The Future is Now...

I fully believe that we, as consumers, business leaders, and citizens of the world, can have a profound impact on how technology will play out in the daily lives of future generations. Over the last 30 years, there have been arguably three major milestones in technology: a) the migration from mainframe to client server computing, b) the advent of the internet, and c) the growth of cloud computing. Today, the convergence of personal identity, security, and the digital world has created our next macro-level milestone, digital identity.

I’ve had the good fortune to meet, listen, and interact with business leaders at some of the most successful and innovative firms in the world. The feedback and dialogue is consistent, regardless of industry, private or public sector: Digital identity is the key technology that will power the next generation of online products and services.

The ubiquity of our personal identity, and our ability to optimize the inter-relationships between all connected people and things in a digital world is the future. And it’s playing out before us today in real time. There are tremendous opportunities to use digital identity to build new applications, connect with customers in exciting ways, like Alexa and Siri, and leverage the internet of things to create interconnected digital ecosystems that offer personalized, seamless customer experiences.

As digital identity swiftly becomes intertwined in the fabric of our everyday lives, whether via wearables, smart vehicles, omnichannel commerce, or biometric authentication, there's also an urgent need to secure these digital ecosystems. It comes down to our ability, today and in the future, to balance innovation with security, privacy, and trust. That’s why I believe it’s critical that we approach technology with the knowledge that our decisions today will shape the world of tomorrow.

I think this report by HSBC on Trust in Technology captures the responsibility we have when building our digital future. The report explores the relationship between new technologies, like biometrics and blockchain, and digital trust. Trust is at the heart of any successful personal and business relationship and the same holds true for technology. HSBC’s report found that trust is earned, not given, when it comes to new technology. We've believed that at ForgeRock since the beginning. If consumers don’t trust your new product or service, they won't use it. By enabling organizations to prioritize basic digital human rights, like personal data privacy and security, through the use of digital identity, we try to do our small part in building trust with our customers and their end users.  

Tom Ammirati is SVP Americas at ForgeRock.