6. Adoption of (new) technologies

Return to June 2021 Update

 Includes the following 6 subcategories:

• 6.a) Virtual communication & collaboration (Zoom, BIM360, Virtual site inspections, AR/VR, etc.)
• 6.b) Robotics, Automation, Mobile Unmanned Systems (MUS); 3D printing (additive manufacturing); etc.
• 6.c) Smart buildings: IT+OT; IoT, digital twin, big data – analytics & processing, sensors, AI, proptech, etc.
• 6.d) Other concepts (VDC, management, blockchain, smart contracts)
• 6.e) COVID-19 related innovations (for public); contact tracing, etc.
• 6.f) Cybersecurity / Privacy

Length: 30 min read;  6,515 words.

Note: The following paragraphs summarize the category of Adoption of new technologies observed in June. More information about the specific category from June (and previous months) can be found in the downloaded report(s). The number in square brackets (e.g., [X]) refers to a reference where the reader can find more information about a specific statement. The references can be found in the References list below, on the Systematized References page or in the downloaded report.

The interest in this category has increased 26% in June (28.2% vs. 22.4% in March) as digitalization and automation continue to be the most important strategies during and post pandemic. Pandemic has accelerated contech adoption threefold. Almost all subcategories in June are at the same level of interest as in March, except Cybersecurity / Privacy, which is experiencing 70% interest increase due to countless daily news of cyberattacks and ransomware. We can expect substantial increase of similar events in the future. The subcategory of Robotics, Automation, Mobile Unmanned Systems (MUS); 3D printing (additive manufacturing); etc. has the higher interest increase of 5 other categories due to automation talks in all industries (especially in supply chain and warehouses) and, for example, reignited interest in 3D printing and modularization. Global building technology map shows substantial increase in use cases of modularization, robotics and 3D printing for construction; digital-twin technology; with AI and analytics (such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA) for commercial RE); hybrid workplace technology; and supply-chain optimization and marketplaces. Construction companies are collaborating with and/or acquiring tech startup.

Just with the technology that is currently available, no unheard-of breakthrough required, it’s possible to achieve 3 to 4% global economic growth each year for a decade. A McKinsey analysis of 350 industrial companies found that those that made investments in automation, e-commerce, and other areas achieved higher revenues and total returns to shareholders than digital laggards. [5] Automation has been accelerated because of the pandemic. Roughly 70% of companies have increased their commitment to automate at least parts of what they do. Before the pandemic, McKinsey projected that two-thirds of jobs would see roughly 30% of their component tasks being automated and because of that, anticipated a significant shift in the workforce. That shift is at least 25% greater than they previously forecasted. [136]

McKinsey Global Survey on digital strategy asked business leaders about changes in investment during the pandemic. Companies tried to cut costs everywhere except digital and technology, where most increased their spending. [119] In the March report we highlighted that in 2020 funding for construction-related technology startups hit $1.3B, a 56% YoY increase from 2019 and that investments in contech continues at the same pace as in 2021. Investors have backed companies that are offering faster, easier technology for a wide variety of construction tasks, on and off the jobsite. 9 contech firms that brought in investor money this spring [102]: 1) Avvir [233], a New York City-based startup valued at $40M, had raised $10M in a funding round. uses laser scans and artificial intelligence to find and flag construction mistakes. The startup’s platform also updates BIM models to aid with monitoring construction progress; 2) Aclaimant [234], a safety and risk management platform, raised to above $20M. Using Aclaimant, clients can store information on safety incidents, digitize safety procedures and protocols, set up electronic incident and claim submissions, complete some required OSHA forms and visualize data and other valuable information.; 3) Briq [235], a financial software startup had raised $30M. The product's features include expense and invoice automation; physical and virtual debit cards; virtual bank accounts; cost code and project-level expense permissioning and payment cards for project team and field employees.; 4) Canvas [236], a construction robotics startup for drywall construction has raised $24M. 5) Extracker [237], a change order communication platform  has raised $5.3M. The application aids contractors and subs in tracking change orders via automated organization, documentation and real-time visibility.; 6) Flexbase [238], an automated payment platform for contractors, announced $2.5M in pre-seed fundraising.; 7) OpenSpace [239], a construction photo documentation and analysis startup had received $55M in Series C funding. OpenSpace has seen its revenue triple and customer count increase by more than 150%, according to the announcement. Site captures also increased by 300% during that time. The platform uses AI to create 360-degree photo representations of jobsites during regular walkthroughs. Workers attach a small camera to their hardhats and walk the site as normal, with OpenSpace passively capturing imagery in the background. Imagery data is then uploaded to the cloud, where algorithms map the photos to project plans and stitch them together, creating a visual representation of the site similar in style to Google Street View.; 8) ToolBelt [240], a platform built to connect construction workers with employers, announced $2.5M raised in a Series 2.; 9) Veev [241], formerly known as Dragonfly Group, had received $100M in funding, bringing the total it had raised to $200M. Veev constructs single and multifamily homes, using modular prefabrication and streamlined design to deliver homes at a lower cost and four times faster than the industry standard.

6.a) Virtual communication & collaboration (Zoom, BIM360, Virtual site inspections, AR/VR, etc.)

The built environment in the COVID-19 era relies on faster internet speeds and improved latency for analytical tools, queue management, contact tracing, sensor networks, immersive video applications and a host of data intensive cloud applications, presenting extraordinary challenges for current in-building wireless networks. Understanding the potential of the new wireless landscape is paramount in developing an in-building wireless strategy that can keep up with the demands of the new normal. 5G promises to deliver significantly better network performance inside buildings, although 4G will remain the workhorse for most voice and data requirements for many years. Seamless technology use and access to information from anywhere is key for a successful hybrid workplace strategy. [179]  (More information about 5G and hybrid workplace tech can be found in the section for Building Operations.) [129]

E-commerce and other virtual transactions are booming. Other kinds of virtual transactions such as telemedicine, online banking, and streaming entertainment have also taken off. Online doctor consultations through Practo, a telehealth company in India, grew more than tenfold between April and November 2020. These virtual practices may decline somewhat as economies reopen but are likely to continue well above levels seen before the pandemic. This shift to digital transactions has propelled growth in delivery, transportation, and warehouse jobs. In China, e-commerce, delivery, and social media jobs grew by more than 5.1M during the first half of 2020. [139] When the pandemic forced businesses to close their doors to foot traffic, industries such as utilities and insurance saw a boost of as much as 46% in consumer engagement with their digital channel offerings. But grocery shoppers want to pick their own produce again, leading to a drop in engagement with grocers’ digital channels of about 17%. Some industries in the EU also saw declines in digital adoption, particularly among banking, retail, and telco carriers. [242][243] The retailer of the future will harness the power of data, quantum computing, AI, and AR. The biggest mistake retail companies make is their unwillingness to invest in something that doesn’t automatically feed the bottom line. The biggest win is using cutting-edge technology to give consumers a way of envisioning their lives if they go ahead and buy. [5] About 25% of online orders placed in 2020 were for delivery, according to Paytronix's Order and Delivery Report 2021. Restaurants that used their own couriers reported about 44% of orders were for delivery, while operators that exclusively use third-party delivery platforms only had about 12% of orders placed for delivery. [244]

Digital health topics are booming, e.g., a video game approaches are developed to help patients with disease management [42]  and in 2020, doctors and other healthcare professionals shifted to digital channels to order products; use of e-procurement portals rose 20-fold since 2019. However, they still favor in-person interactions when demos and case support are needed. [43]

As offices consider hybrid work, warehouses are examining remote operations. Technologies such as radio-frequency identification (RFID) let managers glean insights off-site, while operators steer and monitor forklifts from afar. For most tech savvy organizations, a centralized IT staff has remote visibility into assets, and can access, diagnose and fix things like computers scanners and printers. This remote control, view and assessment can go beyond basic equipment. Zebra Technologies' SmartPack Trailer  [245] combines video and 3D sensing with analytics to gather information about trailers being loaded or unloaded at a dock. “By doing so, companies can optimize tasks in real-time, compile a complete record of every shipment, and gain insights for process improvement” and access all that information from afar. When Phantom Auto [246] launched in 2018, the company focused on autonomous vehicles but shifted to warehouse operations when it realized technology was not yet ready for prime time. There are two types of Phantom Auto's warehouse customers. In the first type, one person remotely operates one forklift or vehicle, as if they were driving the vehicle, just not sitting in the driver's seat. In the second, one person monitors a batch of autonomous forklifts or vehicles. In this scenario, the operator can help with those edge cases and get the device back to a position where it can run itself again. The vehicles all have real time video and two-way audio so that the human monitoring the device can communicate with people in the warehouse, and vice versa. If a worker on the floor shouts "hey look out" to the forklift, the remote driver will hear it. Clients like the remote option because of the safety benefits related to potential forklift accidents, keeping people apart during the pandemic, and because of labor shortages these jobs are more accessible to all types of people in any region, i.e., "digital drivers" who are not location dependent.[247]

Context-switching while hopping back and forth between digital tools hampers productivity for 45% of workers. For 44% of workers, siloed digital tools are making it hard to gauge whether work is being duplicated. Workers report spending nearly one hour a day looking for information between collaboration, storage and messaging apps, and half of workers fear information will get lost in the shuffle. Google announced recent updates to the Rooms experience within Google Chat aimed at centralizing "people, topics and projects" within Google Workspace. Microsoft also released a new Whiteboard capability within Teams to allow for synchronous collaboration between users. [248] Businesses, even if they’re financially healthy, have all learned that technologies like Teams and Zoom and Webex are working relatively well and can replace some of the travel that they used to do. [59] Technologies will likely replace that travel in the future. Tips to prepare for Zoom negotiations if remote work is here to stay: 1) build a wide-scale video presence with critical suppliers; 2) take control of the negotiation process; and 3) get back to business. [249]

Holography has been increasingly used in a variety of industries, including architecture and construction and it has a chance of completely reshaping the way we conceptualize and experience architecture. Numerous projects that use holograms and other types of holography to create atmospheric environments, fantastical scenes, and practical visualizations. These examples move beyond the use of holograms to visualize structures and sites during the design phase; they utilize holography to shape the completed architectural space itself, completely altering the sensory and spatial experience of their environment. [250]

6.b) Robotics, Automation, Mobile Unmanned Systems (MUS); 3D printing (additive manufacturing); etc.

For several years, the construction sector has been facing a labor shortage, generating a growing interest in automation. The health crisis has only exacerbated the trend, prompting automation companies to turn their focus from car manufacturing to the construction industry, for which automation is expected to grow up to 30% within the next few years. At the moment, automation is being researched and deployed along two distinct paths: automating specific tasks within traditional site operations and creating an entirely new construction process supported by new materials and technologies. Several years ago, SAM (the semi-automated mason) generated significant excitement, as the robot was capable of laying bricks at almost three times the speed of a human worker. A new bricklaying robot Hadrian X, developed by Australian firm Fastbrick Robotics has completed several residential pilot projects in Mexico and Australia and is heading towards mass production. Addressing the current construction framework, an engineering and architecture research team from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) created a high-rise façade operations robot, which can perform a wide range of operations from façade painting to repair works removing workers from dangerous heights. [251] The community is discussing what jobs within AEC can be automated. When considering if a job can become automated comes down to measuring how much of the process is repetitive and autonomous, and how much of it requires a dynamic, multi-disciplinary approach. Until computers can automate creativity and replicate the designer’s touch, for example the job of an architect will continue to be necessary. [252]

ABB, a global technology giant, has announced a formal move into the construction industry. ABB currently has robotic equipment operating on a number of pilot projects, including the production of prefabricated modular homes, a project which it says has increased in efficiency by 15%. Speed of delivery on the project was also increased by 38%, while waste was reduced by 30%. ABB will introduce products and solutions into the market, including robotic welding, 3D printing and digital logistics solutions, and is also working with several universities to develop new automated construction technologies. [176] One of the robotics success stories on construction site is Canvas, a tech enabled drywall subcontractor, that is showing how the industry is slowly changing and digitalizing. Canvas’ advice: 1) you really don’t know what you got until you test it on construction site; so minimal viable job is so important; 2) ask construction workers for help and collaboration when starting; 3) do not take second hand impression, but go in and find out for yourself; 4) be careful about assumptions: don’t make machines that do what people do; rather look at the task and look what is uniquely possible by the machine; 5) you are constantly at many crossroads; go to market conventional startup wisdom + construction; 6) it is hard thing to do; and 7) the thumbs up you really need are the people in the field. [236][253][254] On the other hand, some automation/ modular tech companies such as Katerra, an offsite construction firm, are shutting down. Katerra had raised more than $2B from backers, such as Japanese mega-investor SoftBank, although this was not enough to address debts for construction projects after Greensill, a previous lender, went bankrupt in March. The COVID-19 pandemic also likely contributed to the company’s woes. The Securities and Exchange Commission also had launched an investigation into its accounting practices. Katerra is not the first offsite construction company to fold during the pandemic. In October, Skender Manufacturing, an offshoot of Skender Construction in Chicago, announced it was closing due to coronavirus challenges. [167][255] Billionaires such as Warren Buffet are investing in modular construction called MiTek that engineeres building products and construction software firm launched at a hybrid offsite-on site building model targeted at hospitality, health care, education and multifamily construction. [256] Reza Akhavian, assistant professor of civil and construction engineering at San Diego State University, suggests that currently and for the foreseeable future, the field of robotics in general, and construction robotics in particular, are not even close to a state in which robots can replace human workers. Different robotics applications can benefit construction. On the one hand, there are repetitive and thus unsafe construction tasks that can be robotized to protect workers' safety. On the other hand, there are tasks that are simply tedious and time-consuming and do not necessarily require human-level intelligence that can be performed by robots. Regardless of the type, it is important to look at construction robotics as a human-centered process that is here to upskill workers and enable improved safety, productivity and diversity on the jobsites. [257]

Many companies deployed automation and AI in warehouses, grocery stores, call centers, and manufacturing plants to reduce workplace density and cope with surges in demand. The common feature of these automation use cases is their correlation with high scores on physical proximity; the work arenas with high levels of human interaction are likely to see the greatest acceleration in adoption of automation and AI. [139] One survey by Honeywell and KRC Research found that 51% of companies that manage warehouses, distribution centers or fulfillment centers say the coronavirus pandemic has made their company more willing to invest in automation. Still, the percentage of respondents who report using robotics in the annual MHI report has been fairly flat for the last five years. In 2016, 35% of respondents reported that robotics and automation were already in use at their companies. By 2021, this figure had grown just three percentage points to 38%. But robotics was one of the top three areas that respondents said they had plans to increase investment, according to the 2021 MHI survey. More than a third of supply chain managers are looking to invest in warehouse robotics. [258] Delivery companies have been looking to solutions such as increased rates, route-planning algorithms, closer distribution centers, drones and autonomous delivery vehicles. For example, FedEx and Nuro sign multi-year deal to test autonomous last-mile deliver. [259] DHL is expanding its use of Locus Robotics assisted picking robots, aiming to have 2,000 of the machines operational in its facilities in 2022. The productivity was increased two-fold; one warehouse was able to improve its pick speed from 78 unit picks per hour without the machines to 150 after their implementation.[260] Circle K invests in 100 Geek+ robots to speed store replenishment. [261] The Geek+[261] system of using robots to move around racks of inventory is similar to the model used by Amazon Robotics [262] and other companies like Fetch Robotics [263]. Amazon and Alibaba have each unveiled robots they have been developing at research facilities, and their plans to test or deploy them in warehouses and last-mile delivery. Alibaba's logistics arm Cainiao Network announced its plans to deploy 1,000 Xiamonanlv robots to universities across China, after having tested the unmanned delivery vehicle at 30 universities over the past year, and finding the robot could deliver 150 packages a day with a 98% customer satisfaction rate. Amazon's announcement outlined the various robots it is testing at research labs in Boston and Northern Italy. Its most advanced are two “autonomous guided carts” the company has named Kermit and Scooter, which the company said would be deployed at its facilities later this year.  Ernie is a "workstation system" that uses a robotic arm to take totes off robotic shelves and delivers these to employees, to avoid the need for frequent reaching or bending. Bert is an autonomous mobile robot that Amazon hopes can eventually move large heavy items or carts with multiple packages as it works alongside employees around a facility. An unnamed motion-capture system is also in the early stages of being tested to monitor employees' movements in a way that could make safety recommendations in order to prevent injuries.[264] FedEx is expanding its portfolio of last-mile technology through a "multi-year, multi-phase agreement" with Nuro to test autonomous delivery vehicles. [259] Kroger is using technology from Ocado to automate its fulfillment centers with more than 1,000 robots equipped with AI, helping to pick orders from 21 levels of crates before they are loaded onto either a delivery vehicle or a truck. A "module" of robots could help prepare around 60 orders in just three minutes. [258]

Radar, lidar and cameras on the freight autonomous vehicle (AV) can substitute and even exceed a human truck driver's senses. According to Torc Robotics self-driving systems have some technical advantages over human drivers, as they can sense and acquire information much faster than humans which translates to a quicker reaction time. Kodiak Robotics' autonomy system is being built to drive in extreme weather, skids and other complex driving scenarios; it can prioritize the safety of people in surrounding vehicles over its own safety. Torc Robotics' sensor suite includes radar, lidar and cameras which allows the autonomous vehicle to "see" a broader field-of-view than a human can at any one time. Lidar uses lasers to measure the distance and shapes of objects, producing high definition, three-dimensional views of what is happening around an AV. The sensors can operate in spite of shadows or bright light reflected off surfaces like wet roads. Also lidar can see farther and in more detail than people can in low-light situations. It will be years until trucking firms can add AVs to their fleets at scale. But many of the industry's largest fleets have started the process. In May, TuSimple announced it received 6,775 reservations for the trucks it's developing with Navistar. TuSimple, Embark and Waymo are running tests in Arizona. [265] In collaboration with the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS), MIT is testing the first fleet of autonomous electric boats called Lucy, the first full-scale Roboat prototype. [266]

6.c) Smart buildings: IT+OT; IoT, digital twin, big data – analytics & processing, sensors, AI, proptech, etc.

Intelligent buildings technologies are needed for public-health, risk management, operational cost-efficiency, and the experiences necessary for returning occupants and the public to commercial RE. Developing a comprehensive integrated strategy is critical when setting intelligent building objectives. Besides ROI, there are 6 pillars to measure success: resilience, risk, telco, infrastructure, data, and smart tech. RE leaders should prioritize connectivity, integration, interoperability, automation, command and control, data access and normalization, analytics, and cloud services. Digital twin is bringing big data analytics to portfolio decision making. Big data types are spatial, static, system and device, external and business. [267] Automating commercial real estate “back end” tasks is a major objective for running the enterprise efficiently and freeing up resources for strategic planning and catalyzed innovation. Many companies are turning to Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to eliminate redundant and tedious tasks freeing them up to focus on more productive activities. RPA is great for auditing/ logging, workflow, report generation and data entry. RPA is not great at strategy and analysis, maintenance issues, issue resolution and creative thought. RPA use cases include bank reconciliation, invoice indexing, lease entry, set-up and abstraction, employee onboarding and offboarding, lease expiring notification, (quarterly SOX) report generation, vendor and tenant onboarding, know-your-customer (KYC), NAV calculations, asset management (maintaining a RE portfolio with up-to-date space, occupancy and cost data). For example, RPA for know-your-customer (KYC) application provides automation bots that can extract and validate customer data on transaction and automatically send alert email for KYC documentation – reduces probability of fraud and compliance issues with minimum human contact with sensitive data. RPAs are useful now because companies need to operate with limited resources, they free up time for meaningful work, reduce manual errors and can scale to meet demand fluctuations.  [268]

Construction companies are acquiring data tech companies. For example, Epiroc Group, an infrastructure and mining equipment manufacturer is to acquire geophysical data technology company Kinetic Logging Services. KLS is known for its flagship service product OreSight, which collects borehole assay data and grade information in near real-time. It allows mining and companies in the geotechnical engineering and environmental management sectors to produce more detailed blast pad models, that can then be used to make “improved decisions on production and ore blending”.[124] The Department of Energy is preparing to use the massive computing power of its national laboratories to tackle traffic jams with the goals to cut US transportation fuel consumption up to 20% and reduce auto emissions. A second goal is to recover as much as $100B in lost worker productivity by unsnarling rush hour traffic jams in US cities over the next 10 years. [269] The MIT Lab has partnered with RATP, the public transportation provider for the Île-de-France, to analyze the use of street curbs in Paris. Combining computer vision with sensors mounted on public buses, the SmartCurbs project is using AI to quantify the vibrance of sidewalk life in the city. [266] Smart high-tech cities like Songdo in South Korea are proof that high-tech with AI and big data should supplement human-centered design, not the other way around. [270]

Companies from other industries are increasingly investing in analytics tools and talent to better predict demand and improve inventory management. [271]

6.d) Other concepts (VDC, management, blockchain, smart contracts)

Blockchain tech is being integrated with RFID chips and IoT devices to accelerate both remote and autonomous technology growth. [247] Supply chain companies are joining the network of a blockchain-based platform called TradeLens. When carriers join, TradeLens gets their data, and the carriers gets free access to the platform. The data provided by the carriers is then meant to increase visibility across a shipper's supply chain. The platform has also been able to add terminal operators and railroads in its push to provide end-to-end visibility. It has also added inland ports and government customs agencies to its list of ecosystem partners, according to its website. Ten companies in China joined its network, including "two port groups and eight intermodal and inland logistics providers. [157] Mondelēz's Triscuit is the latest brand to embrace traceability using blockchain technology. Consumers are demanding more transparency about their food, and are keen to have access to information about where their food comes from and how it is grown. Mondelēz isn't the first company to show off is traceability efforts and it's not the last. Unilever and Nestlé became the first global food companies to publish their entire palm oil supply chains for consumers a few years ago. Olam International, the world’s third-largest cocoa processor, said last September it achieved 100% traceability for the cocoa it directly sources. And a mobile app developed by J.M. Smucker, Dutch beverage company Jacobs Douwe Egberts and others gives consumers the ability to trace their coffee beans with an interactive map. Organic foods maker One Degree touts on its website that its packaging has a QR code that consumers can scan to trace every product and meet the farmers and producers behind every ingredient. [272]

The future belongs to companies that make the most of deeper intelligence to drive win-win outcomes for business and the environment and empower future workforce generations, while supporting efficient, connected and sustainable working models. Smart industrial software already does a great deal to enable greater sustainability, including by helping businesses to reduce their emissions, moving toward being more circular and making advances on traceability and product quality. [154]

COVID-19 has slowed payments for general contractors and subcontractors. Construction companies report investing in other solutions to help speed up payment. 83% of construction businesses have the ability to accept electronic payments and 79% say it has helped their company get paid faster. Companies using software for tracking and processing payments grew 113% YoY. Software for payment paperwork is up 67% since 2019. Just 8% of construction companies say they don't use software at all down from 21% in 2019. [206] With the launch of Subcontractor Payment Profiles earlier this month from construction software company Levelset [273], contractors have access to information indicating how likely individual subcontractors are to pay their suppliers, therefore avoiding potential schedule delays and disputes. [274] Various startups can help with payment automation. For example, Briq [235], a financial software startup offers a product that includes expense and invoice automation; physical and virtual debit cards; virtual bank accounts; cost code and project-level expense permissioning and payment cards for project team and field employees. Flexbase [238], an automated payment platform for contractors aims to improve the speed of cash flow in the construction industry by enabling contractors to send invoices and paperwork to customers rapidly. On average, Flexbase claims, its customers get paid 63% earlier. Extracker [237], a change order communication platform aids contractors and subs in tracking change orders via automated organization, documentation and real-time visibility. Extracker includes change order logs, time and material tags, notifications and basic templates for rapid communication. ToolBelt [240], a platform built to connect construction workers with employers, announced $2.5M raised in a Series 2. It focuses on residential construction, and can help contractors find highly skilled or general labor, as well as subcontractors or full-time employees. [102]

6.e) COVID-19 related innovations (for public); contact tracing, etc.

This subcategory has been reduced to a bare minimum of interest since the digital tech for COVID-19 related problems have been developed and mostly discussed in the spring/ summer of 2020. Digital tech in healthcare is booming. These days, a growing number of startups are focusing on using digital tools to improve the quality and availability of care, especially for chronic conditions that account for a large share of rising healthcare costs. The pandemic has in many cases only increased demand for these kinds of products, as quarantines and lockdowns made services such as telemedicine and remote patient monitoring often the only way to obtain medical or mental health care. Sidekick Health is out to show that digital therapeutics programs can help patients more effectively manage their chronic conditions. It works with pharmaceutical companies and insurers to provide gamified, digital care and therapeutic programs to help patients with disease management and treatments, and reduce cost of care. The platform can be applied across a wide range of different diseases, ranging from inflammation, immunology and cardiovascular to metabolic, oncology and other therapeutic areas. Combination of patient support programs, remote patient monitoring, and timely interventions is at the core of the platform’s service. “Our current health care structure is still based on what we created in the last century, lots of brick and mortar really well suited, in many cases, for acute conditions. But today 80% of our health care costs, and the majority of our deaths, are due to chronic, lifestyle-related diseases. To tackle them at the scale that we are doing today, we obviously have to do a much better job at empowering patients to take an active role in their treatment at home, so that our very expensive, brick-and-mortar institutions and our fantastic professionals in the health care industry are used primarily for the most complex cases.”(Dr. Tryggvi Thorgeirsson) [42]

Scientists have created first global atlas of urban microorganisms. According to the MetaSUB team, “continually updated, global microbial genetic atlas has the potential to aid physicians, public health departments, government officials, and scientists in tracing, diagnosing, and predicting epidemiological risks and trends.” The scientists believe that the research can help track the spread of infectious organisms in urban environments and also be a valuable resource for new antimicrobial treatments and forensic applications. One important limitation of the current study was that it only sequenced DNA. Future projects will also sequence RNA, which is the genetic material of many important viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. [275]

Gartner predicts a quarter of employee/software interactions will be based on voice command in 2023 despite a timid start of just 3% in 2019. In the past, companies used to have sensors to map the underutilization of spaces. Today this technology can be used for the opposite purpose: do we have the right distance? Do we have any congestion areas? [36] NBBJ’s world's first anti high-rise building will be based on a fully a "touchless street-to-suite” access. [276]

6.f) Cybersecurity / Privacy

The interest in this topic increased 70% in June in comparison to March due to countless news of cyberattacks and ransomware [277][255][278][279][280][281] [282][283][109][284] [285] [286][8] [287][288][289][290][8][291][292][293] [294] [295] [296] [297] [298], and organizations trying to address these threats to normal operations (e.g., 91% of UK CEOs are concerned about the threat cybersecurity poses to their business [299]). Ransomware attacks are a bigger threat than more traditional espionage. The researchers highlight that while email is still used, ransomware attackers often work in cahoots with other cybercriminals to buy their way into major targets in return for a slice of any bounty they secure. This creates a complex but highly robust ecosystem of cybercriminals with individual actors specializing in particular activities rather than trying to do it all themselves. It's an approach whereby malware, such as Buer Loader or Dridex, is used to infect a target’s system, with the access then sold to the ransomware operators to deploy their encryption or data theft operation. Indeed, the research suggests that as many as 20% of malware found in banking systems was being used in this way. If a breach still exists and may easily be sold afresh to a new cybercriminal to exploit, multiple threat actors are using the same malware payloads to distribute ransomware attacks. [281]  The victim is forced to pay money for stolen data and digital keys that allow continuing operations. According to Ondrej Kubovic, ESETs Security awareness specialist, for maximum effect, criminals target businesses that have sensitive data and cannot handle halt in operations. Ransomware gangs became much more focused and much more targeted, finding their victims in almost every possible industry that showed even the slightest vulnerability, including military, public administration, and, of course, hospitals and emergency services. And if the initial intrusion was successful, cyber-criminals made the most of it. For example, last month a Colonial Pipeline facility in Alabama was hit by a cyberattack, forcing a shutdown of critical systems that provide a 45% fuel supply for the US East Coast. Colonial pipeline paid the attackers $5M worth of bitcoin, with over $2.3M recovered by the authorities. The FBI concluded that the Darkside ransomware gang carried out the attack. More than 20 global energy firms were attacked with ransomware in the past 12 months. Half the targets were in the US. Darkside is just one of the criminal gangs operating globally. RansomEXX, NetWalker, Doppelpaymer, Ragnar Locker, and the now-defunct Maze cartel are mentioned among criminal families that targeted energy companies in the US, Indonesia, Italy, and Japan. Russia-linked REvil/Sodinokibi is responsible for ransomware attack against meat supplier JBS and for the attack on Asarco, an Arizona mining, smelting, and refining subsidiary of Grupo Mexico, both in the US. Another Russian-speaking gang, CL0p, is credited with attacking Royal Dutch Shell. [279] Cybercriminals are well organized and function as businesses. [283] According to Sophos, over 3,500 Microsoft Exchange servers are vulnerable to new threat called Epsilon Red. Experts suggest, if users are faced with a ransom demand, they should immediately report the ransomware email to the law enforcement. [280][285] Custom trojan stole data from millions Windows devices. [282] Security concerns undermine faith in digital banking. Banks adopt a security-by-design approach so that cybersecurity is a fundamental part of any digital infrastructure and architecture decision. Central to this will be a robust assessment of the risks faced. The best cyber risk assessments not only include a range of third-party evaluations, but also an accurate and robust assessment of things such as the culture and capabilities of the business, the governance policies in place, and the financial risk of attacks. [284] School of cybersecurity aims to address cyber vulnerabilities. [300] RockYou2021 is largest ever password compilation leaked. [286]

Hybrid work environment asks for heightened cybersecurity. Managers should introduce specific controls for the collaboration platforms, such as Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams, and train employees digital hygiene skills. [301][302]  Lazy attitudes and tech demands are a post-pandemic cybersecurity fear. The average user created 15 new online accounts during the pandemic, the equivalent of “billions” of new vulnerable accounts for hackers to cherry pick from, warned IBM. With 44% reporting that they do not plan to delete or deactivate these new accounts, these consumers will have an increased digital footprint for years to come, greatly expanding the attack surface for cybercriminals. With passwords becoming less and less reliable, one way that organizations can adapt, beyond multi-factor authentication, is shifting to a zero-trust approach,  applying advanced AI and analytics throughout the process to spot potential threats, rather than assuming a user is trusted after authentication. 82% of respondents to an IBM’s survey admitted to reusing credentials at least some of the time, with many new accounts using log in details that have already been breached before. 44% of respondents store online account information in their memory. Globally, all respondents self-reported that they would attempt logging in 3-4 times before selecting the option to reset their password. These resets not only cost companies’ money, but they can also pose security threats if used in combination with an already compromised email account. However, respondents are starting to recognize the importance of their cybersecurity. Two-thirds of respondents to the survey said they had used multi-factor authentication within a few weeks of being surveyed. This is encouraging behavior for the perfect storm we are currently sailing into.[277] Gen Z are the least cybersecure generation due to poor password hygiene. Three in four people claim they have had at least one password breached, but have not necessarily done anything about it. [303] Scammers are on the prowl for e-shoppers. The global pandemic accelerated e-commerce growth by two years, contributing an additional $105B in US online revenue last year. A recently published analysis by Group-IB, a cyber intelligence company, shows that fraud accounts for 73% of all online attacks. An additional 17% were classified as phishing attacks, a type of criminal activity when a threat actor issues fraudulent communication to a victim, masking to appear as a reputable source. Threat actors employ both to either steal users’ money or their data. Shoppers should get into a habit of using a password manager that allows them to have strong passwords and remember them. Multifactor authentication (MFA) with a level of security up to 99% is a recommended method for businesses by the FBI, MFA has the potency to block any unintended access to users’ accounts. Businesses are now seeing the light and prioritizing security above offering what they see as a frictionless experience for customers because they are getting tired of litigation and reputational damage due to security breaches. [278]

61% of companies suffered a ransomware attack in 2020 (on average, organizations experienced 6 days of downtime as a result – double the amount of time as the year before). Email threats in 2020 increased 64% (cybercriminals took advantage of the rise in digital activity with new social engineering attacks, detected by the Mimecast Threat Center). 79% of organizations were hurt by their lack of cyber preparedness (more than 40% of businesses falls short in one or more critical areas of email security, and 13% of businesses don’t have an email security system at all.) [304] Cybersecurity spending is forecast to exceed $200B per year by 2024, suggests that the growth in spending is being driven by a transition towards cloud-based security. Around 37% of the total cybersecurity market last year was spent on software, with this transition away from hardware-based expenditure likely to continue. There is a considerable scope for cloud investment in the appliances market, where cloud-based solutions currently only make up 4% of expenditure. The most mature cloud markets are in identity management, where cloud-based solutions make up 43% of sales, and endpoint analytics, detection and response (EDR), where cloud-based solutions represent 41% of the total market. The endpoint security market is the most likely to be disrupted by cloud-based solutions. The sector, which is currently worth over $13B, is largely serviced by on-premise software, which makes up 90% of the market at the moment. Experts believe antivirus software will be completely replaced by cloud products in the midterm, which may speed up CrowdStrike's share gains in enterprise security from legacy endpoint incumbents like Symantec (Broadcom), McAfee and Trend Micro. This trio has about 44% of endpoint security vs. CrowdStrike's 3%. Incumbents such as Check Point and Symantec coming under threat from pure-play cloud providers, such as CrowdStrike, which is already generating over $1B in annual recurring revenue. [305]

Cybersecurity and privacy are critical components of any smart tech in buildings. [267]

Google added new security features for Google Workspace and Google Drive to better ensure data security and privacy protection in hybrid work environments. The new security tools include client-side encryption for Workspace and several enhanced data protection features in the platform’s Drive service, including more granular control over trust rules, enhanced phishing and malware protection, and the addition of integrated data loss prevention (DLP) in Drive labels. [306]

Cyberattack ransoms are mostly paid in the cryptocurrency. Governmental organizations are trying to regulate the field as El Salvador seriously consider making bitcoin legal tender. US authorities seized part of a ransom paid in the cryptocurrency to the hackers responsible for the Colonial Pipeline disruption. [307]

See March Category Summary

References