This week I had the good fortune of spending time in Lisbon, Portugal. I met with several hundred business men and women at a mobility event in Microsoft’s auditorium in Lisbon, at banks and with mobile network operators where we discussed digital transformation, enterprise mobility, IoT and mobile strategies. In preparation for these discussions I did some homework. Here is what I learned about Portuguese history and how it relates to digital transformation and enterprise mobility.
The Portuguese developed innovative sailing technologies and navigational skills in the 15th-century that enabled ocean-going ventures, where before most ships stayed within sight of land or took very short excursions. Portugal’s Vasco da Gama (among others), using these innovations and skills, sailed south and east and ultimately reached India in 1498.