Get ready:

“Smartphones and tablets offer a platform to reach people en masse and interact with your target audience in new and clever ways,” says Tunnicliffe. “You can link your app directly into your back- end systems for better efficiencies. The sooner businesses create and launch new applications, the better they can innovate and improve their customer experiences.

“We discuss what you need and work with the best specialists to build and deliver that requirement. Every organisation can find ways of stripping out cost or duplication or improving efficiency and productivity through app development and M2M.” We’re now seeing explosive growth around M2M – machines communicating with machines, enabling the Internet of Things. This allows businesses to refine processes and supply chains, eliminate unnecessary cost, and better service their customers. The installed base of the Internet of Things is predicted to reach 212 billion in 2020, including 30 billion autonomous, or connected, things. This year we’ll see what M2M can offer the consumer. With the emergence of wearable technology, trackable information will create a deluge of data, as the information coming from people becomes more real-time, granular and precise. Areas such as healthcare, medical, automotive, asset management and logistics will be particularly impacted by M2M. Recent high-profile corporate hacking stories have put the world on high alert. This year, security breaches will become more sophisticated, insidious and relentless. Disruption to critical infrastructure and online sabotage is a huge threat. Renewed focus and innovation will help achieve a balance between agility/adaptability and security.