Technology Revolution: The Future of Now

The buzz: Honk if you love connected cars! The future is definitely connected and it's already here. Consumers, especially millennials, living an always-connected lifestyle expect continuous access to personalized information and services from service and content providers of their choice – even while driving. They do not want to be restricted by the VIN of the vehicle they happen to be driving or in at any moment. How do they define their ideal mobile digital identity? What information do they want while on the road? How much are they willing to pay for it? The experts speak. Joe Barkai, Industry Analyst: "Driving is distracting me from texting." John Ellis, former Ford Global Technologist: "Never disrespectful. Always irreverent." Larry Stolle, SAP: "I can do without more than I can put up with." (Colleague, circa 1980). Join us for Connected Car Take 3: Your Mobile Digital Identity.

The buzz: It's a small world after all. For today's consumer, "the world" is just a few clicks away. Armed with anytime, anywhere information, they can (and do) find the best solutions for their lifestyle needs, often before walking into a store, restaurant, or service center. They're actually maximizing their use of time, their most precious commodity. And they will punish providers who waste it. The experts speak. Brent Brown, HP: "100% of the shots you don't take don't go in..." (Wayne Gretzky). Brian Kilcourse, RSR Research: "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window" (Peter Drucker). Tim Hood, SAP: "We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects" (Herman Melville). Join us for The Networked Economy: Shaping the Future of Retail – Part 2.

The buzz: Roll-it! Big Data represents an opportunity for us to re-imagine our world, track new signals once impossible, and change how we experience our communities, places of work, and personal lives. After nearly two years of research and filming, interviews with 30+ data science, AI, technology and digital medicine scientists and entrepreneurs, The Human Face of Big Data documentary illustrates the promise and the peril in the growing Big Data revolution. The experts speak. David Jonker, SAP: "We have to care about what kind of future we are making... (Tim O'Reilly). Sandy Smolan, Director: "Anything that is going to save the world by definition has to be able to change it for the worst as well as the better (Jay Walker). Bonnie Benjamin-Phariss, ProSocial: "There's always room for a story that can transport people to another place (J.K. Rowling). Bill Medsker, Producer: "What will happen? (Jack Kerouac). Join us for The Human Face of Big Data Film: Igniting Social Change.

The buzz: One. Employee engagement is at its highest since Gallup started tracking it in 2000. Real number? Less than one-third (31.4%) of US workers were engaged in their jobs in 2014. Why? Success in our global, uber-competitive economy may be less reliant on strategic investments in technology, acquisitions, products – and more on how you treat your employees. Meaning? It may be time to change your corporate culture…big-time. How? Can one person make a difference? Well, that depends. The experts speak.Tom Koulopoulos, Delphi Group: "Culture is what you learn to survive in an organization (Regis McKenna). Geoff Scott, ASUG: "The difference between those who change the world and those who don't, is that those who do believe they can (Simon Sinek). Pam Seplow, SAP: "Never doubt the ability of a small group of dedicated citizens to change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has (Margaret Meade). Join us for Employee Engagement Part 3: Changing Corporate Culture - How?

The buzz: The power to inspire. Executives and employees agree: leadership today is lacking. Who says so? A Workforce 2020 studied initiated by SuccessFactors, an SAP company, with Oxford Economics. Why? Because companies are not focused enough on developing future leaders. What does this mean to you? Think about the leadership characteristics at your organization that inspire you to come to work and do your best every day. Ultimately, how do you know who is worth following? Are you? The experts speak. Tom Koulopoulos, Delphi Group: "A boss is someone you must follow. A leader is someone you choose to follow (Peter Drucker). Jennie Moreau, Leadership Consultant: "Don't try harder, try different." Karie Willyerd, SAP: "The average age people got training for being leaders was 42. But most had been supervisors since they were 30. We wait too long to train our leaders, leaving them to learn on the fly." (Jack Zenger) Join us for Employee Engagement Part 2: Following the Leader - Who?

Employee engagement is at its highest level since Gallup started tracking this metric in 2000. That's the good news. The truth? Less than one-third (31.4%) of US workers said they were engaged in their jobs in 2014. Success in this global and highly competitive economy may be less reliant on strategic investments in technology, acquisitions, and products, and more reliant on how you treat your employees. Does it help to create an atmosphere of fun for your employees on-site and virtually? Well, that depends. The experts speak. Tom Koulopoulos, Delphi Group: "Anyone who tries to make a distinction between education and entertainment doesn't know the first thing about either" (Marshall McLuhan). Sherryanne Meyer, ASUG: "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light" (Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter). Frank Sofia, SAP: "Is it supposed to be 'fun' to go to work? Well, that depends." Join us for Employee Engagement Part 1: Having Fun Yet?

The buzz: Invisibles. Visible healthcare wearables like smart wrist bands and watches are commonplace. What if you prefer non-obvious tracking devices? Almost-invisible-to-invisible innovations are entering the market, hoping to gain your trust and improve healthcare outcomes. Coming soon: under-clothing heartrate tracking strips that detect and report epileptic seizures; "smart pills" that measure blood pressure, pH, body temperature; tattoo-thin strips that store health data and even deliver medications. How easy or hard is it to launch innovative health devices and gain profitable market share? The experts speak. Harry Greenspun, MD, Deloitte: Just because I have a fitness app on my phone, it doesn't make me an athlete." Scott Lundstrom, IDC: "The future is already here–it's just not evenly distributed" (William Gibson). Bernhard Schweizer, SAP: "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing" (Helen Keller). Join us for Health Wearables Part 2 – The Next Breakthrough?

The buzz: Are you really "you"? Authentication techniques designed to confirm you are who you say you are, typically entail one or more of three techniques: Something I have, Something I know, Something I am. Thus, accessing the things and information we value can range from easy – like physical keys to our home and our car – to complex passwords intended to protect the privacy of our medical records and national secrets. But we're in a hurry. And as we clamor for faster, easier processes, persistent thieves are toiling overtime to continue stealing our identities and our money. Aye, there's the challenge. The experts speak. Gerlinde Zibulksi, SAP: "My password is SECURE." Hillel Zafir, HMS Technology Group: "A bad plan well executed is better than a good plan not executed (George S. Patton, Jr.). Richard McCammon, Delego: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it (George Santayana). Join us for Data Security in the Age of Credit Card Breaches – Authentication.

The buzz: Make for me healthcare. In medicine, one-size-fits-all treatments have helped save many people cost-efficiently. But for complicated illnesses like cancer, a standardized approach doesn't always work. Personalized medicine – tailored to a specific patient profile – may be the answer. It sounds promising, but will individualized therapies really work, be affordable, and be appropriate for every patient and illness? The experts speak. Barbra McGann, HfS: "The future is a point on the horizon toward which we are headed. We can't get to the future right away because there is stuff in the way. We have to tack back and forth around obstacles." (Paraphrased from Michael Rogers) Subhro Mallik, Infosys: "It's supposed to be automatic, but actually you have to push this button." (John Brunner) Emanuel Ziegler, SAP: "Numerical quantities focus on expected values, graphical summaries on unexpected values." (John W. Tukey) Join us for Personalized Medicine: Individual Therapies for All

The buzz: Fine Art. To survive, small businesses must understand the fine art of customer engagement and cohesive omni-channel branding. But how can you "know your customers" and where your product fits into their lives? Hint: Social media can help you create mini-focus groups and technology can help ensure customers know you value them uniquely. The experts speak. Susan Wilson Solovic, THE Small Business Expert: "No company big or small can run the risk of being fat, dumb and happy. To remain relevant to your customers, you must constantly be innovating. Morgan Browne, IIS Group: "Different people have different presences for how they engage – especially in an environment dominated by social media and digital communications." Carrie Maslen, SAP: "'Who are you – I really wanna know'. A brand needs to clearly define and convey what we want it to in a predictable and consistent manner." (Pete Townsend lyric) Join us for Small Business Insights Part 2: Art of Customer Engagement.