Interview: James Symons

Which new technologies will reach critical mass and become dominant in 2022?

The COVID pandemic has accelerated the move to ‘contactless delivery’. The awareness of the need to social distance has led to a range of services that offer delivery without physical contact. At the basic end of the scale are home delivery services where packages/food are left at the door without the need for face-to-face contact. A growing sector is self-service delivery SMART LOCKERS operated by sophisticated cloud platforms that enable customers to access their delivery by PIN or other unique codes, such as the PC Locs Cloud managed FUYL Tower. Similarly, these smart lockers can also provide a contactless check in/check out system for organisations that wish to reduce cost and physical contact in device service scenarios.

What is the major potential tech pain point that will face all organisations large and small in 2022?

With remote work becoming more commonplace since the beginning of COVID, the need for all employees to have access to stable and secure hardware and enterprise software is paramount. Downtime due to device service issues or software issues is always a problem, but more so with remote employees who cannot access support as easily as if they were onsite. Comprehensive helpdesk support is a necessity, backed by the ability to quickly access replacement devices, particularly for mission-critical devices. Strategically placed smart lockers that enable team members to quickly swap out faulty devices without the need for physical contact can significantly reduce risk and cost to organisations facing these issues.

How can I.T. have a greater impact on organisational efficiency in 2022, and who (CEOs, CIOs) should lead the charge?

The negative impact on organisational security from a less than clear focus on comprehensive cybersecurity policies/procedures moving into 2022 cannot be understated. From the CEO down, executive teams need to drive cybersecurity awareness through their organisations to the entire company to mitigate the risk of catastrophic business interruption. Comprehensive policies that protect the company and cover all areas of an enterprise from information security and internet usage to the physical security of mobile devices are crucial to ensuring business continuity. Information security breaches caused by the loss of theft of mobile devices is one of the main sources of data theft and must be protected against by ensuring that all devices are kept secure at all times.

What’s on your tech wish list from governments, innovators and the wider industry in 2022?

Boosting government initiatives that build a national infrastructure to support the Internet of Things and cloud/managed services across all sectors of industry and domestic use is vital. This would include ongoing development of a national 5G network and federal/state assistance to underpin efforts to counter the growing cybersecurity threat.

In 1998, James joined his father in building the family business, PC Locs. After becoming CEO in 2006, expansion became a focus for James, and now the company has offices worldwide, selling products and software services globally. Today, James is just as passionate and committed to providing the best possible hardware and software solutions for managing mobile devices.