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Many of you probably already know the concept Internet of Things. This topic is not new, but has been gaining more attention and traction lately. IoT entails the use of electronic devices that capture or monitor data and are connected to a private or public cloud, enabling them to automatically trigger certain events (Chouffani, 2016). Regarding healthcare, IoT has the potential to revolutionise the healthcare industry by allowing patients to self-monitor their conditions with in-home sensors and wearable devices.

Internet-connected devices have been introduced to patients in various forms. Whether data comes from fetal monitors, electrocardiograms, temperature monitors or blood glucose levels, tracking health information is vital for some patients. Many of these measures require follow-up interaction with a healthcare professional. This creates an opening for smarter devices to deliver more valuable data, lessening the need for direct patient-physician interaction. Exactly at this point, IoT comes into play. Some hospitals have begun implementing ‘smart beds’ that detect when they are occupied and when patients are attempting to get up. Another recent example comes from the start-up Dymaxia, which tries to use the cloud, IoT and wearable devices to help autistic people manage anxiety (Donnelly, 2016).

While future advantages are clearly wide ranging, IoT implementations also raises concerns around data privacy and security. While most of today’s devices use secure methods to communication information to the cloud, they could still be vulnerable to hackers.

Although, business opportunities of IoT are exciting and transformational, I personally think it is important for companies to get ahead of the privacy and security issues first. The IoT is exploding, and if businesses that are benefitting from it do not get ahead of these issues, their customers will become victims of their own success. Only after privacy and security issues are resolved the number of adopters of IoT in healthcare will explode and popularity will undeniably rise. What is your opinion?

References

http://internetofthingsagenda.techtarget.com/feature/Can-we-expect-the-Internet-of-Things-in-healthcare

http://www.computerweekly.com/news/450400226/Dymaxia-Combining-cloud-IoT-and-wearables-to-manage-the-anxiety-of-autism

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Information good is a type of commodity whose main market value is derived from the information it contains. Especially due to current digitizing, information goods become easily and cheaply distributed, transferred, reproduced, and reconfigured (Shapiro and Varian, 1999).

In our blog and video, we dive deeper into the world of cloud computing. Cloud computing is the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than just storing data on a local server or a personal computer. The cloud is a very broad concept, and it covers just about every possible sort of online service, but when businesses refer to cloud procurement, there are usually three models of cloud service under consideration, Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).

Software as a Service is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. It is sometimes referred to as “on-demand software”. Platform as a service (PaaS) is a category of cloud computing services that provides a platform allowing customers to develop, run, and manage applications without the complexity of building and maintaining the infrastructure. PaaS is typically associated with developing and launching an app (e.g. SalesForce). Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a service model that delivers computer infrastructure on an outsourced basis to support enterprise operations (e.g. Amazon). For our assignment, we will focus on SaaS.

We compare two of the major players in the cloud storage (SaaS) industry: Dropbox and Google Drive. Dropbox is a cloud storage and sharing provider, with over 300 million users. Dropbox users are provided by an online storage space hosted on Dropbox accessible anywhere via the Internet. The storage space provides storage for virtually any kind of file, like docs, images and videos. On the other hand you have Google Drive. Google Drive is a online backup service, where one can create, share, collaborate, and keep all of their digital belongings. Currently, Google Drive has over 1 million paid users since September 2015.

Strengths and weaknesses of both companies are compared based on ease of use (1), reliability (2), speed (3), features (4) and security (5). Regarding ease of use, Google Drive offers the option to upload documents from within a web browser, something which Dropbox does not allow. Besides, Google Drive has far more options for sharing and saving files. With an average uptime of 99.83% and no unexplained loss due to memory issues, Dropbox is a clear winner regarding reliability. Also considering speed, Dropbox is faster in uploading and transferring files, even if these files are downloaded to the desktop. However, as mentioned earlier, Dropbox is a very basic program only delivering you 2GB of free storage space. Google Drive on the other hand offers a free 15GB to users. Other features Google Drive offers include, creating documents, spreadsheets, and working with products as Gmail and Google+. Last, security and privacy of documents is a big issue in the cloud computing industry. Both companies guarantee protection by AES-256 bit encryption, however both companies have become the victim of several phishing scams. However, Google Drive has taken it a bit farther by internal employees accessing private files and disseminate them among externals.

Based on the five previous metrics, Dropbox currently wins the battle. But to stay competitive in the cloud storage market, it is important to consider the following trends:
– The cloud for B2B – firms are more and more seeking for cloud solutions to store, share and organize their files.
– The cloud for governmental institutions – public institutions are also eager to take advantage from the benefits of the cloud, giving Dropbox and Google Drive a new potential customer base.
– Rise of emerging markets in the cloud – at this point in time Dropbox and Google Drive are hardly present in emerging markets (e.g. India). However, analysis predicts emerging market growth in storage will outpace storage spending in more mature regions opening huge opportunities for cloud storage providers.

To conclude, the cloud computing battle is fought every day and without taking into account future trends Google Drive will soon take over.

Team 26

 

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Mobile apps have been around for almost 20 years. At first, they were relatively difficult to find and download and therefore, mobile users did not bother to download them. However, when Apple launched their App Store, it kick started the app revolution. Today, it is hard to remember mobile software or apps prior to the iPhone.

Currently, a new phenomenon, called ‘post-app era’ is introduced in society. Rather than trying to keep people in apps and measure success based on the time spent in apps, companies now need to think about how to deliver experiences that mean users rarely need to open apps. The post-app era is pointing to an era where it is the experience that happens outside of the apps that is important. An interesting article related to this topic was posted today.

27/09/2016: At an event in South Africa, Gartner analysts look ahead to an era of mobility that goes beyond apps. As the convergence of devices, bots, things and people accelerates, businesses will need to learn how to excel at mainstream mobility, as well as prepare for a post-app era, according to analysts at Gartner. Speaking at a symposium in South Africa, Gartner vice-president and distinguished analyst David Willis laid out his version of a possible future for the mobile world.

Willis said although users would continue to use mobile apps, the overall importance of apps in terms of delivering services would begin to diminish in the next few years, and bots and virtual personal assistants (VPAs) will begin to replace some app functionality.

“The post-app era means that there will be more data and code in the cloud and less on the device, thanks to the continuous improvement of cellular network performance,” said Willis.
“The post-app era will be an evolving process through 2020 and beyond.

A driving force behind the move to models of mobility that are less reliant on apps will be the anticipated growth of the Internet of things (IoT), said Gartner.

Willis predicted with bring your own device (BYOD) and bring your own application (BYOA) becoming the norm for the majority of organizations, a new trend – predictably dubbed bring your own thing (BYOT) – will emerge, and it will help introduce some of these new interaction techniques and platforms that will dilute the need for dedicated apps.

I estimate that for now, an app or browser will stay the preferred mode of communication between an IoT device and smartphone. However the trend of BYOT and other emerging technologies will seriously challenge this mode. Think of automated login and authentication where natural language processing and integrated bots would open opportunities. Or what about enabling users to chat with organizations via bots instead of letting users go to a system and filling out complicated forms with checkboxes.

Do you think the models of mobility will change and enter the post-app era? Do you estimate BYOT to be the future norm? What will these trends mean for current app developers and the companies behind these apps?

References:

ComputerWeekly. 2016. Mobility is about to enter the post-app era. [Online] available at:
http://www.computerweekly.com/news/450305031/Mobility-is-about-to-enter-the-post-app-era-says-Gartner [Accessed September 27, 2016]

Mubaloo. 2016. Post-app era. [Online] available at:
http://mubaloo.com/post-app-era/ [Accessed September 27, 2016]