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Technology as we know it is at a tipping point we are in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The only guarantee is that change is and will always be a constant factor in growth and innovation. Many people who strive to be ahead of the game are constantly having to come to terms with digital disruptions as developers, thinkers and the ever curious continue to push the envelope in an attempt to out-do each other.

An everyday activity like walking into a retail space to shop for your daily needs or having an experiential time frame before buying a machine is being replaced by augmented reality – AI. The use of digital layering of information to imitate locations, sound and feel desired ideas is revolutionising the workspace. Smart devices like the Apple HomePod, Amazon Echo and Google Home will soon eliminate the need to a computer desktop as their voice command features get better with time. A direct casualty will of course be web browsers as the devices will be able to support dialogue based internet experiences.

The continued use of algorithms to determine the kind of content an individual gets on various search engines and platforms is starting to influence marketing and online behaviour. Blockchain Technology is promising to ease the cost and time to do business while maintaining accountability and security of the process. The biggest success seen has been the rise of crypto currency that many are projecting will replace the current financial systems.

The Internet of Things (IoT) demands that decisions of cyber space growth have to be data driven in order to get value and insight that guides sound business decisions. The momentum of replacing data storage on hard disk with cloud storage has been gaining momentum. The benefits of having unlimited storage data and ease in processing it have made data the new gold.

A lot of these innovation point out that the human factor in the digital workspace is being diminished but this is infinite. The health industry has been making strides on their own where efforts are put in place to avoid genetic disorders and improve overall health. Fitness products like Fit Bit are able to gauge human physical activity and detect body changes that can say, sense a heart attack before it happens. The Wellness Industry is making strides in an effort to ensure people live longer, healthier and perform at optimum levels thus increasing productivity.

Things will continue to change. Even some of the ‘revolutionary’ and ‘first of its kind’ advancements will be affected by the digital disruption. A basic service like Mpesa in Kenya that currently serves more than 30 million people might be replaced by WhatsApp money transfer. WhatsApp currently has 1.5 billion active users, and is part of FaceBook, a platform with nearly 16 billion users. A regular activity like parking once relied on a receipt to secure city parking space. Now that has been replaced by an App. Advanced countries identify empty parking spots on their devices. The rise of e-commerce has improved the shopping experience and left a lot of physical retail locations in disarray.

Anyone in business needs to develop digital literacy skills in order to adapt into the digital ecosystem seamlessly. The amount of resources channelled into digital innovation will only yield proper results if there is a proper policy put in place to measure growth and gauge outcome. The need for comprehensive cyber security protocols to be implemented is best done before unscrupulous cyber criminals take advantage of your hard work. Providing digital intelligence to organisation staff members will also ensure that the business is secure and able to stay ahead of the game by adapting to changes in a timely manner.