Cyber – Trends Digest

I-Robot’s New Remote Dr. Robot

Not only has the tech sector been relatively recession proof, but the next monster tech wave is on its way. There are a number of trends coinciding that should give the tech sector, yet, another boost. While this is good for Silicon Valley and the other tech hubs, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a signal of health in the economy but rather a shifting of efficiencies. The next boom will continue to sharpen the stark contrasts between unskilled and highly specialized elements of the labor force.

I-Robot’s Remote Dr. Robot
health care costs, higher tax rates, reductions in across-the-board government spending, expanded oversight and federal regulation all create fertile ground for squeezing even more efficiencies out of every corner of the economy. And those efficiencies are going to come from productivity gains from the tech sector. At the root of it is tech’s deeper reach into automation and ability to cut overhead by getting more humans out of the loop or multiply the efforts of humans who are in short supply, such as Long Island Jewish Medical’s Center’s use of a mobile tele-robot to make doctor visits when the doctor is away from the hospital. More hospitals are turning to advanced robotics for pharmaceutical inventory control and data management, as well as basic functions for monitoring patient care. Mobile apps connected to telematics applications are eliminating city parking meters and allowing remote monitoring of parking spaces. Small satellite imaging from space is creating mountains of data that can now be used for monitoring crops, writing home insurance policies, and monitoring pipelines. As the economy bumps along into 2014, the next wave of worker automation is likely going to build momentum. As technology keeps reaching down and eating more layers of the workforce, it becomes apparent that the workforce will be sharply divided between no tech and high-tech. Workers with only rudimentary technical skill sets are a target for automation. Technologies that have been in the pipeline and not quite ready for prime time will be dressed up and sent to market. Think PRODUCTIVITY. The next tech boom will be enabled by expansion of enhanced broadband and smart sensor applications with back end “big data” functionality. Both Silicon Valley and retail got a boost from automation in the 90’s by inventory control tagging and software. Next generation advanced will draw the product and consumer even closer and reduce even more humans and middlemen. RFID and Near Field communication (NFC) have had mixed results in bringing drive through check-out to carts full of groceries in the U.S. But next generation automation has a stronger wave behind it, as more earnings pressures befall major industries. Improvement in security, sensitivity, and performance of short range radio frequency chips, like Near Field and RFID will usher in another mass adoption, as wireless broadband expands and M2M (machine to machine) proliferates. Retail, healthcare, automotive, banking, and energy are examples of a few sectors that will be pressured by deeper automation due to cost and regulatory impacts.
Here‘s a list of just a few of the technologies that we believe will help heat up the next tech boom.
There are a lot more companies that will benefit from the coming wave. For a more detailed analysis, contact us at: Team@trendsdigest.com. TD

The Billion Dollar Cyber Heist

Every time we turn on the news, we hear the word “cyber” so much that it’s become merged in a decoupage of meaningless chatter. But, what does it really mean?

Almost every global corporation relies on connectivity to the internet through a range of electronic devices. The world has become the domain for billions of chips and interconnected devices activated by a plethora of electronic signals. In just a few short years, endless numbers of end user devices gained IP addresses and the ability to be remotely activated for everything from remote meter reading and home security monitoring, to detecting when you are out of milk in your refrigerator. So, from Budweiser beer, to internal computers on our cars, to nuclear plants, gazillions of devices have become accessible over the network. Not only do we now have countless numbers of devices linked by wireless networks, but we have an ongoing barrage of software maladies lurking in lines of poorly crafted or malicious code which can often carry nasty little destructive payloads (viruses, trojans, etc.).

By integrating cellular networks, WIFI networks, and long haul networks, someone in another global location could theoretically access your cell phone, computer, or a nuclear power plant, oil rig, or the power grid. We often forget about the infinitesimal number of devices getting connecting to the net as time progresses. We also forget just how much of our life is dependent upon computers. This becomes rapid reality when you realize your SUV’s onboard computer system has failed and door locks, windows, and transmission begin to malfunction.

RFID tags have long been the paradise-sought of the grocery store business, which may, one day soon, send checkers into workforce obsolescence as “drive through” carts, scanning the entire mound of groceries take their place. What Cyber gurus lose sleep over is not the many networked devices and hack-ability of computers and cell phones, but the vulnerability of critical infrastructure, such as the power grid, oil and gas infrastructure, banking, and any connected infrastructure that can disrupt commerce or simply make the economy screech to a terminal halt.

Many industry executives are often quite surprised when they learn that someone can remotely tinker with their equipment since they are usually thinking about computer viruses. On a daily basis, our world becomes increasingly more interconnected through the internet, presenting the possibility that physical objects containing computer chips and signal receivers can be tampered with, from simply being disabled, to being remotely blown-up through a variety of means.

TrendsDigest will soon release its Sector Cyber Analysis Report (SCAR) detailing challenges faced by individual sectors. TD

The Next Tech Boom

The Billion Dollar Cyber Heist

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The Next Tech Boom

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The Billion Dollar Cyber Heist

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