Blog post -

The Connected Workspace

Throwback to before digital

Remember the days of typewriters, filing cabinets and tons of paperwork scattered across desks? Those days are coming to an end and the world is becoming paperless, thanks to digital and apps, that are helping people run their day more effectively, with the swipe of a finger. In fact, 375,000 apps are downloaded from the AppStore and Google Play every minute!

Our lives now revolve around the first thing we pick up in the morning, yes, our mobile phone! And shock, it is the last thing we put down in the evening. We use our mobiles to do everything!

We don’t need to carry money or debit cards anymore, we can just pay via our phone on Apple Pay. And even if we do pay by card, we can pay contactless without a pin! We also don’t have to go into a bank to transfer money anymore, online banking has saved us time!

Getting to work and having to pay for parking is a thing of the past - we can now do it via an app. We do not even have to drive ourselves to work anymore, self-driving cars will do it for us.

Alternatively, commuting to work is now made easier by being able to buy a Virgin Train ticket through Amazon Alexa, without the need to punch a 9-digit code into the ticket collection machine, and running swiftly to ensure that the train doesn’t leave without you!

It is even possible to turn on our washing machine from our desk at work!

We all knew it was coming – but we didn’t realise to the extent of how digitized the world was going to be! Soon, Google Assistant is going to be able to make a phone call to the hairdresser for you!

But is digital making us more productive?

How can we be more productive at work when we can’t possibly put our mobile phone out of reach?

Apps are doing the work for us! Remember that 15-minute call that you used to make to your field workers to inform them about a job? Forget about that! You can now submit a job through a mobile app. As well as recording time sheets, submitting your monthly mileage claim and monitoring where your expensive equipment is! All thanks to digital!

Battery life is however a burden, causing consumers to search for longer lasting battery life, or taking battery packs out in public to avoid the dreaded black screen on their device! This explains why companies are developing their products to have extended battery life.

This is just the start for digital – all of these things will look ancient in a few years! What will the future hold?

Big changes and endless possibilities 

Whether we're talking about smart homes, smart cars, smart cities, or other smart IoT solutions, we are definitely going to see some big changes in the years to come. The man who coined the phrase “Internet of Things” back in 1999, Kevin Ashton, sees the development of Internet of Things as a 100 year roll-out, but believes that in 2030, or thereabouts, we will see a lot of cars driving themselves. And that will of course open up a huge range of possibilities for tradesmen.

Picture this:

You can sleep 15 minutes longer in the mornings, because you can read the news on your mobile phone as your car is taking you to work.

When you arrive at the building site, you realise that you forgot a piece of equipment that you will need later that on that day. Instead of wasting your own time, and the customer's time, by driving back to get it, your car does it for you.

On the way home from work, you can do your shopping whilst in the car, and pick it up as you drive by the grocery store closest to your home.

And when at home, you realise you forgot desert. Well, the car can go get it for you, while you cook dinner.

All of this is just evolving around your car. Think of all the other possibilities! Like having your breakfast ready when you wake up, having AI suggest what to wear today based on the weather, your wardrobe and what you have worn the last week, having your car heated based on what time you have left home the last month, having your coffee ready at your favourite coffee shop based on when you start your car, and so on and so on…

All this comes with the price of giving away data, and “of course” some security concerns. As Forbes.com stated in late 2017, “The more complex, the more network security challenges”. With ABAX you are safe, as we hold the ISO 27001, which addresses information security management. At the same time we have to keep in mind that it took the security industry ten years to secure USB ports. We could face some of the same challenges when opening the OBD-port to connected cars. And of course there is the example of two hackers taking control over a Jeep, and Chrysler having to recall 1.4 million cars.

Digital is providing organisations with instant access to their clients and employees. As well as encouraging employees to work out of hours, due to the rise in video conferencing like Skype - and the ability to communicate with people sat in different offices.

ABAX aim to be at the forefront of the technological development, and we always strive to give our customers the best possible solutions and customer support, based on feedback, profitability and new technological possibilities.

With our thinking around SaaS (software as a service) we aim to be a provider of multiple services with just one product. We are always aiming to make our products more streamlined, and to make sure they are integrated with each other. All this to make the interface and usage of the service as smooth as possible. With a range of upcoming features, our services will be easier to make benefit of, and make the whole workforce connect to and use it every day. This will be more profitable for the company, and make everyone's workday more productive.

Embrace the opportunities of the future, don't fear them.

ABAX… Solutions Provider for the Connected Workspace

Topics

  • Cars and traffic