The ongoing pandemic has accelerated existing technology trends, created opportunities for innovation and shifted consumer behaviors. For smart cities and enterprise solutions, the novel coronavirus outbreak has made way for new advancements in public safety technologies, contactless delivery options, connectivity and automation, cloud and data solutions, and more.

Solutions in Action

Cities and governments around the world have taken concrete steps and created innovative solutions to meet social distancing and safety needs during the pandemic.

• Interactive Kiosks – The City of St. Louis, in partnership with IKE Smart City, launched a smart kiosk program and are leveraging it to help residents cope with the COVID-19 crisis. The kiosks provide free Wi-Fi, navigation services and resources about how to stop the spread of the virus and deal physically, emotionally and economically with the pandemic.

• Delivery Systems – UPS Flight Forward is using drones to deliver prescription medicines from a CVS pharmacy in Florida to the largest U.S. retirement community of more than 135,000 residents. Starship Delivery Robots in Fairfax City, Virginia, is partnering with the city to allow restaurants to use its sidewalk drones for contactless delivery.

• Activity Monitoring – In Portugal, Omniflow’s smart pole technology analyzes beach occupancy in real time and displays the information directly on the pole or on an app to help beachgoers avoid overcrowding. Activity monitors like Omniflow will be useful even after contagion is contained.

Changing Sentiments About Tech Areas

As we have transitioned to remote work and contactless living, consumer sentiments on certain technology areas have become more favorable.

According to Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®  research on the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, more people are seeing the benefits and convenience of self driving cars and autonomous delivery.

More than half of global enterprise organizations expect their cloud usage to exceed what they had planned to use before the onset of the coronavirus, according to the Flexera 2020 State of the Cloud report. With virtual meetings and on-demand services on the rise with the shift to digital businesses, an investment in cloud usage is important for organizations.

From connectivity to retail to telemedicine, multiple industries have seen transformations and subsequent consumer adaptations to contactless and secure methods of conducting business.

Smart Cities and Enterprise at CES® 2021

At CES 2021, technology leaders and entrepreneurs in the smart cities and enterprise areas are set to display and discuss the solutions and applications of these technologies improving the health and safety of communities.

As one of the fastest growing categories at CES, the global players in smart cities technologies will convene in Las Vegas to share their latest use of  Internet of Things, 5G connectivity, artificial intelligence and more to power connected cities and enable smart living.

The race to secure data and store information with enterprise solutions has proven just as important. CES will provide a platform to connect with decision makers, business owners, media, retailers, executives in this space, inspiring further innovation.