By: Eva Schoenleitner, Vice President of Product Marketing at Sage North America
If you’re old enough, think of a time before the smartphone. A time before apps, touchscreens and a choice between Apple and Android devices. Think back to the early 90’s. If you were using a mobile phone then, you wouldn’t have been blamed for thinking phablets and tablets were a far off dream. But look at us now, a world full of powerful gadgets connected by high-speed 4G connections – and soon to be 5G.
In a similar way, we’re only at the start of our journey with wearables and the Internet of Things. We’ve only touched on IoT’s potential with devices like the Fitbit, Microsoft Band and Apple Watch. But we haven’t seen convincing evidence that it could affect the places we spend much of our lives in – the workplace.
Wearables in the office
Wearable devices will get better and less expensive. Connections will become faster and more stable – you only have to compare the speeds of 3G and 4G to see how quickly the mobile world moves. At work, every small improvement (like the unobtrusive alert of a smartwatch), can help with productivity, collaboration and efficiency.
In the workplace small increases in efficiency can add up, and with a device like a smartwatch, you can already see the practical business applications. For example, employees could have access to emails, calls and text messages with a quick glance. For those in the market for a smartwatch, it’s easy to spot just how in demand this popular technology is by taking a look at the vast options available – in other words, you won’t be forced to wear the same watch as your colleagues, there are many fashionable choices. But just like smartphones, it’s the availability of apps which will be key to seeing a major use of wearables in the workplace. We’re seeing it at a basic level, with businesses developing wearable apps looking similar to the work they’ve done on smartphone apps. Financial companies have been getting into the act, providing mobile banking apps that suit smartwatches after having success with a smartphone version.
Changing the way we work
To get small businesses interested, it is access to data which is key. Connected devices and the Internet of Things offer huge opportunity for entrepreneurs to access important actionable information on the go.
It’s already part of a smartphones armoury, so why not put on a watch that is running an app using your data in an insightful way? Imagine speaking to your smartwatch and getting an update on your financial status through a computerised virtual assistant.
At this time, it’s hard to imagine wearables as making the same impact as smartphones – but then again when we were texting and calling with the first mobile phones, could we imagine the progression of technology to create what we have now?
This is only the start of a connected world and creating apps for wearables will eventually be a key growth point for businesses. In this sense the Internet of Things will become the Workplace of Things.
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This entry was posted on February 25, 2016 at 11:00 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Sage. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Guest Post: The Wearable Workplace Is Closer Than You Think
By: Eva Schoenleitner, Vice President of Product Marketing at Sage North America
If you’re old enough, think of a time before the smartphone. A time before apps, touchscreens and a choice between Apple and Android devices. Think back to the early 90’s. If you were using a mobile phone then, you wouldn’t have been blamed for thinking phablets and tablets were a far off dream. But look at us now, a world full of powerful gadgets connected by high-speed 4G connections – and soon to be 5G.
In a similar way, we’re only at the start of our journey with wearables and the Internet of Things. We’ve only touched on IoT’s potential with devices like the Fitbit, Microsoft Band and Apple Watch. But we haven’t seen convincing evidence that it could affect the places we spend much of our lives in – the workplace.
Wearables in the office
Wearable devices will get better and less expensive. Connections will become faster and more stable – you only have to compare the speeds of 3G and 4G to see how quickly the mobile world moves. At work, every small improvement (like the unobtrusive alert of a smartwatch), can help with productivity, collaboration and efficiency.
In the workplace small increases in efficiency can add up, and with a device like a smartwatch, you can already see the practical business applications. For example, employees could have access to emails, calls and text messages with a quick glance. For those in the market for a smartwatch, it’s easy to spot just how in demand this popular technology is by taking a look at the vast options available – in other words, you won’t be forced to wear the same watch as your colleagues, there are many fashionable choices. But just like smartphones, it’s the availability of apps which will be key to seeing a major use of wearables in the workplace. We’re seeing it at a basic level, with businesses developing wearable apps looking similar to the work they’ve done on smartphone apps. Financial companies have been getting into the act, providing mobile banking apps that suit smartwatches after having success with a smartphone version.
Changing the way we work
To get small businesses interested, it is access to data which is key. Connected devices and the Internet of Things offer huge opportunity for entrepreneurs to access important actionable information on the go.
It’s already part of a smartphones armoury, so why not put on a watch that is running an app using your data in an insightful way? Imagine speaking to your smartwatch and getting an update on your financial status through a computerised virtual assistant.
At this time, it’s hard to imagine wearables as making the same impact as smartphones – but then again when we were texting and calling with the first mobile phones, could we imagine the progression of technology to create what we have now?
This is only the start of a connected world and creating apps for wearables will eventually be a key growth point for businesses. In this sense the Internet of Things will become the Workplace of Things.
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This entry was posted on February 25, 2016 at 11:00 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Sage. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.