The role of technology has never been just technological, and that’s more true than ever today.

The culture of society has been irrevocably changed by digital connectivity. Products and technology are intertwined, and economics, politics and culture are caught up in the chaos of the brave, new interconnected world.

“We are ceding control of things that used to be done by human beings to systems, and when you cede control, the social mores, the political mores, the cultural mores, and the human emotional mores have to move with it,” said Alan Cohen (pictured), chief commercial officer of Illumio Inc., a business data center and cloud computing security company.

Cohen spoke recently with John Furrier (@furrier), host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, at theCUBE’s studio in Palo Alto, California, to discuss the impact of the digital revolution on business, individuals and society as a whole.

The chaos of connectivity

“There’s so much innovation, and there’s so much connectedness going on very rapidly, but no one is in control,” Cohen said. Whether it’s unsecured data in mismanaged data centers or the lack of regulation for cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, Cohen sees a Wild West period of chaos before ground rules are established.

“It is a really brave, new world,” he said. “It’s like a hyperdemocracy and a hyperrisky state at the same time.”

Over the past two years, data security has become a very personal concern, and consumers now demand that companies prove they can safeguard private information. Current security measures are focused on securing the network, but Cohen cited cloud-based access security provider Duo Security Inc. as an example of data protection technology that is completely antithetical to the norm. Built on Google’s BeyondCorp architecture, Duo Security’s technology secures the device rather than the network.

“They’re saying everything’s the internet, [so] just protect the device that it’s on,” Cohen stated.

New programming players

We’re also witnessing the very early stages of a revolutionary new economy, according to Cohen. “We have demo code for the new economy, and we’re trying to get the new model funded,” Cohen said.

The concept of a minimum viable product is a critical part of this new economy. In Fact, Cohen sees an MVP economy bringing new players into the market and forcing a business model shift in every industry. An example of this is how the popularity of Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. transformed the traditional cab service by forcing the adoption of ride-hailing apps.

As technology becomes integral to more industries, talent is becoming one of the most valued resources. “As everything turns into code, the people who work with code for a living increasingly become the front end of your cycle,” said Cohen. He predicted that companies will start identifying talented developers at a young age and investing in their training in the same way as the current scouting process used in professional sports.

What’s the key takeaway for those just starting out in their tech career? Take as much risk as humanly possible early on, and always play to be No. 1, according to Cohen. “It’s like Ricky Bobby said: ‘If you’re not first, you’re last.’”

Watch the complete video interview, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s CUBE Conversations.

Photo: SiliconANGLE