Technology is cool, isn’t it? I can order any food I want from my phone, stay connected on a video call in my car, and even call my mom from just about any place on earth thanks to pervasive technology. I can learn a language or have any fact at my fingertips to win any disagreement over the velocities of birds. It’s something we are presented with every day and yet still seem to take for granted.
However, in the past year, we’ve learned that technology has a more important role to play. In a time when we couldn’t leave our homes, technology enabled us to continue learning. Video allowed us to stay close to those we care about when we couldn’t be close. New apps allowed us to reinforce the skills we needed to carry on when the world was locked down for our safety and survival. Technology is easy to point out when it’s cool and hip. But what about the tech that’s keeping the world running when it’s trying to grind to a halt.
Tech for the People
During Cisco Live Global 2021, Chuck Robbins presented new technologies being researched and developed by Cisco as is often the case during these yearly events. This year, the tone was much different, as the focus on the applications of the technology wasn’t about smarter tractors or more intelligent lighting systems for cities. Instead, it was about building back to a place we were over a year ago and doing it in a safe, secure way.
The themes continued at our Tech Field Day Exclusive as we took a deeper dive into the technologies that were presented. In this recap video I talk a bit about some of the themes and important ideas that were a part of this global event:
There’s a lot to unpack in the days of content that we’ve gotten to witness, but I feel that the ultimate message that shines through is that we need to leverage technology for more than just headline catching. We need to use our advances to make the world a better place. More effective medicines, more secure communications, better identification methods, and even gaining visibility into how and where our data is shared are all lofty goals that we should embrace.
Even if we build back everything to a perfect copy of the way it was before, it will never be the same. We know how easy it can be to lose touch or turn our focus inward and ignore all that is going on. With the help of companies like Cisco, we can shake off that urge and instead embrace the openness and freedom that we have now. A world no longer tied to an office. A job that truly could be done almost anywhere. Celebration of the people that kept the lights on when they needed to shine brightly. And companies that try and build the kinds of solutions that make those tasks easier and more efficient.
Bringing It All Together
If all goes well the next Cisco Live will be in person in 2022. If all goes according to plan, we’ll be able to enjoy seeing each other in person and getting back to normal. However, technology shouldn’t get back to the old normal. Instead, it needs to continue enabling us to be better and building our world to be more connected and safer. The technology that Cisco makes may seem at first to be a point solution for a particular problem. However, the vision of the human spirit and the drive to make us all better is the true catalyst for change. With the right raw materials, it won’t take long before the normal we experience in the future, will feel like a breath of fresh air.
