Sponsored by AT&T Business, this classic Digital Transformers episode gives us some bold predictions from two of tech’s brightest leaders: Sally Eaves and Glen Gilmore. Tune in as the duo joins Kevin L. Jackson to discuss the most highly anticipated technology trends for the rest of 2023. Explore technology convergence, the link between 5G and sustainability, new VR and AR use cases, the rise of industry-specific cloud, and (much) more.

Intro/Outro (00:01):

Welcome to Digital Transformers, the show that connects you with what you need to build, manage, and operate your digital supply chain. Join your host in a timely discussion on new and future business models with industry leading executives. The show will reveal global customer expectations, real world deployment challenges, and the value of advanced business technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, and robotic process engineering. And now we bring you digital transformers.

Kevin L. Jackson (00:32):

Hello everyone, and welcome to the at and t Biz Talks, LinkedIn live, exciting tech trends for 2023. My name is Kevin L. Jackson, host of digital Transformers on supply chain now, and I will serve as the moderator for today’s exciting discussion. 2022 was an exciting year for connectivity and technology. As the global 5G rollout continues, fiber internet coverage has also expanded. While both of these enhancements have accelerated the digital transformation of business everywhere, the cybersecurity threat landscape has also expanded making each additional network connection point a possible vulnerability. Joining me to discuss both sides of the digital transformation coin are two of the most insightful and clairvoyant technology experts I know. First, we have the c o for tomorrow’s tech today and senior policy advisor to the Global Foundation for Cyber studies and research. Ms. Sally Eves and wither a Tom man of action and dubbed a futurist by I b m, an international speaker on digital transformation and marketing strategy to the Fortune 500. Mr. Glen D. Gilmore. I am also proud to have worked with them both for many years. Thank you both for joining me today. Thank

Sally Eaves (02:20):

You, Kevin. Brilliant to be here. Absolutely.

Kevin L. Jackson (02:23):

Wow. So, uh, to kick things off, Sally, please tell us a little more about you and your work. Uh, yeah, I understand you’re in London today and what a little surprise.

Sally Eaves (02:38):

Yeah, abs absolutely. The weather has changed, you know, what UK and Britain is with weather. We’ve gone from a lot of sun to a lot of snow at the moment. So yeah, very atmospheric <laugh>

Kevin L. Jackson (02:47):

Snow in London. Woo.

Sally Eaves (02:49):

I know, I know you heard it here first. Absolutely. <laugh> Brilliant stuff and great quest. Lovely introduction as well. Been so looking forward to this today in great, great company. Um, in terms of some, some highlights about the things I’m doing at the moment mm-hmm. And kind of where I come from, kinda three pillars. I like talking in three pillars. So one emergent technology. So I come from a C T O background now do a lot of advisory kind of right across the tech estate. So from AI and securities to, to 5G and sustainability and tech, all those different areas together. Um, but also do a lot around education and uplift. So I run a non-for-profit called Aspirational Futures, kind of breaking down those barriers to access and using data and technology as a force of a good. Um, and I also do a lot of the, or authorship around kind of tech for good subjects, but also tech innovation, the digital transformation you mentioned, you know, start the show Yeah. And how you embed things like sustainability, security, and inclusion by design. So I’m, I’m sure we’ll dive into more, but as a start of a 10, that’s a little bit more about me.

Kevin L. Jackson (03:45):

Oh, no, that that is great. Thanks Sally. And now I’d like to have Glen introduce self. You, you both see the world as your playground. What, what have you been up to recently, Glen?

Glen Gilmore (03:57):

Oh, most recently, I, I actually had a chance to, uh, uh, go to, uh, Cairo, Egypt and then, uh, later to, uh, Istanbul and talk about technology and learn about technology. But actually one of the most exciting things I, I, uh, did very recently, uh, right around Thanksgiving was to, uh, go out to Texas a and m and see what, uh, at and t is doing by way of, uh, using 5G in an academic setting, but an academic setting where the real focus is how do you make that 5G technology something that, that industries can tap into businesses that can tap into. And it was just fascinating to, to see what, what, uh, what’s being, uh, done out there. And, and like, uh, Sally Sinai share a a lot in common in that our emphasis really is about technology for good. Uh, how do we, uh, make, uh, technology, uh, people-centric, uh, so that, uh, we see greater cybersecurity to allow people to trust in technology so that we can really leverage technology for public good.

Kevin L. Jackson (04:59):

You know, I really liked the way you said that. Make technology people-centric. You can’t really forget the humans when we talk about tech. Can we <laugh>? So Sally, as you look back at 2022, what moments are trends stand out to you?

Sally Eaves (05:19):

What’s a great question? I think it’s almost a pick a mix of different types of answers to this as well. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, so one on a personal moment, kind of referring to what Glen mentioned there as well, about kind of moments that mattered along the way. A getting back together more in person, you know, the event side of things. And one absolute highlight for me was at and t and Disney and being in the parks and seeing the connected experience for users. And there was so much focus on accessibility, really opening up access and making everything part of the experience, you know, from the Q system even right, to the fact you got to his particular exhibit mm-hmm. <affirmative>, it was absolutely incredible. It’s a really very much connected technology to the fore, but focusing in on that experience and just everything about it with all the kids there, et cetera as well, it was just joyful.

Sally Eaves (05:58):

So everything about that moment and just being back in person, so much more of keynotes, et cetera, is just a real joy. So the power of tech and community is definitely something that’s right up there for me. So that’s kind of like a personal sort of milestone moment that that’s really meant a lot. Um, then kind of referring to what we’ve talked about quite already, which is brilliant, it’s come to the thought. Yeah. But purpose, purpose, human centered leadership being center stage, you know, when it comes to things like sustainability and other SD G impacts, they’re not something that’s on the periphery anymore. They’re really being, you know, center stage and people are demanding more. You know, consumers are incredibly more conscious, so are stakeholder partners. So it’s that move from transparency to commitment to accountability. So I’m great and great progress there, which is great to see.

Sally Eaves (06:37):

I think beyond that tech convergence, you know, we don’t talk about things like AI over here, or 5G or iot, ot, or security. It’s all about these things coming together and how they work and support one another. And supported by things like smart education too. Helping people learn more smartly by understanding their learning styles, giving them support on that. AI is having great impacts in that particular area. And I think just the skills resonance, you know, helping people to upskill and reskill in their own roles or for new roles and at all different ages too. I think it’s a new resonance around this, you know, hybrid learning for life and that holistic skills, attention, so things around technology disciplines, but how you learn, you know, and things like emotional intelligence and empathy being at the four too. Um, beyond that security being center stage, the heightening focus on that.

Sally Eaves (07:21):

And again, looking at it more holistically. So tech support, but also focus on things like culture and shared responsibility skills, uplift the right process, the right change management, bringing all those different areas together. And I, I wanna be careful on time, but, um, collaboration. No, go ahead. More organizations working together. That I think has been the biggest thing, the biggest learning point from the pandemic. You know, we can go further faster, and we’re seeing organizations say, you know, they might, might have competed in the past, they’re coming together mm-hmm. <affirmative> for social challenges, which is fantastic to see. So I love that. And then other things I think consumers are looking at differently is, is experience and cx, you know, I think it’s starting to eclipse, you know, products and services as, you know, one of the top three, um, type of, type of consideration now alongside the purpose I mentioned just now.

Sally Eaves (08:04):

And I think another one, you know, metaverse, and I know, and go, Glen, I kinda give you a segue in on this particular subject. I’m setting you up for this one. Um, but the actualization of Metaverse, we’re seeing a lot of steps forward here, and I think particularly like in private settings within organizations, kind of taking collaboration towards to the next level with that extra level of immersion. So we are starting to get to true action now around Metaverse. So I’m excited to see where that develops. And at that point, I might just kind of segue over to over to Kevin Flynn, <laugh>, <laugh>.

Kevin L. Jackson (08:33):

I’ll tell you one, one of the things you really are highlighting is the, uh, uh, I guess busting of the si silos between tech and culture, between different types of technology. They’re all sort of blending together. So, so Glen, do Sally’s reflections resonate with you? A Absolutely, yeah.

Glen Gilmore (08:55):

Sally’s done a beautiful job, as she generally does, of really giving a broad spectrum of, of what’s happening in terms of technology mm-hmm. <affirmative> in the technology space. And really, I, when I look at it, uh, I think of, you know, 5G as being kind of the empowerment, uh, that that’s allowing us to, to have new possibilities and, and, uh, and new innovations. And I think, uh, I, uh, ally’s absolutely unmarked when she talks about, one of the biggest things that we’ve seen this past year is really that this coming together in terms of new collaborations, we need new collaborations in cybersecurity because Kevin, as you’ve pointed out, w with new things being pushed to the edge and the new technologies coming, and we’re seeing new surfaces that, that are now, uh, becoming the basis for cyber attacks. And so we need collaboration to, uh, help us find ways to make the internet, uh, more secure. And certainly what we saw telemedicine lead the way in creating new possibilities for how we can tap into, uh, digital transformation to, uh, make things far more efficient, far more accessible, even more, uh, affordable. And that’s something that, that as we look to the future, I think is, is going to to be a top priority for, uh, business and for people, which is how do we continue that, that theme of new collaborations, new innovations, and new cybersecurity mm-hmm. <affirmative>, that makes sure that, that, uh, we do it with trust.

Kevin L. Jackson (10:22):

Well, you know, one of the things I, I think, uh, individuals have to take more responsibility for their personal cybersecurity Sure. As we use more and more technology, and it’s really, uh, an integral part of society in our, our everyday lives. But, but getting back to some of the things that you, you said, uh, on that, Glen, what, what industries or or sectors do, do you think will see the greatest continue impact from 5G and or, uh, fiber connectivity in in 2023?

Glen Gilmore (11:01):

That, that’s a tough question, Kevin. B, because I, I think we’re gonna see virtually every, uh, industry, uh, come to the realization that that, uh, at and t has brought us a nationwide, uh, 5G network. The infrastructure is there, and now they can tap mm-hmm. <affirmative> into that. Uh, certainly healthcare is going to continue to be a leader in innovation, because it has to be, it has to, uh, leverage in tech’s. Its, uh, technology. And 5G is the perfect way to, uh, give that real-time data that, that, uh, brings, uh, patients and doctors, uh, together to, uh, to have, uh, data when it’s needed, where it’s needed. In manufacturing, we’re seeing a, a greater need for automation tapping into artificial intelligence, uh, to make sure that that, uh, uh, manufacturing can meet the demands, uh, the high demands, uh, with a, a workforce that, that, uh, that needs a additional assistance.

Glen Gilmore (11:56):

And again, with a focus on, uh, people centricity, meaning that, that the workforce mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, can have, uh, connectivity that, that watches them, whether they’re, uh, on a factory floor and making sure that that automated equipment is at a safe distance and moving, uh, at speeds that, that are efficient. And yet, uh, compatible with, uh, workers who, who may be nearby, uh, supply chain. Uh, we’ve seen a, a real crisis in, in the supply chain. And every industry, uh, wants to see the, uh, greater efficiencies so that, uh, they can have greater reliability so that their customers can get the goods, uh, and have their expectations met and, and exceeded. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And if we look, as we look in the year ahead, this is a year in which I think travel will, will once again get back to the pace that, that it had been prior to covid. And that means, uh, again, consumers want a more touchless digital experience, seamless experience, that, that lets them, uh, track what’s happening with, with their flights, track what’s happening with, uh, their luggage. And it’s all about digital transformation. It’s all about computing on the edge, and it’s all about cybersecurity as well.

Kevin L. Jackson (13:08):

Yeah. I’ll tell you, the hospitality industry really, uh, took it bad over, uh, sure. Over covid, and they’re, they’re, they’re trying to come back. But you also mentioned education and healthcare and, and manufacturing, so, so, Sally, do you agree with that from a European point of view?

Sally Eaves (13:28):

Yeah. G great points then and themes that are occurring as well around, for example, personalization, uh, and experiences at all levels, including healthcare. I think that’s a really huge one. And kind of that rise of personalized precision medicine. Totally agree about manufacturing as well, particularly in areas like digital twinning and again, like metaverse or omniverse, and again, examples of collaborations using this technology. So the likes of, of Siemens and Nvidia being a couple that spring to mind on that particular vertical. So definitely those areas, education, big passion of mine, I think 5G and, and related, um, opportunities are allowing that deeper level of immersion and these levels of experiences that can take you back, you know, to a moment in time in history. And e equally for things like empathy, training, you know, the internet senses, if you will, helping you to almost like, walk in someone else’s shoes or experience what they’re experiencing, I think is really, really impactful for, for d EI into the future too.

Sally Eaves (14:17):

That one thing that hasn’t come up is mobile gaming. I think there, I think we’re gonna have, again, a, a bigger increase. I think it’s about 2 billion, um, mobile gamers are expected in around two years from now. I think it was statistical about that particular research. So we’re seeing a lot of developments there. And again, a lot of partnerships actually between colleges, universities, and businesses tapping into these as an innovation opportunity and even like catalyzing degrees and things. So with the increasing, um, advance of 5G and fiber, et cetera, it’s gonna really enable that to go, to go to the next level and with the quality and the friction free, you know, performance and low latency that we need. And then maybe finally, kind of from a channel perspective as well, again, we’ve got new streams of revenue that are coming to the fore. Um, one example might be things like ar mapping, um, and again, coverage in rural areas.

Sally Eaves (15:00):

So improving accessibility there and just really opening up, I think, use cases yet to be invented, actually, as well as the verticals we’ve already mentioned. So really exciting times. And again, I think it’s also an example of the right context and the right convergence of different technologies coming together. You know, for example, certain technologies we talk about today have actually been around a long time. So the lakes likes of VR, for example, or ai, but it’s all these other parts coming together, you know, the power of the ecosystem, the computing power, the storage, et cetera. We’re now a real moment in time where we can really seek, reap the benefits of this. And 5G is kind of the hub of the wheel as kind of came up earlier when we were talking with Glen. It’s, it really is, um, yeah, the catalyst for so much innovation, for business, for society, and both for shared values. That’s what really excites me.

Kevin L. Jackson (15:43):

Well, when you, when you talk about the, the value of 5g, one of the biggest challenges has been people are really understanding how it affects business. I mean, having the communication service providers really understand how developers need to take networks into account when they are developing their applications and how they drive new business models and new ways of interaction. You talked a bit about empathy training. That’s, that’s something that’s really out of outta the left field, but something that’s really, really important in a diverse world. So, uh, you, you, me, you talked a lot about how 5G and these, um, advanced networking technologies will affect business. But how will the organizations modernize their networks in, in 2023, Sally, uh, in order to take advantage of all of this?

Sally Eaves (16:50):

Yeah, there’s lots of different ways of looking at this. And, and one, it hasn’t come up so much so far. I think this could be a lovely moment to mention it. It’s focus on sustainability of networks. I think people are expecting this. It’s something I’m seeing in lots of service provider conversations at the moment. There’s a round table earlier this week, it was kind of looking into what people want and a need and being asked for from their ecosystem partners. And it was right up there. There’s also some related research, actually I think called, um, breaking the curve. Um, so that was Ericsson, so mostly from amere perspective, but I think there’s North America data in there too. And it was really drilling into the fact that, you know, mobile networks represent, I think it’s about North 0.2%, um, of global carbon emissions today. And it’s around north 0.6 when it comes to energy.

Sally Eaves (17:29):

But equally, yeah, we really focus in on improving the sustainability of networks. We can do that in a few different ways. We can have a massive catalyst for impact. Cause we’ve just seen so far today, you know, 5G connectivity, network connectivity is the hub of the wheel for innovation in all areas. So it’s so important and can make a kind of contagion of impact. Got a ripple effect, um, by getting this right. So I think we need to look more, and I’m sure this is gonna be a big focus for 2023. It’s on energy resilience and robustness in the network. So looking at energy, energy efficient solutions that can, can turn things off when they’re not being used as one very simple example, <laugh>. But you can do that on a typical site. You know, you can look at the radio, um, designs, et cetera, use different materials, make them lighter, make them more recyclable, um, but also transition more to using, um, alternative energy sources within this as well.

Sally Eaves (18:13):

So we could look at it from an equipment level, from a site level, um, and obviously more broadly as I, as I spoke about earlier too. So definitely energy, robustness and resilience in the network and demonstrating that improvement in that area will be amazing. Not just for service providers, but for all the ecosystem around this. Um, security has come up a lot today. So increased investment in this, and not just from a technology perspective. So I think more things around XDR will be really important. But again, around the skills training to support people of all levels and roles in the organization to have kind of have that shared responsibility ethos around security. You know, it’s not, most roles obviously do involve tech and data, but to different degrees. But I think everybody should have that opportunity to learn and understand and fill equipped, kind of, you know, highlight things out and stand up someone, is that right?

Sally Eaves (18:57):

You know, people need to have that confidence. And that comes from having the right skills based to work from, um, I think other things, increasing rise of cloud native technology within networks too mm-hmm. <affirmative>, but also bringing in the open ecosystem. So getting more developers involved in co-creating solutions with, you know, software development toolkits, for example. We’re seeing a lot of growth in that particular area. And I think that will only continue cuz again, I think the collaboration around development is a really exciting area. So definitely how we do more outreach there and give the right tools and techniques to get more involved from a developer angle too. I think it’s really exciting.

Kevin L. Jackson (19:29):

Well, you say a lot about sustainability and, and energy and collaboration. I mean, just, just yesterday I guess it was, we had ignition, uh, in, in North America with respect to fusion. So, uh, it’s it’s really going to be only 30 years away from now, <laugh>. But, um, is, is that how you see things Glen?

Glen Gilmore (19:49):

I I, I, I really do. I I think, uh, sustainability is on the minds of, of everyone. And, uh, I like the fact that, uh, Sally has brought it up as she and I share this passion for, uh, sustainability in technology. And people overlook the role that, that 5G can play in bringing far greater, uh, sustainability. And Sally did a nice job of, of highlighting some of those areas. When we talk about smart building, smart cities, what we’re really talking about is realtime data that gives us the opportunity to find out where we can, uh, put into place new efficiencies where we’re having, right, uh, what’s called energy leakage, uh, so that as we look at a system, whether it’s a telecommunication system, whether it’s a, uh, uh, factory, we can look and, and see ways in which we can improve, uh, efficiencies so that we have, uh, a more robust use of, of energy without the waste that, that, uh, otherwise, uh, comes when we don’t have that data to let us know what, what’s what’s really, uh, uh, happening.

Glen Gilmore (20:52):

Hmm. Uh, certainly as I, as I mentioned early on, uh, there is a far greater need for us to, uh, collaborate in the space of, uh, cybersecurity. And as we look to the year and years ahead, I think that that is going to have to be, uh, the foundational question, uh, that we all ask is how are we collaborating in the area of, um, cybersecurity as, uh, ransomware and cyber attacks become far more frequent, far more sophisticated, and so on, uh, the side of, of collaboration, there needs to be much more, uh, of a focus on that, uh, uh, so that we can again, uh, have those efficiencies without, uh, having the risk even as we’re, uh, moving, uh, uh, computing to the edge.

Kevin L. Jackson (21:37):

Well, you, uh, mentioned data quite a few times, uh, uh, there, um, i is that important as we move forward? And in fact, Lynn, what, what technology trends do you think will be most heavily adopted, uh, by organizations in, in 2023? Is, is, is data one of them?

Glen Gilmore (21:58):

Uh, data certainly, uh, drives all, all the efficiencies. And, and 5G gives us that real-time data, uh, knowledge to mm-hmm. <affirmative> help us have a predictive maintenance before a piece of equipment, uh, has a failure, uh, with real-time information and artificial intelligence, uh, we can assess that there may be a problem rising, uh, correct that problem so that customers don’t, uh, uh, have any, have any, uh, uh, pain from it. Uh, I think we’re gonna see in the academic front and as well as in enterprise, uh, augmented reality become far more commonplace by way of collaboration, so that in healthcare, it doesn’t matter where in the world you are, you can have the best physicians at your side collaborating with, with your physicians, uh, to make sure that, that an operation or an assessment is being done as, as efficiently as it should on the, uh, work floor or at a remote, uh, work site in, in, uh, uh, construction perhaps, uh, to again, right, be able to bring in a, a, an expert, uh, even if they’re far, uh, far away. Uh, so when we hear about the metaverse, w would certainly is an exciting theme. I think we’re also gonna see a lot more happening, uh, with augmented reality, that overlay of information to, uh, uh, bring more, more collaborations. But certainly I also think, uh, uh, Gartner isn’t far off what it says in the near future. Uh, we can expect to be spending about an hour in the metaverse, uh, that’ll happen as technology improve.

Kevin L. Jackson (23:31):

Wow. That sounds, uh, uh, exciting. And, um, you, you talked a bit about data and, um, and it sort of hark, harks back to what Sally mentioned earlier about digital twins. And I know data’s critical in, in digital twins. So, Sally, what, what’s your response to the question? What technology trends do you think will be most heavily adopted by organizations? You, you both mentioned telehealth, so will we have, you know, digital twins of our bodies that will help us get better quicker? <laugh>

Sally Eaves (24:09):

<laugh>, I’ll tell you what, though, there’s some really interesting research on actually how we can use our bodies and other surfaces that are already existing to be a catalyst for new energy sources. So, funnily enough, I think we’re gonna see some interesting connectivity from skin, um, really into the four. So maybe not in 2023, but going ahead a bit. We are going down that route. So not just the internet of senses, but kind of our audio of senses as well. So yeah, that, that could be an interesting one. Definitely. Um, but to totally echoed that, the comments Glen made, I, that was a really, really good overview of some of the areas there. I think beyond those ones that have already been covered, I think rise of things like industry specific clouds, I think that’s gonna become more and more important over the coming year as well. And also going back to that experience, um, theme that’s come across a lot today, going beyond personalization to hyper-personalization. And again, that’s catalyzed by convergence, particularly around AI machine learning, but I think that’s gonna become home more as standard rather than something that’s more unusual at the moment. So definitely acceleration around those areas. And then finally, kind of going back to that convergence theme, and I, I might make up a word here, so apologies for the, for, for me doing so, but Oh, ok. I’m call it like sensitation. So

Kevin L. Jackson (25:15):

Again, it’s, oh, wow. That sounds great.

Sally Eaves (25:18):

I gonna, I have to kind of like,

Kevin L. Jackson (25:20):

You’re gonna coin that. You gotta patent what copyright it.

Sally Eaves (25:24):

Absolutely. Absolutely. You heard it here first or on, on the show. Absolutely. <laugh>.

Kevin L. Jackson (25:28):

Um,

Sally Eaves (25:28):

But, um, but yeah, I think it really is. So going back to sustainability, thematic again with 5G is this kind of hub of the wheel, and I go back to expression, I think it really does kind of give us that metaphor and all the spokes of impact that comes off of that. And I think with sustainability, not just having the connectivity, but this active realtime intelligence of the data that you were talking about just now, embedded sensor technology and then the AI and automation, et cetera, to mine this efficiently, I think that’s gonna be incredible for smart technology and smart data management of buildings, as we’ve mentioned there by Glen at schools and other different, um, factories, environments as well. But to automatically help you make the right decisions to, to reduce consumption when you don’t need to it to monitor when people go out of a room, so you turn the lights off automatically and turn the heating off, et cetera.

Sally Eaves (26:10):

Yeah. Also to automatically do things around air purification from a safety point of view, et cetera as well. So this sensitation, I think is where we are heading, um, in so many different areas, not just sustainability and energy, but, you know, co you know, cost effective management of building safety, all sorts of different things. But definitely it’s kind of what we’ve seen so far, but we’re going more granular to the next level. And just one quick thing as well about data, that one other area we’re gonna see more attention to is data waste as an opportunity. So something I’ve done, um, with my nonprofit is in an open, secure data sharing way, you know, at the moment, 90% of data we archive, we don’t touch it after three months. And if you think of how much more data we’re gonna have with all this convergence we’re talking about today, yet we’ve got big talent gaps in technology, and we’ve got big problems about, you know, how can we get more people access to training, bring down those barriers, bring out the, the, the cost restraints, but also the access to good data to work and train on this can be an amazing opportunity to do that.

Sally Eaves (27:05):

So there’s a lot of work happening in that area, and I’d love to, you know, share more about that maybe on another day. But that excites me too. Again, challenge to opportunity. It’s a, it’s an important narrative, I think.

Kevin L. Jackson (27:15):

Well, we’re gonna have to bring you back to talk about how all these sensors are creating all this, this data and, uh, ambient computing is here. Yes. Right. Absolutely. And, uh, absolutely. We live in a sphere of computers, so, so Sally, as we we enter this new year, what is the most important thing for organizations to keep in mind from a connectivity and communications standpoint? How, how is all of this coming together to support specific business goals?

Sally Eaves (27:49):

Yeah, I, I think it really reflects our conversation today. You know, all the holistic considerations that need to come together to make things work in the most optimized way to, to negate the risk and to kind of capitalize on the opportunities. Um, and for me, I’m, I’m gonna go for a lot of s’s are ringing around my head at the moment, <laugh>, um, I’m gonna put them together and I think it might be a way to bring it together. So we’ve got security. Okay. In particular though, I would say age security. And, and again, there was some great research from at and t very recently looking at that. And it’s very clear that it’s coming across, um, for CIOs, et cetera. But just leadership more broadly. It’s a big, big, um, opportunity area to improve on. There’s some concerns about vulnerabilities there. Um, so again, as a focus area, all the benefits of Edge mm-hmm. <affirmative>,

Sally Eaves (28:30):

But just ensuring we, we negate the risk as well. So focus on edge security I think is really huge, but security more general. So that’s our first guess. Um, scalability, particularly around solutions that impact society. Sometimes it could be difficult to get the scale on, sustain on those types of impacts. And a lot of the times that’s down to measurement. So bringing in smart measurement the same way we do with lots of other KPIs with business, better ones around social impact. And there’s a new index, um, that I’ve been involved in that comes out next year, that kind of helps that too. So that’s the scalability for another s sustainability kind of, I’ve kind of said that already. So that’s a third one. Fourth would be skills. And as I mentioned earlier, in its broader sense, so think if it may be going beyond STEM to steam so that we have an equal focus on technology disciplines, as we do for things around the arts in its broader sense.

Sally Eaves (29:16):

So helping people to express communication skills, empathy, as we spoke about earlier, um, eq et cetera. So skills is right up there. And also within that, things like data literacy and financial literacy as well, including in non-tech facing roles. Fifth one, I’m, I’m gonna go, I’m being a bit, I’m creative with an S here, but sensemaking, <laugh>. Um, so I’m going, I’m going a bit down tangent, but sensemaking, I’m gonna say, and that’s the power of the narrative, particularly around 5g. So some research that came out a few months ago this year, um, from Salesforce, it was looking at the communications sector, and as part of that, it was saying, consumers want 5g when they really understand all the use case benefits and all the advantage it’s offered. And not only that, they’re happy to prepare, well, I don’t say happy, but prepared to promote, spend more to get those opportunities as well. But there was like a, an an awareness gap between the

Kevin L. Jackson (30:03):

Benefits well, maybe, uh,

Sally Eaves (30:04):

Delivered. Yeah.

Kevin L. Jackson (30:04):

So I think maybe as you’re looking for a story, you gotta know the story. Absolutely.

Sally Eaves (30:09):

Yeah, absolutely. The story and being able to understand it, you know, cause some of the examples that want to make it relatable to their particular sense, uh, particular context. So it’s a story. And then the sense making to make it relatable to your organization, whatever size you are, whatever context, this is what it can offer you. So all of those elements, we get an extra, I think, story and sense making. Kevin, I like

Kevin L. Jackson (30:29):

That. <laugh>. Um,

Sally Eaves (30:30):

And then I’ll just throw in one more simplicity. Uhhuh <affirmative>, I think pretty much, I’m sure you’ve heard this Glen and, and Kerry in yourselves, but in so many conversations, this desire to reduce complexity is everywhere. And alongside things like better integration and visibility as well, that kind of 360 view. So simplicity, everybody needs a little bit more than that. Including, including people, you know, on the frontline, middle middle managers and operators who are feeling increasingly squeezed as well. How can we get things easier for people? Um, and skills is important to that, but also reducing sprawls important too. And that can be cloud sprawl, it could be a different tool or technique, it could be a vendor. Um, but get, make things easier for people and have that right trusted partnership to support you,

Kevin L. Jackson (31:10):

<laugh>. So ladies and gentlemen, today’s show has been brought to you by the letter s <laugh>. So Glen, your response, what s do you have to pull out <laugh>

Glen Gilmore (31:24):

Success, uh, success, that, that, wow,

Kevin L. Jackson (31:27):

That’s a big one.

Glen Gilmore (31:28):

<laugh>. That, that the ecosystem, uh, of 5G can, can bring to us. And, and Sally once again did a beautiful job of giving this broad, uh, spectrum on so many different areas. Uh, as we look to, to the year ahead, uh, business enterprise really needs to, uh, tap into the innovation that, that, uh, 5G can, can allow us, and that, that requires, uh, collaborations and new thinking mm-hmm. <affirmative> so that we, we focus on that people centricity. Uh, how do we make that customer experience more seamless? Uh, how can we be more creative when people need to have new training? Uh, what we’ve seen, for example, uh, Purdue University, uh, doing a lot with, uh, helping, uh, those in healthcare, uh, tap into the power of virtual reality to have, uh, mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, training that that is far more immersive, far more effective, and that will become far more commonplace, uh, technology, uh, today, uh, because of the real time, uh, ability that 5G gives us, and the reliability that, that 5g, uh, gives us, uh, is going to open so many new doors. And what it requires is that, uh, enterprise really focus on, on new use cases. Uh, I, I think that consumers have been a little dis disappointed because enterprise really hasn’t, uh, uh, taken the lead where it should in bringing those new, uh, use cases to life. I think that though, that, that, uh, the priority and emphasis is there for enterprise, and I think we’re gonna see very exciting times, uh, ahead of the year ahead.

Kevin L. Jackson (33:06):

Wow. So, so as we come to the end of the show, Glen, what gets you excited about business connectivity and the evolution of technology in 2023? Is this convergence, uh, part of it,

Glen Gilmore (33:21):

It, it certainly is. What, what gets me excited as I look to, to, uh, uh, 2023 is that, uh, we have a 5G infrastructure that gives us mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, realtime data exchange that will, uh, be able to allow us to collaborate in new ways, whether it’s in healthcare, uh, with remote patient monitoring, with the collaborations between, uh, doctors so that, uh, rural health becomes as top-notch as health in, in any major city. Uh, that, uh, the supply chain, which has really gone through a, a crisis in this past year can move forward. Yeah, with a lot more, uh, efficiencies and that emphasis on, uh, sustainability, that, that, uh, uh, 5g, uh, data, um, information can, can bring us, uh, can help us, uh, uh, meet what’s also an energy crisis. So I think, uh, successes, as I said, really becomes a theme of the year ahead, uh, as you look for new innovation, uh, brought to us by that 5g, uh, ecosystem and, uh, uh, fiber as well.

Kevin L. Jackson (34:30):

All right. That’s, that’s huge. So, so Sally, what drives your adrenaline? I mean, you’re bringing it today,

Sally Eaves (34:36):

<laugh>, <laugh>. Oh, thank you. Lovely overview. Bye by Glen there as well. I, I couldn’t agree more about this platform, um, that 5G is bringing and like next year is that enterprise grade level, and it is for businesses of all sizes as well. I think it’s a really important narrative, that one. So totally echo those I’ve already kind of messaged, I think we got to eight S’S just now, didn’t we? So all of those are very much what I’m excited about for next year, but maybe if we try and kind of pull those together for me, it’s something I’ve cared about for so long, it feels like it’s a dawn of actualization around it. So it is about the rise of purpose-driven business. You know, I, I’ve said for it for a long time that, you know, we don’t have to have this juxtaposition with, you know, big enterprise or for profit over here and say, social enterprise and charity over there.

Sally Eaves (35:17):

It doesn’t need to be that way. We can bring these aims and aspirations together. You can do well by doing good and you can create shared value business models that I think is gonna be the biggest driver for competitive advantages. You’re particularly going beyond 2023 actually. And I’m excited that this is now something that’s becoming truly embedded by design, you know, right from the start of conceiving products and services. Now, now. So for me, that to me for 2023, it’s the rise of, of scale, of purpose-driven business that’s truly transparent, committed, and accountable. And again, connectivity and collaboration ecosystem around this too. It’s absolutely the pathway forward. So I’m really excited about where this convergence is leading us.

Kevin L. Jackson (35:53):

Wow. Awesome. Awesome. Thank, thank you both for, for sharing that tremendous insight. Uh, unfortunately that brings us to the end of the at and t Business Biz Talk on exciting tech trends for 2023. This was such a high note for ending this year’s Biz Talk series. As we enter the holiday season, I would like to wish everyone a safe and prosperous and transformational new year. We’ll see you in 2023 on at and t Business Biz Off.

Intro/Outro (36:33):

Thank you for supporting Digital Transformers and for being a part of our global supply chain now community. Please check out all of our programming@supplychainnow.com. Make sure you subscribe to Digital Transformers anywhere you listen to or view the show, and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. See you next time on Digital Transformers.