id stringlengths 32 32 | url stringlengths 31 1.58k | title stringlengths 0 1.02k | contents stringlengths 92 1.17M |
|---|---|---|---|
328cb362d22ef9226a62474d4b2d9d46 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/02/four-hiring-tips-when-scaling-your-tech-company/ | Four Hiring Tips When Scaling Your Tech Company | Four Hiring Tips When Scaling Your Tech Company
An innovative entrepreneur in investigative technology and background checks, CEO of KENTECH, and Founder of eKnowID.com.
getty
As the founder of two tech startup companies, I understand that hiring is a challenge that all businesses face. From the current economic climate, to the ongoing global pandemic, to election uncertainty — a handful of uncontrollable factors impact the technology industry today. However, it’s important to remember that the only thing you have complete control over in your business is who you put on your payroll.
When looking to hire employees for your tech company, you’ll need a reliable hiring process in place in addition to having access to tips and tricks for hiring. Below are several best practices hiring managers can follow to hire top talent effectively.
Create a memorable candidate experience.
For each step of the recruitment process, you must be thinking of the candidate and putting them first. If you find yourself wondering what the first step is, I’m here to tell you the candidate experience kicks off when an applicant sees your job posting and role description. From this moment on, you must keep each applicant engaged for the remaining steps of the hiring process. Recruiting is a two-way process. If you aren’t frequently interacting with job seekers, they’ll be turned off and disappear. If you’re genuinely interested in building your best team, respond to applicants quickly, and continuously communicate with them throughout the entire life cycle of the recruitment process.
Choose a trusted background-screening provider.
Seek out a comprehensive “one-stop-shop” provider rather than piece together screening services from multiple providers. From identity search and criminal history to employment verification, one single provider should be able to offer everything you need now and as you grow. Additionally, your provider should be fully compliant. Under no circumstances should you conduct background check programs without a well-reviewed compliance policy. Compliance is a crucial part of the screening process and is required by law.
MORE FOR YOUWhat’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?NVIDIA’s Auto Business Takes A Front Seat At NVIDIA GTC 2021How Initialized Investor Garry Tan Turned A $300,000 Bet On Coinbase Into A $680 Million ‘Golden Ticket’
CEOs: Connect with and interview candidates yourself.
Hiring managers or not, you should still take time to connect with and interview each candidate so that you can speak to them personally. I’ve always felt the desire to see for myself what kind of energy a potential hire brings to the table and have taken the time to interview everyone I have hired for my companies. After all, as a CEO, you want to have the opportunity to make sure all applicants are right for your organization to ensure they’re capable of carrying out your vision and strategy.
Make an informed hiring decision.
Hiring practices should be looked at as the process of risk assessment. Take the time to follow each step of the hiring process carefully. You’ll obtain complete peace of mind knowing a proven holistic evaluation was used to make a well-informed hiring decision. If all pieces of the recruitment process are not considered before an offer is made, you’re risking bringing on a bad hire that can impact your business. The price of a bad hire has far-reaching consequences for any business. They also have a significant financial impact and can potentially jeopardize the future of your business if client relationships are strained.
If you follow the above steps to streamline your hiring and ensure your candidates are thoroughly vetted, you’ll be set up for long-term success.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
514d0ec85b4de425637b5774322c37b3 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/02/the-future-of-banking-is-digital/ | The Future Of Banking Is Digital | The Future Of Banking Is Digital
Chief Product Officer at nCino, leading the team responsible for the design, development and roadmap of the nCino Bank Operating System.
getty
There’s no denying it: Covid-19 has changed our landscape. It has also signaled the importance of digital transformation and accelerated the need for digital technology across all industries, but perhaps none more than financial services.
When Covid-19 struck and much of the world moved to remote work, the financial institutions that had access to cloud-based tools and technologies were able to continue their work without interruption. Those that did not struggled to operate their organizations, keep their employees productive and effective, and support their clients.
Alan McIntyre, a senior managing director and head of the global banking practice at Accenture, made a similar observation in a recent Forbes article. He wrote that “the banks that had invested heavily in cloud found themselves better able to manage uncertainty, pivot to a different operating model, and chart a path through the pandemic’s choppy waters.”
My own experience as the chief product officer of a fintech company confirms these findings. Among the global financial institutions we count as customers, digital transformation is not only happening, but it's also accelerating. As most of our everyday activities move online, institutions are asking themselves the same question: How can we create both a frictionless experience for our clients and a collaborative experience for our employees in this new and increasingly digital world?
MORE FOR YOUApple Insider Confirms New Warning Affecting All iPhone UsersNew Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 13 Design ShockWhat’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?
The answer is the cloud.
Improving Digital Experiences
In early 2020, the Financial Brand published a report that found the top strategic priority for financial institutions was to “improve [the] digital experience for consumers.” This was due in part to the trends of changing customer expectations — consumers had become used to personalized, streamlined digital services from companies like Google, Amazon and Netflix, and they wanted the same level of service from their banks and credit unions.
However, actually adopting the necessary technology to create these experiences has traditionally been slow at financial institutions due to a variety of factors, including heavy regulatory burden, internal resistance, legacy technology and clunky on-premises solutions. These are some of the reasons the same Financial Brand report found that the majority of digital transformation initiatives can take between two and five years.
But that was before Covid-19. Now, as institutions realize the necessity of robust digital experiences to empower their employees and serve their clients from anywhere, the need for this technology is greater than ever — and it can’t wait two years.
For example, when the majority of bank employees across the country found themselves suddenly working from home in March, the value of a cloud-based bank operating system became paramount. Institutions that had the right systems in place were up and running from their home offices and dining room tables in a matter of minutes, ready to continue business without interruption and with minimal friction. This meant they were able to help their clients throughout the pandemic — whether it was offering the ability to digitally complete a deposit account application, transfer funds or take out a loan for a new car — all without stepping foot in a branch.
Looking Ahead
While cloud technology can help with immediate needs, the future is still uncertain, and the flexibility and agility of cloud technology will continue to prove its value when it comes to meeting customers’ changing needs and preferences. Financial institutions must realize that many of the changes brought about by the pandemic, such as an increase in the use of digital services, will likely be permanent: McKinsey reports that 75% of people using digital channels for the first time indicated that they will continue to use them when things return to “normal.” This trend was seen across global regions and industries, but the banking industry showed the highest percentage of digital adoption by consumers.
This is because the pandemic forced consumers, even those who resisted technology, to quickly adapt. The majority of people who began using mobile apps, online services and digital tools have now experienced the benefits of these technologies, and they won’t want to give them up.
A digital transformation strategy that improves how employees interact with and serve their clients should be a key priority for all financial institutions moving forward. Tools like digital document management that provides instant access to documents and files, digital account opening solutions that liberate consumers from coming into the branch, and online customer portals that allow employees and clients to interact directly in a safe, digital space while maintaining complete transparency are just some of the things that employees will need and customers will want, both during the pandemic and long after.
Covid-19 has clearly demonstrated that moving to a cloud environment can’t just be part of a financial institution’s future road map; it must be an immediate imperative. The ability to serve your clients digitally from anywhere — and at any time — will be key to transforming financial institutions for today’s digital-first world.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
8fec713f1a57443b7a847e4c8e334e3e | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/02/tighten-cybersecurity-in-your-home-office-with-these-13-expert-tips/?sh=5e1f25624627 | Tighten Cybersecurity In Your Home Office With These 13 Expert Tips | Tighten Cybersecurity In Your Home Office With These 13 Expert Tips
getty
In today’s world of remote work, more employees than ever are experiencing the benefits—and challenges—of creating their own at-home work environment. One particularly challenging aspect of working remotely is securing the devices and networks used outside of the traditional office setting. Remote workers can only rely so much on their company’s IT team; it’s incumbent upon each employee to take responsibility for their own security.
To help, we asked the tech pros of Forbes Technology Council how remote team members can better secure their working environment. Their best tips are below.
1. Ensure your firmware and firewall are up to date.
First, ensure the firmware is current, the firewall is enabled and the WiFi password is strong on your home router. Social engineering attacks remain a concern, and frequent individual backups are critical. We did the math: If it takes more than a few hours to fix a PC, it’s not worth the effort, so if a PC is compromised we discard it and recover from an employee’s local backup. - Ian Campbell, Nucleus Research
2. Never leave work devices in your car.
Don’t leave your computer, laptop or mobile device in your car—bring it with you! Remote work means people can work anywhere and on the go. In addition to criminals scoping out streets and busy parking lots, Bluetooth scanners make it easier for smash-and-grabbers to detect gear stored in the trunk, under your seat, in a backpack or covered by a jacket. - Chris Purcell, PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company
MORE FOR YOUAntibody Startup Adagio Raises $336 Million To Develop A Variant-Proof Treatment For Covid-19Covid-19 Weekly Roundup: What Happened With The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?Here’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be Diminished
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
3. Turn on WPA2 security for your home Wi-Fi.
Now that everyone is working from home, it’s up to you to ensure your home network is secured. Besides not clicking on a phishing email and entering your user ID and password, you need to make sure your home Wi-Fi is locked down. Log into your home Wi-Fi router and turn on WPA2 security for your standard and guest networks. If some of your older devices can’t connect, you can use WPA or WPA/WPA2. - Russell P Reeder, Infrascale
4. Treat strange emails with caution.
Don’t believe every email you receive. Hackers target remote workers by impersonating trusted brands or execs, tricking them into sharing valuable information or downloading malware. It’s easy to fall for scams when you’re stressed or distracted. Pause and verify the sender’s identity by contacting the colleague directly or researching the organization in question before complying with the request. - Edward Bishop, Tessian
5. Forward suspicious emails to your IT team.
Since the number of phishing scams is growing exponentially, be careful about what emails you open and what links you click on. If you see a suspicious email that looks like a phishing email, send it to your IT team—they work remotely too, yet they are still ready to help you and address any concerns about data security. - Ilia Sotnikov, Netwrix
6. Enable multifactor authentication.
One of the best ways to make sure that you have a secure remote working environment is to install and use a multifactor authentication process. Even though some businesses still avoid this process because it seems too much of an “ordeal,” it is one of the surest tools remote workers can use to protect their work data from unlawful access and use. - Daria Leshchenko, SupportYourApp Inc.
7. Use your company’s virtual private network.
Make sure a VPN is an easy pre-installed option for employees—no matter where they connect from. Enable MFA. Disable split-tunnel upgrade capacity and ensure all your business and employee laptop traffic is encrypted. This approach may cost a bit more, but it’s the right thing to do to reduce risks. - Jason Carolan, Flexential
8. Change your passwords regularly and ensure they’re unique.
Bad actors are increasingly capitalizing on credential-stuffing and taking advantage of users’ poor password habits. Remote team members can protect themselves and their organization simply by changing their passwords after they have been notified of a breach, using multifactor authentication and having different, complex passwords for different websites. - Stephen Moore, Exabeam
9. Never use public Wi-Fi.
Public Wi-Fi poses many risks to remote work. Whether it is unencrypted connectivity, man-in-the-middle attacks, the spread of malware or malicious hotspots, the cybersecurity vulnerabilities associated with public Wi-Fi make it too risky for professionals working away from home or the office. Encrypted wireless connectivity such as cellular broadband can provide better alternatives to secure remote work. - Ahmad (Al) Fares, Celitech Inc.
10. Know and adhere to your company’s security policies.
All individuals in an organization should know it’s their responsibility to contribute to and align with their organization’s security policies. Whether an individual is working in the office or remotely, the mantra of “If you see something, say something” should be maintained. Additionally, be aware of your surroundings when having confidential meetings and/or conversations. - Mark Schlesinger, Broadridge Financial Solutions
11. Run regular system scans.
Beware of spearphishing emails—messages including an attachment/link to be clicked to receive special benefits for your business. Startups and smaller businesses easily fall prey to such hackers. Undertake a system scan on a periodic basis to address the issue. This will help you identify the threat within your system, upon which you can seek professional help to correct the issue. - Chitiz Agarwal, Techila Global Services LLC
12. Keep sensitive information filed away.
The No. 1 risk keeping CISOs awake is remote workforce security. One easy thing that all remote workers can do is extend the company’s clean desk policy into their homes. Sensitive documents and proprietary information should be filed away so a home theft does not escalate into a corporate data breach. - Yu Lee, Kasasa
13. Don’t install non-work software on company devices.
A simple, yet important guideline is to avoid installing non-work-related software on your office laptops. By doing so, you are giving outsiders access to corporate networks and servers. - Phani Kumar Bhogaraju, Groupon
|
078fef5867b8a70a570eab8bdb125b89 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/03/a-progressive-approach-to-data-governance/?sh=1544f3756a99 | A Progressive Approach To Data Governance | A Progressive Approach To Data Governance
Sharad Varshney is an ace technologist turned entrepreneur & founder of OvalEdge. OvalEdge is a comprehensive data governance suite.
There are many data governance platforms and service providers out there, and most of them take a similar all-or-nothing approach to implementation.
Using this method, even if a company reaches out in the hope of addressing a specific issue in a particular department — say data literacy proficiency in accounts — it has no choice but to instigate a full-fledged data governance program.
But instead of providing the organization with a selection of bespoke instruments to tackle a specific task, the service provider gives the organization the entire software setup, regardless of whether it requires the technology or not.
This "big bang" approach can be incredibly daunting for businesses new to data governance. It doesn’t allow them to grow their data governance strategy at a desirable pace or enable them to implement new programs as and when they need to. The chances of failure are much higher than if a business is allowed to introduce data governance gradually.
I believe this old method is in dire need of an update. That's where progressive data governance comes in. With a progressive data governance model, businesses can implement data governance strategies at their speed. By starting slowly, organizations can optimize mechanisms and increase the chances of success.
MORE FOR YOUHere’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedBioNTech’s Humble Billionaire CEO On The Next Era Of mRNA VaccinesHow Vaccine Companies Are Battling Covid-19 Variants
A Modern Approach
For businesses, progressive data governance encourages fluid implementation using scalable tools and programs. The first step is to identify both a dataset and the relevant function. Using the same example as before, this could be the data in a reporting system the accounts department uses. That data could then be used during data literacy training hosted by a data governance software tool.
Sticking with data literacy, after establishing one use case, an organization may decide to progress by expanding existing programs to other departments and then moving on to another function of data governance, such as identifying the roles and responsibilities of various data users or developing an internal compliance program.
Businesses can scale the scope of the data they include in a governance program gradually, which gives them the chance to learn important lessons along the way. As an organization grows in confidence, it may widen its data scope and source it from other departments and locations.
The Three C’s
Progressive data governance can be described as a three-step process that incorporates the three C’s: catalog, collaborate and comply. Cataloging data assets makes data discoverable. Self-service enables users to analyze and share data collaboratively. And adequate data controls ensure a business meets compliance requirements. Each of the "three C’s" holds a key benefit for teams embarking on a data governance program.
Catalog: Traditionally, users were required to contact data administrators directly to determine the lineage of the datasets they were working with. This could take months of research, and then a developer would need to create a data model based on the information they collected.
Modern data catalogs can build these models automatically using algorithms that track data lineage. This eliminates the need for multiple departments using multiple processes to achieve a single result.
Collaborate: The key benefit to collaborative data governance using the modern approach is the time you save by finding the right person or people to collaborate with.
Even though clearly defined roles and responsibilities exist, there has never been a fundamental approach to collaboration. This meant it could take a long time for users to learn about their colleagues' specific roles and responsibilities.
With a modern data catalog, it's incredibly easy to find out who has experience with certain datasets and even determine how much a specific user has interacted with them.
Furthermore, users can quickly find out who the data owner is and get access to this data.
Comply: The key benefit of modern data governance is the ability to specify permissions. You can't share all data with all users because the existence of personal identifiable information (PII) means you would likely breach regulations, be those data protection laws or internal policies.
By using a modern data catalog, you can very easily fix this problem. All the data is available, but only to users with permissions to access it.
Users can decide to scale horizontally across the scope of their data, data governance functions and self-service techniques, and they can scale vertically by connecting these separate elements in a bespoke data governance strategy.
Plan Of Action
To get started in modern data governance, follow a three-step plan.
First, you must identify your needs and find a tool to meet them. This tool should support the majority of your data sources and your top three data governance initiatives. Ask your department heads where they are running into obstacles, and develop a plan from there. Focus your budget on the most important issues.
For example, if you identify that your BI group has an issue with data lineage, business users are complaining about data know-how and legal is asking for regulatory compliance, find a provider that meets all these requirements and fits in your budget.
Only when your staff grows in confidence — migrating from business users to business analysts — should you expand the scope of your governance strategy.
Next, you should put a data governance manager in place to oversee the implementation process. First and foremost, this person needs to be a good communicator. One of the key implementation challenges is ensuring that all users understand the data governance processes they are asked to adopt.
A good data governance manager will also have previous managerial experience on data teams, be a great team leader, possess fantastic organizational skills, and have a clear and focused view of how their company’s strategy will develop.
Finally, choose one or two data sources, and start with a single program, such as data literacy.
A good data governance platform will enable you to grow your strategy at scale.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
641a69fa103bf0b266fafcc0497f45eb | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/03/a-technology-enabled-path-to-better-health-care-collaboration/?sh=1a6a5a0e121c | A Technology-Enabled Path To Better Health Care Collaboration | A Technology-Enabled Path To Better Health Care Collaboration
Founder & CEO Enveil, with a background in spearheading efforts in large scale analytics, cryptographic applications, and machine learning.
getty
Public health breakthroughs rarely happen in a silo. Researchers crave access to any and every piece of relevant data available, especially in the midst of a pandemic. Access to real-time data from disparate, global sources can help public health officials advance critical decisions when every moment counts. However, securing access to this broader data landscape is not without its pitfalls. The sensitivities associated with these assets dictate that additional access cannot come at the expense of privacy and security.
While discussions on data sharing have been taking place in the health care industry for years, Covid-19 has notably advanced the conversation, especially as it pertains to sharing sensitive information on a global scale. Viruses know no borders, and the pandemic has made it clear that we need to be able to share public health data quickly and efficiently without tearing down the existing regulatory frameworks put in place to protect the privacy of the individual. Although as U.K. health secretary Matt Hancock said at a recent Founders Forum Health Tech Summit, there is also risk in letting privacy and security be a roadblock to progress: "We are absolutely rigorous about the needs of privacy but we mustn't let that get in the way of innovation that can improve people's lives. We must do both — allow for innovation of the data and allow for the highest quality of privacy and cybersecurity."
This search for balance is increasingly leading toward the use of privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs), which includes such technologies as homomorphic encryption, secure multiparty computation, trusted execution environments and differential privacy. While the category label — and the technologies themselves — are not new, PETs are gaining recognition for their transformational ability to enable and preserve data privacy throughout its processing life cycle. They allow data to be searched, shared and analyzed in a decentralized manner without compromising personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), intellectual property or other sensitive indicators. This makes PETs uniquely equipped to overcome many of the access, regulatory and technical barriers that restrict the sharing of health care-related data today.
While PETs can deliver a broad range of business-enabling capabilities, it is important to understand and evaluate the differences between the technologies within the category. When determining which PETs technology is the best fit, organizations should start by considering the specific requirements of their use case (participants, data type, compute resources, results targeted) and the level of security their data assets require, as well as technology's ability to integrate with existing infrastructure.
MORE FOR YOUWhat’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?NVIDIA Announces Technology For Training Giant Artificial Intelligence ModelsNVIDIA’s Auto Business Takes A Front Seat At NVIDIA GTC 2021
By protecting data while it's being used or processed without requiring data to be pooled or moved from its point of origin/jurisdiction, PETs have the potential to serve as a key driver of data collaboration efforts in the healthcare arena, which commonly involve regulated or sensitive third-party data assets. How exactly would a PETs-led effort help public health leaders and global organizations achieve better collaboration? Here are three use cases where PETs could deliver real value for health care today.
Public Health Readiness
Health care professionals, public health officials, researchers and private sector partners rely on access to patient data in order to ensure they are prepared to combat public health challenges. PETs enable these critical parties to securely search, collaborate and derive insights from disparate third-party data assets without disclosing the search's content or putting the security of the underlying data in jeopardy. By enabling data to be securely searched across multiple architectures, repositories and security domains, PETs allow analysts at medical facilities and mobile testing sites to securely query sensitive patient and/or health data no matter where that data may reside. These secure data collaboration capabilities can increase efficiency and improve outcomes by providing an enhanced understanding of risk, ultimately allowing public health officials to make faster, better-informed decisions.
Research Collective
PETs can extend the boundary of trusted compute to third-party data locations, such as a commercial cloud environment, allowing sensitive operations to be securely performed on biomedical research data. Researchers and public health officials can search or analyze decentralized vaccine and treatment research data while safeguarding patient privacy and sensitive medical indicators throughout the collaboration effort. Using PETs, researchers can work together across organizational and privacy boundaries while still respecting regulatory barriers. This could allow them to access publicly available, commercial and government-held datasets while protecting their own sensitive interests and intellectual property.
Health Care Supply Chain
PETs can protect and enhance the operational value of the medical supply chain by enabling secure federated queries of medical supply inventories across third-party providers. When used by logistics providers, PETs enable medical resource teams and health care workers to securely and privately search and cross-match information from commercial supply chains. The technology can be integrated into existing workflows and deployed across various medical supply chain providers to enable broader clarity into gaps. By ensuring sensitive data remains protected during third-party interactions, PETs help ensure the integrity of health care providers' operational security.
Conclusion
Privacy-enhancing technologies are transformational in their ability to enable secure and meaningful access to PHI, PII, IP, and other sensitive health care information in an efficient, practical and decentralized capacity that is not otherwise possible. These innovative, collaboration-enabling technologies safeguard sensitive data without prohibiting organizations from performing the important search, sharing and analysis necessary to support critical activities such as vaccine and treatment research. PETs can facilitate collaboration while allowing sensitive/protected resident data to remain under the control of its respective country or jurisdiction as required by privacy regulations. By giving public health officials access to data collected and generated by health care workers and researchers around the globe, PETs can enable collaborative health care efforts with the potential to benefit us all.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
46bfb8e3d56cc30ec184f0f43d0e1557 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/03/how-and-why-you-should-use-ai-and-machine-learning-to-enhance-business-intelligence/ | How And Why You Should Use AI And Machine Learning To Enhance Business Intelligence | How And Why You Should Use AI And Machine Learning To Enhance Business Intelligence
Glen Rabie is Co-Founder and CEO of Yellowfin, an Analytics and Business Intelligence company that helps businesses understand their data.
getty
Let’s face it: The greatest value from collecting and analyzing data is not revealed by understanding what happened yesterday, but in deciding what to do tomorrow. That capability has been available for years — if your business could spend enough time and money on the pursuit.
Today, ultrapowerful predictive analytics is coming to a wider spectrum of enterprises than ever before. Driven by the open-source movement in response to the explosion of big data, midmarket companies and even SMBs now have access to the same AI-driven BI solutions that previously were largely available only to multinationals.
AI and machine learning technologies are transforming BI and giving decision-makers “aha” moments like never before. Today it’s possible for any company to not only gather information, but also to instantly derive insight and, perhaps even more importantly, reliably apply that insight to future business activity.
Finding Outliers
Using BI in conjunction with AI and machine learning is how data analysts can really contribute to business success. Senior executives aren’t always sure what analytics can provide, or they don’t know what potential resides in their data. Analysts can help by using automation to uncover anomalies, expose critical situations and enhance strategic deliberations without bias.
MORE FOR YOUAntibody Startup Adagio Raises $336 Million To Develop A Variant-Proof Treatment For Covid-19Covid-19 Weekly Roundup: What Happened With The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?Here’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be Diminished
Especially as companies embrace digital transformation, AI and machine learning are becoming increasingly vital. Companies are seeking to streamline operations and embrace new revenue models such as direct to consumer through digital transformation. They need to understand the efficacy of their processes end to end; many times, this isn’t possible using antiquated manual data analysis techniques.
It’s critical for decision-makers to rapidly see the telltale signals in their data that will impact their business. Analysts, for their part, shouldn’t have to spend 80%–90% of their time manually searching through data. Machines should do the heavy lifting: number-crunching, correlating and trendspotting.
Here’s a real-world example. An Asian aerospace company, a global manufacturer of turbine jet engine blades, uses AI-enhanced alerts to identify anomalies in its production processes. By sifting through millions of data points each day, the system does the work that used to require 16 trained professionals. Today, only two people are required to review the output.
The objectivity of AI and machine learning can be invaluable in situations where assumptions might cloud judgment. A digital marketer might believe it has a great advertising campaign based on global web traffic measures. What AI can uncover, however, is patterns that indicate troubling activity. By slicing data by country, region, city or even neighborhood, AI can see, for instance, where a media channel might be engaging in click fraud. That kind of activity would typically not be discovered without automated signaling because the money involved isn’t dramatic.
Telling Stories
Data is amazingly helpful to any business. But many organizations have gotten into the habit of simply pushing data at people without explaining the significance of the numbers. Instead of creating a compelling narrative, they supply team members with analytics dashboards and expect those individuals to draw the correct conclusions.
AI and machine learning, as a part of BI, have the ability to significantly improve this situation. For analysts, the ability to instantly spot trends and identify outliers in huge amounts of data points helps them see the larger picture and gain perspective on broader issues impacting the enterprise. They can then create the critical stories that bring clarity, shape opinions and have a real impact.
The core value of data professionals in a world overrun with disjointed and often obscure statistics is not to simply summarize what happened. Instead, they should apply their knowledge of larger issues in the real world — competitors’ ad campaigns, socioeconomic factors, production line issues and so on — to drive organizational understanding.
Choosing The Right Platform
Selecting the right enhanced BI platform is a complex decision, and many issues come into play. Start by prioritizing those factors that will create the most value for your business (e.g., time savings, cost reductions, opportunities for innovation or risk avoidance or better productivity). You can then evaluate providers based on their ability to satisfy your priorities.
Ensure you’re matching the AI capability of your BI product to your user types. A natural language capability, for instance, is well suited to business users who can more easily understand what’s happening in their data. A statistical output of a data science model, on the other hand, is better suited to users with a higher degree of data literacy and experience in stats.
When implementing, start with the place where your organization needs automation most. You might begin where high veracity is needed despite large volumes of data or where analytics teams are having a hard time keeping up with demand. Implement a pilot team that looks at a subset of data to prove your AI solution is producing the appropriate results.
From the first day, focus on ROI. Get a clear idea of the actions you can take based on the insights you’re uncovering. That will allow you to gain a firm understanding of the value the solution is creating.
Reshaping BI
BI, in and of itself, shouldn’t be seen as a discrete, one-time project. It should continually evolve as part of the life of an enterprise built on data. In order to gain maximum value, you should make it part of the organizational DNA. I believe a long-term commitment to BI, especially in the age of AI and machine learning, is much more than a “nice to have.” As large, well-funded organizations have known for years — and as enterprises of all sizes are learning today — a robust and seamless BI ecosystem enhanced with predictive AI capabilities is one of the most powerful and consequential tools any business can have.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
3bf5f16c1a082fc9dfaed90f0fc7fb0e | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/05/five-key-considerations-for-your-cloud-migration-plan/ | Five Key Considerations For Your Cloud Migration Plan | Five Key Considerations For Your Cloud Migration Plan
James Ball, Vice President of Global Alliances at Navisite. Leads global partnerships with major cloud providers.
getty
Covid-19 has accelerated the race to the cloud as companies rethink their business and cost models and change how they operate to succeed in a world where in-person interaction is not possible or is limited. According to LogicMonitor’s Cloud 2025 study, 87% of global IT decision makers stated that Covid-19 will accelerate their cloud plans.
However, moving systems and applications to the cloud can be difficult for those who rush into the process without a plan, and this can lead to hidden challenges and additional costs over time. Problems can occur when organizations don’t properly determine their needs and the scope of the project in advance, leading to poor performance and low return on investment (ROI).
How can organizations avoid these issues? The bottom line is that it’s important to take a step back and do the planning required before moving forward with a cloud project. Here are five areas in the planning process that organizations should look at to set themselves up for success in the cloud:
1. Look at costs holistically.
When developing their ROI models for cloud projects, companies often make the mistake of only calculating the operating costs of being in the cloud. But they must also calculate the cost of getting to the cloud if they hope to have an accurate calculation.
MORE FOR YOUNew Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 13 Design ShockNew iPhone Leak Reveals Apple’s ‘Next Level’ iPhone UpgradeApple iOS 14.5: The Latest iPhone Upgrade Is Going To Be Awesome
For example, legacy databases may need to have code updated and rewritten (database refactoring) in advance so that they will work properly in cloud environments. Planning and analysis can prevent unpleasant surprises. Look at both short-term and long-term work — and costs — holistically.
2. Migrate the right things first.
When migrating to the cloud, you don’t need to move everything at once. A better strategy may be to start by migrating just one system or application and learn from that experience. During the migration, don’t be afraid to make mistakes or to change your methods if needed. Then, move on to the next project.
For example, you could choose to migrate a human resources portal that is meaningful to employees but does not impact revenue or customer service capabilities. Later, move on to more mission-critical applications.
3. Don’t underestimate older technology.
When looking at updating legacy systems, companies often find that the people who created them — and know how to manage and change them — are no longer with the company or will be retiring soon. That’s a problem when you consider, for example, that 43% of banking systems are built on COBOL, a decades-old computer language. Moving these systems to the cloud is no simple task and requires expertise that many companies don’t have in-house. How can you manage this technical debt and make these applications less risky?
Instead of putting these projects off, you should have them at the forefront of your cloud migration plan. Even if you don’t move these applications first, take inventory of them and the expertise that will be required to move them to a more modern cloud platform, and build this into your cost model. While some believe that old systems will eventually die away as more modern ones are added, it can be a high-risk approach to ignore old applications. They will need to be moved eventually, so don’t wait until a crisis prompts a far more costly upgrade.
4. Build a balanced team.
Along with the challenge of older technology, it is important to have a small, balanced team with the skills, knowledge and expertise to work with both new and old technologies since most organizations have a mix of each. These balanced teams can be highly effective in producing change.
Both skill sets have their challenges — there’s a shortage of cloud-certified IT pros and, as mentioned earlier, many “old technology” pros have retired. Creating a mix of “old” and “new” technology skills, as well as on-staff and outsourced talent, is often the best way to ensure you always have access to the right skills.
5. Make your business case.
Most importantly, IT leaders need to be able to clearly articulate what the long-term anticipated gains will be for the business and how it is incompatible with the current state and technical debt accumulated. So, it’s not just a conversation about speeds and feeds or money; it’s about being able to clearly identify new markets and new revenue streams — and having the agility to make changes and pursue them.
Understanding what you want to get out of your move should drive the conversations around the initial investment, rather than how quickly and cheaply one can get there. There is too much at stake, especially in today’s climate. Organizations need to think about the type of business agility and flexibility they want to achieve and how their move to the cloud can support that. This will lead to the long-term gains that, ultimately, far outweigh the costs required to get there.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
cedcfce41bc2a50ee96f401cc46a15d9 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/05/preparing-for-the-rapid-evolution-of-5g/ | Preparing For The Rapid Evolution Of 5G | Preparing For The Rapid Evolution Of 5G
Founder and CEO of Projetech, Inc.
getty
As the demand for connected devices grows, telecommunication companies are spending billions and billions of dollars on revolutionary solutions. This isn’t about simply making more devices or phones; there’s a lot more to it than that.
What these companies are actually investing in is making 5G ubiquitous. The goal is to increase the connection capacity of more devices, which is the entire concept behind the Internet of Things, and create a more connected world.
Where We Are Right Now
Imagine that you are at a sporting event where there are 60,000 people in a stadium, all watching the same football game. It's difficult to imagine in 2020, but you get the idea. If you tried connecting your device to make a voice call or use data, chances are you wouldn’t be able to get a connection, or if you did, it would be really slow. That's because of the density of people who are trying to use the bandwidth within that stadium all at the same time.
The Benefits Of 5G
5G is much faster than 4G, but the trick is not in the speed, but in its ability to have more capacity due to its higher-frequency bandwidth. These capacities will allow cars, appliances, and all the equipment in manufacturing plants and facilities to communicate and collect data electronically.
MORE FOR YOUHow Vaccine Companies Are Battling Covid-19 VariantsTwo New Studies Show Link Between AstraZeneca-Oxford Vaccine And Rare Blood ClotsBioNTech’s Humble Billionaire CEO On The Next Era Of mRNA Vaccines
However, speed is not the best part of 5G. The real game-changer is the capacity, density and cost-effectiveness of capturing thousands of signals, instead of dozens, at any given point in time in a variety of environments.
5G In A Manufacturing Environment
In a large manufacturing environment, there may be 100,000 or more touch points: electronic devices such as machinery, robots, lighting systems and HVAC equipment that communicate back to an enterprise asset management system. That density of communication would be very difficult to accommodate without 5G.
Let’s say that there's a bearing that is worth $12 in an Amazon warehouse. Five years ago, you would have never dreamed about monitoring the condition of that bearing. Given the volume that Amazon wants to push in a day, the failure of that bearing would be a fairly expensive problem, as would putting a monitor to check on that bearing. The ability to do that cost-effectively just wasn't there before, but 5G enables companies to be more efficient and connected at any given point in time.
Latency
As we have become more and more wireless in our communication, one of the challenges has been getting connectivity to remote places. Imagine the cost of running fiber or copper to a farm in the middle of Nebraska.
If you look at the energy business, wind farms and solar farms are commonly located in remote places where connectivity is typically very limited. 5G does give the wireless capability to look at a thousand wind turbines. It has the capacity to connect wirelessly to every one of those turbines and collect data electronically. Additionally, AI and machine learning change the dynamics of how the received data is interpreted, which makes things more reliable and available.
If you have to keep track of these solar farms or wind turbines, you don't have to go from Washington to Dallas. With 5G, you can go to 1,500 places in between and have information on every one of those touch points, which eliminates latency.
As an example, 20 years ago in the enterprise asset management sector, half a second of latency or a quarter of a second of latency would be enough interruption of a signal to white screen or blue screen an application. Telecommunication systems were still in their infancy and there was always trouble with latency, which affected the reliability of the product.
Today, latency is measured in milliseconds. Five to 10 milliseconds of latency is considered really quick, one of the best response times in the world. When you get 5G, you also get edge computing and the AI that can deal with it at that speed, and the latency can then get down into the 1 millisecond range.
5G In The Future
Over the next few decades, I believe there will be hundreds of thousands of 5G-connected, “autopilot” automobiles moving down the highway, all at the same time. These automobiles will communicate with one another, regardless of their brand or model.
With 5G, every automobile on that highway will be relay information seamlessly at much faster speeds. There will be fewer accidents on the roads because of this interconnectivity. We already witness that Teslas have fewer accidents than other automobiles because of their superior technology: Tesla vehicles on autopilot are nine times less likely to result in an accident than the national average.
The capacity that 5G provides to cellular companies will allow much more interaction with machines, smart devices and any type of asset that has an IP address.
Enterprise asset management solutions will also grow tremendously as a result of 5G. As such, businesses need to prepare for this onset with the following tips:
1. Ensure IT project systems are compatible with and can transition to 5G as it becomes available.
2. Establish a good relationship with your company’s telecom provider to plan accordingly, and be prepared to switch to 5G when it becomes available in your area.
3. Increase protection and maintain security defenses to keep up with network expansion.
4. Take the right precautions to ensure this will not affect your customer experience.
5. Revisit your privacy policy and adjust it as needed to avoid any issues with the 5G migration and customer experience.
The Future
Given the rapid evolution of technology, it is important to recognize that what you need to be able to do is different today than what you needed to be able to do yesterday. With 5G, connectivity will allow businesses to operate more efficiently and improve the capabilities of technologically connected businesses across sectors.
When we take a deeper look, the benefits go far beyond just speed.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
081178a523b5e328b51d6844fea1f936 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/05/process-mining-an-ai-centric-approach-to-cloud-migration/?sh=5d4094266045 | Process Mining: An AI-Centric Approach To Cloud Migration | Process Mining: An AI-Centric Approach To Cloud Migration
CTO and Co-founder at Live Objects.
Over the last decade, enterprises have seen unprecedented growth in cloud adoption. According to Gartner, the public cloud services market was anticipated to grow by 6.3% year on year in 2020, totaling almost $258 billion. One of the biggest drivers of the growth we're seeing is cloud application services. Enterprises are reaping the benefits of transitioning application workloads to the cloud. Throughout my career as a CTO, and in the tech industry generally, I've seen firsthand how organizations can benefit from transitioning their applications to the cloud. Below are just a few of the positive outcomes I've seen.
Benefits Of Transitioning Application Workloads To The Cloud
1. Reduced Total Cost Of Ownership: The operational cost of applications is optimized with an infrastructure as a service model, where the IT infrastructures are managed and maintained by public cloud providers and not by internal IT.
2. On-Demand Scaling: Application workloads experience seasonality. For example, the CRM and financial applications workloads can peak on month ends, quarter ends and year ends. Cloud application deployment can provide a mechanism to scale out the application infrastructure on demand based on the workload variation and seasonality.
3. Easy Expansion Of Business Infrastructure: Application workloads on the cloud facilitates the easy expansion of IT infrastructure to new geographies, supporting business agility. This can be done without in-house investments in IT resources and potentially on demand.
MORE FOR YOUTwo New Studies Show Link Between AstraZeneca-Oxford Vaccine And Rare Blood ClotsBioNTech’s Humble Billionaire CEO On The Next Era Of mRNA VaccinesHow Vaccine Companies Are Battling Covid-19 Variants
4. Capex To Opex Cost Model: Cloud application as a service shifts the IT expenditure to a pay-as-you-go model, rather than upfront investment and budgeting.
A Few Considerations Before You Begin Migrating
As applications are migrated to the cloud, IT and businesses should potentially try to answer a few questions on prioritizing workloads to be moved to the cloud: Are there certain business workloads that demonstrate seasonality and spikes in resource consumption? Do the benefits of moving such workloads to the cloud pose a higher operational benefit?
Over the years, large enterprises build or buy multiple business application software; however, not all applications are used widely in the company. As the workloads are migrated to the cloud, enterprises need to evaluate the application functions that are not frequently used and hence do not result in significant operational overhead in maintaining them in the future. As with any transition, cloud migration needs initial implementation investments. As part of the migration, it is paramount for enterprises to improve the user experience as well as identify or remove existing application bottlenecks.
Outlining the application migration road map to the cloud is human driven, with significant IT and consulting costs. Can the human effort be augmented by technology and AI? One possible approach can be process mining, which is mining transactional events and user actions to come up with a map of an existing business process. It identifies bottlenecks and highlights the possible scope of optimizations. Overlaying the power of AI on top of process maps can generate unprecedented outcomes. Let's take a closer look at a few of its benefits.
Benefits Of Process Mining
1. Understanding Hybrid Application Workloads: In large enterprises, usually a business process spans multiple application systems. While the transactions are captured in ERP systems and CRM systems, there is a plethora of unstructured data in the form of email, chat logs, PDFs and call logs. AI-based language and text processing capabilities can mine events from the unstructured sources and enrich the process maps. This can provide enterprises with a holistic understanding of bottlenecks across diverse data sources.
2. Deriving Relationship Across Systems: Significant IT dollars are spent in understanding the data relationships across systems. AI-based process mining technologies can potentially be used to derive relationships across data from multiple systems. This helps to create a homogeneous view across heterogeneous application landscapes.
3. Conformance And Compliance: One of the major concerns of business users as applications are migrated to the cloud is around governance and risks. Automated process discovery can flag any instances of nonconformance in real time rather than waiting for a one-time internal audit.
4. Predictability: AI-driven process mining can provide predictability on operational KPIs for transactions in transit and flag any anomaly or outliers even before the transaction is completed. This provides business users with more certainty on key business KPIs.
5. Data-Driven Migration Road Map: Process mining can possibly provide an objective road map of cloud migration based on data around application usage. The time and experience bottlenecks can be derived from the process map. Hence as the applications are migrated, the inefficiencies in the new system can be mitigated providing a better experience to the end user. This replaces the traditional perception, interview driven approach to generating migration blueprint with a more data-driven scientific approach.
The adoption of AI-driven process mining does have its challenges, such as access to production data and documented knowledge on the end-to-end system landscape. End users need to monitor the recommendations that are generated and should be involved in fine-tuning them.
Embracing technology depends on seamless access to the business and transactional data from enterprise systems. Like any AI-driven approach, business users need to rely on technology to recommend critical business decisions. The confidence of users on a machine-driven approach can only come over time across multiple usages.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
14729ce171a5ab44e48cf5c9c8399415 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/10/virtual-reality-provides-lifelike-training-for-doctors/?sh=264b33cc5067 | Virtual Reality Provides Lifelike Training For Doctors | Virtual Reality Provides Lifelike Training For Doctors
Morris Panner is CEO of Ambra Health, makers of the leading cloud-based, medical image management suite.
getty
Medical schools, training programs and hospitals are always looking for new ways to educate students and new doctors on how to effectively treat patients. While reading textbooks, attending lectures and assisting experienced physicians are all key to the learning process, there is no substitute for performing a procedure yourself. Thanks to innovations in virtual reality technology, there are some fascinating new services available to help students practice and improve their abilities in lifelike scenarios.
Simulating Procedures With Virtual Reality
One of the greatest innovations for training doctors is virtual reality. Computer software to help train medical students has been around in different forms for decades (and some of them used to be less sophisticated than an Atari game). But VR operates at a whole different level, allowing students to feel like they are truly conducting a procedure in real time.
Wearing goggles and a headset connected to a computer program while holding a controller in each hand, the user is able to “perform” a surgical or medical procedure on a digital patient that seems very real. While the student is making motions (and important decisions) in real time and real life, the procedure is only occurring in virtual reality. The learning opportunity can extend to an entire class: Other students can also wear goggles and join in to watch their colleague’s progress.
A similar technology called augmented reality (AR) can also be helpful in both medical training and practice. With AR, virtual reality elements are essentially layered onto real-life ones to provide added insight. For example, Augmedic’s xvision system enables a surgeon performing a real-life procedure to “see” inside the whole patient, as if they have X-ray vision. Being able to do the surgery in the context of seeing the patient’s entire anatomy helps them to better navigate the process.
MORE FOR YOUWhat Users Have To Look Forward To With Chromebooks Powered By Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7cTitans Think They Know How To Rig Destiny 2’s Guardian GamesAll The ‘Genshin Impact’ Hilidream Camp Recipes To Complete The Event
There is also what is known as mixed reality (MR), which is a hybrid of virtual reality and the real world. Microsoft’s HoloLens is an MR technology that has been used by Case Western Reserve University medical students to learn about anatomy through a (kind of) hands-on experience. Donning headsets, students can get a close and interactive view of incredible three-dimensional images of the human body and organs — and the instructor can even conduct the lesson remotely.
Medical Imaging Fuels VR Training
Newer technologies like virtual reality are all the more powerful thanks to established ones, such as medical imaging. For example, Stanford Medicine has been using a software that takes images from MRIs, CT scans and angiograms, combining them to create a three-dimensional model that can be seen and manipulated. Think of it: Rather than just preparing for a surgery by looking over some static images, you can practice by actually moving through each step of the procedure, close up and in real time.
Programs like these aren’t just good for training students; they are effective applications for allowing doctors to consider different scenarios and possibilities in advance of a complex surgery. For example, the patient can be shown in a detailed three-dimensional preview of what will happen in their surgical procedure, which can often provide them with a better sense of understanding and ultimate relief.
Furthermore, the ability to use a patient’s own medical images in a VR simulator offers an exciting glimpse into the future of increasingly personalized forms of medical care.
Still Virtual, But Getting Closer To Reality
You can never get enough practice, and these are great tools for that purpose. Just as the flight industry promotes better safety by having both new and experienced pilots train on flight simulators, the healthcare industry can do the same by having trainees and doctors hone their skills with VR.
While nothing can beat real-world experience, the good news is that the possibilities are limitless when it comes to learning through virtual and augmented reality. As VR programs develop further, they will provide students with the ability to operate on different kinds of “patients” (to mimic differences in size or bone density, for instance), and the programs are sure to get even more precise and realistic with time.
The radiology community should be an active supporter in the development of these tools and software because high-quality imaging is at the heart of creating a realistic experience. By partnering with universities or private developers working on VR, AR and MR training, imaging experts can help ensure that students, doctors and patients utilizing these programs are benefiting from the best innovations and insights that modern imaging has to offer.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
c2fe06decfdce155714a59fa1b766513 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/13/balancing-profit-and-purpose-in-a-high-growth-company/?sh=2b73f8d632e0 | Balancing Profit And Purpose In A High-Growth Company | Balancing Profit And Purpose In A High-Growth Company
Eugenio is CEO and Co-Founder of Auth0.
getty
As the CEO of a high-growth, global company with thousands of customers and nearly 800 employees, I am often asked: "What is your job? What do you do?" There are many assumptions about being a CEO, such as being "the boss" of everyone, telling people what to do all day or, my personal favorite, spending my time at black-tie events mingling with celebrities and influencers. That might be the case for other CEOs — or in the movies — but that is not what I do nor how I see the role of a CEO.
One of the more important responsibilities I have as CEO is unlocking potential, as is finding systemic, hidden constraints in the business and providing the resources, means and guidance to break them out. I also empower people to be the best they can. People are at the center of all of this. Leading by example and making the right decisions that unlock this potential to benefit our team, our product, our customers, our partners and, consequently, our company inspires me every day.
While I embrace this challenge head-on, I am the first to admit that I don't always have all the answers. In addition to relying on the expertise of my stellar team, I seek counsel from my personal contacts and network, as well as look at the paths of other successful enterprises for examples. Many times, however, I find more value in discovering what not to do.
Throughout my journey, I have come across many articles and posts with a consistently recurring theme: "growth at any cost." In these articles, motivation is driven by money, power by praise and correction by confrontation. Is this the formula for breeding success?
MORE FOR YOUNew Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 13 Design ShockIvanka Trump Posts Covid-19 Vaccination Photo, Here Are Responses From QAnon FollowersApple Insider Confirms New Warning Affecting All iPhone Users
I guess it depends on how you define "success." If you define it exclusively by financial outcomes, then maybe yes. But, for me, "success" is a journey, much broader and larger than economic growth.
I want Auth0 to have outstanding economics, for our growth to remain strong and robust and to continue serving our customers in the best way possible. I'm very proud of our 80% growth rate in 2018 as well as our 70% growth rate in 2019 and 2020. We have very ambitious growth plans for the future. I can unequivocally say that being a rapid growth company doesn't need to come at a grave cost.
Everyone at Auth0 wants to progress in life: get a raise, a bonus, a promotion, grow professionally, but they also want to earn all of that with meaning. We work hard. We focus on being focused. We are wholly committed to our customers. The pursuit of greatness and excellence rings true. The goal of always improving and iterating is one of our core values. I have no opposition to that. But the dog-eat-dog competitive culture where money is the primary, and oftentimes, sole motivator and measure of success is antithetical to the way we operate.
Times have changed since Milton Friedman's declaration that profit is every corporation's sole responsibility. As a CEO, I am helping build a successful company that speaks to the many motivations of my employees beyond just monetary and financial gains. We have a higher commitment to serve our customers, our communities and ourselves. The path to profitability, and to huge value creation, can be abundant with purpose. Here are some ways we balance profit with purpose:
• Sympatheia. This is a concept from stoic philosophy that means that there's mutual interdependence between everything. "What is bad for the beehive is also bad for the bee." We never operate in isolation. We need to look at issues as a whole, as part of a larger system.
• Having purpose matters. Define what the key values and principles of your organization are and imbue them into the culture. Show employees they are part of something beyond making money.
• Giving back matters. We can't be an "extractive" entity only. We must lead by example and show employees that we care about them, their families and their communities, and that money is not the only valuable thing we can contribute to them. Encourage them to do the same.
• Diversity matters. A diverse workforce provides broader perspectives, insights and opinions. Invest and cultivate diversity in all ways to have a more well-rounded organization.
• Social impact matters. Use the power of your resources to philanthropically impact the global community. Identify causes that matter to you and your organization and make a commitment to make a long-term impact.
This human-centered approach to growth and success is more important to me than ever, especially after a year of such turmoil, mistrust, pain and suffering across the globe.
Every CEO is going to lead her or his ship differently and form the foundation of values and operating principles that will permeate throughout the entire organization. As leaders, we have the unique opportunity to affect change and use our resources and our roles to truly make a difference. I am choosing to lead with profit, but also with purpose.
You can't put a price on that.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
b3be15e562c50aa108d1337fb364c08a | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/16/why-a-government-grant-might-not-be-the-answer-for-early-stage-startups/?sh=5b7a2545267b | Why A Government Grant Might Not Be The Answer For Early-Stage Startups | Why A Government Grant Might Not Be The Answer For Early-Stage Startups
Geoff Bourgeois is co-founder and CEO at HubStor, with 20+ years in the tech sector specializing in enterprise SaaS solutions.
getty
The most valuable asset any early startup has is time — primarily because it’s a nonrenewable resource. How you spend your time as an early-stage entrepreneur is the difference between building long-term value in your company or paying high opportunity costs.
You build value through meticulous focus on your customer. You need to invest time iterating your product based on customer feedback. You also need to build the business's intellectual property portfolio. These are investments that lead to high valuation and long-lasting returns.
But there's always the question of cash. You're looking for ways to extend that runway for reaching the right product-market fit. The panic for more cash can be roaring. That's when applying for a government grant starts to look like a good option for a quick cash infusion. I've seen too many early startups get sidetracked chasing government grants, getting them, and failing anyway.
For most startups, the opportunity costs of government grants can be catastrophic. Applying for and managing a government grant will take more time and money than you think. You'll be sucked into servicing a government department to the detriment of your customers. And that's time your startup will never get back.
MORE FOR YOUWhy You Should Stop Using Your Facebook Messenger AppWhy You Should Never Use Google Chrome On Your iPhone, iPad Or MacThe Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine Is Less Effective Against The South African And UK Variants Than Against The Original Virus, According To A New “Real-World” Study From Israel
Government Grants May Work For A Limited Number Of Startups
Applying for a government grant isn't always a terrible choice. If your target customer is the U.S. Department of Defense, then applying for a DARPA grant probably makes good sense.
For some startups, government agencies are your market. In that case, you are investing in your customers when you look for government grants. If your startup is making a horizontal play into the market, then this grant money is likely a distraction. Worse, it diminishes the time you can invest with your target customers where it will pay long-term dividends.
Government Grants Won't Solve Your Most Important Problems
Government grants come with strings. They may seem attractive as cash without dilution, but the strings will cost you. I can tell you from first-hand experience. At first glance, applying for grants looks simple: You submit a proposal. If it's accepted, you run your pilot or deliver your project.
The reality can involve multiple iterations of submitting your application. Each iteration can require meeting with advisors and program representatives. You have to sell them. These iterations take time; time you could be devoting to what really matters to the future success of your startup.
Depending on the grant, you may need to find a test department within the government willing to sponsor your innovation in a pilot project. This will take more time. Following that, you can expect to burn time dealing with procurement to get set up in their system. Then, you have progress reporting and other status requirements to fulfill. Then there’s the possibility of audits. It can be months to years before you see any cash from the grant.
With that schedule on startup time, you've already fixed the problem that pushed you to seek government money — or you didn't. Somewhere during the hours filling out the required reporting and audit paperwork, you'll have realized this grant would not come in time. You’ll have to find another way to solve your initial problem. Many startups that get government grants don't.
Governments Grants Can Distract You From Your True Purpose
Getting a one-time cash infusion from the government is usually tactical, not strategic. You're investing your time in getting a shot in the arm, but nothing that's going to build your business.
The strategic approach is to focus on the market opportunity that's before you. Zero in on solving your customers' problem and delivering a unique solution. When you invest time solving problems for your target customers, you'll find your product/market fit faster. With that goal met, you’ll start building revenue streams that have long-term value. Along the way, you're developing your valuable intellectual property which will serve as a valuation multiplier down the road.
The IP assets could be your technology, your contract model, your pricing model, or your customer experience approach. They're any innovation your startup brings to the market as its unique way of operating. These are assets that help you grow your customer base and lifetime customer value. Your IP is also a scalable asset that contributes to your company's valuation when you start looking for VC money.
Perhaps the greatest opportunity cost for a government grant is that it locks you into a fixed program. When you accepted the grant, your company committed to doing specific things. It doesn’t matter if that plan no longer aligns with your current market or how your product has evolved. You still have to meet your government obligations.
Instead of being agile – not a government strong suit – you’re restrained in how responsive you can be to what you’re learning about your market. You’re making decisions to serve government departments, not customers who are a source of ongoing revenue.
Keeping The Faith
I’m a proponent of leaning into your vision and trusting that if you're doing well by your customer, your startup will move forward. Even in your earliest days, many avenues will vie for your attention. The strategic move is to look for those opportunities that will have a multiplier effect on valuation down the road. These are the moves where you’re putting your customer and innovation first. Pursuing government grant money will probably pull you away from a disciplined focus on your target customer.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
e032dae8350f7a7bda7aea9e7fb799ae | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/17/three-areas-of-enterprise-analytics-ready-for-the-cloud/ | Three Areas Of Enterprise Analytics Ready For The Cloud | Three Areas Of Enterprise Analytics Ready For The Cloud
Osama Elkady is Co-Founder and CEO of Incorta, which helps leading enterprises unleash the full potential of complex data in record time.
Virtually all CIOs recognize the critical value of data, and yet data analytics has been slower to move to the cloud than other enterprise workloads. With the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and new business imperatives magnified by the pandemic, that's finally changing. Business leaders should be thinking seriously about cloud analytics to gain the speed and agility they need to compete effectively.
A few factors have kept enterprise data on-premises historically, including concerns about security, data gravity — the notion that data exerts a gravitational pull in IT systems — and the challenge of transferring on-premises data quickly to the cloud. There's a reason Amazon still offers to ship your data to its cloud on the back of a truck.
But the imperatives of business today mean the cost of not moving to the cloud now often outweighs the cost of doing so. Most CIOs realize that a properly configured cloud is at least as secure as on-premises infrastructure, if not more so. Moreover, there are real business drivers that make analytics in the cloud attractive to CIOs — and more of a necessity than a nice to have. These include:
• Maintaining an on-premises infrastructure, along with the skilled personnel to run it, is costly. Constant hardware upgrades to keep pace with escalating data volumes and compute needs, combined with increasingly complex regulations around privacy and compliance, mean CIOs may find it easier to hand that work over to a cloud provider to focus instead on their core business differentiators.
MORE FOR YOUWhat’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?NVIDIA’s Auto Business Takes A Front Seat At NVIDIA GTC 2021What Yuri Gagarin Saw From Orbit Changed Him Forever
• Businesses need to adapt faster than ever to the world around them, and the time it takes for IT to prepare data and generate new reports is often too great. The pandemic has shown the need to quickly combine data from internal and external sources to answer questions such as what demand will look like a week from now or how a specific situation — like Covid-19 — will impact suppliers. Answering these questions in the short timeframe needed is possible with a cloud-based platform.
• AI workloads such as machine learning and predictive modeling are highly variable and compute-intensive, requiring an infrastructure that can scale up and down automatically to match needs. The cloud is far more dynamic and scaleable than an on-premises infrastructure, making it better suited to these needs.
So which analytics workloads will move to the cloud next? Clearly, some enterprise applications are already in the cloud, notably CRM and marketing. B2C companies in particular are using cloud analytics to identify upsell opportunities, guide product development and make personalized recommendations.
I believe the next wave of analytics for both B2B and B2C companies will be in core operational areas that were once viewed as cost centers but can now provide a real competitive advantage to those who innovate first. Here are three areas that are ripe for transformation when business leaders have access to fast, self-service analytics in the cloud:
1. Supply Chain
The recent tariffs and Brexit showed that stability in global trade can no longer be taken for granted, and the pandemic has only amplified that reality. Enterprises need better visibility into supply networks and the ability to pivot quickly when disruption arises. The cloud can make it easier to incorporate third-party data — such as CDC infection rates and local news reports — to understand what's happening on the ground. Armed with this information, businesses can identify changing demand patterns and supply chain disruption sooner, and make smarter decisions about sourcing and supply.
2. Accounting And Finance
Seeing the impact of transactions in near real time, without needing to run lengthy batch processes, is a holy grail for CFOs seeking to cut costs and manage finances more profitably. We've seen great uses of machine learning and predictive models for estimating late payments in finance. Being able to predict payables and receivables, and more closely manage assets and asset mixes to maximize profit, all benefit from a more agile, elastic infrastructure.
3. Human Resources
The war for talent and a younger generation of workers that demands more satisfaction at work make human resources an area ripe for innovation through analytics. Applying statistical models to employee-related data can help reduce attrition, improve retention and lead to better business outcomes. HR has remained relatively unchanged for decades, but modernizing operations in the cloud can improve business outcomes by making it easier and faster to slice and dice information in new ways.
Clearly, not all enterprise analytics will move to the cloud overnight. Businesses continue to have significant on-premises investments, and I expect they will operate in a hybrid model for many years to come. But businesses need the freedom to explore and experiment with data without the burden of lengthy transformations and ETL processes that can add weeks or months for any change to be made. This type of speed and agility is available in the cloud, and the role for CIOs is to identify which workloads in their organizations can yield competitive advantage by taking advantage of a cloud model.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
50d5198e0bbbaf8214c911b74c058df6 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/18/hacking-humans-how-neuralink-may-give-ai-the-keys-to-our-brains/?sh=3611e3225791 | Hacking Humans: How Neuralink May Give AI The Keys To Our Brains | Hacking Humans: How Neuralink May Give AI The Keys To Our Brains
Chief Information Security Officer at Crypto.com, overseeing the company's global cybersecurity and data privacy strategy.
getty
When Elon Musk gave the world a demo in August of his latest endeavor, the brain-computer interface (BCI) Neuralink, he reminded us that the lines between brain and machine are blurring quickly.
Though Neuralink and BCIs alike are still likely many years away from widespread implementation, their potential benefits and use cases are tantalizing, especially as the technology eventually evolves from stage 1 applications, such as helping those with spinal cord injuries, to more complex ones, such as controlling multiple devices.
It bears remembering, however, that Neuralink is, at its core, a computer — and as with all computing advancements in human history, the more complex and smart computers become, the more attractive targets they become for hackers.
To be sure, the consequences of high-level hacking today are severe, but we've never before had computers linked to our brains, which seems a hacker's ultimate prey.
Our brains hold information computers don't have. A brain linked to a computer/AI such as a BCI removes that barrier to the brain, potentially allowing hackers to rush in and cause problems we can't even fathom today. Might hacking humans via BCI be the next major evolution in hacking, carried out through a dangerous combination of past hacking methods?
MORE FOR YOUHere’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedBioNTech’s Humble Billionaire CEO On The Next Era Of mRNA VaccinesWestworld-AI Scenario To Be Banned In Europe: leaked AI Regulations Reveal Course-Correction Away From Dystopian AI Future
To better understand how hacking the brain could happen, let's first examine how the relationship between humans, computers and hacking has evolved over time.
1980s To Mid-1990s: Hacking Tech To Get Human Data
Though hacking has been around since the 1960s, the modern age started in the 1980s when personal computers — and then hackers — made their way into homes.
Hacking took advantage of new and emerging technology that was easily manipulated. Hackers' treasure during this time was mainly personal and financial information, such as credit card details, and they leveraged technology to get it.
The 1992 film Sneakers — about a black box capable of breaking any encryption code, ensuring there were "no more secrets" — helped popularize and reveal some of the hacking techniques used at the time, such as infiltration, physical intrusion and backdoor access. During this time, computers were the conduit to human data.
Mid-1990s To Today: Hacking Tech Via Humans
As technology became more accessible, humans began storing more of their private, sensitive information within technology, which now held the keys to hackers' treasure.
While the core theme of Sneakers was to use a black box to cryptographically decipher systems, social engineering was heavily used to gain access to the box — a tactic that has grown exponentially as hackers shift their approach. Instead of breaking into the technology itself, hackers began preying on the vulnerabilities of human behavior (the weakest link) to get into the tech we rely on to store our vital information.
This period has been dominated by phishing and all forms of social engineering — hackers' psychological manipulation of humans to persuade them into doing the hackers' bidding. During this period, humans have been the conduit to technology.
The Future: Hacking Humans Via Tech
Previous eras were defined by obstacles between hackers and their targets, which were in place due to the inherent physical disconnect between humans and technology. However, what happens when that disconnect between humans and tech is blurred? When they're essentially one and the same?
This is a top security concern of BCI tech like Neuralink. The technology's core promise — enabling the brain to communicate directly with computers — might also turn out to be its biggest security flaw. There would no longer be a separation between humans and computers that requires some form of authentication and judgment.
Should a computing device literally connected to the brain, as Neuralink is, become hacked, the consequences could be catastrophic, giving hackers ultimate control over someone.
If Neuralink penetrates deep into the human brain with high fidelity, what might hacking a human look like? Following traditional patterns, hackers would likely target individuals with high net worths and perhaps attempt to manipulate them into wiring millions of dollars to a hacker's offshore bank account. Executives in boardrooms could be hacked into making decisions, resulting in significant financial consequences.
In a more alarming scenario, should a hacker take control of a large population of people, they could manipulate them to vote for a certain candidate, party or issue, covertly toppling governments and entire state infrastructures. And in the most severe scenario, hacking a Neuralink-like device could turn "hosts" into programmable drone armies capable of doing anything their "master" wanted. Autopilot software features in cars have already resulted in deaths; imagine what a hacked army of sentient beings could do.
Some Perspective
Though the above scenarios are far-fetched, and Neuralink may still be far off, it's never too early to examine how the inevitable hacking could play out. Some experts believe that the singularity — the point at which artificial intelligence reaches that of human intelligence — will happen by 2045. And, as cybersecurity professionals know all too well, hackers are usually one step ahead of security protocols, so it's not a matter of "if" but "when" they will attack a Neuralink-type device.
To be clear, technological progress is fundamental to human progress. It always has and always will be. BCIs hold tremendous potential for good. However, technological progress must be done thoughtfully, keeping in mind one critical aspect of the "human element" of security — ethics. I'm reminded of one of Sun Tzu's strategic tenants, "悬权而动," which says you should always "think deep and carefully deliberate" before you make your strategic move. Now is the time to develop a robust set of responsible big data, AI ethical frameworks and governance that companies must follow when developing such intrusive technology like BCIs.
Finally, for those aspiring to venture into the BCI space, I would like to leave you with some powerful words from chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov, who has had much of his career challenged by machines and AI: "We have free will, our machines do not. ... We have to have human accountability, human ethics, built in from the start."
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
bde685f5847590741e94a19763ed4c76 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/18/how-do-you-keep-your-employees-motivated-in-a-remote-environment-leadership-through-gamification/ | How Do You Keep Your Employees Motivated In A Remote Environment? Leadership Through Gamification | How Do You Keep Your Employees Motivated In A Remote Environment? Leadership Through Gamification
Steve Taplin is the CEO and Co-Founder of Sonatafy Technology, a leading provider of experienced nearshore software developers and engineers
getty
Most businesses have been forced to shift to remote work for most — if not all — of their company's operations. Even though working from home has been somewhat normal in the technology world for a while, things have evolved based on current times. Things such as travel or on-site visits were few and far between, but they were a nice change to break up the monotony of working from home.
If you are not used to working from home, it can start as a nice benefit. Most employees enjoy their new freedom and the luxury of not having to commute to the office. However, as the weeks, months and quarters go by, it can start getting lonely, and I've found that employees can experience a lack of motivation. Based on this, strong technology leaders need to implement new ways to keep their teams motivated, and gamification is one of the best strategies for this.
Most people have heard the term “gamification,” but very few know either exactly what it is or how to apply it to their organization. Gamification involves taking the essence of games and applying it to real-world processes inside an organization. Often, organizations award scores or points with gamification to give employees immediate feedback — as well as gratification or a feeling of accomplishment.
Nick Pelling coined the term "gamification" around 2003. By 2011, it officially became a buzzword when Gartner added it to its Hype Cycle list. After that, gamification started to hit the mainstream. Now, in 2020, gamification has grown up.
MORE FOR YOUNew Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 13 Design ShockApple iOS 14.5: The Latest iPhone Upgrade Is Going To Be AwesomeIvanka Trump Posts Covid-19 Vaccination Photo, Here Are Responses From QAnon Followers
As I explained, gamification is not new, but very few companies I know of put it into practice. My advice to technology leaders is to break down their teams, functional areas and regular cadences and come up with the five key skills that you are looking for on your teams.
For example, for software programmers, these key skills may include continuous learning and obtaining additional certifications, time management, proficiency with their key programming languages, and problem-solving skills.
For sales teams, these key skills may be business development, negotiations, advancing their technical knowledge, time management and networking.
In order to make a gamification challenge for these roles, I am a big fan of using a design-thinking approach where you involve all parties and functional areas as part of the workshop. This includes executives, managers, employees, and sometimes even accounting and finance. This solution-based approach to solving problems is extremely useful for tackling complex issues and having all levels of your organization involved in creating processes and solving challenges. Using this type of process often breaks down barriers between teams, employees and executives and brings a new level of motivation and commitment to everyone’s work.
Some other key tips to keep your team motivated while working remotely include:
• Focus on video calls (i.e., Zoom, Teams, etc.) versus nonvideo calls. Make sure you teach your teams proper video call etiquette, such as proper dress, making eye contact with the camera and being personable, as if you were at an in-person meeting.
• Do not have long, drawn-out meetings. Try to limit meetings to 30 minutes. Now more than ever, meetings that last 60 minutes or longer are difficult and can cause you to lose the attention and motivation of your team.
Here are some good places to put this into action in your organization:
• Employee referrals through gamification: Do not only reward employees for referring qualified people; make a contest out of it, and have quarterly or yearly “grand prizes.”
• The employee onboarding process: Many times this involves numerous training modules and classes about the organization. Now that everything is remote, most employees can take these online at their own pace. Gamifying this process can help new employees feel more connected and excited about joining your company.
• Utilizing existing software: There are certainly many different software packages you can purchase to help you implement gamification in your organization. However, some of the tools you may already use, such as Salesforce, Hubspot and Slack, have boards, channels and add-ons that could be used for gamification.
• Tracking personal health goals: Have contests for employees to motivate them to get the most “steps” in a month or a quarter. This can engage employees emotionally and motivate them to stay healthy.
• Surveys: I always suggest that leaders use online anonymous surveys through which employees can submit their thoughts and input. When employees know that these are anonymous, you are more likely to get honest and useful input that can truly help your organization.
Final Thoughts
Times are tough, and the remote model is likely here to stay. As a leader, you need to rise above your competitors and make sure your team is motivated and productive, and that they enjoy their jobs. To stay driven, employees need a sense of value and purpose. Implementing gamification, where you create personalized challenges, weekly wins and progressing game narratives that chart a clear course to success and development, can be a key factor for growing your company successfully in this remote work environment.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
3576f4c00656399201e1c67e30955628 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/18/phishing-is-a-gateway-to-modern-fraud-in-todays-distributed-workplace---can-ai-stop-it/ | Phishing Is A Gateway To Modern Fraud In Today’s Distributed Workplace — Can AI Stop It? | Phishing Is A Gateway To Modern Fraud In Today’s Distributed Workplace — Can AI Stop It?
Patrick Harr is CEO of SlashNext, the authority in phishing protection across all devices.
getty
Remote working is part of the new normal, and it’s not going away any time soon. Even before the pandemic, the workforce was becoming increasingly mobile and reliant on digital channels for communication, collaboration and productivity. It’s great for business, and employees love it — but how is it impacting your organization’s digital security?
By April 2020, 62% of U.S. employees had switched to working remotely, a 58.6% increase from February. But that’s not all that’s increasing. Digital fraud surged 11% from March to June. And based on our research at SlashNext, Covid-19-themed phishing websites increased by 3,000% during March alone.
Phishing serves as the gateway to many types of fraud, such as identity theft, promotion abuse, content abuse, shipping fraud and more. And fraudsters aren’t just in it for a quick scam — they’re launching large-scale, massive attacks that cost U.S. organizations over $42 billion annually. With phishing so widespread, why hasn’t an effective way to combat it been found?
Mobile Devices Broaden The Attack Surface
Phishing has moved beyond corporate email to encompass everything from personal email and social networks to web search and collaboration tools. At every weak point in the behavior of enterprises and consumers lurks a new phishing attack exploiting every single communication channel.
MORE FOR YOUWhat’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?NVIDIA’s Auto Business Takes A Front Seat At NVIDIA GTC 2021What Yuri Gagarin Saw From Orbit Changed Him Forever
It’s moved beyond credential stealing to rogue software, with Google Play recently affected by a huge browser extension issue, and social network scams, with Twitter taken down a few weeks ago using a bitcoin scam designed by a 17-year-old.
So, why are phishing and other types of fraud so easy to commit now that we’re working remotely? It’s largely due to the increased reliance on unprotected mobile devices. Employees now use personal devices to sign on from home, a coffee shop or other location outside of the four walls of a protected enterprise. And conversely, they also use corporate-issued devices for personal reasons.
Imagine this scenario: You wake up in the morning and reach for your phone. After scrolling through social channels, you check your work email and forward an attachment to your personal account. Later in the day, you sign onto Zoom on your phone for a quick chat with your team as you sit outside a coffee shop, using public Wi-Fi. During the meeting, you browse your personal Facebook and click on a pop-up ad to purchase a personal item and then share the link with a co-worker via Slack. Every single one of those interactions is an opportunity for a bad actor to launch an attack.
'I Know A Scam When I See One'
Many people believe they can identify a phishing attempt, but the reality is that’s not always the case. Verizon’s 2020 Mobile Security Index reports that 2% of U.S. employees fall victim to phishing scams every day. Today’s phishing attacks aren’t like the old-school ones your parents battled. The same report found that 85% of attacks seen on mobile devices take place outside of email. They come through all digital channels, including SMS, messaging apps, social platforms, search engines and more — all of which are experiencing higher usage since the Covid-19 onset. Fraudsters are even using online gaming to commit fraud.
SMS is a popular threat vector. In fact, SMS-based phishing attacks (SMishing) over this channel have increased from 2% to 13%. And with the trend toward remote working, more people are using a variety of collaboration tools, such as Zoom and Dropbox, which have presented additional opportunities for fraudsters to wreak their havoc. In fact, Zoom felt the heat of scrutiny in April, when 500,000 stolen passwords were posted for sale on dark web crime forums after being scraped from databases containing previously compromised credentials.
Mobile devices are particularly susceptible. Not only do users perform functions on their mobile devices in rapid succession, but the smaller form factor makes it more difficult to spot abnormalities. For example, an email from your bank may look legitimate, but the form factor of your smartphone makes it challenging to see that there’s something not quite right with the logo, and it’s actually a phishing attempt.
Most people assume their mobile devices are safe — 89% of global mobile consumers do not pay to protect their mobile devices against online threats. And with fraudsters using increasingly sophisticated AI-driven bots and techniques to fool their victims, existing reactive fraud prevention solutions will be no match for new and emerging threats. Human intervention, such as individual case review and analysis, won’t work either. By the time the case is available for review, the attack has already successfully infiltrated the network.
The Best Defense Is A Proactive Offense
The fact is, Covid-19 required drastic and rapid changes, and most businesses were caught off guard by the sudden pivot to remote work. Overnight, employees and their myriad devices became weak links in the secure corporate fence.
How can organizations protect themselves from phishing and other types of fraud amid the convergence of business and personal device use? A three-pronged approach is essential to fight back:
Educate employees on the prevalence of phishing and how to combat the problem. Implement technology that helps to block threats before attacks can be launched. Share data about where any attempted attacks came from and through what channel.
Organizations must start looking at sophisticated neural networks and machine learning to counter the onslaught of these AI-driven attacks. And they must ensure protection is deployed on any device that broadens the attack surface.
We must all finally move beyond human forensics to AI forensics and "machines fighting machines" because frankly, there’s just no way to provide the tens of thousands of human data scientists and threat analysts needed to resolve the problem because of the cost and sheer speed of attacks across the world. I view this as the transition from a 1.0 human forensics approach to a 2.0 AI machine forensics approach. This is one clear instance where AI is truly superior to human intervention, and soon, machines will replace us on the front line of cybersecurity.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
8e27b69ab1a38286db42c495c033ae77 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/24/the-move-from-passive-to-active-data-is-here/?sh=69608ecd3bde | The Move From Passive To Active Data Is Here | The Move From Passive To Active Data Is Here
CEO of Qlik, driving the mission to create a data-literate world where organizations tackle their most complex challenges with data.
getty
Consider the following statements:
• Covid-19 has been part of everyone’s daily life across the world for almost a year.
• For those fortunate enough, technology — especially cloud and SaaS applications — drove a mass shift to work from home for huge numbers of workers across the globe.
• Delivery models changed almost overnight. This put a premium on just in-time/real-time supply chain data and customized/personalized experiences.
• Now almost every consumer action has largely shifted to a mix of contactless, frictionless and cashless, including shopping for a car, at-curb pickup for almost any type of goods and mobile payments through platforms like Venmo. This accelerated trends that were predicted to be with us 10 years in the future.
The warp speed in technology adoption has readily exposed gaps in data availability and decision-making processes. McKinsey recently did a deep dive that mirrors much of what I’ve been seeing from customers and prospects: Organizations that pivoted quickly based on having the right data on hand at the right time have weathered the storm better and are better positioned to succeed in the recovery phase.
MORE FOR YOUFacebook Just Gave 2.8 Billion Users A Reason To Quit Their AccountsThe Dell Tech And VMware Spin-Off Benefits EverybodyFully Vaccinated? Get Ready For Your Third Dose
I see a consistent set of issues that are still hampering companies from leveraging data to make the timely business pivots that Covid-19 demands. These issues are ones everyone tackles when executing a digital transformation, but the speed of the pandemic brought them front and center. Silos that create limited access to data, teams being overwhelmed by data volumes and unable to quickly find relevant insights, and the lack of ability to seamlessly blend vital external data on changing market conditions into decision making models all contribute to organizations having been slow out of the block and could remain obstacles to rebounding.
Recovery arcs will likely look different in shape and length depending on where you are in the world. Organizations that are more data-fluent and flexible will be market winners over the next two to three years, as others race to implement data and analytics solutions to close their intelligence gaps.
Part of McKinsey’s analysis that I think captures the essence of this is what they describe as “from retrospective analysis to forward-looking insights.” We think of it another way, and it’s the move from passive to active intelligence.
What exactly is active intelligence? Active intelligence is data that is both up to date and delivered in real time to spur action that can help accelerate business value in a data and analytics supply chain. What does active intelligence look like, and how will it propel winning companies now and in the future?
• Your customer service system records an interaction that requires urgent follow-up. The system immediately pushes an automated request for a technician to engage. The speed of response helps reduce customer churn and secure a consistently high NPS.
• Your regional sales manager gets an auto-generated alert on a change to a top 10 account, which opens the door to a significant upsell before a competitive bid goes to market.
• Your supply chain management software registers an automatic reorder process for key materials based on a preset threshold to your procurement system. The procurement system electronically cross-matches inventory levels and pricing from multiple partners. Within minutes, your supply chain VP receives a text to authorize placement of a materials purchase in time to meet pressing customer orders.
• Your fleet management system proactively monitors weather patterns based on external data from the National Weather Service. It recalculates a delivery time based on an updated route due to a storm. The change is simultaneously communicated to your driver and the customer through their preferred methods, in this case a separate text to the driver and email to the customer.
In each of these situations, a timely flow of new, real-time data that required action happens through a combination of automation, business rules and logic, and looping people into the process to enhance the outcome.
The good news for business leaders is capabilities and tools exist today to create a strong data pipeline, automate the access and transformation of changes in data, and activate that data within current workflows. These are all tenets of successful digital transformation efforts that accelerate the move from passively consuming data to active intelligence that drives outcomes. Leading organizations had enough of these pieces in place to ride out the worst of the initial Covid-19 shockwaves. Winning organizations will be the ones that quickly adapt and further imbed an active approach to data to both survive and prosper.
Organizations looking to move to an active intelligence approach need to tackle three key priorities. First, eliminate data silos by reviewing and updating any process or technology that limits the potential of sharing data as appropriate. Second, conduct a data pipeline analysis to identify and fill any gaps that limit the flow of data. And third, given the fast-changing nature and increasing volumes of data, organizations must find places to automate the processes around data capture, transformation and delivery. These steps will go a long way to ensuring up-to-date, timely and relevant data is available when it's needed most: at the point of decision.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
af9a76be95335a4e3762521da4adc1d7 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/25/look-to-employees-performance-to-check-on-their-well-being/ | Look To Employees’ Performance To Check On Their Well-Being | Look To Employees’ Performance To Check On Their Well-Being
Founder & CEO of Centrical, the next-gen employee engagement and performance management platform.
getty
Covid-19 has had a major impact on employees’ sense of well-being. There's the nagging sense of isolation while working apart from co-workers. The whittling down of any sort of work-life balance. And then there's burnout, something Deloitte says 77% of the employees they surveyed have experienced at their current job, often multiple times.
A survey by WebMD Health Services found the effects of the pandemic on employees’ well-being has been the greatest on the youngest of the working population. Nine in 10 Gen Z employees report it has had a negative impact on their health and well-being. Older generations have also experienced challenges but to a lesser degree. For example, 70% of baby boomers in the workforce say the pandemic has been harmful to their well-being.
As a result, the call for more and better programs to support employee well-being has risen in frequency and volume. However, if you wait to act until after employees’ health and well-being have been adversely affected, the path to bring them back will be longer and harder to travel.
The WebMD research noted employees were not eating as they should and were exercising less often, drinking and smoking more, and seeing relationships suffer. These matters will be with us as long as the pandemic is omnipresent and will likely continue once Covid-19 is under control. The view that when things return to “normal,” all will be fine is false. We won’t be going back.
MORE FOR YOUWhy I’m Not Surprised That IBM And Intel Are Collaborating On Chip TechFacebook Just Gave 2.8 Billion Users A Reason To Quit Their AccountsZOHO: Why Low-Code Workflow Automation Trumps Spreadsheets In The Work-From-Home Economy
Instead, we'll be entering a “new normal.” Gartner recently revealed that about 40% of workers will continue to work from home. What's more, about 25% will operate in a hybrid model, spending some time working from home and some time from the office. That will affect the comfort of knowing who employees will see at work and who they’ll physically interact with, which makes monitoring and managing employees tricky.
Before the pandemic, managers could look up from their desks and see which team members were dealing with something that could be affecting their well-being. Those managers could then walk over to have a face-to-face conversation to better understand what was going on. Of course, that can’t happen when teams are working remotely.
Fortunately, there are a number of ways managers can monitor the well-being of employees working remotely. For example, an employee engagement and performance management platform can be helpful for large numbers of employees, particularly when they interact with customers on a regular basis and perform tasks that can be readily measured.
Another method is scheduling one-on-ones where work-related topics don't dominate the conversation. Think of it as a virtual coffee break, allowing for a relaxed dialog that enables you to get a read on an employee's mood. It's also helpful to note when employees send and reply to emails. This can be an indicator that WFH employees are having exceptionally long days. If there's a pattern, have a conversation to learn what's going on and why.
Whether you use a technology-based solution or a variety of commonsense approaches, what's needed to keep tabs on employee well-being is something that works for all involved — without any hint of Big Brother. If you opt to use performance measurements or indicators to assess well-being, make sure:
1. Employees and their team leaders can see relevant, real-time data simultaneously. Such visibility lets employees know how they're doing in terms of reaching their goals and what they need to do to get to the next level.
2. Employees feel like they're part of something bigger than themselves. With a sense of purpose, employees will feel more positive about their job and their lot in life in general.
3. Employees are engaging in activities that improve skills or close knowledge gaps. When employees know how to do their work, their confidence improves, and so does their on-the-job performance. And that translates into a better state of mind and sense of well-being.
4. Work is fun. Harness game mechanics, or gamification, to spur friendly competition, team spirit, achievements and a sense of connectedness — a big factor in well-being among WFH employees.
5. Communication is open and frequent, even if there's no apparent issue. But make sure it is two-directional. An important aspect of well-being is to know someone (i.e., managers) will listen. This allows you to deal with a problem before it becomes unmanageable.
If performance or learning KPIs are trending down or appear uncharacteristic of team members, managers can help by discussing priorities to help employees manage their workload, urging employees to take care of themselves by eating healthy, getting adequate sleep, exercising and taking breaks from work for a change of pace in terms of what they do or how they do it, and, lastly, starting the week by setting goals and ending it by reflecting on their efforts.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
fda231b474c4f422a569055a0a1c3731 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/01/diversity-drives-innovation-are-you-investing-in-it/?sh=68641df754b2 | Diversity Drives Innovation: Are You Investing In It? | Diversity Drives Innovation: Are You Investing In It?
An innovative entrepreneur in investigative technology and background checks, CEO of KENTECH, and Founder of eKnowID.com.
getty
You can learn a lot about the value of diversity in a company from — bear with me here — the 2009 movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
While watching it recently, I was taken aback by two of the characters, Skids and Mudflap, twin robots who play up racist stereotypes for laughs. The bots are caricatures who bicker in bad “street slang,” beat each other up and admit they can’t read.
When the film came out, the New York Times review noted: "The characters have been given conspicuously cartoonish, so-called black voices that indicate that minstrelsy remains as much in fashion in Hollywood as when, well, Jar Jar Binks was set loose by George Lucas.”
These images are not completely divorced from history, even though they are fictional characters in action movies, and I assume the filmmakers didn’t have malicious intentions. But they demonstrate how important it is to have diverse voices at the table when decisions are being made. Every writers’ room, board room, C-suite or office needs diversity of thought and background to produce its best work and avoid making harmful mistakes.
Why Diversity Is Essential
For tech companies in particular, diversity isn’t just a feel-good element; it’s an absolute necessity. Innovation occurs when different and often conflicting ideas, experiences and challenges intersect. If your company isn’t deliberate about creating that type of environment, your product and your bottom line will suffer along with your culture.
MORE FOR YOUWhy You Should Stop Using Your Facebook Messenger AppWhy You Should Never Use Google Chrome On Your iPhone, iPad Or MacThe Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine Is Less Effective Against The South African And UK Variants Than Against The Original Virus, According To A New “Real-World” Study From Israel
As a Black entrepreneur, raised on the south side of Chicago, I feel fortunate to be an employer intentionally growing an investigative technology company that is 90% women, 33% Hispanic, 33% Black and 33% white. Throughout my career, I’ve often been one of a few people of color in a room, and I’ve had to assimilate in a way that other colleagues didn’t. This has to change, and as it does, we all benefit.
Here are three reasons diversity matters for your company, and why you should be investing in it.
It’s Good Business
The business case for diversity grows stronger every year. Just look at places known for their creativity and prosperity, from the Bay Area and New York City to London and Singapore. They are multicultural melting pots with large populations of immigrants; research links immigration to increased innovation and economic performance in cities and regions.
Within individual companies, gender and racial diversity are strongly correlated with profitability. According to research from McKinsey, companies in the top quartile for gender diversity were 21% more likely to be more profitable than average; for ethnic and cultural diversity, the number rose to 33%.
I see the value of diversity in the quality of service our company provides to clients. We work with law enforcement agencies across the country to help vet and hire police officers who will serve in different communities. Because of our team’s collective diverse experiences, we’re able to provide investigative insights that go beyond standard criteria.
It’s incredible to hear our team discuss a candidate, each person contributing a unique perspective. We are from different generations and backgrounds — millennials, Gen Z, baby boomers, former law enforcement officers, parents, high school graduates, tech experts — and together, we create a holistic, 360-degree view of whether a candidate should become an officer or not.
It Opens More Opportunities
A homogenous workplace has inherent limitations. If everyone on your team brings similar thoughts and experiences to a new product brainstorm or a problem-solving discussion, you won’t push beyond your shared comfort zones. When your company is a reflection of society, however, you have access to a wealth of innovative ideas.
Research shows that increased diversity leads to better-quality work, improved decision-making and higher team satisfaction. When you approach differences as a competitive advantage and create a culture where everyone’s opinion is valued, you will be able to find opportunities that other companies may have overlooked.
Our team’s many different strengths have helped us carve out a successful niche in our industry. My background is in tech and not law enforcement, but I can rely on the expertise of others whose skills complement my own. As a team, we combine tech knowledge, investigative experience and common sense to provide the right information to the right people at the right time.
It Attracts The Best Talent
To attract and retain the best talent, especially from younger generations, you have to create a workplace that is open and inclusive on many levels.
In 2019, millennials surpassed baby boomers as the country’s largest living adult generation. Gen Z, composed of people born after 1996, is the most racially and ethnically diverse generation, according to an analysis from Pew Research Center.
Younger workers want to work for companies that value diversity in their teams — not just in racial, ethnic and gender groups but also in experiences, identities and opinions. In a Monster survey, 83% of Gen Z respondents said an employer’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is important to them.
The very people you need to hire are those who will challenge you and the way you’ve always done things. I have seen this clearly in our work with law enforcement clients this year, amid calls from activists to defund the police and address ongoing racial injustice. Police departments already had recruitment problems before 2020, and they’re only exacerbated now.
I tell my clients that the group that is peacefully protesting and rallying for change, which is made up of diverse and passionate citizens, is the answer to the hiring challenges plaguing them. Instead of ignoring or silencing these voices, they should be trying to attract them to help solve problems from the inside out — and redefine what it is to protect and serve.
Diversity is a key driver of innovation. It makes your company, your product and your people better, but you have to be intentional about investing in it.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
40534cf1ed597037b7cecf8abe6e9dda | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/01/tech-leaders-share-10-ways-individuals-can-guard-against-ransomware/?sh=34682f00363c | Tech Leaders Share 10 Ways Individuals Can Guard Against Ransomware | Tech Leaders Share 10 Ways Individuals Can Guard Against Ransomware
getty
Ransomware can cause devastating damage for both individuals and businesses—and as remote work has exploded over the last several months, businesses have become even more vulnerable. Ransomware can block a business’ access to some or all of its digital assets, and recovery is expensive and time-consuming: According to Veritas’ 2020 Ransomware Resiliency Report, 66% of IT professionals and executives surveyed said it would take their companies five or more days to fully recover from a ransomware attack.
It’s not enough for tech leaders to be aware of the scope of the problem. Businesses must educate their team members on protective measures both to decrease their chances of a successful ransomware attack and to help speed recovery efforts in case an attack gets through. To help, 10 members of Forbes Technology Council offer their best advice on how individual users can take an active part in foiling ransomware attempts.
1. Keep your systems patched and updated.
Unfortunately, there is no single silver bullet for preventing a ransomware attack, but first and foremost, keeping systems patched and up to date is critical. Preventing ransomware is a team effort, and ensuring that your team is appropriately trained and aware is key to mitigating any risk. - Gaurav Banga, Balbix
2. Practice zero trust.
Assume any and every digital asset or artifact is compromised, and work backward to perform and whitelist them before using or consuming them. To help protect yourself, eliminate the red flags before you trust anything in the digital world. - Vibhuti Sinha, Saviynt
3. Take a cybersecurity class.
Individuals should be extremely wary of the risks that ransomware brings to their personal data and classified company information. As a result, people should take the initiative to enroll in an online cybersecurity class. With this training, one can be aware of all the various points of attack that hackers use to illegally procure data. - Ashwini Choudhary, Recogni
MORE FOR YOUWhy You Should Stop Using Your Facebook Messenger AppWhy You Should Never Use Google Chrome On Your iPhone, iPad Or MacThe Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine Is Less Effective Against The South African And UK Variants Than Against The Original Virus, According To A New “Real-World” Study From Israel
4. Ensure your antivirus software is up to date.
This may sound obvious and simple, but everyone’s guilty of neglecting software updates from time to time. But security is one aspect that you shouldn’t skip. Antivirus software has really advanced in recent years, and many can now actively monitor your files for even the slightest strange behavior. So check yours today. - Marc Fischer, Dogtown Media LLC
5. Disable RDP on your computer.
Disable remote desktop protocol on your machine. Disabling it will protect you from Filecoder and other RDP threats and exploits that you’re otherwise open to. It is especially important for those working remotely and those who might need this feature for work purposes while being out of the office. - Daria Leshchenko, SupportYourApp Inc.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
6. Leverage endpoint protection.
A vulnerability through a remote workspace allows hackers an entry point to move laterally in a connected network and cripple operations. Individuals can prevent ransomware attacks by leveraging endpoint protection. More sophisticated than traditional antivirus tools, low-cost endpoint protection solutions like CrowdStrike make it possible to mount proper defenses without breaking the budget. - Caleb Barlow, CynergisTek
7. Employ SASE tech.
Organizations can use secure access service edge technology. SASE moves networking and security services to the edge. In the past, if you tried to access your corporate network from an unrecognized IP address, access would have been denied. With SASE, you authenticate into your system and as long as you’re accessing programs and applications that you would normally use, the system knows it’s you. - Jeff Brown, Open Systems
8. Be wary of emailed links and attachments.
Recent data show one in three companies saw an increase in ransomware delivered by phishing during the remote work period between March and July 2020, versus the five months prior. With businesses and remote workers being more vulnerable to these types of attacks, be wary of emails that make urgent requests to click links and download attachments, and always check the sender’s email domain. - Edward Bishop, Tessian
9. Don’t use public Wi-Fi.
Businesses and individuals are using a variety of devices to do more activities remotely and should stay away from public Wi-Fi to avoid online vulnerabilities. Whether it is ransomware or a man-in-the-middle attack, cyberthreats are facilitated by unencrypted public Wi-Fi. While using a virtual private network (VPN) can help, encrypted wireless broadband alternatives offer more robust connectivity options. - Ahmad (Al) Fares, Celitech Inc.
10. Perform daily backups.
Organizations and individuals are vulnerable to ransomware because they practice poor cyber hygiene. Rigorously performing a daily backup of all your critical data and work products on a separate platform that’s disconnected from the internet or any private network makes you immune from ransomware. At worst you may lose some easily replaced hardware, and your business will be able to continue uninterrupted. - John Prisco, Safe Quantum Inc.
|
6955d04f3e23e395f12eedaeaf366002 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/03/how-tech-companies-can-use-providerless-technology-to-help-fix-their-data-privacy-problem/ | How Tech Companies Can Use Providerless Technology To Help Fix Their Data Privacy Problem | How Tech Companies Can Use Providerless Technology To Help Fix Their Data Privacy Problem
Itay Levy is the CEO and Co-Founder of Identiq, the world's first anonymous identity validation network.
getty
I don’t think it’s a secret that the tech world has a data privacy problem. A series of scandals, from Cambridge Analytica to the Equifax data breach and many more, have made consumers aware that the convenience and connectivity we value so highly in our online lives are sometimes achieved at the cost of data privacy — and sometimes with frightening consequences.
Confessions Of A Data Baron
I have a personal history with this problem. My first two startups were Buzzmetrics and Appoxee, which were acquired by Nielsen and Teradata, respectively. Both focused on collecting, analyzing and using consumer data.
In both companies, huge amounts of data passed through our hands — a trust we were enormously careful to protect and use appropriately. But when I began my third startup, I started to worry.
I’d intended to create a social marketing company. In the process, I discovered it was possible to buy a massive variety of personal data online, completely legally, from perfectly respectable third-party data providers.
MORE FOR YOUCovid-19 Weekly Roundup: What Happened With The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?Antibody Startup Adagio Raises $336 Million To Develop A Variant-Proof Treatment For Covid-19Here’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be Diminished
What most people don’t realize is that many companies share their data as standard practice. Even companies that never sell data may still share it with multiple third parties to validate identities or things about those identities. Those third-party providers can then store and reuse that data.
I decided if that was how it worked, I didn’t want to be a part of it. I closed that startup and started exploring alternatives. I discovered providerless technology, the basis of my current company.
Providerless: Powered By Privacy-Enhancing Computation
Providerless technology removes the provider from the equation. Third-party data providers are at the core of much of the way data is copied, shared and transferred. In providerless solutions, they’re replaced by companies interacting directly — a first-party rather than third-party data paradigm.
All the companies in a providerless network benefit from one another’s first-party data. So what about privacy? Often, this challenge is solved using privacy-enhancing computation.
There are a variety of different techniques you can use, many of which companies looking into this trend are already exploring. The most popular are homomorphic encryption, multiparty computation and zero-knowledge proofs, which aim to ensure no sensitive data is ever shared between those on the network.
Privacy-enhancing computation enables different parties to extract value from the data and get actionable results from it without ever sharing the data with those parties.
This idea has such potential that Gartner recently named privacy-enhancing computation as one of the top strategic tech trends of 2021. As Gartner’s report (via Forbes) puts it, this trend allows organizations “to collaborate on research securely across regions and with competitors without sacrificing confidentiality. This approach is designed specifically for the increasing need to share data while maintaining privacy or security.”
Gartner also lists three main ways companies can leverage privacy-enhancing computation:
• Creating a trusted environment in which sensitive data can be analyzed and processed.
• Performing analytics and processing in a decentralized fashion.
• Encrypting data and algorithms before analyzing or processing.
Fixing The Practical Problems
Once companies are no longer routinely sharing users’ personal data with third parties, their data privacy profile will be much improved. What’s so fascinating is that companies can use providerless technologies to solve practical problems as well.
Third-party data is by nature at risk of being stale and unreliable. You never know where it’s from or how accurate or fresh it is. Once you’re working exclusively with first-party data, that problem goes away.
You can also work with data that was previously too sensitive to share — for example, in the fraud prevention use case, credit card and bank account ownership is difficult to validate with the third-party model because few companies want to share such sensitive information. With private providerless networks, it’s possible.
Imagine similar situations with sensitive medical information — how much more effective could medical research be if it used globally gathered, completely anonymous data? Or, you could validate that someone had done a recent test for Covid-19 without ever sharing any other personal data.
Additionally, many data practices we take for granted now are facing serious scrutiny. Consumer concern over privacy has led regulators to take steps. We’ve begun to see the impact of GDPR and CCPA already, and we’re almost certainly only at the beginning of privacy legislation.
Why Cutting Edge Can Be A Competitive Advantage
Tech has had a privacy problem for a while now — and concern over those issues has been growing. Companies that work to create creative solutions that benefit both their business and consumer privacy will be far better positioned to adapt to customer expectations and regulatory demands than those that hope the problem will disappear.
Tech leaders who would like to consider the role of privacy-enhancing computation in their own companies should get creative about where it could be applied. For example:
• Marketing: Just as regulations are tightening what’s possible from a data collecting and user targeting perspective, new solutions such as InfoSum are appearing to solve the problem with a providerless approach.
• Data enrichment: The large consumer credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, have been sources of data enrichment on consumers for decades, but new restrictions may start to be placed on what they can do with their information. Companies looking to verify user identities without using services like these could create a providerless model and implement privacy-enhancing computation.
• Diversity, fairness and inclusion metrics: Companies in Boston have already done this on a small scale. They're taking part in an initiative (using privacy-enhancing computation to ensure employer anonymity) to determine the prevalence of the gender pay gap in their city.
If enough companies and tech leaders work together, technology could both be and be perceived as the source of the problem it created, which could short-circuit the legislative and consumer discussion. Even better, we could create a model for data usage and data privacy that is not only far more effective, but also designed for the needs of our digital age.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
1ae4239b618fa91b1778c512fb46a1fb | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/04/how-the-pandemic-is-transforming-company-culture/?sh=591150d87b10 | How The Pandemic Is Transforming Company Culture | How The Pandemic Is Transforming Company Culture
Ginger Dhaliwal is Upflex Co-Founder & CPO, the largest network of flexible workspaces with 5,000 locations across 70 countries.
getty
Companies that have gone remote during the pandemic are experiencing newfound challenges with their distributed workforce. When it comes to human resources (HR), the goal has always been to attract, retain and grow their talent, as well as help foster company culture. Covid-19 has impacted company culture significantly and has forced leadership to reevaluate their business — and quickly. This reassessment has been the catalyst for innovation, pivoting to stay operable, rethinking how we build our workplace and maintaining business culture online.
A study from Quartz and Qualtrics found that organizational culture had improved during the pandemic. It turns out that 37% of the 2,100 adults globally that took part in the study felt their company culture had improved since the pandemic. And 52% felt more purposeful in their work since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis — which correlates with company culture and is why companies invest so much in its importance.
Workplace culture transcends the office, and it isn’t about arbitrary rules either. It sounds abstract, but there is a science behind it. CultureX built an algorithm for measuring workplace culture in a variety of dimensions and created a framework that organizations can utilize for articulating these elements.
The research was conducted with MIT Sloan Management Review, and the AI-powered approach was used to analyze culture using a dataset from 1.2 million employee reviews on Glassdoor. It provides a more comprehensive picture of organizational culture that goes beyond subjective observations from the world’s top companies. It determined 60 distinct values that organizations listed in their corporate mission statements and identified the “Big Nine” most frequently used: agility, collaboration, customer, diversity, execution, innovation, integrity, performance and respect.
MORE FOR YOUNew Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 13 Design ShockApple iOS 14.5: The Latest iPhone Upgrade Is Going To Be AwesomeIvanka Trump Posts Covid-19 Vaccination Photo, Here Are Responses From QAnon Followers
Let’s look at the values that have been deeply impacted since the start of the pandemic through the lens of businesses that have prioritized these elements.
1. Agility
As I've written about before, companies needed to adopt flexible models quite literally overnight by adjusting their goals and resources to account for ever-changing constraints, opportunities and unpredictability. An article from McKinsey discusses developing an agile framework that looks like jumping on a videoconference quickly to tackle problems and empowering remote teams to have decision-making authority, as opposed to maintaining flat hierarchical structures.
With travel restrictions, commercial airlines were allowed to cut some routes by as much as 90% (paywall) through September. As uncertainty looms for the travel industry, they had to find a solution to stay afloat. So Virgin Atlantic and others launched their first cargo-only flights, and some airlines are pivoting by converting their aircraft to make more cargo space. By doubling down on an existing market share, they’ve been able to generate new revenue sources while others have declined.
2. Innovation
With agility also comes innovation. Sometimes we have to find better ways of doing things to meet customer demands and invent new technology that improves processes in the supply chain or even workplace conditions. Digi-Key, an electronic components distributor, built an ultraviolet sanitation tunnel that could reduce the likelihood of a potential virus outbreak and safeguard its employees. The tunnel can sanitize 8,000-plus totes that travel through it each day. The design didn’t exist previously, and it reportedly took the company three days to design it from scratch.
The best part? The company isn’t keeping the technology secret. The president, Dave Doherty, is collaborating with other distributors on the Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) to share best practices and other ideas for ensuring the safety of their employees and customers.
3. Respect
As Gever Tulley said, “Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems.”
The pandemic has turned our world upside-down and has evolved into a collective experience. To some degree, I've seen every employee become more sympathetic and lead with compassion during these turbulent times because we are all feeling the pain. This resilience and respect for one another is bringing a positive cultural change in the way we treat one another. However, the emotional trauma combined with mental health stressors could have long-lasting implications. October data from Total Brain revealed that "stress and anxiety levels are up 19% and 28% respectively over pre-Covid levels."
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. gave employees access to HeadSpace Inc., a meditation and mindfulness company, back in April. More than 9,000 of its employees had tried it as of June, and they had accumulated more than 500,000 minutes on the application.
4. Customer
U.S. online grocery sales have grown throughout the pandemic. In June, they hit a record-breaking $7.2 billion, according to a Brick Meets Click/Mercatus survey. As customer concerns about the novel coronavirus grew, retailers had to rethink how to utilize their spaces to meet the growing demand.
Whole Foods turned some physical locations into "dark stores" where it essentially transformed the spaces into ones where only employees could package and pick up items. It converted its Bryant Park location to meet online demand and serve more customers, and other retailers are following suit — including Kroger in Cincinnati. Companies have had to make concessions, find new ways to operate by safely delivering food and put the customer first while also ensuring the health and safety of their employees.
The Takeaway
With any tragedy, we have to pick ourselves up and trudge on. In a business environment, threats or uncertainties are obstacles that require new ways to deliver goods and services to meet customer demand and execute against changing realities. The pandemic is having a major impact on company culture. The upside is that more companies have learned how agility should work, and respect, innovation and customer-centricity are becoming ever-important components of workplace culture.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
d4904b2a48446bf3e60c5c9acc916818 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/07/12-key-employee-protocols-to-help-businesses-safeguard-digital-assets/?sh=2d7e226554a9 | 12 Key Employee Protocols To Help Businesses Safeguard Digital Assets | 12 Key Employee Protocols To Help Businesses Safeguard Digital Assets
Most security professionals will tell you that the most vulnerable spot in a company’s digital security net isn’t any particular technology—it’s the users themselves. While digital protection policies start at the top of a company, every team member needs to be an active participant.
It’s wise for tech leaders to develop a set of digital protocols that apply across the company. Below, 12 experts from Forbes Technology Council share their tips for vital steps all employees need to take to ensure robust digital security.
Members of Forbes Technology Council share strategies all companies should employ to help their team members protect digital assets. Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Starting Security Education Early And Refreshing Often
Education is key. To help protect Elastic from attacks targeting our workforce, we provide a program based on communication and training to all personnel with access to Elastic systems, regardless of role. We establish policies in new-hire onboarding and insist on continued education via annual refresher courses throughout an employee’s tenure. - Kim Huffman, Elastic
2. Regularly Testing Security Awareness
Take constant tests and quizzes. My team has found this practice to be most effective when it comes to protection and security, as well as for staying up to date in the matter of new additions. After all, it is the most effective way to ensure that your company’s security rules and regulations are learned and well-remembered through time. - Daria Leshchenko, SupportYourApp Inc.
3. Using A Password Manager
It starts with password security. We require employees to use a company-provided password manager to generate and store strong, unique passwords for each account. While it’s required for use internally, it’s also an employee benefit we encourage people to leverage for personal accounts. A compromised personal password reused in a work context could enable criminals’ easy entry into your network. - David Endler, SpyCloud
MORE FOR YOUWhy You Should Stop Using Your Facebook Messenger AppWhy You Should Never Use Google Chrome On Your iPhone, iPad Or MacThe Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine Is Less Effective Against The South African And UK Variants Than Against The Original Virus, According To A New “Real-World” Study From Israel
4. Practicing Good Credential Hygiene And Enabling Auto-Updates
We strongly recommend all employees practice good credential hygiene. That means not using weak or default admin/system passwords; instead, consider using a strong phrase. Also, ensure your employees have proper security training to avoid phishing attacks and downloading malware. Lastly, enable automatic updates for the operating system you are using and update as recommended. These should be table stakes but are often forgotten practices. - Gaurav Banga, Balbix
5. Implementing Two-Factor Authentication
Digital protection starts with active security protocols. All employees should utilize two-factor authentication on all logins, as 2FA acts as a kind of “double lock,’’ securing private information while validating user identity. While a basic security protocol, it’s one way to ward off potential hackers with the added benefit of reminding everyone within your organization that security is there. - Robert Weissgraeber, AX Semantics
6. Using A VPN
Most executives feel the shift to remote work has increased the need for data loss prevention strategies and for good reason: Not all employees share the same security priorities. Tapping into unsecured Wi-Fi networks is just one example. Yet, the solution that can and will cover a lot of ground is to encourage employees to use a virtual private network before signing on. Encryption is key. - Meghann Chilcott, EHR Data
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
7. Purging Outdated, Unused Data
What all employees should be doing but usually don’t is purging outdated, unused data. Any data no longer needed for daily operations is a nuclear asset that increases the “blast radius” of harm if a business is breached. To manage and protect digital properties properly, companies should create annual mandates on cleaning out outdated, unused data to create good hygiene habits. - Caleb Barlow, CynergisTek
8. Replace Or Supplement Web-Based File Sharing
Utilize a unified file sharing application internally either alongside or instead of something Web-based such as Google Docs, which may be more prone to data breaches. This will not only keep internal data and documents safely stored, but it can also help protect any sensitive client information. - Andrew Jornod, VertexOne
9. Not Sending Sensitive Info To Personal Email
Never send sensitive company or client information to personal email accounts, even if it’s just to print a document out at home. Although the action is often well-intentioned, valuable data now sits in an environment that is not secured by the company, leaving it vulnerable to cybercriminals, and your company could be at risk of breaching data protection regulations such as GDPR. - Edward Bishop, Tessian
10. Limiting Access To Consumer Data
At InfoCepts, we take customer data privacy very seriously. Our need-to-know policy is enforced, and only associates who need access to customer data are provided access to the systems and data stores. Data flow across project teams is restricted by physical and digital controls. Systems-based controls are coupled with training so associates are fully aware of why data privacy is crucial and how to ensure it. - Shashank Garg, InfoCepts
11. Not Clicking Unknown Email Links
Since digital assets are very valuable to an organization, one key protocol is not to click on any links in emails that come from untrusted members or unknown sources. Conducting separate employee training with email protection software will go a long way to help. - Buyan Thyagarajan, Eigen X
12. Reporting Anything Out Of The Ordinary
If you see something, say something. If someone notices something out of the ordinary, such as an unusual piece of code or a newly created file, they should immediately report it. By definition, hackers and their activities don’t belong in the environments they target, so it is up to everyone to identify when things are out of place and up-level it to those who can prevent further intrusion. - Fabrizio Blanco, Viant Technology
|
2fef6878f7f2a5ccbc76522e4ddabae6 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/07/five-essential-components-of-a-healthy-organization/ | Five Essential Components Of A Healthy Organization | Five Essential Components Of A Healthy Organization
Technology leader with over 20 years of experience taking products to market and helping organizations realize their strategic goals.
getty
Organizations begin with leaders putting many components in place as they take a product to market. But it is imperative that leaders establish five critical building blocks aimed at setting up an organization for success. Without them, an organization will struggle to grow and achieve a healthy culture. These components are values (having a clear identity), purpose (finding the why), people (the right team in the right roles), partnerships (like-minded companies to collaborate) and planning (the necessary steps to realize the mission).
Values
Values are the moral compass of an organization, laying the foundation upon which everything else is built. Whether explicitly identified or not, your organization carries them in the behaviors and traits of the people who comprise it. Identifying those values, however, is only half the battle; they should be the drivers of every conversation.
In my last Forbes article, "The Importance of Values-Centric Leadership," I discussed how leaders in an organization are responsible for moving values from the wall into the boardroom, day-to-day operations and every conversation in the company. The most effective way to realize values is through a leadership team that embodies and weaves them into meetings with the staff and conversations with clients or prospective employees.
Yes, values should be physically on display, but the most enduring and more powerful impact is attained through leaders who embody the values that define the organization.
Purpose
MORE FOR YOUSidewalk Labs Spinout Replica Raises $41 Million Series BInnovationRx: Health Insurer Profits; Plus 200 Million VaccinationsPatients Can’t Be Charged Fees For A Covid-19 Vaccine — Here’s What To Do If You Got Billed For It
A growing organization needs to articulate its purpose — its why — behind everything it does. Without a clear raison d’etre, an organization will struggle to define its mission (i.e., what its vision is and how it plans to accomplish it). With a clear why, what and how, an organization can define its value proposition, which differentiates its offering from the competition.
In contrast, a company that does not have a clear purpose will struggle to identify its value proposition and will always find it difficult to home in on whom it is best equipped to serve. In Start With Why, Simon Sinek says, “All organizations start with WHY, but only the great ones keep their WHY clear year after year.” A purpose-driven organization has a clear identity; it knows who its ideal client is and how to best help them face their toughest challenges because it knows its why, what and how.
People
Values should be the benchmark used as a measure for fit when considering those who become part of your organization. As you grow, those you interview should remind you of the people on your team who display those values daily. A candidate without similarities to your existing team is a red flag. Companies that place a person’s experience or skills above values alignment do so at their own peril and create a culture where ego is king.
A leader owns the career of those they lead, and coaching someone with a values misalignment is virtually impossible. As you coach and grow each person who makes up your organization, they need to feel empowered to contribute and feel the responsibility of making the mission a reality. When you hire based on values, you will find that growing someone’s career will be a joy, not a burden; a privilege, not a to-do. A company that assembles a team that is values-based and purpose-driven grows people exponentially, promotes from within and finds it easy to attract excellent talent.
Partnerships
Much like when hiring people onto your team, it is important to look for values alignment when establishing business partnerships. It might seem counterintuitive to focus on ensuring that both companies are aligned on values before moving to competencies, but in my experience, this pays dividends in the end.
I have had the pleasure of working with companies that interviewed me as the client to ensure both companies were aligned on culture and values. One of those companies is Honeycomb Software, which prioritizes chemistry between its staff and their clients. I know firsthand that it is very easy to find a company that can provide a team of excellent developers, but it is different to partner with a company whose team will embody your values, culture and work ethic as they help you take a product to market.
When the vendor is trying to protect their culture by ensuring their client is a good fit, you are on the road to cultural alignment and a long-lasting partnership.
Planning
A long-term plan should turn your mission into reality. Everything you work on today, this week, this month, this quarter and this year should carry this question with it: How is what we are working on right now supporting and helping the organization execute its long-term plan?
If the answer is not clear, then you might not be focusing on the right things. If what you are working on today does not support that long-term plan, it does not support your mission and is a distraction. It is vital that leaders hold themselves accountable for staying focused on what helps realize the long-term plan. Leaders who constantly change what is mission-critical create confusion, add friction and deplete the organization of energy. Leaders with a laser-like focus on the plan that makes the mission a reality inspire the rest of the organization to remain focused on their respective goals as well. Everything — from the day-to-day stuff to yearly goals — is a building block in executing the plan and realizing the mission.
Conclusion
A company that embodies its values, places the right people in the right seats, maintains a clear purpose, establishes successful partnerships and has a plan to realize its mission can achieve anything. This company is powerful because it knows itself and its values, and it knows how to build the right team with a clear purpose and direction to make its mission a reality.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
f9701f8ea9d5e35d54e592714a6b41a1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/07/how-hospitals-are-handling-compliance-in-a-resource-constrained-environment/?sh=30b85f8d2c77 | How Hospitals Are Handling Compliance In A Resource-Constrained Environment | How Hospitals Are Handling Compliance In A Resource-Constrained Environment
CEO of Protenus, leveraging AI to reduce risk and improve patient trust for healthcare systems across North America.
getty
This past year, healthcare has experienced unprecedented obstacles and struggles, but it also has displayed its unparalleled strength. In a pandemic or national emergency, healthcare should always favor accessibility to data and collaboration in order to foster data exchange — even if there is some risk. It’s those data linkages that are essential for triaging the crisis and ultimately getting ahead of it, whether it’s contact tracing, epidemiology or rapidly developing necessary medical interventions.
It can be imperative to sacrifice some individual rights for what we believe to be the common good. At the same time, we are still obligated, professionally and ethically, to do what we can to enforce compliance regulations that reduce institutional risk and help ensure patient safety.
Operations Changed Overnight
In December 2019, a poll by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center showed that Americans were concerned about healthcare affordability and the addiction crisis. By March 2020, all these concerns took a backseat to the risks of Covid-19. Within weeks, hospitals were forced to eliminate elective procedures to make room for acutely ill patients and to protect their staff and others from the highly contagious disease.
Once the threat of the coronavirus became a national emergency, the pandemic quickly revealed vulnerabilities in the American healthcare system, which had to change immediately in order to have a fighting chance at effectively protecting front-life staff while treating the influx of ill patients.
MORE FOR YOUSidewalk Labs Spinout Replica Raises $41 Million Series BPatients Can’t Be Charged Fees For A Covid-19 Vaccine — Here’s What To Do If You Got Billed For ItAntibody Startup Adagio Raises $336 Million To Develop A Variant-Proof Treatment For Covid-19
The essential point here is that hospitals had to change their way of doing business almost overnight. There was no time for long meetings and careful decision-making. Things had to happen quickly, and decisions had to be made immediately. Yet, for an industry that is historically known to be slow to adopt paradigm shifts, it made the necessary changes in order to ensure its response was proactive, not reactive, to the current challenges. Such changes included setting up field hospitals in nonmedical facilities, hospitals reallocating staff to other areas of the organization, and instituting telehealth services to better serve their patients.
Increased Financial Vulnerability
While the pandemic highlighted that the industry can, in fact, change quickly when necessary, it also exposed the financial vulnerability of the healthcare system. This situation may seem counterintuitive because healthcare has always seemed like one of the most stable industries in the country. However, when faced with the rapidly increasing demand for ICU beds, ventilators, and other equipment while also having to halt revenue-generating elective procedures, hospitals were left in a financial crisis.
This crisis resulted in furloughing key roles of those in the healthcare sector, especially those within compliance. Eliminating, even temporarily, compliance personnel can increase the risk profile of the organization. These teams are critical in reducing institutional risk. Without them, organizations may fall victim to myriad incidents that could significantly damage a hospital or healthcare clinic. With the current financial stress on health systems due to Covid-19, a single breach could be a major blow to an already struggling hospital.
Looking ahead, healthcare must learn to operate in a lean environment while still delivering the level of care the U.S. healthcare system is known for. For compliance programs, this will mean ensuring organizational policies and procedures with even fewer resources than they are accustomed to.
Threats Persist
Covid-19 has not only introduced new resource challenges for healthcare compliance teams, but it has also presented new data vulnerabilities as well.
But technology has helped large organizations respond to the data challenges created by the pandemic. For example, the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University created a real-time dashboard to track infections and deaths worldwide.
The tech industry has also applied artificial intelligence (AI) to help with contract tracing and vaccine development. While these types of advancements have been instrumental in understanding the scope of the pandemic, data vulnerabilities remain an issue.
Covid-19 patients have become especially vulnerable to breaches as the general public is increasingly interested in clinical outcomes and any possible community exposure. In early September, it was revealed that former employees of Hennepin Healthcare had viewed George Floyd's healthcare records without authorization. Insider snooping is one of the possible spikes in privacy violations as hospital staff become curious or concerned about co-workers who have tested positive for Covid-19. These challenges around the availability and accessibility of patient data increase the burden of compliance teams, with already few resources.
AI Allows Teams To Do More With Less
Healthcare will continue to make quick decisions as the industry grapples with the ongoing pandemic, and it will continue to use patient data to make critical decisions on how to best care for patients and its workforce. With the increased risk that accompanies this kind of data sharing, it will be crucial for organizations to best leverage their resources to maintain compliance.
Leveraging a centralized compliance program is an efficient and cost-effective way for compliance teams to harness their resources and ensure their organization’s policies are being enforced. This unique program allows teams to achieve a single-pane-of-glass view, providing the ability to view incident alerts and monitor the case status from generation through resolution. This insight also allows teams to better understand unique data trends within their organization and prevent future compliance incidents from occurring. Organizations should also leverage resources and technology that can quickly adapt to the evolving needs of the pandemic and review 100% of auditable events to identify risky behavior.
As healthcare continues to endure the ongoing ramifications of Covid-19, there will be increased vulnerabilities and risk associated with the data sharing and collaborations necessary to combat this devastating illness. However, the pandemic has shown us that healthcare can move quickly and make decisions to ensure its response is proactive — not reactive.
Healthcare compliance has the opportunity to leverage this agent of change and quickly shift the compliance paradigm to one that is proactive, ensuring organizational compliance even in the resource-constrained environment of the pandemic.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
1880e630f96772ae42784bee0061fb35 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/08/12-disruptive-technologies-that-will-change-the-world-in-2021-and-beyond/?sh=19d3ce502170 | 12 Disruptive Technologies That Will Change The World In 2021—And Beyond | 12 Disruptive Technologies That Will Change The World In 2021—And Beyond
getty
Even during a pandemic, the tech industry has continued to evolve. Some changes—such as the explosion of e-commerce and the increasing use of smart assistants—have been driven by Covid-19’s effect on everyday living. Others, such as 5G and edge computing, have been on the horizon or the fringes for some time but are now seeing more widespread implementation.
Among the several “disruptive” technologies that have grabbed headlines recently, what can we expect to see truly impacting businesses and consumers in 2021 and beyond? Below, 12 tech industry leaders from Forbes Technology Council share their predictions on the technologies that will be game-changers in the months and years ahead.
1. Automated Risk Management
Automated risk management will have a major impact. For too long, risk management has been rearview-mirror-focused and reactive. Typical approaches are periodic and focused on a single point in time. Risk is not static, it is dynamic, and it needs to be managed in real time and continuously. Our ability to leverage automation and digital technologies makes this possible. Covid-19 proved the case. Enterprises will move to continuous risk monitoring. - Atul Vashistha, Supply Wisdom
2. Secure Access Service Edge Platforms
Outdated network security architectures are not capable of securing remote work or the cloud. As such, cloud-based SASE platforms will continue to have a major impact in 2021. They will replace several disjointed point products and extend consistent protections to all enterprise resources through a single control point, delivering cost savings in the process. - Anurag Kahol, Bitglass
3. Low-Code/No-Code
Low-code/no-code tools are going to greatly expand. Every Gartner&McKinsey report tells you to “digitally transform.” Low-code/no-code puts a lot of power into the hands of small businesses. Suddenly, your customer relationship management tool is getting leads from your social media. Your operations data is continuously fed into your invoicing. Projects that require software developers will be done by others. - David Moise, Decide Consulting
MORE FOR YOUHow Vaccine Companies Are Battling Covid-19 VariantsBioNTech’s Humble Billionaire CEO On The Next Era Of mRNA VaccinesTwo New Studies Show Link Between AstraZeneca-Oxford Vaccine And Rare Blood Clots
4. 5G
The implementation of 5G will take a big chunk of our attention in 2021. With eight countries already testing it, it is certain that we are going to see more countries and cities get 5G connection. As a result, the industry will boom because of the extensive need for hardware that can work with this type of connection, from routers to new smartphones. 5G is set to become the next big thing in 2021. - Daria Leshchenko, SupportYourApp Inc.
5. Chatbots And Smart Assistants
Chatbots were already extremely popular prior to the pandemic. But now that people are working from home, they’re utilizing these innovations for both household tasks and business endeavors. As they become more integral to both our personal and professional lives, Alexa, Google Home and other smart assistants will only expand in their utility from here on out. - Marc Fischer, Dogtown Media LLC
6. Voice Pay Solutions
I think we are going to see some pretty amazing things from voice search next year. Believe it or not, one in four adults in the U.S. owns a smart speaker. I think some big businesses are going to shift over to voice pay in 2021, which would be a major disruption as other businesses are forced to adapt. - Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
7. Improved Natural Language Processing
The ability of a system to read and interpret natural language is vital as organizations produce more data. BERT is an open-source training model that improves the efficiency and effectiveness of NLP models. It also enables models to be trained on smaller datasets without the need to train from scratch. This will bring significant advantages for enterprise search and AI. - Alexandre Bilger, Sinequa
8. Edge Computing
Now that cloud computing is no longer an “emerging” technology, the massification of edge computing is looking like the next big leap for business tech. The main thing edge computing has going for it is its ability to perform complex operations in low-latency environments, which opens a lot of doors for improving the new forms of distributed operations that many businesses have adopted today. - Nacho De Marco, BairesDev
9. Digital Health Tech
The use of digital health technologies has accelerated in 2020, which has allowed clinicians to maintain care continuity with their patients while also keeping everyone safe and socially distanced at home. In the future, we can expect more creative use of digital tech as we seek to keep patients on track with their care plans and prevent disease progression during a global pandemic. - Trisha Swift, ZeOmega Population Health Solutions
10. HIPAA-Compliant Meeting Software
HIPAA-compliant meetings will be a game-changer. The one tech that everyone needs to use amidst the pandemic is something that is secure and hard to hack. There is Zoom and then there is Doxy, which already allows flexibility of “waiting rooms,” secure meetings, chatting, etc. It’s everything you would need to safely work remotely. - WaiJe Coler, InfoTracer
11. New Data Prediction Models
The pandemic has reinforced the need for companies to operate in a more dynamic, automated and efficient way. There is going to be an explosion of new data pipelines feeding more complex prediction models to augment and improve everything from demand forecasting to autonomous vehicles. Platforms like Databricks—and lesser-known platforms such as Kubeflow—are great examples feeding these models. - Campbell Brown, PredictHQ
12. Embedded SIM
In the new era of “remote everything”, businesses and consumers need to be online more than ever. Embedded SIM or eSIM is a new technology built into smart devices enabling wireless connectivity to be acquired and activated digitally without using any physical hardware (i.e., SIM cards). As connectivity becomes a daily necessity, eSIM enables online businesses to improve their reach and engagement. - Ahmad (Al) Fares, Celitech Inc.
|
8dffb27b356daa757a43db50686b8f25 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/08/from-startup-to-industry-leader-four-simple-steps/ | From Startup To Industry Leader: Four Simple Steps | From Startup To Industry Leader: Four Simple Steps
Co-Founder & CPO of Perimeter 81, a leading Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) service, leading the company's product, vision and growth.
getty
For every startup that hustled its way from a small business to an industry leader, there are thousands more that never made it beyond the SMB stage. That’s to be expected. But it can be hard to admit that not every business will become a multinational brand (just as not every basketball player can go pro) — even if that’s something all ambitious founders desire.
What separates the industry leaders from the less successful? One reason: The will to change is just as important for startup founders as ambition. Naive founders who stick with the same business model or with the same target audience envisioned in their original plan quickly hit obstacles and don’t understand why. Experienced founders, on the other hand, know that learning and striving for change is vital. They work to take themselves out of their comfort zone and program open-mindedness into their role.
This wasn’t a comfortable shift for me, but it helped push my security startup from a fresh industry entrant to a niche leader, so it’s become my go-to advice for the less-experienced founders I meet. Here are the four steps I tell them are essential to embracing change and establishing yourself as an industry leader.
The Purposeful Pivot
My partner Amit and I started in the VPN space. We noticed that business customers were already aware of how feeble VPNs are at protecting corporate networks. Once we had made a successful exit, we launched Perimeter 81 to be something more — a unified platform that would serve multiple security tools over the cloud.
MORE FOR YOUNew Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 13 Design ShockNew iPhone Leak Reveals Apple’s ‘Next Level’ iPhone UpgradeApple iOS 14.5: The Latest iPhone Upgrade Is Going To Be Awesome
But pivoting from our old product into a new one was more complex than we anticipated, and because we still had the resources of a very small startup, we needed to prioritize. I decided to make a few changes, mostly to try to open my eyes to what might be happening outside my normal day-to-day perspective.
These four steps helped me embrace change, build a better product and elevate the entire business.
1. Let customers tear apart your MVP: The best way to find a productive direction is to get it directly from customers. Customers are really picky, and experienced founders know that rather than designing around customers, you should design through them. They’ll more often than not suggest use cases for the MVP or ways it can improve, and this is when smart founders perk up their ears. Be on these calls or train your people to be vigilant for clues.
I made it my job to be on at least one customer call per day as a silent observer. What I learned from this experience was priceless: Many customers simply weren’t interested in the types of features we had prioritized, yet some networking features that they noticed weren’t present helped inform a new concept that quickly began to take shape.
2. Get a 360-degree view of your market: Once customers give direction for a new feature and you have the concept on paper, it’s important to explore if the same thing exists elsewhere and, if so, what competitors are doing. We had added networking functionality to our product plan, and after conducting an analysis of product, pricing and messaging of relevant competitors, I better understood how we could stand out.
Companies in our space were starting to move in the direction of commoditized security over the cloud, as we were, but many required users to connect through an agent. We decided — again, informed through customer feedback — that agentless access would help us win the market share of companies who need secure access for the unmanaged devices of consultants, freelancers and outsourced workers. Founders looking to nail down their positioning should prioritize competitor awareness in this way.
3. Stay close with industry analysts: The most authoritative voices and most informed minds in your industry are the analysts at Gartner, Forrester and other top firms. Get to know them. These firms can help you gain a broad yet precise view of your space, size up the biggest competition, learn about new trends and reposition your product. Their awareness of your brand is also priceless — they’ll notice and trumpet your success.
We happened to meet with Gartner at a pivotal moment in security: when it released a report declaring that SASE, a unified cloud-based product, would soon begin to make industry waves. The report validated our budding product and put a label on the trend we were already seeing in our space.
4. Build a brand atop the foundation: Branding is the way your mature product will gain the lead — and keep it. The why of your company should be your brand, not what you sell or how your product works. Your single value — in our case, making security simple — is the epicenter of every ad, campaign, feature, blog and partnership.
Part of the fun in early success is folding capital back into brand-building activities, and despite that it’s sometimes hard to peg down ROI, things like conferences, PR opportunities or investing in a new design language have surprising power.
Move Or Die
Competitive startups need to stay on the move, but it’s hard to know which direction to go. By changing my perspective and using these four steps, I designed a customer feedback and feature-vetting loop that I could rely on. It helped me and my partner go from recognizing a need in the marketplace to addressing that need better than anyone else.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
b8d43aadf0be5df81fc0b66fde92a668 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/09/16-personal-hacks-tech-leaders-use-to-manage-their-daily-workflows/ | 16 Personal Hacks Tech Leaders Use To Manage Their Daily Workflows | 16 Personal Hacks Tech Leaders Use To Manage Their Daily Workflows
getty
Every leader develops their own unique processes to get work done efficiently. With so much on their plates, tech leaders not only need to know business hacks—they need personal hacks to manage their day-to-day tasks, from packed email inboxes to tech tickets to team meetings to deadlines and beyond.
The members of Forbes Technology Council are seasoned industry leaders accustomed to tackling long to-do lists each day. That’s why we asked them to share the tricks they use for managing their day-to-day workflow. Their best recommendations are below.
1. Writing Down The Task At Hand
With so many interruptions around, sometimes it’s difficult to maintain one’s focus. One little trick that I recommend is writing down on a small piece of paper the task you will be working on during the next 20 minutes—before you work on it. This will direct your intention toward that task, increase your focus and serve as a reminder in case you get distracted. - Marius Vetrici Ph.D., WPRiders
2. Using A Single Task List
Work, personal tasks, volunteering—they all tend to have separate workflows. My day-to-day efficiency improved dramatically when I started managing all of my tasks, both personal and work-related, on one list. Each day starts with going over the list and deciding what must happen today. Pick one task-management app you like and make it the focal point of all your tasks. - Tom Ahi Dror, Swimm
3. Putting Pen To Paper
In a world where we have so many productivity tools—our iPhones, Outlook, Slack, Zoom, etc.—my organization hack involves a book, a pen, and writing down my to-do list every morning and reviewing it every evening. The evening review is especially important to ensure I’m ready for the next day without having to scramble in the morning. Old fashioned? Perhaps. Productive? Absolutely. - Chetan Mathur, Next Pathway
MORE FOR YOUCovid-19 Weekly Roundup: What Happened With The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?Here’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedRobotics Startup Canvas Raises $24 Million To Revitalize Construction
4. Writing Down Your Top Tasks For The Next Day
I follow Marc Andreessen’s approach to personal productivity: Before wrapping up the day, write down three to five things to be accomplished the next day. If these tasks are done, it is a successful day. Consciously avoid checking emails more than three times a day. In almost all cases, an email reply can wait six to eight hours. Additionally, my calendar is closed for any external meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays. - Jai Pradeesh, DeepSource
5. Scheduling Shorter Meetings
One hack that’s worked for me is to schedule longer meetings for 45 minutes versus 60 minutes and shorter meetings for 25 minutes instead of 30 minutes. This gives me small pockets of time in my otherwise packed day of meetings to respond to emails, get quick tasks done and ensure I’m better prepared for the next interaction. - Gregory Webb, AppViewX
6. Setting Firm Boundaries For Communicating With You
Be firm on boundaries. There has to be a process for communication. If staff call, text, chat, DM or otherwise hit you up on your personal devices, etc., that’s a big non-starter, because you’ll never corral it all. Too many times people reach out based on what’s convenient for them and not on what’s the best way for them to get a response. They need to be told early and often which is the fastest contact method—and then they should stick to it. - Seth Wasserman, Menin Hospitality
7. Delegating Non-Essential Tasks
My biggest hack is realizing that only about 10% of my day-to-day tasks are important. I filter out the unimportant tasks by delegating them. I always think back to the classic Harvard Business Review article, “Management Time: Who’s Got the Monkey?” Nine out of 10 times, it’s an issue that they can resolve on their own, so I ask them to take ownership. - Ruchi Goyal, Accenture
8. Breaking Tasks Into Bite-Sized Action Items
One method that helps manage tasks and deadlines is making a list of two to five things you want to achieve the next day. These should be detailed, bite-sized and actionable items that are small enough to accomplish in a few hours. Keep an eye on items that don’t get completed a few days in a row. If you aren’t making progress you should consider breaking those down into smaller, more consumable steps. - AJ Shankar, Everlaw
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
9. Centralizing Information And Processes
We have found it helpful to centralize our information and processes. We use Notion to do this. It’s where all our documentation, to-do-lists, project boards, etc. now live. I’ve personally been using it to sort my daily tasks, with links to all the documents and information I need. It’s been really handy in terms of keeping everything in one place and organizing my workflow. - Chris Hobbs, TTT Studios
10. Distinguishing What’s ‘Urgent’ From What’s ‘Important’
As a leader, your attention is constantly in demand. Often the loudest voice is heard the most, and handling them in time makes you feel competent. But there’s a signal, and there’s noise—prioritize based on that and say “No” when needed. This, combined with delegating, is a great framework. Make space on your team for trusted people to help. - Diana Xhumari, Tegeria
11. Creating An Integrated Digital Checklist
A simple digital checklist of action items integrated with my calendar is so simple yet so powerful. I recently started using Microsoft To Do, which integrates cleanly with my Outlook calendar and flagged emails. It’s made it much easier to stay on top of items without being surrounded by copious amounts of paper. - Tim Maliyil, AlertBoot
12. Leveraging Email Reminders
One of the biggest helpers for me is the heavy use of email reminders. My favorite is followupthen.com—I’ve been using them for over 10 years. There’s so much noise out there that reaching someone can take two or three follow-up emails, just because their email may be crowded. Second to that for me is the “Delay Send” feature for email, which helps with replies and lets me work asynchronously as well. - Steven Mih, Ahana
13. Following The ‘One-Minute Rule’
If something can be done within a minute, just do it—even if it isn’t the most important item on your list. This will remove many of the items on the list, reducing your anxiety. It also makes you feel better about taking up the most critical tasks and those that will take a longer time—definitely more than a minute! - Henry Peter, Ushur
14. Filtering Emails
A lot of times technical leaders are copied on everything. I keep my inbox filtered by subject so that I see a complete email chain before replying or asking questions. This ensures my comments are always relevant. Plus, I do not answer every email as it arrives, as many issues get resolved without my involvement. Just remember to check with the team to get the full details and fix. - Jay Marshall, Eyelock LLC
15. Building In Buffer Time
When I create my calendar, I generally try to include some buffer time in between two tasks. Keeping some buffer time is key for me—otherwise, one task going overtime delays the whole day. Additionally, establishing a routine helps. For example, I start the morning with a glance at my calendar and make adjustments if needed. I then go through my inbox and mark emails that need an action or a reply. - Vikram Joshi, pulsd
16. Setting Aside Meeting-Free Time
I block my Wednesdays for deep work without any meetings and Fridays for meetings with the team only. The rest of the week is when I spend time meeting with people outside of the company, including potential hires, investors and sales prospects. This prevents me from getting overwhelmed with meetings and helps me carve out time to work on important things that need my attention. - Sanket Saurav, DeepSource
|
494c541f6690db2d0537b23bdbda91e7 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/10/forget-2021-predictions-healthcare-should-learn-from-2020/?sh=4370083a14bb | Forget 2021 Predictions: Healthcare Should Learn From 2020 | Forget 2021 Predictions: Healthcare Should Learn From 2020
Co-Founder and President at Redox, the modern API for healthcare with an integration platform to securely and efficiently exchange data.
getty
Every December, thought leaders usher in a new year by predicting what trends will impact their respective industries in the coming months. However, the disruption created by the Covid-19 pandemic rendered any rational 2020 prediction null and void — especially in healthcare. With so much uncertainty still lingering, crystal ball gazing feels like an exercise in futility.
So instead of throwing darts in the dark, it may be wiser to replace the traditional new year’s predictions with new year’s prescriptions based on 2020 observations.
Prescription 1: Facilitate telehealth through infrastructure.
As the adage goes necessity is the mother of invention. But in 2020, necessity has actually been the mother of adoption, and by this, I mean technology, especially as it relates to telehealth. With the increased risks that the pandemic has placed on in-person visits, patients who were once reluctant to use telehealth — whether because of technology apprehension or preference for face-to-face interaction — are now embracing it. As a result, telehealth is taking off.
Telehealth adoption has also gotten a boost federally. For example, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted reimbursement for telehealth visits at the same rates as in-person visits, and the Department of Health and Human Services eased measures that restricted the use of telehealth. The result was a 50% increase in telehealth adoption for primary care visits between January and June.
MORE FOR YOUSidewalk Labs Spinout Replica Raises $41 Million Series BInnovationRx: Health Insurer Profits; Plus 200 Million VaccinationsPatients Can’t Be Charged Fees For A Covid-19 Vaccine — Here’s What To Do If You Got Billed For It
In rural communities — or anywhere with connectivity challenges — access to the internet and broadband service must be addressed. Also, underserved communities should have access to telehealth outposts — nearby booths where patients can conduct private virtual appointments. This is an opportunity for a continued push for technology adoption to include care delivery outside of traditional settings.
Prescription 2: Double down on innovation.
Covid-19 is driving people toward a more consumer-like approach to healthcare in which they seek out care that best fits their needs, based on value, convenience and lifestyle. A key component of this shift has been technology that makes the experience easier to manage and allows patients to identify all their options.
Another driving force in engagement: digital natives. Perhaps for the first time in their lives, this demographic has a collective reason to participate in their healthcare experience, and unlike their parents and grandparents, navigating processes digitally is second nature to them. Simply put, a digital-first experience is nonnegotiable to younger people.
In the coming year, it’s critical that more apps be made available that simplify the healthcare process, bring telehealth directly to devices, and allow people to collect and share health data with clinicians. Even more, healthcare partnerships with big retailers that continue to get skin in the healthcare game will make healthcare more convenient and easier to access.
Prescription 3: Make interoperability a greater priority.
During the pandemic, people are interacting with a variety of healthcare organizations, including primary care physicians, specialists, pharmacies and drive-through testing facilities. When their healthcare data doesn’t follow them to each provider, there can be delays in care or redundant services rendered. In the absence of data, speed and accuracy of care — two factors that are critically important to slow the spread of a pandemic — are negatively impacted.
Coupled with price transparency, consumers should be able to manage their health information for preventive and chronic care. The recent strides in interoperability regulation have crystallized the mandate for healthcare organizations to share data without friction to ensure accurate, timely care. But we need a more standardized infrastructure that connects all healthcare information, which will greatly improve care quality. The recently announced delay to regulations that would facilitate greater data sharing in data-blocking regulation shouldn’t slow us down from being on the right side of history here.
Prescription 4: Take on more risk (when it makes sense).
During the pandemic, regular doctor visits dipped, which, for providers, meant a huge drop in revenues, leading to downsizing and losing already slim profit margins. Meanwhile, reduced utilization meant fewer claims for payers to pay out, resulting in them sitting on stacks of cash (that may end up needing to be returned to members).
However, providers and health systems that adopted value-based care reimbursement models fared far better — and others should take note of their success. In short, the decades-long movement from a fee-for-service to value-based care reimbursement model shifts risk to providers and health systems, aligning incentives throughout the supply chain. But this shift has been slow and difficult, with the majority of healthcare payments still being reimbursed through fee-for-service models.
In 2020, the nexus of power in healthcare seems to have shifted to cash-rich payers. In the coming year, we could see them taking on more care delivery through telehealth, chronic care management programs and employed providers — essentially striving for something resembling value-based care coming in from the payer side.
This year has been a veritable healthcare snow globe: shaken vigorously, with structures landing in different places than they once were. We're seeing an increasing demand in health tech and digital health solutions, particularly in diagnostics and remote patient monitoring. The significant disruption has also shown us that healthcare can move quickly; the industry now has an opportunity to hit the reset button on how it addresses its relationship with patients and the care it offers. The coming year represents an unprecedented opportunity to take advantage of this turning point in healthcare and rebuild it to delight consumers amid their newfound expectations for getting the care they deserve in a format they demand.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
99f55fcd9dcca6b750573a663e03f0b1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/10/offshore-versusnearshore-software-development/ | Offshore Versus Nearshore Software Development | Offshore Versus Nearshore Software Development
Steve Taplin is the CEO and Co-Founder of Sonatafy Technology, a leading provider of experienced nearshore software developers and engineers
getty
The ability to cut costs by employing the growing, skilled labor pools of developing nations has driven a massive shift toward offshoring. Software development offshoring boomed at the beginning of the 21st century in India, a nation that remains a major player in global software development.
However, offshoring is no longer the goose that lays the golden egg. The challenges of offshore operations have driven many companies back to domestic operations. That said, nearshore software development allows for domestic efficiency at dramatically reduced labor costs.
Offshore Software Development
One of the best uses of offshore software development is to use a “follow the sun” model, which essentially has your global team making progress on your software and working issues 24 hours a day. In other words, you can smoothly pass projects between offices and time zones, increasing responsiveness and reducing delays. Additionally, many companies have had success having their offshore team focus on quality assurance and testing (versus production work), allowing them to roll out software releases faster.
While offshoring promises to drastically reduce costs such as labor, it also comes with expenses of its own. Potentially complex legal requirements are just a few of these factors, which include distance and linguistic barriers. When the offshoring boom first occurred, labor costs were so low that the disadvantages seemed marginal. Since then, the developing nations that play home to offshoring operations have seen explosive economic growth.
MORE FOR YOUNew Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 13 Design ShockThe Dell Tech And VMware Spin-Off Benefits EverybodyIvanka Trump Posts Covid-19 Vaccination Photo, Here Are Responses From QAnon Followers
One important example is India. India is one of the most popular offshoring destinations for software development and IT, and it routinely posts close to 10% annual GDP growth. In recent years, real inflation-adjusted wages in India have consistently grown by approximately 5% annually. Rising wages erode the only real advantage of offshoring, while the disadvantages are inherent and permanent.
The disadvantages of outsourcing software-oriented projects may not be immediately apparent. Many wouldn't imagine that distance is an obstacle for software development, for instance. However, differences in culture, language and time zones each bring their own challenges to operational efficiency.
Acknowledging and respecting different cultural practices is, of course, par for the course when it comes to any modern business. That said, it can be difficult to grapple with what two different cultures consider respectful. A Western manager who makes a mistake can count on his employees correcting him, while employees from many Asian cultures would not do so out of respect. This is only one example of the ways that benign differences that both parties hold in good faith can become challenging.
Language and time zone differences both serve to make an organization move more slowly. In the former case, translators quickly become a bottleneck for communication. In the increasingly fast-paced world of Agile software development, this can represent an intolerable loss of efficiency. Time zones produce much the same problem, and developers and their higher-ups generally have little overlap in their working hours. Some projects may not find this to be a severe hindrance, but larger or more ambitious projects can suffer for it.
Nearshore Software Development
Nearshoring is the process of moving operations to countries that are in greater proximity to your headquarters in terms of time zones, language and culture. Nearshoring destinations typically enjoy high English proficiency and possess a growing pool of young, skilled laborers. Additionally, centuries of close economic ties and cultural exchange with the U.S. and Europe also result in much smaller cultural barriers.
While these developing nations are seeing high economic growth, youths see a lack of opportunity in their home countries. As a result, skilled laborers tend to emigrate in high numbers. It's likely that if you hire domestic software development services, many immigrants from nearshoring destinations will be among those developers.
By choosing nearshore software development, you can enjoy the same high caliber of work and similar operational efficiency. Additionally, the disparity in wages and cost of living allows for your business to save dramatically even if you afford your developers with an excellent quality of life. Being able to save money while offering high wages and attracting the best, most motivated workers is a valuable nearshoring advantage.
Some challenges with nearshore software development include communication barriers and cultural dynamics. Additionally, it can sometimes be difficult to find the specific software development skills you are looking for with nearshore developers.
Overall, there is no one right answer when it comes to whether your company should consider nearshore or offshore software development resources. Hopefully, this article has educated you on the pros and cons of each model and armed you with the information you need to make the right choice for your organization.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
5d2ff699acf83f43c17c83c3d14ab81c | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/10/telehealth-is-the-future-but-may-also-be-healthcare-securitys-achilles-heel/?sh=7d9493b438b5 | Telehealth Is The Future But May Also Be Healthcare Security’s Achilles' Heel | Telehealth Is The Future But May Also Be Healthcare Security’s Achilles' Heel
President and CEO of CynergisTek, NYSE: CTEK a trusted partner for security, privacy and compliance.
getty
Everything changed overnight for telehealth at the onset of Covid-19. We went from a small footprint to telehealth becoming one of the most common ways Americans access care. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, nearly half of Medicare primary care visits were telehealth visits in April 2020, compared to 0.1% in February. Waiting weeks to months for a 15-minute physician exam is no longer acceptable for many when you can just set up a quick telehealth conference. However, with widespread healthcare breaches making news, such as the recent suspected ransomware hack on United Health Services, security executives should be on guard because the rise of telehealth has provided new entry points for hackers to exploit.
Ditching telehealth isn’t an option, as consumer preferences have quickly shifted toward accessing care through virtual means. In a recent survey, my company quantified how a majority of Americans are rapidly opting for telehealth visits amid Covid-19 (54%), and more than 7 in 10 of these telehealth enthusiasts plan to continue virtual visits once the pandemic subsides. No one could have predicted what's happening in telehealth today — where the rate of adoption reflects what the industry likely predicted to take place over the next five to 10 years happening in a matter of months.
Yet, the technology to provide this care securely often leaves much to be desired. Consumer technologies aren’t specifically designed for highly regulated industries like healthcare, and providers may be conducting visits on unsecured networks at home — providing additional entry points to exploit.
If providers don't take privacy seriously and the threat of breaches via telehealth continues, this has reputational risks and threatens the inroads made on telehealth being seen as an essential tool rather than a passing fad. Our survey found nearly 50% of respondents would limit their use of telemedicine if a telehealth-related breach occurred, and the majority (67%) of respondents indicated they would change providers if they found out that their data was not properly protected.
MORE FOR YOUWhat Users Have To Look Forward To With Chromebooks Powered By Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7cTitans Think They Know How To Rig Destiny 2’s Guardian GamesAll The ‘Genshin Impact’ Hilidream Camp Recipes To Complete The Event
There’s quantifiable proof that hackers are exploiting tools used to offer telehealth services. Research from Security Scorecard and Dark Owl points to a surge in attacks on telehealth vendors (representing a 30% increase in cybersecurity findings per domain during Covid-19), and the FBI has identified an increase in reports of video-conferences hijacks. This provides further evidence for why healthcare institutions must proactively address these vulnerabilities and shore up their defenses amid the new market dynamics.
It doesn’t help that there is a patchwork of regulations that make what providers are judged on and what rules are enforced confusing. Right now, telehealth really is the “Wild West,” and hackers can take advantage of the unknown. Moving into the digital frontiers as quickly as we did has definitely been challenging. And a lot of the guidance that is coming out seems to change on a daily basis. It requires teams to be vigilant and pay close attention to what is going on — and what could potentially be permanent.
I know providers are not IT experts; however, they must implement baseline security activities to protect data. Providers should prioritize the security of the telehealth services they choose and improve their security posture. Healthcare organizations should be focusing on security fundamentals, such as network segmentation, endpoint detection and response (EDR) and two-factor authentication before investigating more sophisticated measures.
Companies should look internally first and assess the nature of their security premise, like how data is encrypted and who can access sensitive data. And hospital IT departments should explore secure videoconferencing solutions created specifically for healthcare to protect patient data.
It’s also important to start mapping out the future of what telehealth may look like post-pandemic so they're able to tailor security programming accordingly. I see digital health morphing into more of a tool used for follow-up and nonacute types of wellness interactions. While patients will likely begin to trickle back into the physical premises, there are real opportunities to expand access to care, especially around mental health and chronic care. There are also likely to be more technology solutions that are secure, protected and trusted.
I appreciate that these developments happened quickly in the scramble to provide care in a safe, effective way during these challenging times. There’s an opportunity to transform patient engagement with digital health, but providers must also proactively manage the inherent security risks that come along with this. To ignore it would not only put patients at risk, but also erode the trust in telehealth as a secure, accessible option to access care.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
62838478c6f3e543329a638662054bde | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/11/a-more-optimistic-crystal-ball-for-2021/ | A More Optimistic Crystal Ball For 2021 | A More Optimistic Crystal Ball For 2021
Russell P. Reeder is the CEO of Infrascale, a cloud-based data protection company providing backup and disaster recovery solutions.
getty
It's always fun to think about the future and wonder if next year will be the year when we start to see everything we've dreamed of coming true. Unfortunately, 2020 has seen more nightmares than dreams, mostly because of the global coronavirus pandemic. But if you want a more optimistic perspective: Because everyone is going through this together, we now have a shared experience that might help us move closer together in the future.
My predictions for 2021 are focused primarily on positive technology developments that are still to come in the new year and beyond.
Satellite Connectivity
After better healthcare and education, nothing will change the world for the better like more reliable and faster connectivity. Millions of miles of fiber optic cable have been laid worldwide, but this has mostly helped people in larger cities. With top providers like HughesNet and Viasat — and future providers OneWeb, Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper — investing so much money, the competition will help increase availability, lower cost and eliminate data caps.
Cybersecurity
Data security has been an issue for decades or even longer. Now that we are all connected and everything is online, cybercriminals worldwide are trying to break into everything you own. More system workloads have moved online, and vast numbers of people work from remote locations. Nearly everything we buy is connected to the internet. From doorbells to refrigerators to spam emails, criminals will continue to look for the weakest link to steal your data.
MORE FOR YOUWhat’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?Here’s What Percent Of ‘Destiny 2’ Players Are Hunters, Titans Or WarlocksGoogle Earth's New Timelapse Feature Lets You See How Our Planet Has Changed In Four Decades
SaaS Applications
Now that the fear of using cloud-based SaaS solutions has mostly subsided, I believe we will see all enterprise systems move to a SaaS model. Most understand that you immediately realize better functionality and security. When using SaaS applications, your systems and data are more secure, and integration with other SaaS-based enterprise systems is more straightforward.
Serverless Technology
Since I ran a cloud hosting provider back in 2012, I've said that cloud hosting will become a commodity. In 2021, I think we will see most pricing models move to consumption rather than prepurchased monthly hosting charges. Consumption-based billing will be better for businesses and their customers as compute, storage, memory and network resources are seamlessly added and removed as needs dynamically change.
Battery Technology
When I entered the workforce in the early 1990s and purchased my first BlackBerry, Motorola flip phone and IBM laptop, I started the maddening battery management journey. While chips have continued to evolve to provide more compute and power efficiency at a reduced price, battery technology has been at a standstill. Even though we’ve seen amazing innovation on the scientific front, no one has brought commercially viable battery technology to the market — but that will change in 2021. The potential market is enormous, and there are endless areas to innovate. From longer-lasting batteries to shorter and even wireless charging capabilities to more eco-friendly components, we will see some significant developments come to market.
Quantum Computing
As we know, quantum computing has made great strides over the past several years. In 2021, I believe we will see the continued evolution of quantum computing and a considerable leap in the capability to program our new computing engines. With more innovation around quantum computer coding languages and better integration to our more traditional high-performance computing systems, we will see more practical problems solved with quantum computing.
Drone Delivery
As a result of Covid-19 and shopping from home, there is nothing that you cannot get delivered straight to your door. To continue to provide just-in-time delivery to the home, companies like Amazon, Google, UPS and FedEx are working hard to have the fastest and cheapest delivery service. To make this happen, we could start to see a rapid increase in drone deliveries next year. From rural homes to city rooftops, drone delivery will begin to become a part of life.
AI in Performance Management
Everyone agrees that the rapid evolution of AI is here. With the changing of all working relations and everyone working from remote locations, we will see an increase in AI-based performance management tools, which will help us be more efficient. Like sleeping apps that help track your different sleep levels, AI-based performance management tools will help everyone become more focused and productive workers, enabling them to do more in less time.
Solar Adoption
We have seen material costs decrease, cheaper installation methods and more efficient use of silicon solar cells. Even though we will not see giant leaps in solar technology in 2021, I believe we will see global efforts to reduce taxes, fees and other barriers that will facilitate the adoption of solar technology, further reducing solar prices.
Deepfakes
As with an increase in cybersecurity threats, we will see advanced deepfakes used with malicious intent. We all enjoy the advanced innovation around CGI (computer-generated imagery). Still, now that computers are faster and more powerful and CGI systems can run at minimal costs, we will start to see deepfake content used to spread false information. We've all received fraudulent emails asking for login credentials. The year 2021 will bring deepfake phone calls and video messages, taking cyber risks to an entirely new level. We will also see the use of more advanced anti-fraud detection in our daily digital communication. At least we do not yet have to worry about a Skynet T-5000 impersonating us!
As with all innovation, "We tend to overestimate what we can accomplish in the short term but underestimate what we can achieve in the long term," as the adage goes. We can use innovation to help raise the quality of living for generations to come. Like Thomas Edison said, "If we did all the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves." Most of us are looking forward to putting 2020 in the rearview mirror and are excited to see what 2021 has in store for us as we all work together to accomplish everything we are capable of.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
7f42627e39d185afd2805814f042c085 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/14/how-will-long-term-work-from-home-impact-innovation-collaboration-and-mental-health/?sh=58a6bbf82c33 | How Will Long-Term Work-From-Home Impact Innovation, Collaboration And Mental Health? | How Will Long-Term Work-From-Home Impact Innovation, Collaboration And Mental Health?
As President of Innover, Amit has responsibility for all aspects of the company’s financial, growth, Product & Service strategy & execution.
getty
As Covid-19 continues to rage on, businesses have been careful to protect their workers. The necessary shift to a work from home (WFH) arrangement has halted face to face interactions and changed how people work. Because some employees may be overwhelmed by this new normal, enterprises should try their best to enhance the benefits that WFH has to offer. However, there are still many unknowns about the long-term impact WFH will have on enterprise innovation and collaboration — and it is a scenario all business leaders must consider.
The Positive Side Of WFH
In the past nine months, sustained WFH has created several new experiences for workers and employers alike. Time saved without a daily commute, along with recent health concerns, allows people to engage in a number of healthy activities. Time away from a sedentary desk life or hectic work travel can also lead to more opportunities for people to rejuvenate their minds and improve overall productivity.
In fact, according to research from Global Workplace Analytics, major companies like Best Buy and British Telecom report that teleworkers are up to 40% more productive. At the same time, businesses like Sun Microsystems report that 60% of commuting time saved has been redirected to productive work. In general, workplace distractions cost businesses over $600 billion a year, which could be heavily mitigated by a stable WFH model.
This is perhaps a key reason tech companies like Twitter, Facebook and Microsoft have either shifted large parts of their workforce to WFH or are seriously considering it. This will likely meet with worker approval as well, since they stand to benefit from the option of relocating out of stressful cities. Such changes present a welcome opportunity for some, as they can help employees reduce expenses, increase savings and achieve a better work-life balance. Even with pay adjustments, the net savings could make WFH preferable. But of course, that’s only one side of the story.
MORE FOR YOUWhat’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?Why You Should Stop Using Your Facebook Messenger AppNVIDIA Announces Technology For Training Giant Artificial Intelligence Models
The Dark Side
The contradictory views on WFH vary drastically. Some employees feel negatively about the change in their routines. According to a recent survey by the Martec Group (via WTOP News), 59% of respondents said that WFH made them feel “discouraged” or “trapped.” These issues reportedly arise from multiple sources, from the constant distractions natural to home to the inability to seamlessly communicate and collaborate with their teams.
In a survey by Netskope (via TechRepublic), 68% of respondents considered their collaboration tools to be adequate, but 59% of them said they found collaboration harder or saw no change. Without traditional routines, workers may face great difficulty in synchronizing remote collaborations and communications. This could lead to wasted time in front of the screen that takes away from personal time and increases their anxieties even further. A Microsoft report recently showed that employees are spending nonworking hours engaged in work activities, with a near 200% spike in weekend work in between the beginning and end of March 2020. And this fading work-life boundary could cause family disharmony or lead to burnout or additional mental health problems.
A recent FlexJobs/Mental Health America survey found that a staggering 75% of respondents experienced burnout at work, with 40% of these employees specifically experiencing burnout during the pandemic. And perhaps most tragic of all is a possible trend of increased suicidal thoughts. And while it’s too early to predict the degree of impact workers will face, one thing is for certain — we need to prevent this “new abnormal.”
Rethinking Collaboration And Innovation
This may be harder than we think, as the nature of WFH lies in the hybridization of our private and professional lives. While in the short term WFH could boost productivity, I have yet to see the hybrid approach yield predictable results. I still hear complaints about how technical issues, fatigue, anxiety and the absence of physical interaction negatively affect productivity and well-being, which make permanent WFH far from a foregone conclusion.
In the absence of face to face working conditions, inefficiencies can percolate into the collaborative process. In-person interactions, which enabled people to display critical cues that help build a sense of reciprocal trust, are rarer now. As a consequence, the collaboration and brainstorming process may become diluted and ineffective. And while companies are deploying technology tools to empower companies to continue their operations, I don't think they're any substitute for proper physical interaction.
Then again, innovation is not limited to its environment. Studies have suggested that companies that allow employees to work from home may not be any less innovative than if employees were working from the office; in fact, 2012 IBM research found that employees who telework consider their workplaces more innovative. Clearly, innovation initiatives during WFH require a supportive company culture and clear lines of communication. To ensure effectiveness in collaboration and innovation, I’ve seen some advanced technologies prove hopeful.
For example, dedicated cognitive assistants combined with AR/VR interfaces and video could be indispensable enablers for collaborative ventures and brainstorming sessions, but only if they are deployed with the right infrastructure and user-centric capabilities. This is why understanding the unique circumstances of individual users in a nonoffice environment is key to fostering creativity and innovation. So while small, meaningful activities for team bonding can help bring people together, the lack of in-person interaction and follow-ups could limit their potential benefits.
Forging Ahead
While there are many positives in the tech-enabled WFH environment, it is far from the ultimate solution. We still don’t know how businesses will reshape themselves in a post-pandemic landscape. Even the matter of returning to “business as usual” can’t be taken for granted. Many parts of the world still face Covid-19-related restrictions, which makes it difficult to predict future normality.
But given the realities of our times, I know that the long-term impact of WFH on collaboration and innovation can be influenced by an organization’s unique systems and policies. We need to continue exploring options as we remain vigilant, support workers through this transition and keep them safe from potential risks. One thing is for certain — ensuring success will require us to be hopeful as we overcome fear to shape a better future.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
8ab5fb1c26896fd4832eff685e378ce6 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/14/the-pandemic-forced-businesses-to-move-online---its-time-for-fundraising-to-also-go-digital/ | The Pandemic Forced Businesses To Move Online — It's Time For Fundraising To Also Go Digital | The Pandemic Forced Businesses To Move Online — It's Time For Fundraising To Also Go Digital
CTO of Title3Funds and a crowdfunding pioneer with expertise in Fintech & Retail Ecommerce & Digital Merchandising & Marketing.
Covid-19 has necessitated that many businesses conduct investor meetings over Zoom, run marketing campaigns online and accept digital contactless payments. The time is now to move fundraising online as well. All the infrastructure is already there — it's just a matter of taking the next step to make the transition.
Companies Are Going Digital To Adopt To Covid-19
When Covid-19 first hit the globe, many businesses were ill-equipped to deal with the new restrictions and shutdowns. As guidelines have been established for restaurants, retail stores, theaters and other businesses, many companies have found ways to cope.
Financial analyst company Gartner, Inc. reported on Chinese businesses, finding that those that illustrated the most resilience during the pandemic were the ones that partnered with highly reputed digital providers and incorporated automation into their business plans. It gave an example of a department store that put its resources into social marketing. By deploying its own sales clerks as hosts of a livestreamed event, the company was able to generate the same amount of weekly revenue as it would have achieved pre-Covid-19.
According to a survey of small businesses in Pennsylvania conducted by PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (via WESA), about 79% of business owners made changes to adapt in response to the crisis, with 33% adding work-from-home policies for employees. As PNC chief economist Gus Faucher expressed: "Businesses have also increased their use of technology. So, for example, instead of doing person-to-person sales, they may be doing sales over the internet."
MORE FOR YOUHere’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedCDC Committee Declines To Vote On Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Safety, Pause Will Extend 7 To 10 DaysInnovationRx: Judy Faulkner’s Long Game; Plus J&J Covid-19 Vaccine Pause Extended
A recent survey conducted by Owl Labs and Global Workplace Analytics (via PitchBook) found that about "70% of full-time workers in the U.S. are working from home during the pandemic." There are indications that many of these changes could be permanent, with "one in two respondents [conveying] they won't return to jobs that don't offer remote work after the pandemic."
Many companies are going virtual for investor meetings, which is safer and more affordable. These virtual, more economical approaches to business are likely to become permanent even after the impacts from the pandemic wane.
Why Crowdfunded Investments Are Thriving
VC funding is harder to come by during the pandemic, putting more pressure on companies to compete among fewer available funds. The Wall Street Journal reported that early-stage funding began diminishing back in March, with capital from seed-stage funding dropping 22% since January.
Despite this blow to VC funding, crowdfunded investments have thrived. According to Crowdfund Capital Advisors (CCA), the amount invested in crowdfunded investment campaigns has increased month-to-month since February, with $32 million committed in October — a 300% increase in six months and a new record.
The reasons for this growing interest in crowdfunded investments are myriad, but given the depleting VC raise opportunities, many businesses that wouldn't have otherwise considered crowdfunding may be exploring it as an avenue for growth. The SEC recently approved raising the cap for investments a company can accept from $1.07 million to $5 million. This update should expand interest in investment crowdfunding to businesses that need to raise more than $1 million, leading CCA to predict that "the number of issuers leveraging Regulation Crowdfunding will easily double in this next year alone." This higher cap should be a big help to companies in need of a longer runway to assist with their operational changes and transitions to accommodate the demands of Covid-19.
According to CCA, "more companies are turning online to raise funds from investors, more investors are pouring in capital and more money is being raised." Despite this impressive data, not enough businesses are aware of investment crowdfunding — termed Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) — as an option.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were hit the hardest during the 2008 financial crisis, and the same will likely be true for the current Covid-19 situation. According to a report published by the U.S. Small Business Administration on outcomes from the Great Recession, "post-crisis small-business lending remained weak, growing by only 3.5% per year at healthy banks and contracting by 3.9% per year at troubled banks." If we look to 2008 as a model for what we could be facing in the coming months, we can expect a contraction of lending to SMEs with the exception of government programs, like the Payroll Protection Program, that mandate fund disbursement. SMEs should know that Reg CF might be their best option for staying afloat — and potentially even thriving — throughout the pandemic.
Our Economy Is In The Hands Of Consumers
Ultimately, consumer decisions determine the strength of the economy. Equity crowdfunding can help involve more consumers in terms of directly supporting businesses that need capital during the time of Covid-19 and post-crisis. Reg CF is the only type of fundraising that allows anyone, regardless of personal wealth, to participate in investments in private companies. SMEs benefit from gaining the capital they need to continue to thrive while also expanding their consumer base through marketing their Reg CF offerings. These retail investors with "skin in the game" will become evangelists for the companies they believe in, and they will be able to reap the rewards of their investments when these SMEs go public a few years down the road.
Given all the resources SMEs have already poured into moving their communications, sales and, in some cases, entire business models online, these businesses are already prepared to launch Reg CF campaigns. There is no time like the present for businesses to gain the attention of consumers and potential investors. All of us are tied to our devices because of the pandemic, and this bond with technology will only become stronger with time.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
9cf66351af28c0fb2626b5af1877a167 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/15/four-ways-a-broker-can-assist-with-premium-domain-deals/ | Four Ways A Broker Can Assist With Premium Domain Deals | Four Ways A Broker Can Assist With Premium Domain Deals
CEO, VPN.com: The $1M Domain Name - We help brands, Entrepreneurs, politicians and athletes acquire premium domain names for their vision.
getty
A premium domain name can be an important driver of business to your brand. Potential customers and clients should be more likely to find your site if you have a high search engine ranking. You can also establish yourself as a leading authority based on a simple and recognizable name.
Early internet adopters were able to easily acquire domains that accurately represented their company. However, with over 370 million registered domain names, finding your first choice can now be a difficult task.
In many cases, a broker can help you locate the domain you're looking for. They can also guide you through the tricky negotiation process, helping you to purchase a premium domain name for as close to market value as possible.
Why Should You Use A Domain Broker?
• Remain Anonymous: Maintaining privacy throughout the process of purchasing a domain name is important. Knowing the identity of either party can cause a fluctuation in the asking price due to a perceived change in demand or budget. Information about who will buy the domain or what it will be used for in the future can make things more difficult. Keeping both parties anonymous during the negotiation process can help make the deal go smoother.
MORE FOR YOUWhy You Should Stop Using Your Facebook Messenger AppNew Apple Exclusive Reveals Massive iPhone 13 UpgradesWhy You Should Never Use Google Chrome On Your iPhone, iPad Or Mac
• Gain Access To The Domain Broker's Network: Having strong relationships is a core component of many industries. A good domain broker should have an established network and previous experience buying and selling premium domains. Many domain sales are private, and you might not even be able to make an offer without a broker.
Get the assistance you need navigating the world of purchasing domains by employing someone with a strong reputation. You can check the International Business Brokers Association to find information about previous deals that a broker closed.
• Get A Fair Price On Your Premium Domain Purchase: Negotiations are a big part of premium domain sales, especially because the value of a domain can increase or decrease over time depending on a large variety of factors. When users try to deal directly with the seller, they can often pay a higher price than the market value of the domain.
A broker should help you gain insight into why domains are valued at certain prices. A domain broker should know the fair price to pay for a premium domain and take steps to ensure this is the price that their client receives.
They can also understand when you should walk away from a deal and come back to it later. Patience is key, and a quality broker should be able to exercise this skill to get a better result.
• Have Assistance Closing The Deal: Premium domains have been valued at as much as $872 million. Closing on a deal requires multiple negotiations back and forth between the buyer and the seller. Once an offer is ready, there is legal paperwork that needs to be drafted and signed. The purchase amount will also need to be held in escrow to provide security and to make sure the deal is done on time. A domain name broker can provide assistance with these matters.
A premium domain broker should have experience handling multimillion-dollar deals. They can also look for early warning signs and take precautions to help the transaction go smoothly. They can make sure that the domain is transferred properly to the new owner, which can be a complicated and tedious process.
Wrapping Up
A premium domain name can be a great opportunity to increase the value of your brand without having to spend additional money on advertising and marketing. Though it is possible to navigate the purchase alone, a broker can often be able to steer you toward your desired outcome easier and faster. Always conduct due diligence to make sure you're equipped to get the best value possible before buying or selling a premium domain.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
9e8a569006b34bf1828565bd5cb26f5c | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/15/why-sports-teams-should-leverage-online-external-data-sources/?sh=7b0431dd198f | Why Sports Teams Should Leverage Online External Data Sources | Why Sports Teams Should Leverage Online External Data Sources
CEO of Luminati Networks, a data collection company dedicated to maintaining the transparency and integrity of the online ecosystem.
getty
There is no doubt that the unpredictable current reality has fundamentally changed the sports industry. Teams in the NBA, MLB, Premier League and beyond have entered bubbles and play to empty stadiums. This means that many of the revenue sources for teams — like ticket sales and concessions — have dried up. In the past, contract and personnel decisions were dominated by the amount of value a player could bring to a team off the field by way of merchandise sales and increased ticket prices. However, today, the process has now been turned on its head.
Without fans spending money in and around the stadiums on game days, the entire calculus of the sports world has changed. Teams now need to look for new revenue sources that are optimized for the new online normal. In addition, the value that players bring to the table has shifted.
So, how can teams adapt to the unpredictability of what’s to come? How can they rethink their personnel and contract strategies? The answer is simple: by leveraging online external data sources. This includes openly available data taken from social media, forums, media articles, local city and state economic databases, and more. When coupled with good analysis, these online data sources can provide teams with a real-time understanding of fan sentiments, competing teams’ strategies and the impacts that players can have on viewership. The real-time nature of the data is the most important part because most of the data teams relied on in the past is no longer relevant in the new world of empty stadiums and shortened seasons.
But where does the data come from?
The internet provides a near-endless supply of data that businesses can use to inform their decision-making and gain a competitive edge. This same data is available to sports teams as they navigate the changes caused by no-spectator games. Where this data comes from is limited only by the creativity of the team and its data scientists. They can work with data collection platforms that offer the ability to collect extensive data from all corners of the web. Essentially, any publicly available data can be collected by these platforms and put into datasets that teams can leverage.
MORE FOR YOUAntibody Startup Adagio Raises $336 Million To Develop A Variant-Proof Treatment For Covid-19Covid-19 Weekly Roundup: What Happened With The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?Here’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be Diminished
The major advantage of using data like this is that it reflects the current, up-to-the-minute state of life. This is especially important for teams making decisions in the offseason when the latest performance stats and ticket and merchandise sales data is already months old. Let alone the fact that much of this data no longer matters now that fans are no longer permitted in many stadiums and the entire setup of many seasons is no longer the same.
Social media is a perfect example of the data teams can leverage in real time. Just as it reflects customer sentiments in the business world, it also reflects fan sentiments in the sports world. Such sentiment focuses on players as well as chatter from bloggers and other experts who might offer fresh insights into the popularity of particular players.
Data sourced from forums serves a very similar purpose. This data is important because teams are increasingly relying on the star power of players to pull in viewers and, therefore, more ad dollars and endorsements. In an age where traditional revenue drivers like tickets and concessions are a thing of the past, the ability to draw broadcast viewership and online engagement is vital for sports organizations to stay afloat.
This means that now, more than ever before, teams may consider personnel decisions based on a player’s ability to generate excitement among fans.
Look no further than Tom Brady’s move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to demonstrate this point. His debut performance drew the most viewers for a Week 1 NFL game in four years and was the most-watched telecast in the U.S. since the Super Bowl earlier this year.
That’s the effect that a single player can have on a team’s commercial success. While it could be argued that Brady is in a league of his own in that regard, it doesn’t negate the fact that other players can also make an impact here. Massive contracts like the $503 million Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes could receive over the next 12 years (including incentives) are justified for this very reason. His ability to generate revenue outside of traditional measures is a major asset for the team, and online data can go a long way in helping predict how much value he will actually bring.
The world has undoubtedly shifted to be more online, and much like the world of commerce, the world of sports has been forced to adapt. Empty stadiums and unpredictable schedules mean that the traditional reliable data sources are no longer relevant in many team’s personnel and contract calculations. No one can predict when things will return to “normal,” but even when they do, the overall shift to online will likely remain a massive factor in making key financial or business decisions.
In order to stay relevant and generate new types of profit, teams must embrace new and creative online data sources to stay ahead of the competition. Those that don’t, and continue to stick to the status quo of years past, will soon find out that their calculations are no longer adding up.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
ec513b0ec9aa0339d58db9bca8781236 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/16/5g-will-change-your-expectations-for-performance/ | 5G Will Change Your Expectations For Performance | 5G Will Change Your Expectations For Performance
Founder, President and CTO at Fortinet, overseeing the technology vision and strategy for the global infrastructure security leader.
getty
For years now, those of us who work in cybersecurity and information protection have been advising IT leaders in organizations and network operators to step up to meet the needs of a volatile and rapidly changing digital landscape.
We have talked about an increasingly hyperconnected digital landscape with new levels of network and application performance requirements, where security and networking need to be deeply integrated. Trends and forces such as IoT, mobility, cloud deployment and the expanding edge have stretched networks beyond recognition, making the need for the seamless alignment between networks and security essential.
We cautioned that the dangerous complexities of piecemeal approaches to security — strategies that chase best-of-breed solutions and assemble them into increasingly complex networks — would only make matters worse. And finally, we warned that there would come a time when companies that had not embraced a comprehensive, coherent approach to digital transformation, one that included an integrated security strategy, would be left behind.
Then, the pandemic hit. Networks that were already stretched thin exploded in size and scale as global workforces went remote almost overnight. And while the challenges of maintaining business continuity in the midst of a global pandemic emphasized the principles and best practices we had advocated, they did not necessarily drive greater levels of preparation. Understandably, when the health crisis hit, many organizations were simply scrambling to remain viable. But it is important to realize that organizations' digital necessities as they adapted to a global pandemic were not wild outliers; they were simply an acceleration of the trends that were already happening.
MORE FOR YOUFacebook Just Gave 2.8 Billion Users A Reason To Quit Their AccountsFully Vaccinated? Get Ready For Your Third DoseWhy I’m Not Surprised That IBM And Intel Are Collaborating On Chip Tech
Now, we are about to compound the challenges of managing new business realities with the challenges of 5G. And many organizations are simply unprepared. Unfortunately, many think they are prepared, and this overconfidence may lead to a dangerous lack of preparation for what their networks are about to experience.
The 5G that many organizations have experienced to date is more like 5G Lite. It is low bandwidth, low performance and generally under six gigahertz. But there is another 5G waiting in the wings that few businesses even know is coming. For example, new smartphones feature a millimeter-wave antenna designed to use 5G bandwidth at performance levels of 24 gigahertz and above. And these consumer-level products represent millions of devices that will soon be hammering at all parts of the network.
The implications could not be more dramatic. At a time when Covid-19 has transformed the way networks are accessed and operated, the arrival of 5G changes how fast network performance will need to function at the edge. Not just for the devices and applications they access but also for the security infrastructures that will have to monitor and manage this new level of performance.
Real 5G — the kind that will power everything from manufacturing and energy grids to autonomous vehicles and consumer brands — could absolutely overwhelm the edges of the network. For those unprepared, the ability for applications to access information will slow greatly, driving serious latency issues and obliterating the user experience for customers and employees alike.
That’s just the start of the challenge.
Adding adequate security that protects users and mission-critical information could easily create bottlenecks within bottlenecks. Enabling applications to perform at 5G speeds to ensure expected user experience is one thing; ensuring that this happens securely, across more network access points than ever before, presents an entirely new set of very serious challenges.
Careful planning will be important.
Cybersecurity leaders are considering two approaches to address 5G challenges. One is to address the security need from the 5G core, deployed at the carrier level. The other is to address the security need at the edge, where 5G is used either as a backup connection or, increasingly, as a primary connection. With the latter approach, the 5G connection is typically part of an SD-WAN deployment. Regardless of the approach, at the traditional edge, AI-predictive and ASIC-accelerated performance will be necessary to keep up.
At the same time, the cloud edge will require new levels of highly optimized security. Hybrid networks that span an increasingly complex collection of clouds and data centers will need to scale up with more virtual devices and firewalls to handle the bigger load and scale out by adding more components in parallel to spread out the load as much as possible.
Managing this will require new levels of consistency in policy and deployment to ensure that everything happens seamlessly, efficiently and securely. That’s because 5G will not just make transactions and applications faster — cyberattacks will be faster as well.
Addressing these challenges is not optional.
Today’s 5G represents about $5 billion in operator-billed revenue. By 2025, that is projected to reach $357 billion. This represents a significant shift in how and where 5G will need to be applied. And the ability to meet the performance and security needs of 5G will become a key factor in whether a company remains viable.
Unfortunately, many organizations simply do not have this capability. What’s more, the strategy of chasing best-of-breed devices and solutions has created a legacy of hypercomplex patchworks of technologies that are difficult to align. And these networks will do even worse under the relentless pressure of 5G’s requirements.
For years, the core objective of cybersecurity has been that organizations should never have to compromise security to realize the network and application performance they require. But as difficult as this year has been for network operators and infosec teams, many are keenly aware that it is just a faint preview of a new reality that is already here. The time frame wherein workarounds could keep up and suffice has now passed. 5G is here.
For those who want to seize this opportunity, they must do it both quickly and with an eye focused on what’s coming next. Because the needs of a 5G world will only intensify over the next few years, and 6G is less than a decade away.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
faad2aa0780b0bb8457368cb17edce3c | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/16/revamping-your-mobile-app-consider-updating-or-adding-these-15-elements/ | Revamping Your Mobile App? Consider Updating Or Adding These 15 Elements | Revamping Your Mobile App? Consider Updating Or Adding These 15 Elements
getty
The drive for businesses to create mobile apps to provide information and services to their customers has been around for a few years now. With the constant influx of new releases, businesses need to keep updating and upgrading. A mobile app created and launched a couple of years ago probably looks and feels outdated now, and a “release it and forget it” approach can lead to bugs, glitches and inefficiencies.
If you’re considering revamping your company’s aging mobile app, it’s important to know which upgrades will make the biggest impact (and what you overlook at your peril). Below, 15 Forbes Technology Council members share their best tips for businesses whose mobile apps need an update.
1. Known In-App Problems
Take the opportunity to revisit all the data you’ve collected and use that data to drive changes. Start with user feedback, heat maps and known problems in the app. Refresh your user interface/user experience. The trend in UI has been to turn away from a look and feel that’s staged and artificial into one that’s more real and authentically human so you can connect with your users on a more personal level. - Ruchi Goyal, Accenture
2. User Interface
Improving the UI would be a great way to start. Comparing your app to the top-performing apps will show where they are excelling. Apps are all about usability and speed, so making sure the app is user-friendly and efficient and achieves the goal quickly will guide the revamp process and ensure success. - Brian Davidson, Congruity360
3. User Experience
Attention spans are getting shorter, expectations of tech are getting higher and the motives to keep and use another app are getting stronger. First, ensure it’s still a viable channel to invest in—that it serves the customer and makes business sense. Then, work on and test the experience it offers to address new behaviors, tastes and needs. Process trumps substance, but both are vital here. - Diana Xhumari, Tegeria
MORE FOR YOUCovid-19 Weekly Roundup: What Happened With The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?Here’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedRobotics Startup Canvas Raises $24 Million To Revitalize Construction
4. In-App Chat
According to Upland Localytics, nearly 60% of downloaded apps are abandoned after just one month, and 73% are abandoned three months after download. One of the keys to user retention is engagement. In-app chat can increase user engagement, frequency of use and retention. By implementing a messaging functionality into their app, businesses can foster feelings of community among users. - Thierry Schellenbach, Stream - Chat & Activity Feed APIs
5. Edge Computing Architecture
Old mobile apps built around data sitting in a centralized data center with application logic on a device show their age with delays in fetching data, leading to the spinning wheel of death. Modern apps use edge computing architectures where data is moved to local devices, which leads to responsive applications and reduces congestion on networks and data centers. This reduces cost and leads to better customer satisfaction. - Ravi Mayuram, Couchbase
6. 5G Optimization
The evolution of 5G is the perfect time to seek a boost in the content and quality of apps. Additionally, the apps of years ago didn’t monetize in the manner the consumer has since grown to expect. A new approach to the monetization of an app can often make the revamp a self-funded event. - Kyle Pretsch, Leslie’s Poolmart
7. Communication And Information Exchange
For internal productivity applications, many businesses would benefit from updating any features around communication and information exchange, including the UI. This is especially important now that many of us knowledge workers are working from home. Having the ability to effectively communicate with our colleagues in real time is what enables us to stay productive in this new normal. - Sébastien Ricard, LumApps
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
8. Privacy Policy
I would definitely recommend a company take the time to revise its privacy policy and add privacy nutrition labels. While now it is a requirement only for iOS devices, it’s not hard to guess that Google will join Apple soon. - Boris Kontsevoi, Intetics Inc.
9. Layout That Takes Advantage Of Larger Screens
Screen sizes and resolutions have changed significantly in the last few years. If you are updating a mobile app after a couple of years, you should redo the layout to take full advantage of bigger screens. Replace old graphics with higher-res ones. And if it isn’t already, at least move towards making it a full-experience app—an extreme example is an e-commerce app that you can’t use to buy the product. - Vikram Joshi, pulsd
10. Accessibility
I believe accessibility is one of the most important factors. Ensuring all users can use your app with ease should be at the forefront of any mobile developer’s mind. If you don’t ensure your app is designed and tested with accessibility in mind, you’re alienating an entire group of users, and you shouldn’t be. Take the extra time and design for all your users, not some. - Brandon Mintz, Bitcoin Depot
11. Security Features
Outdated apps need to update both their security features and the ease of interface with those features. Often, it’s not that apps don’t have the right biometric or multifactor authentication; it’s that getting through these steps can range from tedious and confusing to downright impossible. So don’t just update your app security—make that security user-friendly. - John Shin, RSI Security
12. Embedded Support
Traditionally, consumers are kicked out of an app into an 800 number and have to repeat their issue and use outdated, less secure methods of verification. By embedding support in the app, companies can deliver a modern customer experience by leveraging rich contextual data and modern security features to streamline support requests and deliver personalized resolutions more rapidly. - Anand Janefalkar, UJET
13. In-App Payment Options
One thing businesses should revamp in their mobile apps is the way they embed payments. Mobile payments have come a long way in the last few years. Consumers are looking for contactless payments, and businesses can collect payments via mobile instantly and in a secure way. Businesses can now use modern libraries that support credit cards, in-app purchases, and mobile and digital wallet services. - Adi Ekshtain, Amaryllis Payment Solutions
14. System Compatibility
Any update must include compatibility with updated smartphone systems and app performance. It may seem intuitive, but iPhone and Android updates can slow down an older app or render it useless to the customer. Schedule regular testing for the app on your target devices, and implement updates to go with iOs or Android. Ask for customer feedback to identify areas of improvement as well. - Arnie Gordon, Arlyn Scales
15. Any Elements That Seem Buggy After Testing
With any mobile app, you need to test, test and test again. Over time, OS updates, new devices and more will mean your app may not work as well as it did two years ago. Testing how your app works, even after production, is the key to ensuring your app doesn’t look outdated and buggy. - Ronald Cummings-John, Global App Testing
|
47fbd85bfcc61dca7fa06547f0c30ae0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/17/16-smart-ways-for-tech-teams-to-stay-ahead-of-industry-trends/?sh=525e201776c6 | 16 Smart Ways For Tech Teams To Stay Ahead Of Industry Trends | 16 Smart Ways For Tech Teams To Stay Ahead Of Industry Trends
getty
Technology is one of the fastest-moving industries out there. The expectation to stay on top of the latest trends creates sizable responsibilities for every tech department. It’s not about just meeting deadlines—it’s about keeping up with the speed of technology.
As new trends emerge daily, it’s important your tech team stays on top of developments. Below, 14 members of Forbes Technology Council give their best tips for staying ahead of the curve in the ever-changing technology sector.
1. Look into new tech tools used in your industry.
I encourage my team to stay open to new technology. When a sales representative reaches out to us about new software, we don’t immediately discard the email because we have another system in place. When we notice a competitor using a new tool, we look into it. By being willing to question the way things are done and look for areas of improvement, we can continually innovate and improve. - Thierry Schellenbach, Stream - Chat & Activity Feed APIs
2. Focus on tech that enables growth.
It’s important to step back and realize that it’s not always about adopting the latest and greatest technology. Instead, focus on technology that enables your business growth. Prioritize developing new features that support that new revenue stream, but do it under an upgraded modern architecture and in a way that will accelerate future platform upgrades. - Ruchi Goyal, Accenture
3. Be sure you know what your customers are looking for.
We talk to our customers and partners—a lot. We hear what their short- and long-term plans are and bake those requirements into our product backlog. We also develop and test fast. Using the “MVP” mindset, we quickly build and invest in the next generation of certain capabilities and test them in the market to see what sticks. - Chetan Mathur, Next Pathway
MORE FOR YOUGoogle Earth's New Timelapse Feature Lets You See How Our Planet Has Changed In Four Decades‘Call Of Duty: Warzone’: What Time Is The Destruction Of Verdansk Part 2, And Season 3?Apple Suddenly Confirms ‘Stunning’ New iPhone Release
4. Have team members rotate in a weekly ‘show and tell.’
Every week, have one of the team members do a “show and tell” of something new they’ve seen in the industry, whether it’s a new framework, new library, new system being developed, etc. That always starts a conversation and keeps the team members looking for new ideas and developing new skills. - Jeff Rubenstein, Kaltura
5. Share news stories among the team.
Our team constantly shares articles and news over Slack. Giving employees the chance to attend user conferences and creating an open environment for knowledge sharing is critical to pushing the team to think about how to stay on the bleeding edge. We also strongly believe that the best way to evaluate new technology is to make time for a quick proof of concept. - Sanjoy Malik, Urjanet
6. Evaluate your data.
Teams should evaluate data that measure the customer experience to continuously increase value. Using automation, teams can analyze this data, categorize it and surface relevant information to quickly find solutions to customer-impacting issues. Teams that leverage this approach remain ahead of the curve because it means they can focus on innovation over remediation. - Phil Tee, Moogsoft
7. Follow industry thought leaders.
It’s important to be connected with thought leaders in the industry. Before Covid-19, this came from attending conferences, but now that attendance needs to be replaced or supplemented. I highly recommend signing up for industry newsletters and doing proactive outreach to vendors that used to sponsor conferences in the past. They are still doing great work; you just have to dig a little. - Joaquin Lippincott, Metal Toad
8. Incentivize continuing education.
Schedule ongoing training sessions around new skills and tools. A regular tech employee should know how to code as well as implement html into assignments. Once they have the structural foundation, you can add to their repertoire by funding and incentivizing their education. As a bonus, this means your company provides regular benefits and remains relevant within the tech world. - Arnie Gordon, Arlyn Scales
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
9. Tap into industry information resources.
Subscribe to several different sources to keep up with recent advancements in the tech industry, especially those sources that provide an expert opinion on the subject matter. Then, constantly connect your internal teams with the latest tech trends and developments they should take advantage of. - Henry Peter, Ushur
10. Develop a technical marketing team.
We always use our technical marketing team. This team engages customers, press, technical journals, etc. to understand where technology is headed and our customers’ plans. From this, they put together a marketing requirement document that is given to the engineering team, who then interprets the information and works with marketing to develop an engineering roadmap. - Jay Marshall, EyeLock LLC
11. Have team members lead lunch-and-learns.
I hold weekly brown-bag sessions with the team in which one of the members talks about a new topic and educates the whole team. This session allows us to learn and discuss new trends and see how we can utilize them in our company. We also regularly share news articles and talks, and I encourage team members to attend conferences and webinars and present what they learn to the whole team. - Amit Ojha
12. Establish personal development goals for each team member.
I coach people to look at personal development in terms of swim lanes that you establish at the beginning of the year and break down to monthly and quarterly actionable items. This can be technology to be learned, soft skills to improve and/or anything in between. Growth does not happen by accident—establishing a balanced yearly plan ensures alignment and palpable results. - Danny Acuna
13. Feed team members’ passion for their craft.
Loving the craft of technology isn’t just about doing projects but being immersed in the world and driving solutions outside the office walls. Be a part of the community via Meetups or Github projects. Read what’s going on and actively contribute to the community that’s building the future. Passion for the craft is key. - Tim Kulp, Mind Over Machines
14. Give team members time to attend conferences.
It’s important to give employees time to learn new technologies even if they aren’t able to use them directly in their day-to-day work. One way to do this is to allow employees to attend conferences and share what they’ve learned with the team. This can help infuse a learning culture that keeps everyone’s skills current. - Amy Czuchlewski, Bottle Rocket
15. Stay active in the open-source community.
We encourage our developers to actively participate in the open-source community by making parts of our codebase open as well as contributing to the projects that we use ourselves. The open-source community is what starts or adopts most of the new trends, so being part of it keeps us in the loop. - Sanket Saurav, DeepSource
16. Start a study and discussion program.
Having a study and outreach meeting program will help your team stay ahead of the trends. Each team member should spend one to two hours a month reading, learning and evaluating industry-leading tech that may impact their business. Once a month, everyone brings their findings and discusses them as a team in a roundtable session with leadership, which can lead to the exploration of certain tech if needed. - Tanvir Bhangoo, TBX Digital Inc.
|
ec925c967b7ad4693310b173d0c3bc67 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/17/how-the-homebody-economy-is-shaping-digital-customer-experience/?sh=33805b2162eb | How The Homebody Economy Is Shaping Digital Customer Experience | How The Homebody Economy Is Shaping Digital Customer Experience
Chief Information Officer at TELUS International, a global customer experience provider powered by next-gen digital solutions.
getty
There's no place like home. This is especially true since the onset of the Covid-19 global pandemic, with lockdown measures and physical distancing guidelines resulting in entire populations from countries around the world spending incrementally more time at home and, subsequently, more money online. This convergence has been dubbed by some as the "homebody economy."
Seeking inspiration and stimulation, individuals have been looking for ways to help break the day-to-day monotony while staying safe and close to home. Exercise has been a focal point for many — myself included — and one only has to look at home workout and fitness equipment companies' soaring revenues for proof. Case in point, since last year, Peloton's revenue has grown 172%, and their membership has increased to more than 1 million subscribers. DIY projects and home improvements are also surging in popularity as people redirect vacation funds to invest in where they live.
These consumer groups, which stretch across practically every industry, feeding into this economy centered around our homes, have had to quickly shift to increasingly use digital channels to accommodate the new normal. In this state, homes now somewhat resemble command centers from where inhabitants rigorously research products and companies, use social media and online reviews to compare notes with others, check product availability and make online purchases.
As countries continue to face the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, it looks as though the homebody economy is here to stay. A report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) states that some version of these changes will be permanent. This all adds up to customer-facing brands having to incorporate digital customer experiences into their overall customer experience (CX) strategy sooner rather than later if they're going to be able to address consumer behaviors and meet their expectations born from this seismic societal and economic shift.
MORE FOR YOUWhy You Should Stop Using Your Facebook Messenger AppWhy You Should Never Use Google Chrome On Your iPhone, iPad Or MacThe Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine Is Less Effective Against The South African And UK Variants Than Against The Original Virus, According To A New “Real-World” Study From Israel
Reconstituting Digital CX For Liquid Expectations
Research collected by Salesforce reveals that a whopping 80% of people believe the experience of buying a product is as valuable as the product itself. Combine this with the concept of "liquid expectations" — the notion that today's consumers weigh their experiences with your brand against their experiences with every other brand they've patronized, even if it's for a completely different product — and CX has just become the new battleground to win a share of wallet.
The pandemic has further aided this shift in a major way because consumers expect that lockdown measures should have forced entrepreneurs and organizations to adopt more digital-first initiatives to keep themselves afloat. The aforementioned Salesforce report also found that while 88% of consumers thought the pandemic should have caused businesses to accelerate digital adoption, 68% said they have higher expectations of brands' digital abilities since the start of the pandemic.
Taking Advantage Of Self-Service And Cloud-Based Tools
If expectations are liquid, how do brands keep from drowning? A few key tech-enabled areas of development are essential to success in today's marketplace. The first is a robust approach to self-service.
We already knew millennials and Gen Z love self-service, based on a survey we conducted last year, but with the pandemic pushing more consumers into the remote customer support arena, self-service has emerged as a clear must-have for brands. Whether delivered as an FAQ or in the form of a chatbot, brands absolutely need some type of self-service element as part of their digital CX strategy. To execute it well, companies need to do work on the front end, combing through data to uncover the most commonly asked questions and figuring out how to answer them in ways that will make sense to the largest cross-section of people.
The second tech-enabled measure is taking advantage of cloud technologies to elevate operations and workforces alike to drive better CX and maximize ROI. At its core, what the cloud does is permit companies and their employees to use a dynamically scalable platform that can be accessed from anywhere — perfect for work-from-home models. In a customer context, it can power a frictionless and consistent experience across multiple support channels such as by phone, text, email, social media and chat.
The Only Constant Is Change
Standing still and indecisiveness when it comes to digital CX are no longer viable options in today's competitive marketplace. Change is inevitable. Some changes will be made in overt, customer-facing ways; some will empower your customer service delivery agents; others will link back-end platforms to streamline CX operations, but all will make the customer journey more effortless.
Adopting digital tools and solutions should no longer be viewed as a stop-gap measure between now and post-pandemic times. As noted in both the UNCTAD and Salesforce reports, consumer behavior has been irrevocably changed. For companies, that means investing in a long-term strategy to design, build and deliver digital solutions that can meet today's CX needs, but that also have the required agility to scale and evolve to meet yet-to-be-determined future needs, likely to be driven at least in part by the homebody economy.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
f39d6347097ae742c2ac3cd365ff747d | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/17/theres-no-automatic-choice-in-business-process-automation/ | There’s No Automatic Choice In Business Process Automation | There’s No Automatic Choice In Business Process Automation
Chief Technology Officer at Unit4, overseeing development of intelligent software for service organizations.
getty
Automating business processes saves time and money, but what’s right for one organization might not be right for another — what you automate, how much you automate it and the approach you take all need careful consideration.
Robotic process automation (RPA) of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software isn’t anything new. It’s possible to automate simple, rule-based business processes like workflow steps, completing time sheets and invoicing. Doing so speeds up processes, improves accuracy and compliance, and frees people to get on with more interesting and valuable work.
Separate Tools Versus Built-In Automation
The original way of automating ERP systems was to use separate automation tools, and this approach is still in widespread use. Automation tools are deployed to transfer data into and out of the ERP system (and between it and other systems) according to predefined rules.
The drawbacks of this approach are that you have to buy and maintain separate automation tools and that may end up automating inherently inefficient processes embedded in the underlying — often siloed — systems.
MORE FOR YOUHere’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedBioNTech’s Humble Billionaire CEO On The Next Era Of mRNA VaccinesWestworld-AI Scenario To Be Banned In Europe: leaked AI Regulations Reveal Course-Correction Away From Dystopian AI Future
The next generation of RPA — called intrinsic automation or hyperautomation — is built into the ERP software itself. ERP software with built-in automation does away with the need for separate automation tools. Organizations can take the opportunity to redesign business processes before automating them in their new software.
The Pros And Cons Of Different Approaches
The route organizations should take largely depends on their size and how heavily invested they are in their existing ERP suite.
In larger companies, ERP often only constitutes a relatively small proportion of the organization’s overall IT estate. Intrinsic automation of the ERP would only benefit this one system, so these organizations generally opt for automation tools that can be applied to multiple systems.
By contrast, in midsized enterprises, ERP might constitute a large proportion of the IT estate, so intrinsic automation would have a much bigger impact.
The sweet spot is to make the automation of new ERP systems accessible to other systems via open application programming interfaces (APIs). In this way, the intrinsic automation within the ERP can automate the ERP itself and the other systems that it interacts with.
Advantages Of Automating Common Processes
Take the example of onboarding a new employee. In the old manual world, the organization would have paper forms that an employee completed. The data would then be manually entered into the various systems, such as human capital management and payroll.
With tooling-based automation, a separate piece of automation software sits between each system and maps data between them according to rules that tell it which data to put in which field.
With intrinsic automation, a machine learning algorithm analyzes the unstructured data and learns what to do with it, automatically copying it from one system to another, effectively automating all the systems involved in the end-to-end business process.
Because even today’s bolt-on automation must have a good ROI (judging by how much of it is purchased), imagine what the doubled-up return on built-in hyperautomation would be. In an organization of 60,000 users, if automated software could save each person just 10 minutes a day in administrative tasks, the saving would amount to millions of dollars every year.
Cautions, Checks And Balances
People often resist change, and there is a natural concern that automation equals job losses. On the other hand, people also hate having to do boring admin work and would much rather get on with something more interesting. For example, in a nonprofit organization, the staff would rather impact the organization’s mission than spending time filling in an expense claim form.
People are also suspicious about letting machines have too much autonomy, at least until they’re proven. While it might be possible for mundane tasks to be done entirely automatically with no form and no human involvement, not even a screen, it might not be acceptable in terms of risk.
At the moment, most automation is based on mathematical rules, so it’s quite easy to build checks and balances into even the simplest system. An automation routine can be programmed to accept an outcome that has more than an 85% probability of being correct but refer anything under that to a human being for checking.
How To Proceed
Organizations interested in exploring the benefits of RPA in ERP should first look for any business processes that currently involve manual data entry into the ERP system. They should ask if their ERP could do this automatically through intrinsic RPA or whether a separate automation tool would be required.
They should also consider where they are in their ERP upgrade cycle. If they’re attracted by the double benefit of intrinsic automation that also effectively automates related systems, they should take the opportunity to move to intrinsically automated ERP when the time comes round to upgrade.
The final piece of advice is don’t get carried away by the hype around automation. Take it step by step. Make sure you understand whether the process you’re automating is an efficient process that’s worth automating. Start with simple, programmed automation, and only move into machine learning hyperautomation when you’re ready.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
9fbdd95a81bc93b94dec3f29db39fa18 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/18/13-ways-tech-leaders-can-support-their-developers-side-projects/?sh=2f196346545f | 13 Ways Tech Leaders Can Support Their Developers’ Side Projects | 13 Ways Tech Leaders Can Support Their Developers’ Side Projects
getty
As tech professionals advance in their careers, they can bring more new skills and interests to the table at your company—if they have an opportunity to develop them. Additionally, encouraging your tech team members to pursue their passions in the form of side projects is a great way to show you care about them as holistic professionals, not just as your employees.
As tech industry leaders, many Forbes Technology Council members encourage their developers to have side projects and have found the practice to be a positive addition to their company culture. Below, 13 of them share specific things they do to support their team members’ professional growth and exploration.
1. Remind them they may soon be using the new tech they’re exploring.
Yes, my team should be curious and willing to try and explore new technologies. This is crucial because what we do and what we use is continually going out of date or is on the cusp of being replaced by something else. Side projects help encourage awareness and competency on something new that we may adopt down the road. - Dan Maycock, Loftus Ranches
2. Host hackathons.
At least once a quarter, we have design sprint-like events where our engineers collaborate intensively on pet projects voted on by team members. These projects include things that could significantly enhance work in the long run but that developers usually do not have time to do. Developers always look forward to coding with a passion for projects meaningful to them. - Bob Fabien Zinga, Directly, Inc./U.S. Navy Reserve
3. Invest in resources to facilitate side projects.
Lack of creative opportunities often leads to burnout. Giving dev teams time to work on side projects or activities, especially those outside their purview, brings diversity to daily experiences. We go one step further by investing in tools and resources that facilitate this work. We find engineers will often take on projects to solve our own technical challenges, which adds value to our business. - Kris Beevers, NS1
MORE FOR YOUNVIDIA’s Auto Business Takes A Front Seat At NVIDIA GTC 2021What’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?Why I’m Not Surprised That IBM And Intel Are Collaborating On Chip Tech
4. Allow them to set aside time for side projects during the workweek.
I love seeing developers deepen their skills and develop their understanding of systems with side projects. I encourage this with “Space Time,” a program that allows developers to allocate a block of time to focus on a special project outside of their specific function. And with the ever-changing tech landscape, I also encourage the pursuit of training and certifications. - Kim Huffman, Elastic
5. Use the new systems developed internally.
Side projects are a great way to keep team members’ motivation high and give room for experiment. We let our developers work on their own ideas and side projects every Friday, and it has led to some of our most widely used internal systems—the latest being our own “Secret Santa” tool. Recently, we started dedicating one day each month for an internal conference in which our teammates share knowledge. - Ivailo Nikolov, SiteGround
6. Consider side projects when hiring.
From a hiring perspective, developers lacking side projects can be a red flag. It’s not a hard requirement, but those who are passionate about what they do typically have something that they are working on or contributing to. Having a team that not only has individual side projects but also team side projects allows you to give back to the community while making it more secure and accessible. - Cody Cornell, Swimlane
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
7. Let them talk about their side projects with team members.
We always encourage everyone on our team to spend some time working on side projects. We have an area in our Slack channel where people are free to talk about and share their projects with the rest of the team. I’ve found that this is an excellent opportunity to get to know the people we work with and give helpful feedback for growing side projects. - Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster
8. Offer ‘extracurricular’ activities.
I’m always in favor of my employees’ expanding their horizons. Exploration and experimentation are two of the best avenues to excel in life. Any time a team member is interested in learning new skillsets, we try to invest in them through extracurricular activities such as conferences, workshops or classes. - Marc Fischer, Dogtown Media LLC
9. Incorporate side projects into their regular projects when possible.
Humans have an innate capacity to create things. We encourage our engineers to have side projects, whether it’s to create an experience on our platform or even just an administrative tool for the rest of the organization. We frequently include those side projects in current work projects because it often contributes to the success of both. - Brandon Dewitt, MX
10. Encourage participation in open-source projects.
I encourage my developers to allocate 10% of their time to working on open-source projects that have a genuine, positive impact on society. Some of my developers contribute to projects through Wikimedia; others have been working on open-source projects related to Covid-19. Side projects like this are a win-win. Developers stay fresh and develop new skillsets while contributing to the greater good. - Ruchi Goyal, Accenture
11. Share ‘ads’ for additional assignments.
At Nord Security, we encourage socially responsible side projects. We even created a Slack channel where our employees can share additional assignment ads. As long as developers avoid conflicts of interest, side projects are helpful for skill-building and spicing up a routine. - Tom Okman, Nord Security
12. Send regular encouraging messages.
I encourage developers on my team to spend their time outside of work to do whatever they want. That could be side projects or any other activities. We roll that into the overall work-life balance effort. We have end-of-day calendar reminders set to remind developers of that daily. - Ayman Shoukry, Specright Inc.
13. Don’t assume it’s the norm.
Some developers love showing up to meetups after work and are happy working on all sorts of side projects in their free time. Support their efforts, but don’t assume that having side projects is the norm for developers. Many developers don’t have side projects and should also be supported in wanting to pursue other hobbies outside the office. - Maddison Long, CloudOps
|
9c675cf5ff78d9128ce161b7205e2212 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/21/15-critical-elements-every-effective-software-demo-needs/?sh=5b5ba77b1e75 | 15 Critical Elements Every Effective Software Demo Needs | 15 Critical Elements Every Effective Software Demo Needs
getty
All the talk in the world can’t sell software as well as seeing it in action. That’s why every software or application developer needs to plan a strong, straightforward way to demo their product.
A good demo shows potential users your product’s capabilities and how it’s useful to them in a more tangible way than marketing copy alone. To help you develop one, we asked members of Forbes Technology Council to weigh in on how to create an effective software demo. Here are the 15 elements they believe your demo should have to win over prospective customers.
1. Simplicity
Often, prospects get tired of lengthy qualification demos where they have to answer a bunch of questions before even seeing the product. The best software demos are the ones where you have the potential customer browse through the product while you help them navigate it. That way they can develop an emotional bond through the experience. - Gordian Braun, onetool
2. A Solution To A Problem
Software demos should be geared toward solving a specific problem. If you know the challenge the client or industry is facing that your software can solve, it should be the focus of the demo. A demo of the features and functions can turn really generic and it can become difficult to keep the audience engaged. Focus on the challenge, not the features and/or functions. - Komal Goyal, 6e Technologies
3. Gratification
Demos are no different than stand-up comedy: What’s needed is gratification. It has to be the periscope to the future trends that will pave the way for companies to assume a power role. If a demo is constructively engaging, people will be forced to put down their phones, take off their glasses and sit up. - Omer Khawaja, ITBoost
MORE FOR YOUNew Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 13 Design ShockApple iOS 14.5: The Latest iPhone Upgrade Is Going To Be AwesomeIvanka Trump Posts Covid-19 Vaccination Photo, Here Are Responses From QAnon Followers
4. Actual Data
One essential part of a new software demo is the ability to leverage actual data. A prospect, or even a current customer, will want to see the software being demoed using data they can relate to. Another important part of a successful demo is to accomplish something tangible with the software instead of just going through a list of menus and buttons. - Robin Grosset, MindBridge
5. Context
A key enabler of engagement, generally speaking, is context. In software procurement, this approach is materialized through the Conference Room Pilot concept. Seeing the software perform in the desired context or test-driving the software will always provide a more tangible perception and a stronger impact. - Bruno Mourao, Sonae
6. Real Use Cases And Comparisons
Our team has learned two major things in our demo experiences with customers. First, we must paint a picture of real business use cases—especially in a category such as quantum computing, which is full of hype. Second, we need to compare the new product to what people are using today so they can see the differences, or they will not see the value in switching to your more effective solution. - Christopher Savoie, Zapata Computing, Inc.
7. A Focus On Pain Points
Know your prospect’s pain points. An effective demo must be focused on your prospect’s needs rather than on your product’s capabilities. The best demos are the ones that successfully blend these two points. By understanding your prospect’s pain points you are showing them that you will take the time to understand their business and aren’t just there to demonstrate your product. - Erik Rind, ImagineBC Inc.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
8. Relevance
Relevance is key. Feature and function presentations can quickly dilute the intended value, especially if the person delivering the demo does not have a good grasp of the business and/or individual they are presenting to. It is crucial to understand a prospect’s situation and challenges, as well as the impact these have on their job. Never underestimate empathy and understanding, even in a tech demo. - Andrew Barlow, AppLearn
9. A Clear Illustration Of The ROI
Software demos are everywhere, including product pages, videos and animations. For a demo to be effective, ensure that you cover the basics. What problems are you solving and for whom? Why should they choose your software? Illustrating the business benefits and ROI is crucial. Answering how many hours or how much money your software can save and how it will impact customers or employees will make your product stand apart. - Swathi Young, Integrity Management Systems Inc.
10. A Story That Connects With The Audience
A great demo is not an endless display of features and functions; it’s a story about how your solution will improve work or life in some way. Good, relevant demo content enables you to connect to the audience. Meaningful, real examples told in a flowing, story-based manner are dramatically more valuable than you clicking through all the menus and screens. - Tim McCormick, SaaSOptics
11. The ‘Why’
Too often people demo by “following the clicks.” This is a common mistake. Never follow the clicks. Each part of the software must be introduced with the “why,” and each “click” should tell a use-case story. This is how to show the power of the software and the difference it can make in solving real problems. Additionally, avoid the “silent lull”—keep the conversation moving to engage the viewer. - Jim Higgins, Solutionreach
12. Customized Features To Meet The User’s Requirements
Does the demo closely meet the customer’s use case? Ask questions up front to gain a good view of their pain points and use cases. Then demo every single feature and functionality that fits, making sure to talk to their use cases. There may be a lot of nuances, so build a solution that actually meets their requirements instead of giving them a canned demonstration—it’s more useful. - Archie Agarwal, ThreatModeler Software, Inc.
13. A Vision Of Value
Do your homework first and understand the net value your software generates for your prospect. Ask why relevant goals are important to them, their current path to goal achievement and their key performance metrics. Then create and present a clear vision of the value they will receive by using your software, and your software demo becomes the link to goal success. - Michael Levine, Advantage Talent, Inc.
14. Room To ‘Breathe’
While you want to fill your demo with the features that can have an impact and outline all of your benefits, it is important that you leave room to “breathe” in your demo and have ongoing conversations with prospects about their needs, their pain points and how the product relates directly to them. An effective demo must be a two-way street, so make sure you are making space in your demo to engage. - David Gasparyan, Phonexa
15. Built-In Trust
There is a technical value market with many consumers. These consumers will place a considerable value on having the most sophisticated item or the newest model on the market. The psychological value of a given product is based on service, warranties or a trusted brand name. Customers will purchase the product that makes them feel most comfortable and good about themselves. - Will Conaway, The HCI Group/Tech Mahindra
|
5117af20bdda5bb4d9fc1c9b35364358 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/21/race-in-tech-part-two-being-the-only/?sh=537845da59b5 | Race In Tech, Part Two: Being 'The Only' | Race In Tech, Part Two: Being 'The Only'
Speaker, InterVision's Strategic IT Advisor and author of "Amplify Your Job Search: Strategies for Finding Your Dream Job."
Being "the only." It is a phrase that has come up time and time again as I speak to my colleagues of color. Many of them speak of being the only person who is Black, Latinx or Asian in the room, in the company, in the entire building. As they dig deeper into the feeling of being "the only," they speak of being exhausted, of feeling they are representing their entire race or gender and of the feeling they don't belong.
Have you ever stepped into a room and realized you were "the only"? A couple of years ago, I was concerned about the lack of gender diversity in a CIO networking group I manage. I asked one of the female members why she and others didn't attend often, if at all. Her response was: "I don't know, let's ask." With that, I found myself invited to a dinner party with 20 women IT leaders. I was petrified and uncomfortable. I felt I was representing all men — and these were all women I knew, respected and counted as friends.
I am in no way suggesting that one dinner party equates to what many experience day in and day out their entire lives. I can never begin to feel nor understand what that is like. What it did do, however, was open my eyes to some of the issues related to diversity and inclusion.
Their answer? After spending day after day being "the only woman" in meetings — perhaps even "the only" in their departments — they were exhausted. Why would they attend yet another event and be "the only"?
MORE FOR YOUNew Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 13 Design ShockApple iOS 14.5: The Latest iPhone Upgrade Is Going To Be AwesomeIvanka Trump Posts Covid-19 Vaccination Photo, Here Are Responses From QAnon Followers
In part one of this series, we took a look "Inside The Numbers." In part two, I want to highlight a few organizations that are helping our diverse colleagues find community, support and a "safe space" among others who know what it's like to be "the only," as well as ways we can all get involved.
BDPA
BDPA was born in 1975 as the Black Data Processing Association. As BDPA national president Terry Morris discussed on my "Status Go" podcast, its mission then — as it is now — was to create a place for Black and African Americans to grow, develop and nurture each other. Over the years, it has grown in numbers and in programs. Today, BPDA is a place for all minorities to advance their careers, from the classroom to the boardroom, including conducting competitions for everyone from high school students to Ph.D. candidates.
/dev/color
/dev/color is an organization whose mission is to provide Black software engineers with the support they need to grow into industry leaders. While providing insights into the group's history, mission and its foundation of members helping members, director of programs Cynthia Billops noted on "Status Go" that after starting in 2015 with fewer than a dozen members, the organization has grown to over 500 members, with squads in San Francisco, New York City, Atlanta and Seattle.
Techqueria
Founded in 2015, Techqueria has grown to over 11,000 members in seven active chapters. Through its programs, it empowers Latinx professionals with the "resources and support that they need to thrive and become leaders in the tech industry." Its members work in product, design and engineering roles. The organization also works with employee resource groups to provide career advice, mentorship and networking. The organization launched a podcast earlier this year, hosted by tech reporter Jose Fermoso, that features topics affecting Latinx people.
NAAAP
A group that can often feel overlooked in the diversity, equity and inclusion conversation are people who are Asian-American. The National Association of Asian-American Professionals, while not exclusively focused on the tech professional, is an organization that "cultivates and empowers Asian & Pacific Islander leaders through leadership development, professional networking, and community service." Throughout its 38 years, the organization has grown to 25 chapters across the country. NAAAP's job board currently shows over 100 positions in tech across the country.
Now Is The Time
These are four examples of organizations building communities, supporting communities and growing leaders. If you know of others, I would love to learn about them.
In the meantime, now is the time to get involved. If you are a member of one of these communities, consider reaching out to them and becoming a part of their organization. Support the other members and help them grow.
If you are not a member of these communities, I encourage you to research them and learn more about them. Get involved.
• Volunteer: Many of the organizations survive through the efforts of volunteers. Seek out ways that you can volunteer.
• Attend Events: Attending is a great way to show your support, and it's a great way to learn and diversify your network.
• Donate: All of the organizations I mentioned are nonprofits. They could all use additional financial resources to carry out their missions.
• Sponsor: Advocate within your company for sponsorship of the organizations or their events. Sponsorships are difficult for some nonprofits to obtain in this current "all events are virtual" world, and I am sure they would appreciate sharing their story with you.
• Hire: Hire diverse candidates. Go to them. Don't wait for them to come to you. Use these organizations as another source of candidates for your open positions.
Here is a bonus idea for involvement. The next time you enter a room, look around. Is there someone there who is "the only"? Consider introducing yourself to them, making them feel welcome, helping them feel they are not "the only" and including them in the group. If it was you, I believe you would appreciate it.
In part three of "Race in Tech," we will look at one of the top reasons companies give when they don't hire a diverse workforce — the talent pipeline.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
44792a01713cfafc8257f6cab507745b | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/21/three-reasons-why-dataops-will-boom-in-2021/?ref=thechiefio?ref=thechiefio?ref=faun | Three Reasons Why DataOps Will Boom In 2021 | Three Reasons Why DataOps Will Boom In 2021
Itamar Ben Hemo is CEO and Co-Founder of Rivery, a platform that empowers businesses to unlock the possibilities hidden within their data.
getty
While DataOps is a relatively new term, more and more people in the data industry are discussing it. From recent conversations with business analysts, to customers, to partners, there seems to be a growing demand for tools and platforms that address the growing pains and challenges of data teams. A recent survey of data professionals conducted by Nexla regarding how they use data, their team structure and data challenges found that 73% of companies are investing in DataOps.
Once a separate division responsible for collating data and providing BI reports, the role of data teams is now central to most business functions and processes. Streamlining the ways in which all organizational data is managed, transformed and ultimately fed back to the business as meaningful insights is a challenge every organization can relate to.
What Is DataOps?
A recent blog by IBM provides a good definition, articulating DataOps as the "practices that bring speed and agility to end-to-end data pipelines process, from collection to delivery." However, the same post points out how there are many working definitions, mainly since the term is in the early stages of awareness and adoption.
While it might mean different things to different people, there are three undisputed pillars of DataOps: people, processes and technology. Those teams and individuals responsible for optimizing data flows deliver huge efficiencies for their organizations and can give all teams unprecedented agility through faster and better insights.
MORE FOR YOUWhat’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?NVIDIA’s Auto Business Takes A Front Seat At NVIDIA GTC 2021How Initialized Investor Garry Tan Turned A $300,000 Bet On Coinbase Into A $680 Million ‘Golden Ticket’
Just like DevOps systematized software development, DataOps aims to accelerate the collection, processing and analysis of data. As noted by CIO, "IDC identifies four core stages in a 'Data-to-Insights' pipeline: Identify Data, Gather Data, Transform Data and Analyze Data. Collectively, these stages also constitute the core elements of an emerging discipline called DataOps."
Here are three reasons why DataOps professionals and teams should take center stage in 2021:
1. There is a ridiculous amount of data. Data doesn't equal insights, and data that is never used (or needed) is as good as having no data. Many companies are still coming to grips with the amount of data sources they have access to. Advertising data, product data, usage data, financial data, customer data — there is an ever-increasing number of internal and external data sources for all departments. Orchestrating it, safeguarding it, processing it and turning it into relevant dashboards and business insights is no small feat.
The level of data granularity that data teams have access to — and the business expectation for bespoke solutions that are specifically tailored for their needs — will only grow. Without solid DataOps teams and processes in place, scaling business data and reporting processes efficiently could become impossible. The adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms that rely upon huge amounts of data means the trend is only bound to grow. In addition, the increasing demand for real-time data and insights will add another layer of operational complexity that requires a radically different way to manage, process, transform and present data. The automation of processes and orchestration of data sources and warehouses will be more crucial than ever before.
2. Urgency to end wasteful and ineffective processes. Very few organizations stop in order to measure the time and money wasted due to bad data processes. Also known as "data debt," the cost associated with mismanaging data isn't only impacting finances but also harming teams' abilities to make better decisions. Petr Travkin, solution architect in the data and analytics practice at EPAM Systems, sees DataOps as the answer to paying down organizational data debt. Travkin explains how organizations are often excited about applying advanced analytics to business areas, yet struggle to see the value in improving workflows. The resulting data debt comes in the form of wasted data engineering, data science and analytics efforts.
With many companies under increased financial strain due to a global pandemic that is taking its toll across most industries, cutting costs and optimizing processes is at the top of the agenda. DataOps is one of those areas in which the ROI from putting all ducks in a row is crystal clear. In addition, companies know that they can't cut corners on insights, and with many businesses expanding their online presence as a result of worldwide lockdowns, there is an increasing amount of digital data that needs to be managed, analyzed and used as strategic insights.
3. Closing the gap between data and insights. Better, simpler and more business-oriented technologies around data processes have changed the way "non-data" people access business insights. The emergence of cloud data warehouses, SaaS ETL platforms and code-free visualization dashboards means that decision-makers are less dependent on data teams to get the insights they need on a day-to-day basis. However, in order to achieve this, there must be a DataOps team or expert that centrally orchestrates all the data flows and understands data requirements across an organization.
While many roles and responsibilities will shrink in the years to come, DataOps should grow. Those professionals with the skills, vision and talent to manage the optimization of data processes will be in high demand, and it is safe to predict that the salaries for DataOps professionals will skyrocket to match this demand.
Data teams are quickly shifting from being suppliers of data and insights to facilitators and architects of the ecosystems that empower anyone in an organization to access the insights they need, whenever they need them. DataOps are the new gatekeepers of efficient and effective business data, and the future of business insights should heavily rely on them.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
6e4112c065611bb22da6c2adb58cf9ba | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/21/why-employee-upskilling-and-reskilling-is-so-important-right-now/ | Why Employee Upskilling And Reskilling Is So Important Right Now | Why Employee Upskilling And Reskilling Is So Important Right Now
CEO of Rallyware.
getty
The time when companies are struggling to stay afloat doesn't seem to be very appropriate for employee upskilling and reskilling, right? Wrong. It is often misconceived that during tough times employees need to do what they have to by utilizing their current skills and not thinking about how to expand their skill set. This is especially not true during the crisis of 2020 as its effects have been extremely uneven across different industries and functions. We've already seen the major changes that the Covid-19 pandemic have brought upon the economic landscape and, with them, the demand for new approaches to mobilizing your existing talent base.
Perhaps one of the most dramatic impacts of the pandemic has been the unprecedented numbers of furloughed or laid-off employees and high unemployment rates. However, in a time when even major industries cannot afford to hire new talent, it is crucial to invest in a workforce adaptable to market changes.
The Time When Businesses Switch To A Distributed Workforce Model
In February 2019, Accenture published an article about businesses and societies moving into a post-digital era. Digital transformation of markets has accelerated in the past few decades, allowing industries to reimagine trends, consumer interactions, individualized customer experiences and new ways of working.
While there have been many conversations about utilizing technology to transform workplaces, companies lack the knowledge or expertise to implement the shift to a distributed workforce model. Yet, with the Covid-19 pandemic, the tables have turned, and such business models are no longer a privilege but a necessity.
MORE FOR YOUWhy You Should Stop Using Your Facebook Messenger AppWhy You Should Never Use Google Chrome On Your iPhone, iPad Or MacThe Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine Is Less Effective Against The South African And UK Variants Than Against The Original Virus, According To A New “Real-World” Study From Israel
Remote work is the "new normal" that industries have to accept. Various studies consulted by Hubstaff have indicated a self-reported increase of productivity for 65% of remote workers and an overall increase in productivity for 85% of businesses after the switch to remote work. However, if the acquisition of new skills is not supported or encouraged by the companies, those productivity gains could quickly disappear.
The Devastating Impact Of Covid-19 On The Workforce
Supply chains and business models experienced disruptions that have forced hundreds of thousands of workers into being laid off, transferred into unfamiliar positions or forced to take unpaid vacation time.
A survey among 200 businesses discovered that 77% of organizations experienced a decline in sales during the pandemic, while for 29% of those losses were significant enough to either shut down the business or prepare to do so in the near future. The most impacted industries include restaurants, tourism and retail. On the other hand, businesses such as direct selling, gig economy, gaming, delivery services and others capitalized on the increase in online consumption.
Although smaller organizations have been hit the hardest, many top companies are not faring much better. According to Business Insider, American Airlines cut 19,000 employees, MGM Resorts 18,000 employees, Coca-Cola 4,000 employees in North America and J.C. Penney furloughed thousands of employees and filed for bankruptcy.
Over a few months' time, the economy has seen unemployment rates skyrocket, while the opposite holds true for job security. Yet the solution to retaining employees and keeping the companies alive could be much closer than we think.
Why Companies Are Using This Time As An Opportunity
The Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated that no one has control over the future — not markets, individuals or even the economy as a whole. Long-term goals are more likely to fall through than ever before, and this is why the time for employee reskilling and upskilling is now.
Plenty of industries cannot afford to hire a new workforce or even retain their existing talent. Then would it make sense to retrain employees to take much-needed positions?
In truth, some of the industry giants have jumped on the upskilling train long before the pandemic. Amazon, for instance, has invested $700 million into reskilling and upskilling programs, and Mastercard has been running its own retraining program since 2016 to gain a competitive advantage over startups.
It would be ignorant, however, to see upskilling just as a way to keep the company afloat in these difficult times. In the long run, upskilling and reskilling programs can improve employee engagement and retention, attract new talent, increase collaboration between departments and speed up the adoption of new trends within the company.
The Role Of Performance Enablement In Employee Upskilling And Reskilling
Performance enablement is a crucial tool for employee upskilling and reskilling during the Covid-19 pandemic, considering the remote nature of workplace communication and management. It facilitates the development of a workforce that is agile and adaptable to the shifting industry needs.
Performance enablement is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Since it's backed by AI algorithms, the system analyzes performance data in real time and learns more about the employees as they progress within the platform. This results in the improvement of knowledge and skills, which directly affects individuals' personal goals and company KPIs.
Distributed workforce training provides an opportunity for the company to maximize employee potential and allow workers to keep their jobs by expanding their skills to different areas. With just-in-time learning, employees receive information on-demand from their home offices where they can build on their existing skill sets or acquire new capabilities through personalized learning.
How To Approach Employee Upskilling And Reskilling Amid The Pandemic
• Gather data. A good start would be to leverage people analytics because it will allow you to design and implement more strategic talent decisions. Align the data with your business questions and focus on people and business metrics instead of navigating your initiatives blindly.
• Encourage knowledge sharing. Empower collaborative work at all levels of the workforce. Transitioning existing employees into new positions is more cost-effective than hiring new employees.
• Implement a performance enablement solution. Performance enablement technologies allow companies to build a resilient and adaptable workforce by connecting performance data to the personalized learning experience.
While performance enablement solutions are not pandemic-specific, the need for employee reskilling and upskilling has become more urgent for the successful future of companies and their employees amid the health and economic crisis.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
48ae7eb8fe1cdf75029757f6d8bf38af | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/22/four-ways-to-think-about-the-cloud-for-business-in-2021/?sh=712db1393232 | Four Ways To Think About The Cloud For Business In 2021 | Four Ways To Think About The Cloud For Business In 2021
Making your data invincible. General manager at VENYU Data Centers.
As we evolve our expectations regarding our current-day tech culture, “the cloud” is a term used by tech and nontech communities alike. Hearing the boomer and Gen Z generations both speak fluently about a concept that felt far-reaching not so long ago is a true testament to the accelerated pace our technology sector is experiencing. In the eyes of the consumer, the ability to back up to and access the cloud has become a must-have add-on to any of our gadgets. Storing pictures, music and documents has become the norm.
As we observe explosive cloud growth, I remain intrigued by business leaders who are still uncomfortable with the concept of cloud-based storage for their organizations. I think this mostly occurs when the options for cloud usage become overwhelming, intimidating or both.
To demystify the cloud, I'll share my thoughts on four major mindset changes needed for cloud adoption.
1. Flexibility
The dynamic and scalable nature of a cloud system is undoubtedly one of its key value propositions. Organizations can drastically reduce the amount of time and capital spent on infrastructure planning.
MORE FOR YOUNVIDIA’s Auto Business Takes A Front Seat At NVIDIA GTC 2021What’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?Why I’m Not Surprised That IBM And Intel Are Collaborating On Chip Tech
Another popular way of looking at modern cloud-based storage is as an extension of the infrastructure. Perhaps certain applications warrant staying out of the cloud. That doesn’t mean your business shouldn’t consider adopting a hybrid approach, leveraging both on-premises and cloud systems simultaneously. In fact, the options to scale applications to various cloud-based solutions, data centers and on-premises facilities are broad enough to accommodate the most stringent of requirements.
Additionally, organizations are increasingly using cloud systems as a replacement strategy for legacy or unsupported hardware. Avoiding capex cycles by migrating one or more systems from on-premises to cloud-based is an excellent example of a phased cloud strategy. It’s never an all-or-nothing scenario with cloud — it’s a right-fit, right-time solution.
2. The Network
It starts and stops with the network. While running infrastructure on-premises, the network topology outside an organization’s four walls is less pressing. When moving to the cloud, these aspects are critical to ensure performance, stability and availability of business applications. The options in today’s network ecosystem are flexible and affordable. These are the criteria to evaluate:
• Redundancy: Ensure each location that requires access to the infrastructure has multiple paths to get there, duplicating providers and circuit types for maximum resilience. For instance, an internet provider and point-to-point circuit can provide both performance and redundant connection options to allow an always-on network path to your data.
• Security: Be sure the entry points to and from any of your locations are secured with proper firewalls to block unwanted traffic. Build VPN tunnels to encrypt your data in transit and leverage two-factor authentication.
• Latency: Network performance issues can kill an otherwise solid cloud deployment. It’s critical to manage the latency of the network with a few key items.
• Ensure cloud data is as close to your users as possible. In a cloud environment, that data’s location could be in the next city or another state, so avoid costly internet hops between multiple carriers to get from point A to point B.
• Leverage “thin client” solutions such as Microsoft Remote Desktop Services. These solutions minimize the data that needs to travel across the network by keeping most of the user interface in the cloud.
• Understand how business applications communicate. If your line of business application integrates with another local system as a point of integration, you’ll need to consider that when you port it over to the cloud. Not doing so will force the application to constantly reach across the network to send and receive data. This can result in subpar performance and user experience.
3. Cybersecurity And Compliance
If there is one common theme that every business is aware of nowadays, it’s the pressure of an always-looming cybersecurity breach. The interesting part about this from a business perspective is that many stakeholders believe their data to be safer if they keep it out of the cloud. The reality is quite the contrary. Not to say that cloud systems are bulletproof, but mature cloud providers commonly go to great lengths to protect the data they store. Cloud security systems are scalable and can offer advanced protection at an affordable cost.
Just as important, if not more so, are the cybersecurity experts who monitor cloud environments 24/7. While a technical defense can go a long way, the know-how that teams bring to the table to actively and intelligently deal with any issues that arise is a vital part of the equation. Those talent resources are scarce to most small to midsize businesses. Cloud providers typically staff these resources to act as an extension of their customer’s cyber team.
Cybersecurity has become a primary component of most compliance frameworks. For businesses that operate under compliance policies, cloud-based solutions often have the upper hand. If your business needs agility and speed to adopt new technical compliance requirements, you may be closer to needing the cloud than you think.
4. Total Costs Of Ownership (TCO)
Ultimately, cloud usability comes down to economics — with the actual cost and net new value realized by the capabilities the technology can offer. For many companies, it’s a no-brainer when you factor in the additional capital and support burdens that accompany a traditional infrastructure.
While the cloud’s TCO can get complicated, one area proving to be a good indicator of potential cloud success is the organizational culture. A culture can separate adopters from advocates. A cloud culture will invest the time needed to adapt to the change and embrace the flexibility and power current cloud-based capabilities offer.
In the journey of business, choices are made to address short-term needs and long-term goals. Vast options in the world of technology will continue to broaden and leave businesses with even more choices and complexities. Using these techniques when evaluating cloud-based options for your business will get you closer to making a sound choice.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
f79dcaa43d98bec7ef58198b3cc2caaa | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/04/innovative-it-leadership-from-the-top-down-or-from-the-bottom-up/ | Innovative IT Leadership: From The Top Down Or From The Bottom Up? | Innovative IT Leadership: From The Top Down Or From The Bottom Up?
Steve Taplin is the CEO and Co-Founder of Sonatafy Technology, a leading provider of experienced nearshore software developers and engineers
getty
Choosing a management style for your technology company sets the tone for everything that your employees do and what your company stands for. Whether you choose a bottom-up or top-down management structure, strive to create an entrepreneurial organization of self-managed individuals.
Even in organizations that require tight control for compliance and regulatory purposes, it pays to encourage employees to think outside the box and to stay engaged in their work. How else can you foster innovation, a key component for any technology company?
The Difference Between Top-Down And Bottom-Up Management
The key is finding the right balance between these two unique approaches.
Fans of a top-down structure believe that centralized control prevents chaos in the bottom ranks. If control is too autocratic, it stifles thought leadership and creates a culture of fear and resentment. When well done, the vision for the company cascades down through the department levels in a noninvasive way that allows individual employees to contribute to the achievement of business goals.
MORE FOR YOUNew Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 13 Design ShockApple iOS 14.5: The Latest iPhone Upgrade Is Going To Be AwesomeIvanka Trump Posts Covid-19 Vaccination Photo, Here Are Responses From QAnon Followers
Bottom-up management involves developing a flat organizational chart. Titles, corner offices and other trappings of a hierarchy are discouraged. These organizations discourage centralized control and create effective, self-managed teams. However, with no centralized authority, organizations can quickly fall apart at the seams.
To balance these two concepts, effective technology leaders can concentrate on delegating tasks and giving control to the appropriate teams. This frees employees to work toward the goal without the burden of micromanagement.
By delegating the execution of tasks, innovative leaders foster a culture of accountability. However, it takes tremendous energy to make the switch from active management to design-centric leadership. According to the Harvard Business Review, design-centered teams require active, effective leadership to keep projects moving forward smoothly. The trick is learning when to let go and trust your teams to keep producing.
Whether you choose a top-down or bottom-up management style, don't keep employees in the dark. By developing an attitude of full transparency, you encourage employees to own up to mistakes rather than hiding them. This tenet also fosters trust, so people feel freer to explore new avenues that can lead to innovation and a healthier bottom line.
Design-Centric Leadership
In design-centric leadership, leaders design the organizational structure to align with business goals. Then, they step back and allow team members to drive the day-to-day management. By adopting the tools and techniques needed to drive change, you can leverage technology across the organization and build transparent systems that keep everyone in the loop.
Use innovation and technology to drive strategic change without giving up control of your organization. The design-centric leader doesn't delegate everything. They hire great people and trust them to do the right thing.
However, accountability requires attentive stewardship and the tools to measure performance at the company, team and individual levels. Continuous alignment includes integrating your vision with company culture, structure and collaboration.
Challenges To Building A Self-Managed Organization
Create a culture that supports innovation. We are at a crossroads in history. Accelerating trends in innovation and technology pose unique challenges for leaders. So, write your own playbook to navigate the tremendous digital capability at your fingertips.
Challenges to design-centric leadership include knowing how far to get involved without taking over. This can be difficult for action-oriented leaders. In addition, the battle between efficiency and effectiveness can hinder both leaders and employees. An effective environment requires flexibility, trust and risk-taking. This is best accomplished in small, collaborative teams that can figure things out in an undefined, cross-functional organization. However, efficiency requires centralized control to reproduce processes, procedures and rules. Efficiency requires structure to enforce and communicate a centralized vision. Effective leaders must navigate these contradictory concepts to get the best results.
Tools And Strategies For Innovative Technology Leadership
Becoming a design-centric leader means becoming comfortable with your own management style. You might be naturally more of a top-down or bottom-up manager. However, as your organization grows you must learn to leads through influence and communication.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
• How can technology trends in mobile, cloud computing and other areas help you drive growth locally and globally?
• What's the best way to leverage technology to promote collaboration between remote workers in these uncertain times?
• How can you put your hands on the pulse of your users and customers to inform your design decisions?
In any company, leadership plays a critical role in implementing new technology. In a technology company, leadership often means choosing the right managers to develop technology for clients, then getting out of their way.
It's important to build personal power and influence in your organization. When people respect and admire their leaders, they can accomplish amazing things.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
645135f09c9c536e3420f9ffe409b328 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/04/regulating-consumer-data-will-catalyze-clean-energy-deployments/ | Regulating Consumer Data Will Catalyze Clean Energy Deployments | Regulating Consumer Data Will Catalyze Clean Energy Deployments
Suzanne Russo, CEO, Pecan Street Inc.
getty
Leaning into clean energy is a huge economic opportunity for the United States. To realize it, we need policy and regulation that addresses “smart home” data.
It may sound crazy to say that regulation creates economic growth, but the evidence is inarguable that this is certainly the case in the energy industry. Markets love targets and consistency. If you want proof, look at what happened to the wind industry in Texas when the state mandated a renewable energy standard in 1999. Texas now produces more wind power than any other state and all but five other countries.
To unlock the next wave of clean energy business opportunities and consumer financial benefits, we need policy leadership and the creation of regulations governing the intersection of smart homes and smart grids.
As rooftop solar, in-home energy storage systems, electric vehicles and smart home technologies like app-controlled lighting and smart thermostats become increasingly prevalent, much of their environmental and consumer value is left untapped because of a white space surrounding data ownership and security between consumer devices and utilities.
For example, the value of distributed energy resources for critical grid services, including voltage regulation, frequency stabilization, energy arbitrage, peak demand reduction and ramping reserves, is of significant economic and environmental benefit.
MORE FOR YOUCovid-19 Weekly Roundup: What Happened With The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?Here’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedRobotics Startup Canvas Raises $24 Million To Revitalize Construction
To solve this problem, we need to unbraid three intertwined issues: data ownership, data access and grid security. Grid security solutions are under development at our national labs, but data ownership and data access are stuck in the limbo that utilities are not currently incentivized to tackle.
Regulators could help solve this problem by creating guidelines for how data from consumer energy devices can interweave with grid data to provide a platform for autonomous intelligence and machine learning enabled distributed grid services. Public utility commissions could provide directives on secure, real-time data integration between buildings and our electric grids. Organizations like my own, national labs and leading research universities have the technical knowledge and public benefit mission to support our electricity regulators in understanding the technical nature of these challenges and designing solutions.
I’ve argued before that data is now a utility. Utilities provide critical public services required for the functioning and economic security of our societies. Data now clearly falls within this definition. It’s both a commodity and a service, and it is relied upon in nearly all aspects of our lives. It's generated by our personal behavior and technology purchases but is currently owned by the company or platform that collects this data. That’s not the case in the electricity sector. In most states, electricity use and purchase data is owned by each customer and fiercely protected by regulation. Understanding that data is now a de facto utility helps clarify how to approach solving the murky data access and ownership questions that leaders of countries and companies around the world are grappling with.
In the energy world, we have a model to build from. The regulations that govern electric utilities allow for state-by-state flexibility but provide a general framework for service requirements, customer cost management, security and transparency. Those are all things that are sorely lacking for consumer data. And until we have guidance the whole industry can execute on, growth in this promising industry — and all the environmental and consumer benefits that growth can unlock — will suffer.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
05a1bfe4801832c89db7258e7e907358 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/05/12-effective-ways-to-test-your-new-techs-ux/ | 12 Effective Ways To Test Your New Tech’s UX | 12 Effective Ways To Test Your New Tech’s UX
Before launching a product into the market, it’s important to be sure it offers a good user experience, but being intimately familiar with the product can make it hard for a tech leader to accurately judge that. A thorough test of usability and UX is essential—but what’s the best way to go about it?
Below, 12 industry leaders from Forbes Technology Council share strategies to help tech teams conduct UX tests on their new products before release. Follow their advice to ensure your new tech will be a success with end-users.
Members of Forbes Technology Council share strategies to help tech teams effectively test the UX of new products. Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Invest in a great quality assurance team.
Now, more than ever, customers expect a quality app. That means you can’t scrimp on software testing. With a solid QA team, tech leaders can feel safe in the knowledge that their product has been tested to the highest standard. - Ronald Cummings-John, Global App Testing
2. Put together a focus group of existing customers and sales and marketing staff.
Before launching a product to market, develop a pipeline of focus group participants from the existing customer base, and also recruit your marketing and sales departments to test it. Customers get engaged in the product functions and features, strengthening relationships with them. Marketing and sales staff provide proactive feedback about issues while learning the new features in a hands-on way. - Rebecca Bowen, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation
3. See if uninvolved team members can figure it out.
Conduct internal usability tests with employees on other teams who have never interacted with the tool in question. Record them trying to figure out how the tool works without first telling them. This perspective could be invaluable in making the product as intuitive as possible. - Maddison Long, CloudOps
MORE FOR YOUHere’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedWestworld-AI Scenario To Be Banned In Europe: leaked AI Regulations Reveal Course-Correction Away From Dystopian AI FutureBioNTech’s Humble Billionaire CEO On The Next Era Of mRNA Vaccines
4. Test for speed and ease of use.
One effective way to test any product—even if you are unfamiliar with its intricacies—is to test the user experience for speed and ease of use. Essentially, you want to make sure that your product is faster and easier to use than the previous release. Testing for speed is easy. You can test side-by-side with an earlier iteration of the same product, or you can even test against the competition. - Adi Ekshtain, Amaryllis Payment Solutions
5. Validate how well it solves customers’ challenges.
Products are made to solve customer challenges. Leaders need to test their product’s ability to solve those challenges. They should be able to articulate the value proposition of each capability and how it addresses these challenges. A good user interface makes it easy for leaders to validate and test the usability of the product in solving customer needs. - Chaitra Vedullapalli, Women in Cloud
6. Let a third-party red team test it.
One of the best ways to test a novel product’s usability before launch is to get it tested by a red team. A red team will thoroughly test the product’s usability, ensuring it offers a good UX, and will also test the product for security bugs. Although the testing could be done internally, a third party might be better to avoid any conflict of interest and provide more objectivity. - Bob Fabien Zinga, Directly, Inc./U.S. Navy Reserve
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
7. Have customers work as design partners.
We are working closely with some of our customers as design partners. They are part of the design of any new feature, from inception until it’s released. They will be the first to see mockups and the first to test drive the new product and provide feedback. This creates stronger ties between us and our strategic customers, making them better users of the product, for continuous success. - Ariel Rosenfeld, 3d Signals
8. Do a soft launch with targeted groups.
Balance customer feedback with your vision of the product—especially if it’s disruptive and has a learning curve. Do a soft launch with targeted groups, and conduct user interviews. Analyze the results and decide their relevance or priority accordingly. This will identify the early adopters. If they find it unappealing, then you need revisions. Draw that fine line and defend it from yourself, too. - Diana Xhumari, Tegeria
9. Get feedback from those outside the tech industry.
Keep in mind that not everyone who will be an end-user of the product is an industry specialist. It’s important to get opinions and feedback from people not just outside your team but outside the tech industry entirely. Make sure some of your beta testers are non-experts who can provide a different perspective on the UX, as well as people who might use the product in the “wrong” way. - Ron Cogburn, Exela Technologies
10. Implement security features from the start.
There needs to be security participation built in during the DevOps lifecycle. This coming year, we will see organizations “shift left.” To meet the demand for getting better products and services to market with increased speed and agility, security teams must enable and empower DevOps by providing them with easy-to-use guardrails and policies that can be implemented at scale and from the start. - Chris DeRamus, DivvyCloud by Rapid7
11. Ensure stakeholders’ priorities are covered.
Identify, document, verify and prioritize the key performance indicators of key stakeholders. These KPIs can be measured through real-time/derived data or analytics. Verify the basic UI principles of those KPIs and the shortest path to viewing them, the completeness and accuracy of the data, and validate. Now, let a fresh user test those use cases with a basic introduction and user guide, and observe their interaction without prompts. It will give you a lot of unexpected information! - Satyam Bheemarasetti, NeoSilica Technologies Private Limited
12. Observe target users interacting with the feature being tested.
I’ve found it very helpful to observe target users interacting with the feature. When we were building a large online loan application, we put each step onto an index card, shuffled the deck and asked users to put the deck in the order in which they would expect the loan application process to flow. Their answers were consistent, and not at all what we thought! - Kathy Keating, TextUs
|
2ac39ddff8c00911c514299b0eabfbdb | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/05/13-ways-tech-leaders-can-build-a-strong-culture-in-a-remote-team/?sh=2a271a83bc66 | 13 Ways Tech Leaders Can Build A Strong Culture In A Remote Team | 13 Ways Tech Leaders Can Build A Strong Culture In A Remote Team
getty
In 2020, numerous businesses were forced to scramble to adapt to a remote work model. While this was an entirely new experience in multiple industries, a lot of tech companies were already ahead of the curve, having operated with either partially or fully remote teams for years—many with team members from around the globe. Indeed, the nature of their work—and their inherent tech savvy—can make remote work easier for tech professionals. Still, there’s one challenge to remote work that every industry has to deal with: building a strong team culture when staff members rarely if ever interact in person.
With longer experience managing remote staff, tech leaders have learned ways to help their remote team members come together in a single, strong culture. Below, 13 experts from Forbes Technology Council share their best tips on how tech leaders can build a cohesive culture for their remote team members.
1. Make sure everyone knows they’re supported.
Regular communication is the key to building a strong culture remotely. We host a weekly virtual meeting where the whole business comes together—it helps everyone to feel connected. It’s also about making sure everyone knows they’re supported. We already had a program for “mental health first aid,” but this has been really beneficial during this time. - Tony Pepper, Egress
2. Hold weekly face-to-face meetings.
It’s important to find new tactics for keeping company culture top of mind when working remotely. One way to do this is by introducing weekly face-to-face team meetings. These meetings give your team members an opportunity to ask questions, collaborate and receive key business updates, all in an open forum where everyone is present and can weigh in with their thoughts. - Jeffrey Tiong, PatSnap
3. Invite everyone to ‘water cooler’ meetups each week.
Nearly 70% of our workforce has worked remotely for 10 years, and in that time, we’ve worked hard to keep a strong company culture. My biggest piece of advice would be to hold weekly virtual “water cooler meetings” that all employees are encouraged to join. We not only discuss business but also personal life, and it allows everyone to get together even though we’re distributed. - Sacha Labourey, CloudBees
MORE FOR YOUHere’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedRobotics Startup Canvas Raises $24 Million To Revitalize ConstructionHow Vaccine Companies Are Battling Covid-19 Variants
4. Organize daily casual syncs.
Having daily casual syncs between team members is crucial in breaking down barriers and improving communication. With remote work, it is easy to isolate oneself from colleagues without everyday in-person interaction. However, by having consistent meetings where employees engage in nonwork banter, people will be more comfortable with one another, leading to a strong culture. - Ashwini Choudhary, Recogni
5. Recognize employees for their hard work.
While working remotely it is important that your employees still feel valued and recognized for the hard work they are doing. Companies should consider dedicating time each week for employee recognition. Having someone on their team express gratitude and kudos for their work can help ensure employees feel like they matter and stay loyal to your company. - Allison Barr Allen, Fast
6. Keep collaboration and inclusiveness alive.
Inclusiveness in working agreements and leading by example are key. Being remote can lead to a lot less ad-hoc collaboration and more one-on-one conversations. No one wants to spend their whole day on Zoom, so ensuring that you are keeping the spirit of collaboration and inclusiveness alive is super important. Directly asking individuals how they are feeling is a great step in the right direction. - Cody Cornell, Swimlane
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
7. Leverage collaboration tools.
Communication is key to preserving a strong culture when a company is now working remotely. Great collaboration tools such as Slack enable us to take our favorite in-office traditions virtual and stay connected across teams. It’s leadership’s responsibility to maintain culture by encouraging virtual traditions for employees to participate in. - Kris Rudeegraap, Sendoso
8. Keep telling your company’s story.
I’m a strong believer in storytelling. Mutual stories are what make nations, football fans and companies unite around an imaginary bonfire. When operating in a remote mode, managers need to keep repeating the company’s story—its values, vision and mission—and share how every individual is contributing to the success of the company and, more importantly, creating value for its customers. - Ariel Rosenfeld, 3d Signals
9. Practice radical transparency.
The most important thing tech leaders can do to ensure the strength and resilience of their culture in a distributed environment is to practice radical transparency and provide a safe space for diverse thoughts and ideas. They should exemplify transparency by keeping regular, open communications with their teams and ensuring that team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas and thoughts. - Kim Huffman, Elastic
10. Mirror your desired communication system.
Having your collaboration environment mirror your desired company communication system is key. This means everyone in the company participates, not just the engineering team. Leaders need to set the example of being active and transparent and encouraging collaboration. Nonwork participation is just as important to really get to know your team: We have food, wellness and pushup channels—and more! - John Jahnke, Tackle.io
11. Highlight team members’ unique talents.
While teams grapple with Zoom fatigue, we’ve found success with Zoom gatherings that highlight team members’ unique talents. For example, we hosted a virtual “DJ lunch” that featured music curated by an employee who took song requests via chat. Showcasing talents and spotlighting employees make these virtual events more special. It’s a good way to retain company culture and connect virtually. - AJ Shankar, Everlaw
12. Create a ‘Culture Club.’
We created a “Culture Club” dedicated to organizing virtual team-building initiatives. We’ve found that it’s helpful to offer a variety of activities so there are ample opportunities to connect. Further, rather than placing the culture entirely on the backs of HR, getting more team members involved in planning makes for a more genuine culture. - Thierry Schellenbach, Stream - Chat & Activity Feed APIs
13. Encourage interdepartmental interaction.
Break down barriers between teams by encouraging people to interact with other departments. Being remote can create unnecessary silos if people only work with their immediate team, so creating cross-departmental projects and initiatives will bring new people together. You can also implement new traditions and virtual activities such as trivia games or lunch-and-learns to get to know each other. - Andrew Jornod, VertexOne
|
60c5d0e9bd86152222bb563641a34b23 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/05/ai-adoption-is-accelerating-getting-it-right-has-never-been-more-important/ | AI Adoption Is Accelerating: Getting It Right Has Never Been More Important | AI Adoption Is Accelerating: Getting It Right Has Never Been More Important
As VP and CTO of NTT DATA Services, Kris leads client innovation programs and the IT Strategy Consulting Practice. Follow Kris @KFitzCTO.
We're living in an AI world. For an idea of just how mainstream artificial intelligence (AI) has become, an Oxford Economics and NTT DATA survey of 1,000 business leaders found that 96% of organizations were at least researching AI solutions, and more than 70% had piloted or fully implemented the technology. That was in early 2020, before the pandemic hit.
Over the past nine months, Covid-19 has pushed organizations of all kinds to speed up their digital transformations, from retailers offering curbside pick-up to pre-visit registration in health care as they find new ways to serve customers and employees remotely, control costs and become more responsive to a volatile marketplace. In turn, AI adoption is becoming even more ubiquitous than before. But this worldwide acceleration is not without its pitfalls. Because as much as technologists like to sell plug-and-play simplicity, the truth is that AI is rife with complexity and presents considerable business risks.
The more functions AI enables, the greater impact it makes on operational efficiency, customer relationships and workplace culture. Those outcomes aren't guaranteed to be positive, which is why it's more critical than ever to get AI right. More than a technical challenge, realizing AI's true potential will take an organizational commitment to implement it ethically and responsibly.
Acknowledge Diverse Viewpoints
In his book Compassionate Artificial Intelligence, the renowned AI scientist Amit Ray makes this point: "As more and more artificial intelligence is entering into the world, more and more emotional intelligence must enter into leadership." His idea is even more cogent in the post-pandemic world, as business leaders must temper the urgent need for speed and savings with careful consideration of how AI impacts real people.
MORE FOR YOUNew Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 13 Design ShockIvanka Trump Posts Covid-19 Vaccination Photo, Here Are Responses From QAnon FollowersApple iOS 14.5: The Latest iPhone Upgrade Is Going To Be Awesome
Nothing will stifle an AI deployment like a lack of alignment on the purpose of AI itself. Every stakeholder group brings its own preconceived notions to the table. Most executives and technologists, for example, see AI as a pathway to streamlined business processes, greater productivity and cost control. The wider employee population might see AI as a threat to their jobs. Consumers and customers may praise AI for the delightful conveniences it creates, or they may deride it as cold and impersonal.
Every perspective is valid, to a degree. It's up to the organization to reconcile those varying points of view for AI to deliver its maximum benefit. Thus, informing and educating stakeholders about what AI is and what it does for the company is an important step toward building trust. The more people understand AI, the more they'll be able to accept it and even advocate for it.
Prioritize Ethics
In one bizarre incident that recently went viral, an AI-powered camera was used to film a soccer match in Scotland. Instead of following the ball, as it was designed to do, the camera repeatedly trained its eye on a referee's bald head. While the video was harmless and humorous, it was a great example of how flawed AI programming could yield a result much different than what was intended. If we pivot to the use of AI to screen candidates for health care insurance, monitor food production for safety defects, or fly a plane on autopilot, the consequences of bad code are obviously direr.
With AI, data is everything. For AI to function correctly, the data it consumes must be complete, high-quality and secure. So before companies put AI in control of functions that impact their customers, employees, students, patients or policyholders, they have an ethical responsibility to ensure training data integrity and unbiased algorithms. Doing anything less can result in defective systems that are (at best) unreliable and (at worst) perpetuate discriminatory practices or even put lives in danger.
For the organizations involved, there is a confluence of philosophical, legal and technical questions to be addressed, thoughtfully and deliberately.
Balance Technology With Talent
As AI continues to proliferate, companies will face a challenge far greater than automating a few bloated business processes. The real work will be rebuilding the company culture to embrace what technology makes possible.
AI is at its best when it's working in partnership with people — helping them be more efficient or more accurate or to make more informed decisions. Ideally, it's not about taking jobs away; it's about making mundane and repetitive jobs less so and empowering human workers to excel at what they do best. In cases where certain jobs are eliminated, it can create opportunities to reskill those employees to do more meaningful and fulfilling work. In that way, AI will become a powerful tool in terms of increasing diversity, recruiting and retaining talent.
Four Keys To Move Forward
Without a doubt, AI will play an ever more prominent role in our lives, and the pandemic is only hastening the inevitable. But for most companies, implementing AI in a rushed attempt to keep up with the Joneses would be a costly mistake. Here are four recommendations to make it work:
1. Start with the right goal. Think bigger than cutting a few heads. Make every investment in AI a steppingstone to meaningful digital transformation.
2. Leverage the right team. Creating and implementing AI effectively takes a diverse and specialized set of skills and experience, as well as the maturity to understand AI's broader implications for the organization.
3. Acquire the right data — and lots of it. The more complex the assignment of AI, the more data it needs to do its job well. Garbage in equals garbage out, but a deep pool of high-quality data lets AI work wonders.
4. Do it the right way. Commit to eliminate unethical biases from the equation, and adopt a policy of transparency to let employees, customers and other stakeholders know the full story.
Tomorrow's world is an AI world. As business leaders, we all share the responsibility to make the best of it.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
18fe4ee5198af174832a935d36f71362 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/05/is-the-intelligent-soc-a-smart-idea/?sh=180ed7233dfd | Is The Intelligent SOC A Smart Idea? | Is The Intelligent SOC A Smart Idea?
Albert Zhichun Li, Ph.D., is Chief Security Scientist at Stellar Cyber. He has over 15 years of experience in cybersecurity research.
getty
Much has been touted about the intelligent SOC, particularly from security vendors hawking their latest wares. It's a familiar high-tech chorus, the idea of next-generation products and their next-generation capabilities that will eventually be supplanted by a generation beyond that. Reactions vary to the idea of an intelligent SOC. There is some level of taking offense by hardworking security professionals currently staffing a SOC. "Wait a minute, are you telling me that our SOC is not intelligent?"
In a way, the term "intelligent SOC" is an oxymoron. By its very nature and design, a SOC is intended to be a place of intelligence. It is where data or intelligence is gathered, and it is the place where data can be transformed into useful information and actions taken to help mitigate or prevent attacks. Those staffing SOCs are thought to be the brightest and best and some of the most experienced of security practitioners.
At the same time, it is no secret that most SOCs are overworked and understaffed. Data from CyberSeek shows that the U.S. is facing a shortage of nearly 508,000 security professionals. A report from the Center for Cyber Safety and Education projected a global shortage of cybersecurity professionals reaching 1.8 million by 2022. While there have been some recent arguments over exactly how bad of a shortage really exists, there is no denying that SOCs are spread thin. The real problem facing organizations is not the intelligence quotient of its SOC team but, rather, its productivity and efficiency.
If SOCs could do more and act faster, organizations could see better results and could vastly improve the odds of identifying an attack early and cutting it off. With a broadening and constant evolution of attack tactics and a growth of security tools, SOC teams seemingly have more data or inputs to work with but at the same time have to cover more attack terrain. In reality, both of these factors actually tend to put SOC professionals behind.
MORE FOR YOUWhy I’m Not Surprised That IBM And Intel Are Collaborating On Chip TechNVIDIA’s Auto Business Takes A Front Seat At NVIDIA GTC 2021What’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?
From my experience, many SOC teams describe that they are drowning in data. Data is inherently good — after all, the more pixels an image has, the greater its clarity. The trouble is that not all data points are equal. Some are incredibly important, and others may be irrelevant. Too much irrelevant data could obscure, delay or prevent finding the important detail. Because SOC teams are overrun with work, they cannot count on their intelligence and experience in sorting through to find the essential details and draw a conclusion. While SOC professionals are smart, there is a limited amount of data they can sift through in a set period of time. These intelligent professionals need the assistance of an intelligent system to focus their efforts.
Is the challenge more about productivity, or is it intelligence? It is actually both. The intelligent treatment of data can empower intelligent security professionals and make them more productive and efficient to defeat security attacks. SOC experts need to be able to focus on what they do best. A model of shared intelligence has the greatest impact on security effectiveness.
Security professionals are best at deriving understanding and making decisions, a clear application of intelligence. At the same time, these professionals are human and have a limited capacity to sort through massive amounts of data to see patterns or find anomalies. The volume and complexity of these inputs are best suited for machines, and the more intelligent the machine, the better the fidelity or relevance of the data they deliver. In some cases, it is a matter of sorting the relevant from the irrelevant. In others, it may be the ability to combine "low signal" data points that might not be meaningful on their own but might show something significant when correlated together.
Transitioning to an intelligent SOC does not have to be a binary, overnight effort. A good starting point is to evaluate the current state of affairs for the SOC. First, take stock of the alerts coming in. How many alerts get issued and how often? How many of these are productive? Where do the valuable ones come from? What is the source for alerts with little or no value? Next, consider how well the attack surface is covered. Which systems or tools are in place to cover which portions? Where do potential gaps exist? Finally, assess the overall SOC team and get specific comments from each person. Where does the team feel underproductive? Where can efficiencies be gained?
This systematic three-step approach should help you transition to an intelligent SOC that can ensure the greater efficiency and effectiveness of an organization's cybersecurity team and efforts.
Improving the effectiveness of the SOC is really a case of intelligence helping intelligence. It is an evolution to a shared model in which each can do the work for which it is best suited to drive efficiency, which then brings effectiveness. Organizations do need an intelligent SOC, but this is really a matter of augmenting the intelligence of SOC professionals with intelligent systems to make them more efficient and to better utilize their own intelligent capacity.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
56324b5d2fd8c9e9b32ce42bb53f0004 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/05/three-ways-to-leverage-digital-ecosystems/ | Three Ways To Leverage Digital Ecosystems | Three Ways To Leverage Digital Ecosystems
Sr. Director of Applied Innovation at Microsoft. Bringing paradigm-shifting digital transformation through emerging technologies.
getty
As a tumultuous, chaotic and just plain extreme 2020 draws to a close, I find that it has fundamentally changed how business is done going forward. A healthcare crisis brought on by Covid-19, an economic decline and social unrest have ushered in a heightened urgency for digital technology adoption that will establish a new normal. Our society has become dependent on the technologies that permeate our professional and personal lives to the point where many believe it has become a fundamental human right to access information over the internet.
Today's leaders are faced with an overwhelming challenge that they will need to outmaneuver. Many leading organizations are embracing the uncertainty and are using it to leapfrog their digital transformations. Many are leveraging digital ecosystems to create a foundation for the future, strengthen business interactions and embrace digital technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Digital ecosystems are the next trend to hit the "buzzword bingo card" — meaning, I'm hearing about them quite a bit these days, but few people have a consistent point of view on how to harness their power. I first encountered this approach over five years ago when I was at a research and advisory firm. It was used sparsely and only from leading organizations that prided themselves on their use of the latest innovations.
Now, as noted by McKinsey& Company, digital ecosystems could represent $60 trillion in global revenue by 2025. Organizations have a tremendous opportunity to take a concept that has a 2% global market share to approximately 30% by 2025. To take advantage of this opportunity, I recommend the following:
MORE FOR YOUHow Vaccine Companies Are Battling Covid-19 VariantsBioNTech’s Humble Billionaire CEO On The Next Era Of mRNA VaccinesTwo New Studies Show Link Between AstraZeneca-Oxford Vaccine And Rare Blood Clots
1. Proactively Modernize Your Customer Relationships
2020 has irrevocably changed how organizations' customers expect to interact with products and services. The results of these crises are a fundamental shift in attitudes and behaviors toward accepting digital solutions and the rising expectations of distant interactions.
Organizations must learn from 2020 and take action to redesign how we create the experiences that people want and will want by leveraging digital ecosystems to create new connections and interactions that were not possible before.
Start with these digital ecosystem recommendations to get started:
• Create a platform for a multisided business model (MSBM). Digital ecosystems provide a platform for organizations to shift to an MSBM. Conduct business-envisioning workshops with your business leaders to quantify MSBM economics when traditional customers have more than one value exchange. Examples of successful MSBMs include Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Alibaba and Facebook.
• Shift to humanistic interactions. Ideate with your business leaders, partners and customers to proactively challenge transactional relationships. Build a series of "what-if" scenarios that reimagine how your organization interacts with customers when you have always-on technology that is integrated into people's lives.
• Contextualize products and services. Tap into the enormous amount of information being generated from new or existing digital sources like IoT sensors to create products and services that are contextualized, providing new insights and experiences.
2. Embrace New Worker Expectations And Productivity Trends
Over the past year, organizations have undergone a dramatic transformation of the workplace. I've found that most organizations are experiencing this disruption to their operations, employees and business partners. Health and safety are the predominant trends in the workplace.
We may never go back to an all-in-person working environment. Instead, we might opt to focus on hybrid work environments. As an example, a November 2019 report from Zapier revealed that 74% of knowledge workers "would be willing to quit their job to work remote."
Surprisingly, taking an ecosystem-based approach embraces these new expectations and trends in the marketplace. Start with these digital ecosystem recommendations to get started:
• Enable workers to get back into the action. With 83% of employers telling SHRM "they're adjusting their business practices in light of the pandemic," there is quite a bit of change. Connecting medical records, building software, temperature checkers and safety equipment will be vital to getting workers back in the office. Leveraging solutions like GE Wellness Trace can provide employers with visibility and confidence of safe working environments.
• Modernize for productivity. Digital ecosystems can make harvesting information and harnessing the power of AI to create new insights to employees. One example of many is the Microsoft Productivity Score tool, which claims to improve employee productivity.
3. Use Digital Ecosystems To Accelerate Digital Transformation Initiatives
Even prior to an eventful 2020, many organizations had digital transformation on their list of priorities. Now, those digital priorities have been elevated to shift to the new way business is done. If Covid-19 has demonstrated anything, it's the importance of digital readiness. According to Gartner, Inc., 69% of boards of directors say they "accelerated their digital business initiatives in the wake of Covid-19 disruption."
To adapt to the current and future changes, organizations must build the necessary digital infrastructure that can allow them to embrace a digitized world and stay current in the latest technologies. With many companies shifting to become digital-first, it's no secret that digital ecosystems could become one of the prominent business models for companies around the globe.
There is a growing interest to digitally evolve more rapidly, be more compliant and address the rising consumer expectations as well as the onslaught of diverse and novel startups challenging the status quo. Start with these digital ecosystem recommendations to get started:
• Illustrate how digital ecosystems can accelerate emergent business model designs. Take time to create a blueprint that shows how digital ecosystems provide the foundational layer to emergent business models like the gig economy, data-driven economy, on-demand economy or MSBM.
• Use as a launchpad for digital transformation initiatives. Create a digital ecosystem platform reference architecture that shows how to onboard technologies such as AI, IoT, blockchain and many others.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
8839c3cc9c927ae22dbe7231cb6982ed | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/06/the-past-present-and-future-of-messaging/?sh=2ad6dc189f17 | The Past, Present And Future Of Messaging | The Past, Present And Future Of Messaging
CEO of Mitto, an innovative communications platform company that facilitates omnichannel customer engagement for global brands.
In just the past decade, the way both consumers and brands use text messaging has changed drastically. From first using text as solely a way to connect with family and friends to today where consumers are receiving brand communications regularly, messaging has grown in value.
Consumers are always connected, and this level of availability and engagement presents a prime opportunity for brands of all sizes. Text messages have the highest click and open rates of all forms of communication, including email and phone. It is so simple for a consumer to open a text message, click a link and be directed to a website or video. But how will messaging continue to progress? To understand that, we need to look at the full evolution of messaging.
Text Messages Of The Past
The journey SMS has taken since its beginning in 1992 is unmatched. One year after the first text, “Merry Christmas,” was sent, Nokia implemented a new feature to indicate an incoming message. At the time, this was revolutionary. Moving forward a few years, texting slowly became a regular form of communication, but it was still mainly used sparingly and only on a personal level — parents would check in with their children and friends would discuss upcoming plans.
Nowhere was brand messaging seen via text. In the early to mid-2000s, most brands did their digital communications online both with their websites and via email. But as email started to become a popular form of communication, consumers began to have a certain level of fatigue, which continues to this day.
MORE FOR YOUCovid-19 Weekly Roundup: What Happened With The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?Antibody Startup Adagio Raises $336 Million To Develop A Variant-Proof Treatment For Covid-19Here’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be Diminished
Messaging Of Today
Fast forward to today when 23 billion texts are sent worldwide each day — that’s 270,000 every second. Text messaging has become one of the most widely used forms of communication in 2020, and this is expected to continue. According to Kommando Tech, "There are 2.52 billion people using messaging apps on mobile. This number is expected to reach 3 billion in 2022." Today, new messaging technology, shifting consumer attitudes and the way brands are implementing this tech is evolving the consumer-business relationship. No longer is texting just for personal communication. Instead, consumers are beginning to trust and expect brands to share updates and information via text.
With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, brand messaging has increased and diversified dramatically. From a notification about a curbside pickup order to the fact that 71% of consumers are planning to do more than half of their shopping digitally for the holidays, consumers and brands are turning more and more to their phones and text messaging. With its simplicity, many brands have already implemented this technology in order to bring an ease of use to their customers and stay in touch as in-person interactions continue to be scarce.
Messaging Of The Future
Moving forward, more brands will look to capitalize on messaging and establish a clear and concise phone-based relationship with consumers. Similarly, consumers are not going to want to give up the convenience of messaging with brands, which has become commonplace during the pandemic.
On the brand side, messaging cannot simply be mass information that is released on all platforms. Even though a consumer has opted in to text messaging, that does not mean they will stay opted in. Brands cannot just simply add messaging to their list of channels but need to keep consumers wanting to stay engaged and hear more. Consumers are smart and know when information is not authentic. Personalization should be at the forefront. Consumers will expect highly curated and specific-to-them information to be shared, such as a new product that coincides with their recent purchase.
Brand messaging will also develop into a more conversational form. Two-way conversations will become the norm, especially in regard to customer support to help consumers feel as though they have an engaging relationship with the brand and the sender.
Additionally, it is not enough for brands to simply rely on SMS, but they will also need to move into chat apps and similar channels as they work to create these more intimate relationships with consumers. Chat apps offer a unique opportunity, and brands will need to establish this increased level of omnichannel messaging in all aspects of their business.
Given the well-rounded experience of email, consumers will also be looking for the same look and feel of content within text messages, creating a more unified customer experience. Email can offer news, pictures, videos, and links, and consumers are expecting this level of information and engagement to transfer to messages. This sentiment is also similar to other technologies such as chat apps and Google Verified SMS as more integrated and advanced features are being added and brand adoption increases.
In the future, consumers can expect messaging to be even more dynamic as video, voice, and high-quality images increasingly become a part of the rich and standard messaging experience. Imagine a world where consumers’ shopping orders are updated in real time via messaging and they are also able to check on different orders or modify the order from the same aesthetically pleasing screen rather than having to follow a link to a separate website. Compared to a standard text message, this integrated and personalized content will create an increased level of engagement and ROI.
While brands continue to innovate with how they use messaging, however, technology teams shouldn’t overlook ensuring the foundational elements of messaging system delivery are also in place. Consumers will expect safe and reliable messaging delivery from all businesses, possibly turning away from those that don’t meet their expectations, so traffic stability and delivery speed are all factors for consideration.
Messaging offers too lucrative of a prospect for brands to ignore. Through the evolution of messaging from simply personal use to now being a regular occurrence in the brand-consumer relationship, the future opportunity is unmatched. It is vital that brands implement a rich, reliable, and innovative messaging strategy so they continue to build and grow their relationships with both their current and future customers.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
0c5c9db1781f637ec5b08341e918f111 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/06/three-ways-to-achieve-real-time-data-governance-for-digital-businesses/?sh=505a16a961e3 | Three Ways To Achieve Real-Time Data Governance For Digital Businesses | Three Ways To Achieve Real-Time Data Governance For Digital Businesses
Antonios Chalkiopoulos is CEO and Co-Founder of Lenses.io. He has led big data and digital transformation projects for large organizations.
getty
Agility is table stakes for businesses that want to compete successfully. Companies in every industry are transforming their organizations to run digitally and in real-time, and the global pandemic has increased the importance of fast execution.
Whether it’s through a real-time fraud prevention algorithm for a financial services organization, a live timetable service for a public transport system or a fulfillment optimization application for a retailer, today’s businesses must continuously deliver new data products to market. The consequences for failure or slow delivery can be steep. Businesses that can’t get their real-time data products out of the gate risk loss of market share and missed opportunities for new digital revenues.
With so much pressure to deliver quickly, it’s important to make data governance part of the process. Although governance is sometimes considered a costly additional step in development, it can remove friction, open up data and increase confidence when you apply it correctly. As the CEO and co-founder of a company that offers a DataOps platform, I’ve found that governance capabilities provide guard rails for data that can enable new services and solutions to get to market faster.
Overcoming Obstacles To Governance
Although governance is important for data-driven projects, organizations can rethink their practices to fit the changing pace of data. Traditional data governance processes that worked before are often a poor fit for today’s explosion of data consumers — and the world where delivery of products and data happens at the speed of DevOps (and, soon, at the speed of DataOps).
MORE FOR YOUWhat’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?NVIDIA Announces Technology For Training Giant Artificial Intelligence ModelsNVIDIA’s Auto Business Takes A Front Seat At NVIDIA GTC 2021
More people are accessing data across organizations, from data scientists and engineers to analysts and executives. However, many individuals lack the data background required to use it successfully. For example, many software engineers have not encountered data governance and are unsure how to approach it. They often consider governance a months-long project rather than something that is part of working with data daily.
Many of these teams have adopted practices for increased agility and speed. Yet traditional, rigid data governance processes still remain.
I’ve found that open-source data technologies that lack such built-in governance capabilities can slow a project’s path to production, as well as increase risk. At my company, we love and advocate for open-source technology. However, it requires the right context and should be coupled with tools that enable teams to embed data governance practices and controls in every part of the data product delivery process.
Delivering The Data Access Required To Drive Transformation Through DataOps
How can organizations continue to drive rapid innovation while maintaining governance? A DataOps approach can position them to do both. DataOps applies the workflow advantages of DevOps, but focuses on socializing data, data governance and ethics in a technology-agnostic way. It lowers the skill level required to use data so that business teams can self-serve.
DataOps addresses governance by moving beyond the traditional “one size fits all” approach to data management challenges toward a more flexible, distributed approach. It lets organizations decentralize responsibility for data governance and provide the entire company with effective tooling for robust access controls for data, observability, alerting and automation.
Three Ways To Enhance Governance
Three key steps can help you put your organization on a path to stronger data governance.
First, you should look for a data platform that is technology agnostic in order to ensure it’s future proof. You should support it with the right tooling that enables productivity and collaboration so people can work more efficiently with data. At the same time, it should enable you to apply the appropriate level of governance without compromising innovation. To maximize adoption, look for a highly accessible solution that requires almost no knowledge of data engineering yet is popular with data engineers. An SQL layer and a beautiful user experience can help you avoid spending time and resources on training individuals. Examine your organization to consider all areas where a data platform can deliver a big impact and ensure the platform can address those areas. You can use projects that include Kubernetes or other open-source technologies to deliver a positive business outcome and help you build momentum for your strategy by demonstrating the value of a DataOps approach.
Second, you need to be confident with information knowledge management. Cataloging your data and incorporating intelligent metadata discovery will help not only analytics and data warehousing teams, but also engineering and data scientist teams. Augmenting your data catalogs can dramatically increase the value extracted from data and applications. According to Gartner’s “Augmented Data Catalogs: Now an Enterprise Must-Have for Data and Analytics Leaders” report, “By 2021, organizations that offer a curated catalog of internal and external data to diverse users will realize twice the business value from their data and analytics investments than those that do not.”
Finally, you need accountability. Encourage people to think about governance from the beginning, incorporate data governance into every project and define functional requirements from the outset to promote data democratization — and reward them accordingly. You should also invest in governance by making it a line item on project budgets.
To put a foundation for a DataOps-driven organization in place, you’ll need to initiate a shift in mindset. Focus on a technology-agnostic approach, announce and communicate this strategy across your organization and consider selecting projects that can empower teams that work with data to use a DataOps approach. Then build this thinking into every project and initiative, and persuade teams to share their activities across the organization — not only the engineering committee, but also with line-of-business teams and stakeholders. You can reward projects that take an open and democratic approach around their projects. This will further encourage teams and individual contributors to start collaborating and sharing data throughout the company.
Governance As A Driver To Enhance Transformation
Most people think that building strong governance into data-driven projects will add friction and create additional work, but in fact, the opposite can be true. With a DataOps culture, governance can enable data-driven organizations and individuals to innovate and execute surprisingly fast and increase their pace in a world that’s moving faster than ever.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
2784a5a9f8e0bcc0a68bb8ed98158231 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/08/be-a-translator-the-importance-of-being-precise-in-your-speech-in-the-tech-world/ | Be A Translator: The Importance Of Being Precise In Your Speech In The Tech World | Be A Translator: The Importance Of Being Precise In Your Speech In The Tech World
Director of Information Technology, Center for Congregations, 20+ years of organizational knowledge shared at The CRG.
getty
I am a translator, and I speak, with varying levels of fluency, geek, tech, LAN, WAN, virtual, Microsoft, database, hardware, server, social networking, marketing, consultant, web development, DevOps, security, finance, mobile, Windows, Mac and even Luddite. There are probably others I am missing. Am I an expert in all these tongues? No, but I know them well enough to translate them into the native tongue of Layperson.
My career in tech-related work has spanned over 35 years, and as a result, I have been able to spot some trends. One of them is that the need for translators rises with the complexity of technology. This is obvious. As the world gets more complex, driven in part by technology, so does the need for more tech speak. Those able to translate customer or staff needs into technology solutions are critical parts of any organization or business.
In my own workplace, often what staff asks for — say, a report from data or a software tool — is not what they really want or need. My job is to tease out what they need and match it to the best solution. Then I need to communicate that to technical staff, who often do not speak consultant-ese or finance-speak, so the staff person ends up with what they need. Simple and straightforward enough, though not easy.
Secondly, my job as a translator is to communicate technology needs to people who control finances, strategic direction, staffing, mission and other organizational assets. My needs are only a part of a larger picture. Explaining to a CEO or CFO the reasons we need to hire another web application developer because we are adding a new programming language, which may or may not add to revenue for several years, is tough. And we do not always translate correctly — sometimes unintentionally and sometimes on purpose.
MORE FOR YOUWhy You Should Stop Using Your Facebook Messenger AppWhy You Should Never Use Google Chrome On Your iPhone, iPad Or MacNew Apple Exclusive Reveals Massive iPhone 13 Upgrades
This second trend is both interesting and troubling to me. In the last couple of decades, I have noticed that tech speak is often overcomplicated — to the point that only tech-adherents speak and understand it. We have created a culture where the burden of translation falls on the nonfluent (i.e., we act as if the layperson needs to figure out what we are saying). And when they do not understand, they are often afraid to say so because we act as if they should.
I see this culture of shame-speak in my own workplace and in organizations with which I work and consult. Vendors are the worst offenders, throwing out terms I sometimes think they make up on the spot. I am not shy about asking, “What the heck did you just say?” because if I do not understand, I am not going to be able to explain it to a nontech speaker.
I fully admit we are not the only offenders speaking proprietary language others do not understand. Marketing and advertising folks are brilliant babble speakers, for example. But I think we have honed gibberish to get what we want. I am not saying we lie. I am saying we intentionally drop word bombs with the hope or assumption others will not ask for details and explanation. Have we have created a culture of complexity to justify our jobs?
If so, cut it out! Think about your audience when you communicate something technical. Explain that your “disaster recovery data is stored off-site on a computer in Nevada” instead of our “DR strategy is to use hyper-converged infrastructure to replicate data across clusters in the cloud.” Say, “We are simplifying our log-on security by using Microsoft’s web-based tools,” rather than, "We are going to configure automatic user provisioning and deprovisioning for just-in-time access to new resources upon hire or role-change" (a quote from Microsoft’s Azure website).
As someone who is hyper-aware of my time and efficiency, I now know it is much better to make sure others understand in our first conversation rather than circling back around later to explain it again, this time when they are likely listening with a skeptical perspective.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
7b560c45f9c83929eef4ff0e464d9ef6 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/08/why-retailers-should-actively-nudge-consumers-to-buy-online-pick-up-in-store-bopis/?sh=7698d30c2849 | Why Retailers Should Actively Nudge Consumers To Buy Online, Pick Up In Store (BOPIS) | Why Retailers Should Actively Nudge Consumers To Buy Online, Pick Up In Store (BOPIS)
Jim Barnes is CEO of enVista, a leading global software solutions and consulting firm enabling both physical and digital commerce.
getty
Consumer expectations and the way we shop have continued to evolve rapidly in 2020, with U.S. ecommerce sales reportedly increasing by more than 30% year-over-year, and effectively accelerating the online shopping shift by nearly two years.
With this significant increase in ecommerce converging during peak season, and as last-mile fulfillment capacity tightens, many retailers are missing out on the strategic opportunity to improve margins and increase profitability by promoting buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS), or curbside pickup. The most profitable order is one fulfilled at the store where store inventory is leveraged and the consumer assumes last-mile fulfillment cost and effort.
While many retailers promote BOPIS, those that strategically and proactively nudge the consumer to select BOPIS or curbside pickup at the time of purchase with incentives and/or shorter delivery windows are realizing greater profitability and competitive advantages. In addition to personally ensuring customer satisfaction, BOPIS allows retailers to reduce their reliance on third-party carriers, which can significantly impact consumer satisfaction and the retailers' brand experience — particularly carriers that have increasingly stretched beyond capacity during the holidays and have warned about shipping delays. UPS recently implemented shipping limits for retail giants such as Gap, Nike and L.L. Bean to manage this holiday season's ecommerce surge in an unprecedented move.
Below are five reasons retailers should nudge consumers to buy online and pick up in-store:
Increase Profitability
MORE FOR YOUWhat’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?Google Earth's New Timelapse Feature Lets You See How Our Planet Has Changed In Four DecadesHere’s What Percent Of ‘Destiny 2’ Players Are Hunters, Titans Or Warlocks
Last-mile fulfillment is perhaps the most challenging and costly component of omnichannel order management. It is not always evident how important it is to order profitability, but last-mile fulfillment makes up approximately 53% of the total costs of shipping. In response to larger-than-average volume, UPS and FedEx have recently increased prices and are holding merchants to volume agreements.
When considering the significant expense and logistical challenges associated with final mile, such as low carrier capacity, BOPIS is an optimal way to increase your margin per order — particularly for retailers that offer free shipping or flat-rate shipping.
Enhance Customer Experience And Maximize Convenience
Curbside pickup enables an interaction between the brand and consumer that would not have otherwise occurred through last-mile fulfillment, creating an opportunity for retailers to "wow" their customers to keep them coming back. The consumer experience is becoming more critical — 83% of consumers admit paying just as much attention to how brands treat them as the product they sell.
Keeping in mind the best practice of order fulfillment in two hours or less, BOPIS can be considered a "same day" delivery model without the usual associated costs. By creating a quick, pleasant experience and providing friendly customer service, BOPIS enables personalization of the brand and the opportunity to form these key differentiators and increase greater brand loyalty.
Eliminate The Risk Of Shipping Delays
By implementing curbside customer pickup, retailers can reduce the risk of shipping delays due to limited carrier capacity, particularly during peak season when customer service levels are not necessarily guaranteed by carriers. Consumers are accustomed to two-day shipping, and when shipping is delayed due to carrier delays as a result of driver shortages and the overall increase in online orders, it can impact the customer experience and reflect poorly on the brand. Depending on whether the item is available in store, BOPIS can also drive quick service, relating back to enhancing the customer experience.
Increase Foot Traffic And Upselling Opportunities
When consumers go into a store to pick up their order, they are often tempted to browse around or remember to grab another item and will often purchase additional items. This creates the perfect opportunity to increase sales and increase basket size. Research shows that 85% of consumers make an additional in-store purchase while picking up an online order.
Leverage Store Inventory
BOPIS enables retailers to fulfill more online orders from inventory they already have. Retailers can move more store inventory and combine online and in-store inventory systems, which offers access and greater, real-time insights to a larger inventory pool. This strategy also helps retailers avoid costly markdowns and the resources required to sell nonproductive inventory.
Key Considerations For Retailers
• A robust order management system (OMS) with enterprise inventory visibility is essential for an optimal BOPIS and curbside strategy and customer experience. A cloud-native OMS is a cornerstone for retail success, with the capacity to optimize omnichannel order fulfillment and orchestration, as well as deliver a single view of the customer, inventory, order, item and payment that is needed to unify commerce. The OMS allows retailers to alert consumers that their order and payment are received and when their order is ready for pickup, empowering store associates to deliver personalized customer service, enhancing the customer experience and brand loyalty.
• Store labor is a critical component to an effective BOPIS strategy; stores must be appropriately staffed to support both in-store foot traffic and ecommerce order fulfillment, and associates must be adequately trained to deliver the optimal consumer experience. A lack of resources when leveraging BOPIS can do more harm than good for the brand if the bandwidth and training are not available to provide exceptional service.
• Retailers must consider what changes need to be made to ensure logistical challenges are addressed before implementing BOPIS. This includes requisite communication, alerts and clear instruction to both consumers and store associates for a unilaterally easy, efficient BOPIS experience. And stores must also ensure adequate infrastructure, including dedicated parking, kiosks, storage and signage to enable easy navigation and the best customer experience.
As consumer expectations and the market continue to change, retailers must continue to find new ways to provide quality service for their customers without sacrificing profitability or customer service. When effectively implemented and strategically promoted, BOPIS and curbside optimally converge both online and in-store shopping, offering the best of both worlds for retailers and consumers alike. So, the key question for retailers remains: How are you actively and consistently nudging consumers to buy online, pick up in store throughout the buyer journey?
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
0a8596f4ada8ff1309c545a79369e3af | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/12/if-fireeye-and-the-us-government-can-be-hacked-what-about-me/?sh=7d4f86524ec4 | If FireEye And The U.S. Government Can Be Hacked, What About Me? | If FireEye And The U.S. Government Can Be Hacked, What About Me?
Partner and Chief Information Security Officer at Miller Kaplan, overseeing Information Security for both clients and the firm.
getty
On December 8, premier information security company FireEye released in a blog post that it had been hacked. Company CEO and industry legend Kevin Mandia wrote, “Based on my 25 years in cybersecurity and responding to incidents, I’ve concluded we are witnessing an attack by a nation with top-tier offensive capabilities. This attack is different from the tens of thousands of incidents we have responded to throughout the years.”
Several days later, the U.S. government reported that many federal agencies were also breached as a result of a major attack on IT software provider SolarWinds. SolarWinds provides software to hundreds of thousands of businesses and organizations.
So, how can small or medium-size businesses possibly stay secure? First, it’s likely that your SMB is not going to capture the attention of a nation-state. Nation-states have resources well beyond the typical hacker or hacking group. It’s important to note that practicing information security is not about being 100% secure; it’s about protecting yourself at a commercially reasonable level. It’s also about doing the right thing and accepting that you may not be able to do everything you might want to.
Remembering that you are most likely to fall prey to a common-variety attack, this is a good time to review seven things that you should be doing to protect your organization:
1. You must have information security policies and standards that dictate the level to which you will manage your information security. If you are a smaller company, this likely means bringing in outside experts to help you get these policies and standards in place. If you are a larger company, it means making sure that your team has done the right thing to create standards in accordance with international frameworks like the NIST Cybersecurity Framework or ISO 27001 and 27002.
MORE FOR YOUCovid-19 Weekly Roundup: What Happened With The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?Here’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedRobotics Startup Canvas Raises $24 Million To Revitalize Construction
2. If you can, get cybersecurity insurance. The cybersecurity insurance marketplace is still evolving, and some of my clients have said that it’s been more difficult and more expensive to get such insurance. I’ve also heard of significant carveouts in these insurance policies, so buyer beware. Still, if you have a breach, it can be a lifesaver, from both financial and resource perspectives, to have the means to respond to that breach, protect your clients and safeguard your organization.
3. Once you have your program in place, you need to pay attention to the basics. Most organizations will be hacked by a phishing attack or by a drive-by attack (from simply browsing the web) where one of your users clicks on a link or opens a document with a malicious payload. Once the bait is taken, the malicious remote user takes over that computer with administrative privileges. The No. 1 way this happens is when patches are not applied. While many companies think turning on automatic patching is sufficient, our experience has been that those organizations that are not using an industry-standard vulnerability scanner are missing critical patches, sometimes going back a decade or more. Hackers take advantage of these old exploits to easily take over your machines and systems.
4. Remember that your key assets are your people, and they must be continually trained. Recent experiences have shown me that while online training is an excellent part of an overall training regimen, there is absolutely no substitution for small, intimate focus groups discussing the importance of information security. Keeping these groups to 10-13 people and conducting highly interactive sessions leads to increased information security awareness and a better ability to detect attacks.
5. As part of your training program, ensure that your users know to report suspicious events. Early indicators of events can limit the scope of a breach and reduce the damage that’s been done. Also, remember that a user who reports a potential phishing attack in the first few minutes can limit the exposure.
6. Conduct vendor risk management due diligence so that you know that the vendors you are retaining are doing the right thing with regard to information security. Clearly, FireEye is a world-class information security vendor that has gone out of its way to release information to protect the public. However, many vendors do not have even minimal commercially reasonable information security practices in place, such as those policies and standards we mentioned in tip No. 1. Most critically, if you are using that vendor, especially if they service your IT needs, you are placing your company at significant risk.
7. Ensure that IT or your IT vendor is applying appropriate, commercially reasonable tools to manage your network. For example, FireEye had some tools stolen that can be used to attack anyone’s network. As part of its commitment to the community, FireEye has released signatures to detect the use of these tools. If you already have an intrusion detection system (IDS), that company has likely uploaded the signatures that FireEye released to detect these attacks. Having these systems, which are typically reasonably priced, can make a big difference in your information security posture.
Remember that information security is not reliant on just one layer. It’s important to have multiple layers of protection, known as defense in depth, to protect your systems. That’s why selecting the best tools you can afford, from both a time and money perspective, is an important step in the protection of your organization.
Information security is not a destination — it’s a journey. So you can take one step at a time to become more secure and protect your organization. These FireEye and federal government hacking incidents remind us that doing the right thing is important, which means protecting our data for clients, stakeholders, employees and ourselves. They also remind us that no matter how advanced our information security practices, we’re all on a journey to be reasonably secure.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
9a047280f3b93b6f405cc7f8b6b8e852 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/13/14-tech-leaders-share-how-they-get-into-the-coding-groove/?sh=60e9450ac1d0 | 14 Tech Leaders Share How They Get Into The Coding ‘Groove’ | 14 Tech Leaders Share How They Get Into The Coding ‘Groove’
getty
When tech professionals take on leadership roles with increased responsibilities, they often have less time and energy for coding. Those tech leaders who want to or must stay involved in coding have to carve out the time to do so, and they must be able to quickly shift into the right mindset: Coding requires singular and often intense focus. But how can one do this successfully?
Many tech leaders have found creative ways to continue coding while keeping up with their leadership responsibilities. Below, 14 Forbes Technology Council members who have struck a good balance share their advice for getting into the coding “groove.”
1. Engage in ‘pair programming.’
I have reduced my coding activities to focus more on creating blueprints, capturing best practices and team coaching. However, I still engage in “pair programming” activities together with architects and senior developers. This approach provides a genuine sense of partnership and helps me to connect with my team in their comfort zone—and I force myself to keep my developer skills fresh as the CTO. - Pablo Junco, Microsoft
2. Schedule meetings outside your prime coding hours.
I find that the late afternoon is my most productive coding time. This is because I try to schedule all meetings for the earlier part of the day. Coding requires long periods of intense focus. Grouping non-coding tasks together frees up larger chunks of time to get into the “groove.” To remain focused, I turn off all notifications and close messaging and email clients. - Jesus Bello, Sabal Tech
3. Code when daily leadership work has subsided.
Coding requires uninterrupted thinking time, which for me is best achieved in the evenings when the daily leadership demands have subsided. I find complex challenges and intriguing problems to be stimulating and motivating. However, this can sometimes be a problem when a coding challenge becomes all-consuming—sleep is also important for optimal performance in the “day job”! - Paul Lipman, BullGuard
MORE FOR YOUCovid-19 Weekly Roundup: What Happened With The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?Here’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedRobotics Startup Canvas Raises $24 Million To Revitalize Construction
4. Schedule coding time in your calendar.
Time and attention are the most valuable assets for leaders. Setting aside time on the calendar to focus on coding helps. Also, once the time has been set aside, attention becomes critical. Turn off notifications and possibly find some kind of music or background noise to play that will enhance concentration. - Ryan Peeler, Voxx Analytics
5. Start with a team code review.
I find that the best time to code is when you have time to focus with no distractions. To get into the groove, I need to review the progress made on a project to better understand what needs to be coded next. Team code reviews are a good way to get updated on where the team is and get in the groove to do some coding—I wait until after everyone has left to minimize distractions. - Michael Hoyt, Life Cycle Engineering, Inc.
6. Build it into your routine.
Tech is growing increasingly complex, requiring more time to get yourself into the correct headspace for coding, testing and innovating through abstract thinking when solving difficult problems. Routine is the critical element when it comes to achieving consistent results—it forces you to define the rules of engagement for the rest of your team-limiting disruptions. Fine-tune from there. - Raymond Hicks, 5thColumn Inc.
7. ‘Time-box’ your coding work.
Balancing strategic leadership with hands-on tactical development can be difficult. If there is no availability to delegate, then it’s important to “time-box” the work. When I need to be head-down, I block off my calendar and shut down email. I get into the groove by using my favorite functional music app and before I know it, the work is complete. Then I make sure someone else tests it! - Kathy Keating, TextUs
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
8. Meditate first.
As a developer myself, I always get to the technical solution part for 30 minutes in the early morning hours. To get into the coding grove, I start with a 10-minute meditation with my favorite Calm app. “Free your mind and get to it fresh” is my principle. - Buyan Thyagarajan, Eigen X
9. Transition coding to a hobby.
It’s great to transition your penchant for hands-on coding to a hobby when you serve in a leadership capacity. It is a hard transition to make, but unless you do so, you will be unable to nurture and coach your team. You will feel compelled to get your hands in there, assuming you know a better way, and you will be unable to delegate or hold people accountable, thereby stifling their growth. - Kartik Sakthivel, LIMRA LOMA LL Global
10. Treat it as a creative endeavor.
It’s very similar to doing anything else creative—writing an article, playing guitar, cooking, etc. Whatever you do to get your creative juices flowing, start there, and always go back and double-check your work. The “groove” has creative advantages, but I find that I often miss the small things. More and more it’s harder to find time to code, but I realize it’s a necessity if I’m going to stay sharp. - Damian Ehrlicher, ProtectedIT
11. Know when you’re most productive.
Having led many coding teams, I think that the right mindset needed for coding is the same for completing a tech leader’s highest-priority tasks. One way to get into the “groove” is to set aside a block of hours—at least 90 minutes—that are absolutely uninterrupted and get started. Another tip is to know when one is most productive: during early mornings or late nights. - Bob Fabien Zinga, Directly, Inc./U.S. Navy Reserve
12. Eliminate distractions.
It’s easier to get into a coding session when there are no distractions. For me, the prime time is late at night when nobody else on the team is around. Maybe I’m just a night owl, but for me, this has been exceptional for coding productivity. Also, inspiration often strikes when you least expect it. Try to embrace these times—big breakthroughs often occur during them. - Marc Fischer, Dogtown Media LLC
13. Set up clearly defined sprints.
I know the most productive coding gets done when we have clearly defined sprints to work on. Having bite-sized requirements and capabilities to code and solve for makes it easier to focus and see results. This agile development style naturally helps create momentum among our teams and get sprints completed as efficiently as possible—most importantly, it doesn’t exhaust our team. - Chetan Mathur, Next Pathway
14. Don’t force it.
Honestly, everyone has a different time when they are most productive and able to find their groove. I thrive early in the morning, but I know leaders who get more done late at night. You have to be in the right mindset when you get started, so don’t force it. Work on your coding skills when you’re at your sharpest. I also use music without lyrics to get in the groove after I get started. - Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster
|
4756647e08d85692c205d35cbe51f39c | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/13/enterprise-it-architecture-three-heads-are-better-than-two/?sh=6aa4e5ee7b14 | Enterprise IT Architecture: Three Heads Are Better Than Two | Enterprise IT Architecture: Three Heads Are Better Than Two
Field CTO for the Americas at Infinidat.
getty
Traditionally, two heads were considered better than one in IT-related architectures in order to eliminate any single point of failure, but in today’s IT industry, new thinking is emerging that three heads are better than two.
The need for continuous availability in large enterprises has raised questions about how IT is architected to meet the ever-changing needs and requirements of today’s demanding applications. The way a CIO sees architecture often reflects how forward-thinking they are.
Understanding the merits and differentiation of an IT architecture can be a revelation for IT leaders. Do current architectures truly support my needs? Is there something better?
My First Revelation
At the end of my first week working for Digital Equipment Corporation in 1978, I took home some “light reading” for the weekend that changed my view of computer technology — yet not in the way I expected. It was the “VAX-11/780 Architecture Handbook,” which was several hundred pages of mostly deep technical detail.
MORE FOR YOUSidewalk Labs Spinout Replica Raises $41 Million Series BInnovationRx: Health Insurer Profits; Plus 200 Million VaccinationsPatients Can’t Be Charged Fees For A Covid-19 Vaccine — Here’s What To Do If You Got Billed For It
I read it hoping to gain a deeper understanding of the VAX hardware and VAX/VMS operating system. What I didn’t expect was gaining a newfound appreciation for the concept of computer architecture itself.
At that time, the VAX/VMS operating system only ran on one single hardware system: the VAX-11/780. But what I took away from the handbook was that its single software environment would have the potential to someday run across the widest possible range of computer systems — from tiny integrated computers to massive mainframe-class clusters — all able to run exactly the same software, because of a good architectural design.
For decades the primary value of a computer architecture was mostly that: the ability to run the same software across a range of systems and, more importantly, to run across multiple generations of systems even if using new and different technology. This provided preservation of investment in software, training and operations for users.
In those days CPUs and operating systems were still mostly unique and proprietary to individual systems vendors. The evolution of the Windows and UNIX/Linux operating systems coupled with Intel-architecture CPUs changed all that.
Expanded Use Of Architectures
The concept and value of having an architecture spread into new additional areas. Instead of being associated with just CPUs, other components of IT infrastructure started to develop architectures, particularly storage and networks.
Most hardware components and operating systems have now become highly commoditized. While there will always be niche markets for specialized technology — Intel architecture, Windows and Linux have become ubiquitous, de facto standards.
Architectural value and differentiation have changed. It has now become, “How can you best architect the exact same pieces of technology that everyone else also uses?” It is no longer about the pieces themselves, but rather how these commodity technologies are assembled and integrated.
Storage Example
Almost all modern enterprise storage systems have been architected either as dual controllers or what can best be called aggregations or clusters of multiple dual controllers. As the name implies, a dual-controller system has two separate controllers that can function independently but are tightly integrated such that if one fails, the other can nondisruptively take over the activity of the other controller.
Unfortunately, a single controller is only capable of handling the total workload of, well, a single controller. So, unless the combined cumulative workload of what was running on both controllers prior to a failure was less than 100% of what a single controller can handle, after a failure of a single controller, things can still fail, even though the surviving controller is operational. This is because it may not have sufficient resources to run the new cumulative workload from itself, plus what it took over from the failed controller. Applications, databases or operating systems on the servers that are depending on that storage system may start to “time out” if they don’t get adequate performance from the lone surviving storage controller.
Some systems try to compensate for this issue by not allowing all the physical resources to always be active, in an active/passive configuration. While this approach avoids the cumulative performance problem, it requires more physical hardware than will ever be used concurrently, driving up the cost.
And, of course, if a second controller failure were to occur before the first was repaired or replaced in a dual-controller system, the whole system would come down.
A system composed of a cluster of multiple dual controllers can provide better total aggregate performance and capacity than just a single dual-controller system, but it can’t necessarily solve this kind of availability problem. This is especially true in systems where data from a specific dual controller is only accessible through that dual controller and none of the others, regardless of how many of these dual controllers are in the total system.
Conventional Thinking Vs. Modern Approach
The conventional thinking of having just a single additional level of redundancy for critical components in IT infrastructure is pervasive. But in these modern times where the IT infrastructure often is critical to the business, the idea of protecting against just a “single point of failure” is no longer sufficient.
The answer is so obvious that it’s amazing that more modern systems haven’t yet done it; instead of architecting for two components to protect each other, make it three.
It’s time for computer technology architects to start configuring critical components in threes instead of twos, where the three are “active-active-active.” This provides a simple, cost-effective way to improve availability and performance in a modern world that demands it. Three components that protect each other provide much higher availability and a much better performance cushion in case of a single failure. For the same reason that long ago two became better than one by eliminating single points of failure, the time has come to move to three. I believe this will define architecture over the next decade, and I expect to be retired before we need four.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
9975f4463ed03a6d8c33880f6994e6f5 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/13/why-dedicated-development-centers-will-be-revived-in-2021/?sh=10cebd972963 | Why Dedicated Development Centers Will Be Revived In 2021 | Why Dedicated Development Centers Will Be Revived In 2021
Founder and CEO at Smart IT software development company. Co-founder and CTO at telehealth startup MEDvidi.
Back in the year 2010, dedicated development centers were all the rage when it came to outsourced software development. Tech startups emerging after the economic crisis were eager to establish DDCs (dedicated development centers), or offshore development centers, through remote IT service providers to quickly get their business off the ground. A decade later, the concept of the remote software development center is geared for a post-crisis revival.
The success of the dedicated development center business model, coupled with the bustling tech startup scene at the time, was partly responsible for my entrepreneurial journey in particular. I have been running DDCs for clients ever since.
Naturally, we were not pioneers when it came to outsourced software engineering. The economic boom of the 1990s had cemented outsourcing as a practice used both by technology companies and enterprises without prior experience with IT. Outsourcing gave companies prioritizing cost-saving measures a greater degree of flexibility and let them thrive.
Fast forward to 2010-2015, and outsourcing expenditure was at its peak. Outsourcing partnerships were growing from project-based one-off ordeals to long-term, value-driven software development partnerships.
MORE FOR YOUWhat’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?Why You Should Stop Using Your Facebook Messenger AppNVIDIA Announces Technology For Training Giant Artificial Intelligence Models
A Dedicated Development Center As A Business Model
What is a dedicated development center? Though its definition often varies from a geographical location where software development takes place to being synonymous with a dedicated development team, we refer to DDCs as a business model. A model where a service vendor's engineering talent forms a de facto IT department — a dedicated development center — for the client.
While "dedicated development center" and "dedicated development team" might seem like interchangeable notions, the two are not the same. The former is best thought of as a complete unit made up of people, infrastructure and processes. The unit does not require the client to have established governance over IT processes.
The latter, on the other hand, only provides the resource of people. Such dedicated developers will need to be integrated with the client's existing processes and infrastructure.
Think of a dedicated development center as not just an extension of a client's team with remote employees, but a self-sufficient business unit that can manage all things IT.
What Dedicated Development Centers Offer To Growing Businesses
Not all dedicated development center services are rendered equally. Some DDC services are offered by industry pioneers, such as Accenture, IBM, EY.
Since their early days, these companies have amassed expertise across multiple industries and assimilated well-performing software development firms, shared services providers and business process outsourcing firms. As a result, they are able to offer the full gamut of management and development services as part of GBS (global business services).
The GBS model is highly relevant for businesses that find it unsuitable to manage their outsourcing vendors independently. This is where it gets interesting, because a large share of GBS clients are big enterprises, managing operations across multiple departments and geographies. This does not quite match the profile of an emerging startup or small business.
With industry pioneers holding a large market share of the enterprise world, smaller IT services companies, instead, focused on becoming boutique service providers in narrower niches.
Not only did this help avoid enterprise-level fees working with big firms would incur, but it also offered better client-vendor fit.
Advantages Of A Dedicated Development Center In 2021
With most global businesses forced to cut costs and optimize budgets in 2020, building a dedicated development center has once again become a favorable prospect for the coming year. And here is why.
According to StartupGenome's report on startup funding, startups have proved to be more successful in reacting to change than big companies. And yet startups are not safeguarded against capital crunch and reduced revenue. Venture capital distribution remains uneven; with funding currently directed toward SaaS startups working in health care, education, remote work, logistics and mental health.
Startups today are balancing pressure from stakeholders who expect to see startups deliver on capitalizing innovative ideas, as well as the overall unstable economic landscape. Startup founders and small-business owners are seeking flexibility and expertise — the kind DDCs provide.
Building an outsourced dedicated development center today is cheaper, faster and more efficient than building an IT department in-house. If we compare Glassdoor's cost per hire calculation with YouTeam's hourly rates for offshore software development, it is a given that such overheads as taxes, social benefits and hardware expenses become negated. As far as speed is concerned, a dedicated development center can be quickly scaled based on client objectives. In turn, the client can make better use of in-house resources and direct them toward business goals.
Nevertheless, despite its obvious benefits, a dedicated development center doesn't cater to all types of projects. Startups not prepared for long-term collaboration with a third party might be better off with another software development engagement model.
A Dedicated Center Of Excellence
Companies such as Basecamp, GitHub, Slack and WhatsApp have all relied on dedicated developers who were not part of the in-house roster.
But if, before, businesses turned to outsourcing as a cost-saving measure, today, building a dedicated development center is an instrument for growth. Businesses that put their chips on long-term cooperation stand to benefit from the niche expertise of dedicated developers and the boutique nature of their business approach.
If you do invest in boutique software development, survey your potential DDC partner's prior work to determine their niche and key expertise. Do not hestitate to ask upfront about their strengths and weaknesses. A niche software developer will never spread themselves too thin on an undertaking they are not versed in. A DDC partner will be quite upfront when it comes to where and how their talent is best applied.
I am certain that as new companies begin to emerge after the crisis, they too, like the companies that sprung up after the 2008 economic crisis, will benefit from the optimized business processes and operations efficiency that dedicated development centers deliver. They won't just be hiring a dedicated human resource, they will be building a center of excellence and innovation.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
171d10f4791a0c240a364dff30699036 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/14/how-to-avoid-three-missteps-every-small-business-takes-when-scaling/?sh=3af90d492bc6 | How To Avoid Three Missteps Every Small Business Takes When Scaling | How To Avoid Three Missteps Every Small Business Takes When Scaling
An innovative entrepreneur in investigative technology and background checks, CEO of KENTECH, and Founder of eKnowID.com.
getty
If starting a business is no small feat, then scaling a business is even more daunting.
Out of all the new businesses that opened in the U.S. between 1994 and 2018, an average of 67.6% survived at least two years. The survival rate dropped to 48.8% after five years, 33.6% after 10 years and 25.7% after 15 years.
The top three reasons startups fail, according to data from a 2019 CBInsights survey, are:
1. Not having the right market fit
2. Not having enough capital
3. Not having the right people
The past year has been particularly hard on small businesses. When I talk with other entrepreneurs and small business owners about the challenges we’re facing, the first two causes of failure — lack of capital needs and market fit — come up often. And while it’s important to focus on the critical needs of the business, like securing funding in the next round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or taking your marketing efforts online, in my experience, you have to fix the third problem to truly get traction on the other two. You need the right people in place for your company to be able to survive and scale.
MORE FOR YOUWhy You Should Stop Using Your Facebook Messenger AppWhy You Should Never Use Google Chrome On Your iPhone, iPad Or MacThe Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine Is Less Effective Against The South African And UK Variants Than Against The Original Virus, According To A New “Real-World” Study From Israel
Think of it this way: If you had the choice between receiving a forgivable $1 million PPP loan or hiring someone like Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk to join your team, what would you do? I would choose the brilliant team member without hesitation, and I think any business owner serious about growing their company would do the same. Money is a short-term fix, but talent is a long-term gain.
Building the best team is the first and most important step to take if you want to grow your company. When you prioritize hiring the right people, you set yourself up for success in every other area of your business.
Ensure A Good Market Fit
The pandemic has revealed the importance of adapting quickly to change, whether you’re moving more of your business online, refining your product or service to better suit your market or pivoting to meet a new need. Evolving your business requires a team with specific skills and expertise. For example, you may find that you need to hire a marketing, sales or product manager to understand your customers on a more granular level. This team member would be crucial in exploring customers’ pain points and ensuring that your product offers an effective solution. Just one strategic new hire could be the answer to your market fit problem and have a positive domino effect in the rest of your business.
Our company provides deep background investigations for hiring within the government and the financial industry. In 2020, our business took a hit in two ways: the decline in hiring overall due to the pandemic, and the ongoing struggles with recruitment and attrition that law enforcement organizations are facing. We have had to pivot in response to the disruptions in our core business. In recent months, we’ve expanded our services to provide background investigations to small businesses hiring in essential industries and families that are seeking at-home caregivers.
Our organizational structure has always been fairly flat, but I recognize the need for a stronger leadership structure as we reposition our company. I’m now hyper-focused on finding my rockstar leaders who can take the lead in their areas of expertise, from operations to marketing. I can’t continue to be a jack-of-all-trades; I need a team of experts to help me scale the business.
Maximize Your Capital
Hiring the right people for your team is the best long-term investment you can make as a business leader. Consider how each employee adds value to your company. How are they advancing your goals? How are they contributing to creating a great product or service that provides value to your customers? If you want to cut the fat in your operational expenditures or get the most out of your PPP loan, take a close look at your team. It may make sense to have one excellent employee, at a higher level of pay and responsibilities, rather than two or three average employees.
I’ve seen firsthand the difference one person can make in a company. An operations expert evaluated our organizational structure and outlined cost-saving opportunities, reducing our headcount while investing more in a small group of high-value team members. In the past, we were hiring too quickly and simply trying to fill seats to accomplish the tasks at hand. I discovered that our standout employees were happy to take on more responsibility at a higher salary. They knew they could produce better quality work than if they had to delegate to several other mediocre employees.
Keep Attracting Top Talent
There's a saying, often credited to Steve Jobs, that, “A players hire A players, B players hire C players and C players hire D players.” The culture of your organization and the quality of your team starts at the top. Leadership is about motivating people with a bold vision and helping them fulfill their aspirations within the company. You must be intentional about hiring people who will enhance your company culture and contribute to your long-term success.
The pandemic has put some of our past hiring mistakes into perspective. Before, we rushed to recruit to meet the growing demand from our clients. Now we are able to slow down and create systems that allow us to hire employees who are the best fit for our organization. We’re using new tools, like applicant scorecards and personality tests, to determine if a person believes in our vision, shares our values and complements our existing team. By hiring and retaining better people, we are seeing greater traction with new product-market fit, and we are more effectively optimizing capital needs.
Every employee plays a crucial role in serving your customers and moving your company forward. Be sure to make people your top priority as you scale your business.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
ea07632c559ec33672f891089ccfe8c0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/20/how-service-providers-kept-subscribers-connected-and-productive-during-the-pandemic/ | How Service Providers Kept Subscribers Connected And Productive During The Pandemic | How Service Providers Kept Subscribers Connected And Productive During The Pandemic
President, CEO & Board Chair, A10 Networks, providing secure application services for on-premises, multi-cloud and edge-cloud environments.
getty
It has been a dramatically changing landscape for service providers over the last year. Since the lockdown began, tens of millions of people globally have remained gainfully employed, productive and engaged because of their ability to work, study and entertain themselves from home via broadband internet connections and digital communications. Telecommunications service providers and ISPs have done a tremendous job during the Covid-19 pandemic to support the increased volume and the change in nature of traffic while maintaining a strong cybersecurity posture.
The pandemic initially pushed internet traffic up more than 50% from a year earlier. Though it declined somewhat in the second quarter of the year, the total average usage per month was still up approximately 36% compared to the same period of 2019, according to OpenVault Broadband Insights.
Service providers moved quickly to make the necessary adjustments and investment to keep us productive. Increased demand for network capacity has not been the only strain on networks and maintaining positive user experiences. Most service providers over-provision their networks and were therefore prepared for the sudden surge in traffic. But there was also a tremendous impact on other capacity-limited technologies, including IP address pools.
Many service providers have significantly expanded their carrier-grade network address translation (CGNAT) infrastructure to manage the available pool of IPv4 and IPv6 internet addresses despite the growth in subscribers, internet usage and connected devices. Here’s the backstory.
MORE FOR YOU‘Call Of Duty: Warzone’: What Time Is The Destruction Of Verdansk Part 2, And Season 3?Google Earth's New Timelapse Feature Lets You See How Our Planet Has Changed In Four DecadesWhat Users Have To Look Forward To With Chromebooks Powered By Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7c
The internet has gotten to be a very crowded place. The first Internet Protocol to be used publicly, IPv4, was designed to support only about 4.3 billion devices. IPv4 has essentially run out of addresses. Two technologies were developed in the 1990s to cope with the problem. One was IPv6, a protocol created in 1998 that is capable of supporting trillions of trillions of addresses. The other was network address translation (NAT).
Although IPv6 addresses are plentiful, more than 20 years after IPv6 became a draft standard, IPv4 is still widely used with no signs of disappearing. As with so many aspects of technology transformation, change has come more slowly than some predicted. The vast majority of today’s websites remain IPv4-only compatible. In fact, only about 30% of Google searches globally use IPv6. In other words, more than two-thirds of Google queries access IPv4-only websites. As a result, we now live in a hybrid universe in which both IPv4 and IPv6 need to coexist, probably for many years to come.
NAT helped solve IPv4 exhaustion by allowing multiple customers to internally use the same overlapping private address ranges and then translate private addresses to public IP addresses. Large-scale network address translation is an important extension to NAT that has become critical as the issue of IPv4 exhaustion becomes increasingly acute. It allows large-scale networks, internet service providers and enterprises to support to an ever-increasing number of customers by sharing a global (public) IP address among multiple sites and devices.
While available IPv4 addresses decline, the demand for services grows. CGNAT systems have become a strategic imperative to maintaining high throughput, connection rates and availability. They have allowed providers to enable new services, lower customer churn and reduce customer acquisition costs.
Looking ahead, we can expect service providers to continue to meet the demands of an increasingly hyperconnected world. As connectivity extends to a distributed world with more and more devices connected to everything else, I believe that continuing to provide secure solutions that go from the cloud to the edge while balancing the existing infrastructure will be key for service providers. That will require tremendous ingenuity and focused investments in a new generation of technologies, such as ultra-high speed 5G networks, virtualized networking and edge-cloud computing.
With the advent of 5G-connected devices, including a rapidly growing number of cellular IoT devices, the number of global IoT connections is forecast to exceed 24 billion by 2025 — double the number in 2019. Organizations will have to manage newer IPv6-enabled devices with older IPv4 devices connecting to both IPv4 and IPv6 websites. The two environments will co-exist for some time to come.
Service providers should deploy a network address translation strategy that includes both the preservation of their existing IPv4 address allocation while enabling a longer-term plan to transition to an IPv6 infrastructure, thus addressing the entire lifecycle of the migration. These solutions need to be able to handle millions of simultaneous connections, scale dynamically and provide the highest levels of availability without disruption.
In addition, with cyber attacks against core network infrastructures and CGNAT devices on the rise, it is critical that providers proactively protect against these attacks to avoid service disruption. Service providers need to integrate DDoS protection with CGNAT systems to enable attack detection, reporting and mitigation.
Indeed, a recent survey by Light Reading found that 80% of operators see CGNAT as a critical requirement even in cloud-native, 5G standalone networks that will come online over the next three years.
Network service providers have proven their agility, resilience and commitment to maintaining a positive subscriber experience during the Covid-19 pandemic. Large-scale network translation technology has played a critical role in supporting this mission-critical need and will continue to be an important element in navigating the changing landscape.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
2bbc99048e7c2d8bee8249d3ecd24992 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/21/from-5g-to-ai-and-network-security-hot-tech-trend-tips-for-2021/?sh=feef20f3216d | From 5G To AI And Network Security: Hot Tech Trend Tips For 2021 | From 5G To AI And Network Security: Hot Tech Trend Tips For 2021
CTO of MetTel with over 30 years of telecommunications and network experience managing transformational customer growth.
getty
As we enter 2021, I’d like to briefly look back at the year that was to reflect on all that happened — and to gain insights into what to expect in the new year. I think it goes without saying that 2020 was a year like we’ve never experienced before.
This year, the switch to mass remote work strained networks, placing a new onus on rapid digital transformation to enable continued productivity and innovation. From a technology perspective, the legacy of the pandemic could be its ability to accelerate digital transformation by several years, as we hit the “fast forward” button on many existing tech trends, including flexible work environments and the adoption of cloud.
As we embark on a new year, all these transformational changes and the adoption of technologies to support them will have a compound effect, accelerating innovation even faster than before. With that in mind, here are eight predictions for business networking advances in 2021.
5G New Radio Will Help Make 5G Benefits Real
Over the past several years, there’s been no shortage of promises about how 5G will revolutionize how we work and use technology. Well, 2021 is the year we could finally see 5G begin to meet expectations, and it will be due to 5G New Radio (NR) — a radio access technology for 5G native mobile networks that will start to see wide deployment by carriers. This means network capacity for wireless users will be greatly increased, with lightning-fast data speeds that can power everything from advanced machine learning to industrial IoT.
MORE FOR YOUHere’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedCovid-19 Weekly Roundup: What Happened With The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?Robotics Startup Canvas Raises $24 Million To Revitalize Construction
SASE Will Gain Traction As The Next Generation Of Security
Since the outbreak of Covid-19 and the move to mass remote work, organizations realized they needed to revisit their network plans to ensure they could provide remote access to their network at scale from anywhere and at all times.
This, in turn, has greatly accelerated an emerging cybersecurity concept called secure access service edge (or SASE) that supports offices and remote workers through a cloud-delivered set of security and access services. SASE figures to make a huge impact in the market beginning in 2021, with Gartner predicting that 40% of enterprises will have strategies to adopt the technology by 2024, as organizations start to make overall network and security decisions based on remote worker support.
Microsoft Teams Enterprise Takeover
In 2021, expect to see Microsoft Teams solidify its hold as the communications platform of choice for corporate America with external voice integration. This will result in many organizations moving all voice and external videoconferencing to the platform, enabling the long-overdue data mining of phone calls.
Data mining through Teams promises to help organizations uncover “hidden gold” in even the most innocuous customer calls by employing algorithms that can do everything from analyzing customer service interactions to identifying opportunities for upselling and analyzing sentiment of voice calls.
SD-WAN And Artificial Intelligence Supercharge Digital Transformation
The Covid-19 pandemic brought organizations face to face with many hard truths in 2020, one of them being that higher bandwidth, faster speeds, secure connections and adaptable networks are more of a business necessity than ever in an era of dispersed workforces and accelerated innovation.
In 2021, we’re going to see more organizations turn toward SD-WAN to transform and secure their networks. This will create the network agility required to run increasingly powerful artificial intelligence and machine learning applications and free up human resources to drive more efficient business outcomes.
Smart Monitoring Technology Will Patrol Corporate Networks
Last year, the pandemic forced enterprises to extend their networks to employee homes, demanding a new level of network flexibility and security. This put tremendous stress on networks, distracting IT teams and opening vulnerabilities for cybercriminals to exploit.
To shore up their networks in 2021, organizations will turn to new networking monitoring products that work behind the scenes, reading network information to ensure everything is working correctly and reporting problems immediately when they’re discovered.
Unwanted Robocalls Will Be Vanquished
If there’s one issue that unites Americans more than anything else, it’s a deep disdain for robocalls. Phone users in the U.S. receive tens of billions of them each year. However, there’s good news coming in 2021: the FCC’s new STIR/SHAKEN standard will allow for action against anomalous traffic levels and call attempts from unregistered users — giving us the green light to vanquish robocalls altogether. The emergence of the new standard will clear the way for intelligent robocall-blocking technology that will stop virtually all unwanted robocalls before your phone rings.
Private 5G Networks Will Take Root
As mentioned in my first prediction, 2021 will be the year when 5G NR finally gives 5G networks the boost they need to start performing like we’ve been promised they would. At the same time, we’re likely to see some organizations — particularly governments — build their own private 5G networks to guard against the security risks inherent in public networks, while still enjoying the benefits of 5G. Initially, the focus will be for IoT networks, which will benefit greatly from the added security private 5G will offer, while the increased density and speed enhancements will create bigger and better IoT applications.
Government Security Gets Serious With TIC 3.0
As the remote workforce and cloud migration pressures mount for public entities, the defined and acceptable Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) structures from the U.S. government continue to be redefined and restructured. These guidelines were designed to secure government networks against surging cyberthreats and other emerging risks, like those associated with IoT. In 2021, new TIC platforms and technologies will emerge to allow agencies to monitor their networks and access reporting and performance details in near real-time on both data and voice services. Taken together, these new platforms will finally give federal agencies the tools they need to effectively monitor their users and networks.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
de0976ed1f25697f182d3d69163ad877 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/21/the-enterprise-data-and-ai-journey-to-the-cloud-three-fundamental-milestones/ | The Enterprise Data And AI Journey To The Cloud: Three Fundamental Milestones | The Enterprise Data And AI Journey To The Cloud: Three Fundamental Milestones
Managing Director, Data & AI at Accenture's Microsoft Business Group in Europe.
getty
2020 has been a whirlwind in the development and adoption of technology, especially data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning and automation. These technologies have let us tackle Covid-19 by focusing on, according to the Organization of American States, "understanding the virus and accelerating medical research on drugs and treatments, detecting and diagnosing the virus and predicting its evolution, assisting in preventing or slowing the virus' spread through surveillance and contact tracing, responding to the health crisis through personalized information and learning [and] monitoring the recovery and improving early warning tools."
In turn, the pandemic notably accelerated the development and adoption of technology. We at Accenture and the broader Microsoft ecosystem have witnessed the remarkable acceleration of cloud adoption and data and AI maturation in our clients' digital transformation efforts.
While there are countless platform, product and solution options an enterprise can pick to match its priority business scenarios and use cases, a simple "data and AI journey to cloud" framework may help enterprises in terms of planning, solution mapping and the successful implementation of their specific data and AI journey.
This framework consists of three fundamental milestones:
1. Data Strategy And Modernization: Advance data capabilities and culture
MORE FOR YOU‘Call Of Duty: Warzone’: What Time Is The Destruction Of Verdansk Part 2, And Season 3?What’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?Google Earth's New Timelapse Feature Lets You See How Our Planet Has Changed In Four Decades
2. AI-Powered Capabilities: Infuse AI across critical enterprise functions such as sales, customer service, operations or the supply chain
3. Intelligent Enterprise: Enable more automation and self-serve mechanisms to evolve toward an autonomous enterprise.
Before I expand on each of these milestones, it is worth mentioning that a successful data and AI journey to the cloud necessitates a thoughtful and collaborative kick-off:
• Have you discovered your cloud transformation and data and AI needs (e.g., priority scenarios and use cases)?
• Have you created value cases for these scenarios and use cases?
• Have you built a road map for your data and AI adoption, transformation and innovation?
If not, I would strongly recommend you to slow down so you can speed up later. Make sure you and your stakeholders agree on these crucial steps before you kick off your journey.
Now, let's elaborate on these three milestones:
The first step starts with data. Defining your data strategy, establishing a data culture in your organization and modernizing your data estate accordingly are essential. Some of the steps that will accelerate your organization's maturity in this milestone are as follows:
• Perform a data strategy assessment.
• Perform a data capability and maturity assessment.
• Enact a data strategy transformation.
• Embrace a data operating model.
• Follow a 30- to 90-day road map.
Once you have the data (i.e., your plumbing) sorted, you can now infuse AI/ML across your enterprise and implement various AI-powered capabilities for your employees, customers, partners and the broader community in line with your business needs and priority use cases. These capabilities may include virtual agents, SaaS AI solutions, AI-powered sales and supply chain insights, robotic process automation, and more.
I use the word "infuse" for this second phase because you must ensure that all these AI capabilities are enabled responsibly and ethically in the organization. When looking for a solution, it is important to identify low-code or no-code platforms, which are easy to adopt and use. This means that current employees can readily embrace these solutions to focus their time and attention on higher-value activities.
The next phase involves becoming an autonomous enterprise. In this phase, you must implement more automation and self-serve mechanisms so that humans and machines work more coherently, efficiently and effectively. This phase includes more RPA and power automation, end-to-end systems, AI-powered fraud and risk management, and more.
In 2020, we saw the majority of our clients in the first two phases. Given the economic conditions mainly resulting from the pandemic, 2021 will undoubtedly accelerate this journey further to phases two and three. Where does your company fall among these phases, and what can you do to progress even further this year?
I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2021.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
ea9884d84795e6116d92dafbfae2ad41 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/22/data-will-drive-change-in-2021-like-never-before/?sh=14288ab527c8&utm_campaign=Analytics&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20newsletter | Data Will Drive Change In 2021 Like Never Before | Data Will Drive Change In 2021 Like Never Before
Manish Sood is CTO, Founder and Chairman of Reltio, a provider of cloud data services used by enterprises to create rich customer profiles.
There are a lot of things that we can say about the year 2020. From a technology standpoint, it was a year of pressure testing. Huge shifts in working styles, education, consumer habits, and supply chains pushed digital transformation to its limits and tested our networks, cloud infrastructure, retail channels and customer engagement systems like never before.
The year ahead will be a time of continued transformation and recovery with a focus on innovation and reinvention. Companies that can adapt to the new reality and make it easier for their partners and customers to do business with them will be the winners.
Here is a look at five data-driven trends that will shape 2021.
1. Cloud-Native SaaS Superiority
The cloud revolution continues. In November 2020, Jerry Chen posted a story in which he reflected on the rapid rate of innovation in cloud-native companies such as Snowflake, Uber, Sumo Logic and others.
MORE FOR YOUHere’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedBioNTech’s Humble Billionaire CEO On The Next Era Of mRNA VaccinesWestworld-AI Scenario To Be Banned In Europe: leaked AI Regulations Reveal Course-Correction Away From Dystopian AI Future
Given the major societal and economic shifts we saw in 2020, the move to cloud-only infrastructure will continue to accelerate in 2021. On-premises data centers are going to die as companies look to get out of the hardware business and enterprise architects take a cloud-only approach to solutions. This is driven by the rapid pace of evolution in the cloud.
2020 showed us how necessary it can be to automatically scale up quickly, avoid downtime for upgrades and meet increasingly aggressive performance requirements. Even industries that were traditionally focused on on-premises or hybrid solutions — like financial services and healthcare — are moving to cloud-native SaaS. Fidelity, for example, has publicly stated it is moving to a cloud-native ecosystem.
2. 2021 Will Be The Year Of Omnichannel
In 2020, we saw businesses innovate in several ways. Contactless commerce — from Domino’s contactless delivery to telemedicine for routine medical checkups — enabled businesses to continue to perform even during lockdowns. While these new omnichannel innovations weren’t part of the plan a year ago, data helped companies unlock these new avenues. More importantly, these new channels could be supported side by side with traditional channels.
In the Domino’s example, traditional delivery and pickup experiences didn’t go away; rather, the company was able to support the additional digital elements necessary for contactless delivery and keep customers safe even during lockdowns.
3. The Age Of Experience As A Service
2021 could mark a return to business as usual if the vaccines succeed. However, for many industries, recovery will be predicated on understanding multiple disparate datasets — from the supply chain to the customer journey to new engagement channels — and creating better customer experiences.
Companies that understand how multiple data points come together to provide new insights will be the ones that innovate and drive the recovery forward. Even with the progress made in 2020, there are still digital disconnects in many places. For instance, services like Instacart rely on supply chain data from local supermarkets. When this data is incorrect or delayed, Instacart could end up with a dissatisfied customer who didn’t get everything on their shopping list.
4. Faster Innovation With Data Is The New Norm
2021 will see the continued acceleration of innovation. 2020 showed us that we have to be able to move fast to get remote workforces up and running in days, move the nation’s classrooms online overnight and move our economy from in-store visits to touchless experiences. These timelines were unthinkable even 18 months ago, but they are the norm today. In the coming year, companies will be looking at ways to predict and adjust to market dynamics and social shifts overnight. This, again, will be predicated on access to and understanding of data.
5. The Increasing Importance Of A Single Source of Truth
Master data management (MDM) will continue to play a larger role in underpinning technological trends and the broader recovery in 2021. Much can happen in the coming year, but we have already seen the benefit of being able to adapt to unpredictable challenges with new business models. MDM enables organizations to integrate data from disparate sources and multiple online and in-person/in-store channels and offer a cohesive, connected understanding of a customer, a supplier or a product. It will be this single source of truth that powers success for many companies in 2021.
Hopefully we will see the containment of Covid-19 in 2021 and the return to more normal economic and social patterns. But the lessons of 2020 have taught us the importance of being able to understand the data behind everything from supply chains to doctors’ office appointments. 2021 will bring continued innovation and even faster growth based on data as we move to a cloud-only world where omnichannel ideas and new customer experiences are driven by MDM and a single source of truth within the enterprise.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
ff34c6275fd125a4df9b212b95e7e9ff | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/22/how-shopify-is-shifting-the-e-commerce-landscape/?sh=207bf56e3ce9 | How Shopify Is Shifting The E-Commerce Landscape | How Shopify Is Shifting The E-Commerce Landscape
Co-Founder and CEO at Intelligence Node, serving AI-powered e-commerce insights from the world's largest retail database.
getty
Shopify has been making waves these past couple of quarters due to its unprecedented growth amidst what was one of the most disruptive years for the retail economy. With thousands of businesses migrating to e-commerce as social distancing and quarantine procedures started to slow down traditional retail, Shopify became a go-to platform with its highly diverse and easy-to-use offerings across online and offline retail platforms. It came as no surprise then that Shopify's revenue grew 96% in Q3 2020 as compared to the same period in 2019. Furthermore, one million merchants in 175 countries generated a whopping $5.1 billion in Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales on Shopify's platform, representing a 76% YoY increase.
Shopify is democratizing e-commerce.
Shopify's business model of providing an all-in-one e-commerce platform aims to help businesses set up their online stores and enable retailers to sell directly to their customers across the globe. Unlike Amazon, which has a reputation for pitting retailers against each other in a price war, Shopify allows retailers to sell online, in-store, on social media or even on-the-go by offering end-to-end services from billing to shipping.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, with the shuttering of brick-and-mortar stores across countries, many retailers had to pivot to e-commerce overnight and Shopify rolled out new features and applications to make the transition to e-commerce easier. Last year, Shopify CEO Tobias Lutke said in a tweet, "Amazon is trying to build an empire. Shopify is trying to arm the rebels." Shopify lives by this philosophy and is working toward building a more democratic e-commerce environment where even small and medium-sized businesses can thrive and create a unique space for themselves in a marketplace predominantly run by retail giants like Amazon, eBay, Walmart and the like.
E-commerce competition will intensify in 2021.
As the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted economies across the world and retail sales collapsed, e-commerce grew at an unprecedented level in 2020. To put this growth in perspective, e-commerce sales grew all of 8% over nine years from 2010 to 2019 and then accelerated to 5% growth in just months during 2020, as per the US Department of Commerce.
MORE FOR YOUPatients Can’t Be Charged Fees For A Covid-19 Vaccine — Here’s What To Do If You Got Billed For ItAntibody Startup Adagio Raises $336 Million To Develop A Variant-Proof Treatment For Covid-19Tesla Texas Crash: Why Autopilots Are Always To Blame
Social distancing and quarantine measures led to many first-time shoppers getting comfortable with online shopping and the trend will surely continue going forward. In fact, per a recent Intelligence Node survey, 72% of consumers plan to shop online as much or more in 2021 as they did this year. These growth figures emphasize the enormous role the pandemic has played in further accelerating e-commerce adoption and subsequently in the growth of e-commerce businesses and platforms like Shopify.
Shopify is a testament to the permanent shift in e-commerce, as, amidst the lockdown, Shopify saw a 71% increase in online stores built on its platform in the second quarter of 2020 and has continued to publish enormous growth figures.
As e-commerce continues to grow, the fight to convert today’s comparison shoppers will intensify and retailers big and small will have to strategize smartly to be able to cope.
Pricing is still king.
One key aspect of shopping online is that consumers have access to multiple data points, websites and search engines while making a purchase decision. As per Intelligence Node's survey of 1,000 US shoppers, 94% of shoppers compare prices at least once in a while, when buying online. Additionally, with recession and the global pandemic affecting jobs and creating a volatile economic environment, shoppers are more sensitive to prices than ever before and look for better pricing options before purchasing an item online. This makes pricing a key player in converting shoppers into loyal customers. Mere product differentiation will no longer make the cut and retailers across e-commerce platforms — including those on Shopify — will have to revisit their pricing strategies to win the race for customer acquisition and loyalty.
The e-commerce space will continue to evolve but one thing that will never change is the comparative nature of shoppers and their eternal quest to find the best prices for their purchases. As a testament to the importance of this behavior, Amazon reviews its prices for millions of its SKUs every 10 minutes in order to ensure it offers the best prices to its competitors.
How to forge a digital path to retail success in 2021.
2021 is going to be a transformative year for retail, post disruptions in shopping preferences and consumer behavior brought about by the pandemic. To convert these evolved, informed and highly demanding shoppers, you will need curated, unified and highly personalized experiences. Adapting to the changing retail landscape and consumer demand would mean following the best practices listed below:
1. Adopt an omni-channel business approach to offer a unified shopping experience.
2. Invest in automated supply chain and delivery solutions for faster, on-time fulfillment.
3. Analyze consumer data and utilize it to create data-driven consumer experiences.
4. Offer around-the-clock customer support and quick query resolution.
5. Execute a superior loyalty program to retain customers.
6. Curate engaging content and visuals for better experience and higher ranking on search engines.
7. Deploy smart and flexible assortment and pricing strategies to stay competitive.
8. Listen to your customers and adapt to their changing needs to ensure customer satisfaction.
Even with Shopify striving toward creating a more democratic e-commerce environment for retailers, the onus is on brands and retailers to take the next step and arm themselves with technological firepower and consumer insights to win the e-commerce battle as they enter into 2021.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
f9b7124c0e43c97388aa3ba1ecbbdd9b | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/22/technology-trends-that-will-lead-the-way-in-2021/ | Technology Trends That Will Lead The Way In 2021 | Technology Trends That Will Lead The Way In 2021
Senior Technical Fellow (former CIO) of Broadridge Financial Solutions. Bridging the gap between security/technology and sales.
As we enter the new year, several promising technologies are poised to lead the way by improving how businesses and consumers use and experience the digital world. Here are some of the most important technologies and the practical solutions they will provide in the year ahead.
5G Networks
The fifth generation of the mobile internet is going to bring the kind of speed most people associate with Wi-Fi to uploading and downloading data from remote locations. This will lead to sharp improvements in the way applications can be written, deployed and interacted with by mobile users. This also includes the development of data-intensive applications and the Internet of Things (IOT) — physical objects with sensors that connect to and share data with the internet, autonomous vehicles and similar projects. Faster data transmission combined with increased bandwidth will be a powerful catalyst for innovation.
The Distributed Cloud
Distributed cloud technology brings the public cloud closer to private networks and specific locations. It will blur the lines of how public cloud apps interact with private cloud applications, making that process more seamless with less latency, requiring less bandwidth and redundant data and storage components. How does the distributed cloud fit in your company?
Cybersecurity
There’s an increasing focus on using data-driven policing and finding different ways of dealing with data breaches and cyberattacks. At the same time, consumers are much more aware of vulnerabilities, how breaches happen and the impacts associated with them.
MORE FOR YOUNew Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 13 Design ShockApple iOS 14.5: The Latest iPhone Upgrade Is Going To Be AwesomeIvanka Trump Posts Covid-19 Vaccination Photo, Here Are Responses From QAnon Followers
As businesses become more digital, the growth rate of the data and content being created is significant. According to Gartner, nearly 70% of businesses will engage in personal data archiving, a rapid jump from 10% in 2018. As a result, data-driven technologies will be a big growth area. This increases the importance of ensuring new technologies are being developed that protect data as businesses grow their digital footprint.
At the same time, security companies are building analytics to identify attacks in progress or breaches that have already happened. They are also looking for data and assets on the dark web so that the owners of that data can react as quickly as possible. How is your cybersecurity focus continuing to evolve and rise to the challenge, especially when considering IoT and AI advancements?
Artificial Intelligence Services
Artificial intelligence is rapidly gaining a foothold in the corporate world, with over half (54%) of financial services firms planning to increase investments in AI, according to my company's Next-Gen Technology Survey. That’s expected to lead to a huge increase in the number of goods and services that are connected to the internet and woven into the IoT. The infrastructure and base code to develop AI is very difficult to manage and expensive. Cloud providers are increasingly providing AI as a service, so it’s no different than using a public cloud provider to stand up a Unix or Windows OS.
There will be growth in AI platform services that you can subscribe to that promise ease of use because they’re already configured and up and running. Users of the service can then focus on writing their own unique code to solve their business problems. This is changing the way we write AI code and getting it to market quicker. It’s about ease of use, speed to market and agility, and it’s almost mutualizing the commodified, nondifferentiating pieces.
Securing AI
As AI becomes more common, the need to protect AI-powered systems will grow. As AI generates more code, this increases the amount of surface area for hackers to attack, particularly with highly connected systems in smart spaces where the IoT is especially active. One important aspect of the IoT which security experts need to keep sight of is that it increases the number of vulnerabilities an organization must deal with.
AI will increasingly be used to enhance system security. Machine learning will be used to understand patterns, uncover attacks and automate some cybersecurity processes while augmenting the actions of human security analysts. Part of this process includes anticipating how AI might be trained to penetrate a system and to identify and protect against these efforts.
Blockchain
Blockchain is a database and processing system that does cryptographical record-keeping, maintains appropriate security, and ensures that transactions are kept and validated. We’re now at the stage of its maturity where companies are looking to get apps using the technology out in the marketplace. Some of the most relevant uses are asset tracking, claims, identity management, payment systems and settlement systems. Blockchain has the potential to enhance trust, provide transparency and enable the exchange of value across business ecosystems. This could reduce costs, speed settlement times and improve cash flow.
Data Analytics
People now generate so much data that there is more of it than data analysts can make use of with current technology. As data analytics becomes more of a priority, companies are looking at how people interact with their available technology. Companies that want to understand how their customers make spending decisions are looking at what social media apps they visit most, what their profiles say about them and what kinds of pictures they post.
There is a tension between consumers who enjoy customized products built through access to their data and their privacy concerns. Consumers are increasingly aware that their data has value to businesses, and it’s especially important to them that their data is managed appropriately. Having this transparency and traceability is important for how companies manage data. Companies are realizing that giving customers “privacy by design” can make them more privacy-friendly. This creates a value proposition based on that trust. As companies look at opportunities to monetize data, is there an opportunity for individuals to monetize their data, too?
2021 will certainly be another year of firsts and unknowns. That said, leveraging maturing and technology trends to proactively address key business problems should be near the top of all technology leaders’ to-do lists.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
4eebc6707d9d813cb5275ebdc3c9b3c4 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/25/12-tech-experts-share-powerful-uses-of-virtual-reality/?sh=7515c58f7e0f | 12 Tech Experts Share Powerful Uses Of Virtual Reality | 12 Tech Experts Share Powerful Uses Of Virtual Reality
With its ability to simulate realistic conditions and create an immersive environment, virtual reality allows users to learn and have experiences in an environment that’s both engaging and safe. While many think of VR primarily in terms of entertainment, the tech is also proving to have benefits for multiple industries.
Well-crafted VR simulations can provide significant benefits and be leveraged for everything from training to therapy to design—and more. Below, 12 tech experts from Forbes Technology Council share some of the most impressive examples of VR they have encountered and why they’re so impressive.
Members of Forbes Technology Council share powerful uses of virtual reality. Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Reminiscence Therapy
VR is an incredible technology for older adults and a powerful reminiscence therapy tool for those living with dementia and Alzheimer’s. When our tech immerses users in a familiar place or activity, they’re able to access long-term memories—something that would otherwise be impossible for them. We’ve seen disengaged, nonverbal people come back to life while using VR. It’s a profoundly emotional and empowering experience. - Kyle Rand, Rendever
2. Boosting Student Engagement
Virtual reality has taken off this year in educational environments. Teachers can take their students on unique, immersive learning journeys, such as VR field trips through the digestive tract. It’s an invaluable asset for educators who have long relied on standard tools. It’s enabling them to engage with their students in a way everyone is excited about—especially in today’s reality of distance learning. - Matthew Zielinski, Lenovo
3. Product Development
We use VR in product development. We build security robots, and while we can design many aspects, it is very different when we set up a virtual environment with real dimensions and put robots in it. We can fix flawed proportions—we even do product reviews this way. VR offers the ability to look at your hardware product from all angles before you start cutting metal, which is especially important if your product interacts with humans. - Mercedes Soria, Knightscope
MORE FOR YOUHere’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedCDC Committee Declines To Vote On Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Safety, Pause Will Extend 7 To 10 DaysWestworld-AI Scenario To Be Banned In Europe: leaked AI Regulations Reveal Course-Correction Away From Dystopian AI Future
4. Firefighter Training
I have a customer who is in the firefighter training business. They use virtual reality to train firefighters in a variety of real-world scenarios. In addition to being cost-effective, the firefighters get exposed to varied situations at a much more rapid pace. It has already led to a generation of better-trained firefighters. - Tim Maliyil, AlertBoot
5. Astronaut Training
I saw a demo of VR-based astronaut training at NASA. The underwater training we have all seen footage of only goes so far. Simulating the ISS or Mars environment is what VR is destined for. - David Moise, Decide Consulting
6. Industrial Maintenance Training
The best example of virtual reality I’ve seen has been for training industrial maintenance workers. VR simulations can easily guide these workers through safety checks and how to work on industrial machines as if they were in the real world. The safety benefits are obvious—there’s no need to be around dangerous machinery—and you don’t need to take valuable machines offline or keep spare machines just to perform initial training. - Alexander Hill, Senseye
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
7. Virtual Workspaces
The best examples of VR I have seen include virtual workspaces, remote assistance and the onboarding of new technicians/workforce. Covid-19 has made the use of VR—a safe way to keep businesses going—more pervasive and unleashed more innovative uses of the technology. VR is attractive to businesses because it can improve efficiency and drive employee happiness. Going forward, VR will become a way of living. - Gaurav Aggarwal, Avanade Inc.
8. Data Visualization
I love CSynth because it shows us the possibilities of data visualization in virtual reality. VR is often used to teach understandable but impractical things—especially hard-to-reproduce or dangerous conditions. What excites me about CSynth is that it visibly renders many things that simply cannot be understood otherwise. One can imagine using VR to visualize network bottlenecks, supply chain problems and more. - Jeff Rubenstein, Kaltura
9. Digital Twin Capabilities
I just participated in a meeting using VR that took place in a digital twin of our London office. It was truly extraordinary! I could walk around the office and chat and interact with colleagues in the virtual space. It felt very natural. It was a truly immersive experience and eye-opening in terms of VR’s future potential. It was also very nostalgic being back in our office! - Pamela Maynard, Avanade
10. Home And Interior Design
The use of VR for home and interior design has been gaining immense interest and application. The ability to visualize the end product output and display through VR helps people proceed with construction work with greater confidence. - Nitesh Sinha, Sacumen
11. Building Walkthroughs
The most effective example I’ve seen of virtual reality is the creation of building walkthroughs before a remodel or an office rearrangement. By exploring the virtualized space, it is possible to identify and correct potential problems before they became actual problems. - Saryu Nayyar, Gurucul
12. Virtual Concerts
The best VR example I have recently seen was a VR concert. Using VR goggles attached to my smartphone, I attended a VR concert of my favorite band. It felt as if I was on stage with the band members. I could see the musicians playing close up, and I was able to sing the melodies in concert with the singers and feel the energy from the VR crowd. The experience was amazing! - Bob Fabien Zinga, Directly, Inc./U.S. Navy Reserve
|
38161e6e69cd5f227ec10387df1f9986 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/25/how-to-leverage-ai-visualization-and-iot-to-simplify-and-improve-security/?sh=18ac87c470ce | How To Leverage AI, Visualization And IoT To Simplify And Improve Security | How To Leverage AI, Visualization And IoT To Simplify And Improve Security
Global CTO and Senior Vice President of Products and Platforms at Unisys.
getty
Our new normal has created an even greater need for simplification and very crisp outcomes.
Company executives and technology leaders can use artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT) technology to enable desired outcomes — not just for experimental efforts — and can use visualization to prioritize and communicate the value of security investments.
Here are a few examples of how organizations can do that.
Understand that cybersecurity complexity is a widespread problem.
In the world of security, there is no dearth of point tools. Thousands of companies offer security solutions. A mid-sized to large company may already have 10 to 50 such tools. This means security teams have an abundance of data and security devices to manage.
Manually analyzing security logs from multiple point solutions requires time and effort. It often takes weeks for people to install and then configure all the different policies needed. And doing updates is an ongoing challenge because an organization may have hundreds of thousands of devices. Updating all of them involves discovering and classifying each device, understanding dependencies between devices, figuring out what policies to apply to each device and then actually implementing those policies on devices.
MORE FOR YOUWhy You Should Stop Using Your Facebook Messenger AppWhat’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?Apple Confirms Millions Of Secret iPhone Upgrades
Fifty-three percent of surveyed global security leaders said that “setting and managing policies [and] complex deployments” are among their organizations’ biggest challenges. Nearly as many (51%) said that doing manual integration work among multiple point solutions is a major pain point.
Employ AI-based automation to alleviate the pain and expedite setup and management.
If you are facing similar challenges, consider alleviating these pain points with AI-based automation. You can use AI to automatically discover devices. AI is very good at categorizing things. It can discern that a device is a switch or a router, for example, based on what it’s seen in the past.
It’s important to rely on humans to create policies upfront for each type of device, but do that only for the very first device or affinity group of devices. After that, rely on AI solutions to automatically recommend policies for similar devices with similar types of connectivity.
Now, the process that would have taken weeks will take 30 minutes. That’s very powerful considering that security solutions in which organizations invest often sit on the shelf. They often don’t get deployed because setup takes too long and requires expertise that staff may not have.
AI-based automation also greatly simplifies the process of updates. Solutions that employ this technology can push agents to thousands of endpoints in 30 seconds or less. That way, you can secure in a very short time any application that your company wants to add.
Use visualization to quickly identify situations and demonstrate value.
Visualization can be employed to accelerate deployment and simplify management. A modern visual interface will make it easier for you to discern potentially harmful traffic. That will enable you to use dynamic isolation and microsegmentation to contain threats before they spread.
Consider adopting a comprehensive, real-time security dashboard to get a simplified, single view of your network. This can help you gain immediate insights into your IT environment so you can more easily ensure compliance, make informed decisions and improve your security posture.
Leverage the dashboard to demonstrate the value of your cybersecurity approach to others in your organization. Show them how many attacks and suspicious connection requests you were able to block. You can also use the dashboard to learn where attacks are coming from.
Secure all your devices, even the IoT ones that don’t support agents.
You can install an agent for patching and upgrades on some devices in your IT environment. But with many IoT devices, installing an agent simply is not possible. The lack of standard IoT devices further complicates matters. An enterprise may be using cameras, climate monitors, shipping trackers, smart locks and many other connected devices.
Consider implementing agentless technology to secure IoT devices on which you can’t install agents. This provides security coverage for devices with any operating system without writing a specific agent for that device; thereby it can significantly cut down the time to support a device, which is ideal for both IoT devices and new modern devices built on various versions of Android, Linux or even iOS.
Thus, if your security technology can support both agent and agentless, it can be leveraged to secure your entire digital infrastructure, including cloud, mobile devices, BYOD (bring your own device) and IoT use cases.
Appreciate that technology exists to solve your problems.
I began this conversation by talking about how technology introduces complexity. But it’s important to remember that technology can also make things much simpler.
If you’re clear on the problems that you’re trying to solve, a lot of interesting technologies are available to help you solve them. That can remove complexity and move your business forward.
Organizations today have a smorgasbord of challenges on their plates. They don’t want to contend with the added burdens of cybersecurity complexity and disconnected point systems. The good news is that with the right strategies and technologies, they don’t have to.
In my next article, I’ll talk about how the intersection and integration of applications can enable you to solve even what appear to be entirely insurmountable problems.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
bf2f2366592241580075f629a7309bda | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/25/preparing-for-the-post-pandemic-new-normal-in-2021/?sh=12f6e9a566c2 | Preparing For The Post-Pandemic New Normal In 2021 | Preparing For The Post-Pandemic New Normal In 2021
Eugene Xiong is the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Foxit, a leading provider of innovative PDF products and services.
Like so many of you, I was more than happy to turn the page on 2020. Hopefully, the availability of new vaccines will finally rid us of the Covid-19 pandemic in the coming year, ending or at least beginning to end the global lockdown and isolation that we have all endured.
Still, we shouldn't expect workstyles and lifestyles to return to the pre-pandemic normal we once knew. Like all major economic and social upheavals, Covid-19 has changed the world around us in many ways. As a result, businesses, government agencies and others will need to invest in meeting the requirements for success in this new normal.
One big shift has been the accelerated adoption of digital technologies that have allowed so many of us to work, school and entertain ourselves over broadband internet connections while staying at home. The embrace of new digital ways of working and living will undoubtedly remain with us in 2021 and far beyond. A recent global executive survey conducted by McKinsey found that the pandemic has accelerated the use of digital technologies by three to four years.
Here are a few technology-related predictions — and what organizations should do to address them — for 2021:
1. The pandemic has reshaped the future of work, accelerating the move to the cloud.
MORE FOR YOUCovid-19 Weekly Roundup: What Happened With The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?Here’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedRobotics Startup Canvas Raises $24 Million To Revitalize Construction
This is one of the easier predictions to make. Working from home has changed the way employers and employees look at work. Some expensive, crowded cities have seen workers leave for the suburbs and beyond since the start of the pandemic. While we hope that the vaccines rid us of the current pandemic, work will likely never be the same.
Businesses and other organizations will need to continue to address and accommodate this new normal if they are to compete for talent in the future. They will need to invest in cloud technologies that support this future "work anywhere" reality, in which the traditional office begins to shrink and many employees work remotely in numbers not seen before the Covid-19 pandemic. Specific technology areas of focus should include a move to cloud-based desktop applications, collaboration services and secure shared storage.
2. Virtually every business will need to invest in digital self-serve customer experiences.
The world was going digital anyway; the pandemic just gave it a massive shove in the right direction. During the third quarter of 2020, consumers spent $199.44 billion online with U.S. retailers. That's an increase of more than 37% from the same period in 2019, according to the Commerce Department.
Since more customers will be visiting you digitally instead of at your brick-and-mortar storefronts and offices, you need to enable more self-serve. This reality will affect businesses and governmental agencies of all types. This means it is time to address information (both data and document) integration on your websites to allow customers to get the information and make the transaction they want when they want it.
3. Investing in a new digital employee experience.
Similar to customers, the remote employee will be more self-serve. This should help employers hire, train and keep talented employees while reducing the cost of HR administration, employee training, etc. Indeed, if proximity to jobs is no longer an issue, hiring will become even more competitive than it is today.
Satisfying the needs of the "work from anywhere" employee will be critical. Again, this will require many businesses to invest in expanding the self-service capabilities of their websites, digital documents and forms. For example, e-sign technology can increase the speed and ease of business transactions and interactions for both customers and employees. This is a trend that should only continue to grow.
4. Artificial intelligence will become integrated into digital documents' creation and handling.
With the growing adoption of digital business engagement, e-commerce and remote workstyles, the world will become even more paperless. Digital documents and forms will become a common operating procedure for virtually all business and government agencies. This shift will drive further innovations in digital document technologies such as PDF. The use of artificial technology to improve document management will start to become mainstream. Examples of the use of AI in documents include:
• Identifying incoming documents, extracting information and feeding them into internal systems. For example, when an invoice comes in, it will be converted to digital (if not already) and automatically identified as an invoice, and pertinent information (like payee, amount, due date, etc.) will be extracted. The invoice will then be electronically sent to the accounts payable system for approval and payment. This will occur without human interaction.
• Auto-creating repetitive documents through dynamic template creation. For example, AI technology will automatically find the most relevant contracts and use that intelligence to create new ones.
We can expect organizations to increasingly assess and invest in AI use cases as employee self-service, customer service and support, and document extraction.
5. Privacy issues will be center stage.
As the world becomes more digital, more employee and customer information will be collected, stored and more easily accessed. Therefore, it is imperative that IT organizations define and implement privacy policies that protect their employees and customers. In the coming years, expect more government privacy regulations to come on stream. The EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act represent the new wave of laws we can expect to see. Businesses need to start planning today.
We are all looking forward to the prospects of a better year in 2021 as the new vaccines we've been reading about finally begin to provide a global remedy to the pandemic. Covid-19 has been one of the most profound economic and social disruptions in most of our lifetimes. As such, we can anticipate it will lead to major, long-term shifts in the way we work and live. In 2021, we should also be taking positive steps to address the new realities of 2021 and beyond.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
2df3d1c30a5d1c6a794accf3bfa5c49f | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/26/12-ways-technology-can-yield-better-educational-outcomes/?sh=211b62c8157a | 12 Ways Technology Can Yield Better Educational Outcomes | 12 Ways Technology Can Yield Better Educational Outcomes
getty
Many schools were caught off guard in the early days of pandemic closures and had to scramble to set up systems that allowed teachers and students to collaborate on lessons from home. The plunge into remote learning has created an urgency for tech-based educational solutions that can improve and enhance the remote learning experience.
From fostering social connections to increasing engagement, ensuring equal access to resources and more, technology can help teachers and students achieve better results when they can’t be in the classroom. Below, 16 experts from Forbes Technology Council share ways educators can leverage tech to improve educational outcomes in a remote setting.
1. Improving Student Engagement
Given the trials and tribulations associated with remote learning, student engagement must be placed at the top of the learning priority list. Using ed-tech solutions that embrace a gamified approach to learning can create an exciting experience for students. Finding creative ways of integrating that technology into your curriculum can also enhance the student learning experience. - Junior Bernadin, The Ron Clark Academy
2. Fostering A Feeling Of Connection
With so many students in a distance-learning environment, a feeling of connection is incredibly important. One unique way to use technology in education is via e-sports. These programs have been found to increase engagement and promote activity and interaction among diverse students. They can also advance science, technology engineering and math learning and provide a new avenue for scholarships. - Matthew Zielinski, Lenovo
3. Determining Behavior Patterns
Schools can use artificial intelligence and machine learning to determine the behavior patterns of students. Platforms such as MOOC can be used to learn patterns and personalize content for each student, which can help them better understand subjects, or provide instructors with guidance material to better address the class. If this can be done while class is in progress, that would be even more effective. - Murthy Malapaka, SLK software, The Automation company
MORE FOR YOUWhat’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?NVIDIA’s Auto Business Takes A Front Seat At NVIDIA GTC 2021How Initialized Investor Garry Tan Turned A $300,000 Bet On Coinbase Into A $680 Million ‘Golden Ticket’
4. Ensuring Equal Access
Technology can help correct the current imbalances that exist in our educational system. It can ensure that every student can get access to the same quality education through the use of such tools as virtual reality, augmented reality and a host of others. - Selva Pandian, DemandBlue
5. Creating Real-World Simulations
Today, online learning and training are more advanced, adaptive and prevalent. There is a huge opportunity to leverage technology to create real-world simulations that closely resemble specific layouts, applications and scenarios through advanced graphics, virtual reality and cognitive intelligence. - Lydia Miller, TATA Consultancy Services
6. Offering Mental Health Support
Covid-19 has greatly impacted students’ mental health. While many schools offer counseling, it has been largely interrupted by the pandemic. As schools turn to tech-based educational solutions for remote learning, they should look to mental health support systems with the same urgency, as they are on the rise and are well-positioned to help students cope with these uncertain times. - Ken Cahill, SilverCloud Health
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
7. Enabling Students To Self-Assess
During this era of remote learning, tech can empower students to gain insights into their own learning. The best education solutions not only give students information but also teach them how to apply that information—how to learn in general. Tech can be used to improve outcomes by enhancing peer reviews, enabling personalized learning and self-assessment, connecting students with instructors and classmates, and much more. - Richard Wang, Coding Dojo
8. Boosting Interactive Learning
Augmented reality can make remote learning interactive and can significantly improve student engagement and outcomes. We are seeing early success stories on how effectively complex concepts of chemistry or biology can be taught in a simulated and immersive manner. Imagine remote learning where instead of a video call you have an AR hologram of the teacher followed by a virtual field trip. - Meeta Dash, Verta.ai
9. Accommodating Different Learning Styles
The greatest potential tech can provide to education is diverse tooling designed to engage different learning styles. Simple tools such as subtitles on live video can be game-changers for some learners. This isn’t possible in a classroom. The key to using tech for improvement is to focus on what can be done rather than replicating what has been done. - Joe Onisick, transformationCONTINUUM
10. Enabling Micro-Skill Delivery
Technology provides a platform for micro-skill delivery. Instead of having to sit through an entire training, it is possible to focus on a single skill or function that needs to be learned. However, learning like this has to be balanced with context—students need to know why they are learning this skill. Otherwise, you have people who know how to do tasks but have no flexibility to deal with unique or unfamiliar situations. - Thomas Polk, Midwest Eye Consultants, P.C.
11. Expanding Educational Resources Beyond Textbooks
With remote learning becoming the norm, educational possibilities have opened like never before. The abilities of artificial intelligence, machine learning, visual effects and more make education more informative and interesting. Students can grasp concepts, do research, conduct experiments and learn things in ways that go beyond the constraints of a book or limited information guide. - Trishneet Arora, TAC Security
12. Reducing Language And Geographic Barriers
In the era of continued remote learning, technology will lead to an open-source educational landscape that enables lifelong learning. Technologies such as AI and VR/AR expand the reach of education by reducing language and geographical barriers. This provides greater access to educational resources—including the best teachers in the world—and unlocks significant knowledge and potential for students. - Jeff Wong, EY
|
130f5f1e6d1b98872c87efb2f65f47ab | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/27/11-apps-and-other-tools-to-help-leaders-reach-their-new-years-resolutions/ | 11 Apps And Other Tools To Help Leaders Reach Their New Year’s Resolutions | 11 Apps And Other Tools To Help Leaders Reach Their New Year’s Resolutions
Committing to resolutions can bring significant change in your life. Sadly, most people renege on their resolutions within the first month of a new year. Many times, it's not because of a lack of willpower, but simply because they lack something to remind them of what they should (or shouldn't) be doing.
Luckily, technology can come to your aid with a host of apps, tools and devices that can help even the busiest of entrepreneurs stay the course in their new year's resolutions. Here, 11 members of Forbes Technology Council share the tech they find most useful in holding onto their personal and professional resolutions throughout the year.
Forbes Technology Council members share their expert insights. Photos courtesy of the individual members
1. Evernote
I learn every day. I have been using Evernote for many years to clip important readings, content, notes, articles, images with appropriate "data tagging." I found it immensely helpful. You can actually build a great knowledge graph-type concept and all various topics together. I would advise using good note-taking software with a data tagging feature. That would make learning a great experience. - Soumen Chatterjee, Wipro
2. StickK
My favorite tool for keeping new year's resolutions — whether personal or professional — is StickK. This simple but clever app uses social engineering to get you to keep promises to yourself. Met your commitment? Great! Missed it? You'll get slapped with a financial penalty for any dollar amount you choose. The money goes to a charity, an "anti-charity," or an individual you select. - Dave Todaro, Ascendle
3. Any.do
After going through a myriad of different task management tools, that never stuck, I have finally reached the promised land with Any.do. No fancy technology there — just very good user experience and product management. It’s excellent for keeping your resolutions top of mind. - Tom Ahi Dror, Swimm
MORE FOR YOUWhat’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?NVIDIA Announces Technology For Training Giant Artificial Intelligence ModelsWhy You Should Stop Using Your Facebook Messenger App
4. Peloton Bike
Honestly, this last year has taught all of us just how quickly circumstances can change. Above all, it has taught us that as humans, we can adapt to change of all kinds when we have no other choice. If I had to choose a piece of tech, it would be the Peloton Bike. In a year when gyms are closed and nobody’s going out, the Peloton Bike can help professionals with their fitness goals. - Irsa Faruqui, RetroCube - Software and Mobile Application Development Company
5. GoalsOnTrack
To keep any goals working, it is about habits that you create on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis that help you progress. I use an app called GoalsOnTrack, which helps me list goals by category, monitor activities, and also track habits that lead to the goals. At the end of the day, what matters is the actions we did to move the goals, as the outcomes may sometimes not be what we wanted. - Buyan Thyagarajan, Eigen X
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
6. Business Intelligence Tools
Professionals often pledge to optimize efficiency through analyzing ROI. To facilitate this, one should consider utilizing business intelligence (BI) tools, such as Google’s Data Studio and Microsoft’s Power BI. BI software allows one to track analytics in a centralized, easy-to-use manner, allowing companies to leverage that data to make sound decisions. - Ashwini Choudhary, Recogni
7. Habitica, MyFitnessPal
There are a variety of mobile apps that can help you keep your new year’s resolutions. But which one you should use depends on your objective. Want to build new habits? Try Habitica, an app that gamifies the process. Want to lose weight? Download MyFitnessPal, a great calorie-counting app. Try using keywords to find the right tools in your app store. These days, there’s an app for everything! - Marc Fischer, Dogtown Media LLC
8. The Every Day Calendar
The Every Day Calendar that Simone Giertz created inspires me whenever I think about it. Wall art with a purpose, it lets each day glow like a gold star if you complete your goal on that day. The analog, public aspects of it make it enticing for the accountability it can provide. Now to just acquire one, a challenge in its own right. - Luke Wallace, Bottle Rocket
9. Electronic Calendar
Sometimes the best tech is still the simplest — use your electronic calendar. Block off times for exercise or other health-related activities so it will not complete with professional activities. If you have resolutions related to professional goals, make sure you have allocated time to work on those issues so they don't become afterthoughts to the day-to-day business. Live by your calendar! - Mike Frey, Yellow Basket, LLC
10. Visualization
The first step is to make sure your resolutions are realistic and specific (SMART goals). Visualization is a great tool in accomplishing your goals; for example: have your goals as a wallpaper on your device or have a printed version on your desk. Your goals should be front and center in your daily planning. Look for apps that will keep you accountable and driven on a daily basis. - Beena Jacob, Donoma Software
11. Daily Refinement Method
I’m a big fan of the daily refinement method. Each day, I review my list of long-term goals and then I ask myself what I will do that day, what small incremental effort I will make, that will get me a little closer to a goal or improve what I am already doing. Each day, I make note of what I did to get a little closer to the end goal. - Ahmer Inam, Pactera EDGE
|
2a6bb207200f881e133f5797faba5094 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/27/2021-workforce-management-trends-every-training-leader-needs-to-know/?sh=4740ab1d1284 | 2021 Workforce Management Trends Every Training Leader Needs To Know | 2021 Workforce Management Trends Every Training Leader Needs To Know
CEO of Rallyware.
getty
The business landscape is changing at the speed of light, and the companies of today are hardly the same as 10 years ago. Digital transformation, the Covid-19 pandemic, cultural shifts and generational differences have all contributed to this change. Today's HR leaders should be quick on the uptake in navigating the upcoming workforce management trends to ensure the organizations' success and their competitive advantage. Here are the global trends we should be expecting in 2021 based on existing workforce management statistics.
Adapting To The Distributed Workforce Model
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, we saw that a major uptrend in remote work in the U.S. Statistics from FlexJobs showed an increase in people working remotely — by 44% in the five years preceding the pandemic and by 91% in the previous 10 years. And worldwide, 70% of the workforce worked remotely at least once a week, according to CNBC. These data pose an important question for companies: Are they ready for the future of work?
Managing a distributed workforce has its unique challenges, as workers struggle with loneliness (20%), collaboration and communication (20%) and difficulty unplugging (18%). That's why the implementation of proper workforce management tools will decide the company's future — with the right digital tools, organizations will thrive in the new normal of 2021. Otherwise, they are very likely to see slow growth in the years to come.
Rise Of Global Talent Mobility
The global mobile workforce is expected to reach 1.88 million in the year 2023. What this means for large enterprises is that we'll be seeing less focus on well-known hubs like New York, London or San Francisco. In fact, in the last 60 years, this shift has already been taking place, with cities like Kyiv, Mumbai and Hong Kong overpowering traditional business hubs by population size.
MORE FOR YOUWhat’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?Why You Should Stop Using Your Facebook Messenger AppWhat Yuri Gagarin Saw From Orbit Changed Him Forever
Increased talent mobility makes it easier for the workforce to find employment anywhere in the world. Moreover, with millennials, who are expected to make up 75% of the workforce by 2025 and 71% of whom expect to have at least one international assignment in their career, the demand for going global is high.
Democratization Of Compensation
During the pandemic, many workers moved to suburban areas in order to reduce living costs and companies like Facebook decided to introduce pay cuts, which 33% out of 7,109 employees found unfair. In 2021, pay transparency based on the employees' specialized skills will become more important, regardless of whether talent comes from high-cost or low-cost areas.
Remote work, in particular, makes the market rate compensation philosophy irrelevant, as employees can perform their duties from anywhere in the world with geography playing no role in the quality of their work. As a result, location-based pay will become secondary moving forward, while skills and experience will serve as the most important determinants of employee compensation rates.
Heated Fight For Global Talent
Economies and markets will be seeing an increase in the fight for high-skilled talent globally. Today's HR leaders should expect shortages of labor in mature markets while emerging markets are likely to demonstrate surplus. Labor supply in countries like the U.S. or Germany will improve slowly as their populations are considerably older than the world's average. But, for instance, China will observe a 5% increase in college-educated talent thanks to the younger population and heavy investment in education. As a result, HR leaders will need to develop strategies and incentives for recruiting the best-fit talent globally rather than locally.
How Business Leaders Can Prepare For The Changing Economic Landscape In 2021 And Beyond
Due to the ongoing digital transformation and a switch to a distributed workforce model, we will be seeing a further increase in remote work, talent mobility, productivity-based employee compensation and the fight for global talent moving forward. Existing workforce statistics demonstrate the acute need for data-driven approaches to workforce management. Moreover, considering that over 30% of today's workforce are millennials who grew up surfing the internet, organizations need to advance their technology use to keep up with the market changes and maintain a competitive advantage. Here are the two main areas of improvement that companies can address to prepare for the upcoming workforce management trends:
1. Personalization Of Daily Employee Experience
Employees working at an organization each have their own needs and goals for personal and professional development. That's why a personalized approach to employee experience is becoming more and more important for building a healthy company culture and achieving growth. Introducing experience tailored to each individual employee by leveraging people analytics can help address two big problems in workforce management: talent retention (think about 36.4% turnover rate in the U.S. in 2019) and employee engagement (as 85% of employees are not engaged at the workplace).
2. Upskilling And Reskilling Existing Talent On Demand
The increase in population mobility and global shortage of high-skilled talent can make it harder for organizations to identify and recruit candidates whose background, experience and personal skills are most suitable to fill the much-needed positions. Moreover, considering the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, a business might not have the resources necessary to go through a lengthy and costly hiring process. This is where upskilling and reskilling the existing talent base through personalized training can deliver a major advantage by engaging employees and saving costs that can instead be directed to the development of other forward-thinking strategies for organizational growth.
With ongoing digital transformation and remote work wide acceptance, we will be seeing a further increase in talent mobility, productivity-based employee compensation and the fight for global talent in 2021 and beyond. This is why people analytics and data-driven workforce management tools will play an important role in building an agile workforce resilient to market changes and for organizations to ensure success and maintain a competitive advantage in the years to come.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
ed2ef0edb5c9990b22057b546c2dfbc9 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/27/ai-ethics-really-come-down-to-security/?sh=482d75701676 | AI Ethics Really Come Down To Security | AI Ethics Really Come Down To Security
CTO and Executive Vice President at NXP Semiconductors, a leader in Automotive, IoT, Industry 4.0, Mobile and Connectivity technologies.
getty
It's expected that there will be 75 billion smart connected devices in our homes and offices by 2025, and many of them will have added capacity to sense, process and make decisions without first checking with the cloud — or with us. If we're going to rely on them to take more active and responsible roles in our lives, we must be able to trust that they're not only ethical but that the AI and the machine learning that underpins them operate safely and securely.
Already, the U.S., EU and other countries have started working on laws and regulations focused on the impact of AI on end users. A number of tech companies and other organizations (including the Vatican) are also collaborating to develop ethical codes of conduct for AI built upon the key principles, which include privacy, transparency and fairness.
However, the process required to make ethical AI safe and secure requires more than the coding of virtuous machines. As is the case in multiple industries, AI applications and devices need vigorous structure and support to be certain that the safest and most ethical decisions are being made, but they also require physical fail-safe measures in case things go wrong.
With the Internet of Things (IoT) growing into a robust ecosystem in which AI is quickly becoming an important component of edge computing, this is a pressing issue. According to an estimate by Deloitte, more than 750 million AI chips were sold in 2020. Deloitte also predicts that by 2024, sales will increase to well over 1.5 billion chips. AI chips' processing power is significantly increasing and becoming a key part of smartphones, thermostats, security cameras, doorbells and speakers, which provides the opportunity for edge devices to grow smarter over time through machine learning and a reduced dependency on the internet to provide AI/ML functionality.
MORE FOR YOUGoogle Earth's New Timelapse Feature Lets You See How Our Planet Has Changed In Four Decades‘Call Of Duty: Warzone’: What Time Is The Destruction Of Verdansk Part 2, And Season 3?Apple Suddenly Confirms ‘Stunning’ New iPhone Release
Innovating trustworthy AI/ML depends on the design, development and distribution of AI systems that learn from and work collaboratively with humans in a comprehensive and meaningful fashion. It's critical for security and privacy to be considered at the start of any new technology's architecture. They cannot be properly included as an afterthought; the absolute highest required level of security and protection of data must be incorporated in both hardware and software, which will ensure that it is already configured into all steps of the development and supply chain — beginning with design all the way through to the technology's business and utilization model.
The Charter of Trust initiative for IoT cybersecurity (of which we're a partner) has also provided excellent guidelines for a risk-based methodology and verification that should be incorporated as core requirements throughout that supply chain.
After we identify the core principles that will govern AI development, we must then determine how to ensure these ethical AI systems are not compromised. Machine learning can monitor data and pinpoint anomalies, but it unfortunately also can be used by hackers to increase the impact of their actual cyberattacks. Therefore, the integrity and security of AI systems are equally important to the ethical programming of the actual AI.
It is critical that AI systems are capable of processing data inputs while also respecting users' privacy. This requires encryption of all communications, ensuring the privacy and authenticity of the data. I've found that edge AI systems are beginning to incorporate some of the most sophisticated cryptography solutions available in the marketplace today.
An emphasis must be put on ways to leverage hardware security as a means of preventing and defending against Al attacks that are able to retrieve sensitive information from secure systems. This will improve the system security and privacy of data overall. Devices with sophisticated security must include countermeasures to ward off anticipated logical and physical attacks.
A big challenge today is that the AI ecosystem is a patchwork of contributions from ranging creators, yet consistency and complete integration are core requirements of ethical AI. Currently, the level of accountability and the amount of trust among contributors are not equal or consistent. If there's even a tiny vulnerability in the "security and privacy by design" principle, the complete ecosystem could crumble if uncovered by attackers. Therefore, every participant in the development and execution of AI must work toward security that is interoperable and assessable.
It's going to take time for AI actors to agree to a universal code of ethics and even longer for end users to believe that devices will only do what's best for humanity.
We have a lot of work to do to prepare. Safety and security provisions across all edge computing must first be standardized. As we join forces to develop secure and trustworthy AI systems for the future, certification of the connectivity, silicon and interactions must be the priority for both chipmakers and their customers.
As you see, when it comes down to it, AI ethics are really about security.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
3c16e3b434bc67749bfa497a96a7e3ed | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/27/how-telemedicine-can-help-doctors-serve-patients-in-a-post-pandemic-world/?sh=768fdfde2e6b | How Telemedicine Can Help Doctors Serve Patients In A Post-Pandemic World | How Telemedicine Can Help Doctors Serve Patients In A Post-Pandemic World
CEO of PatientClick, Inc. — a healthcare IT and technology firm based in San Diego, CA.
getty
Once considered to be merely a novel way to connect doctors with patients, telemedicine now is recognized as an essential tool in the fight to overcome Covid-19.
Since the start of this pandemic, there has been a nationwide push for treating non-emergency physical and mental illnesses with virtual office visits. The effort has the support of the federal government, healthcare insurance payers and professional healthcare associations.
The ability to hold videoconferences over smartphones, tablets and personal computers enables patients to receive care from their own homes and avoid traveling to settings where Covid-19 may be spread.
Telemedicine is playing a vital role as we continue to find our way through this pandemic, and patients are getting along with telepsychiatry solutions without compromising on quality.
An Essential Tool
As a result of Covid-19, the rise in anxiety over the pandemic is well documented. More than 90% of people who responded to a recent nationwide survey conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine reported increased worry, frustration, boredom or anxiety due to the outbreak.
MORE FOR YOUHere’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedCDC Committee Declines To Vote On Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Safety, Pause Will Extend 7 To 10 DaysWestworld-AI Scenario To Be Banned In Europe: leaked AI Regulations Reveal Course-Correction Away From Dystopian AI Future
Falling Barriers
Recent policy changes have removed barriers to telemedicine and telepsychiatry. Professional medical groups now endorse virtual care and provide guidance for practitioners. Before the pandemic, medicare coverage of telemedicine was used mainly to help patients who lived in rural areas, with limited access to specialists. That changed with the passage of the CARES Act in March 2020. The law promotes access to care regardless of location. As a result, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) now is encouraging patients to remain at home and socially distance to avoid the spread of Covid-19.
Gaining Greater Insight
The level of comfort patients feel when they just need to speak with the doctor from any corner of their home and do not need to go outside or wait in the queue for the consult is elite. While talking about mental health or psychiatric help, patients sometimes do not feel as open as they might feel at their own homes. Telemedicine can accommodate these issues while still providing a way for patients and their doctors to meet.
Some virtual patients connect with their doctors from telemedicine communication stations, which can be installed at nursing homes to serve large populations. These stations may be equipped with all the technology needed to check patient blood pressure, temperatures, weight, and oxygen levels.
Some ambulance crews now carry computer tablets that enable them to consult with doctors while en route to hospitals, speeding the delivery of emergency care.
Expanded Access
While telemedicine is advancing quickly, work remains to be done to bring it into broader use.
To make telemedicine available and accessible nationwide, there needs to be additional training to maintain hassle-free use of virtual care for both doctors and patients. There also needs to be more security levels to ensure patient privacy.
Although many health organizations are struggling financially through the Covid-19 pandemic, they are likely going to have to invest in telemedicine, according to data from Forrester. The research firm predicted back in April that virtual care visits would rise to more than 1 billion during 2020, including 900 million visits related to Covid-19.
Health insurance companies and hospitals have been urging patients with mild symptoms to take advantage of telemedicine services. The telemedicine market is forecast to increase from $46 billion in 2019 to $175 billion by 2026. Forty-eight percent of U.S. physicians now are using telemedicine, up from 18% two years ago.
In the year 2121 and beyond we will see more applications and more widespread use of telemedicine. Patients and providers will start realizing the true benefit of technology. The post-pandemic world will be better connected and ready for any future challenges we might face.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
89c64e4bf33a0efb5c71a90e44357189 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/27/how-to-address-evolving-data-privacy-regulations-with-data-governance/?sh=5f15b61ac070 | How To Address Evolving Data Privacy Regulations With Data Governance | How To Address Evolving Data Privacy Regulations With Data Governance
Stijn "Stan" Christiaens is the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Collibra.
getty
Across the globe, data privacy and protection regulations continue to gain traction with no signs of slowing down. The pressure to regulate how consumer data is used will only increase, creating an urgent need for organizations to better manage and protect data assets.
Pivotal to ensuring your organization is up for the challenge — and the dynamic landscape — is to automate data privacy with data governance. Building a forward-looking data governance strategy provides the foundation to proactively address emerging privacy regulatory standards.
Adjust with the shifting regulatory landscape.
Over the next five to 10 years, we can predict that most of the world will invoke some type of data privacy and protection regulations. Europe's May 2018 launch of GDPR created a global ripple effect. India, Brazil and China have since released data protection laws or proposals. This November, California voters approved Proposition 24, which opens the door for a stricter California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). Elsewhere in the U.S., Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana and Virginia all have data protection regulations on the books.
In the U.S., President-elect Joe Biden could move forward on federal privacy legislation. However, if the U.S.'s response to the pandemic is any indication, there may be resistance from states to universally applied regulations. An all-encompassing, federally mandated law is not likely to happen anytime soon.
MORE FOR YOUNVIDIA’s Auto Business Takes A Front Seat At NVIDIA GTC 2021What’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?Why I’m Not Surprised That IBM And Intel Are Collaborating On Chip Tech
That's not necessarily good news, as a fragmented approach allows for the possibility of multiple versions of privacy regulations. If there are 50 different versions, then your data experts risk 50 times the work, which could reduce productivity and increase costs for your organization.
Plan for the reality that data privacy regulations will become more widespread and more stringent. Understand that there will be an expectation that your company is aware of and abiding by these regulations. And expect that fines for not abiding by regulations will get more costly and be more heavily applied.
To ensure compliance with the anticipated volume of data privacy regulations, make preparations to know your data inside and out. Know where your data is located, why you have it, how it is being used and how trustworthy it is. In other words, you need data governance.
Without data governance, you won't know if your data is compliant with privacy regulations.
Manage data as an asset.
For effective data governance, shift your company-wide mindset about how data is perceived. Many companies still look at data as an exhaust, rather than as an asset.
To their detriment, these businesses aren't keeping inventory of the types of data they have, where it sits, who's responsible for it, how it's being used and by whom and how it is flowing through their systems and the organization.
Managing data as an asset is a key aspect of a data governance initiative. Data is perceived as essential to the company's overall success.
While there's no single strategy for data governance, there are tactics that we see the most successful programs embrace. Begin with leveraging an enabling technology that provides a system of record of your data assets and gives you 360-degree visibility into your data ecosystem.
Implement an organizing structure.
Identifying and embracing an operating model will provide an organizing structure that defines roles and responsibilities, such as who owns the data.
A map of your data ecosystem is also fundamental. Companies have thousands, if not millions, of data elements across hundreds of systems. So as not to get lost in the data forest, focus on your company's critical data, the data that is the most valuable to your business and also most at risk. It might be your customer data, product data or even employee data. Assign responsibility and ownership around that data first.
Create a data map that reflects the actual way your company works. Establish cross-functional teams composed of representatives from across your company — business, legal, IT, marketing, sales and HR — to help construct the map. Update the map continuously and regularly so you always have an accurate picture of your data ecosystem.
Define processes.
Put in place processes that detail the methodology to implement specific elements of your data governance program. A privacy impact assessment (PIA), for example, will describe how changes to your business increase or reduce your risk related to privacy.
Data access regulations determine the process of granting access to a new employee and who decides whether or not to grant that access. The report certification process determines the process for ensuring that key important metrics can be trusted.
The scope and type of processes will vary from company to company, depending on their size, specific requirements and their data use.
Make the data-people connection.
As with any endeavor, the human element is critical. Ideally, the CEO and top executives will champion the data governance program. Also work to win the hearts and minds of the data citizens, the people who use data to do their job.
Data citizens are the real key to extracting value and insights from data. Organizations that focus on investing in and promoting data literacy across an organization are better equipped to innovate. Data literacy must be a priority for all teams, and leaders must make the case for why it is vital.
Embrace change management.
When you set up a data governance framework, expect parts of your business to change. Run change management as part of the initiative.
Establish working groups or counsels. This will enable executive stakeholders or leadership to come together to make certain decisions around data. If you have a larger-sized company, you could have a counsel for a certain line of business. But you could also have a counsel at the group level.
Build a strong foundation for the future.
Data governance isn't a six-month or three-year project. It's not a program with a fixed end date. The key is that it is about reimagining business as usual in your company — not just to mitigate risk in this dynamic data privacy and protection landscape, but also to understand and use your data in the right way to achieve Data Intelligence.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
738423f4799f79a678bed7ca4157493c | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/28/13-smart-home-tech-features-to-anticipate-in-the-next-decade/?sh=21a9508b3d2f | 13 Smart Home Tech Features To Anticipate In The Next Decade | 13 Smart Home Tech Features To Anticipate In The Next Decade
Smart home tech has made life a lot easier for many homeowners. Voice assistants like Alexa are among the most popular and well-known of the bunch, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg as far as home tech is concerned.
Over the next 10 years, we're likely to see a revolution in how electronic devices interact with each other and impact our lives. New innovations like internet-of-things (IoT) devices that can transform regular homes into smart homes are already becoming more affordable. Below, 13 experts from Forbes Technology Council discuss some of the smart innovations and key features of home tech they expect to see become commonplace within the next decade.
Forbes Technology Council members share their expert insights. Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Seamless Integrations
I expect to see seamless integrations in the next few years. We can already integrate home assistants with the rest of the home ecosystem — streaming services, HVAC, security, alarms, etc. But let’s get real — integration is often clunky, burdensome and it takes multiple hurdles to get it done. Imagine walking into your home and announcing to Alexa, "I have a new device. Connect it with…" - David Moise, Decide Consulting
2. Fully Integrated Security
Fully integrated security systems will become the norm over the next decade, combining physical security for the home and cybersecurity for digital devices. Today, cybersecurity for the home is actually pretty lax, especially in terms of Wi-Fi networks that are vulnerable to hacking. Expect smart home providers to add cybersecurity measures to their suite of services. - John Shin, RSI Security
3. More AI And ML Integration
Artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies will become more commonplace as integrations with smart devices. Think smart reordering of home supplies and consumables or monitoring of behaviors like electricity usage and home comfort systems to optimize cost and environmental experience. Currently we can tell devices like Alexa to do these things, but in the coming years, it will be done for us. - Mike Frey, Yellow Basket, LLC
MORE FOR YOUHere’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedCDC Committee Declines To Vote On Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Safety, Pause Will Extend 7 To 10 DaysWestworld-AI Scenario To Be Banned In Europe: leaked AI Regulations Reveal Course-Correction Away From Dystopian AI Future
4. Extended Role Of Voice Assistants
While voice assistants would be more advanced to be able to do more than schedule calendar appointments, they would extend to doing more such as turning on appliances, and actually be able to do other things such as park your car, answer the door and many more connectivity activities that technology would be able to support. - Lydia Miller, TATA consultancy Services
5. Voice Biometrics
Smart assistants will be reliable and with a fair degree of precision be able to tell who is issuing the commands, so that they can perform complex tasks — such as checking emails, making financial transactions, etc. Voice biometrics is already a thing but will mature over the next few years to become more prolific. - Suresh Sambandam, Kissflow
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
6. Interactive Robot Assistants
Devices like iRobot are pretty common today and robotics and AI technologies, fast evolving. In a few years, interactive robot assistants will become an integral part of our day-to-day life. They can help perform common household chores, manage connected devices, ensure home security and make our lives more efficient. Not to mention, for people with special needs they can play a much bigger role. - Meeta Dash, Verta.ai
7. Intelligent AI Operating System
While Alexa is the voice interface for the home, we need an intelligent AI operating system to handle "everything" at home (similar to "Her"). This OS would have basic technical features (work from home, energy, cleaning, safety, physical and cybersecurity, sanitation, AV, gaming, payments) at home, office and community levels, as well as ) integration with smart city (all government services), and personal function (social media, e-commerce). - Satyam Bheemarasetti, NeoSilica Technologies Private Limited
8. Virtual Interactive Displays
Voice assistants are nice but I'm looking forward to virtual and interactive displays in the home that complement the voice experience. Not a wearable, but ideally something that's projected. - Elias Guerra, Popwallet
9. House Health Monitoring
The hottest thing in the next five to 10 years will be an assistant robot that tells the vitals of your house as well as scope out oddities. This will be an evolution of the drone monitoring system. People will have home health dashboards that are especially synchronized with the health of their mortgage payments. - WaiJe Coler, InfoTracer
10. Smart Locks
Smart locks, for sure, will be an omnipresent feature. Current technology is quite clunky, and technology is coming up with new and more secure ways of adding greater security. - Irsa Faruqui, RetroCube - Software and Mobile Application Development Company
11. Smart Toilets
I predict that smart toilets will become a tech feature in homes over the next 5 to 10 years. COVID has proven that a smart toilet can help monitor for viruses, diseases and vitamin deficiencies. It will be an early indicator for many health issues. - Brian Keith, Microsoft
12. Smart Solar Panels
I expect to see smart solar panels mounted on roofs. This is in line with the urgency around climate action and sustainability. With this, every house could also resell power back to the electricity grid and contribute toward a circular economy. As smart solutions are all potential attack surfaces for cyber criminals, digital risk could increase in tandem, and we see cybersecurity also taking increased priority. - Kumar Ritesh, CYFIRMA
13. Always-On TV Screens
TVs will eventually be left on all the time and connected to the rest of your ecosystem so that they can show alerts or aid in tasks more easily. They'll passively show art or photos from friends and family, a constant news feed of your own social circle, and your voice will be the remote for most activities. - Luke Wallace, Bottle Rocket
|
686e242173a149c19606ac0e085972d4 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/28/nine-practical-ways-to-ensure-staff-members-keep-up-with-software-updates/ | Nine Practical Ways To Ensure Staff Members Keep Up With Software Updates | Nine Practical Ways To Ensure Staff Members Keep Up With Software Updates
Tech leaders know it can be difficult to get everyone in the company to keep their software updated. As remote work arrangements have expanded, it’s become even more of a challenge since there’s no direct oversight.
However, peak performance and security depend upon the improvements that come with software updates, so tech leaders need to find ways to ensure compliance. Below, nine members of Forbes Technology Council share practical tips for ensuring everyone on your staff is working with fully updated technology.
Members of Forbes Technology Council share tips to help tech leaders ensure everyone on the staff keeps their software updated. Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Start with user awareness training.
From experience, I can comfortably say that it all starts with user awareness training—always educate teams on the relevancy of security patching. Once that’s out of the way you can take proactive steps to secure users, including automation of the patching/updates process, sending regular reminders, revoking access until patches are installed and holding employees accountable for security issues. - Nazih Chamtie, KMicro Tech, Inc.
2. Consider unified endpoint management.
Everyone in any size company has a responsibility to ensure their devices are up to date—even when IT has automated everything. If you have a company with under 20 people, you should show everyone how to turn on automatic updates on every device. If you have over 20 employees, you should bring in a unified endpoint management platform to centralize your software updates. - Russell P Reeder, Infrascale
3. Have a proactive security strategy.
As security threats continue to rise, organizations need the right solutions in place to address them. The risks of unpatched vulnerabilities are great, so firms should create a proactive security strategy with solutions that auto-update or make system owners responsible for updates. Otherwise, they should work with a managed service provider to secure their environments. - Shiv Sundar, Esper
MORE FOR YOUWhat’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?Here’s What Percent Of ‘Destiny 2’ Players Are Hunters, Titans Or WarlocksGoogle Earth's New Timelapse Feature Lets You See How Our Planet Has Changed In Four Decades
4. Ensure everyone signs off on their adherence to security policies.
Working remotely is no different than offshoring work to different countries. Every company needs to have standard operating security procedures, and they should be part of a quarterly training program for all employees on how to avoid breaches. Ensuring that every member of the company—whether they are working remotely or on site—signs off on their adherence to the security policy is a must. - Bhavna Juneja, Infinity, a Stamford Technology Company
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
5. Combine automatic updates with zero trust.
Keeping software patched has always been a challenge for businesses. If you combine auto-update settings with zero trust networking access, you have this problem solved. With ZTNA, the focus is on the user, the device and the resources they access. If the user is authenticated on a known and patched device, you can see if they should have access to the resource they are trying to reach. - Daniel Schiappa, Sophos
6. Set up monitoring and remote mediation solutions.
With the fracturing of the physical workplace, you must not only know what you have and what you use on a per-user basis but also take an honest look at your security exposure. With the proper monitoring and remote mediation solutions in place, modern organizations can get off the treadmill of “Patch Tuesday” on a per-user basis and begin to get scale, and the cloud, to work for them. - J. Tyler Rohrer, Liquidware
7. Invest in enterprise plans.
I know that this is a big problem for companies that don’t provide tools for their team members. We’ve found that by investing in enterprise plans for our favorite resources and giving licenses to our employees, the security features are always up to date. This tip also helped us improve communication across the board because everyone is familiar with the same software. - Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster
8. Leverage software games.
I highly recommend using gamification to help ensure users upgrade their applications. Leveraging software games that show levels of users with different upgrade conditions and motivating users with points and social stigma can go a long way toward getting them to upgrade their apps. A dashboard with top users and coaches for those users with low upgrade scores can also help get upgrades done easily. - Buyan Thyagarajan, Eigen X
9. Consider the BYOD model.
While the bring-your-own-device model means relying on users to maintain their own kit, it can be supervised by any number of dedicated applications. However, this also means users will need to install company controls on their own equipment. - Saryu Nayyar, Gurucul
|
0e46768967ca95d346c50f19a722f86c | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/28/tech-startup-valuations-and-geography/ | Tech Startup Valuations And Geography | Tech Startup Valuations And Geography
CEO at Advanced Intelligent Systems, a practical autonomous robotics company with software and hardware modules.
Breakthroughs in communication make the world seem smaller. Each advance in the production and distribution of energy inspires new media and greater technological innovation, bringing people together and leading toward Marshal McLuhan’s Global Village.
The internet offers almost universal access to humanity’s assortment of knowledge. Virtual reality immerses users in lifelike simulations that blur the line between fact and fantasy. For aspiring entrepreneurs, such existential ambiguity demands answers to a new kind of question — will their young enterprise require a physical presence, or can it thrive within an exclusively online environment?
An important decision for tech startups is where to locate the business. Virtual workspaces are becoming more common as professionals embrace work-from-home (WFH) opportunities, and although most venture capital firms remain cautious about investing in remote-only companies, some are warming to the idea.
The What, The Where And The How Much
Not all tech startups can forgo a physical presence. Many innovators need laboratories and production facilities and even old-fashioned storefronts. Beyond finding the right balance of real and virtual facilities, there is still the matter of choosing a suitable jurisdiction for incorporating or otherwise establishing a legal entity to represent the startup.
MORE FOR YOUWhy You Should Stop Using Your Facebook Messenger AppWhy You Should Never Use Google Chrome On Your iPhone, iPad Or MacThe Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine Is Less Effective Against The South African And UK Variants Than Against The Original Virus, According To A New “Real-World” Study From Israel
An entrepreneurial track record might be crucial for opening doors to financing, but it seems apparent that location is still of equal importance to both business owners and investors. Being located in or near a major tech hub is no longer imperative for launching a successful startup.
Compared with many other regions around the world, tech startup valuations in the United States and Canada appear to be relatively healthy. Innovations aimed toward resolving public health issues are becoming a focus of investment interest, and those investments are driving more entrepreneurial activity.
During the pandemic, venture capitalists and investment angels began to schedule more virtual pitches. Time will tell how many continue to accept a substitute for face-to-face startup assessment that limits their analytical reach into body language and business plans. In the meantime, bankruptcies are surging, although tech companies seem to be breathing easier than most during the economic downturn.
Is the United States still the most desirable location for networks of people, offices and servers? In recent decades, many other regions have started attracting larger slices of the tech entrepreneur pie, although the USA still has a significant advantage in absolute numbers. Perhaps tellingly, many companies now seek a presence, at least in terms of servers for virtual offices, within multiple countries around the world. Business owners increasingly choose one area of operation over another because of an overriding consideration: access to financing.
Throughout most of 2020, the border between Canada and the USA remained closed to all but essential traffic, most of it commercial. Comparisons of startup environments among the two countries remained similar to recent years, with the United States ranking first in the world and Canada coming in at number three.
The tech sector in North America seems to become more important every year for the overall economy. In Canada, tech companies are leading the way toward post-Covid-19 recovery, while in America tech stocks recently surpassed the value of the entire European stock market.
Even though the absolute values of the American and Canadian tech sectors vary by a wide margin, there are signs that Canada is gaining on its southern neighbor. Industry professionals are immigrating to Canada at an increased rate, and some companies are pulling up roots from Silicon Valley to relocate in the Great White North.
Don’t Forget About The Who
Increasingly, infrastructure, operations and even financing are within reach of virtual offices and remote entrepreneurs. Whether a business is located across the street or across the internet, consumers and investors alike want to know that there are talented and conscientious people ready to deliver quality goods and services.
The trend is toward remote collaboration. Team members can associate from different time zones without worrying about international borders and work visas. Startup founders can be distributed among various locations and a wider source of potential funding.
Investors must still assess personalities, though. They are counting on people even more than they count on the technology those people are developing. They need to recognize certain personality traits within business owners and gauge whether those traits are likely to be reflected in the attitudes and contributions of others on the team.
Creativity is a must-have for any enterprise, yet it is the most difficult element to quantify. This makes in-person assessments even more important for potential investors. The key to a successful relationship between entrepreneurs and their benefactors is to have trust in each other’s strengths. A company without a creative side might measure itself into a corner, while too much focus on aesthetics can kill a startup’s valuation faster than a spreadsheet formula.
Conclusion
If the proverb is correct about doing what you love, it stands to reason that doing a business right means loving everything about it. The location, the team, the partnerships and the financial backers must share a passion and a drive to achieve the goals that inspire those on the outside to place a high enough value on the startup to encourage its growth into a global leader.
Communicate and collaborate. The world only looks big until you become a unicorn.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
6579ee5929b18f3e65ccc2981a8cc8ed | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/28/what-is-data-intelligence-and-how-can-it-help-your-organization/?sh=6b6167bc4033 | What Is Data Intelligence And How Can It Help Your Organization? | What Is Data Intelligence And How Can It Help Your Organization?
CEO and Co-Founder of Alation, the pioneer of the data catalog market and the leader in enterprise data intelligence solutions.
getty
Business intelligence (BI) is a $23 billion market and a staple of data-driven decision making. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a $21 billion market that is quickly becoming central to an effective data strategy. Yet, both of these markets rely on a category of software that you probably haven’t heard of: data intelligence.
According to market researcher IDC, data intelligence ensures that BI and AI are fueled by “trustworthy and reliable data.” In other words, data intelligence helps solve the garbage-in, garbage-out problem that causes BI and AI initiatives to stall and fail.
Data Intelligence To Fuel BI And AI
Garbage in, garbage out has always been an issue for BI. Now, the changing regulatory environment has made the issue even more pronounced. BI users not only have to worry about data quality and data accuracy, but they have to understand and adhere to policies and guidelines as well. BI’s saving grace is the human element involved. If a dashboard has inaccuracies or draws incorrect conclusions, it falls to a human to intervene — obviously not ideal, but manageable.
Conversely, AI doesn't rely on this human element. If AI is fed incorrect or low-quality data, that human safety net isn't there to rectify the mistakes. And given the scalability AI offers, it's likely this mistake will be replicated continuously, often causing irreparable harm. For all its strengths, AI suffers exponentially from garbage in, garbage out — effectively acting more like garbage in, landfill out.
MORE FOR YOUFacebook Just Gave 2.8 Billion Users A Reason To Quit Their AccountsThe Dell Tech And VMware Spin-Off Benefits EverybodyFully Vaccinated? Get Ready For Your Third Dose
Today, enterprises have turned to a bevy of categories to solve for the garbage in, garbage out problem, including metadata management, data quality, data governance, master data management, data profiling, data curation and data privacy. Tomorrow, they will turn to data intelligence, an amalgamation of these categories that adds a critical component: intelligence.
The Intelligence In Data Intelligence
Amazon transformed the consumer supply chain by deeply understanding the intricacies of its marketplace, consumer trends, buying patterns, what people are searching for, inventory trends from suppliers and more. Similarly, data intelligence enables enterprises to manage their data in a much more efficient, innovative and scalable way by allowing them to understand the intricacies of their data with intelligence. That intelligence is derived from an emerging area of metadata management called active metadata.
According to Guido De Simoni, senior director, analyst research and advisory at Gartner, a global research and advisory firm, “The metadata management market made a dramatic shift beginning in 2020, and its primary focus is now active metadata.”
Active metadata is synonymous with “intelligence” when it comes to managing data. The need for active metadata was born out of the volume of data. There’s just too much data to manually manage the information, as traditional data quality, data governance, and metadata management tools would have practitioners do. Data intelligence incorporates the traditional categories of metadata management, data quality, data governance, master data management, data profiling and data privacy while incorporating intelligence derived from active metadata.
Data Intelligence Is Fundamental To Building Data Culture
A recent global study conducted by Wakefield Research and my company found that many data leaders believe their C-suite has no confidence in the data or completely disregards it. In the same study, 90% of respondents said senior executives sometimes question the data. Astoundingly, 66% of respondents also noted that their C-suite ignores data in favor of gut instinct when making decisions.
What can we make of this contradiction? First, we can surmise that the traditional forms of data management — data quality, metadata management, and data governance — all face massive challenges in achieving success and driving organizational change. Organizations don’t just need to work harder; they need to work smarter. Data intelligence ensures that you can trust that dashboard and that algorithm, and it gives you the tools and insights to build that trust at scale. While it’s tough to break bad habits around using gut instinct, it’s impossible to do so unless you have a clear set of steps, constant reinforcement, and vigilance. Data intelligence enables organizations to build the positive feedback loop that is required to manage and drive organizational change.
How Do You Get Data Intelligence?
As the sources and volumes of data have exploded and enterprises have taken on multiple BI tools, databases, file systems, APIs and streaming sources, data sprawl and complexity have become the norm. Consequently, few, if any, people know about all the data available within an organization. Instead, most enterprises are pockets of siloed knowledge. It’s like having a massive library with no card catalog — all anybody can see and understand is the book right in front of them.
These silos — both data silos and knowledge silos — represent arguably the most significant challenge to implementing data intelligence. For data intelligence to be effective, it must pervade all the data that fuels decision making. If a proverbial bad apple slips through, the negative impact can quickly propagate downstream.
To ensure that data intelligence is implemented effectively, it must first be available to everyone who is working with data. Second, it must be easy to use, particularly by business users and the growing class of data users. Third, it is key that those who are responsible for curating the data actively ensure that the data is reliable and trustworthy. Finally, all data consumers should leverage the same solutions for data intelligence, or you risk creating even more siloes.
Without this formula, bad data slips through the cracks, and the “intelligence” in data intelligence is incomplete.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
fe530b9035c8d671d519605c1bb3d07d | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/28/why-the-pandemic-led-to-an-increase-in-it-outsourcing/?sh=490b11f02daa | Why The Pandemic Led To An Increase In IT Outsourcing | Why The Pandemic Led To An Increase In IT Outsourcing
CEO of Ideamotive, a marketplace matching tech talent with companies worldwide. Co-author of "The State of CEE IT Outsourcing 2021" report.
getty
Remember the good old days when people would book the nearest flight on a whim or casually pop into a restaurant without checking its dine-in policies? Today, last-minute plane trips and impromptu restaurant visits are long gone. They seem as surreal as crowded multistory corporate buildings, two-hour commutes or work in the office.
According to a Gallup poll, 62% of employed Americans worked remotely at the beginning of April 2020. In 2021, the global remote workforce is expected to double, according to research from Reuters.
The workplace transformation forced by the pandemic is set to make telework a permanent arrangement for many organizations. As office-based work is turning into a home office, new opportunities for outsourcing emerge.
Tough Times For IT Outsourcing
Ten years ago, Forbes heralded “the end of the age of outsourcing” (and others followed), envisioning downgrades in outsourcing contracts in favor of expanding in-house teams. While this reversal predominantly affected manufacturing, the IT sector suffered collateral damage.
MORE FOR YOUCovid-19 Weekly Roundup: What Happened With The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?Antibody Startup Adagio Raises $336 Million To Develop A Variant-Proof Treatment For Covid-19Here’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be Diminished
Whether prompted by the growing labor costs in the traditional outsourcing destinations or challenges aligning external staff with the company’s culture and goals, at one point, America’s companies started moving away from third-party suppliers. International IT outsourcing found itself in a tight spot. Then, Covid-19 happened.
Turning The Tide
Things weren’t still looking bright for IT service providers in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Following travel restrictions, the abrupt decline in incoming projects, and dips in company revenues, businesses were releasing external contractors as an immediate fix to endure the first wave of the crisis. As a result, the global IT outsourcing sector sustained a heavy blow, reducing value by 5%.
However, once companies recognized the need to deliver a sustainable response to the crisis, the tables have turned again for IT suppliers. IT services’ demand intensified with organizations accelerating digital adoption to bounce back and build resilience to weather future disruptions. The pandemic has actually reinforced the benefits of IT outsourcing, and here’s why.
Covid-19 Has Speeded The Digital Adoption By Several Years
In just a few months, Covid-19 has fast-tracked digital transformation for global companies by an average of six years, according to some experts. The crisis has forced an increased reliance on digital tools to communicate and collaborate online securely. A host of new customer demands spurred by the pandemic urged businesses to embrace new technology areas to offer faster, modern and more convenient experiences.
Consequently, 95% of IT professionals have seen their organizations redefine technology priorities following the Covid-19 outbreak, and 63% of Fortune 500 CEOs (paywall) expect the 2020 crisis to propel tech innovation in business.
As companies reset business strategies to ramp up modern tech solutions, they are more likely to use external support to achieve this faster. Research confirms that; the 2020 Global Managed Services Report by NTT suggests that 45% of global corporations are planning to outsource more work in the next 18 months.
Employers’ Skepticism About Remote Teams Has Eroded
The enormous workplace transformation helped overcome major concerns over remote work delivery, whether by internal or outsourced teams. Numerous studies have since validated that, in most cases, productivity in virtual teams isn’t affected.
Realizing that they can operate with fewer workers on the payroll without compromising productivity, businesses turned back to scalable external teams whose services are specifically designed for remote business support (with innovative tech stacks, security policies and standards compliance).
Contractors Help Counteract The Impact On Revenue
When companies are looking for savings now more than ever, outsourcing teams becomes a viable cost resilience strategy. By hiring offshore software developers and other IT suppliers, organizations can eliminate office space and cut down all the associated costs (think rent, property taxes, cleaning, maintenance, security, utilities and so on).
A contracted, scalable workforce also helps reduce expenses related to recruiting and onboarding staff, managing employee needs, covering for absences, or investing in employee training. As a flexible model, outsourcing provides companies with an opportunity to quickly bring on board experts they wouldn’t be able to source otherwise, at a fraction of the hiring cost.
The Outsourcing Model Has Moved From Cost Reduction To Driving Innovation
Amid the turbulent changes brought by the pandemic, IT has become integral to strengthening business resilience. And the IT outsourcing industry is readily adapting to these new dynamics.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
7d344673bee909544704fb47852ff354 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/28/why-treating-your-contractors-like-employees-helps-maximize-productivity/ | Why Treating Your Contractors Like Employees Helps Maximize Productivity | Why Treating Your Contractors Like Employees Helps Maximize Productivity
Steve Taplin is the CEO and Co-Founder of Sonatafy Technology, a leading provider of experienced nearshore software developers and engineers
getty
In many industries, it makes perfect sense to hire freelancers and contractors, especially in software development. You may need to scale up or down very quickly, and in some cases, you might need to contract out key parts of your business that are not directly related to the main product your business produces. Contractors have much more autonomy, allowing you to be more hands-off.
However, for those who have long-term relationships with contractors, treating them like employees can provide significant benefits.
What Exactly Is An Employee?
The IRS considers three categories when determining whether someone is an independent contractor or an employee: behavioral control, financial control and relationship. However, it generally boils down to whether an employer can control what will be done and how it will be done, not just the end result.
This is important. If the IRS determines that someone who was considered an independent contractor is an employee, the business is then liable for back taxes and could be fined. However, it is still possible to give independent contractors substantial benefits without the IRS classifying them as employees.
MORE FOR YOUNew Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 13 Design ShockApple iOS 14.5: The Latest iPhone Upgrade Is Going To Be AwesomeIvanka Trump Posts Covid-19 Vaccination Photo, Here Are Responses From QAnon Followers
Discounts And Services
You can give anyone a discount or a free service, regardless of whether they are an employee or not, and this can provide a significant incentive to keep everyone happy, including your contractors. This can include access to an employee shop, a set percentage off merchandise or a few free bits of merchandise thrown in.
These create goodwill, regardless of whether the contractor uses them or not. It also helps turn a freelancer into a proponent of your goods or services.
Be A Good Communicator
Communication is key to the success of any project, and employees typically have easy access to their supervisors and those making the decisions. If you give that same level of access to contractors, you let them more easily produce the results you want and reduce frustration at all points in the process. Communication includes:
• Clear milestones.
• Clear vision documented in language that's appropriate for the project.
• Clear clarification when requested.
• Consistency.
Consistency is particularly important. Changes — especially when it comes to software — cost money and time, and projects with an inconsistent vision drag on, missing important dates, driving back launch cycles or reducing the time available for quality assurance. Even inconsistencies in brand guidelines can cause major issues, as different project managers want different things. Your contractors should be able to push back on these inconsistencies and request clarification from the principal stakeholders in the same manner that an employee would be able to. This helps them achieve the vision that you've set for your software or app.
Pay On Time
A surprising number of projects fail or are delayed because businesses don't pay their contractors. While state and federal laws require employees to be paid on time for the hours that they've worked (or time frame, if they are exempt), contractors do not always have the same amount of protection. Around 29% of freelancer invoices are paid late, adding significant costs and time, and this results in a reduction in time contractors can spend on your project.
If the payment is late enough, it causes significant frustration and results in lower productivity. In addition, it makes freelancers and contractors reluctant to prioritize your work because they are unsure whether they will get paid for it. Paying on time makes you stand out and makes your software developers happy to work for you long term.
Offer Training
This is one area where you have to be a little careful because offering training can be considered the mark of an employee rather than a contractor. However, offering it for a nominal sum (say, $1) as a benefit may get around this, although the usual "take legal advice specific to your state as required" disclaimer applies here.
The majority of software developers are valued for their skills and knowledge of specific languages and situations rather than formal education, and adding training to the mix can help your freelancers work for you more effectively. Offering training as a nonessential benefit for a nominal sum can improve freelancer loyalty and ensure that they have the skills you need, which is vital in a competitive marketplace.
Share Your Goals
Ultimately, you need to share your goals regardless of whom you are working with. This way, you can ensure that your contractors are aligned with your business goals and are working toward the overall vision you have for your company. They also may be able to suggest ways of achieving that goal more effectively through their specialization through their knowledge of systems and how they work. This enables you to leverage their knowledge and provide a more rounded view of your current situation, even if you personally do not have the skills that you are paying for.
What About Using A Software Development Team?
This provides the best of both worlds in many cases. Management of the team is devolved to the company providing it, and you can simply concentrate on the output. You also get verified freelancers who have proven themselves, and you can exert or as little control over the process as needed. You get a contractor who has a personal relationship with you, and you also get a team that works on your schedule.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
b94879dbbd61cc6887714e8df59eb6c6 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/29/how-mathematical-optimization-could-help-address-the-covid-19-vaccine-allocation-problem/ | How Mathematical Optimization Could Help Address The Covid-19 Vaccine Allocation Problem | How Mathematical Optimization Could Help Address The Covid-19 Vaccine Allocation Problem
Edward Rothberg is CEO and Co-Founder of Gurobi Optimization, which produces the world’s fastest mathematical optimization solver.
getty
AI technologies have proved to be powerful weapons in the fight against Covid-19, enabling governments and companies to improve their decision-making, resilience and response to the pandemic.
Mathematical optimization is one of the many AI weapons that we have in our arsenal, and many industry professionals and academics today are discussing, developing and deploying applications of this problem-solving technology to help address Covid-19 challenges like determining the location of healthcare facilities to meet anticipated resource demand, calculating the timing of shelter-in-place orders to avoid overwhelming hospitals and causing unnecessary economic disruption, and optimizing stadium seating configurations while social distancing.
The Covid-19 challenge that is top of mind for everyone at the moment is vaccine allocation. Now that vaccines have been successfully developed and approved, the key question is how to get these vaccines from "the factory to the frontlines" and distribute and administer them to the masses in the most efficient and equitable manner possible. All around the globe, organizations from the public and private sectors are wrestling with this question and striving to create and implement effective vaccine distribution strategies.
One U.S.-based team of leading professionals from the operations research and public health fields has developed a mathematical optimization application — which was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Texas Department of State Health Services — to solve this vaccine allocation problem.
MORE FOR YOUWhy You Should Never Use Google Chrome On Your iPhone, iPad Or MacWhy You Should Stop Using Your Facebook Messenger AppNew Apple Exclusive Reveals Massive iPhone 13 Upgrades
In this article, I will discuss what makes this vaccine allocation problem so challenging and how this team of researchers is employing mathematical optimization to tackle it.
Understanding The Vaccine Allocation Problem
In the midst of a pandemic such as the one we are facing today, public health officials must make rapid vaccine allocation decisions — choosing who will receive the vaccines, where and when.
Generally speaking, there are two different methods of distributing vaccines to the general population: pull-based allocation (which is driven by requests from healthcare providers for specific quantities that they need) and push-based allocation (which is focused on distributing quantities to achieve equity among priority groups). Typically, the majority of vaccine doses are distributed via a pull-based approach, while a smaller percentage of vaccine doses are held back by public health officials who must make decisions on how to allocate these doses to address and correct the inequities that may arise in a strictly pull-based process.
These decisions are highly complex from both a logistical and ethical perspective, and in order to achieve the ultimate goal of allocation — which is to distribute and administer vaccines equitably within priority groups such as healthcare personnel, the elderly and people with certain health risks — public health officials must take numerous factors into account, including:
• Fairness: A priority group in one geographic location should have the same access to vaccines as the same priority group in another geographic location.
• Simplicity: The path from vaccine allocation to distribution to administration should be as simple and smooth as possible for healthcare providers.
• Variety: There are multiple vaccines with different properties (e.g., one shot or two shots and unique refrigeration requirements), and it is imperative to ensure that the right vaccines get to the right people at the right locations and times.
• Quantity: Vaccines are distributed in batches and not in single doses, and numerous aspects such as temperature controls and defrosting need to be considered.
It's simply not possible for the human brain to take all these factors into account and make fast, accurate decisions on how to allocate vaccines in the most equitable manner possible. To do this, you need an automated software tool like mathematical optimization.
Using Mathematical Optimization To Solve The Vaccine Allocation Problem
The team of researchers mentioned earlier in this article — from the University of Texas, Northwestern University, the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Santa Fe Institute — has built a mathematical optimization application (powered by my company's mathematical optimization solver, the Gurobi Optimizer) that is capable of handling the Covid-19 vaccine allocation problem.
This application — the objective of which is to optimize the allocation of "multiple vaccine types to multiple priority groups, maximizing equal access" — can provide public health officials with a web-based decision-support tool that they can use to rapidly determine:
• What percentage of available vaccines to keep in reserve for push-based allocation.
• The most efficient and equitable way to distribute vaccines, taking into account all the factors highlighted in the previous section.
As distribution ramps up in the U.S. and around the world in the coming months, this application could be an essential tool for governments, enabling them to optimize the rollout of vaccines to achieve equity across their populations. With this goal in mind, the team of researchers is planning to make the application available to U.S. state governments in the near future.
Technology Can Help In The Fight Against Covid-19
To win the fight against Covid-19, we must enlist our brightest minds and employ our most powerful technologies. The development of the Covid-19 vaccines — which was executed over the past year with such amazing speed and skill — is a shining example of the incredible synergy between humanity and technology.
As the fight against the virus continues, the public and private sectors must continue to look for new and innovative ways to leverage technology — including AI tools — to help us address and overcome the challenges we are facing.
Now that safe and effective vaccines are available, the most pressing, critical challenge is how to distribute and administer these medicines as quickly and fairly as possible to the global population. As I have explained, this is a very complicated question involving numerous ethical and logistical considerations, but technologies like mathematical optimization can help us answer it.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
aa298f80d4884525d606d459caa2a475 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/29/moving-to-the-cloud-now-is-the-time-to-undergo-digital-transformation/ | Moving To The Cloud: Now Is The Time To Undergo Digital Transformation | Moving To The Cloud: Now Is The Time To Undergo Digital Transformation
Senior Vice President at Henson Group.
From quickly changing consumer behaviors due to Covid-19, which has impacted both small and big businesses all over the world, to rapidly transforming technical demands in the “new normal,” business leaders across industries are struggling to come to terms with the impacts of this pandemic.
The lockdown imposed in various countries affected businesses and, consequently, leaders had to come up with innovative solutions to keep those businesses running and minimize losses. However, even as each business had its own unique challenges to overcome, one trend that has remained universal is that the companies with a robust technological backbone were able to wriggle their way out of the crunch faster.
So, how to get a strong tech backbone? Traditionally, many organizations have been hiring MSPs, or managed service providers, to help take care of their IT (information technology) operations and assist them in meeting their business goals. I’m sure this sounds familiar. The term MSP first originated around the 1990s and was essentially limited to remote support for IT Infrastructure; since then, the horizon had been expanding.
However, with the advent of the cloud, traditional MSPs are slowly getting replaced by cloud MSPs, reducing the need for physical infrastructure and manpower to a bare minimum. In fact, according to a study done by Grand View Research, the global cloud managed services market size is expected to reach USD $82.51 billion by 2025.
MORE FOR YOUCovid-19 Weekly Roundup: What Happened With The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?Here’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedRobotics Startup Canvas Raises $24 Million To Revitalize Construction
With the pandemic increasing the need for physical distancing and work-from-home culture, the demand for cloud MSPs has soared like never before. Many businesses, in order to avoid fading into oblivion, had to plan successful digital transformations. Digital transformation is no longer just an option; it is what companies need to survive. As the senior vice president of a company deploying cloud MSP technologies, I’ve observed this firsthand.
Synergy Research Group recently conducted a survey on the impact of Covid-19 on the cloud MSP world. Chief analyst John Dinsdale noted that: “Total revenues were up by $2.5 billion from the previous quarter, causing the year-on-year growth rate to nudge upwards, which is unusual for such a large market. It is quite clear that Covid-19 has provided an added boost to a market that was already developing rapidly.”
The question is: Are businesses ready to take the leap and trust cloud MSPs?
How Cloud MSPs Work
It isn’t a secret anymore that the range of cloud-based enterprise software has made it possible to access all kinds of services from the convenience of one’s home. From banking to educational institutions to hospitality, across retail and even the wellness sector, the cloud has brought businesses closer to their customers. What powers this? A complex and ever-growing set of networking software that receives data from multiple divisions and relays it to the central servers of a company: cloud MSPs.
While there are a lot of benefits to using cloud MSPs over traditional MSPs, here are a few points that one must consider before making the shift:
Cost Effectiveness
Many businesses shift to the cloud because they are usually promised huge savings. But does that always add up? Only if the cloud MSP provider focuses on new automation services and embeds them in its processes. Since the cloud offers multiple options, a good MSP will utilize DevOps for better performance, cost reduction and reduced time to market for customers.
The Right Set Of Tools
Before making the shift, businesses must evaluate the toolsets of cloud MSPs intricately and only invest in the ones that offer the right tools to give their customers a competitive edge. The right collaboration of tools will help in harmonizing the entire process and provide proactive insights to customers.
Governance And Policy Practices (Security)
Companies must ensure that their cloud MSP is following necessary governance and policy practices. The cloud MSP should have robust monitoring, auditing and reporting processes with a constantly updating database of security threats and gaps in big cloud competitors’ compliance capabilities.
New Services & Changes
Cloud providers are constantly increasing their number of services and bringing new updates to existing ones. Therefore, cloud MSPs should have a dedicated team to catch up with the latest updates and share best practices among personnel and customers.
Upskilling
Since there are new developments continually taking place in the cloud world, cloud MSPs should ensure that internal processes are set up to enhance the skills of all resources without affecting actual productivity.
Governments are pushing for it. Banks and businesses all over the world have realized its worth. The cloud — that’s the game-changer in the pandemic and post-pandemic business world. From business magnates to novice startups, organizations of all sizes are moving toward it. Perhaps now is the time for leaders to sit down with their teams and establish their cloud adoption strategies.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
f90fd342ec4f66f2cb8889999e2cae1a | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/29/zen-and-the-art-of-digital-transformation/?sh=6689495460ae&utm_content=buffer04486&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer | Zen And The Art Of Digital Transformation | Zen And The Art Of Digital Transformation
Bruno Guicardi is President of CI&T, the digital solutions partner driving lean digital transformation for the world’s biggest brands.
getty
Once you realize that someone like Warren Buffett — widely considered one of the world’s savviest investors — has a laundry list of big-time business regrets, you realize that even the smartest and most successful among us sometimes fall victim to poor judgment. We all have different ways of dealing with it. If you’re Buffett, you probably find comfort in the fact that your other investments are worth billions.
If there were a way to spot those circumstances in which we’re most prone to judgment error, could we avoid making mistakes altogether? Probably not, but Nobel Prize-winning psychologist and economist Daniel Kahneman thinks we can certainly do better just by being more aware of how our minds work.
In his book Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman describes two systems of thought. When we think “fast,” we’re making decisions based on an intuitive reaction. Subconsciously, we identify patterns in information and “automatically” classify that data into pre-existing categories. This system forms and relies on previous knowledge, and when we jump to conclusions, it’s probably to blame.
“Slow” thinking is the opposite. It consists of a higher level of concentration, conscious analysis and creative problem-solving. This system has a lot in common with the “beginner’s mind,” a concept from Zen Buddhism that refers to an attitude of openness, a lack of preconceptions and attention to the moment. Kahneman says, and Zen Buddhist monks can probably confirm, that we spend most of our time using the fast system of thinking, as it is impossible for us to maintain working at the alertness required by slow thinking or the beginner’s mind all the time.
MORE FOR YOUHow Vaccine Companies Are Battling Covid-19 VariantsBioNTech’s Humble Billionaire CEO On The Next Era Of mRNA VaccinesTwo New Studies Show Link Between AstraZeneca-Oxford Vaccine And Rare Blood Clots
How can businesses benefit from embracing the beginner’s mind, or “corporate zen”?
A number of legacy, household-name companies — champions of the 20th century like Sears, Toys R Us and Blockbuster — have suffered the ultimate fate of what I’ve observed to be fast thinking in a corporate setting. Referred to in business jargon as “innovation lag,” the attitude that these companies seemed to embody was one of overconfidence in their previous knowledge of the world and ignorance of the new forming reality. “We know our customers,” they seemed to say, “therefore we know what they need; we know our market, and we are comfortable working in the way we always have.” We’re all familiar with what resulted from those businesses’ massive errors in judgment.
Meanwhile, the companies that arrived on the scene to dominate the 21st century were indeed moving quickly, but they were “thinking” slowly. Success in the digital environment requires a different kind of assumption — an assumption that you don’t know. It requires meticulously augmenting and validating every piece of knowledge about customers and their needs, using hard data and real-world evidence.
But as I mentioned before, it is impossible to sustain a beginner’s mind all the time. That leads us to the most relevant challenge in life and business: How can we know when it’s the right time to activate the slow mode? To trigger the beginner’s mind so we can learn new things? It is futile to expect that we can figure it out by ourselves — to just know when to do it despite our best intentions. We’ve found that the best way to translate this into the business environment is to introduce disciplined processes — practices that will make us exercise and master slow thinking. Not unlike on a personal level how we practice meditation to master being present in the moment.
Although the ability to be alert to new information is beneficial in all areas of a business, our experience in the digital field has shown that this capability is indispensable in two specific processes: the understanding of customer needs and the creation of solutions. In a fast-changing world, these two processes are critical for an organization to keep pace with what is happening outside its doors and make sure all new solutions are actually addressing upcoming needs. The deployment and disciplined practice of frameworks like design thinking and lean startup are great starters to increase the level of corporate mindfulness.
One of our clients, a bank with 60 million customers, realized the value of this method when it was trying to understand why a large number of older customers were not using its mobile app; instead, they were using more expensive channels like branches and call centers. Using a design-thinking approach and interacting directly with customers rather than relying on aggregated research data, the bank learned that these not-so-tech-savvy customers were lost in the multitude of options and functions on the app and afraid of making a mistake and ultimately losing money. It was a crucial insight that helped inform a new solution: an additional app with a much simpler interface featuring big fonts and big icons. But still, the bank didn’t take for granted that the solution was known just because the problem was known. So we prototyped the new app and observed how those customers used it, only to learn that it wasn’t as intuitive as we thought. Back to the drawing board we went; we rinsed and repeated, and finally, we did it. With the third version of the prototype, we got enough positive responses to green-light the development of the app — and after only a couple of months post-launch, it amassed 4 million customers.
If you’re looking for other examples, you could turn to Amazon’s “working backwards” method, which I’ve written about previously, where the company imposes the discipline of looking at new product ideas through the lens of the customer.
The benefits of corporate zen are only realized when we insert it into our day-to-day activities, practice it with discipline and finally incorporate it into what we are. Today, thanks to the unpredictable and uncertain landscape created by digital disruption, the ability to connect, empathize and quickly respond to ever-changing customer needs is the most important superpower your organization can develop — and embracing a beginner’s mind is the first step.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
4e0384445cecaa5f766d057a0aad0c9f | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/02/01/how-startups-can-foster-growth-and-sustained-success/?sh=e14aae2117a3 | How Startups Can Foster Growth And Sustained Success | How Startups Can Foster Growth And Sustained Success
As General Manager of Zebra Analytics, Guy is responsible for the growth, leadership strategy and customer success of the business unit.
getty
What makes a startup successful? It's a question millions of entrepreneurs and investors around the world have asked as they invest their time, resources and passion into a single idea. In my 26 years in the technology space, I've seen companies with amazing ideas fail, and companies with average ideas succeed. This leads me to the natural conclusion that when it comes to startups, or even growing companies, it's often less about the idea and more about the execution.
It can often feel like rolling the dice, but in reality, there are key distinguishing features of a successful startup that foster growth. Below are four ways entrepreneurs can position their startups for success.
1. Be Prepared To Pivot
One of the biggest disappointments an entrepreneur can face is formulating a large and exciting project that fails after it has already been funded. In this scenario, a single failure can effectively end a startup before it gets off the ground. Rather than putting all of your eggs in one basket by sinking your entire budget in one ambitious endeavor, investing in smaller, more manageable projects gives startups the agility to pivot in the case of failure (or a blockage like a lack of market demand) rather than concede altogether.
Should one of these smaller projects prove to be a miss, it becomes a valuable learning opportunity and a chance to quickly change course for the better. Conversely, if the project is large and consists of half your budget, pivoting to a new direction may not be fiscally possible. Worse, it could throw the entire company off course, not to mention leave employees disappointed and depressed.
MORE FOR YOUNew Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 13 Design ShockApple iOS 14.5: The Latest iPhone Upgrade Is Going To Be AwesomeIvanka Trump Posts Covid-19 Vaccination Photo, Here Are Responses From QAnon Followers
The ability to pivot is crucial to startup success, especially in such unpredictable times like these, where market variables are constantly changing. When looking for guidance on where to pivot, the first place to start is to...
2. Listen To Your Prospects And Customers
All too often, a product development team can get trapped in its own echo chamber of ideas and miss out on potential innovation. To truly achieve sustainable success and stand out from the noise, startups need to build a consistent feedback loop from their customer base, which is typically owned by the product management office. Early adopters who are willing to collaborate with your team and provide direction are among a startup's greatest allies, giving entrepreneurs in-depth knowledge on potential setbacks or opportunities that they just couldn't see. As a result, customer success and satisfaction truly go hand in hand with effective product management.
Once a customer has provided feedback, it's up to the company to translate it into positive and agile change. By letting customer feedback guide thoughtful product development, startups can be sure their solutions will be valuable in the market and meet constantly evolving customer needs.
3. Be A Fixer
When it comes to inspiration, look no further than Israel. Israel is often called the "Startup Nation," and it's not difficult to see why. In 2019, it had approximately one startup for every 1,400 people — the highest startup per capita in the world.
What sets this country apart as a generator of successful companies is how it organically produces a society of thinkers and fixers. Because of the very landscape of the nation, its citizens must be innovative to solve their biggest day-to-day challenges and survive.
For instance, consider its climate: An incredible 60% of the country is desert, making traditional farming techniques ineffective. As a result, the country has made incredible advances in agriculture technology to make fresh produce possible. Next, consider its borders: Israel is surrounded by political adversaries; therefore, it's no coincidence that it has produced some of the most successful security startups in the world, such as Checkpoint Systems, CloudLock and CyberArk — security software companies focused on eliminating cyberthreats using insider privileges.
Entrepreneurs around the world can learn from Startup Nation. When faced with challenges, consider them to be opportunities for innovation. Think outside the box to not only overcome hurdles but turn them into wins.
4. Learn From Your Competitors
A healthy market should have competition. Competitors can be one of your most valuable assets for improvement and a crucial source of inspiration. Companies should examine what their competitors are doing well and which areas they are lacking, and then learn from these critical takeaways to help drive further out-of-the-box thinking and fill any gaps in the market. Of course, the key word here is "learn" rather than imitate. Simply imitating competitors' success is truly the death of innovation and will result in a homogenous and rather uninspired market.
Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, said it best when advising his management team to find positive takeaways after visiting their competition: "If you get one good idea, that's one more than you went into the store with, and we must try to incorporate it into our company. We're really not concerned with what they're doing wrong; we're concerned with what they're doing right and everyone is doing something right."
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we can expect to see an explosion in startups within the next few years as we continue to face new and unexpected challenges. With such a large influx of competition ahead, it's crucial for today's startups to stand out. By remaining innovative, listening to customers and pivoting when necessary, entrepreneurs can position their startups for success.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
e18017413eaa89d95a44390c37718ca6 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/02/01/race-in-tech-part-three-the-funnel/?sh=34897f9d133a | Race In Tech, Part Three: The Funnel | Race In Tech, Part Three: The Funnel
Speaker, InterVision's Strategic IT Advisor and author of "Amplify Your Job Search: Strategies for Finding Your Dream Job."
getty
“We’d hire candidates who are underrepresented minorities. We just can’t find them.”
That sentiment has been echoed by hiring managers and their organizations for decades. Yet many tech jobs go unfilled, or searches last for months, creating a “top of funnel” issue: more jobs than candidates. Where’s the disconnect?
One of the most widely used metaphors to describe the sales process is that of the sales funnel. You have a product to sell, and that product solves a problem. At the top of the funnel are all the potential buyers of your product. While you will never reach all those buyers, the funnel narrows as focus turns primarily to a specific pool of buyers. Those buyers you reach may not be ready to buy, so the funnel narrows to others who are. It narrows until you have converted those prospects into customers.
Too few opportunities in your sales funnel? Widen the top of the funnel. Too many prospects choose not to buy? Expand the middle of the funnel (change pricing, features, etc.).
The same can be said for your candidate pool. Is your candidate pool not diverse enough? Widen the top of the funnel. Attracting a diverse pool of candidates, but your hiring doesn’t reflect that diversity? Examine your mid-funnel criteria and practices.
In part three of the Race In Tech series, I want to highlight a few organizations that are attacking the “funnel” to identify, train and nurture talented candidates to fill tech roles.
As I researched this post, I found many companies and organizations that are doing an amazing job expanding the funnel. Space will not allow me to fully describe the work they are doing. I encourage you to reach out to them (or me) to learn more.
MORE FOR YOUNew Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 13 Design ShockNew iPhone Leak Reveals Apple’s ‘Next Level’ iPhone UpgradeApple iOS 14.5: The Latest iPhone Upgrade Is Going To Be Awesome
• Ascend Indiana and EmployIndy: The first is a twofer. Ascend connects talent to careers through its custom software platform, the Ascend Network. Its vision is that Indiana will be a place of economic opportunity for all. EmployIndy guides the Indianapolis workforce ecosystem with a focus on underserved and underrepresented residents. These two organizations have launched Modern Apprenticeship (MAP), a two- to three-year program designed to prepare high school students for the workforce with paid, hands-on experience that complements their traditional coursework. The apprenticeship begins in the junior year of high school.
• Apprenti: An organization headquartered in Seattle with a growing national footprint, Apprenti was formed with the support of the Washington Technology Industry Association. It has developed a U.S. Department of Labor-certified apprenticeship program for a number of tech roles, including software developer and cybersecurity analyst, that combines classroom training with on-the-job training. Those selected into the program are paid throughout the apprenticeship. A large portion of Apprenti program’s participants are underrepresented minorities, veterans or women, and 80% of apprentices have been hired by their companies after their apprenticeship.
• Cummins: A global power leader that designs, manufactures, distributes and services a broad portfolio of power solutions, Cummins has been focused on diversity since the 1960s when former chairman and CEO J. Irwin Miller ensured diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) were woven into the fabric of the organization. At Cummins, DE&I is not a talent acquisition strategy; it is a way of working. The company is addressing the talent pipeline by recruiting from diverse colleges, growing relationships with organizations with a focus on diversity, and establishing a school-to-work program for high school and college students.
• TechPoint: A nonprofit organization focused on supporting, nourishing and growing the tech ecosystem in Indiana, Techpoint acknowledges that a major component of business is attracting and retaining tech talent. Through its Xtern program, the company has been recruiting talent from colleges and universities from around the country to come to Indiana and experience what the state has to offer in terms of work life and social life. To ensure the program is diverse, its strategies include engaging with historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), partnering with organizations that support underrepresented minorities like campus multicultural centers, and setting goals and measuring progress.
• Techtonic: A 12-year-old software development firm based in Boulder, Colorado, that has had diversity as a core value from day one, Techtonic created the first software development apprenticeship that was registered by the U.S. Department of Labor. The 2000-hour program features a mix of classroom and on-the-job training, and applicants go through a stringent screening process. Today, the program is available in Boulder, as well as Omaha, Nebraska.
Now is the time for us to get involved.
Want to expand your top of funnel to cast a bigger net? One of the common themes of all these organizations is great advice. If you want to diversify your candidate pool, you cannot wait for the underrepresented to come to you; you must go to them. Examine the universities and colleges where you are searching for candidates. How diverse are they? Expand the list to include HBCUs and others. Do more than attend job fairs; visit multicultural centers and other organizations.
However, by far the most common theme among these organizations is this: We must expand the playing field. Not everyone shares the same background, opportunity or experience. Review the job requirements. Challenge those requirements. Does everyone need a degree from this university or that college? What about a community college? Does the position require a degree at all?
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
a3e58a6b8c9a7067f3880532a9f05f7e | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/02/01/three-things-no-one-tells-you-about-remote-working/?sh=19bfb68c7eff | Three Things No One Tells You About Remote Working | Three Things No One Tells You About Remote Working
Rishi Khanna is a serial entrepreneur and high growth CEO at ENO8 and ISHIR. He works with clients and leaders to think exponentially.
getty
If recent headlines are to be believed, the world now loves remote working. We've even been guilty of promoting remote work and claiming that it's an amazing way to work. While we're not going back on these claims (we really do think it's a great way to work!), there are some disclaimers that have to come with any promotion of remote working.
While we've all been excited about the amazing prospects of remote working and the ways that it can boost business and make people happier, there are also some cons that are rarely talked about. To help clear up the debate and shine a light on some of the negative aspects of remote working, we're writing about the things that no one tells you about remote working.
1. If you're not used to working remotely, productivity can be a challenge.
Many of us have seen this firsthand during the pandemic. If you're not used to working remotely, being productive when no one is looking can be a challenge. For some, isolation offers a chance to focus and be more productive; however, for most of us, it's harder to remain focused without the watchful eye of a manager or colleagues.
For all the many strengths of remote working, the productivity challenge definitely exists. There are ways to combat this, though, such as scheduling regular meetings, using project management boards to keep on top of work, and having defined start and end times on breaks so that you don't get distracted.
MORE FOR YOUWhy You Should Stop Using Your Facebook Messenger AppWhat’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?What Yuri Gagarin Saw From Orbit Changed Him Forever
2. Working remotely can be lonely.
If you enjoy your own company, working remotely can be a dream. However, if you're more of a collaborative worker and love to have meetings, check-ins and chats with colleagues regularly, remote work can be difficult. In fact, 20% of remote workers have admitted that they struggle with loneliness, and roughly 60% of American adults already struggled with some degree of loneliness prior to the pandemic.
Luckily for us, the digital revolution has given us an array of tools that allow us to stay in contact with people. Using messaging services like Slack and Skype for Business, as well as using video chat apps like Microsoft Teams and Zoom, can keep loneliness at bay and provide a great way to communicate with your team members.
3. It can be harder to switch off.
When working remotely, sometimes switching off can be a challenge. This is likely because the workspace and relaxation space become merged, making it hard for our brains to distinguish between the two. In this sense, remote working can sometimes create an "always on" mentality, which causes stress in people who need to switch off with rituals and practices that signal to us that the day is done.
Without even realizing it, working in an office environment during our day gives us a sense of routine that makes a distinction between being "on" and being "off," which makes it easier for us to relax in the evening once the day is done. Creating this switch-off time can be more challenging in a remote work setting when many people use the same space to work and rest.
Conclusion
We're fascinated by the ways that we can work better remotely. This period has been a time of experimentation for many of us and has given us the chance to try out new ways of working. As this article details, there can be challenges with remote working, but for the most part, it can offer a great opportunity for businesses to adapt to an ever-changing situation.
Please reach out to me and let me know the best ways that your business has found to keep the remote working challenges at bay. I would love to hear from you!
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
d72b07a425b23e21a2e1ecf3e8ecd2fa | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/02/02/ap-automation-procurement-data-the-elephant-in-the-room/ | AP Automation: Procurement Data, The Elephant In The Room | AP Automation: Procurement Data, The Elephant In The Room
Founder and CEO of PurchaseControl, with decades of international experience in Procurement, Spend Management, and Technology.
getty
Companies of all sizes look for opportunities to harness the potential of digital transformation, and many choose to implement tools such as accounts payable (AP) automation as their first step. In the short term, AP automation absolutely provides demonstrable benefits via faster invoice processing and lower costs.
However, companies that stop at AP automation alone — or apply an automation solution without understanding its role as a tool in a larger transformation strategy — are setting themselves up for future problems.
Why RPA And OCR Are Not Enough On Their Own
Robotic process automation (RPA) is ideal for high-volume, tedious and repetitive tasks such as data entry and document routing. RPA excels at opening and reading emails and attachments (such as invoices), extracting data via OCR, and automatically populating data fields in documents and databases. It can, in many instances, effectively replace human beings on simple rules-based tasks.
Fast and efficient, it can eliminate paper and free employees to focus their time and talents on more strategically useful tasks.
Research from Gartner says a robotic full-time employee FTE works at least 20 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year — at a cost of only one-fifth (onshore) to one-third (offshore) that of a human FTE. It's no surprise more than 80% of financial leaders have already implemented or are planning to implement RPA as part of their digital transformation initiatives.
MORE FOR YOUThe Dell Tech And VMware Spin-Off Benefits EverybodyFacebook Just Gave 2.8 Billion Users A Reason To Quit Their AccountsFully Vaccinated? Get Ready For Your Third Dose
In the AP sphere, RPA eliminates the need for manual data entry and can process invoices and route them for payment at speeds unmatchable by human staff. It improves compliance and can leverage machine learning to streamline routing and other workflows while improving its own performance over time.
These benefits come with a few caveats, however.
To work effectively, RPA bots need the data provided to them to be complete and accurate. AP automation has an inherent problem here; the supplier invoice does not give enough data for true automation to occur. Problems ranging from the innocuous (e.g., errors in vendor data) to the malicious (e.g., invoice fraud) persist and may be amplified in systems without measures in place.
Without capturing committed spend data before invoices arrive for processing approval becomes a significant roadblock to automation. Without such visibility, erroneous, duplicate or fraudulent invoices might be routed to approvers who don't have access to the information necessary to confirm their legitimacy.
Optical character recognition (OCR) is also quite often mistaken for a complete solution. Like RPA, it has definite and measurable benefits but cannot meet the needs of businesses looking to fully optimize their AP processing.
The science behind OCR's limitations can be something of an uphill climb to parse. In real-world use, however, these limitations largely manifest in:
• Limited utility due to strict format and layout requirements, as well as the need for human spot-checks and corrections.
• Costs that can approach 70% of a fully automated P2P solution.
• Delays created by the need to digitize physical invoices or convert digital invoices from one format to another.
To obtain maximum value and performance from tools such as RPA and OCR, they must be applied within a larger optimization strategy.
AP Doesn't Happen In A Void
Adding automation to an unoptimized manual AP system will have benefits but will soon reveal additional challenges. If your manual AP workflows don't follow best practices or integrate with an overall strategy for business process improvement, automating them will simply ensure you're frustrated more quickly.
Too often, companies attempt to automate their AP function without addressing existing challenges, such as:
• Failure to align AP's goals with those of the organization.
• Poor communication and collaboration between AP and other functions — particularly procurement.
• AP has no way to address unoptimized upstream processes that directly affect its own performance.
• AP lacks the resources, leadership and support to lead (or initiate) digital transformation.
AP isn't a stand-alone process. It is the natural partner of another critical function: procurement. The procurement function provides the data necessary for optimal results in both invoice processing and downstream AP processes like month- and year-end close or reporting for accruals. Trying to automate and improve AP without complete and transparent spend data is asking for trouble now and in the future.
Best Practices For AP Automation
Developing and following a few simple best practices can help you achieve more effective results with AP automation. With greater visibility into and control over spend, along with support from digital technologies, AP teams can manage cash flow more effectively to meet their obligations while retaining sufficient working capital for investment and innovation.
To start, implement controls to improve spend management:
• Establish and enforce clear purchasing workflows. Streamline them wherever possible for smoother and more accurate AP workflows downstream.
• Carefully monitor spend to ensure all transactions are visible and properly recorded.
• Consolidate orders from across business units, departments, teams and projects. You'll save time and money and reduce your invoice processing workload.
• Designate preferred suppliers for both direct and indirect spend to reduce waste and cut costs.
• Adopt and publish a policy of PO-only purchasing. Not only will it help curtail rogue spending and fraud, but it will simplify and speed up invoice matching.
Next, embrace digital transformation tools:
• Consider switching from standard credit cards to virtual AP cards, which help reduce maverick spend and fraud while also protecting your company's financial information from exposure.
• Implement an ERP or end-to-end procure-to-pay solution. Doing so consolidates data in one place to improve visibility and performance. It also often includes technologies to automate three-way matching, which eliminates one of the biggest pain points in AP by slashing invoice approval times.
Businesses that acknowledge the need to contextualize AP automation as part of, rather than a replacement for, a more comprehensive digital transformation strategy will reap rich dividends.
They will not only have high-quality data for accurate budgets, cash management and forecasting, but they will lay the foundation for the competitive advantage, value creation and strategic insights.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
7710fad977c483496e32940b0774a745 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/02/02/how-b2b-ecosystem-integration-evolved-and-where-its-headed/ | How B2B Ecosystem Integration Evolved And Where It's Headed | How B2B Ecosystem Integration Evolved And Where It's Headed
Mahesh Rajasekharan is the President and CEO of Cleo.
getty
Every company has core revenue-producing business processes such as order-to-cash and procure-to-pay that govern how business gets done with customers, suppliers, logistics firms and financial institutions. These processes stipulate how a company receives orders, buys supplies, manages goods in its supply chain, issues invoices and receives payments.
How did the current systems to handle these processes come to be?
The Evolution Of B2B Integration For Digital Business
To facilitate interoperability, enterprises adopted a standard called Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) in the 1960s, which allowed companies to electronically exchange information based on predefined syntaxes and formats. In the 1970s, companies adopted Value Added Networks (VANs) to exchange EDI documents, and the EDI translator market spawned as a response to the growing complexity of custom-coded, homegrown applications that enabled EDI translation.
Soon, VANs began offering their services for a fee. The internet and applicability standards such as Applicability Statement 2 (AS2) further accelerated EDI adoption by drastically reducing the need for VANs. To lower costs and leverage their buying power, retailers like Walmart mandated AS2, eliminating their reliance on VANs.
MORE FOR YOUHere’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedBioNTech’s Humble Billionaire CEO On The Next Era Of mRNA VaccinesWestworld-AI Scenario To Be Banned In Europe: leaked AI Regulations Reveal Course-Correction Away From Dystopian AI Future
To stay relevant, VANs started offering integration services for then-modern standards and formats — e.g., adapters for common ERP applications and a new thing called "web services." VANs soon morphed into Integration Brokerages as more B2B integration projects, say for supply chain or cloud services integration, were outsourced. Simultaneously, EDI translator software got packaged with AS2, rudimentary process management and basic monitoring capabilities. These packages were sold as "B2B Gateways," a centralized entry-exit point for all B2B communications.
While e-commerce has existed in some form since the dawn of the internet, Amazon Marketplace irreversibly shifted the paradigm of some B2B interactions to Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) in the late 2000s. Customers and partners changed how they ordered goods and services, preferring the more real-time interactivity of APIs. This fundamentally changed the concept of a purchase order and how it should be processed. B2B Gateways and Integration Brokerages, optimized for "batch" processing, lacked the architectural and technical requirements for this new, real-time activity.
Why Integration Brokerages And B2B Gateways Aren't Enough
Widespread adoption of e-commerce ushered in cloud services like Shopify and Magento, which automate the "order capture" portion of an order-to-cash process. The so-called "Amazon Experience" has set expectations with buyers around speed, accuracy and instant responses. But it's what happens after the order is placed (i.e., order is captured, inventory is checked, accounts are debited, items are pulled, packed, and shipped, shipping notices are issued, etc.) that has caused companies to re-architect data flows and modernize their integration technology. All these new points of interaction require new points of integration.
Additionally, while digital sales channels generally require a new fulfillment process, inventory systems may stay the same. To meet these challenges, technologies such as ecosystem integration platforms — or B2B integration platforms as a service (iPaaS) — have been developed to deliver API integration capabilities along with traditional EDI and robust orchestration and management to power and govern a company's business processes. Consumed via the cloud, these "as a service" platforms represent the most viable opportunity to ensure compliance, agility and ecosystem expansion.
EDI Versus API
One prevailing misperception is that EDI and API are an "either-or" proposition, but today they are complementary because companies need both integration capabilities.
EDI-based process is a bilateral relationship where suppliers work with an implementation guide to connect to a retailer. It's optimal for maintaining and scaling existing relationships that are large or seasonal, such as grocery stores, food and beverage, consumer durables and automotive parts, all of which involve predictable, large-scale demand.
API-based processes are more unilateral — both parties have more agility. For example, a supplier can get into the Amazon platform by leveraging APIs while following clear guidelines from Amazon. The rules of engagement are clear, providing more agility to both parties. As consumers demand increasingly personalized experiences, the value of APIs is apparent.
Limitations Of Integration Brokerages Inhibits Digital Business
Integration brokerages are "one size fits all," and only make money when their existing library of processes and transformations reach economies of scale. If you depend on even the smallest amount of customization, their entire business model is thrown off. The only valid use case is when there is absolutely no differentiation on how you manage your digital relationship with your partner, which is increasingly rare.
Two fundamental flaws with Integration brokerages limit their customers’ agility and growth:
1. Outsourcing causes loss of control and visibility of core revenue-producing processes. Every inquiry, change order or support request is by phone call or email, which is cumbersome and time-consuming.
2. They provide little help supporting integrations between cloud applications and services that power e-commerce and marketplaces, ERP, TMS, WMS or other systems of record. This limits visibility and control and forces reversion to manual execution or worse — custom code and scripting.
Emergence Of Ecosystem Integration As A New Software Category
Ecosystem integration platforms choreograph B2B processes and integrations with full data orchestration and are rapidly becoming core to managing entire ecosystems and accelerating commerce. So how would business leaders know if an ecosystem integration approach is right for them, and what implementation challenges might they encounter?
The simplest telltale signs are around revenue, efficiency and relationships. If revenue velocity is impeded due to inefficient integration processes, or if there's a lack of end-to-end visibility across your supply chain — and if these shortcomings are negatively impacting business relationships — then an ecosystem integration solution could help.
As for implementing such a platform, think of it as a technology maturation process that builds on what you already have. For instance, if you use an on-premise file-based integration solution (MFT), you can steadily progress to add EDI, APIs and gain better governance and visibility, until you achieve a completely dynamic and intelligent integration solution.
Because ecosystem integration platforms leverage your already-in-place technology infrastructure investment, there's no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater just to open your business to the cloud.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
eb977be5ef484c4a8b99b8ff6906f090 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/02/02/in-2021-automation-will-accelerate-and-business-will-be-redefined/ | In 2021, Automation Will Accelerate And Business Will Be Redefined | In 2021, Automation Will Accelerate And Business Will Be Redefined
CEO and President of WorkFusion, leader in Intelligent Automation for the enterprise.
getty
As the Covid-19 crisis stretched into the summer, consulting firm McKinsey & Company surveyed nearly 900 business leaders about their digital transformation efforts. Those leaders said that the pandemic sped up the transformation of many of their internal operations by up to four years.
If this and other surveys like it (not to mention the conversations our sales teams have had throughout this pandemic) are any indications, much of that transformation has been a surge in automation, either from companies beginning programs or, more likely, expanding programs already in place.
This shift toward automation is expected to continue through 2021, and we predict several related trends:
• Companies will bring more IP and data operations back in-house because they now are able to do so more cost-effectively.
• Automation will encourage better and more personal customer relationships and interactions as employees regain bandwidth to focus more on human connections.
• Automation will redefine management — especially in operations — to focus less on success measured by team size and more on team output.
MORE FOR YOUCovid-19 Weekly Roundup: What Happened With The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?Antibody Startup Adagio Raises $336 Million To Develop A Variant-Proof Treatment For Covid-19Here’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be Diminished
• In a world that has suddenly become heavily dependent on remote workforces, companies will need to be more intentional about culture and social capital than ever.
Automation can enable in-house operations and better service.
As automation surges, we are meeting with companies motivated to pull outsourced processes and data back in-house. These businesses are focusing more on where things are being executed, and they are adopting automation to help — not only by optimizing these processes but also by reducing the risk of human error (particularly from third-party resources, which intrinsically are harder to control).
Many firms also recognize that customer expectations and needs are rapidly changing in light of new technology, and they are implementing automation initiatives aimed at improving customer engagement. More customer interactions are being supplemented with highly automated approaches instead of cumbersome manual touchpoints.
Our customers and organizations investing in similar tools are also taking advantage of automation to remove the repetitive, time-consuming tasks that steal so much of their employees' time. That's freeing them up to interact more with customers and provide personal, direct engagements — a change that would especially benefit the banking, financial services and insurance sector.
Automation is redefining management.
As automation increases, many worry that the adoption of this technology will cut jobs significantly while unemployment is already a concern. According to a report from the World Economic Forum, which draws from surveys of 300 major global companies, increases in automation would make some jobs redundant, but it could also create 97 million jobs worldwide. In fact, we're already seeing companies create or evolve new roles rather than cut valuable talent, especially in health care and banking/financial services.
Something else we've learned from customers across industries is that many business leaders and rank-and-file employees are eager to automate. They are delighted to see tedious tasks being done more efficiently, allowing them to focus on higher-value initiatives. Those who are the most hesitant have been certain middle managers, as their identity and success metrics often rely on how many people they supervise.
This means champions of automation need to help companies transform their definitions of management and success. Instead of focusing on personnel headcounts, businesses should redefine teams to include not just actual employees but also the bots these teams use. Also, middle managers need to be encouraged to focus more on overall productivity, not just team size.
Culture among remote workforce must be intentional.
Remote work is fast becoming an integral part of the "new normal" business model emerging from the pandemic, according to Gartner, Inc. This means organizations must make the time, effort and investment for it to succeed.
This goes beyond increased employee training; company culture must also evolve. As businesses proceed with more remote work staffing, their approach to company culture will have to be intentional and strategic to keep employee satisfaction and engagement high. The organic development of culture can be exceedingly difficult in a remote-first model, but dedication to its development and buy-in from leadership is a great place to start.
Speaking from personal experience, creating culture is important to us. We believe it's as important to driving business outcomes as product plans or sales strategy. When we pivoted in March 2020 to all-remote work, we recognized that — now more than ever — culture needed to stay a high priority.
For example, in order to demonstrate our commitment to our employees and help maintain our relationships companywide, we created the WorkFusion Unity Fund that provides no-strings-attached, short-term financial support for employees enduring hardship as a result of the pandemic. We also have a broader initiative that helps us create and maintain "social capital" and colleague relationships in this remote environment and going forward. Activities have included holiday-themed photo contests, online social hours, team-building games, surprise "just because" gifts and limited in-person outdoor gatherings in line with local restrictions.
Looking Ahead
Automation is changing businesses — and never more than during the tumult that was 2020. We are seeing this especially in regulated industries such as banking, financial services and insurance. Adjusting and transforming operations became a necessity, and adopting or expanding automation in reaction produces inevitable consequences. Automation is affecting the nature of work and management principles at the same time that global conditions and workforce restructuring are impacting overall company culture. These paradigms are all shifting, and automation itself is now changing alongside.
Robotic process automation (RPA) is great for removing human error from repetitive tasks. With the addition of machine learning to create intelligent automation, it becomes transformative. Processes don't just go faster; they are improved. Tasks aren't just completed more accurately; people are freed to work more creatively.
As more enterprises worldwide continue to adjust to new realities, transform their operations and liberate their teams, we expect increasingly powerful automation to stay at the forefront through 2021 and beyond.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
baed97db45ef7adc884638ef47c30cb8 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/02/03/a-business-leaders-guide-to-data-in-2021/?sh=419498856334 | A Business Leader's Guide To Data In 2021 | A Business Leader's Guide To Data In 2021
CEO of Infogix & a visionary executive with over 30 years of experience in all aspects of growing innovative software companies.
getty
Every year, data management tools evolve, data intelligence mining processes mature, and barriers to transforming enterprise data into a legitimate business asset erode.
This situation creates problems for departmental staff across the enterprise who rely upon on-demand, self-service data to improve processes, build client relationships, accelerate product innovation and develop business growth strategies.
Throughout 2020, we saw advances in integrated data technologies that augment data processes and procedures through comprehensive automation features. Still, as new technologies continue to shape our future and state-of-the-art solutions are introduced, companies won't survive if they're still hampered by ill-defined processes, business roadblocks to data and inadequate technology.
The State Of Business-Ready Data In 2020
According to a NewVantage Partners' survey (via Harvard Business Review), 53% of organizations admit that they do not treat data as a business asset. One of the most significant barriers preventing business users from leveraging enterprise data is internal priorities within different departments. For example, let's look at the constraints and challenges IT teams face.
We know IT resources are swamped as they navigate complex regulatory requirements, manage organizational data and communications, and handle companywide systems and databases. However, most business users who often don't possess the technical skills necessary to understand and prepare data for enterprise use rely on IT to locate the business data critical to their projects. When deadlines go unmet, they get caught in an endless loop of follow-up with IT and project delays — and by the time they receive the data they need, it's often too late to make a difference.
MORE FOR YOUCovid-19 Weekly Roundup: What Happened With The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?Here’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedRobotics Startup Canvas Raises $24 Million To Revitalize Construction
With IT departments more underwater than ever before, many organizations have begun fully embracing automated self-service technologies that are fast, easily accessible and reduce costs, thereby releasing IT to do what it does best.
As part of the move to self-service business-ready data, many organizations have prioritized knowledge discovery to integrate disparate systems and make it easier for business users to find and track information. One example is developing a data catalog that acts as a single source of data knowledge for an enterprise.
To establish a data catalog detailing business knowledge, organizations unite all data management efforts under an enterprise data governance framework. Data governance streamlines cross-departmental communication among all data users, including business and IT stakeholders, aligning users around the goal of extracting value from data. It gathers both business and technical knowledge distributed across diverging lines of business.
Through governance, businesses define and agree on standard business definitions and rules as well as imposable data standards across departments. Data governance also assigns data owners, stewards and users for critical data assets. Together, they track and document data lineage — the foundation of the data catalog that outlines data's origin, where it travels and how it is consumed.
Before the pandemic, many companies started their business-ready data catalog initiatives. However, some did not consider that building a data catalog and tracking lineage relies on open communication lines.
By March, when the pandemic struck, most companies were forced to adjust to new, more complicated ways of communicating. Leaders ushered workforces into remote working, removing physical proximity between data users. This transition seriously hindered enterprise communication around data, forcing many companies to delay or place their data catalog initiatives on hold.
The Pandemic Shifted Priorities In 2020
With nearly 100% of workforces telecommuting and hosting virtual meetings, organizations adapted and began adopting new technologies to enable remote communication. As a result, we saw significant usage around Zoom and Slack applications to support videoconferencing and instant messaging.
This increased usage of remote collaboration tools and communications highlighted companies' need to ensure data security and privacy and protect themselves from cyberattacks. It also underscored the importance of adopting cloud services, installing the right infrastructure and rethinking how data users quickly find the correct information.
Fast-forward to today. Organizations continue to invest in modern systems, platforms and tools while updating business and data management processes.
As we start the new year, companies are beginning to think about the next steps to take, including building a 3D view of data lineage in their data catalog to connect data to business context.
Achieving Success With Data In 2021
A data catalog with 3D lineage should guide businesses toward data success in 2021 and beyond. Having business context around data is a must to advance data-driven initiatives in remote work environments.
To design a data catalog with 3D lineage, companies must adapt their data governance framework to solve additional data challenges. While governance helps track and document standard data definitions, ensuring data quality is still a challenge. By incorporating data quality controls within a data governance framework, organizations can establish accurate, consistent and reliable data in the catalog.
Data governance and data quality are the foundation of building a data catalog with 3D data lineage, but automated tools are also critical. Businesses must look for a tool with a suite of automated data governance, data quality, data catalog and data lineage features. By deploying a comprehensive tool, organizations can establish a 3D view of lineage and strengthen data literacy — even in a remote work environment.
With 3D lineage, organizations can provide additional transparency into enterprise data. For example, 3D lineage can enable organizations to quickly track data's origins and identify and resolve the root cause of data quality issues. It can help business users understand the effect that data has on various business processes. Most importantly, 3D lineage can connect business knowledge to data assets for a business-ready data catalog.
Is your business set up with a self-service, business-ready data catalog that includes a 3D view of data lineage for data success in 2021?
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
ed662db66f107e3e0d431ab076cb9675 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/02/03/cloud-first-architecture-trends-for-sd-wan-and-sase-deployments/?sh=5efe45455f69 | Cloud-First Architecture Trends For SD-WAN And SASE Deployments | Cloud-First Architecture Trends For SD-WAN And SASE Deployments
CMO at Aryaka Networks. Advisory Board member for the Fabric, Ushur, TrueLark, various startups. Former global marketing leader at Cisco.
getty
Recently, I was asked to share some thoughts on the wide-area network (WAN), and in particular, trends on software-defined WANs (SD-WANs) and emerging concepts like secure access service edge (SASE). While this may appear like gobbledegook to some, for professionals engaged in transforming their wide-area networks, these are highly relevant topics.
I'd like to draw from conversations I've had with my company's customers and partners globally. There are a number of good data points.
Interestingly, if I were to contrast this with similar conversations from last year, the pandemic has accelerated a number of trends that were three to five years out and deferred others that we thought were imminent.
As they plan for the post-pandemic era, CIOs and even CEOs are more focused on architectures and investments that help them manage change better and increase business agility while continuing to lower costs.
Here are five things that are top of mind:
1. We see a dramatic adoption of the cloud-first WAN. Our customers and prospects continue to adopt consumption-based models focused on network and network security delivered as a service. Many enterprises are shifting away from traditional MPLS networks that are considered somewhat rigid and quite complex. "Cloud-first" doesn't imply "public cloud only" but rather architectures that emphasize ease of use, consumption-based as-a-service models that focus on the operator and user experience.
MORE FOR YOUCovid-19 Weekly Roundup: What Happened With The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?Here’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedRobotics Startup Canvas Raises $24 Million To Revitalize Construction
2. Boundaries between office and home working environments are blurring. This requires architectural flexibility to support hybrid workplaces for both on-site and remote users regardless of location or corporate application they are accessing. There is considerable focus on enhancing productivity for the "anywhere worker."
3. While enabling such a hybrid workplace environment, highly predictable application performance is critical to ensuring employee productivity and facilitating effective collaboration. End-to-end service level agreements with visibility across — and ownership of — the last mile, the midmile and cloud networks become important to deliver on that application experience. Providers with a WAN-optimized private backbone and the capability to manage these end-to-end networks from the cloud to edge are highly differentiated. The right architectures bring the predictability of application performance like traditional MPLS networks and combine it with the agility of traditional SD-WANs on the internet to deliver true cloud-first WANs.
4. All this has intertwined networks and network security. We're seeing a greater percentage of our customers engage in conversation for network, firewall and private access solutions as a converged offering. The expectation is that all this would be delivered as a service for their sites and users, regardless of on-premises or cloud applications.
5. All this is leading to an increase in complexity as enterprises bring the network, cloud, applications and network security together. CIOs don't see the do-it-yourself (DIY) model scaling well and don't want to throw people everywhere, and they're looking at operational simplicity. This is leading to the adoption of managed services worldwide. We see integrated architectures that support a fully managed SD-WAN and managed SASE as high-growth areas.
Moving away from a DIY model may not be immediately intuitive to organizations that view it as having more control of their operations. CIOs who are experiencing some limitations of the DIY model or those evaluating new solutions would do well to assess their current posture with some of the following questions to see if the managed SD-WAN or managed SASE trend would work for them:
• Is building, operating and maintaining your own network simple enough? Is there relevant expertise available?
• Is managing change easy? Is coordination required between multiple vendors to deploy or resolve an issue? Is there sufficient visibility provided?
• What is most important: lower capital expense, lower operating expense or lower total cost of ownership? While the DIY model with boxes may appear cheaper to buy, is it more expensive to operate in the long run? Is it possible to model it out for a three- to five-year period to understand the true nature of costs?
• Is it the best use of time for the talent in the organization? Can these resources be freed up to focus on higher-value tasks that drive transformation with greater responsiveness?
• Is a managed offering adding to the risk or eliminating risk? How and why?
CIOs would do well to discuss the implications with their teams, get their buy-in and make this a core component of their organizational strategy. It will help drive the cultural alignment and eliminate the fear factor among certain employees who may view this as a job threat.
The above considerations are good to bear in mind in such planning exercises.
As we look ahead, the writing on the wall is quite clear. 2021 should see a greater emphasis on cloud-first architectures as many CIOs seek to evaluate next-generation requirements in the post-pandemic era. It is time for every enterprise to do a holistic assessment of their current architecture and where they want to be five to 10 years from now and start moving in that direction accordingly.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
5d0fbc3ddf11b85ff52d7db50f030e5b | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/02/03/eight-ways-the-bay-area-can-attract-and-retain-its-fleeting-tech-talent/?sh=1a9e5d412d9f | Eight Ways The Bay Area Can Attract And Retain Its Fleeting Tech Talent | Eight Ways The Bay Area Can Attract And Retain Its Fleeting Tech Talent
In 2020, the Bay Area saw an exodus of tech talent. Professionals, VCs and entrepreneurs fled San Francisco for up-and-coming cities like Austin and Boulder. These cities offered a more affordable cost of living and plenty of opportunities, especially in today’s remote-first business world.
However, this leaves the Bay Area scrambling to keep tech talent. It’s up to the larger community to bring tech professionals back—and retain those still in the area. A panel of Forbes Technology Council members shares what is needed to do just that.
San Francisco Craig Dennis
1. More Business-Friendly Policies
Housing, business-friendly policies and curbing additional taxes on high-income individuals will help curb the attrition. For San Francisco in particular, a focus on reducing crime is also key. - Sanish Mondkar, Legion Technologies
2. Greater Consideration Of Women And Minority Candidates
The best thing we can do to attract new talent is to open the lens we use to evaluate talent. Women and minorities represent such a small portion of the tech industry. As long as we continue to look for the typical candidate, with the typical skills from a particular background, we will continue to lose the talent race. We cannot continue to do and act as we have for decades. - MK Palmore, Palo Alto Networks
3. More Affordable Housing
Housing as a core need has proven to be a barrier for most entrepreneurs and talents to move or live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Judging by the real estate pricing and traffic, I have to assume that we are near saturation. Adding to the population in the Bay Area won't help the situation. Besides, it is positive to see more tech hubs growing in the country. - Arman Eshraghi, Qrvey
MORE FOR YOU‘Call Of Duty: Warzone’: What Time Is The Destruction Of Verdansk Part 2, And Season 3?Google Earth's New Timelapse Feature Lets You See How Our Planet Has Changed In Four DecadesWhat’s Better, The New M1 MacBooks Or The Microsoft Surface?
4. Increased Diversity Of Industry
Bay Area lacks diversity in industries so it attracts only a specific type of talent. Turns out that that talent can work from anywhere and be as productive. Improving the quality of life and reducing costs so that all types of industries flourish here is important. In general, I am happy other areas are growing, as I feel the size of the pie is increasing. - Ashish Bansal, Twitch
5. Reduced Taxes
The cost of living is high compared to the quality of life. Taxes can be reduced to help people save more and have the ability to reinvest in their lives and the community. - Elnaz Sarraf, ROYBI Robot
6. Greater Economic Balance
At the risk of being branded a heretic, in my opinion, the exodus is healthy for the SFO Bay Area and the U.S. The history of U.S. business is littered with excess: Pittsburgh (rail/steel), Detroit (automobile) and now Silicon Valley (tech). As excess is unhealthy to humans, so it is to economies. Policy should strive for balance. We are still too far out of balance and have some distance to go. - Arshad Noor, StrongKey
7. Spreading Bay Area Culture Virtually
What makes Bay Area special is its ability to recognize, compensate and put competency above everything. Bay Area is not just a location; it is culture. With COVID-19, there is an opportunity to spread the culture and create the virtual Silicon Valley that goes to more locations and a diverse set of groups. I see this as an opportunity for Bay Area thinkers, disrupters and builders. - Vipin Jain, Pensando Systems
8. Getting Covid-19 Under Control
Amid the most impactful pandemic of our time, many individuals have decided to move out of Silicon Valley. The local Bay Area community can retain and attract new talent by helping to control the spread of the coronavirus. Once Covid-19 is under control, businesses will boom again; people will return to their offices and enjoy the energy and culture unique only to Silicon Valley. - Bob Fabien Zinga, Directly, Inc/U.S. Navy Reserve
|
af195f7148303e64d761b380c338127b | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/02/03/part-time-cios-can-help-with-digital-transformations/?sh=1f36e0665382 | Part-Time CIOs Can Help With Digital Transformations | Part-Time CIOs Can Help With Digital Transformations
David Moise is CEO, and sometimes developer, of Decide Consulting, an executive search and recruitng firm for IT and Software roles.
getty
2020 provided us with many business lessons. A top one is to rethink how you use technology. The companies that saw more revenue and greater market share all had technology as a central component. Larger companies with extended IT departments and the pockets to pay McKinsey consultants are rethinking how they are using technology. They are looking to monetize data or use IT to expand services.
But what can the midsized or smaller companies do? What if your IT department is only 10 people and they have full workloads? Those big-name consulting firms do not return your call unless you have a million-dollar project.
The Benefit Of Part-Time CIOs
The answer is a fractional, or part-time, CIO. The concept has been around for a while but is now becoming more common.
Here is the concept: An individual has been a chief information officer at a company for several years. They worked themselves up through the ranks, helped select enterprise software, sat in on board meetings, called out individuals who wanted to use a technology just to pad their resume instead of doing what was best for the company, and developed technology road maps for the next few years. Many of these individuals have previous experience working for the big consulting firms until they got tired of getting on airplanes every week.
MORE FOR YOUHere’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedCDC Committee Declines To Vote On Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Safety, Pause Will Extend 7 To 10 DaysWestworld-AI Scenario To Be Banned In Europe: leaked AI Regulations Reveal Course-Correction Away From Dystopian AI Future
These individuals take their experience and work for two to three companies at a time on a per-project or part-time basis. It is a win for the company because it gets the benefits of the resource without having the big full-time salary. It also does not have to write the million-dollar-minimum check to the big consulting firm that will give the company the same advice. This also works for the part-time CIO because they get to do the fun work without having to worry about politics or other company requirements unrelated to technology.
The Need For Factional CIOs
It is hard to read any McKinsey or Gartner technology article or white paper lately without seeing the phrase “digital transformation.” To many, this is an overused buzzword. But it does carry weight and sentiment. The more companies can automate data from one department to another — and subsequently, from one person to another — the more competitive they will be. On a small scale, this could be a restaurant automating a Yelp review request from a repeat customer. On a slightly larger scale, it is notifying the sales team of repeat visitors on the company website and what products and services they looked at.
Regardless of the company size, these digital transformations encompass cloud, software, code, infrastructure and a host of new tools. Most organizations' C-suites do not have the background, time or aptitude to investigate all these tools or determine which combinations are best for their organizations. New technology and tools are coming in too fast. It is difficult to cut through the sales material. This is where the fractional CIO can add value.
This is not the typical IT staffing arrangement. Many companies reach out to IT staffing companies looking for a very specific skill set to a defined project. A typical scenario is a company needing extra .NET/C# programming hands to complete a software project by a deadline.
Factional CIOs typically come in when a company does not have a defined project. It is looking to solve a problem but isn't sure how to approach it. The company hears and reads about other companies that are solving similar issues with technology, but it does not have the right people with the right experience.
When Does A Part-Time CIO Make Sense?
Companies that generate $20-$250 million in annual revenue are the ones poised to benefit the most from a part-time CIO. A CIO or CTO is typically one of the last members to join an executive team. Many companies elevate someone to the title of CIO or CTO, but that individual is often "overtitled." Any company that has experienced growth but has not asked, "How can technology make us better?" is primed to benefit from a fractional CIO. But it is not just asking, "How can technology make us better" once. Smart companies ask that about every department and process. If you have grown and not addressed your technology, your company is missing out on extra revenue.
How To Find A Part-Time CIO
Fortunately for those small and midsized businesses, there are more CIO/CTOs looking for clients than a year ago. When companies were looking to cut costs in 2020, many IT managers, directors and CIOs were released. It was a common strategy to keep the hands-on technical people and release the higher-paid executive. Many of these individuals set up their own corporations and rely on their personal networks to find gigs. The savvier executives banded together to market themselves as a group.
If your company has a specific project, find an individual who can discuss the decision process for your industry. If you are less specific about a project and looking to develop a technology road map, look for a former CIO who can describe how they developed technology plans for their past employers. Regardless, you will see a bigger ROI than bringing in the big consulting company.
2021 will be a good year to work with or be a fractional CIO. More companies need to rethink, or begin to think about, their IT strategy. IT must be more than just providing them with a laptop, CRM and email. Companies both large and small can obtain a competitive edge by looking at their data and operations, then asking what tech enables them to do this better? The fractional CIO has been answering that question for years already.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
840d2aeb3cef988d26662f1df7994702 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/02/04/13-cutting-edge-technologies-that-may-soon-be-making-a-big-impact/ | 13 Cutting-Edge Technologies That May Soon Be Making A Big Impact | 13 Cutting-Edge Technologies That May Soon Be Making A Big Impact
getty
Today, technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality have been integrated into many everyday business processes and consumer devices. However, it wasn’t so long ago that these innovations were considered to be “out there” and not really applicable to most industries or people’s lives.
Nearly every technological advancement goes through a period of skepticism, and it’s easy to forget that some of today’s cutting-edge, “out-there” developments could be tomorrow’s business and lifestyle staples. Below, 13 members of Forbes Technology Council share some of the latest tech innovations they see dominating headlines in the near future.
1. Homomorphic Encryption
Homomorphic encryption is an emerging technology that opens up possibilities that most people would view as unachievable. It can allow two parties to collaborate and compute something without revealing the secret data. This could open up countless opportunities that today are impossible or restricted. - Hayim Shaul, DiviNetworks
2. 3D Multi-Sensor Transmitters
The arrival of 3D multi-sensor transmitters will change all sensory experiences. When they’re combined with virtual reality, we will be able to synthesize the look and feel of any item. A sofa will look and feel like real leather, with the sensory experience being generated by a 3D multi-sensor transmitter. The transmitter will also be able to change the sofa to look and feel like leather, velvet, wool and so on. The environmental impact will be huge and allow us to reduce our footprint. - Zohar Gilad, Fast Simon Inc
3. Robotics
Robotics is going to become mainstream. While there has been a lot of hype around robotics for some time, several hardware and software technologies are only now becoming mature enough. Agriculture is one of the first industries that will benefit from it. - Raviv Itzhaky, Prospera Technologies
MORE FOR YOUSidewalk Labs Spinout Replica Raises $41 Million Series BPatients Can’t Be Charged Fees For A Covid-19 Vaccine — Here’s What To Do If You Got Billed For ItAntibody Startup Adagio Raises $336 Million To Develop A Variant-Proof Treatment For Covid-19
4. IoT, 5G And Edge Computing
Most industries have yet to monetize the much-hyped technologies of the Internet of Things, 5G and edge computing because they bought them without laying the right infrastructure and data-management groundwork. The depth of insights you can get from connected/smart devices is relatively untapped. The value of combining IoT, 5G and edge computing will surprise people. - Sanjay Brahmawar, Software AG
5. At-Home Digital Diagnostics
An area that’s ripe for innovation is at-home digital diagnostics. Telehealth plays a critical role in expanding and democratizing care for all Americans while lowering the costs burdening our healthcare system. Expect to see a flurry of innovation and activity in the future that improves the real-time diagnostic capabilities of virtual healthcare, further reducing dependence on in-person visits. - Chris Paquette, DeepIntent
6. Conversational AI
It’s only a matter of time before Google or Amazon releases a version of their software that will be easily able to sustain a conversation with humans. And that’s when we are going to see massive adoption. While casually chatting with Alexa we will be able to perform tasks ranging from following basic food recipes to planning our next vacation. - Bobir Akilkhanov, Missed.com
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
7. Augmented Reality
Augmented reality has made a lot of progress over the last few years and may finally be ready for widespread adoption. In a warehouse fulfillment scenario, an AR display could easily guide employees to the location of products, ensure the correct items have been selected and even help efficiently pack the items for delivery. - Saryu Nayyar, Gurucul
8. Rapid Virus Testing
With Covid-19, testing and contact tracing firmly entered the public mind, but the technologies and processes remain basic and inefficient. I expect to see rapid virus testing tools move into homes — perhaps as a small device that talks to your smartphone. Combining easier, more frequent testing with location-based contact-tracing apps will dramatically improve society’s response to and management of a pandemic. - Jeff MacMillan, StorMagic
9. Quantum Computing
In the last couple of years, quantum computing has matured from being in the realm of near science fiction to becoming a field of substantial commercial and strategic national investment. Within five to 10 years, large-scale gate-based quantum computers will make groundbreaking contributions in areas such as materials science, cybersecurity and medicine. - Paul Lipman, BullGuard
10. Passwordless Authentication
The computer password was created in 1960 and is still at the forefront of authentication. It is also the leading cause of data breaches. Soon the password as we know it will cease to exist, and we’ll see widespread adoption of passwordless authentication. This is a big step toward catching authentication up with the technology that we know today. - Arshad Noor, StrongKey
11. AR/VR In Real Estate And Construction
The use of artificial reality and virtual reality in the real estate and construction sectors will be a game-changer. Before you invest in fit-outs or construction, you can preview the changes with this technology and avoid incurring costs after changes are made. Gone will be the days of 3D and CAD. - Bhavna Juneja, Infinity, a Stamford Technology Company
12. Always-On Connectivity
True always-on connectivity, enabled by either 5G or better Wi-Fi, is on the horizon. It will be always on like oxygen is always on—there will be no handover issues and it will work in elevators, basements, tunnels, hallways and all the remote corners of the logistic center. - Tsvi Lev, NEC Corporation
13. Nanotechnology
The recent pandemic has thrown a spotlight on “crazy” medical technologies such as messenger RNA, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Nanotechnology used to be the stuff of science fiction, but we’re seeing growing examples of its use, such as food packaging that can detect the presence of pathogens including salmonella. That’s going to be huge in the near future. - Ahmer Inam, Pactera EDGE
|
61329a258e53d8bd45bd9541d28b55c9 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/02/05/a-single-data-breach-can-ruin-a-business-and-ceos-cant-ignore-their-responsibilities/?sh=756c57bd6970 | A Single Data Breach Can Ruin A Business, And CEOs Can't Ignore Their Responsibilities | A Single Data Breach Can Ruin A Business, And CEOs Can't Ignore Their Responsibilities
Entrepreneur and leader in B2B solutions in both U.S. and Europe; Founder and CEO of Aparavi Software Corp. in Santa Monica, California USA.
getty
Data breaches most often occur due to human error and data mismanagement. Can you blame IT? No, because many CEOs haven't taken data threats seriously enough to set the standards.
Turning a blind eye to intelligent data management should end in 2021.
Firms are regularly required to handle endless amounts of data and manually classify sensitive or private data for compliance purposes. More concerning with remote work is how easily data can be replicated and stored on an employee's desktop computer and cellphone, putting the company at extreme risk of breaches, loss of intellectual property and massive regulatory fines.
Without more sophisticated data management software using data intelligence and automation, managers don't have the tools to know where data is and what has been copied and stored locally. To compliance experts, you're leaving the company's entire data compliance policies up to each individual employee — a disaster in the making.
CEOs Must Ask IT These Three Questions
1. Does your organization know the unstructured vs. structured data volume and how it is distributed on systems?
MORE FOR YOUWhy You Should Stop Using Your Facebook Messenger AppWhy You Should Never Use Google Chrome On Your iPhone, iPad Or MacThe Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine Is Less Effective Against The South African And UK Variants Than Against The Original Virus, According To A New “Real-World” Study From Israel
2. How much data is dark or redundant, outdated and trivial (ROT) data?
3. How much would the IT spending decrease if primary data could be reduced by 30%?
A CEO's plausible deniability doesn't count for laws and agencies enforcing data compliance. Existing laws allow regulators to make companies liable for breaches, often costing millions of dollars. Morgan Stanley was recently fined $60 million by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for failure to secure customer data after decommissioning two data centers. IT did not handle it well, and C-level executives were not guiding and controlling.
Data security laws and enforcement is expected to increase in the U.S. with the passage of the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), and much more is to come all over the world. Here are a few tips on how companies can get their data act together:
1. Know what data you have. Conduct a data deep-dive. Learn what data your company is storing, who has access and whether it is secure.
2. Make a plan. Create internal workflows to check where data might be replicated outside the company's secure data storage infrastructure and create data policies to prevent future risk.
3. Reduce your data footprint, increase visibility and reduce data risk. Knowing exactly what data you have and where it's stored allows data managers to delete — yes, delete — redundant, obsolete and trivial data. With less overall data, companies have more control over access and limit the risk of breaches and leaks, reducing compliance headaches.
The Takeaway
C-level executives must stop delegating the problem and ignoring the facts: Governments on the local and federal level are in debt, following data privacy regulations could soon become a key source of income, and the internet gives access to everything. For example, the recent SolarWinds hack exposed hundreds of firms to major damage. Orchestrated security layers and solutions from data intelligent software and service vendors can allow you to elevate your protection shield.
I believe data intelligence and automation must become a key component of business planning. Not IT planning — business planning.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
05232df98f02f85e01bb822ea1895939 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/02/05/how-quantum-computers-could-cut-millions-of-miles-from-supply-chains-and-transform-logistics/ | How Quantum Computers Could Cut Millions Of Miles From Supply Chains And Transform Logistics | How Quantum Computers Could Cut Millions Of Miles From Supply Chains And Transform Logistics
Christopher Savoie, Ph.D., is the CEO and founder of Zapata Computing. He is a published scholar in medicine, biochemistry and computer science.
getty
UPS drivers almost never turn left. For decades, this was intuitively understood by drivers. Left turns mean more idling, longer travel times and greater fuel consumption. However, operations based on intuition are not inherently reliable. For this reason, beginning in 2012, UPS began relying on On-Road Integrated Optimization and Navigation (ORION), its route optimization algorithm. ORION provided a mathematical justification for what drivers had already guessed. Today, by building efficient, right-turn loops, ORION reduces fuel consumption by over 10 million gallons, carbon emissions by 100,000 metric tons and avoidable costs by $300 million to $400 million each year.
With ORION, UPS was trying to solve a riddle that has vexed scientists for over 200 years — namely, the traveling salesman problem.
The challenge posed by the traveling salesman problem boils down to quickly determining the most efficient route connecting a large set of geographic destinations. As you add destinations, the number of possible routes increases faster than exponentially. With just 16 stops, there are already over 20 trillion possible routes to connect them all. With so many options, figuring out which route is best becomes intractable even for the most powerful supercomputers.
ORION doesn't exactly solve the traveling salesman problem, but it does use machine learning (ML) trained on years of data to identify routes that are efficient enough to save money. Over time, as it learns, the routes that the algorithm devises become more and more efficient.
MORE FOR YOUCovid-19 Weekly Roundup: What Happened With The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?Here’s What Scientists Know About Covid-19 Vaccine Blood Clots, And How The Risks Can Be DiminishedRobotics Startup Canvas Raises $24 Million To Revitalize Construction
But what if you don't have years of route data? What if you want to design efficient distribution routes quickly from scratch? What if you wanted to optimize distribution for factors in addition to route lengths such as fuel costs, modes of transportation or real-time inventory needs?
ML tools like ORION and other heuristic algorithms are a great place to start, but they aren't enough. With complicated scenarios where the goal is to optimize for multiple variables, no classical computing algorithm could possibly uncover the most optimal routes quickly enough. However, algorithms running on quantum computers could.
The key to quantum's power here is the qubit, analogous to a bit in classical computers. Unlike bits, which can either be one or zero, qubits can be one, zero or a linear combination of both at the same time, leveraging a quantum behavior known as superposition. Multiple qubits can also be entangled, meaning their states become linked together. Superposition, entanglement and another quantum effect called interference allow quantum computers to rapidly explore a vast set of possibilities exponentially faster than classical computers.
Given their unique capabilities, quantum computers are poised to optimize supply chains involving a wide range of intersecting variables. This could transform the distribution of everything from life-saving drugs and critical resources to electronics, food and basic consumer goods.
The more data these systems have access to, the more effective they become. One can imagine a future where quantum optimization algorithms work with live IoT data from vehicles, roadways and inventory endpoints. This data would enable quantum algorithms to adjust routes in real time based on real-world conditions. The overall synergy could help logistics companies save money by continuously optimizing routes based on inventory stock-outs, vehicle performance, traffic patterns, weather conditions and more.
By quickly adapting to changing circumstances, quantum-powered supply chain optimization algorithms could mitigate costly downtime in the wake of natural disasters, political conflicts and other challenges. Indeed, in the future, quantum computers can help to quickly address and overcome supply chain disruptions such as those introduced by our current pandemic.
As an added benefit, quantum-optimized supply chains should also reduce the carbon footprint for entire industries, a universally recognized goal. Transportation accounts for 28% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Optimizing routes by just 5% for U.S. freight trucks alone would reduce carbon emission by roughly 22 million tons each year.
An Important Caveat
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, while companies today are working with currently available quantum devices to begin addressing these issues, quantum has not yet reached its full potential. Nevertheless, that day is coming. This means that those organizations already experimenting with applications of quantum computing should be the first to benefit from the ongoing advances in the field.
In other words, companies that start using quantum software now should reap the rewards as the hardware inevitably matures. For example, Volkswagen has already deployed quantum algorithms to optimize taxi routes in Beijing. It's not alone. My company is working with Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Inc. to help it explore and test how quantum can better optimize its deliveries servicing approximately 700,000 vending machines. Frankly, once quantum computing takes off, I believe it will be hard for the bystanders to catch up.
What can a forward-thinking organization do given the current state of the technology? Making the most of this technology is a good place to start. For example, although today's quantum devices are still "noisy" (meaning the qubit behavior is not totally controllable), error correction algorithms have emerged that can account for this noise. We also see the steady evolution of quantum hardware becoming more fault-tolerant, and existing technology is slowly becoming more widely available — though there's progress to be made here as well. For example, we partnered with Honeywell on its quantum computer, and it's already fully booked for months.
Finally, we have seen the emergence of software development and workflow management tools that allow companies to develop quantum algorithms independent of the specific constraints of particular hardware architectures. The beauty of these tools is that by abstracting from the hardware itself, they can make existing quantum software compatible with devices that will become available in the future.
The challenges that we face with regard to supply chains and logistics will only become more complicated. The good news is that quantum computing can provide a means for mastering this complexity. The better news is that given the ongoing evolution of the technology itself, we can begin addressing these challenges today.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.