SherpaDesk: Hi Josh, it has been a while since we heard from you and your coverage of the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show. What have you been up to?
Josh Bradshaw: I've been a bit of a moving target, and that’s reflective of the current state of technology in general. Things are moving and changing at a very fast pace, so there's a lot of activity to follow. Making informed decisions on what a business's next steps should be is becoming more critical than ever. That said, I've spent my time digging in on primarily three technology trends that are buzzing right now. First, the Internet of Things. Of course, there was activity in IoT last year and the previous four years. But this year we're seeing a buzz around IoT solutions that can generate real value for those who deploy them.
Second, innovation centers are growing and finding ways to be relevant beyond Silicon Valley. I spent three weeks exploring opportunities in the Australian innovation ecosystem earlier this year in both Sydney and Melbourne. I've also been engaged with people involved with programs in The Netherlands, Portugal, Israel, Bangladesh, and China. What I'm seeing is the growth and development of innovation ecosystems around the world. The third is the merging of OT and IT. There is a growing need for the operational technologies (OT) inside commercial real estate (office buildings) to merge with a business's IT systems and departments, particularly IT network administration and security.
SherpaDesk: IoT, international innovation, and IT security. That sounds like a lot of interesting innovation going on right now.
Josh Bradshaw: Silicon Valley offers a front row seat to the future that isn't for the faint of heart! Some of the stuff that has been developed here will, shortly, become commonplace, including the concept of Silicon Valley itself. New mini-Silicon Valleys are spreading all over the USA and the world. Hence "Silicon Beach" in Santa Monica (Los Angeles), "Silicon Alley" in New York and London's "Silicon Roundabout", among others.
SherpaDesk: Tell us more about what you see as the main current trend in IoT.
Josh Bradshaw: There is no industry in the world that will not be impacted by IoT technologies. The reality is that the IoT will be the most disruptive thing to happen in tech since the Industrial Revolution. I know that is a bold claim, but it's true. The best thing technology leaders can do is be aware of the opportunities that the IoT provides before they become a threat to your business. Nobody wants their company or business unit to become the next Blockbuster, so everybody should make an effort to stay ahead of the curve. This applies whether you’re developing IoT technologies and applications, or, in the case of IT Helpdesk pros, servicing them.
SherpaDesk: What are the key IoT developments to follow?
Josh Bradshaw: The digital media is full of noise, and it can be hard to see the forest for the trees. To combat this, my advice for business owners and IT managers is to make sure to consume content from reputable sites (avoid fake news!). Also, don't be afraid to reach out to subject matter experts. You can get some real insights that way that can make a real positive impact on your business. I also like talking to people at conferences and events. You can learn a lot about the heartbeat of the IoT as an industry by talking to people in the hallways and break areas at conferences. Out on the exhibit floors and up on stage you see and hear all the sales and marketing pitches, but in the hallways, you get a real vibe for what's going on.
SherpaDesk: Is there an upcoming IoT event you'd recommend?
Josh Bradshaw: First I recommend that you find something local. IoT activity isn't just focused in Silicon Valley anymore, so small business owners and IT helpdesk managers should be able to find something in nearly every major metropolitan area. These events are ideal hubs to make connections with people at the heart of new IoT developments. Grab a coffee or beer with some of them and toss questions around. You will be surprised at the speed of new technology, so it pays to stay at the forefront of what's coming down the pipeline. That way your small business and IT team can be ready for them (and that way stay ahead of the competition).
In Silicon Valley itself, we have the IoT World conference coming to Santa Clara in May. I'll be there to attend sessions, but as mentioned earlier, I'll also be talking to people in the hallways and break areas to get the real scoop on what's going on. This conference will have some real superstar panelists and presenters, and you can gain access to them if you're quick to reach the stage immediately after a session!
(For more details on the IoT World conference visit their site.)
SherpaDesk: Let's move on to the second trend you mentioned: International innovation. Why is the growth in international innovation ecosystems so important?
Josh Bradshaw: You don't have to be in Silicon Valley to be an innovator. Being here can help get your startup going by providing access to capital and tech talent. However, if you're solving IT problems anywhere else on the globe, you need to be close to your customers. And even though it's always a good idea to have a lifeline to Silicon Valley, your business's focus should remain as local as possible (at least until you've conquered your market). Several communities and countries have tried to create a second Silicon Valley. None have been as successful yet, but this will surely change in the future. The international programs that are most successful will create opportunities to leverage the best of what Silicon Valley has to offer the rest of the world.
SherpaDesk: What international tech hub is the most interesting right now?
Josh Bradshaw: More and more of these international tech hubs are producing positive results. In Melbourne, for example, I spoke to the Technology and Entrepreneurship club at Melbourne Business School and to a group of Angel Investors about a change in their local ecosystem that occurred sometime between 2013 and now: Follow-on investing.
Five years before, if the innovator team hadn't reached their goals, there was little or no follow-on investing to help them continue. Investors didn't have the appetite to take on additional risk. The startup would then die, and the entrepreneurs would have a hard time finding investment for new ideas or even landing a new job in an established company for that matter because the failure tainted their reputation. In 2018 this is very different. Follow-on investing is now a thing, and that's helping to keep companies going. Follow-on investment also provides entrepreneurs with more opportunities following a "failure" because the failure isn't seen as a failure that would bar them from future access to investment for the right idea. Melbourne has reached a point where an entrepreneur failing is seen as a growth experience. And Melbourne isn't unique; this is happening in innovation markets all around the world.
SherpaDesk: You mentioned new developments within OT and IT.
Josh Bradshaw: Yes, the merging of OT and IT has come to the forefront.
When I became an IT Manager back in 2005, I would have never thought that the building we were in could itself become a security vulnerability. The 2013 Target hack and a more recent story from a ski resort hotel in the Austrian Alps are two real examples of building systems that became real IT headaches for those involved. When it comes to operating technology in the physical structure of a building or OT, you have to be as cautious as you would when installing a regular network. Security is crucial for new OT solutions that leverage IoT, data, and analytics in the cloud. This is going to be one of the key topics of a conference that I'll be attending in June called RealComm.
RealComm is a real estate-technology conference, and while real estate itself is an industry that hasn't seen a lot of change, this conference is cutting edge. It will bring together a great group of people concerned about the merging of OT and IT. For years, real estate developers operated in silos with very little interaction with IT or even the people that would occupy their buildings. Now, however, we are moving towards more open and interoperable systems that are connected 24x7 while being accessed from anywhere in the world. This presents new challenges for IT and OT professionals that must provide the right security measures and standards so that business operations are not adversely impacted. Tools like SherpaDesk's IT Helpdesk software can help these professionals and their businesses stay on top of their customer's needs in the face of these new technologies, while keeping their team of IT pros on top of their workflows and in communication with each other. Communication is the key, now that everything can be part of the network.
SherpaDesk: Josh it has been great speaking with you today. Thank you for sharing with us, and we look forward to your report from IoT World in May.
Josh Bradshaw: You're welcome. Stay tuned for my IoT World report.