Technology is a Consumer Driven Market

Can you believe the smart phone in your pocket is more powerful than the computer used by NASA during the Apollo mission?

I purchased my first mobile phone in 1989, spending over $2,500 for a bag phone connected to a large battery case hardwired in my vehicle – no texting, no Internet – but it honked my horn when it rang! Today personal devices are used for everything from work to entertainment. Experts agree few technologies have influenced daily life as much as the always-connected supercomputers we carry in our pockets. The smartphone revolutionized how we communicate, work, shop, travel, consume media, date, socialize and take pictures. While manufacturers continually improve performance, form factor and overall experience the greatest fundamental transformation is the invention of applications and “the app store” where third party developers build, upgrade and modify software.

As consumer electronics continue to enhance our lives, how does this ever-changing technology affect schools, work, retail, church, entertainment and hospitality?

Planning

When professionals construct new buildings, upgrade facilities and adopt new market trends it is vital to match design and function with expected outcomes. It is in your organization’s best interest to reach out to a technology industry expert that will verify and validate your plan. In today’s savvy consumer climate, businesses like restaurants or hotels must provide the best first experience based on social media relations; first impressions can impact the future viability of that investment. Again, you can’t underestimate the criticalness of those first positive reviews!

Interoperability

As integral as applications are to the viability of smartphones, there are similar adoptions developing in the workplace – where professionals use tablets in retail, healthcare and service industries and utilize business apps remotely. Mobility and flexibility are key for business workflow and effective communication is important whether it’s systems, people or processes. We use voice recognition on our phones, automobiles and homes – imagine how your time could benefit from a digital assistant in the office.

Integration

Control, compliance and security updates are rapidly impacting technology. It’s irresponsible to provide legacy designs where systems operate in silos, independent and unable to interact. When considering what operations spend, we can show cost savings of nearly a 3:1 ratio on your initial investment. Many properly-designed enterprise systems can incorporate automation and intelligent monitoring to help save you time and money. Take for example, personal wearable technology used for monitoring, measuring, and improving healthcare outcomes; many company healthcare insurance programs now offer free devices to their plan holders. Even the smallest technology is impacting and improving business.

The $1,000 phone in your pocket enables you to run your life and business and in today’s highly connected environment can’t be down or offline – seconds count in today’s business world. Why is there such a disconnect between business and technology? Is it that vendors don’t want to protect their work, or because manufacturers and installers are ill-informed about properly integrating the network? Or are businesses leaning on too much support from one entity? I would say it may be a bit of each. Here at Ferho we enjoy designing systems using open standards and an eye for the future, ultimately protecting your investment long-term.