Amazon’s tech products, including Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Fire TV, and Amazon Tap are powered by cloud-based AI called Alexa and this AI powers Amazon’s voice search capabilities. For the far-field Alexa-powered devices like Amazon Echo or the Echo Dot, users activate them by saying the wake word. For other devices like your Fire TV or Tap, users activate by …
Converge Tech and Business Review: June 3, 2017
There’s much afoot in the world of technology affecting business this week—from Mary Meeker’s always highly-anticipated Internet Trends Report, to Intel’s Mobileye billion-dollar investment. There’s Google’s continued push to beef up security against phishing and ransomware, as well as the interesting challenges that Simple Contact is experiencing in 16 states. Let’s dive in. Intel CEO explains why he spent $15 …
Fifty Percent of Businesses Report Ransomware Attacks in Past Year
In 2016, ransomware was one of the most successful forms of cybercrime. And in 2017, that continues to be the case. Ransomware has affected a reported half of all businesses in the last year, with many having been hit more than three times already. That sobering statistic comes from the Global Ransomware Study 2016 from Sentinel One, which suggests a …
The Risks of Playing Fast and Loose with Security Compliance
Data is a lot like currency in business today, and you wouldn’t leave wads of cash lying around, right? This about this: Do you collect data efficiently? How do you appropriate it wisely? How do you use it to improve or validate your business case decisions? How do you store it? Who has access? All good questions, but we’re going …
Six Ways Leaders Can Build a Culture of Innovation
What makes an enterprise organization successful? Is it a phenomenal understanding of the market? A visionary growth strategy? A value-driven customer focus? A strategy that enables digital transformation, both from a tech standpoint and a culture standpoint? Yes, yes, and yes. So many yesses. But there’s something else, something that would fall into the “all of the above” category: Winning …
How Real Time Stream Processing Changes Everything About Big Data
Technology is constantly evolving. Big Data, for example, went from buzzword to business staple a long time ago, exploding and offering actionable insights on how businesses approach everything from HR to marketing analytics. Today, instead of just using data in retrospective reports or to project future trends, companies are using it to harness that insight in the now. It’s called …
Technology and Business Review: May 6, 2017
There’s much happening, as always, in the worlds of tech and business, this week. From the clever Google Docs phishing scam, to smartwatches getting renewed interest from consumers, to the launch of Echo Look from Amazon, and the journey of early adopters of the Internet of Things. Let’s dive in. What’s So Dastardly Clever About the Google Docs Phishing Scam. …
Why a VPN Might Not Be the Answer to Your Privacy Concerns
Consumer privacy in the age of digital-everything and big data has always been a hot topic. Lately, though, it’s on fire thanks to recent legislation passed by Congress. As a result, privacy concerns have spiked. To those worried about privacy, some in the industry are suggesting a move to virtual private networks (VPNs) might be the answer. It’s not. Let’s …
Collaboration in the Workplace: Best Practices for 2017
Collaboration is essential in today’s global marketplace, for businesses of all sizes. Mastering the art of collaboration using technology not only provides fantastic opportunities for innovation and creative problem solving within an organization, it also serves up a competitive business advantage in terms of what highly productive teams are able to accomplish. If you’re one of the many companies exploring …
The State of Manufacturing
From the early days of steam power, through the growth of automated production lines powered by electricity, and right up to the use of computer technology and robotics, manufacturing has been at the vanguard of innovation and technological development. It’s not just an historical phenomenon though. It’s an evolution that continues—with innovative manufacturers now building on cloud technologies to connect …