ISJ Influencer 2022: Thomas Jensen, CEO, Milestone Systems

Video technology is one of the fundamental technologies we use in the security industry. It has great advantages, but it also has a dark side.

When we look at technology in general, there are too many examples of unintended consequences arising from the way we have used good technology. How do we ensure video technology does not fall victim to such misuse?

In my view, it is our obligation to society to use technology to serve humanity, not the other way around. This is the next challenge for our industry – we call it responsible technology and it’s happening now.

Looking back, the technology industry has been a bit like the Wild West. During the last 20 years, technology companies have become immensely powerful, maybe too powerful. The result was Techlash, a backlash against technology companies with society demanding to regulate their power. Techlash was a warning – the ‘Wild West’ is over.

The consequence for the security industry is that current and future generations have very different expectations for how we use technology than just five years ago. There is a growing demand for a responsible approach where technology is not the goal – it is a means to an end.

This goes beyond privacy. I believe we must develop, sell and use technology responsibly. That’s because as we continue into the 21^st century, responsible technology is becoming a prerequisite for future growth – a license to operate. Business as usual is no longer an option.

However, because technology is advancing so fast, it is a journey rather than an event and responsible technology principles are a moving target. We saw what led to Techlash and, to avoid this happening again, it is important to continuously learn, evolve and adapt.

In the security industry, we have the means to lead the way on this journey and do something that will make a difference. As a first step, consider committing your company to the UN’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP). Based on the UNGP, you can tailor clear actions for your company to strengthen its commitment to responsible technology; for example.

• Creating a responsible innovation program to apply responsible technology principles to product development
• Training your sales organisation and business partners on responsible technology principles
• Incorporating responsible technology principles in the due-diligence process for business transactions

Society is looking to technology companies to act now, rather than waiting for the perfect solution, even if that means sacrificing short term profits. I realize that Rome was not built in a day and we are by no means perfect and need to continue to develop our thinking – but the aspiration for all tech companies should be to collaborate with each other and with legislators and keep making progress towards this change.

You could say it’s the right thing to do, but I would say it’s so much more than that. It’s our duty to society to use technology the right way – responsibly.

Bio

Thomas Jensen is Chief Executive Officer of Milestone Systems. Thomas is an executive leader with a strong global footprint that includes P&L responsibility for international businesses in software and hardware. He has broad experience in strategy and execution in IT and technology and a deep understanding of the dynamics of business communities, technology partners and integrators. Thomas’ career has been centered around business transformation and change management in diverse areas such as sales, supply chain, strategy and consulting across multiple industries.

Thomas is an entrepreneurial leader putting people and company culture at the centre of his leadership approach; he thrives working with multicultural teams that have synergy while challenging the status quo to achieve ambitious goals.