It has been a period of digital revolution, motivated by global needs on a human level in developing countries, in consumerism, connectivity, the vast amounts of data and emerging technologies created to control, analyze and process it. Digital transformation in all organizations is being driven by business needs with the realization of the necessity to embrace an ever more tech-savvy workforce and public. Whether in the service industries, manufacturing, finance or government, institutions and companies need to know more than ever before what their clients’ needs are, what their customers want and what their citizens expect. This brave new world is being pervaded by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud computing, chatbots and Internet of Things.
Devices too are evolving. The smart phone, now commonplace and in the hands of almost every person in the developed world, is being enhanced by tools such as Alexa and other digital assistants. In the UK, for example, people use Alexa to report crime. Several governments are using chatbots as ‘artificial conversational’ systems for communicating their services. One of many is in Mississippi, where ‘Ask Missi’ allows citizens to access government information. Furthermore, digital assistants and cognitive computing facilitated by mobile, are being deployed in both the public service sector and the manufacturing industry. In business, identity and trust are key enablers for policy and governance as demonstrated by the introduction of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the giant steps being taken to protect against cybercrime and data breaches.
Similarly, what has been coined as the Internet of Everything, machine learning and AI have become the focus of businesses and institutions in their drive to ally employees and customers with better productivity, increased data monetization and profits. An example of this level of interconnectivity can be seen in the automotive industry with the introduction of Connected Autonomous Shared and Electrified (CASE) strategies. Online networks with 5G performance targeting high data rates are powering vehicles, drones, robots and sensors, while autonomous vehicles themselves are no longer the stuff of science fiction.
While this new digital world and the phenomenal and rapid growth of new technologies continues apace, the building blocks of ICT and identification still hold true and form the very basis of the innovations the world of data and ID is experiencing today. So these core technologies – Cards, Biometrics, RFID and Data in the Internet of Things are as relevant as they were 20 years ago. In fact, biometrics has, as predicted, taken the high ground in all sectors from finance to government, with smart cards still at the heart of ID and security, whether as a hard token or as the key component for integrated mobile logical and physical access.
In this issue, we once more probe into these new and emerging technological innovations and provide a focus on technology suppliers who play a major role in their development and implementation.
by Sophie B. de la Giroday