It seems like something out of a science fiction movie: people wear glasses on which they can access information, and that data appears on the lens. However, it’s not something you’d have to shell out money to see on your local big screen. Smart glasses and other forms of wearable technology are real, and people are using them right now.
The term “wearable technology” refers to tiny computers which users wear on their body. The most popular wearable devices are watches, with glasses coming a somewhat distant second. These items are networked, so they can connect to the Internet or another computer.
Wearables, as many people have taken to calling them, have many applications in the consumer market. Smart watches, such as Apple’s much-heralded version, can run applications which the user can access anywhere. Other wearables are used to measure how much a user exercises.
Like smartphones and tablets, wearables are not confined solely to consumer use. They have a significant role to play in the enterprise. For example, warehouse employees could track inventory on their smart watches or on smart glasses. In the pharmaceutical industry, workers in clean rooms could review instructions for creating batches of drugs on the lenses of smart glasses. And salespeople in the field who need important data urgently could simply tap their smart watch, and it would appear.
As with any emerging technology, wearables raise questions. If they become commonplace within the enterprise, how will the business manage them? Company leaders must remember wearables are mobile devices, and they can transmit and access vital corporate information. Therefore, IT departments must find some way to secure them. Furthermore, business application vendors will need to release wearable device versions of their products.
Some business analysts believe that it is still too early to tell whether wearables have staying power. They do not have mass appeal to consumers, who have confined their use of wearables to smart watches used to track their fitness habits. Unless the public adopts them en masse, they might not find their way into the enterprise.
However, that doesn’t mean that the enterprise shouldn’t consider adopting wearables… in certain circumstances. The oil and mining industries can benefit from this category of mobile devices. Many of their employees work in dangerous conditions and need to keep their hands free. Smart glasses could notify them of safety issues.
What’s the best course for businesses to take regarding wearable technology? They must evaluate the existing products on the market which are suitable for enterprise use and determine whether they would either save them money or make them money. What’s the worst strategy to adopt? There are two answers to that question. The first answer is, “jumping headfirst into the wearable technology phenomenon without researching whether it’s a sound move.” The second answer is, “ignoring wearables completely because there’s no role for them at our firm.” When it comes to wearables, the best advice is to choose wisely.