Just as improvements to the steam engine transformed societies during the Industrial Revolution, quantum leaps in mobile technology are redefining our experiences in the Information Revolution. From the way we work, play, learn, and even love, almost everything we do revolves around smartphones, tablets and wearable devices.
All signs show that our reliance on mobile technology will continue to grow exponentially. By 2025, it’s estimated that the average person will interact with connected devices once every 18 seconds.1 At Samsung, we call this oncoming transformation the Next Mobile Economy.
History tells us that in order for a technological revolution to occur, businesses and organizations of all sizes must adapt to its demands. Samsung is dedicated to help prepare companies of all sizes seize opportunities and overcome the challenges that come with a constantly-evolving mobile landscape. This is why we presented our vision of the Next Mobile Economy at TED2018: The Age of Amazement in Vancouver, Canada to kickstart a global conversation on its implications and potentials.
An Open Vision: Experience New Mobile Economy at Social Space
At its core, the Next Mobile Economy is about transforming businesses by pushing the boundaries of how we work. This begins with businesses and organizations embracing openness in mobile solutions throughout four key pillars that make up the Next Mobile Economy – a goal which led Samsung to set up Social Space at TED2018, an interactive area designed to foster discussions.
Open Yet Secure
In the Next Mobile Economy, businesses will see an unprecedented increase in the speed and volume of data transactions. While this will enable more seamless operations, it also leaves companies at risk of security breaches and leaks.
Open Yet Controlled
Prevention starts with finding mobile solutions that are open yet controlled and secure. These systems will allow IT managers to update and configure mobile devices remotely, while ensuring sensitive data is protected from potential cyberattacks.
Open Customization
While delivering bespoke services is widely recognized as a key to success, few companies consider customizing their internal and B2B technologies as equally important. But relying on off-the-shelf software and systems will be insufficient in the Next Mobile Economy, as businesses which implement tailored solutions from top to bottom will have a head start.
Open Collaboration
To develop customized mobile solutions and future-ready systems, companies need to establish open collaboration with their technology partners. The principle of open collaboration also has to extend to the technological tools in future workplaces. Equipping workers with mobile devices which encourage collaboration will be vital in creating greater flexibility and enhancing efficiency.
Beyond a Slogan: New Mobile Economy in Action
The ideas and values of the Next Mobile Economy may seem far-fetched for some. But a closer look at the burgeoning mobile ecosystems at leading companies and organizations shows that the paradigm shift is already happening, generating transformative results.
One such example is the Mobile Policing Program launched by the Surrey & Sussex Police Force in the UK.
This police force worked closely with Samsung as its mobile partner to tailor, integrate and roll out secure mobile devices for police officers, which in turn are a vital means of collaborating in-field. Through these devices, the force reports improved sharing of vital information between county control rooms and officers on duty, emphasizing the future benefits such a collaborative approach could provide UK-wide policing.
“Our mobile program has allowed greater co-operation between forces and means we can utilize our officers more effectively,” Shane Baker, Chief Inspector and head of digital transformation for Surrey & Sussex Police explains. “We see mobile as the tool to further unify and collaborate on the front line, bringing police forces together to ensure the public’s safety and experience of the police is joined up across the UK.”
Both now and in the future, the control of certain enterprise mobile devices will be paramount to public safety.
“Control of our mobile devices is absolutely important for us, given the nature of what we do,” states Baker. “We have had devices lost in the field and through using EMM systems such as Samsung Knox, we have been able to remotely wipe devices to ensure information and data isn’t released to the public.”
For Chief Inspector Baker and his police colleagues, the additional layer of control provided by Samsung Knox has instilled greater confidence to use mobile devices in the field, enabling police officers to make more informed decisions at critical moments, with the knowledge that their devices are protected should they be damaged, lost or stolen.
A Mobile Future: Solving Challenges and Creating Opportunities
While the foundations of the Next Mobile Economy are firmly in place, there are still more questions than answers on where the latest phase of digital revolution could take us. Only a multi-disciplinary global dialogue can help us maximize the full potential of this transformation.
At TED2018, Samsung began laying the groundwork for such a platform. Gathering dozens of leading figures in key global industries, we led a three-day workshop to explore the use of mobile technology to solve problems and create opportunities.
Through hours of engaging dialogue, the workshop generated fascinating insights on the future of New Mobile Economy in a wide-range of fields. Participants from the healthcare sector, for example, saw the potential of cloud technology to improve the accuracy and speed of gathering patients’ medical history. Artificial intelligence, meanwhile, could be used to analyze and improve urban traffic management.
At the same time, the workshop served as a timely reminder that the Next Mobile Economy is still very much a work in progress. Debates raged on over potential technical and ethical problems that could arise from greater reliance on mobile technology. Control over information accuracy, the global digital divide and sources of funding for mobile infrastructure were among a long list of issues tackled during discussions.
All technological revolutions are a product of collective actions, and the success of the New Mobile Economy will be no different. The conversations at Samsung’s Social Space and workshops are only the beginning of realizing a mobile future.
To learn more about the Next Mobile Economy, please visit this link.