Insights for Enterprise Mobile Device Management from TechXLR8
At the recent TechXLR8 conference, tech industry leaders, startups, and analysts from all over the world discussed exciting innovations such as 5G, smart cities, and AI. One overarching theme explored during the event was how strong partnerships and infrastructure will support enterprise mobile device management in the connected future.
As part of that conversation, technology leaders from several companies explored the role innovative technology plays and the transformative impact it has on their goals. Here's a look at where mobility will take businesses next, and how partnerships will be key to making further innovation possible.
Enterprise Mobile Device Management and Collaboration
Not long from now, enterprise mobile device management will encompass a much broader range of devices. In other words, it won't just be that Apple Watch you keep checking during slightly soul-crushing weekly meetings — it'll also be the self-driving cab you jump into to get to that meeting on time. In addition to smartphones, tablets, and wearables, there will be a raft of new Internet of Things (IoT) and connected devices joining the enterprise mobile landscape. For enterprises to flourish in this new environment, they will require a robust infrastructure.
Of course, building out a next-generation infrastructure such as 5G will require substantial investments on the carrier side, and that's where the need for industry partnerships comes in. Telenor Norway CEO Berit Svendsen had much to say on this topic at TechXLR8's 5G World keynote panel. In order to ensure success with 5G, she argued, it will be important to establish strong business and use cases before taking the plunge.
She listed autonomous driving, remote surgery, and fish farming as three use cases that her firm considered investigating. By partnering with industries on such use cases, Svendsen argued, operators will ultimately be better able to monetize 5G and create revenue down the road. And, in doing so, they will pave the way for a more reliable mobile network that supports enterprise business innovation, such as IoT collaboration, in a wide range of verticals.
Smart Cities with Public- and Private-Sector Partnerships
Smart cities are on the way, too, and they're going to feature a lot more than flying cars — although folks are obviously excited about those flying cars. Global hubs including London aim to create technologically enhanced urban environments in which nearly every object — from lighting to parking meters to even self-driving shuttles — is connected, equipped with sensors, optimized for efficiency, and administered remotely in the cloud. Such ventures will require serious and thoughtful collaboration among numerous players to succeed.
TechXLR8 featured several sessions in which panelists explored how smart cities will need to integrate with IoT devices, transportation, big data, and open data in order to achieve their potential. Speakers questioned whether governments will be able to contribute the full amount of funding that will be necessary to pursue these urban technology enhancements, raising the importance of partnerships between the public and private sectors.
Startups will play a role, too: Winners of the HackXLR8 hackathon unveiled their prototype for a smart IoT device that collects and stores air quality data, to be used in addressing London's air pollution problem. Enterprising technology companies will pursue opportunities to partner with local governments on similar initiatives as smart cities come online and become even more developed.
AI and Robotics
You don't have to be a science-fiction fan to know that AI will have a huge impact on businesses. At TechXLR8, panelists investigated it from a variety of angles: the role of big data, how AI blends with robotics, use cases in banking and telecommunications, and the importance of partnerships.
According to Tech Radar, Dr. David Hanson, panelist and CEO of Hanson Robotics, announced his company will be partnering with Disney to create robotic versions of famous Disney characters with advanced AI capabilities. This breakthrough will lead to more than just robots greetings guests at Disney theme parks, however: It will pave the way for machines that can interact with customers and learn from them, developing emotional intelligence.
It's clear that innovations such as 5G, smart cities, and AI stand ready to change the way enterprises do business. In order to realize that potential, however, industry and the public sector must form strong partnerships. And according to the conversations at this year's TechXLR8, it appears that some of those collaborations are already under way. Businesses will want to closely follow these trends to learn how they evolve over the coming months and years.
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