of clicks and time to complete. With the tablets, interfaces were designed that enabled touch entry to all of them from the same app, which not only reduced the number of clicks, but made it all faster to process. In effect they achieved a simple form of systems integration, that in conventional terms would have cost huge dollars to achieve. Check the article here.

The Coming Era of Mobile Payments

Numerous companies are offering or planning to offer apps that allow payments to be made with smartphones. It may signal the end of plastic. Check out this excellent article on the subject.

Tablets vs Laptops - Who will Win?

Check out these ruminations on the topic.

Social Business Gradually Growing

The use of social media like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Blogs for business purposes, generally labelled Social Business is achieving growing attention in the business community, but most businesses report that they are really at a very preliminary stage in developing it. This according to a study released by Deloitte and MIT Sloan Management Review. Barriers have been lack of a proven business model, lack of a strategy and other priorities.

Nevertheless, this is destined to change quickly. Social media is a very powerful tool, not only for communicating with stakeholders, but also for interacting with customers and others. In addition, and this is a big factor, social media is a critical source of big data, a phenomenon that is in process of revolutionizing the business landscape. Use of bog data for customer relationship management and strategic analytics is rapidly becoming a competitive necessity.

See the Deloitte/MIT study here.

Speaking in Tweets

How twitter is affecting our language. See this article.

Big Data governance Gains in Urgency

Big data is being collected in growing volumes, and becoming more important to a variety of corporate strategic initiatives. But yet, companies are encountering difficulties in making use of the data because it is coming in on different platforms and in different forms. The old classic problem written large.

New forms of data standardization are needed to make them available and consumable across divergent platforms. We've seen progress in the financial world with XBRL, and in various other arenas with XML, but more needs to be done. Here's a take on the issue.

Electronic Publishing - Here and Now

Electronic publishing is now the dominant form of publishing in many fields. It is soon to eclipse the print form in all fields. Check it out in my article here.

New Concerns About Data Privacy

The past couple of years have seen a tremendous emphasis on big data, with all its potential for business applications and for change. But has some of this come at the expense of privacy concerns? While privacy has been a concern for over a decade, since the internet really got started, there has not been as much space devoted to the implications of big data on privacy. Are people getting complacent about privacy, perhaps thinking that the laws now in place have resolved the issue for ever?

In a recent survey of data scientists, 88% of them said that people should indeed be concerned about the data being collected about them and the uses to which it is put. Moreover, they suggest that laws are not enough - that their nascent profession needs a code of ethics. We should hope that happens soon. For more on this, check this article.

The Time is Right for Standardized Data

See this article on Money.ca.

Facebook Launches a New Payment System

Facebook has announced a new payment system which involves shoppers registering their credit card with Facebook and then using their Facebook login to make purchases without having to enter the additional data required my most vendors. It's not likely to be a serious contender, however. Wait for Isis, coming later this year.  

The Internet of Things - Opportunity and Risk

Check out this article on the opportunities and risks involved with having more appliances and devices connected to the internet. http://money.ca/you_and_your_money/2013/08/14/the-internet-of-things-opportunity-and-risk/

Big Data in Perspective

With all the hype over big data lately, it's good to sit back and look at it in a balanced way, to try to see it in perspective. That's why this article is refreshing. It looks at some common myths about big data, and deals with them decisively. Have a read.

How Organic Search Terms Can Save in Online Advertising Costs

Many organizations purchase their online advertising at costs that are growing rapidly. This company, helped by Deloitte, did extensive data analysis on sales and their customers, demographics, etc and determined that the use of organic or natural search terms would yield results as good as the paid advertising at much less cost.  A valuable lesson for all. Check it out here.