Published on in Innovation

The second day of Fujitsu Forum saw many more thousands of guests at the ICM Munich. Once again we saw amazing technology and heard many fascinating insights in the breakout sessions & keynote. Here’s our highlights from today…

reger droneWithout a doubt the top item on everyone’s agenda today was the keynote from Dr Reger, Fujitsu Global CTO. This year his topic of choice was Open Source, and the benefits it can bring.

When mentioning Open Source, most people think of software – but we’re increasingly seeing open source hardware, such as the drone which joined Dr Reger on stage!

Drones are still considered toys by many, but they have real roles to play in the workplace. For example, in hazardous environments it’s far better to risk a drone than a human being. Dr Reger explained how at Fujitsu, we’re actively working to integrate our software with drone technology for these sorts of applications.

Another example Dr Reger mentioned was a self-replicating 3D printer that can produce copies of itself. Whilst still a prototype, this has huge potential to transform many industries.

Returning to software, Dr Reger discussed OpenStack – a true open source Cloud software platform. Only founded in 2012, it now has over 500 member companies, of which Fujitsu is a Gold member.

Comparing OpenStack to the Linux OS, Reger observed “Linux took 10 years to become significant, and a further 10 years to become established.” Where might OpenStack be in 17 years’ time, given the rapid rate at which it’s being improved through its day to day use?

Dr Reger left us in no doubt that Open Source should be an important part of any businesses’ Hybrid IT strategy, concluding “Software is like a parachute – it works a lot better when it’s open!”

Earlier in the morning, we heard from David Gentle, Director of Foresight at Fujitsu, and Kenny McGiver, Editor of i-CIO, on “Critical Success Factors for the CIO”.

icioAs David explained, “Digital is about using technology to directly deliver value & enhance the customer experience – it’s no longer just a back office function.”

In a digital world, what should CIOs focus on to succeed?

David & Kenny explained their 7 burning issues top of the CIO’s mind for 2016, as shown. For more insights on these issues and much more – visit www.i-cio.com.

 

 

22516009153_739fedb8a5_zIn the demo centre, we saw a very practical example of the Internet of Things – enterprise wearables.

With a vast range of potential applications including health & safety, augmented reality and environmental monitoring, enterprise wearables could be the next big trend to emerge in the next year.

Fujitsu’s Dr Alex Bazin mentioned how the focus so far has just been on the consumer space – with the likes of smart watches and Fitbits attracting the most attention so far – but pointed out “There’s much more value in the industrial space.”

Look out for more on the industrial IoT on the blog soon!

We also saw the Connected Van take pride of place in the exhibition, where many of our visitors were keen to find out what its combination of technologies can offer.

We were particularly impressed at its 3D printing demo. This offers the potential for engineers to download the correct design file & print a required part on-site – with no trip back to a depot required.

 

background-720223_640Looking to the future of the workplace, we heard from Francis Cripps of Fujitsu and James Akrigg, Head of Technology for Partners at Microsoft, discussing the future of the workplace and how Windows 10 will transform the way we work.

The overarching themes for this session were empowering the individual, personalisation and context-aware productivity. Akrigg demonstrated a number of ways Windows 10 makes this easy, such as its innovative ‘virtual assistant’, Cortana.

On a deeper note, Akrigg suggested: “For the future, ask yourself – what can you accomplish in a different, better way?”

Definitely something to bear in mind as our workplace evolves!

Wrapping up the day, we took a focus on Security, discussing Cyber Threat Intelligence in a session with Rob Norris, Head of Cybersecurity, and Bryan Campbell, Lead Intelligence Analyst from Fujitsu UK & Ireland.

Rob & Bryan described how the threat landscape for security breaches is only ever getting larger, and security is increasingly becoming a boardroom issue, not just an IT discussion.

Unsurprising, when you see that on average, companies suffering a data breach see an 18% drop in share price – and 79% of investors wouldn’t put money into a company that had been hacked.

Bryan described in detail Fujitsu’s work in tracking & helping to protect our customers against the Dridex Trojan – one of the most widespread attacks of recent years.

A key theme in Rob & Bryan’s discussion was how organisations defend in depth, and have a good response plan. As Bryan pointed out “No technology can ever achieve 100% security – but there’s a lot you can do to reduce the risks.”

So that concludes another year’s Fujitsu Forum! We hope you’ve found these updates useful to bring you the latest from the event – and look out for more in-depth articles on many of these topics, coming soon.

You can also catch up with all the best of social media from the show via the #FujitsuForum hashtag.

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Jim Millen

Digital Content Editor at Fujitsu
I'm the editor for the Fujitsu UK & Ireland blog, and love to write about the exciting work Fujitsu do in digital & technology innovation.

Any feedback on the blog or our other social channels? Please do connect and let me know!

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