Contemplating Commercial Technology in the Year 2049

As we close the final page on the chapter of 2018, we step forward into a new year of what has been the most rapidly advancing century in human history. In the year 2000 there was no smartphone, no connected devices, and no tablets. Videoconferencing, unified communications, and remote work were in their infancy compared to what we experience today. HDTVs were an expensive commodity. We were burning as much fossil fuel as we could get our hands on, signing up for our first Email accounts, and finally upgrading our Walkman to an MP3 Player.

Simpler times, and since then technology has advanced at a pace more rapid than any we have seen in human history. We’re now videoconferencing with one another, for free, directly from the UCC smartphones we carry in our pockets, while working from home full time. Meanwhile offices have become more open, PTO has become unlimited, and employees are choosing a fair work/life balance over additional monetary compensation. As technology has evolved, so has the workplace evolved with it.

Who would have guessed where we would be today, back in 2000? There was speculation, and ideas – many far too advanced or far too underwhelming for where we find ourselves in 2019. For the most part, though, things have advanced in ways we couldn’t have imagined – Internet of Things, big data and analytics, and cybersecurity are some of the biggest topics in business today.

Still, it’s a technology decision maker’s job to forecast for the future. With that in mind, let’s postulate on what commercial technology in 2049 will look like. Taking what we know now about technology, and what it’s able to do for us, we’ll follow that road as the technology advances and changes the way we work.

Click here to view our slideshow and learn more about commercial technology in 2049.