Digital World Perspectives from a Week in Chicago

October 31st, 2011

Chicago may not be the center of the digital world but it can be a great place to find new perspectives!

This week I attended 4G World 2011, a four-day conference and expo that brought together an ecosystem of high tech vendors to talk about LTE – the technology that delivers 4G service to 33 networks in 23 countries, including Verizon, AT&T and Metro PCS in the US. This year’s conference was dominated by presentations highlighting the phenomenal growth in video and data traffic which is driving significant investments in spectrum and network equipment to deliver blazing mobile speeds anywhere that consumers go.                        

Optimism

There was a marked sense of industry optimism as the initial 4G deployments are delivering faster than the anticipated growth in consumer uptake, and technical and operational challenges related to the network and devices are being accommodated with the expectation of exponential growth over the next 4 to 5 years.

Legacy

At 4G World, multiple tributes were made to the legacy left to the industry by Steve Job’s introduction of the iPhone. Ironically, his greatest legacy may not be the device itself but the tsunami of data that his devices unleashed on the mobile networks of the world. Data traffic via mobile networks has increased 4,500 times in the last 13 years and in the last 4 years iPhone users have driven video to over 50% of traffic; it is predicted by Nokia Siemens Networks that this traffic will increase 1,000 times by the year 2020. It was also recognized by the CTO of Clearwire that every prediction on data capacity has been underestimated. Steve Job’s legacy has resulted in the acceleration and major rethinking of the architectures that enable the transport of this data, including the offloading of data from cellular networks to Wi-Fi, the introduction of small cells and the acceleration of LTE technology.

Faith and Trust

This week I heard Gillian Tett,USmanaging editor of the Financial Times, speak at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs about the current crisis inEurope. She identified that faith and trust are at the core of economic, financial, social and political systems; that the European crisis is part of a broader global problem of blind faith in financial alchemy where the following pillars have been consistently eroded and have failed:

  • rating agencies
  • securitization
  • banks’ balance sheets
  • models of valuation
  • regulators
  • the ability of government to secure and protect the system

Resulting from this, Tett noted there has been a shift in market psychology, collapsing of time horizons, credit markets that lack credit and a lack of trust in cyber trading. She pointed out that once this trust is lost it is very difficult to restore it. To compound this, Tett believes that in a world of instant communications and social media a dangerous situation is occurring, that of an accelerating cycle of uncertainty around these global systems.

Perspectives

It was interesting to hear two very different perspectives of the future, especially since both are significantly intertwined. Over the last 30 years, the growth and convergence of the information, computing and telecommunications (ICT) industries have contributed to a seven times increase in global GDP and facilitated not only globalization but also the connection of almost half the planet to information and communications. ICT industries contribute more than 2% of the global GDP, with Apple last year gaining the title of most valuable company in the world.

Men of ideas and vision, such as Steve Jobs, coupled with technology and science have the ability to create significant changes to the world we live in and to the wealth that we enjoy. ICT industries, however, are causing fundamental structural shifts in the way that traditional industries, societies and even politics behave. The structural shifts can be traumatic for those affected, as witnessed not only by the “Occupy Wall Street” movement taking place globally but also by the apparent inability of political leaders to find the answers to the resulting economic, financial and social problems. Converged technologies and social media are now enabling the so called 99% to stay as informed as the 1% while at the same time providing the mechanism for the 1% to more effectively engage, interact and tap into the collective knowledge and expectations of the people.

Connecting the Dots

We can all choose what to believe. If we recognize that change is ongoing, even if we don’t understand the change, with hindsight and a little insight it’s possible to take an optimistic path which will help to establish and rebuild our faith and trust in the emerging system. As Steve Jobs said: “Believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well worn path, and that will make all the difference”. If politicians were to adopt this mindset, it might give them faith to tackle the global crisis and address the concern expressed by Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Luxembourg and President of the Eurogroup: “We all know what to do, we just don’t know how to get re-elected after we’ve done it”.

At KeySo Global we are advisors and consultants about the impact of digital technology on society, business and individuals. Please contact us at info@keysoglobal.com, +1-847-478-1633 or visit our website www.keysoglobal.com

Steve Bell, President, KeySo Global LLC

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Galvin & Jobs: Great “Men of Ideas”

October 24th, 2011

Article first published as Galvin & Jobs: Great “Men of Ideas” on Technorati.

The onset of autumn has brought the passing of two significant individuals who have shaped what the Economist refers to as “the era of personal technology”.

Since October 5 the media have been swamped with eulogies to Steve Jobs and coverage of memorials set up outside Apple stores by devoted followers. Without doubt, Steve Jobs possessed the unparalleled ability to combine design and technology, and infuse this with the emotive spark that consumers can relate to. He was highly skilled at identifying the right design for the right technology at the right time. Very rarely, however, did the products he introduced push the limits of the technology curve. His passion did not lie in the pursuit of leading edge technology or in the next great breakthrough but instead in the creation of user centered elegant and simplistic devices that slip into everyday life.

October 11 saw the passing of Robert Galvin, better known as Bob Galvin. Bob was long time CEO of Motorola and son of the founder, Paul Galvin. During his tenure, Motorola became an early pioneer in semiconductors, paging and cellular communications. These major milestone technologies required incredible foresight and the tenacity to overcome the challenges of long development cycles and innumerable roadblocks. Bob’s inspiration and commitment resulted in Motorola not only becoming a global player in these industries by delivering multiple breakthrough products but, more importantly, creating a wealth of knowledge and experience that has moved across the industry and the globe.

The life work of each of these men enabled the dawn of an exciting new era. Over the last 30 years computing, telephony, entertainment and consumer electronics have been on a converging path, and many recent landmark products and technology innovations were the result of the vision held by these two remarkable individuals. Their lasting legacies within Apple and Motorola will continue to exist as questions:  “What would Steve do?” and “What would Bob do?” The challenge for the next millennium is to build on these legacies; corporate leaders, employees and new entrants in all industries need to ask themselves “how do we take ideas and make them relevant to the consumer?” and “how do we turn ideas into the technology to make them possible?”

It’s sometimes hard to believe that innovation and growth can survive the turmoil of the current economic climate or that creative solutions can be found for the world’s problems. Statistics show, however, the world’s GDP has actually increased 7 fold over the past 30 years and it’s my belief that these two “men of ideas” were key contributors to this growth. Both were highly innovative and successful men who never lost touch with reality. Most significantly, they both had faith in the power of ideation to generate a sense of optimism for the future. May they now rest in peace.

At KeySo Global we are advisors and consultants about the impact of digital technology on society, business and individuals. Please contact us at info@keysoglobal.com, +1-847-478-1633 or visit our website www.keysoglobal.com

Steve Bell, President, KeySo Global LLC

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In the Digital World which comes first: the Chicken or the Egg?

October 14th, 2011

Do you hesitate to hire new employees because you fear the economy hasn’t truly recovered yet? Do you anxiously watch for signs of recovery in the form of bank lending, government compromise towards growth, and a future of hope?

I do, with one tiny exception. I believe in our future, now.

As a consumer, I spend more than I probably should but I will not be handcuffed. As a professional, I provide pro-bono services to those people and those companies that I have faith in and that I see are doing the right and wise things to help their customers, their community, and their country. As a person, I give trust up front and only withdraw it when that trust proves false. But I am not afraid to trust in the new – new friends, new business contacts, new ideas, or new opportunities.

Do we wait for the chicken to lay the proverbial golden egg? Or are we waiting for the egg to hatch before we decide to act? In other words are we waiting for everything to get better before we start to invest again, to hire again, to loan again, to spend on goods again? I believe that the waiting’s over and that we should be saying “enough is enough”, taking the bull by the horns and doing something now to jumpstart the change towards recovery and growth that we’ve all been waiting on.

For those who aren’t constrained by necessity to eat “hand to mouth” with their pay checks or unemployment checks, let us stop hoarding money and spend, let us hire to provide jobs for those who want to work, let us lend to those who are dedicated to providing. Most of all let us stop waiting for others to take the initiative to improve our lives for us – let us act now!

At KeySo Global, we are excited about the technological and digital world changes that are affecting our lives but at the same time we are witnessing a new perspective from those people who don’t share our passion. What used to be viewed with hope – the space program, landing on the moon; unrivalled production of the best cars and equipment; an almost euphoric emphasis on innovation and creativity – is now viewed with apprehension.

And that is something that concerns me, both personally and professionally. We have forgotten how to embrace change, and welcome it for being new and different. We have forgotten that we really want hope to remain within arm’s reach and not vanish over a distant horizon. We have forgotten how to be optimistic.

Lending is about trust and optimism, not money. Compromise is about progress and opportunity, not position. Hope is for everyone, not for just a few. It is the essence of the American dream. As Helen Keller said “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence”.

I have hope and I understand that we are part of an exciting new digital world where we have two choices. We can either embrace the changes and challenges that new technology brings, and take advantage of the opportunities it offers for growth and prosperity. Or we can ignore these totally, carry on as before and allow the optimism we had to disappear into obscurity.

So it doesn’t matter whether the chicken or the egg came first. What matters is how and when we react to the rapidly evolving world we live in.

To learn how you can leverage the opportunities afforded by the Digital World to help you succeed and make it a better place for us and future generations to live in, please contact us at info@keysoglobal.com, +1-847-478-1633 or visit our website www.keysoglobal.com

Steve Benton, Principal, KeySo Global, LLC

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Protect your Digital Footprint and zip up your Privacy Settings

October 3rd, 2011

I recently had the enjoyable task of giving the father-of-the-bride speech at my daughter’s wedding. This is a challenging project for any father trying to blend humor with touching moments of emotional significance from his daughter’s childhood and wrapping up with words of wisdom for the happy couple.

Check your zipper

During my preparation for this speech I looked to the Internet for guidance. One of the more comical pieces of advice was labeled “The ABC of Giving a Public Speech”, which concluded by saying that the XYZ aspect – being confident about your speech – is the most critical. In this instance, XYZ stands for “check your zipper!” Nobody wants to be standing in front of an audience, unaware of their embarrassment, and having attention diverted to the wrong area!

The new Facebook

You may ask what this has to do with social media. At the recent F8 Developers Conference, Mark Zuckerberg announced significant changes to Facebook. One of these is the introduction of “frictionless sharing” which more closely integrates applications from media companies and enables personal actions such as reading an article, listening to music or watching a movie to be transmitted to all ones’ friends, providing the user has granted prior permission.

Serendipitous sharing

This “frictionless sharing” is designed to encourage “real-time serendipity” by removing the extra step requirement to manually “Like, Share or Comment” on content, which tends to inhibit interaction. The technical framework for apps has been changed within Facebook so that, rather than requiring you to click to share, the app automatically posts your status update. 

As you install each app, you can grant permission for it to update your timeline. At this stage you’ll need to carefully consider the transparency of the information you’re sharing, how your timeline will be updated and why it may be beneficial for you to opt in.

You, as a sponsored story

Provided a user hasn’t “opted out”, anything they listen to or watch can be openly promoted by Facebook partner companies, such as Spotify or Netflix, as if the user had clicked “like” and endorsed it themselves. Additionally, advertisers can identify individual Facebook users, and their activities and endorsements may be used in sponsored stories to recommend a product to their friends.

As a result of this evolved social media, tighter management of privacy settings for online profiles has now become imperative. Users need to understand what these privacy controls mean in terms of what content can be can shared and with whom, as all actions now constitute the users living online profile or “digital footprint”. The already complex overlap between our public and private lives is set to become even more blurred with these changes as almost everything posted on the web is now becoming public knowledge.

Privacy education

Very soon privacy education will have to be incorporated into school curricula. It should most definitely become a part of everyday dialogue between parents and their children, and in many cases the onus will be on the kids to educate the parents!

Already teachers, police officers and other public employees have to be mindful about the pictures and comments they post for fear of repercussions. A recent example of this is a picture that was posted on Facebook of a teacher drinking wine during her summer vacation in Paris and returning home to find out that parents had seen it and objected, which lead to her dismissal.

Don’t forget to zip up your privacy settings

In future, the anecdotes you choose for your father-of-the-bride speech may well be those poignant and, most likely, edited moments from your daughter’s Facebook timeline. If you’re tempted to get a laugh by including a few more embarrassing snippets that you sourced elsewhere – don’t! The guest who kindly videos your speech on their smartphone and posts it on Facebook may just set in motion a train wreck for your daughter’s carefully groomed digital footprint!

At KeySo Global we are advisors and consultants about the impact of digital technology on society, business and individuals. If you’re interested in acquiring a better understanding of the implications of and applications for your corporate or personal digital footprint, please contact us at info@keysoglobal.com, +1-847-478-1633 or visit our website www.keysoglobal.com

Steve Bell, President, KeySo Global

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Flash Riots – a Reality of Digital Life?

September 6th, 2011

The early August spate of riots in London and other parts of the United Kingdom were of real concern to me personally, not only because they occurred in my home town but because they appeared to be totally without motive – even to the rioters themselves!

Equally frustrating, in a city where digital technology is being used to monitor its citizens’ every move, it’s obvious that this technology is not being used as effectively as it could be. The old world respected and admired cultures of the London “bobby” and community policing have not been successfully linked to 21st century technology, so that law enforcement services are unable to interact with their diverse urban communities and deter the escalation of flash points.

Technology alone

In London you have the densest network of closed-circuit TVs (CCTV) anywhere in the world. The probability is that the average Londoner will be caught on camera at least once every 10 minutes. With this impressive network of CCTV’s has come sophisticated facial recognition software, as well as software that’s capable of fast-tracking through hours of video footage and pinpointing the exact location of those people under surveillance.

Integration is the key

This reliance on technology, however, presents similar problems to those that the CIA experienced in the 90s, when the level of sophistication of the technology was considered to be more important than how it was actually linked to assets on the ground. Similarly, during the recent crisis in London, the bobbies on the street were not effectively linked with this high technology, leaving them powerless to provide and receive real time information, so that when the riots escalated, strong arm tactics had to be used to quell them. Now there is talk that community policing is passed its usefulness and should be replaced with US style “fear policing”. A better alternative, as I see it, is to more efficiently integrate and leverage this hybrid of technology and the community bobby, and where necessary support it by more effective targeted backup.

Two sides to a coin

Reminiscent of the Arab Spring, social media and social networking once again played a critical role during this unrest, as instant messaging was used to incite, coordinate and reinforce actions across a widespread area. There were immediate calls in the UK to monitor, intercept and block this messaging, something that the UK and the US governments were only recently advocating that China and the Arab countries NOT do in the face of legitimate press protests. They recommended that the right to protest and communicate freely should be safeguarded.

Legitimate reasons to control

When digital forms of communication are used to advance criminal activity (looting, arson, the destruction of property and so on) I agree that countermeasures need to be in place; however, as in judo, I believe that the secret is to use the force of the opponent to counteract them. This would mean using social media to engage with and mobilize the masses against the criminal minority, and would require the legitimate authority to openly communicate and dialogue via all channels to ensure a consensus of opinion within the communities.

Looking to the future

Western governments, law enforcement and security services need to readdress the realities of policing and protecting democracy in today’s digital world. The current economic climate of austerity, high unemployment and limited growth only heightens the pressures and frustrations felt by society. In large cities, the flash point is ever present when small orchestrated groups use the increasing isolation of the community to their own advantage – and we have seen that social media and social networking can work both ways in such an environment. This is the time when we need to ensure that the integration of information and communication technology is aligned with the values and culture of our democratic society, and that it is used for the greater good.

Understanding and gaining a strategic perspective in these rapidly changing digital times can be difficult if 99% of your focus is tactical. To gain clearer insights into how your business could be impacted in the future by these changes, contact us at info@keysoglobal.com, +1-847-478-1633 or visit our website www.keysoglobal.com

Steve Bell, President, KeySo Global

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Is the Internet of Things Waiting for a Hero?

August 25th, 2011

We live in a world where smart technology abounds. Every day more and more physical objects are embedded with sensors that link wirelessly to one another and devices communicate to make our lives simpler – the Internet of Things is becoming a reality! Every brave new world needs a hero and today’s digital world is no exception.

The question is who will become the hero of the Internet of the Things? Who will be the new Vince Cerf, Tim Berners-Lee or Steve Jobs? Who will be the father of something that virally transforms the intangible into something concrete, powerful and awe inspiring? These thoughts occurred to me during a recent roundtable about the Internet of Things organized by the Center for Policy on Emerging Technologies (C-PET), for which I am an advisor.

At this roundtable we discussed this year’s “Internet of Things Conference” in Brussels, where the vision of 50 billion enabled devices being connected by the year 2020 caused much excitement. Concern was expressed, however, about the diverse cultural differences affecting European and the US approaches to the regulation and standardization of this new technology.

The European Union has established an Internet of Things expert group, with six subgroups that focus on identity, privacy, security, ethics, architecture and standards. Their goal is to issue a report by the end of the year that will be used for public consultation during 2012, with an impact assessment delivered by July and regulations determined by the end of 2012.

Concern was expressed about the European human right’s requirement for the “right to be forgotten” and the ability to “silence the chips”, which means that people can effectively go “off the grid” and manage their own “digital footprint”. In other words, individuals should be able to control what digital information is collected about them, know where it is stored in the cloud and who has access to it. This is in stark contrast to the US approach to Internet of Things technology which lacks any apparent coordinated activity or consultation.

This technological phenomenon is set to transform the nature of society and business as we know it, and on a global scale. To the average person, the Internet of Things is still an inanimate and intangible possibility in the same way that the Internet was back in the early 90’s. The fundamental difference is that the pace of development, innovation and adoption of this new technology will bring change far faster than regulations can keep pace with.

At the IoT conference in June, reference was made to three different technology cultures – those of West Coast USA, East Coast USA and Europe. The West Coast is about prototyping innovation and believing that the possible is inevitable. The East Coast is about profit and power, where the possible is threatening and lawyers line up to litigate. In Europe a precautionary and philosophical stance is taken to ensure the rights of people are not infringed, and the possibility is considered but its implementation is delayed.

Back in 1995, Nicholas Negroponte wrote in his book “Being Digital”: “we must knowingly create safe digital environments”. Today, however, the pace of technological change makes it very difficult for governments to define regulations that ensure the safety, security and well-being of their citizens, particularly when those technologies are global and worldwide cooperation and collaboration is required.

Why do I believe that a hero is needed for the Internet of Things? It’s the Double Power Principle: all technologies have the power for good as well as ill, and most of the time it’s up to us to knowingly lead the way and harness that power for good use. To enable the power of the Internet of Things, it would require someone with vision to capture people’s imaginations and inspire innovation and new ideas, to dispel their fear of this new technology and to take advantage of the abundance of efficiencies that this revolution can enable.

The probability is that it will not be one single hero in one particular country. Most likely it will be a collection of open innovators who are connected globally and share their ideas across communities. The concept of 6 billion people leveraging 50 billion devices for the purpose of solving global issues and enhancing the well-being of mankind is the kind of thing that myths are made of. Every myth has a hero – and the hero here would be one who could traverse cultural boundaries to ensure that the Internet of Things becomes seamlessly incorporated into our digital lives.

To obtain a copy of our white paper on “The Internet of Things” contact us at info@keysoglobal.com or call us at +1-847-478-1633.

Steve Bell, President, KeySo Global

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Google Plus – A Tool to Transform Knowledge Sharing As We Know It?

August 11th, 2011

I was a relatively early adopter of LinkedIn and Twitter and although I have a corporate KeySo Global Facebook page, I really live vicariously on Facebook through my wife who, let’s face it, has managed our friendships and social calendar for most of our married life!

Then along comes this Google Plus! I’m invited to join, not by a friend or family member but by a business acquaintance where I suspect I’m in one of his circles labeled “met and might be an interesting or useful contact”!

I have to admit, I’d been intrigued by Google+ and the statistics for its growth are staggering. The media, of course, are claiming it’s the return of the cold war as Google takes on Facebook – but is it? Or is it something far more compelling than just another social network?

This amusing but revealing video on YouTube caught my eye, so I read Pete Cashmore’s blog on Mashable on “10 Tips for New Users”. Then I acquiesced and signed up!

We live in a world of “digital bytes” that consume our attention every second of the day. My biggest challenge is to find a digital tool that blends into my life to make it simpler, and replaces what currently requires multi-tasking with an all-encompassing digital medium. Similar to that which Steve Jobs managed to do with digital music and mobile web access.

Chris Brogan identified some interesting technical, human and etiquette aspects related to Google+ in two recent blogs. Firstly, just because you find someone of interest to follow and put that person in a “circle”, there is no guaranteed reciprocity. Unless you are “circled” in return, those people don’t see any of your updates and you still have the challenge of getting on their radar so that they “circle” you!

The belief is that Google+ will attract more professionals but their plight is the “digital byte syndrome” – compounded with fatigue – from constantly setting up new profiles and being disappointed by limited results. Then there’s the nagging question – what can I share that’s new? As I see it, the opportunity is there to blend the news updates of Twitter with the professional perspectives of LinkedIn and the digital life observations of Facebook, creating an integrated digital montage that could greatly enhance business and personal interactions.

David Armano appears to have a similar take on the situation. He views Google+ as a social layer that cuts across media, search, communication and collaboration services. This social layer potentially provides a capability that integrates the best of Web 2.0 into personalized services. It’s fascinating to consider that this horizontal layering could give rise to unforeseen and potentially transformational implications for our personal and professional lives, and I believe that its impact will extend way beyond that which most of us could predict.

Could the challenges of corporate knowledge sharing, together with the horizontal layering capability of Google+, form the seeds of what we at KeySo Global call “Digital Wisdom Networks”?  These networks face the challenge of bridging the gap between the internal communities within an organization that protect “aggregate” (internal) knowledge and those communities outside an organization, where an explosion of “collective” (external) knowledge has been powered by social networking. Essentially, Digital Wisdom Networks become trusted circles of professionals, in- and outside of a company, who collaborate to share new information for the purpose of generating company specific solutions and fresh innovation. Google+ might be just the tool they’re looking for!

To find out more about Digital Wisdom Networks and how converged digital technologies can greatly simplify collaboration and knowledge sharing within your organization, contact us at info@keysoglobal.com, +1-847-478-1633 or visit our website www.keysoglobal.com

Steve Bell, President, KeySo Global

 

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How to Gain 20/20 Foresight in the Digital World

July 22nd, 2011

“Hindsight is 20/20”. We can always look back and see how past events have contributed to current situations. Hindsight is often used to measure the progression of governments and economies, and in the business world financial reports and assessments are all based on past performance. Yet in today’s fast paced digital world, hindsight alone is no longer sufficient. Knowing where you were, or even where you are, is not enough. Today’s requirement is for 20/20 Foresight – the ability to assimilate hindsight with current insight to define the road ahead.

New converged technologies are forcing digital life behavioral changes in the way we communicate and socialize, and are bringing such dramatic change to the workplace that, for many businesses, planning ahead and preparing for future challenges and opportunities are often seen as overwhelming tasks. 

Digital life is clearly having a massive impact on humanity on both global and personal levels. Through digital world converged technologies, cultural barriers are dropping, industry boundaries are blurring, consumerism is rising, and the attitude and behavior of people are changing faster than “rearview mirror” measurements can hope to keep up with. As a human race we must devise new frames of thinking, new tools for measurement, and new approaches to meeting the needs of us all.

20/20 Foresight provides organizations with valuable perspectives on consumers’, customers’, constituents’ and clients’ needs and wants of tomorrow, rather than those of yesterday or today. The “low hanging fruit” for grabbing quick returns may seem attractive now but it won’t provide a sustainable business strategy in the long term. It is the anticipation and foresight of peoples’ needs and wants of tomorrow that will increasingly determine how sustainable a strategy really is.

By identifying those factors that are contributing to major changes in human behavior – factors such as converging technologies and industries, impending baby boomer retirements, global tribes, and the mobile cloud 3.0 – and forecasting future digital life trends, we at KeySo Global have begun to derive actionable predictions; these, in turn, provide early identifications of both opportunities and threats that will help to ensure the long lasting success of any strategy.

20/20 Foresight has moved from a nice-to-have competitive differentiator to a must-have survival mechanism. To make this transition, companies must adopt a digital mind set and rethink how they can more effectively interact with the collective knowledge base outside of their business, to better understand the shifts in market trends that are occurring across the globe. At the same time they need to learn how to blend these fresh insights with their existing in-house aggregate knowledge in order to reshape out-of-date business models and become a truly “social business”.

If you’re open to change and willing to learn how to create a new digital strategy based on 20/20 Foresight that will lead to sustainable long term growth, we at KeySo Global can show you how. Contact us at info@keysoglobal.com, +1-847-478-1633 or visit our website www.keysoglobal.com.

Steve Benton, Principal, KeySo Global

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Position Vacant: Digital Agent of Change

July 15th, 2011

I had the opportunity to present to a group of executives in transition last week on the subject: “Digital Agent of Change”. Our proposition is that this is a key new position that is emerging as a result of today’s fast moving digital world, and one that still remains vacant in the majority of corporations. The rapid convergence of multiple digital technologies that’s taking place is giving rise to a powerful all-encompassing tsunami of change – the impact of which most companies still remain blissfully unaware.

The pace of change in mobile technology, for instance, has accelerated at an unprecedented rate. By the end of this year nearly 6 billion people will be “connected” worldwide. It took 20 years for the first billion people to get a cell phone and only 15 months for the last billion!

More fundamentally, wireless connection is being used not only for voice communication but also for high speed broadband data. In a recent report Chetan Sharma, an acclaimed mobile strategy consultant, concluded that more changes will occur over the next 10 years than occurred in the last 100, and that value chains will be disrupted every 12 -24 months. This is yet further validation of our firm belief at KeySo Global that converged technologies will inevitably cause major disruption to business models – and most companies are, as yet, unaware of the magnitude of this.

New converged technologies mean that boundaries that previously existed between employers, employees and consumer communities are starting to blur and overlap. Once employees walk in through the revolving doors of a corporation, it’s no longer realistic to believe that they disengage from the outside world. Smartphones are an intrinsic part of digital life – and people will connect! We’re now seeing distrustful companies requiring that their employees contractually disclose their Twitter and Facebook identities, and pledge to not say anything negative about the company in social media forums. Maybe they wouldn’t if management didn’t give them reason to!

One member of our audience last week commented on this ambiguity of trust between companies and employees. Over the last 20 years, corporations have increasingly been treating their employees as disposable assets to achieve quarterly results – so why would they show loyalty to or trust in the management of their company? The emergence of social networking and social media also means that employees can now express their grievances more openly – and to a far broader audience. Many corporations have not yet recognized that in today’s digital world dismissed or badly treated employees will become tomorrow’s “brand terrorists”.

The challenge of recognizing and repairing this trust relationship within an organization can only be achieved when all sectors are prepared to collaborate, and open dialogue is initiated between management and employees. When trust is found lacking within a company, it cannot be expected from its customers on the outside.

It’s here that the Digital Agent of Change plays a key role – and it’s not a position for one individual alone. It’s built on the premise that the capabilities of each and every person in an organization need to be ignited; they need to be aware of and receptive to the changes that digital technologies bring so that these can be harnessed to organically restructure the business from the inside out.

To understand more about the role of a Digital Agent of Change, about how you yourself can prepare to step into this role and how your company can embrace this new position, contact us at info@keysoglobal.com, +1-847-478-1633 or visit our website www.keysoglobal.com

Steve Bell, President, KeySo Global LLC

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Online Ambiguity – How Fine is the Line between Trust and Anonymity?

July 8th, 2011

I believe in fairness, in helping those whom I believe in to succeed, being as green as possible, and that all adults should protect children however they can. These values and beliefs are part of my DNA. Even though I state this, do you believe me?  Do you care?  You care when you need to assess whether or not you can trust me! This is the paradox – in the Digital World should we and can we really remain anonymous? If so, how do we in turn know who can be trusted?

In some countries and circumstances anonymity is synonymous with self protection. We see how Digital Life provides a medium for citizens to rise up in protest in countries such as Egypt, Libya and Yemen. Cell phones, Twitter and Facebook, have each provided people the means to join their collective voices and shout “enough is enough”. The challenge for them remains how to provide credibility to the masses and at the same time not be identified and victimized. In Saudi Arabia, for example, groups of women have launched online campaigns to urge others to fight for their legal right to drive. Those who revealed their identity were punished.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, in his documentary, “Erasing David”, UK director David Bond shows how hard it is to erase one’s identity and delete personal data held by governments and public entitles. Today’s digital environment makes it almost impossible for any of us to erase our past and remain truly anonymous due to the “digital footprints” we all leave in our wake.

Trust is at the heart of all elements of this issue. The Internet was inherently designed to be “open”. Our social and private lives, as well as businesses’ and governments’ activities have become increasingly transparent as information is made more readily available and shared globally via the web. Since total anonymity is almost impossible, the importance of “privacy” has become even more crucial; strict boundaries need to be adhered to, to protect what is known about an individual and by whom.

Follow through has always been the crux of trust and, while the medium for the voice may have changed, the human element of “doing what you say” still remains. Trusted communities of people communicating with each other are the counterbalance to potential privacy violations, and also the means for validating otherwise anonymous individuals.

We at KeySo Global want to get to know you and want you to get to know us! We believe that, as a trusted mentor and coach to our clients, open dialog is imperative. Using digital technologies, we can show you how to apply them in your business in ways that lead directly to effective, trusted relationships.

Contact us at info@keysoglobal.com, +1-847-478-1633 or visit our website www.keysoglobal.com.

Steve Benton, Principal, KeySo Global LLC

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