The Life and Technology Interface

In the middle of February, I attended a conference celebrating the “impossible.” Cochlear Celebration 2013 brought together 1,000 people whose lives have been affected by cochlear implants, devices that rely on technology once deemed impossible. Luckily for 80,000 people like me, Professor Graeme Clark ignored the naysayers and devoted his life to creating the technology that allows severely or profoundly deaf people to hear.

Since returning home from the event, I’ve been thinking about the people whose vision and drive bring technology into our lives, and the directions the technology takes us.  For me, Professor Clark’s refusal to give up allows me to communicate. It lets me participate in aspects of life that were challenging or even off limits since losing my hearing at age four. I received my first cochlear implant twenty years later. It allows me to communicate more easily as I do business at TekTegrity. The coincidence of using technology in order to operate a technology company isn’t lost on me.

While it’s easy to demonstrate how people are benefiting from things like cochlear implants, it’s sometimes not as obvious that technology is improving the quality of our lives. We often accept the changes without thinking about everything that has gone into bringing these conveniences and improvements to us.

We live in an increasingly connected world. More and more, our actions and interactions are dictated by the technology we use. The future promises more integration of applications and infrastructure. Devices are getting more compact, more powerful and more efficient. We’re noticing adaptations as a result of increased miniaturization, from medical devices that could soon restore eyesight, to wearable computing devices such as Google glass.  If predictions come true, wearable computing devices could become as common as smartphones are now.

There is no doubt that technology will continue to march into uncharted territory. Each time a new direction is determined, there are researchers, scientists, programmers, manufacturers and business leaders predicting and planning for the changes.

How does this all tie in with business IT services?  A few years ago, most of our clients used a traditional desktop or laptop to do almost all of their work.  Now, many of our clients access their applications and information from all sorts of devices, including ipads, iphones, and thin clients, with less of their everyday work being done on a traditional computer.  In the near future, the technologies people use to get to their data will change even more based on the trends we are seeing. 

In our field, we will remain relevant by evaluating our clients’ needs, ensuring data is safe and secure no matter where it is accessed, and providing implementation and support services, just as we do now.

We understand that most people don’t approach business technology with the same excitement they feel about the personal technology they embrace daily. While providing business IT support might not be as exciting as being able to hear laughter for the first time through a cochlear implant, it still enhances all of our quality of life.  Our organization exists to help people work efficiently so they can leave work in time to enjoy dinner with their families. We’re helping them learn new skills, employ new tools, and minimize frustration. We’re contributing to positive attitudes and healthy bottom lines.

Our team is proud to be part of an industry that is dedicated to improving lives and outcomes.  We’re equally proud to acknowledge the efforts of the visionaries, dreamers, outspoken authorities and quiet geniuses who bring us the “impossible” every day.