Speaking engagements

At the end of May, Scott was talking about technology and the future of humanity at the 6th International Technology Conference in Microsoft’s UK HQ. Last Monday (12th June, 2019) Scott was invited to provide a keynote speech on Emerging Technologies at Reading University (the presentation is available here), followed on Tuesday by moderating a panel session on Blockchain Consortia at Informa’s Telco Blockchain event at the London Excel. Wednesday, Scott popped over to Rome to present to IPEN about the state of the art in data protection and consent management.

What did we learn?

Emerging Technologies:

There’s a lot of uncertainty in businesses about what is actually real, what is really a threat and how to focus on the things that matter. One comment we heard at the event in Reading was “Yeh of course we want to get something going on with AI, but we don’t really know what that should be, or even why at this stage other than because we should.“.

This confusion leads to misinformed decisions or delays, which leads to cost and either missed or badly executed opportunities. It is this confusion and uncertainty that we’re getting pretty good at helping companies navigate.

Blockchain Consortia:

Blockchain Consortia are effectively acting as standardisation bodies, helping technology companies and business find ways to work collaboratively on the execution of Blockchain ecosystems and projects. With that said, innovation can, and should take place outside of the consortia, with consortia helping create interoperability.

We’re really in ‘Beta Max vs VHS’ phase, but it’s moving fast, so its the time to get your hands dirty with Blockchain now, either join a consortium or work out how to get something moving yourself.

When picking a consortium, join many if you can, take part, contribute and the cull your membership to focus on which are most aligned with your goals. Of course, if you’re going to join one that also includes competitors, strong anti-trust governance is a must!

Data and consent:

They say data is the new oil, but in a post-GDPR world it would be more accurate to say consent is the new oil.

GDPR was intended to, firstly, provide protection to consumers, but also to level the playing field, allowing smaller players to compete in Europe against the bigger US companies. The unfortunate fact of the matter is that this hasn’t really materialised, and there is a growing market for 3rd parties to come in and create horizontal solutions that help users better get to grips with what they’re giving away versus what they’re getting in return. There are even some companies looking to create entirely new marketplace that would allow consumers to ‘auction’ their data in return for monetary reward.

The Circular Economy

Did you know the world produces 50 million tonnes of e-waste every year, and that is a combined weight of 125,000 jumbo jets – which is more than all the commercial aircraft ever made. Every year!

E-waste is a massive problem that is only getting bigger as the pace of technology continues to accelerate. We met with a fascinating company to understand how they help medium-to-large businesses build in responsible IT disposal into their IT procurement strategy. Apparently, by building it into the initial purchase, it is possible to not only be more responsible about your IT waste, but to turn it from a cost into a profit centre.

Given forecasts that show the market value of e-waste is in excess of $62Bn annually, this is a really exciting company to speak with. In fact, they’ve processed over 14.5 million parts and reclaimed or repurposed $1Bn worth of parts for their client’s internal reuse already.

If you’re a company that uses a lot of IT equipment, then I am absolutely sure we should put you in touch with each other. Get in touch using the form below, Twitter or LinkedIn and we’d be happy to help make this happen.