According to Statista, the wearable technology market will be worth a staggering $12.6 billion by 2018. With products such as Google Glass and iWatch we might think it is purely a consumer market, but this could not be further from the truth.
Around 77% or surveyed employees, said they felt that wearable technology devices could make them more productive at work. But, before you rush out and start buying up the latest gadgets, you need to have a game plan.
So far, wearable gadgets have been very limited in what data they can collate. Think health and fitness monitoring. But, you may recall in our recent blogs about disruptive mobiles apps that are being used to tackle a plethora of issues, at the source. Whilst wearable devices up to now have enjoyed a close relationship with their supporting application, we are now starting to see seamless integration between the device and cloud and CRM applications.
However, collecting data is one thing, but once we have it, what do we do with it? Almost a third of users of wearable devices tend to stop wearing them once the novelty has worn off. Largely in part because the information they collect is limited. In order for the device to be more productive, the information it is collecting needs to be more relevant by providing accurate information in real time, and thereby enabling better decision making.
For now, we are still making tentative steps into the wearable device market, because as like all changes in technology, we are concerned about the security implications. For example, how do you go about securing your car, or smartwatch against potential data breaches? And, could collating data be a breach of privacy?
Until we have some definitive ways to tackle these issues, it seems that health monitoring devices tend to be the number one use of these devices. Microsoft for instances is set to release their wearable device, a smartwatch, which can track the wearer’s heart rate in the next few weeks, and could be the answer to business health monitoring for employees.
Yet, the possibilities for wearable devices is truly endless. Wearable devices are ‘hands-free’, so this opens up real possibilities for using such devices for search and rescue teams, or emergency personnel, or where there could be biohazards, such as with the recent Ebola outbreak.