Have you ever considered why our electronic devices, such as smartphones and computers, get ‘locked up’ or stop responding? It turns out that our devices are simultaneously accessing multiple software programs, handling data from various peripheral accessories such video cards and keyboards, all while continuously computing and storing data. Depending on the quality or age of the software programs, commands derived from several sources at once can result in conflicted or garbled data over time.
What do you do when your device stops responding or simply shuts down? There are a few schools of thought on this. For some, the first step might be to verify that the equipment is plugged in and the device is receiving power. Another may resort to feverishly mashing down on command keys until the desired response is attained. No matter what your troubleshooting style, there is inevitably one trick that trumps them all; it is also the first step any tech support agent will ask you to perform before providing further assistance. We have all heard the simple request, “have you tried turning the device off and then turning it back on?” This action is referred to as “power cycling.” It forces the equipment to reset itself and return to a previously known, good state. Everything that occurs after the reset is the device’s new normal. In this state, the garbled data from previous months, or sometimes years, has been cleared from the devices memory to make room for more advanced computing.
The new normal is happening all around us, right now. Perhaps the past 5+ month shelter in place mandate is akin to our GLOBAL ‘power cycle.’ Across all corners of the earth, people are sharing the uncertainty of what we thought was a temporary adjustment that has extended into a new way of living. Before we collectively hold our breath, it is not necessarily all bad.
I am in no way diminishing the severity of the COVID pandemic. In some manner, all of us have been touched by its’ impact, whether through a friend, co-worker, or family member that has been directly affected by the virus. I ask you to examine how much worse the state of the world could have been had the shelter in place mandates not occurred. Nevertheless, during the past 5 months, the world has witnessed acts of kindness, in magnitudes of scale that are humbling. Humanity and goodwill have been extended from restaurant owners who provide free meals for front-line first responders, to the countless foundations and charities donating millions of dollars toward the COVID response efforts. The world’s leading manufacturers have come together through the World Economic Forum to address equipment shortages and rising medical demands. Their rapid response initiative unified a collection of companies to manufacture 3D products to meet global needs. Even the earth itself is responding to the transition in transformative ways. Air pollution is the lowest it has been in 30+ years, a reduction of up to 60% in some regions.
With both obvious impacts to our way of life, and some surprising ecological changes, this begs the question… when the world’s cycle resumes, will we return to run the same proverbial software that caused our device to crash in the first place? Will we update the old software with a work around, hopeful that a software patch can fix the glitch? Will we build a new device all together…a smarter device with a wholly different logic?
There are changes before us all, and a whole new world out there that is yet to be discovered. Remember that in the most life altering moments in our history, innovation has sprung forth with the dynamic energy that often follows a catalyzing event. Simple pleasures become more gratifying after a pause. There will be new ways to travel, new opportunities for businesses to thrive, responsive and creative technology will emerge. We may discover a renewed appreciation for face to face interactions, and a fresh gratitude for running the most mundane of errands. There may even be an opportunity to do something you never imagined yourself doing, with the time and space to conquer the challenge. The future is yet to be written. I only urge you to reflect on the restart with consideration before racing ahead into the fray.
What will be YOUR new normal?
What has changed in your world for the better?
How can you start today to alter our global landscape?
What are you now ready to tackle in your life?
Melissa Leven
VP of Sales
OVERWATCH MISSION CRITICAL
