Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 20 | Page 78

t cht lk TECH TALK This has implications for all industries and sectors of the economy. In a hospital, it could mean that initial diagnoses are made seconds after someone crosses the threshold. In a school, it should allow the classroom experience to be tailored to the learning needs and comfort level of every pupil, supporting attainment and wellbeing. In the workplace, it will enable more effective collaboration between people, wherever and whenever they are working. While in sectors such as retail, it will add an entirely new layer to the consumer experience, with the possibility for people to have clothes modelled to them dynamically, seconds after they have snapped them on their smartphone. The opportunities of the Edge are also intrinsic to the potential of Smart Cities to harness technology in the service of 78 INTELLIGENTCIO “ THE EDGE WILL INCREASINGLY ALLOW PROVIDERS TO MOVE BEYOND A ONE-SIZE-FITS- ALL APPROACH AND PROVIDE CUSTOMISED EXPERIENCES AT SCALE. enhanced mobility, improved sustainability and reduced running costs. Two thirds of the futurists and industry experts surveyed by Fast Future said that they expect at least a third of companies to be achieving ‘mainstream personalisation’ in the next five years. From retail to hospitality, education and healthcare, the Edge will increasingly allow providers to move beyond a one-size- fits-all approach and provide customised experiences at scale. This has immense implications for the ability to more effectively serve customers, employees and public service users. Within the next few years, Fast Future’s experts believed that the ability to localise products and services, price dynamically and www.intelligentcio.com