How tech is enabling brighter outcomes for businesses (and kangaroos)

Technology is, undoubtedly, the driving force behind almost all facets of our lives today. Be it the e-papers that you read every morning, the intelligent assistant you have in your phone or even the smart fridge you may have in your kitchen, technology is intrinsic to our daily lives. Nowhere is this more prominent than in Asia, where the region has emerged as the most enthusiastic adopters of new and innovative technology products, globally[1].

Companies are no different, as they’re coming to rely on novel technology evolutions to develop solutions that will shape the future of their customers and their operations. With this in mind, here are some of the most powerful advancements that we see at play, which are showing more and more promise to enable brighter outcomes for our business, ourselves (and even kangaroos).

AV over IP

Audio-Visual over Internet Protocol (AV over IP) is by no means a new trend, but there are still many possibilities the network can unlock. Think of intelligent compression or ways to improve workflow. This increased convenience of the network opens up more opportunities to reduce complexity and fuel productivity. Not only is this valuable for companies in their day-to-day operations, but it also has the capability to support them in times of crisis. For example, the telemedicine applications of AV over IP have insofar helped many medical professionals across the globe to monitor patients remotely or by holding video consultations. In critical times, such as when controlling the spread of infections, this practice helps limit staff from possible exposure to the virus.

In the operating room, AV over IP can also provide surgeons with an easy way to share medical video in, and even between, operating rooms. These solutions can reduce the time needed to set up the operating room, which is an important outcome, since the less time that is wasted on poor connectivity or long installation procedures can translate to more time being spent saving lives.

Cloud computing

In this day and age, connectivity has become commonplace. We Netflix at home and cloud compute at work. Even in critical environments, such as hospitals, information systems such as PACS (Patient Archiving & Communication Systems) are moving to the cloud. Cloud computing offers a host of benefits: release cycles are faster, upgrades and updates happen automatically, hardware components are limited, and we are entitled to continuous performance improvement. This translates into always-on uptime and availability — whether it’s in the entertainment sector where people want good value for money, in learning institutes where bring-your-own-device is dominating the classroom, or in more critical environments such as hospitals and emergency control centres.  Even in the manufacturing sector — where technology seems to stop at the production line — cloud technology is being adopted to give workers and members of the supply chain efficient access to the business and operations data, which can them make better decisions, on the go.

Artificial intelligence and big data

With cloud connectivity comes access to data, a breeding ground for artificial intelligence. In many industries, the ‘machine’ is now getting real. In the car industry, for example, Volvo is teaching its driverless cars to avoid jumping kangaroos in the Australian outback. Not that long ago, the Stanford Machine Learning Group trained an algorithm to diagnose skin cancer. Many industries can benefit from deep learning algorithms.

Critical decision-making is another good example of a market where AI is rapidly being adopted. Operators in control rooms cannot monitor all available data (cameras, news information, sensor data, etc.) themselves anymore. They are assisted by smart cameras for example, which will only send through information when something is perceived as abnormal. The same is true for displays and video walls, which will highlight suspicious findings on screen automatically.

In every case, AI is used to reduce complexity while fuelling better outcomes. For doctors, AI can enable early identification of cancer-related symptoms. For control room operators, AI can speed up critical decision-making, and for creatives, AI ensures a more vivid image to enhance storytelling. 

4K and even higher resolutions

Asia is the fastest growing region for 4K technology, because of the increasing demand for higher quality of communication[2]. So much so, that 4K has now become the new normal. Just like with the introduction of Full HD ten years ago, 4K changed the way we view video and images in every environment. In cinema, enhanced 4K resolution at high frame rates and ultimate brightness offer a premium movie experience. In the operating room, surgeons can view more anatomical detail on 4K images. This improvement in visibility makes all the difference when medical professionals try to identify an anomaly or pattern within something extremely detailed, such as the human brain. This improved image quality is also what makes the technology critical in control or security rooms, which are focused on situational awareness — recognizing an occurrence as fast as possible and reacting to it. Today, 8K resolution is just around the corner.

While the processing of 4K images is tricky because of their size, new developments have vastly improved the processing power of image processors, delivering stunning effects on 4k images in real-time and creating visual experiences the world has never seen.

With these major technology trends set to transform the way we conduct business, avail healthcare opportunities or indulge in entertainment, among other aspects, the world’s technology outlook is bright, and increasingly vibrant.   


[1] https://www.gfk.com/en-sg/insights/press-release/asians-show-greater-propensity-amongst-global-consumers-in-new-technology-adoption/

[2] https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/4k-technology-market-size-2019-trends-industry-share-growth-drivers-business-opportunities-and-demand-forecast-to-2025-2019-11-22