The Edge - Volume One

Privacy, please

ou walk into your workplace and your chair automatically adjusts to your height, the air conditioning turns on and your favorite cappuccino awaits you at the employee lounge. Does this personalization leave you feeling empowered and fulfilled…or ultimately threatened by the invasiveness of it all? In recent years, advances in technology such as sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT) have transformed the workplace and will continue to do so. In fact, Gartner predicts there will be 20.8 billion connected devices by 2020, and the National Science Foundation says IoT is on track to connect 50 billion “smart things” by 2020 and one trillion sensors soon after that. There are numerous benefits resulting from smart technology, including enhanced user experience, operational

efficiencies, maximized space utilization and improved safety. But collecting so much personal data is leaving many employees feeling unsettled and uncomfortable – especially since the technology is so new. How exactly is all this personal data being used? What happens if the building’s technology gets hacked? Are your rights being compromised? While there may not be answers to all these questions, what we do know is that this technology isn’t going away anytime soon. Instead, it’s only getting more prevalent. Now more than ever, real- time analytics have become essential as data-fueled insights continue to highlight new efficiencies in how we work. This article explores the good and bad that comes with smart technology, and what companies can do to ease fears of the unknowns.

CARL POWELL Chief Information Officer EMEA carl.powell@cushwake.com

SKENDER RUGOVA Senior Managing Director skender.rugova@cushwake.com

LUC HOFFMANN Senior Managing Director, Head of IFM, West Region luc.hoffmann@cushwake.com

TICA HESSING Human Geographer & Tenant Advisor, Strategic Consulting, Australia tica.hessing@cushwake.com

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