The Pillars of a Smart Society Our society is rapidly evolving into a more connected space with technologies that enable untethered mobility, media services on demand, financial technology that powers business and instant social connectivity. For a smart society to seamlessly function with all its elements intact, we need to know what are the underlying concepts, designs and technologies that are making it happen. As the world is moving towards smart homes, offices, public spaces and smart societies, it is important that we know the foundation of such a society. Rather, the pillars that fortify the smart society, as we know it. At the core lie ideas, ethics and the various technologies that come together to run any smart society. Companies like Society Now run on these core ideas and principles, to bring about amazing services for smart societies. One of the prime pillars of smart societies is the technological aspect. Machine learning and artificial intelligence are the fields of technology that provide valuable insights into the behavior of devices and how they can be made autonomous and intelligent. Machine to machine communication, internet of things and connected devices are the other aspect of building a solid foundation on the technological front. The other pillars that make up the edifice of smart society are mobility, business and finance, smart governance and social connectivity. Mobility includes the technological aspects that help in keeping the connectivity intact even when moving. The infrastructure must be able to support all the mobile devices and the operations, even during critical times. The infrastructure is expected to have high throughput and high tolerance to various loads. For business to thrive in a smart society, suitable financial technology model has to be chosen. The idea is to have smooth, hassle free and safe all round the day financial transactions. It should be ensured that user data must be handled with due care, as it is of utmost importance. Certain standards have to be met and maintained, for transactions to take place concurrently and uniformly. It goes without saying that safety standards and tests are to take place routinely, to keep
up with the latest developments. It's advisable to choose a business model which is tried and tested for e-commerce. Accounting, keeping track of expenses and budget, maintaining inventories and coming up with more profitable models that may evolve with time are some of the routine tasks that are to be undertaken. Smart governance with digitization of documents of the residents is a very important step for a smart society. A central record has to be maintained, where the data should be safe. It should be easy to access and modify, for authenticated users. Smart policies have to be advocated and implemented, for the wellbeing of citizens. The motive is to provide good governance that is well integrated. Good governance also includes proper healthcare, administration and education. Lastly, social connectivity forms the ultimate pillar in a smart society set up, where people are able to have healthy interactions, foster inter personal relationships and a sense of belonging.