What do you get when you combine the fun and excitement of a national telecommunications event, the (mostly) beautiful weather in Orlando, Florida, inspiring and thought-provoking general sessions and speakers, and a hoedown? You get the 2016 RTIME Convention of course! While it would be impossible to cover everything we saw, did, and experienced during this whirlwind week, let’s take a look back at some of the highlights of this year’s convention.
Buzzword of the Week: Cybersecurity
Indeed, this was the word on everyone’s mind throughout the convention. Telcos carry a great responsibility to keep themselves and their customers safe from cyber threats, but often this is a topic most would rather leave undiscussed. The many unknowns of managing cybersecurity can be daunting to telcos of all sizes. But cybersecurity doesn’t have to be scary! Mapcom’s Jonathan Crawford had a chance to speak on a cybersecurity panel, where he emphasized a focus on planning and preparedness rather than fear and worrying. The first step to safeguarding your small business is to meet with your executive leadership and board of directors to lay out a plan for keeping the personal information of your customers secured. This can include implementing safeguard software, training your IT team to better assess cyber threats, or hiring folks specifically to manage cyber risks. There are many different paths to a more secure organization; you and your team should decide what makes sense for you and work out a plan.
Still a Thing: The Gigabit Boom
Will gigabit ever go away? Not likely, if this year’s RTIME convention was any indication. Several sessions focused on deciding if gigabit should enter your CSP’s vocabulary. Do your customers have a need for gigabit speed? There was excellent discussion on determining which customers need gigabit now, and who might need it in the future. Does everyone need to start talking about gigabit, or for some demographics is it worth waiting a bit for what may be around the corner? The fact is, whether your organization is already giga-ready or not, it’s definitely something each and every communication service provider needs to keep an eye on. After all, isn’t optimizing the customer experience what we all aim to do?
Cars and Smart Fridges and Drones—Oh My!
Folks who attended the second general session during RTIME experienced quite a treat—an insider’s look at the Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas, NV. We saw self-driving cars, transport drones, and even – get this—a laundry folding robot! (yes, really) Now you may be asking—what do all these smart devices have to do with telcos? The answer may lie in the changing new role that telcos are now facing: becoming Technology Solutions Providers instead of just Communications Service Providers. After all, consumers are going to need lots of assistance in the future when it comes to setting up and understanding this emerging technology and putting it to work for them. The telecommunications industry is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the smart technology boom, and it’s important that we not only anticipate what devices are on the horizon, but also consider how we can assist consumers as they take advantage of their new “smart” gadgets.
To summarize, this year’s RTIME convention did not disappoint. We saw the future of technology, learned about the importance of cybersecurity, and even saw a laundry-folding robot. Attending this show was a great opportunity to touch base with our clients and partners and also check in on what’s new in the industry. We can’t wait for what next year’s convention will bring!