Be open: Integrate and let integrate

A key principle I drive at my organization is technical openness. This means all the tech we leverage should be based on open standards and frameworks. There are many reasons for this, including:

• Superior interoperability and integration with other systems.
• Prevents "re-inventing the wheel."
• Avoids being locked into proprietary and costly technologies or vendors.
• Improves agility and choice; can select best-of-breed solutions for each job.
• Broadens support pool and timelines.
• Increases innovation, as open standards invite everyone to participate in providing feedback.

I believe the ability to integrate fast and effectively is a skill which all companies will need to survive over the next few years. This is why the first bullet above is most critical.

Examples of key business integrations 

Here are a few "integrations" which help drive business growth:

1. Pizza Hut can be ordered directly through Amazon Echo (Alexa). Amazon provides vendors a standard way of connecting to their Echo service, and companies like Pizza Hut are able to connect their ordering systems to allow for another potential revenue stream. Pizza Hut was one of the first onto the platform because their systems allow for integrations with external sources to place orders.
   
   
2. Uber is a great example of being able to integrate with various channels. Users can request rides directly within both Google Maps and Facebook Messenger. They try to capitalize on being available to request a ride at the exact moment when someone is likely to need one.

The examples above demonstrate the need for enabling the in-the-moment, simple, and fluid purchasing capabilities. None of which would be possible if the systems were closed and unable to move quickly to meet the changing dynamics of their users. 

There are other examples which do not include purchases, but rather provide information or other service more easily through atypical channels (see KLM's Messenger integration, for example). Those help to drive customer engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty. All wins for good business, and only possible with open technologies.

Integrate and let integrate!

The future: Our fluid connectivity

I enjoy making predictions about the future. It is fun to see how accurate the predictions are as time goes by.

I believe the technologies of the future are a continuous building upon the present. At times inventions may appear to be huge leaps, but in reality they are logical progressions of existing ideas or novel combinations of both existing and new.

The iPhone, for example, can seem extremely ahead of its time (it was, of course, as compared to the competitors), but even that device was a combination of existing tech. As Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone in 2007, he said it was a:

1. Widescreen iPod with touch controls,
2. Revolutionary mobile phone, and
3. Breakthrough internet communicator

MP3 players, mobile phones, and the networks required to communicate over the internet all existed before the iPhone. But the iPhone brought them together in novel ways.

The "problem"

Many innovations aim to solve problems or enhance our way of life. My prediction is no different. Here are some "problems" which I envision can be enhanced:

1. We are dependent on physical screens to access our digital world. TV's, computer monitors, and smartphones all have screens. They are a fixed size, and TV's and PC monitors generally are fixed to a single location. Even with laptops and smartphones, moving around while looking at the screen requires coordination and one or both hands.
2. With these many devices comes different data stores and modes of authentication. At your PC you may store documents, photos, etc. While your Xbox is used for gaming, and your smartphone for apps. Each one is registered to you in some way, usually authenticated by some form of a password. 

The problems listed above may not seem like problems to you, but to me it seems inefficient to depend on so much physical hardware (especially screens and monitors).

My present-day connectivity is intermittent, bouncing between all devices. Here is a typical weekday:

• I wake up and check for any important messages on my smartphone.
• I arrive at work and utilize that PC for work in my office.
• I come home and use my laptop for browsing the web and other personal work. Maybe watch something on TV as well.
• While throughout the day I may have several brief interactions with my smartphone.

Each bullet above requires actively seeking out, authenticating, and differentiating the devices for specific tasks.

My prediction: hyper fluidity
Like the iPhone, my prediction builds on and combines many existing technologies:

1. Wireless hard drives. These devices allow you to connect your data to any device over Wi-Fi. This is useful as it removes the need for wires or complicated connections requiring software, drivers, etc.
2. Smartphone to laptop. This invention allows you to turn your smartphone into a laptop (kind of). Plugging the phone into a special laptop gives you essentially a full laptop experience running off the phone's software.
3. Authentication apps and tech. These allow you to authenticate with other services using a two-factor approach or your fingerprint, eyes, etc.
4. Voice and gesture control. Think Amazon Echo and Xbox Kinect.
5. The cloud. Software as a service through cloud providers is key as it reduces the need for both hardware and software at every endpoint.
6. Drones (of course). Drones are getting quite sophisticated. They can stick to walls and ceilings, and can even coordinate among themselves.

My vision is one of hyper-fluid connectivity. Where your data, files, etc. are always within "reach," but you do not use your hands. Where authentication is seamless. Where moving from business to personal is instant. And where you are not tied to a specific location.

Imagine having a cup of coffee at your kitchen in the morning, and wanting to see the news. Why lug your laptop over? Why pull out your smartphone? Why not be hands-free and have your super-quiet smart drones do it? And they'll do it in a way which ensures proper posture by putting a display at your exact eye level.

Here's a concept sketch -- note that the screen in this is not a typical monitor simply being held up by the drone, rather it could be a projection or other type of light-weight and re-sizable display medium.

Illustration by Empty Bee Artwork & Photography

The Smartphone to Laptop idea listed above demonstrates the desire for people to need just one device for everything. My prediction is that one device will turn into something which can help authenticate and connect to a fleet of drones. It will be the bots who know who you are and which apps, files, etc. you have access to. There be significantly less need for traditional physical screens or monitors. A display will be able to appear anywhere the necessary amount of drones can go.

Our phones may get smaller, and used simply for as a secondary authenticator. Allowing us to connect to drones and other bots as needed. The drones will learn our preferences, styles, and eventually be able to predict what we want. It may not just be displaying the news while drinking coffee, but also making the cup of coffee. 

Will I buy a new TV soon? Yes, probably. But I am hoping soon after I will just need to buy 4K-capable projection drones with internet connectivity, authentication, and swarm capabilities to coordinate between my other ultra-smart drones.

UPDATE (10/24/16): I feel like we are one step closer to the vision above based on this amazing research done by the Ishikawa Watanabe Laboratory in Tokyo. Their image projection technology can keep an image stable even with a moving target object as the screen. Here is their video: