Industry Solutions Both Remedy and Discover
We live in an age defined by technology, and the dominant technology today is digital. Nation-states, multinational corporations and even small businesses are paving the way to the future through innovation. Yet sometimes, just as necessity is the mother of invention, challenge is the parent of innovation.
Industry solutions can take two forms: problem solving and exploration. Ironically, problem solving often arises from need following innovation. New capabilities introduce hitherto unknown problems to solve, and these often lead to other sets and types of innovation. Foremost among these is security, which now dominates virtually every aspect of information technology. Security first focused on protecting data, but now it includes networking traffic and system control. The latest surge area is identification security, which is expanding into new realms and increasing in importance along with the increased use of video conferencing.
The other source of industry solutions is exploration. In this case, solutions arise from perceived needs as well as opportunities. As electronics become more complex, agile software allows for greater flexibility and ease of modernization. Hardware can avoid obsolescence by being updated rather than replaced. Software will design entire systems that are optimized to take advantage of new and emerging variants of the original software.
And looming above everything is the broadest potential innovation of all: artificial intelligence, or AI. Experts are almost in complete agreement that AI will change everything—everything. Its early adoption is merely scratching the surface of the art of the possible, as these primitive forms of AI do not even come close to defining its future potential. Automation will have a new definition, as labor-saving systems will free humans for tasks that they perform far better than machines. These new AI uses will spawn new needs just as the information revolution led to innovative solutions to unexpected challenges.
And, as with all innovations, necessities will create the need for further solutions that likely will be more diverse than in previous generations. In the past, government research led the way into the technology future, and spinoffs then entered the commercial sector to everyone’s benefit. Now, however, while government research will continue to play a role in maintaining the U.S. competitive edge, industry is the font of innovation. The private sector is conducting research that used to be the exclusive purview of government labs, and this commercial research will be opening new doors to technology capabilities.
Industry solutions can both solve problems and create opportunities. That is not new. What is new is how broad the effects will be. The companies that are leading the way into the future are hard at work right now developing solutions to today’s challenges along with opportunities for a new future. The way ahead is not clear, but that is more a matter of diverse opportunity than uncertainty. The technology future looks bright.
Industry solutions offered by AFCEA’s Corporate members address a variety of challenges. Explore some of the offerings in our digital edition.
