Celebrating 30 Years of Integrated Technology
January 1st, 2024 marks ESEI’s 30th anniversary. I still vividly remember the corner of my bedroom where I set up a table with a desktop computer, a printer, and a telephone set with the goal of engineering and building integrated telecommunications solutions for clients in the Utility sectors. Over the years, technology has redirected the mission of my company to “Delivering Integrated Technology Solutions” to clients in many industries.
The main service we provided at the beginning was the design and construction of radio systems for companies needing to transfer information from a field to a central location. When designing a radio system, we had to pull out the topographic maps for the area and profile the elevations along the route. This used to be detailed and tedious work and lend itself to errors. To avoid surprises, we would have to field survey the routes identifying man-made or natural obstructions such as buildings and trees. Today, and thanks to GPS technology innovations, Google Maps and Google Earth have become our go to tools for radio design. These online maps not only provide us the ground elevation but also show obstructions accurately. As I think of the 30-year history of ESEI, I cannot imagine where we would be if technology had not changed.
During the last 30 years I have experienced how technological innovations have improved our ability to serve our clients in much more efficient ways. Although the number of technology innovations is enormous and have touched all industry sectors in more than one way, I considered the following innovations as fundamental to the way businesses, including ESEI, operate today:
Personal Computers
The development of the personal computer took several decades before their availability and price point would allow it to reach end users across the world. In the 1990’s personal computers were bulky, heavy, and slow. The interface mechanisms, i.e., floppy disks, etc. made them difficult to work with. Thanks to the arrival of the Internet, personal computers saw significant growth, especially in functionality. As a result, personal computers became the main interface between the end user and the vast network of computers across the world that were connected by the Internet. Today, personal computers have more capabilities than the systems available in the 1990s and are available everywhere.
Internet
The Internet must be the most life-changing innovation to come out onto the scene in the last 30 years. The Internet has shown us new ways to search and share information, communicate with each other, connect with devices at field locations, buildings, and home. This allows us to collect and share business information, track performance of remote operations, manage the consumption of services such as water and electricity, improve our safety, etc. The Internet continues to expand the scope of what we can do; I understand that it is expected that by 2030, there will be over 50 billion devices connected around the globe, imagine!
E-Mail & Texting
Even though electronic messaging was available before the 1990s, the Internet made e-mail the main business communications tool, similarly, SMS texting took off rapidly once the communications infrastructure was in place. Can you imagine what we would do without e-mail?
Mobile Broadband
Mobile broadband has become key when it comes to providing users with the ability to work and communicate from any part of the world. New “smart” phones are now portable computer devices comparable in functionality to a personal computer. Mobile devices allow users access to the same applications, Cloud drives, and features such as maps, e-mail, texting, etc. available on their personal computers. I still remember my first “cellular” phone, a Motorola MR-20 with caller ID, a short plastic antenna, and not much else. At that time, I would have to look for the best signal by moving around. Those were the mobile days!
Google Search
Google Search is the most used search engine. According to Wikipedia, Google handles more than 3.5 billion searches per day making it the most visited search engine in the world. Google Search searches for text in publicly accessible documents offered by web servers. This service has made it convenient for us to search and find the information we need to research, learn, and resolve problems. Before Google Search was available, trips to the library were common. Today, we just have to “Google It.”
Social Media
Social media, the collection of technologies that interactively support users to learn, create, and share different content and ideas has become critical in our day-to-day business life. The number of Social Media sites is constantly changing. Today, some of the most important social media sites include Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Reddit, etc. These sites allow us to network, sell, and connect with target markets on an ongoing basis. YouTube, the second most used social media site, not only offers entertainment, but it also provides us with content for training in many technical and business areas.
There is no doubt that innovation will continue to develop products and services, which will enrich the technical arsenal available to business users. I am sure new applications will make it easier for users to accomplish tasks which only a short time ago would have required much more time to research and develop.
As per our mission, we will continue to apply technology to support our clients’ success. And while we strive to keep accomplishing this, we won’t forget that the most important thing is our personal connection with our clients and friends.
Happy New Year!