Communications of the Association for Information Systems

Volume 38 Article 40

5-2016

The Digital Revolution: Internet of Things, 5G, and

Beyond
Aaron M. French
University of New Mexico, [email protected]

J. P. Shim
Georgia State University

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Recommended Citation
French, Aaron M. and Shim, J. P. (2016) "The Digital Revolution: Internet of Things, 5G, and Beyond," Communications of the
Association for Information Systems: Vol. 38 , Article 40.
DOI: 10.17705/1CAIS.03840
Available at: http://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol38/iss1/40

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 C ommunications of the

A ssociation for
I nformation
S ystems

Panel Report ISSN: 1529-3181

The Digital Revolution: Internet of Things, 5G, and

Beyond
Aaron M. French J. P. Shim
University of New Mexico Georgia State University
[email protected]

Abstract:

Over the past decade, the world has been swimming in an ocean of technology, which has opened the doors for many
opportunities as industrial boundaries continue to change. “Blue oceans” have opened their waters for new industries
such as social networking, smart technology, mobility, and big data. Looking forward, new trends such as the Internet
of things (IoT) and technology advancements towards 5G mobile technology are paving the way for new markets and
industries along with further advancements in big data. A panel discussion consisting of industry leaders and
researchers addressed these topics and the emerging technologies that are changing the world.

Keywords: Internet of Things, IoT, 5G technology, Big Data, Blue Oceans.

This manuscript underwent editorial review. It was received 01/26/2016 and was with the authors for 1 month for 1 revision. Anders
Hjalmarsson served as Associate Editor.

Volume 38 Paper 40 pp. 840 – 850 May 2016

841 The Digital Revolution: Internet of Things, 5G, and Beyond

1 Introduction
Researchers and practitioners today are the metaphorical Christopher Columbus set out to prove the
world is no longer analog. The digital revolution has created many new technologies but none with a more
widespread impact than mobile technology and the Internet. These technologies individually have
changed our lives and the way we interact with each other, but, together, they have changed the world
that we live in by creating a “blue ocean” of new opportunities.
In simple terms, a blue ocean refers to the rise of a completely new industry or advances in an existing
industry that alter the boundaries of competition that results in a market free of competition (Kim &
Mauborgne, 2004). Historically, blue oceans have been industry specific and resulted from innovations by
a single company, such as FedEx, Starbucks, Napster, Netflix, Apple (iPhone), Uber, Airbnb, and so on.
However, the combination of mobile technology and the Internet has turned the blue ocean into a sea of
the Internet of things (IoT). The combination of these technologies affects all industries simultaneously as
opportunities appear.
The Internet of things refers to things (i.e., objects) connected to the Internet that one can access through
ubiquitous technologies (Atzori, Iera, Morabito, & Nitti, 2012). The IoT has resulted in many new
technologies referred to as “smart” technologies (i.e., Internet enabled). We now live amid a smart
revolution in which many objects in our everyday lives connect to each other through Internet technology.
Table 1 lists a few examples of smart technologies resulting from mobile computing and IoT technologies.
Table 1. Internet of Things Examples

Home Appliances Health Clothing

 Smart home security  Smart refrigerator  Blood pressure monitor  Smart shirt
 Smart sprinkler control  Smart washing machine  Cholesterol monitoring  Smart socks
 Hydroponic system  Smart air conditioner  Smart sleep system  Bluetooth-enabled insoles
 Smart propane tank  Smart stove  Smart cardio  Technology glasses
 Smart door lock  Smart dishwasher  Glucose monitoring  Smart watch

As we progress towards 5G capabilities, the ease and speed at which IoT connections take place will
become more simplified and, thus, allow for further advancements in technology. However, the effects of
mobile technology and IoT extend beyond the creation of new technological capabilities. As we add digital
components to every object we interact with in our daily lives, we also contribute to the amount of data
being generated. As a result, big data is no longer big—it’s enormous, and it will continue to grow as
industries start moving towards increased connectivity among people and objects. The ramifications for
data analysts is astronomical as we continue to create solutions for analyzing the data. With younger
generations (i.e., digital natives) growing up with these technologies, it’s not really a question of if we
should respond to the need of more connectivity but rather how. Companies across all industries need to
address user needs for increased connectivity among people, devices, and objects.
This paper results from a panel discussion on these emerging topics that took place at AMCIS 2015 in
Puerto Rico. The panel comprised practitioner experts and researchers who discussed the different
technologies from both a practitioner and theoretical perspective. The panelists took a proactive approach
by evaluating the current direction of technology and providing recommendations that can benefit
academics and practitioners alike. The panelists presented cases from the Central Intelligence Agency
and Via Studios, a technology development company creating IoT solutions, to demonstrate some of the
capabilities and challenges of disruptive technologies, which we discuss here. Subsequently, we
summarize the discussion and provide recommendations for future research as we continue to explore the
future of ubiquitous computing and IoT technologies.

2 5G and Ubiquitous Computing

In today’s ubiquitous computing era, individuals and organizations have widely adopted the Internet of
things and big data analytics with the next generation of mobile technology, 5G networks, on the forefront.
Numerous leading industry magazines and academic journals, such as Deloitte Review, MIS Quarterly,
Communications of the ACM, and Information Systems Research, have devoted special issues on IoT, big
data analytics, and 5G. Impressively, a recent Bain & Company's report showed that Europe and the
United States will contribute an additional US$8 trillion to global GDP by 2020 (Harris, Kim, & Schwedel,
2011). In this section, we describe IoT and 5G. In Section 3, we discuss their impacts on Big Data.

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2.1 The Internet of Things

British entrepreneur and innovator Kevin Ashton coined the term “Internet of things” in 1999 (Ashton,
2009). IoT offers advanced connectivity of devices, systems, and services that goes beyond machine-to-
machine communications (M2M) and covers a variety of protocols, domains, and applications. One can
use two fundamental tenets to define IoT: objects and the Internet. To be IoT enabled, an object must be
able to pass information or commands to another through a network. Human interactions or sensors can
trigger actions performed by IoT-enabled objects, which creates an interconnected network of objects with
ubiquitous control. The network may be a personal, private, or public network, though the most common
conceptualized framework for IoT technology is the Internet. Some often confuse IoT with smart
technology, which refers to any technology that has Internet connectivity. Smart technology refers to
objects that can connect to the Internet, whereas IoT extends this model to include objects that one can
control ubiquitously through Internet technology. For example, a smart phone can connect to the Internet,
but one must be physically present to use the technology. However, one can access an IoT-enabled
object and control it from anywhere at any time.
If all objects and people in daily life had identifiers, computers could manage and inventory them. Our
smartphones, smart watches, smart cars, shipping containers, and things of all kinds are being connected
faster than ever. The most popular applications to date are the smart home, the wearable device, smart
city, smart grid, connected car, and connected health. The IoT can allow one to “track and count, observe
and identify, evaluate and act in circumstances” (Raynor & Cotteleer, 2015).As Figure 1 shows, the
information value loop illustrates the value capture stages (i.e., create, communicate, aggregate, analyze,
and act) that one needs to go through to create value. Each stage has technologies, such as sensors,
network, standards, augmented intelligence, and augmented behavior. Besides using RFID, one may tag
things with technologies as near field communication, barcodes, QR codes, and digital watermarking.

Figure 1. Information Value Loop (Raynor & Cotteleer, 2015)

Gartner (2014) has predicted a 30 percent growth in IoT enabled objects from 2014 to 2015 with over 25
billion IoT enable things by 2020. Gartner has said that IoT products and service suppliers will generate
incremental revenues exceeding US$263 billion, mostly in services, in 2020. It will result in US$1.9 trillion
in global economic value-add through sales into diverse end markets (Gartner, 2013). These trends are
creating many opportunities for development companies as we continue to move towards the future and
create a digitally connected world.
Via Studios is one example of a development company providing services that help businesses transition
to IoT. They describe their services as more than just developing objects but rather developing a user
experience. Via Studios is working in conjunction with General Electric’s (GE) microfactory to produce
innovative home appliance products to create an integrated app ecosystem where everything is
connected. From this electronic ecosystem, users can get updates and reports from all appliances in the
home (e.g., a coffee roaster) and control the objects as needed.

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Continuing the coffee roaster example, the president of Via Studios, Jason Clark, describes roasting
coffee as a complicated process that requires significant time and attention to detail. Via Studios reports
that home roasting and brewing coffee have grown in popularity. The roasting process includes both
heating and cooling. The initial process is endothermic, which means that the coffee beans absorb heat.
Once the beans are heated to a certain temperature, they become exothermic and start giving off heat.
Heating the beans requires careful attention because the exothermic beans will start cooking themselves
if the roaster does not lower the temperature to cool them. This process may sometimes require one to
raise and lower the heat multiple times. The IoT-enabled coffee roaster enables the consumer to enjoy
home-roasted coffee without having to spend the time watching the beans throughout the process. With a
mobile app, the user can monitor and control the temperature from anywhere to ensure the beans are
high quality and ready for grinding and brewing once the user gets home or have the beans ready to be
started on a timer for morning brewing when they wake up.
Other IoT capabilities for the kitchen include a refrigerator inventory system. Using an IoT-enabled scale
used to weigh milk inside the refrigerator, the user can get a report on how much milk they have based on
the weight. Egg trays can report on the number of eggs remaining. Combining these technologies with
other ideas currently under development, the user can get an accurate estimate of what they need to
purchase when at the grocery store through a mobile app by connecting to their IoT-enabled refrigerator.
Not only are people connected to their objects through IoT but also objects are connected to other objects,
and, in recent cases, users’ objects are connected to businesses that provide products and services they
need. Amazon’s Dash replenishing service connects the user’s device to Amazon and allows the object to
order supplies when they start to run low (Amazon, 2015). This takes the “just-in-time” concept used in the
automobile industry and applies it to everyday life. The user no longer needs to order washing detergent
or fabric softener—the IoT enabled objects can place the order for the user to ensure the user always has
what the user needs. Other replenishment services that Amazon provides include batteries, water, printer
ink, toner, paper, pet food, and so on. One can directly install the replenishment device into the object as
a physical button the user controls or as an automated system using sensors that orders products for the
user as supplies get low. This example is just the beginning of what is possible. As telecommunications
and networks continue to grow, the speed at which data travels and the ability of IoT-enabled objects will
continue to grow. This explosion in connectivity continues to increase as we reach 4G networks and start
moving towards 5G.

2.2 Fifth-generation (5G) Network

5G is the next frontier for the entire mobile industry. With fourth-generation (4G) deployments, the United
States recaptured the leadership role in the mobile world. In the 2000s, Europe, Japan, and Korea led the
third-generation (3G) world. Each region is eager to lead the world in 5G technology. Although 5G is in its
early research stages, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has begun working on the
International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) spectrum requirements for 2020 and later (Huawei
Technologies, 2013). As Figure 2 shows a possible roadmap for 5G technology evolution (i.e., 5G
research, prototype, trial until 2016; 5G standard until mid-2018; 5G product until 2020 before 5G
deployment in 2021). This 5G technology evolution shows LTE-A, LTE-B, and LTE-C under the 3rd-
Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

Figure 2. Mobile Evolution (Huawei Technologies, 2013)

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Even though no consensus about 5G exists, many industry leaders agree on the types of performance
criteria (e.g., latency, network coverage, energy efficiency, massive multiple-in multiple-out (MIMO), power
consumption, connected devices, coverage, and higher security requirements). Looper (2015) shows that
Verizon aims to be the first United States carrier to offer a 5G network for deployment in 2017. Several
other countries, such as South Korea and Japan, are making strides to offer the 5G field trial in the next
several years. As we mention earlier, 5G’s growth and success will be built on the success of the entire
information communication and technology (ICT) ecosystem. The entire ICT ecosystem will be a key
driver in value creation and value capture.

3 Impacts on Big Data

Advancements in mobile technology and the introduction of IoT have significant effects on big data and
analytics. Due to the dramatic increase in objects producing data, the speed and size of big data has
grown exponentially, which can have both positive and negative effects on big data (Shim, French, Guo, &
Jablonski, 2015). To better understand the impacts these emerging technologies have on big data, the
director of data analytics for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) discussed a case involving the CIA and
their data-analytics challenges.
With data analytics, the CIA aims to provide timely, accurate, and objective intelligence and analysis on all
sources of data to report the full range of national security and foreign policy issues to U.S. Government
officials. Having access to data in integral part of the mission at the CIA that integrates external data
sources from various agencies that the organization analyzes through their centralized control network.
One source of big data that the CIA often uses is the Integrated Crisis Early Warning System (ICEWS).
The ICEWS data repository contains nearly 30 million worldwide news stories (in English, Spanish, and
Portuguese) from January 2001 and by over 6000 international, regional, national, and local news
publishers. The CIA obtains these unclassified stories through both Factiva and the government Open
Source Center (OSC). The CIA processes these stories through innovative deep (BBN Serif) and shallow-
parsing (JabariNLP) technologies to produce a set of over 19 million unique geolocated events with an
accuracy greater than 80 percent. This event data comprises date-stamped and geolocated event ripples
that recount “who did what to whom”. The CIA conducts exploratory analyses on the ICEWS data set to
identify observable ripple effects in the international system to gain a better understanding of international
politics and international relations. By analyzing this data, they can gain information through spikes of
news frequency and chatter on topics such as the Russo-Georgian war, the SARS epidemic, the
Fukushima disaster, London bombings, and other international events.
While additional data sources and information produced through continued connectivity and IoT intuitively
seems to be useful, more data does not always result in better information. When the amount of data
increases without its quality also increasing, the effects can impede a project’s success from a data
analytics perspective. As our CIA respondent describes, finding a needle in a haystack is always a
challenge, but, when the haystack continues to increase in size with no additional needles, the task at
hand grows significantly in complexity. These are problems that the CIA is contending with as the
production of data continues to increase. Most datasets are largely white noise, which makes successfully
analyzing it and identifying relevant information increasingly challenging. Evaluating published news
stories is no longer sufficient because the CIA needs timely information. Social media and alternative
forms of communication have become important sources of information for the CIA. With an increasing
number of data sources, data analytics has begun shifting from a centralized control model to a mesh
model as a result of a hyper-connected world. This shift towards hyper-connectivity requires a high level of
technical and analytical skills to work with big data sets as they continue to grow with no end in sight.

4 Unification of Technologies
Technology is continually advancing towards unification. When the Internet was commercialized in the
1990s, this created new capabilities emerged that would start a ripple effect of technology growth. In the
1990s, objects did not possess Internet capabilities. All technologies of this era operated independently of
other technologies. The 2000s saw a new trend of smart objects as phones and TVs came equipped with
Internet connectivity. In this era, technologies began to grow by including functions that required the
Internet. As the networks continued to advance, data rates increased and the capabilities of smart objects
also began to increase, which gave rise to the Internet of things as we progressed from a theoretical
perspective to implementing these capabilities in the 2010s. Now, objects not only come equipped with

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Internet capabilities but also have the ability to connect to each other and exchange data. Using sensors
and smart devices, objects can connect to each other exchanging information and providing new services
to users ubiquitously. As more objects continue to become IoT enabled, we continue moving towards an
interconnected world where all objects will be able to communicate with all objects accessed by users
anytime from anywhere. This shift towards IoT introduces new possibilities such as social networks of
intelligent objects that are ubiquitously connected to each other (Atzori et al., 2012). Figure 3 displays the
evolution of smart technology as we progressed from independent objects to social networks of the IoT.

Figure 3. Evolution of Smart Technology

Many researchers view social IoT (SIoT) as the next evolution of smart technology (Atzori, Iera, &
Morabito, 2014). SIoT encompasses a network of intelligent, interrelated objects that work together to
share information and provide services to the user. Currently, SIoT is a theoretical concept under
development with no clear definition. Following human social networking, we can obtain a sense of how
one could implement SIoT. Just as one may describe telecommunications based on personal networks,
local areas networks and wide area networks, one can describe SIoT as various levels such as personal,
group, or public access to objects accessed through Internet technology. Personal SIoT might comprise
several objects that (only) a single individual accesses and controls. One possible implementation of a
personal SIoT network could be related to health and fitness. Having IoT objects that monitor workouts,
sleeping habits, and vitals that share information with each other could create many benefits for users
concerned about their well-being. IoT monitoring may also be linked to nutrition information and an IoT
inventory system of grocery items in the home to make sure the user has what they need for a balanced
and healthy lifestyle.
The group SIoT might have intelligent objects that individuals could access based on a controller’s
providing permission. In this scenario, one permits or does not permit objects to communicate with each
other and users to access the objects. Each user interacts with the objects as these objects exchange
information with each other to understand the group usage, habits, or gather other information that would
be beneficial to the group. One could expand the previous of health and fitness example to a group of
individuals that are part of a fitness club. Each user could have their own IoT-enabled objects that monitor
their progress and performance as they exercise. They could share this information with other users and
objects in the group to create more effective workouts based on performance increases made based on
other users’ efficiency. As more users obtain permission to join the network, the network collects and
analyzes more data to benefit all users involved.
The third SIoT network might include publically available networks where users and their objects connect
publically to other users or objects to share information. One would consider such a network as open access
in that anybody could join just by opting into the network. One possible implementation of a public SIoT
network would be public transportation systems. As cars continues to increase in Internet connectivity and
GPS becomes standardized, one could link the objects to public networks that give real-time updates on
traffic conditions. Connected cars could have their speed and location transmitted to the network, which
could provide information to other drivers on the flow of traffic. If a road that a person commonly takes to
work shows that cars driving on that road are either stopped or driving slower than normal speeds, the user’s
GPS could recognize this disruption and update the directions to help the user avoid these conditions. Such
a system would allow drivers to avoid construction zones and accidents, which would not only help individual
drivers but also help emergency vehicles get to the incident scene much faster.
As we can see, unifying technologies provides many capabilities and several benefits that one can realize
from the individual, group, or societal perspectives. While we need to do much work to continue
integrating these technologies, the possibilities present many exciting opportunities and challenges for
both practitioners and researchers alike.

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5 Opportunities and Challenge

As technology continues to advance, challenges and opportunities that affect both academics and
practitioners arise. Many digital natives, who have grown up with technology and come to rely on it, fuel
the desire for continued connectivity. While some digital immigrants view these new technologies as
disruptive technologies, many digital natives view them as everyday tools. In other words, the younger
generation is leading the way in adopting and using new technologies, which has further fueled the
development of technologies such as IoT. A more appropriate term for the generation of youth known as
digital natives would be generation “I” or “iGeneration”. The panel moderator, Dr. Aaron French ,
concluded the discussion by describing opportunities and challenges as they pertain to characteristics
among various demographics and how different generations view and use technology. All presenters then
contributed to a discussion that included questions and answers about the theoretical and practical
implications of the topics discussed.
Table 2 depicts generational differences of people over the past half century. Many of the characteristics
identified for baby boomers, generation X, and generation Y come from reports that experts on
generational differences have conducted (Cheyney, 2014; Lancaster & Stillman, 2002). While most
resources group individuals born between 1981 and 2006 as Generation Y or Millennials, the
commercialization of the Internet in the mid-1990s subdivided this group between those born before 1990
and those born after. Those born after 1990 have grown up with the Internet and never known life without
it. One could classify this group could as the true Internet generation. This generation wants
instantaneous information and are resourceful when it comes to finding it using Internet technology. The
primary communication methods include texting and social networking, and many generation I individuals
focus on exposure, which refers to the number of people that read, repost, like, or comment on their social
networking content. Lines between work and home are increasingly blurring as organizations continue to
implement bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies to cater to generation I’s desires. Just going to work
and earning a living is no longer the priority as the younger generation seeks more meaningful work with a
purpose. This generation acquires news and information through Internet technology and social media
rather than traditional sources. One can summarize generation I as requiring instant connectivity and
having resourcefulness.
Organizations and universities alike must be equipped to respond to the changing environment with
constant connectivity and instantly available information. With generation I living their lives through the
Internet, big data will continuously grow with large amounts of information about consumers being
available that organizations never imagined having access to in the past. The combination of IoT,
ubiquitous technologies, and big data mixed with generation I’s characteristics has resulted in an unlimited
amount of answers waiting for one to ask the right questions. Due to the growth of ubiquitous
technologies, we have shifted from a digital divide to a generational divide. While previous generations
see these technologies as a luxury and some view it as unnecessary or disruptive, younger generations
are growing up with the view that increased connectivity is a requirement. Overcoming the challenges of
the generational divide will undoubtedly create unlimited opportunities for innovations in IoT as we
progress towards 5G technology.
Table 2. Generational Differences

Baby boomers Gen X Gen Y Gen I

Born 1946-1964 1965-1980 1981-1989 < 1990
Hard work Self-reliant Multitasking Internet search
Work ethic/style Respect authority Desire structure Goal oriented Resourceful
Effectiveness Skeptical Efficiency Immediate
Direct Memo Texting
Communication methods In person
Immediate Email Social networking
Separate Structure Balance Integrated
Work and Home
Work to live 9-5 Flexible Meaningful work
Values Success Time Individuality Exposure
News Newspaper Gossip Internet
News source
Newspaper Gossip Internet Social Media

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The most obvious opportunities from an organizational perspective is the continued development of an all-
inclusive digital dossier for each individual customer. To put it another way, someone, somewhere has a
full understanding of how we live (i.e., through predictive analytics). One can view individuals as data
generators because digital devices continuously collect data on them (Newell & Marabelli, 2015). Next,
predictive analytics will transition to preordained analytics. Since firms can figure out consumers’ past
behaviors, proactive firms can offer goods and services to individuals based on behaviors and then
reinforce those same behaviors. In this situation, firms no longer predict but reinforce and preordain
consumers’ behavior patterns. While there are unlimited possibilities over the horizon, various issues will
likely arise.
The continued development of IoT-enabled objects poses various challenges in regards to privacy and
security. IoT will become an integral part of individuals’ lives by connecting them to everything in various
ways. The data would record everything we write, what we see, things we do, and places we visit. Anyone
who connects to the Internet via device(s) would be identifiable and pinpointed inside a massive cloud of
data. This point raises issues associated with privacy and security with ethical concerns related to the use
of this data (Newell & Marabelli, 2015).

5.1 Academic Implications

The IoT, mobile technology’s growth, and big data all have significant implications for academia. The past
several years have seen a growth of research on big data but much remains. Emerging research areas
will continue revolve around IoT and ubiquitous computing. These technologies continue to create new
sources of data that one can collect and analyze at the individual level. We need to develop artifacts and
methodologies to understand and analyze this data. We need to revisit theories that researchers once
studied at an aggregate level and generalized for groups and understand them at an individual level to
create a strong understanding of their generalizability.
Another area of research that will become increasingly important is the need for qualitative research to
evaluate the unstructured nature of the data being generated. Due to the limitations of quantitative
methods when evaluating unstructured data, mixed-methods research will become vital to research when
evaluating future trends of technology and the produced data. These limitations will require researchers
with a higher level of methodological skills and skill in various methods. New technologies and the need
for new methodologies not only affects the research we conduct but also how we train future researchers
in doctoral programs. We will need to bridge the methodological divide between qualitative and
quantitative research through statistical courses that focus on how to combine multiple methods for
theoretical development. As the sophistication of methodological implementation in research increases,
the need for collaborative efforts will also increase. As such, we will need to revisit many pre-existing
theories using these mixed methods.
For instance, historically, technology adoption has included constructs that evaluate voluntariness and
usefulness. However, the lines between hedonic and utilitarian use of technology becomes blurred as
people adopt these new devices that replace traditional utilitarian objects because of their hedonic value and
convenience. Using many technologies has become a status symbol for some; others use or adopt
technologies due to (potentially negative) social influence. The increased connectivity of all objects in our life
also leads to a multitude of security and privacy concerns that will warrant a tremendous amount of research
in this area. Topics concerning research on privacy and security may include awareness, information
privacy, security risks, and ethics when handling personal information and how it should be used.
While the changing technologies have many academic implications in terms of research, they also have
teaching implications. These innovative technologies provide new platforms for enhanced and interactive
education with increased personalization. With the IS field revolving around technology, we should also
revisit our teaching methods to create new ways of implementing these technologies to provide additional
value to our students and institutions. The IS field should be pioneers and leaders in terms of technology
use and application. As leaders, researchers can provide an applied learning environment preparing
students for successful careers and making IS professors leaders in academia.

5.2 Practitioner Implications

Innovative technologies have many implications for practitioners in terms of operating a business, creating
new ventures, providing customer service, and more. As we move towards 5G service, the possibilities of
creating truly ubiquitous organizations becomes much more of a reality. The technology already exists for

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creating paperless offices that are ubiquitous, but having mobile technology using data rates that exceed
broadband speeds would provide constant and instant connectivity and increase the flow of data. Real-
time operations could exist ubiquitously because all processes and business objects become Internet
enabled. Companies could easily expand globally without significant capital investments. IoT technology’s
implementation in everyday objects provides unlimited possibilities to create new industries for products
and services and expand existing industries. While some organizations view 5G service and IoT as
disruptive technologies, others view them as innovative technologies that they can use to gain a
competitive advantage. Companies such as Boeing have begun to extend their use of technology to
create an IT ecosystem for constructing and operating commercial airplanes (Nolan, 2012).
While practitioners have many opportunities due to these innovative technologies, they should be aware
of and learn how to overcome the many associated challenges. The most obvious challenge revolves
around big data. Having Internet-enabled objects will significantly increase the amount of data that users
generate, which will require expertise in data management and analytics to capture, store, organize,
disseminate, and analyze. Data analytics will be a highly sought-after skill needed to manage and analyze
the growing amounts of data. More data collection will also raise ethical issues about the types of
information collected about users and how that data is used. While few legal issues have arose directly
from the amount of data that organizations now collect, various ethical issues concerning how
organizations use data have arose. One recommendation to handle both the legal and ethical issues
would be to create an information recourses (IR) department responsible for information in the same vein
human resources departments look after employees. The IR department would set the policies and
manage how the organization collects, stores, and uses data. Organizations that learn to manage these
emerging technologies and develop the skills to analyze the data will be the organizations that lead the
path towards the future. While we discuss the academic and practitioner implications separately, both the
research community and business are working towards common goals to increase our understanding of
emerging technologies and further develop our capabilities with them.

6 Conclusion
As researchers, we need to continue working with industry leaders to understand the world’s technological
changes and lead the charge rather than report on what has happened and why. As we continue to grow
towards 5G and increased connectivity, we are moving toward a ubiquitous world in which we are all
connected to everybody and everything. The IoT provides unlimited possibilities and opportunities for
academics and practitioners alike. Indeed, new technologies continually arise, and big data continues to
create answers to questions that haven’t been asked yet. As a result, we need an increased number of
analysts to generate knowledge and theories from the data being produced. Although the future is
uncertain, the path is being set as these various technologies converge providing the promise of exciting
things to come.

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Communications of the Association for Information Systems 850

About the Authors

Aaron M. French is an Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems in the College of
Business at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He received his PhD in Business
Information Systems at Mississippi State University. He is a three-time recipient of the Outstanding
Teacher of the Year Award. His research has been published in the Journal of Information Technology,
Behaviour & Information Technology, Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, and The Journal of
Internet Electronic Commerce Research. His research interests include social networking, e-commerce,
cross-cultural studies, and technology acceptance.
J. P. Shim is a faculty of Computer Information Systems and Executive Director of Korean-American
Business Center at Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University and professor emeritus at
Mississippi State University(MSU). Before joining at GSU in 2011, he was faculty of BIS and Larry and
Tonya Favreau Notable Scholar at MSU. He has published several books and seventy journal papers. He
serves on Wireless Telecommunication Symposium as Program chair and served on 2013 AMCIS
Program co-chair. He has received awards, grants, and distinctions, including NSF, Microsoft, U.S. Small
Business Administration, and Japan Foundation. He has been interviewed by the media (CBS TV, AP,
AJC, Global Atlanta) and worked as a consultant for Booz Allen, U.S. EPA, Rehabilitation Associates, Inc.
(in Wisconsin), CYR International, and Kia Motors. His current research interests are cross-cultural study
of BYOD, big data, speech analytics, and wireless telecommunications.

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