An article on itnewsafrica.com has provided information on Dell and Intel’s Future Workforce Study, which reported that nearly half of employees in Europe and South African regions feel as though their present employer is not implementing new technology advances.

Research firm PSB used the study to survey almost 4000 fulltime employees from a range of business sizes. Results determined that those polled in the UK, France, Germany and South Africa do not think they will be working in a smart office within the next five years. The article weighs Chris Buchanan, Client Solutions Director at Dell South Africa, in on the subject, “today’s workforce has a growing expectation that their employers integrate the latest technologies seamlessly and securely into their working lives”. Buchanan goes on to say that adding new technologies is, “a business-critical opportunity for companies to be at the forefront of the future workplace and enable the future workforce”.

Itnewsafrica.com names some highlights from the Study:
• Augmented Reality, along with Virtual Reality, may be present in the workplace sooner than expected; with 61% of South Africans stating that they would be willing to use such technologies in their professional lives. Training on new skills in realistic virtual environments, problem solving or coming up with new ideas via 3D visualisation and presenting to clients using immersive technologies are stated as the most frequently cited user cases for new technologies.
• Technology is significant if employers want to keep talented millennial employees, with 1 in 3 South Africans being inclined to leave their jobs if technology provided by their employer is not up to standard.

A recent article by TechCo discusses five key technology trends that should be taken notice of, especially as 2016 has seen a drastic increase in advanced tech development.

These trends are:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Digital health / biotech
• Sports and recreation tech
• Augmented Reality
• The future of transportation

However, the article mainly focuses on Augmented Reality, explaining how its development means it will enable consumers and users to “break out of the confines of our screens.” It goes on to discuss how the increase of AR technology is partially because of our desire to make digital experiences, such as video chats, more human and connected to the real world.
Augmented Reality in comparison Virtual Reality is also briefly mentioned; a range of industries are investing in AR, showing that it has a more promising future than VR. In terms of the healthcare industry, other technologies are being produced, leading to a larger amount of data being collected in order to improve the quality of healthcare.

A recent article from TheBusinessDeck has reported that the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership will invest £5 million in the University of Nottingham’s Institute of Advanced Manufacturing, UK. It is expected that by the end of 2017, construction on the centre (located near Derby Road) will be completed. This will cost a total of approximately £23 million, including the £5 million investment from the LEP which has been confirmed by the Infrastructure and Investment Board of D2N2.
Advanced facilities for teaching, training, and research in manufacturing will be available, enabling graduates to provide for the local and wider community using skills gained. The new Institute will produce an 8000 square metre training and research area, and is predicted to create many jobs within its initial five years. In addition to this, it will aid manufacturing companies in the LEP and other areas, using expert skills to attend to technical faults and help promote new technology products.
The chief executive of the D2N2 LEP, David Ralph, is quoted to have said that the Institute will be a world-class facility that will help establish a new industrial strategy as the Government desires, especially in manufacturing. He also said that it will allow organisations to grow through creating new products and innovating, as well as attract skilled individuals and keep talented graduates. The D2N2 is also pursuing the same aims as the new Institute via European funding.

The press release issued by SB Wire gives information about the Smart Glass market.
Global Smart Glass Market includes Market Share, Trends, Research, Review, Analysis, Demand, Growth, Supply Chain, Revenue, Growth Rate, Gross Margin, Size, Key Manufacturers Analysis and Forecast.
The report offers an in-depth study of the “Global Smart Glass Market”.

The “Smart Glass” report offers the following:
• Projects the growth rate of the Smart Glass market during the forecast period
• Brief overview Smart Glass market
• Estimates the size and valuation of the Smart Glass industry in the coming years
• Key drivers and restraints affecting the growth of the Smart Glass market
• Latest trends in the Worldwide Smart Glass market
• Opportunities for the Smart Glass market to grow in the near future
• Segments the Worldwide Smart Glass market on the basis of product type, Smart Glass Market application, and end user segments
• Lists some of the key players and analyzes their share in the Smart Glass market

A Sample of the Report can be accessed here.

Earlier this week, Perkins Coie and Upload released the results of a survey they had conducted, involving ARVR startup founders and tech company executives.

Challenges facing mass adoption of Augmented and Virtual Reality are listed in the report, including:

• Inadequate content offerings
• Regulation and legal risks
• Tech and intellectual property licensing
• Product liability/health and safety issues
• Consumer privacy/data security
• User experience (e.g. technical glitches)
• Cost
• Lack of an established market
• Requires more time and resources to develop technology
• Funding rounds for startups are still quite small

However, it is anticipated that AR will gain more traction in the near future, since its potential to attract consumers was realised even before the Pokemon Go phenomenon. As well as affordable apps and games, AR can offer practical uses. In addition, 89% of respondents to the survey said that in the next two years, VR and smartphone manufacturers will prioritise mobile VR tech development; this continued focus on mobile devices tackles problems related to bulky equipment requirements and cost.
ARVR startup respondents are also taking a long-term view by considering their growth strategy over the next three years. Will Mason, co-founder of Upload is quoted to have said that this is due to the evolution of the ARVR ecosystem, and startup companies are also actively seeking funding for growth.

Sectors expected to get the majority of investment for ARVR tech in the next year went as follows:

• Gaming (78% of respondents)
• Movies and television (40% of respondents)
• Live events (34% of respondents)
• Education (30% of respondents)
• Healthcare/medical devices (24% of respondents)

A post on ptc.com recently wrote of how Augmented Reality is reshaping field service. The article states that the recent popularity of the smart phone based game Pokémon GO proves just how quickly consumers can become accustomed to viewing both digital and physical content. This creates the potential for enterprise adoption of Augmented Reality for multiple uses, such as field service and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul operations. Deloitte Consulting claims the field service industry is set to benefit.

Augmented Reality (AR) can help in field service by:

• The power of visual information, delivering multimedia content to an abundance of different learners. With 65 percent of the population being visual learners, AR devices on, for example, tablets, allow the use of imagery in order to understand information. Verbal learners also benefit from hearing the information, which can be delivered from AR, as can experiential learners, who learn by doing, with AR giving them the opportunity to physically put their hands on equipment.
• Engaging a new generation of technicians, with the excitement and addictive way AR delivers content. Many of the media-savvy generation would rather take training in field service tasks with information delivered by Augmented Reality than by other means.
• Field service effectiveness, making sure that the right people with the correct skills are in the proper place. Although Augmented Reality is diverse and may aid a range of products, this article suggests that the results remain the same: improving first-time fix rates and average repair times.

A recent article on the Information Age website spells out the network risks associated with Augmented Reality in the enterprise. Now that mobile devices have the processing power and connectivity to fully support Augmented Reality, the flip side of this is the potential privacy risks of having always—on, geo-located devices.

This article points out the security risks to organisations that have under-prepared for the impact AR will have on networks as more AR apps are introduced. Repair and maintenance are key uses of AR technology: replicate this across a number of employees using devices or wearables and the traffic that crosses an organisation’s network could potentially reveal IP addresses, location and type of device including user permissions. Intercepted by a hacker, this could be dangerous, potentially combining location data with other personal information to build detailed targeted user behaviour profiles.

The article examines the type of network traffic generated by an AR app and draws on research from Ixia, who recently analysed communications between the Pokémon Go app and the Niantic servers.
Snooping potential and data manipulation could be possible if the app’s security is vulnerable, particularly as AR is personalised to the user’s situation. Malware issues are discussed: key loggers, remote access Trojan or an agent that downloads further malware to the network via the device.

The article goes on to explain how organisations can implement protective measures in their AR risk mitigation strategy, namely:
1. Mobile device management (MDM) solution
2. Employee training and awareness to guard against human error and carelessness
3. Visibility of app traffic on your network

A variety of tools and solutions are available to offer network visibility, with intelligent filtering and distribution, ensuring end-to-end visibility.

In January of this year, the 19th Annual Global CEO Survey showed that the majority of CEOs (77%) believe that advances in technology will transform their business over the next five years. A recent PwC technology article has expanded on this, explaining that businesses struggle to keep up with the acceleration of technology, despite more executives becoming knowledgeable about tech.

The article mentions five catalysts of change that contribute towards companies integrating technology in their industry:
• Becoming more comfortable with technology
• Globalisation of technology
• Advantage of technology in terms of competition
• Cheaper access to technology
• The multiplier effect of technology
In addition, PwC analysed technologies with the most impact, and made a list of eight essential technologies that are currently relevant:
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• 3D Printing
• Virtual Reality (VR)
• Augmented Reality (AR)
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Robots
• Drones
• Blockchain
Finally, the article claims that the technologies above will greatly affect certain aspects of business, including:
• Customer Engagement
• People and Talent
• Strategy
• Operations
• Compliance

It concludes by advising CEOs to strategically use technology to their company’s advantage as well as protecting their business against competitors using the technology. An important part of any business’s strategy should be developing their action plan for using new technology. Although it is difficult to get ahead of changes in technology, companies must adapt. Questions are also posed in order to aid organisations in their involvement with technology, such as whether or not they have a lasting innovation process.

A recent article by BusinessCloud.com suggested that implantable technology will replace wearable technology. Tech devices are expected to evolve along with the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT), according to Chris Cooke, IT director of an app development company called Appitized. He is quoted to have said that he can visualise a time in the future when a device that is constantly accumulating data can be implanted into a person.

Cooke’s company developed the Pocket Midwife app, which has been downloaded by over 10,000 pregnant women and their partners, from over 100 different countries. Analytics data for usage including screen views is currently being used from a marketing and development point of view. The Healthcare apps are now being reviewed for their effectiveness by a new system.

Regarding healthcare apps, Cooke has also said that the potential for progressing is great. He said that “cancer costs the NHS £5 billion per year”, therefore data being collected by apps could be extremely beneficial. In addition, the article mentions that Google’s Verity Life Sciences recently partnered with GlaxoSmithKline in order to research the manufacture of miniature implants that can treat chronic diseases.

The hotel industry is using Augmented Reality to gain competitive advantage according to a blog on the Samsung Insights website. There are a variety of practical uses of Augmented Reality in the hospitality industry, which is helping hotels to differentiate themselves. The article points to a variety of technology providers and hotels that are making use of Augmented Reality:
• Finding your way around points of interest – in a similar way to Google Maps, each wall has a map of the area and travellers can see information about local points of interest
• Augmented Reality can help highlight local amenities and help visitors find their way around
• Property Previews – augmented printed brochures are used in marketing to demonstrate their accommodation and amenities to potential guests
• Destinology and Best Western are using street view guides of the hotels so potential guests can more easily get a feel for the locality in which the hotel is based
• Room selection at point of booking may be done via Augmented Reality
• A useful features for travellers is using Augmented Reality to enable immediate translation of signs, menus and other written materials around the hotel
• Interactive entertainment is possible via Augmented Reality such as with Blippar’s app which enables trivia games accessed via coasters, amongst other uses
• Hotels are using Augmented Reality to envision interior décor prior to investing in new schemes