1. New Technologies
and their role in the workplace
Russell Feldhausen
Computer Support Specialist
russfeld@ksu.edu @russfeld
AGCOM 590 October 27, 2011

2. New Technologies
• How can I use new technologies at work?
• What new technologies are there?
• What are the new technologies of the future?

3. Technology at Work
• 20 years ago – Computers were only at work
• 10 years ago – Internet was mainly at work
• Today…
– People have iPads
– People have Smartphones
– People use Dropbox
– People download Music, Movies, and Software
– People use Social Media all the time

4. The times, they are a changin’
• Old and busted:
– Your employer provides you with technology
– Everything is locked down and controlled centrally
– You have very little input in the process
• New hotness:
– Employees bringing their own devices to work
– Everything is in the cloud
– You decide what you think will work for you

5. Case Study: iPads
• iPad - April 2010 (only 18 months ago!!)
• People bought them to play with at home
• Enterprise IT ignored them, no use for them
• But…
– People figured out how useful they were
– Showed IT staff how well they performed tasks
– Enterprise IT had to quickly adapt to keep up

6. So… what happened?

7. The Problem
• iPads are consumer devices
– Meant for only 1 user
– No user accounts, so no privacy
– No easy way to manage lots of them
– Hard to get useful files on them
– They require credit cards to purchase anything
– Is there a Return on Investment (ROI)?

8. The Solution
• Enterprise IT had to adapt, fast
– Accenture: 500 iPads got e-mail within 24 hours
– Corporate data had to become mobile, accessible
– Less focus on control, more on secure access
• Apple had to adapt, sort of
– Now allowing bulk app purchasing
– Tools for deploying settings to devices
– Still very consumer oriented, but changing

9. The Result
• 25 Million iPads sold in first 14 months
• 11.1 Million sold last quarter alone!
• People quickly adopted iPads at home, work
• Everything is going to the cloud
• Websites are becoming mobile friendly
• Everyone wants to have their own app

10. Why did it work?
iPads are:
• Cheap (cheaper than a laptop but not
throwaway)
• Easy to use, no user training required
• Fit a unfilled (and unknown) need better than
current technology
• TONS of apps for everything
• Just darn cool!

11. The Good
• Keep up with the latest and greatest out there
• Save time (and maybe even money)
• Stay relevant in a changing world
• Help people do their jobs better, more
efficiently
• Make things easier for the client

12. The Bad
• Need to train staff (and clients) each time
• Always spending money to keep up
• No proven track record of success
• Constantly changing just to keep up

13. The Ugly
• More Open = Less Secure
• Current infrastructure may not be enough
• Resistance to change from IT, Execs, Staff,
Clients
• Some people may be left behind due to
– Slow Internet
– Old Devices
– Lack of technology expertise
– Cultural / ideological inhibitions

14. Evaluating New Technology
• Think about business goals, not new devices
• Look at ways to improve current practices
• Calculate the Return on Investment (ROI)
• Its not about WHAT people work on, but
– HOW they work
– WHEN they work
– WHERE they work
– WHO they work with

15. Warning Signs
• Lack of a user / developer / hacker community
• Vendor lock-in – can you change later?
• Poor user reviews / lack of user reviews
• Resistance to change
• Dramatic price reductions
• Too good to be true

16. Adopting New Technology
• Start with a few “early adopters”
• Have a clear and concise goal in mind
• Spend lots of time training and learning
• Encourage people to experiment
• Move quickly, but not too quickly

17. What aren’t we talking about
• Security – Does it keep your data safe?
• Privacy – Does it expose information?
• Sustainability – What is the cost of upkeep?
• Redundancy – What if it breaks or goes away?
• Copyright – Who owns it and how can I use it?
• Long-term – Will it last long enough to use?
• Neutrality – Does it favor a certain group?

18. What new technologies
can I use right now?

19. The Internet
• It’s everywhere
• Speeds are increasing all the time
• Websites are becoming mobile
• Everything is at your fingertips…
• …if only you could get to it

20. Mobile Devices
• Tablets, smartphones and eReaders
• Instant, always-on access to the internet
• Never have to “not know” again
• Never get lost again
• A camera in every pocket
• Save money while shopping

21. The Cloud
• Computing resources sold as a service and not
a product
• They own the computers and you use them
• Crashplan, Dropbox, Slideshare
• Shazam, Gmail, Paypal
• All the Internet could be “the cloud”

22. Internet TV
• Small box connected to the internet
• Access to
– Hulu
– Youtube
– Netflix
– Pandora
• Who needs cable TV anymore?

23. Other Stuff
• MacBook Air
• SLR Cameras
• Nintendo 3DS
• Intel Core Processors

24. What’s next in technology?

25. The Internet
• IPv6 – 2^128 IP addresses
• What is the future of Electricity? Internet?
• Websites = mobile websites = apps
• Completely connected homes
• Fragmented – Multiple networks??
• Tiered system – pay to play??

26. Powerful Small Devices
• Ultrabooks – Powerful, light, long battery life
• Quad-core phones – Full-on gaming devices
• iPad2 - Top 30 supercomputer in 1993
• PS Vita – PS3 power in your pocket
• Nest Thermostat – It learns what you like
• Amazon Kindle Fire – Tablet + Amazon :^)

27. Cars: The Final Frontier
• Cars are becoming the next mobile device
• Voice Commands
• Wifi Hotspot
• Car to Car communication
• Interface with phones, laptops, homes
• Personal Recognition

28. E-Ink
• Display Screens everywhere
• No power / no light needed
• Screens on clothes, cars, people
• Everything is a touchscreen
• End of the traditional newspaper
• Buy it once, always has the latest news

29. 3D Printers
• Need a new part for something? Print one
• Rapid prototyping of new ideas
• Print things that would be impossible to
actually manufacture
• Printer in every kids room? (Think: Legos)
• Space travel – just print what you need

30. Light Field Cameras
• Captures not only light color and intensity, but
angle at which it is received
• Refocus the picture after it is taken
• No longer have to worry about shutter
speed, aperture, ISO, etc.

31. End of Physical Media
• VHS & Audio Tapes – Gone
• DVDs and CDs – Going
• Blu-ray – Already on the way out…?
• Video Game Discs – Disappearing…?
• Everyone downloads everything now
• How do you establish ownership?

32. Trusted Computing
• You can’t trust any computer anymore
• Create a system to verify exactly what the
computer is doing and who is doing it
• Only allow access to data from systems that
are “trusted”
• Want to run your own systems… tough luck!
• Secure and Private vs. Open and Available

33. Voice Commands
• Siri – Apple’s new iPhone 4S
• Need something? Just ask it! …or ask her…
• Coming soon to
cars, computers, elevators, TVs, McDonalds, St
arbucks,

34. Things are changing so fast!!!
How can I keep up?

35. Keeping up with Technology
• Slashdot: http://slashdot.org
• Google News: http://news.google.com
• ZDNet: http://www.zdnet.com
• PCWorld: http://www.pcworld.com
• CNET: http://www.cnet.com
• Liliputing: http://liliputing.com
• Newegg: http://www.newegg.com

36. Keeping up with Technology
• Ask your IT person (if he or she is helpful)
– If not, find one that is
– Think “tech evangelist” and not “tech czar”
• Talk to colleagues & industry professionals
• Conferences & Conventions & Tradeshows
• Communicate with vendors (if others aren’t)
• Try things yourself!

37. Any Questions?

38. Discussion Time!
• How can what we learned today help our
client and/or the client’s target audience?
• Is there something we should include in our
client report/proposal?
• Is there something we should include on our
WordPress site?
• Is there something we need to research
further based on Today’s discussion?

39. Further Reading
• 23 incredible new techs: http://ow.ly/7aFSm
• Car as the Mobile Device: http://ow.ly/7aGni
• 5 Big Trends in IT: http://ow.ly/7aGx9
• Future of the Internet: http://ow.ly/7aGFT
• iPad Revolution: http://ow.ly/7aHmx
• iPad in the Enterprise: http://ow.ly/7aHvF
• Adopting Tech in SMB: http://ow.ly/7aHH4