Following on from my blog post outlining an A-Z of Digital, here is “Q is for Quantum Computing”.

A computer which makes use of the quantum states of subatomic particles to store information (Source: Dictionary)

Although still in its infancy, there have already been huge developments in the field of Quantum Computing and predictions are showing a mass market in the future “Quantum Computing Market – Will Reach $10.7bn by 2024‎”.

Today’s computers make use of transistors to compute binary states (on/off, 1/0) where as Quantum Computers are based on quantum-mechanical phenomena, superposition and entanglement. See a colleagues post “Through the looking-glass: Quantum computing 101” for an explanation of these.

So what is special about Quantum Computers? Its their ability to compute data at an exponential rate allowing for quick computing of complex data. This is boosting the abilities of Machine Learning and AI to quickly deliver results and allow for greater computations to take place.

The measure of quantum information is called a qubit (the quantum version of the binary bit). Google already have a 20 qubit processor in test and are working on higher speeds. There have already been large systems capable of 2000 qubits (with a cost of around £15m the system). Higher qubit counts are expected as developments continue by the industry. MIT are looking at how “Ultracold molecules hold promise for quantum computing”

The applications for business and industry are vast with the ability to process information quickly, provide predictive analytics and machine learning, tackle cyber threats and provide a system for AI.

It will be a while before Quantum Computing becomes fully mainstream with some analysts predicting this around 2025. In the meantime there are advancements in existing computer methods with companies making new developments around Machine Learning and AI- e.g. “Google says its custom machine learning chips are often 15-30x faster than GPUs and CPUs“.

Organisation

Following on from my blog post outlining an A-Z of Digital, here is “O is for Organisation”.

The “As Code” economy is growing at a fast rate with computing services being consumed as code rather than physical entities (Cloud, As a Service , etc.) Infrastructure as Code looks at making hardware being able to be controlled at a code level, enabling Micro Services and the ability to consume capability quickly.

This is allowing organisations to grow without the need for real-estate or physical assets such as an office or IT system.  This is moving organisations to the next stage of “Organisation as Code”. Companies such as Airbnb and Uber provide a good example of an Organisation as Code, building services and the supporting organisation in the cloud allowing it to be consumed anywhere by users across the world.

Currently there is still a need for a physical presence, as an organisation grows, to meet laws and criteria for operating a business across the many countries they operate, however some of these criteria are starting to be challenged through automation of processes.  Other demands such as security create a need for staff to monitor, patch and maintain the levels of security required for the code and organisation, drive the need for staff and ultimately an HR person or department.

AI bots can be used to interface with the users of the system and employees, but ultimately there is a need for a human at the some point in the conversation.

It may be some time before we see a fully coded organisation, but we are moving that way in small and big steps over time.

Digital Transformation is after all a Business Transformation activity not just  Technical Transformation. One aspect of business change will always be organisational change.

Following on from my blog post outlining an A-Z of Digital, here is “L is for Legal”.

With the increasing about of things interacting with our daily lives, the area of Legal and Security play a big part.

The most common of these is the Terms and Conditions (T’s and C’s).  We are presented with a myriad or applications each with their own T’s and C’s to tick a check box to say we have read them when we install or update them. Most people will just click the box and accept them, but when was the last time you actually read the Terms and Conditions and you have just signed up to clean toilets for a couple of weeks? Makes you wonder what you have actually agreed to in all those T’s and C’s previously accepted!

With further adoption of the as a service economy, it is important to  read the T’s and C’s and keep up to date with any changes that are made to them as they are updated. Changes could mean that your data can be used by the provider – e.g. Robot vacuum company mulls selling maps of homes.

One of the next big legal items to come along is GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation);

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) is a regulation by which the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission intend to strengthen and unify data protection for all individuals within the European Union (EU). It also addresses the export of personal data outside the EU. The primary objectives of the GDPR are to give control back to citizens and residents over their personal data and to simplify the regulatory environment for international business by unifying the regulation within the EU. When the GDPR takes effect, it will replace the data protection directive (officially Directive 95/46/EC) from 1995. The regulation was adopted on 27 April 2016. It becomes enforceable from 25 May 2018 after a two-year transition period and, unlike a directive, it does not require any enabling legislation to be passed by national governments and is thus directly binding and applicable.

Source: Wikipedia

GDPR will introduce one of the biggest shakeups of data protection in years. Understanding its impact on your businesses is an important role for legal, IT and the business to ensure compliance going forward when it takes over the current data protection laws on 25 May 2018.

The main points of GDPR cover new rights that need to be considered include:

• Valid consent must be obtained to store data
• Right to be forgotten
• Access to data and sharing and portability of data
• Protection of data by design and default
• Obligation to notify of any breaches

Are you ready for GDPR?

Further Reading

• Whats ahead for security and cloud adoption
• Retail data and the brexit vote
• The impact of GDPR on the Public Sector
• IoT Device Security Considerations and Security Layers

Following on from my blog post outlining an A-Z of Digital, here is “D is for Digital”.

Digital is a word that we hear in everyday conversations and its connotations grow on a daily basis. In short it is a term that is used to describe the advancements in how we consume and use technology within our everyday lives and enhance and improve businesses and it’s effects on the human race.

Being Digital is not necessarily just about having the latest gadgets, but more around how you are using them and what you do to intergrate things together, automate things and improve your work and home lives.

From a business view this is about growth and transforming through processes and technology, utilising the latest inventions and ideas to automate and reduce costs. Bringing together systems and solutions through API’s and Intergration, changing the way business is done.

The “Journey to Digital” (#Journey2Digital) is about how you can achieve these things in little or big steps depending upon what your goals are.

The journey can include:

• Strategy and Direction
• Vision and Roadmap
• Outside-in approach
• Working with partners and companies that can provide digital capabilities
• Agile approach
• Funding digital changes and learning to fail fast
• Customer demands
• Competition advancements
• Industry directions (ie Industry 4.0 for Manufacturing)

The main part of the journey is being able to accept change and encourage innovation to create enhancements that drive the direction towards being digital.