Emerging Technologies and the Tech Hype

Interview with Tamara Dull, Director of Emerging Technologies at SAS Institute

Tamara Dull is the Director of Emerging Technologies for SAS Best Practices, a thought leadership team at SAS Institute. Through key industry engagements, and provocative articles and publications, she delivers a pragmatic perspective on big data, the Internet of Things, open source, privacy, and cybersecurity.

She began her high-tech journey long before the internet was born, and has held both technical and management positions for multiple technology vendors, consultancies, and a non-profit. Her latest publication is “A Non-Geek’s A-to-Z Guide to the Internet of Things.” Tamara is listed in the IoT Institute’s “25 Most Influential Women in IoT” and in Onalytica’s Big Data Top 100 Influencers and Brands lists for the last three years. She is also an advisory board member for the Internet of Things Community.

Companies should only take advantage of those emerging technologies that will (1) help them make or save money and (2) support their corporate strategies. Don’t have a corporate strategy? Start there. And here’s a word of caution: Don’t let SOS (Shiny Object Syndrome) or FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) be the drivers. They will drive you off the cliff.

There are many issues, but I tend to focus on these three S’: security, standards, and skills. If we don’t address these three S’ properly, it’s game over for IoT.

Emerging technologies will continue to blur the line between our professional and personal lives. We will expect these technologies to participate seamlessly in both the forefront and background of our lives, whether we’re at work or home. It won’t be a question of “if” or “when” this will happen; it’s happening already. It’s a question of “how fast” and “how much” these technologies will impact our lives.

For me, it’s always been the ability to separate the hype from reality. In my early career, when I was on the software development side of the house, the tech hype was alive and well. I had limited tools and resources, yet more time, to do my research and figure out what was going to stick and what wasn’t. Today, there’s more of everything: technology, hype, resources, and tools to sort through it all. However, time is not on anyone’s side. It has forced me to become more creative in my search for the Needle of Reality in the Haystack of Hype.

I have two bits of advice. First, understand that the Internet of Things is an ecosystem — not a point solution — of products, services, and partners that is impacting every industry. It’s important to work with this broader view of IoT as you embark on your IoT journey. And second, the Internet of Things is not just about the technology. It’s also about the people and the process. Note that it’s these latter two factors that are jeopardizing IoT projects the most.

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