The first website was published about 27 years ago and had around 153 words. In little more than a quarter of a century, the Internet has become mainstream, it’s within everyone’s reach, and it’s where we look for information and entertainment, and where we do business and make money.

In 1995, less than 1% of the world’s population was connected to the Internet and now more than 50% is. We are witnessing how the internet is transforming the world, it is changing human interaction, commerce and trends. It is necessary to adapt to what the Internet means today and prepare for the changes that it is about to undergo. This will be fundamental for the survival and growth of many businesses.

If we look at the communications sector, the transformation has been radical for telephone operators. They now offer voice, data and all kinds of products that emerged thanks to the management of platforms with millions of users and with proprietary voice and data communication services, etc. We are also witnessing how telephone operators are transforming themselves into banks, backed by powerful international companies, their offers are highly competitive. The Orange Bank, for instance, has just opened in Spain.

I am convinced that Orange will soon be joined by other operators and that in the near future there will be many other Internet businesses that will be transformed into banks. This should remind us of reverse transformation models, which possibly many other companies have in mind; companies that manage millions of customers, have access to privileged information, and can use today’s technology to offer global telephony services.

Why not consider a bank that would offer its customers the best voice and data communication services thanks to its knowledge of customer needs, existing infrastructures and capacity to penetrate the market. The platforms used by banks can be the launch pad for the development of intelligent and secure communication channels between their customers. No one can offer us more security than a bank when it comes to keeping our assets. Perhaps, we will soon be able to ask banks to safeguard our data, our communications, our blockchain-certified smart insurance, etc.

 

 

Posted by Juan M. Corchado

Juan Manuel Corchado (15 May 1971, Salamanca, Spain) is Professor at the University of Salamanca. He has been Vice-Rector for Research from 2013 to 2017 and Director of the Science Park of the University of Salamanca. Elected as Dean of the Faculty of Science twice, he holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Salamanca and a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from the University of the West of Scotland. He leads the renowned BISITE (Bioinformatics, Intelligent Systems and Educational Technology) Research Group, created in 2000. Director of the IoT Digital Innovation Hub and President of the AIR Institute, J. M. Corchado is also Visiting Professor at the Osaka Institute of Technology since January 2015, Visiting Professor at the Universiti Malaysia Kelantan and Member of the Advisory Group on Online Terrorist Propaganda of the European Counter Terrorism Centre (EUROPOL). J. M. Corchado has been president of the IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Society, and academic coordinator of the University Institute for Research in Art and Animation Technology at the University of Salamanca, as well as researcher at the Universities of Paisley (UK), Vigo (Spain) and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (UK). He currently combines all his activity with the direction of Master programmes in Security, Digital Animation, Mobile Telephony, Information Systems Management, Internet of Things, Social Media, 3D Design and Printing, Blockchain, Z System, Industry 4.0, Agile Project Management, and Smart Cities & Intelligent Buildings, at the University of Salamanca and his work as editor-in-chief of the journals ADCAIJ (Advances in Distributed Computing and Artificial Intelligence Journal), OJCST (Oriental Journal of Computer Science and Technology) or Electronics MDPI (Computer Science & Engineering section). J. M. Corchado mainly works on projects related to Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, IoT, Fog Computing, Edge Computing, Smart Cities, Smart Grids and Sentiment Analysis. He has recently been included in the board of trustees of the AstraZeneca Foundation, along with other health professionals and researchers recognised for bringing scientific knowledge closer to society.