By 2030 every company is predicted to be technology company; it’s thought 85% of jobs are not even invented yet.This doesn’t necessarily mean every company will be selling technology products but that every company will rely on its interaction with technology for revenue. A lot of the automation tools we will be using also don’t exist yet. We like to speculate which type of robot will be the first to take over but, the better question is, how can we best prepare for what is to come?
A mindset based on security is where we should start. When embracing new technologies in the workplace we should remain somewhat critical to ensure we fully understand the risks posed despite the benefits a product offers. Whether that’s data loss or susceptibility to hacking; understanding where the potential risks lie is a crucial consideration when integrating new technology.
Patty Patria, vice president of IT at Becker College says the best way to mitigate risk is to have layers of protection that can be used to counter the known security risks of emerging technology as well as any potential threats that haven't yet been identified. Ensuring employees have adequate training and knowledge of this is also of crucial importance.
Of course understanding which technologies pose the most significant threat to your industry (drones at Gatwick anyone?) is another crucial consideration when preparing for the challenges emerging technologies will throw up. The rate of change is now so fast it’s hard to keep up with what products are available and what could happen if they make their way into the wrong hands. However, this still doesn’t make it impossible to know where the weaknesses in your sector are and what could potentially cause a threat.
Creating awareness of jobs which investigate the risks posed by new technologies is another positive step towards managing our safe interaction with the future digital world. Tech futurists, for example, forecast what could potentially go wrong with technology products which are up coming in the mainstream in the business world. One prominent example of this could be, how likely it is that Blockchain might be used for fraudulent activity.
While Cybersecurity is a top priority for most IT teams across the globe, the main issue is according to Frank Ford, leader of the cybersecurity practice at Bain & Co, that official benchmarks do not exist. Of course governments need to step up and ensure policy is keeping up with industry but at the rate the tech industry changes this is much easier said than done. According to a Dell report on the impact of emerging technologies in the workplace the rate of change will be so fast that people will be learning the skills they require in the moment as requirements change at such a rapid rate.
By far the best way way we can continue to integrate technology into our lives effectively, safely and seamlessly is through education. Not just in schools and universities but as individual consumers. Do we know all the risks we are exposing ourselves to when using a phone on a daily basis? We should aim to be less passive in our consumption of technology. We need to encourage the idea of challenging what we know about our phone/laptop and whether we fully understand what it means for companies to have so much data about us.
Understanding the technologies, how they work, how they can be built and the implications of their use; is the capability that the content offered by the Magpie app is designed to develop in learners. Magpie provides a continuing education programme that aids in the navigation of the ever changing landscape of technology. This programme will help maximise the opportunities offered by technology.
It’s impossible to always be fully up to date with emerging technologies but having an understanding of the risks posed by new technologies is crucial to our safe integration with machines. This understanding will not only improve our future productivity but also our quality of life.
Find out more about how we are teaching awareness of rising technologies here.
