You (and many of your employees) may already use wearable technology, such as Apple Watches and Fitbits, but have you considered the potential impacts that wearables could have on your business? Many IT experts believe that smartwatches are the wave of the future, as some tech savvy corporations are already planning to launch enterprise software for wearables over the next few years.Wearable Tech 2

Just as the portability of tablets and smartphones revolutionized the way employees were able to work remotely or from the field, wearable technology is expected to change the way we do business in the future.  Imagine if your sales managers had access to real time customer data on their wrists?  Or what about giving detailed instructions to your field team while keeping their hands free to get the work done?

But the benefits have the potential to be about more than just providing more readily accessible data to your employees or business partners.  Many also believe that this technology has the ability to revolutionize the way we train or coach our business teams.  Not only do wearables have the ability to provide real-time feedback so that corrections can be made quickly, but they also have the ability to save data and provide employers with analytics about efficiency and performance.  Furthermore, though Google Glass continues to be tweaked as a result of its initial beta testing, many believe that this technology could ultimately have significant impacts on business, specifically in fields where technicians, for example, need to consult schematics or manuals while performing highly skilled repairs.

But like with all technological advances, where there are benefits, there are also risks.  Since most companies aren’t explicitly using wearable technology for business, the question becomes are employees allowed to gain access to your network with their personal wearables, such as smart watches, fitness trackers, etc.  And if so, are you strictly enforcing your BYOD policies with these technologies?  Wearables are almost certainly here to stay, but remember that with every new device on the network, your potential vulnerabilities increase.  Want to learn more about wearables and how they can work for or impact your business?  Contact ATB today!

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