As technology continues to evolve and digital transformation enters full swing, competition for customers is growing increasingly fierce. An essential question for businesses has become, “How can technology improve customer experience and create additional value for my shareholders?” A great question, and to answer it let’s take a look at what one well-known company did to leapfrog their competition and launch themselves into the digital age.

As we enter the new year, experts predict cybersecurity spending to surpass $1 trillion from 2017 through 2021, as companies struggle to keep up with a global spike in cybercrime. With this trend expected to continue for the foreseeable future, it’s no surprise that businesses everywhere are shifting their budgets to accommodate for the growing cost of cybersecurity.

According to Cisco’s Visual Networking Index, there will be 3.4 networked devices per capita by 2020. This represents 26.3 billion networked devices and nearly a 40% increase in just five years. To handle this flood of new devices, many companies today are utilizing the cloud to connect devices to the corporate network. Is it any surprise that cybersecurity has become one of the top priorities for businesses?

As I browse the aisles of Home Depot and Lowes, it’s quite impressive and, at the same time unsettling as an IT Security Professional to see the increasing amount of IoT (Internet of Things) devices being developed and offered to target the “Smart Home.”