Trends 2014 in Review

With months of hard work by IT-oLogy, its partners, and speakers, Trends 2014 went off without a hitch last Thursday, November 6th. In-depth discussions into the Internet of Things, including both the benefits and downfalls, gave attendees a grasp of the direction in which the information technology and digital fields are going.

Thursday started off early for the IT-oLogy team and speakers, though not without time to tweet our excitement!

The @IT_oLogy team is ready for #trends2014! @karlmccollester @jstritzinger pic.twitter.com/MNQaNJ66qV

— Heather Bauer (@bmbrbauer) November 6, 2014

Excited to be at IToLogy today discussing internet of things

— Denise Garth (@denisegarth) November 6, 2014

Trends attendees viewed a livestream around the nation, from Charlotte, NC, Dallas, TX, Greenville, SC, and Charleston, SC thanks to ConnectedNation. Our keynote speaker Al Velosa, Research Director at Gartner, kicked off the day by explaining the vast scope of data that can be collected through advanced professional data-mining machines, consumer products, drones, and more. Even some bar taps are harnessing the Internet of Things!

@IT_oLogy Dallas streaming Trends 2014 at UT Dallas pic.twitter.com/SeWLMy9pZB

— Lawrence Ford (@fordlawrence) November 6, 2014

#Trends2014 keynote speaker @AlVelosa of @Gartner_inc, "Key building blocks of #tech are all over the place, so we have a continuous feed."

— IT-oLogy (@IT_oLogy) November 6, 2014

Talk about Internet of Drinks! 🙂 RT @LonnieEmard: Anheuser Busch innovates and gives us a "tweet from the tap" #Trends2014

— IT-oLogy (@IT_oLogy) November 6, 2014

Denise Garth, an insurance industry leader with SMA, hared real world examples of how technology affects the insurance industry. Sensors in connected homes can  save homeowners from broken pipes, house fires, and other potentially disastrous home issues.

.@denisegarth: #IoT in #insurance – sensors in connected homes could prevent house fires, broken pipes, etc. #Trends2014 @sc_insurance

— IT-oLogy (@IT_oLogy) November 6, 2014

Co.s like @amazon, @google, @ProcterGamble, @Citi change #insuance indus. b/c of their #tech use #Trends2014, tech is everywhere #itologygsp

— Lisa Calhoun (@LJCalhoun) November 6, 2014

After hearing from Al and Denise, Erica Stanley of Acire Studios and Krissa Watry gave us examples of the Internet of Thing’s presence in the consumer market, with wearable gadgets, medical products, and even smart toys for children, with Krissa’s own company, Dynepic.

@ericastanley taking us on a fascinating journey through the connected ecosystem at @IT_oLogy #trends2014 pic.twitter.com/VzNO3jsgz3

— Jim Stritzinger (@jstritzinger) November 6, 2014

.@ericastanley of @AcireStudios: wearable health/fitness monitors save lives, can connect grown children with aging parents #Trends2014

— IT-oLogy (@IT_oLogy) November 6, 2014

@Dynepic 's CEO #Krissa just showed the @IT_oLogy crowd at #trends2014 how the #InternetOfToys was created! pic.twitter.com/gPRTO6sYjV

— Jim Stritzinger (@jstritzinger) November 6, 2014

Go read about DynePods on http://t.co/i2WezzvkT3!! Only 9 DAYS until we launch the Internet of Toys! #trends2014 http://t.co/HJjYuQexmm

— Dynepic (@Dynepic) November 6, 2014

In the afternoon William Bontrager of Eagle Eye Analytics gave a different perspective of  how insurance industry professionals and companies determine business strategies depending on mass pools of big data, gathered by data-mining products.

With years of working in cybersecurity, both in the private sector and with the government, Chad Cravens of Open Source Systems went into detail about his experience in cyber warfare, his recommendations for cyber safety, and tips on how to find out what kind of data you are leaving behind.

.@WBontrag has introduced #bigdata to us in a new light as it applies to the #insurance industry and #IoT! #Trends2014 @sc_insurance

— IT-oLogy (@IT_oLogy) November 6, 2014

Happy to have iTs|SC member, @WBontrag talk to us about predictive analytics and big data @IT_oLogy #Trends2014 #IoT

— iTs|SC (@sc_insurance) November 6, 2014

Thanks to Chad Cravens from @OpenSrcSys for teaching us about #IoT and #cyber warfare! #Trends2014 pic.twitter.com/cQAzSOZrIE

— IT-oLogy (@IT_oLogy) November 6, 2014

Last but not least, Dr. Sue Levkoff of the University of South Carolina College of Social Work discussed the use of technology in the aging process. Because technology is changing so quickly, so is the way our population ages. Sue discussed USC’s advancements with technology for the elderly in addition to industry-wide advancements.

Sue Levkoff of @usccosw: "We should create #technology based on what older adults need, not just what we want them to use." #Trends2014

— IT-oLogy (@IT_oLogy) November 6, 2014

#internetofthings. Toys. Insurance. #bigdata. That's a wrap on #trends2014! pic.twitter.com/UaZrXKnRdz

— IT-oLogy (@IT_oLogy) November 6, 2014

Thank you again to all of the speakers, attendees, partners, and sponsors that made Trends 2014 a success! If you’d like to see the presentations or slides, follow IT-oLogy on Facebook and Twitter to get updates on when they will be available.