By Kevin Chin, CEO and Founder of VivoPower

The climate crisis is arguably the most pressing issue of our time, the urgency of which has only been strengthened by a global pandemic that has laid bare how vulnerable we are in the face of global threats. A study by Climate Dynamics suggests that the threshold for dangerous global warming will likely be crossed between 2027 and 2042, so it is clear we must be doing everything we can to ensure decarbonisation is occurring – not only in our homes but on a corporate scale, too.

VivoPower is pioneering Cleantech for corporate decarbonisation
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To this effect, governments around the world have been announcing policies with ambitious decarbonisation goals. Take, for example, Boris Johnson’s announcement of a ’10 point’ net zero plan to prompt net-zero emissions by 2050 in the United Kingdom, driven by a £12bn initial investment. This is all well and good, but more must be done to avoid global climate change reaching a point of no return and I believe that the onus is on businesses to fully commit to decarbonisation.

Corporate cleantech is the answer, but how can leaders and CEOs implement this profitably and minimise disruption to their businesses? What does a corporate decarbonisation strategy look like across different industries?

The role of CEOs in driving corporate decarbonisation

Clearly, it is vital that CEOs and board members all buy into decarbonisation to ensure that companies are run with sustainability in mind, but also to drive efforts to reach net zero emissions globally.

Indeed, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) is at the top of the agenda for CEOs. A recent outlook study by KPMG among CEOs found that besides talent risk, ESG tops the list of CEO concerns amid the COVID-19 crisis. While many may have thought that the pandemic would have toppled ESG and decarbonisation from the priority list, as businesses clamour to survive the economic threat posed, this has not been the case.

While climate change remains top of mind, it is vital that CEOs and leaders in business continue to not only drive and strengthen their ESG credentials but also to encourage a business environment that focuses on reducing carbon footprint and greenhouse gases. The same study by KPMG also found that 71 percent of CEOs say they want to lock in climate change gains that have been realised during the pandemic – a trend we hope continues as we begin to emerge from the global crisis.

Environmental, Social, and Governance is top of the agenda for CEOs
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Kevin Chin is the CEO and Founder of cleantech company VivoPower

Cleantech matures

Today, Cleantech has developed to such an extent that fossil fuels can be replaced for a huge number of corporate uses cases in a way that actually saves money as well. Solar power currently makes up around 2% of total energy production in the US – but we expect that to rise as the cost per watt continues to fall. In the early 2000s, the average US solar system cost was $10/watt – today, the price hovers around the $2-3$ mark. Similar price falls in wind and hydroelectricity present an ever-weakening argument for the renewed usage of carbon-based power. Indeed, companies are now able to access purpose-built solar power and battery storage systems, as well as microgrids, to reduce costs and emissions – all managed to maximum efficiency through the collection and analysis of various usage and demand data.

Solar power makes up around 2% of energy production in the US
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One example of this is Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur, recently named the Premier League’s greenest Club. It partnered with VivoPower earlier this year to provide the club with a range of Cleantech solutions. VivoPower will supply a large, solid state battery with capacity of more than 3 MW at the stadium to balance and guarantee the venue’s power supply. A full-suite solution – including rooftop solar panels, battery storage, custom microgrid controls and electrical infrastructure – will also be designed for the club’s training centre.

Yet decarbonisation strategies can be applied across a whole host of industries – even traditionally ‘hard-to-decarbonise’ ones such as mining. Tembo, a specialist battery-electric and off-road vehicle company that focuses on designing and building ruggedized light electric vehicle solutions has made it possible for mining firms to reduce their footprint without hurting their operational capabilities. In December 2020, VivoPower announced a US$250 million distribution deal to distribute Tembo’s all-electric utility conversion kits in Australia, the biggest known conversion kit deal to date. The firm also recently announced a proposed $120m distribution deal with Tembo and Acces Industriel Mining Inc. in Canada, as well as a deal to become Toyota Australia’s exclusive partner for Landcruiser electrification.

Tottenham Hotspur was named the Premier League's greenest Club
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The electrified vehicles provide firms with an economically viable proposition to the petrol or diesel alternative. Mining is an industry that has come under intense scrutiny from an ESG point of view, and whilst merely electric vehicles will not prompt complete carbon neutrality, they highlight a position from which companies can make environmental progress in an industry that contributes between 4-7% to greenhouse gas emissions globally.

Such examples across the mining and football industries show how decarbonisation goals are logistically and economically feasible for businesses across a range of sizes.

Cleantech as catalyst for corporate decarbonisation

While VivoPower is pioneering Cleantech for corporate decarbonisation, the sector will have to sustain rapid growth in order to keep up with demand as more CEOs look to make decarbonisation a priority. Indeed, this will be pushed further by investor interest in ESG compliant companies. Four in five companies plan to introduce ESG measures, according to a global Willis Towers Watson report, and one could infer that this is partly driven by the desire not to be left behind by a global investor shift towards ESG funds, which more than doubled over 2020 – capturing $51.1 billion of net new money from investors.

The climate crisis is arguably the most pressing issue of our time
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With the pandemic helping accelerate the trend towards corporate decarbonisation, I expect that CEOs and leaders in business will continue to push the ESG agenda forward. However, it is critical that business leaders – from top to bottom – prioritise ESG and sustainability to help meet net-zero carbon emission targets.

The post Cleantech Coming of Age appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Jory Schwach, CEO of Andium

It doesn’t take much to see that some of our country’s infrastructure is nearing a crisis point. Although there are a few enterprises exploring new ways to modernize their infrastructure, many remain in the past, possessing infrastructure that dates as far back as the 1950’s. With solutions in place that are almost a century old, the US’ framework is due for a much-needed renovation, and IIoT can be the driving force that rescues the US’ aging infrastructure.

With the US’ outdated infrastructure, sustainability is hard, but with an IIoT ecosystem in place, it becomes much more feasible
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What is IIoT? Well, if you’re familiar with products like the Google Home Voice controller, then you’ve experienced IoT, the Internet of Things. IoT is the interconnection of everyday objects via the Internet. These objects can be anything with a function, from something as complex as an automobile, to a much simpler object such as a bicycle. When computing devices are embedded onto these objects, it enables them to send and receive data, making them “smart” objects that can function on their own. When interconnectivity of physical objects is used for manufacturing and supply chain management instead of products made specifically for everyday consumers, it is referred to as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). So how can this methodology change US infrastructure?

IIoT can be the driving force that rescues the US’ aging infrastructure
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It’s called sustainability. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has developed to the point that it allows enterprises to operate in more sustainable ways. This is made possible due to the data users will have access to when industrial infrastructure is interconnected via the internet. Users can receive data points from any piece of equipment, no matter how archaic, and also receive data points from any other events occurring on site. When an enterprise adopts an IIoT ecosystem, they can make their operations many more times efficient since they are viewing data they have never had access to, recording patterns they wouldn’t have noticed in the past, and building an index of information that leads up to predictive maintenance – stopping problems before they start.

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has developed to the point that it allows enterprises to operate in more sustainable ways
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One example of an industry’s infrastructure that is being revolutionized by the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is the oil and gas industry. Andium, is an IIoT ecosystem that combines hardware and software solutions to maximize the efficiencies of an enterprises’ operations, making sustainability much more feasible. When commoditized hardware is integrated with low-touch infrastructure, internet connectivity with a software platform can provide industrial companies with the visibility and tools they need to remotely manage sites more sustainably.

With the use of smart thermal sensing devices, enterprises in the oil and gas industry can manage oil and water levels across all of their wellsites without ever touching a single tank. Traditionally, oil and gas companies would rely on manual tank gauging, a process that requires a field operator to manually measure the liquid contents within each tank. Not only is this method time consuming and laborious, but it can also be dangerous. Oil and gas enterprises can also possess several hundreds of wellsites, with each site having nearly a dozen oil tanks, making it easy to see why traditional solutions are in need of change. The use of smart thermal sensing devices that can measure the fluids of multiple tanks simultaneously in real-time cuts operating costs tremendously and saves companies millions of dollars across their supply chain. This is just one example of how IIoT can revolutionize the US’ aging infrastructure, and can be applied to any industry that relies on fluid management.

In addition to smart thermal sensing devices, smart optical sensing devices can monitor sites in real-time for accidents, fires, unauthorized personnel or unintended emissions. Other types of low-cost sensors can identify everything from equipment at risk of failing, to site anomalies, without ever needlessly sending a person onsite and exposing them to unanticipated risks. This data can then be brought into predictive analytics, allowing a control system to learn to optimize its own processes – preventing problems before they start.

Users can receive data points from any piece of equipment, no matter how archaic
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The insights gained from an Industrial Internet of things (IIoT) ecosystem can completely change the financial trajectory of an enterprise. The recorded data is an index of information a user can use to not only discover inefficiencies and predict when accidents may occur, but also identify opportunities within their own operations. Without having an IIoT system in place is like a person using the Internet, but without search engines to aid them.

Smart optical sensing devices can monitor sites in real-time for accidents, fires, unauthorized personnel or unintended emissions
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The user would only be able to access very specific information by knowing a website’s URL address which is limiting. There would be no searching, since there is nothing that is indexed. The same is true for today’s Industrial Infrastructure. Right now, most enterprises are limited to the details that take place within their operations because they don’t have enough data to detect issues before they arise or witness them in real-time. With an IIoT system in place, on-site event data is indexed like a search engine, and can be used to maximize efficiency, making enterprises operate in more sustainable ways. With the US’ outdated infrastructure, sustainability is hard, but with an IIoT ecosystem in place, sustainability is much more feasible.

The insights gained from an Industrial Internet of things (IIoT) ecosystem can completely change the financial trajectory of an enterprise
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About the Author: Jory Schwach, CEO, Andium.com

Jory brings over a decade of experience in entrepreneurship, flow theory, and security technology. Founder & Former CEO of GlobalRim, a solar GPS company, and MeshMe, an offline communication platform. Published academic and expert in applied machine vision & network optimization technologies.

The post Expert View: Rescuing U.S. Infrastructure appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Dawn Richcreek VP Marketing at Condusiv Technologies

Businesses depend on fast data. Fast data requires systems that are tuned and optimized for speed. Even new, “modern”, and expensive systems will slow if not set-up to dynamically accelerate data for maximum performance.

Causes of Data and Throughput Slows

There are 2 severe I/O inefficiencies that cause performance and reliability problems, robbing 30-40% of your throughput. First, is the windows file system tends to break up writes into separate storage I/Os which causes I/O characteristics that are much smaller, more fractured, and more random than they need to be. Second is storage I/O contention, also known as the I/O Blender Effect, which happens when you have multiple systems all sharing the same storage resource. Performance is penalized twice by these storage I/O inefficiencies causing systems to process workloads about 50% slower than they should.

DymaxIO Fast Data Software

DymaxIO is fast data software. It is the most cost-effective, easy, and indispensable solution for increased throughput and accelerated I/O performance, so systems and applications run at peak speed. DymaxIO utilizes AI (artificial intelligence) to detect and deploy the appropriate performance enhancement technologies for the exact individual system so organizations can boost performance without overspending on hardware.

DymaxIO eliminates the two big I/O inefficiencies in Windows environments that generate a minimum of 30-40% of noisy I/O traffic causing performance and reliability problems. By installing DymaxIO organizations can expect an immediate performance boost in virtualized environments, MS-SQL workloads, Oracle on Windows, ERP, VDI, EHR (MEDITECH), Business Intelligence (BI) apps, CRM, Exchange, SharePoint, file servers, backup, and more.

Condusiv Technologies guarantees that you will get better than new performance from systems using DymaxIO.

Even Faster Than New

DymaxIO further accelerates data for maximum I/O performance with its patented IntelliMemory® a DRAM read caching engine that establishes a tier-0 cache strategy to serve hot reads from idle, available DRAM that is otherwise unused. This engine operates automatically and dynamically in the background, which means no tuning is required. Nothing has to be allocated for cache since DymaxIO dynamically adjusts moment-by-moment to only what is otherwise unused, so there is never an issue of memory contention. Systems commonly serve 50% of their read traffic from DRAM with just 4GB of available memory. If a system is memory constrained at any moment then DymaxIO’s caching engine backs off entirely. Condusiv guarantees that you will get better than new performance from systems using DymaxIO.

Don’t Overspend on Hardware

“I developed Diskeeper 34 years ago because SysAdmins were spending their weekends doing ‘backup-and-restore’ to fix performance problems due to fragmentation,” said Craig Jensen Condusiv CEO. “We have come a long way since then. We have the best engineers on the planet who have consistently evolved and improved our software from automatic defrag on spinning disks to fragmentation prevention, to multiple, patented technologies to optimize performance in virtual environments, on all-flash, and in the cloud. New DymaxIO automatically detects the type of hardware on which it is installed and deploys the appropriate performance enhancement technologies for that exact individual system so organizations can boost performance without overspending on hardware.

SSDs, all-flash, hyper-converged, and cloud platforms

DymaxIO dynamically accelerates data for maximum I/O performance, no matter the underlying storage. By solving I/O inefficiencies at the source, DymaxIO improves application performance, increases throughput 30-40%, reduces latency, increases VDI capacity, reduces timeouts and crashes, shortens backups, improves data transfer rates and extends hardware lifecycles – on disks, SSDs, all-flash, hyper-converged, and cloud platforms.

“By making sure that DymaxIO will adapt to your specific workload and having studied what kinds of I/Os amplify the I/O Blender Effect, we were able to add intelligence to specifically go after those I/Os,” said Rick Cadruvi Condusiv Chief Architect. “We take a global view. We aren’t limited to a specific application or workload.  While we do have technologies that shine under certain workloads, such as transactional SQL applications, our goal is to optimize the entire network of systems. That’s the only way to overcome the I/O Blender Effect.”

DymaxIO Key Features

Condusiv Technologies makes software designed for virtual, cloud, and physical server environments that renders Windows servers faster and more reliable. The newly released DymaxIO – available on annual subscription SaaS model – provides an easy and cost-effective solution for fast data, increased throughput, and accelerated I/O performance so systems and applications run at peak performance for as long as possible.

• New AI Intelligent Detection and Adaption: Diskeeper, SSDkeeper, and V-locity have been combined into a single product that intelligently detects and adapts to its operating environment using artificial intelligence.
• New Condusiv Management Console: the new management console will manage all Condusiv software.
• IntelliWrite^® patented write optimization technology: automatically prevents excessively small, fractured, random writes and reads that harms performance due to the severe inefficiency in the native hand-off of data between the Windows OS and underlying storage.
• IntelliMemory^® patented read I/O optimization technology: intelligently caches hot read requests from server memory that is otherwise idle and unused.
• InvisiTasking^® patented intelligent scheduling technology: allows all the DymaxIO “background” operations within the server to run with zero resource impact on current production by only leveraging idle CPU cycles and memory.
• Benefits Dashboard: The “time saved” dashboard demonstrates the value by showing the amount of I/O traffic offloaded from storage, the percentage of read and write I/O traffic offloaded, and the resulting time saved to any one system or group of systems.

For more info, visit Condusiv.com/dymaxio

The post Fast Data Software Upending Windows Performance appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Irena Cronin and Robert Scoble

The Infinite Retina comprehensively documents everything you need to know about Spatial Computing and where it’s heading
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Spatial Computing, the fourth paradigm of personal computing, sounds like science fiction but isn’t. Unlike previous paradigms of computing, like working on a laptop or a mobile phone, Spatial Computing allows you to move around inside computing. You will be able to talk to new virtual beings who will know more about your world than any single human does and you will literally talk to and touch the computing that will be all around you, either within complete virtual environments or within new forms of augmented reality. R&D labs are already showing us that it will go beyond that, with sensors that will interact with your brain directly – not needing optics or keyboards. But for now, that’s five to 20 years further out.

In this article, we will explore the fundamentals and scope of Spatial Computing and how The Infinite Retina by Irena Cronin and Robert Scoble provides an insightful look at the future of augmented reality and Spatial Computing.

Spatial Computing, the fourth paradigm of personal computing, sounds like science fiction but isn’t
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Components and Scope of Spatial Computing

Spatial Computing includes all the software and technology needed to move around in a digital 3D world. That is software and technology associated with AI, including machine learning and natural language processing, Computer Vision, augmented reality, virtual reality, and all other apps that support the creation and the maintenance of a digital 3D world. We see great strides that will be made in how Spatial Computing is being used across many industry verticals, including Transportation, Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT), Manufacturing, Retail, Healthcare, Finance, and Education. There are chapters in The Infinite Retina that detail our vision of where each of these industries will be when the Spatial Computing wave hits.

The current state of Spatial Computing and Augmented Reality

The holy grail of Spatial Computing is a pair of very light glasses, or contact lenses, that let computers completely change how we perceive the real world via next-generation augmented and virtual reality that some call “mixed reality.” While we have early devices that give us a taste, like Microsoft HoloLens, these big and expensive devices haven’t yet made their way onto consumers’ faces. That will change over the next few years as these devices become much smaller and more capable due to new 3D sensors, new Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision, and new hyper-small displays. The HoloLens is already changing industries, and the book describes how this new technology is being used in places like operating rooms and factories. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. We’ll see many more uses for this technology as the devices get smaller and become more capable. In other words, we are literally at the beginning of a new age in computing, the Spatial Computing Age. By the end of the 2030s, how we compute will be radically different than it is today and, we posit, much more enjoyable and more productive, to boot.

We see great strides that will be made in how Spatial Computing is being used across many industry verticals
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The inclination of big firms like Tesla, Apple, and Facebook towards Spatial Computing

Spatial Computing is a new paradigm of computing where humans, robots, and virtual beings move through computing. Companies like Tesla, Apple, and Facebook are investing heavily in it because of its capability to completely change how we access, organize, and use information. Instead of seeing computing on flat screens on laptops or phones, computing will literally be on everything and will be controllable with our hands, eyes, and voice. In addition, robots and autonomous vehicles will use Spatial Computing to move around and assist humans, which will lead to very deep economic and societal changes as well.

By the end of the 2030s, how we compute will be radically different than it is today
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The Impact of Spatial Computing

The world is about to radically change. Factories will become much more virtual. We are seeing not only new kinds of robots, called “cobots” because they work much more closely with humans, but they are also being virtualized to enable new kinds of training and remote working, too. This calibre of change will be seen across many jobs — from new kinds of retail experiences to massive changes to transportation.

The Infinite Retina by Irena Cronin and Robert Scoble provides an insightful look at the future of augmented reality and Spatial Computing
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Spatial Computing emerges as a major culture-changing force
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The objective behind The Infinite Retina

Our goals were to understand and record shifts to the business world and society that are currently underway due to Spatial Computing, and to gain perspectives on what its impact will be in three-to-five years and then ten years out. We talked with dozens of pioneers in many fields, from healthcare to retail to finance to entertainment. This is a hugely important book as a new paradigm shift (the fourth of the personal computing age) hits both consumers and enterprises. We documented this paradigm shift in The Infinite Retina.

The holy grail of Spatial Computing is a pair of very light glasses, or contact lenses, that let computers completely change how we perceive the real world
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Spatial Computing emerges as a major culture-changing force. In the book, readers will look at what is driving business to adopt robots, voice-driven user interfaces, immersive VR or AR training, along with Spatial Computing glasses that will change literally everything about computing. The book also introduces what this all means culturally, both pro and con.

The Infinite Retina lays out why Spatial Computing is the future of technology and why companies like Facebook, Qualcomm, Apple, Microsoft and others are each spending billions of dollars in R&D to make it happen. The book also explains why these shifts are already underway and why the next three-to-five years will see a huge wave of Spatial Computing devices and supporting technology.

Robots and autonomous vehicles will use Spatial Computing to move around and assist humans
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Irena Cronin is the CEO of Infinite Retina, a company based in Pasadena, California that helps businesses enter and succeed in Spatial Computing. She has advised many decision-makers on business strategies related to Spatial Computing which includes AR/VR, Artificial Intelligence, Facial Recognition, Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles, and other related technologies.

Robert Scoble is the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of Infinite Retina and a bestselling author. Over the course of his career, he has interviewed thousands of entrepreneurs and has been the first to see the creation of many new technology companies, from Siri to Tesla.

The post Looking Through the Infinite Retina appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Maria Letizia Mariani, Market Group Leader Europe, Signify

Forward-thinking organisations are capitalising on this trend –transforming offices into structures for promoting employee productivity, wellbeing and competitive advantage.

With new levels of connectivity, and the rise of the Internet of Things, people expect to be online 24/7. They want to access what they need, when they need it, with services tailored to suit them. The same applies to offices where people expect more from advanced technology in the workplace.

Leading the charge in smart building technology is connected LED lighting. And while most people are familiar with the energy savings and lower maintenance costs afforded by switching to LED, few really appreciate the role lighting can play in increasing the operational efficiency of their business and comfort, productivity and wellbeing of their workers.

With new levels of connectivity, and the rise of the Internet of Things, people expect to be online 24/7
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Consultancy firm Deloitte has been at the forefront of adopting smart office technology. It’s Dutch headquarters, ‘The Edge’ in Amsterdam, is dubbed the most intelligent and sustainable office in the world. Its connected lighting system, from signify was instrumental in creating a more comfortable, productive and sustainable environment for its employees. Taking a leaf from the book of their Dutch colleagues, Deloitte Digital has now equipped its office in Milan with similar technology – becoming the first office in Italy to use our flagship Interact Office lighting system. In this instance, some 250 office luminaires are connected to and powered by the building’s computer cabling (Power over Ethernet network). This does two things. Firstly, it standardises wiring and eliminates the need for separate electrical wiring to power the lights. Secondly, it makes it easy for the lighting to be integrated into the building’s IT network.

Forward-thinking organisations are transforming offices into structures for promoting employee productivity, wellbeing and competitive advantage
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Of course, the company expects to reap 50-70% energy savings and lower maintenance costs by switching to new energy efficient smart lighting. The long-lasting connected lights automatically dim during the day depending on outside light levels and switch off when people leave meeting rooms. They also send data on their performance and energy use to the building’s facility manager. But energy savings are only a part of the Deloitte Digital story.

The long-lasting connected lights automatically dim during the day depending on outside light levels and switch off when people leave meeting rooms
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Much more than energy savings

Managers at the office in Milan, wanted their staff to have greater control of their workspace. They saw a role for lighting to support flexible working and the company’s new open plan office environment. They also wanted to gain valuable insights into how people use spaces in the office, so that they could improve operational efficiencies and reduce costs further.

Where the value of connected lighting really comes into its own as it offers building managers insights into how well their office space is utilised
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Of course, people are the biggest cost to any organisation. While figures vary depending on office size and type of organisation, average office expenditures (per square foot, per year) broadly equate to $3 for utilities, $30 for rent, and $300 for people cost. This means a 10% increase in energy efficiency will create a $0.30 saving per square foot while a 10% saving in people costs will generate a $30 saving per employee per square foot. And this is where the value of connected lighting really comes into its own as it offers building managers insights into how well their office space is utilised. By better utilising space, companies can make big savings.

Few people really appreciate the role lighting can play in increasing the operational efficiency of their business and comfort, productivity and wellbeing of their workers
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Occupancy sensors embedded in the office luminaires acquire data and the resulting information tells a facility manager if a room or space is occupied or not. Over time an accurate model depicting space utilisation is built. At The Edge, Deloitte’s office in Amsterdam, analysis of such data revealed that the office was under-utilised. Subsequently, the company added 1,000 more staff, realising an annual space utilisation saving of EUR 3.6 million!

Deloitte expects to reap 50-70% energy savings and lower maintenance costs by switching to new energy efficient smart lighting
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Workers are taking control

It’s not all about savings though. Deloitte Digital staff in Milan can personalize the lighting in their immediate space using their smart phones. This contributes to employee satisfaction – a proven factor in attracting and retaining top talent. Furthermore, employees can now adjust light levels to suit any given task, helping them to improve their productivity.

Deloitte Digital staff in Milan can personalize the lighting in their immediate space using their smart phones
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Finally, our Interact Office lighting system in Milan offers flexibility for the future. Software apps can be written to it using its APIs, making integration into platforms, such as room booking systems, quick and straight forward. Looking to the future, Deloitte and Signify share a similar vision – believing that lighting is a convenient backbone for truly smart offices. Offices that improve the lives of people at work and transform the way businesses operate.

Employees can now adjust light levels to suit any given task, helping them to improve their productivity
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The post Expert View: The Connected Office appeared first on Tech Trends.

Media and entertainment services are an integral part of our daily lives, yet they have typically not been included in IoT solutions, why?

By Robert Guest, VP Product Management at ACCESS

By 2021, global IoT spending is expected to total nearly $1.4 trillion. Advancements in technology mean that devices and appliances that are central to the home – from CCTV cameras through to smart TVs, heating and washing machines – can be controlled from a remote control, smartphone, tablet or smart speaker.

If smart homes are to provide a more efficient way of life, then IoT and multimedia services need to be unified to enable synergistic capabilities
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Consumers are embracing the day-to-day convenience IoT technologies can offer, which is exemplified by sales of popular devices such as Amazon’s Echo and Google Home. By 2016 both of these devices had become mainstream applications and are catalysts for the merging of the digital and physical worlds within the home.

By 2021, global IoT spending is expected to total nearly $1.4 trillion
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Yet, despite media and entertainment services being an integral part of our daily lives, they have typically not been included in IoT solutions. As a result, consumers typically have to use numerous applications in order to access and control their different IoT and multimedia devices and services. This is causing frustration for consumers, contradicts the idea of IoT being the epitome of ease, and ultimately will slow adoption.

Consumers are embracing the day-to-day convenience IoT technologies can offer, which is exemplified by sales of popular devices such as Amazon’s Echo and Google Home
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If smart homes are meant to provide a more efficient and convenient way of life, then IoT and multimedia services need to be unified to enable synergistic capabilities. By providing simplified and unified access to IoT and multimedia devices that can be controlled via a single application, futuristic smart home experiences can be brought to the here-and-now.

Breaking down the silos between IoT and multimedia services adds a new layer of ease and convenience within the home. This is what will truly drive the consumer acceptance beyond the few early adopters that venture beyond asking their smart speaker to play a radio station or set a timer.

Breaking down the silos between IoT and multimedia services adds a new layer of ease and convenience within the home
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Currently, a consumer with a smart doorbell can receive alerts on their smartphone, record a short video clip if motion is sensed, and play a short, personalised voice message when unavailable. This functionality is good, but it requires a specific app, which typically only works on a smartphone. If IoT and multimedia become truly integrated then they can provide services that consumers desire, For example, when the smart doorbell is activated, live footage from the front door can appear on any TV screen in the home.

Currently, a consumer with a smart doorbell can receive alerts on their smartphone, record a short video clip if motion is sensed, and play a short, personalised voice message when unavailable
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This is invaluable for when consumers are watching a film or TV programme or using the TV at a social gathering to play music, because a truly integrated system can pause the multimedia content when the doorbell rings, stream live footage from the front door and remove the need for users to be glued to their smartphones for notifications.

Control of the smart home also extends beyond the property by enabling consumers to manage devices and services remotely
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Our own ACCESS Twine Smart Home app does that by enabling users to access and control all of their multimedia and IoT devices via a single interface. Control of the smart home also extends beyond the property by enabling consumers to manage devices and services remotely.

In the middle of a film you will be able to tell Amazon Alexa that you want to make a snack, so that it would pause the TV screen and continue playing on your connected device in the kitchen to avoid missing the action
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Recently, we also partnered with home automation specialist OBLO Living to combine our strengths in merging the IoT and entertainment world, with remote management, home automation services and connected devices. With this partnership, consumers can create roles to manage their smart homes. For example, scheduling lights to turn on when you get home and playing relaxing music, or ensuring the coffee machine only turns on during weekday mornings before going to work and the upbeat rock radio station is playing to get you going.

Voice control will play a role in helping smart homes become more intuitive
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Voice control will play an instrumental role in helping smart homes become more intuitive, particularly as IoT and multimedia converge. For example, in the middle of a film or TV programme consumers will be able to tell Amazon Alexa that they are going to make a snack, the programme could automatically pause on the TV screen and continue playing on the viewers connected device in the kitchen to avoid missing any of the action.

In order to truly fulfil the potential of smart homes, the Internet of Things (IoT) and multimedia worlds need to be seamlessly integrated
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Ultimately, consumers are embracing IoT technologies but, there are frustrations and in some cases, confusion, about how to get the best from them. In order to truly fulfil the potential of smart homes, then the Internet of Things (IoT) and multimedia worlds need to be seamlessly integrated so that consumers see real benefits. It will open new doors to IoT-enabled multimedia and bring powerful, futuristic home experiences to the here-and-now via simple controls. For operators, now is the time to take a unified approach to IoT and multimedia and offer a smart home experience both in and out of the home.

Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Expert View: Building a Future-Proof Smart Home appeared first on Tech Trends.

He-Man may have been a master of the universe, but us mere mortals may have to set our goals slightly lower.

By Chris Gilmour, Technical Practice Lead, Axians

Image Credit: Emmanuel Pajon

For many network managers, the network is their own mini universe, but unfortunately, they often don’t have the control or visibility over it that they would like.

Software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) has been identified by some as the solution to this problem, solving businesses’ digital transformation and legacy infrastructure woes. But it is important that this, like any hyped B2B technology, doesn’t attempt to be a silver bullet solution to these complex issues. Prince Adam used the “Power of Grayskull” to transform into He-Man, but sadly the business world is a bit more nuanced.

Prince Adam used the Power of Grayskull to transform into He-Man, but sadly the business world is a bit more nuanced
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For me, SD-WAN is really about the agility and flexibility that application level control of the network enables. With many businesses embarking on digital transformation strategies, it is crucial to have real-time actionable insight into network performance, and the adaptability to support the future demands that users will place on the network. Without this, poor performance or even outages could arise and you risk losing the customer loyalty that you’ve worked so hard to build up.

The race towards digital transformation

He-man was known for his great speed and strength, but he would defend with his intellect and strategy. Businesses across all sectors are committing to fast-developing digital strategies to enable a more engaging and positive customer experience, but need to support these broad objectives with the finer details that will enable long term success.

With many businesses embarking on digital transformation strategies, it is crucial to have real-time actionable insight into network performance
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Perhaps the most crucial of all these details is the network. In the case of many network managers, legacy technology is holding back their organisation from their digital transformation goals. Yes, a lack of skills and a resistance to change at board level can also lead to a digital transformation roadblock, but so many businesses are embarking on bold digital strategies with a network that just isn’t fit for the modern day.

Connecting your application “islands”

By simply embarking on a digital strategy without the right network to support it, you’re essentially building intelligent “islands” that communicate with each other in a very rudimentary manner. To work towards real success in digital transformation, the network must be a central component of the whole process, not just an afterthought. Replacing legacy equipment and improving your mastery of the network with next-generation technologies such as SD-WAN can help businesses achieve their digital strategy goals.

Broad objectives need to be supported by the finer details that will enable long-term success
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At a basic level, digital transformation creates an entirely new set of applications for the network to deal with. If the network cannot differentiate between those services, then your business is essentially being held back by part of your infrastructure. Deploying application-centric networking such as SD-WAN allows you to, in effect, tune your network, allowing the priority traffic to behave the way it needs to.

Master of the universe (or maybe just your network…)

Many IT managers want more control and visibility over their networks. Currently this visibility often solely extends to a report at the end of the month detailing how much bandwidth you’ve used, or what applications have been used the most. However, this is retrospective and doesn’t give enough insight to allow you to tune your network as you go. Next-generation WAN enables reporting that tracks and analyses end-to-end application performance in real time, so the network can quickly react to any changes.

Customer complaints about slow application performance are a major and frequent problem, which means that major network improvements must be made if businesses want to improve customer experience. SD-WAN works in conjunction with next-generation applications to help them operate properly, so that the business receives the full benefit of adopting those applications in the first place.

The power of a software-defined future

It’s also becoming increasingly clear that the early adopters of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) will dominate the business landscape in years to come. However, there are also intriguing use cases for processing the masses of data points produced across the network and made visible through the analytics engines that many SD-WAN solutions have inbuilt.

Next-generation WAN enables reporting that tracks and analyses end-to-end application performance in real time
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As a result of the application visibility and analytics capabilities of SD-WAN, some businesses are now collecting millions of pieces of information from every part of the network. When harnessed and analysed correctly, this information is invaluable when it comes to understanding the impact of new services, and monitoring the usage and performance of applications, allowing greater insight and leading the way to future automation.

Galactic Guardians: The importance of a trusted partner

A common catalyst for implementing SD-WAN is a desire to cut costs within the business. However, to view it simply as a money saving exercise is to miss the point slightly. We find that businesses that are becoming increasingly application-centric are successfully embracing SD-WAN because of the control and flexibility it gives their network.

But the transition can’t be done alone. If you are migrating existing services and existing networks from an existing service to SD-WAN, this requires a lot of project management and consultancy to make it a success. As part of the process, it is crucial to properly plan out what you want from it as a business, and track this with sensible metrics. A slightly inferior solution, implemented properly, will be better for you as a business than a technically superior solution implemented poorly. Therefore, selecting the right partner is all-important.

businesses that are becoming increasingly application-centric are embracing SD-WAN because of the control and flexibility it gives them
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When deployed correctly and for the right reasons, SD-WAN can be your guide towards digital transformation, and in the shorter term, control over your network. However, with great power comes great responsibility; use it wisely! And watch out for Skeletor…

Migrating existing services and networks to SD-WAN requires a lot of project management and consultancy to make it a succes
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Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Expert View: Mastering Your Network appeared first on Tech Trends.

As technological advances emerge more rapidly than ever, it’s essential that design takes disability into account.

By Simon Dermer co-founder and Managing Director of eSSENTIAL Accessibility

If the recent, updated 2.1 release of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) demonstrates anything, it’s that technology is swiftly changing, and keeping up with it from an accessibility perspective is an ongoing effort. But that’s only because the needs of people with disabilities typically aren’t heeded from the get-go.

Technology is swiftly changing, and keeping up with it from an accessibility perspective is an ongoing effort
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WCAG 2.1 is a set of technical requirements for ensuring that websites and apps are accessible and inclusive. It’s developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), an international group of experts in this area, and is recognized and used all over the globe.

Ideally, all design, whether digital or structural or procedural, would consider the needs of people with disabilities from the start, just as it systematically takes into account the safety needs of children, the language needs of a bilingual population, or the temperature conditions under which the design will be used.

WCAG 2.1 is a set of technical requirements for ensuring that websites and apps are accessible and inclusive
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What happens instead is that successive advances in web, mobile and other digital technologies affect the day-to-day function and performance of people with disabilities in ways that vacillate between two extremes. They can make these individuals’ lives vastly better, yet often make them vastly worse.

Consider the simple task of ordering a pizza online. Twenty years ago, if you wanted a pizza delivery, you’d leaf through a restaurant flyer, choose your options, pick up the phone and call in your order. Online ordering offers conveniences because you can choose toppings quickly from your screen. With a mobile app, you can order from your couch or your backyard. You don’t have to wait on hold. You don’t risk misunderstandings with your order.

Ideally, all design, whether digital or structural or procedural, would consider the needs of people with disabilities from the start
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If you have a disability, the potential for convenience is even greater. Online ordering eliminates the need to retrieve and handle paper if you have difficulty using your hands. You don’t have to decipher writing on a flyer if you’re blind. You no longer face the problem of communicating by phone if you can’t speak clearly or you’re deaf.

It’s a solution that increases your independence and control over your own life – or, at least, your dinner.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that people with disabilities account for 15 percent of the world’s population, accessibility has not traditionally been top-of-mind for many companies as they scramble to bring their products and services into the digital age. Instead of increasing the independence of people with disabilities, as technology has the capacity to do when it’s designed properly, digital barriers increase isolation, preventing people with disabilities from using a product or service that has been made available solely to the other 85 percent of the population.

Despite the fact that people with disabilities account for 15 percent of the world’s population, accessibility has not traditionally been top-of-mind for many companies
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It’s about much more than pizza, of course. It’s submitting job applications, it’s searching for information, it’s participating in an online class, it’s booking a flight, it’s reserving concert tickets. If these online activities are not barrier-free, then people with disabilities are completely shut out.

Just as a building must have certain features like stairs and doorknobs replaced or eliminated in order for it to be usable by people with disabilities, so too does digital technology. And what’s more, it is vastly less complicated to modify a website than install an elevator. WCAG 2.1 provides an easy-to-follow, thorough guide to ensuring that a web page follows the four principles of accessibility: perceivable (the information can be detected), operable (it can be used and navigated), understandable (this applies to both the information and the functionality) and robust (it will continue to work for different users with different devices).

If these online activities are not barrier-free, then people with disabilities are completely shut out
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The truth is, technology that follows the technical requirements of WCAG 2.1 will actually be more perceivable, operable, understandable and robust for everyone, not just people who have disabilities.

For instance, how often have you accidentally hit the wrong link on a touchscreen because the touch target was too small? One of the requirements of WCAG 2.1 is larger touch areas, to ensure that people with limited hand dexterity won’t make a mistake. That’s something all users can appreciate. Requirements that make a web page usable by someone with partial vision, such as text that can be increased in size without interfering with other content, are a boon for those who reach middle age and develop issues with smaller text. A requirement to provide transcripts for videos allows everyone, not just people who are deaf, to do a quick search for specific content.

The truth is, technology that follows the technical requirements of WCAG 2.1 will actually be more perceivable, operable, understandable and robust for everyone, not just people who have disabilities
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W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative has compiled research and case studies supporting the wide appeal of and business case for accessibility.

WCAG 2.1 stipulates that web pages follow four principles of accessibility: that it be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust
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As technological advances emerge more rapidly than ever, it’s essential that design takes disability into account. It’s the difference between being inclusive of everyone, regardless of ability – or cutting off access to over a billion people around the world.

To find out how to leverage VR/AR/MR in your enterprise, Tech Trends offers bespoke Virtual Reality Consultancy support

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio and @techtrends_tech on Twitter.

The post Expert View: How Technology Can Shut Out People with Disabilities appeared first on Tech Trends.

Attention spans are short, and getting shorter. Consumers are bombarded with editorial, commercial and social messages through more devices and sources than ever, and overcoming their perceptual vigilance is the key to getting through.

By Kai Henniges, CEO of Video Intelligence

Context is the key to capturing and keeping a consumer’s attention, and by delivering content based on a consumer’s current behaviour, we see a far greater level of engagement. A recent study we conducted with entertainment site The Wrap saw dwell time increase by 33% on pages with contextual video content, while consumer perception of the platform also increased. Equally, a contextually placed commercial is far less likely to irritate a consumer, and spark negative feelings towards the publisher or brand whose product is featured.

Consumers used to exercising perceptual vigilance are automatically on the defensive when it comes to giving away their attention or affection
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We recently worked with a number of top academics from the fields of linguistics, neuroscience and marketing to identify the theories and practices required to capture a consumer’s attention. The unifying theme from each of our experts was the importance of contextual storytelling. If consumers are to give up precious moments in their busy schedule to listen to what advertisers have to say, we have to offer them something worthwhile in return.

Attention spans are short, and getting shorter
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Thousands of dollars are wasted as good video ads are delivered in the wrong context every day. An ad for a Burberry trench coat is out-of-place on a sports website, but on a fashion site it makes sense. And this use of context translates into engagement and subsequently, sales.

Publishers must learn to be creative when trying to capture consumers’ attention. We know that grabbing that attention doesn’t work – push notifications are often cited as a leading reason for users uninstalling apps and ad-blockers are more popular than ever, with 30% of internet users set to use one in 2018.

Thousands of dollars are wasted as good video ads are delivered in the wrong context every day
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Isabelle Szmigin, Professor of Marketing at Birmingham University, breaks down two key pieces of consumer behaviour that present a serious challenge to publishers and brands – multi-screening and perceptual vigilance. Multi-screening is a relatively new problem facing advertisers – it’s now completely normal for consumers to switch from one screen to another – whether to avoid advertising content or simply because they are distracted by what’s happening on another device:

“One of the problems advertisers face when consumers are using multiple platforms is that consumers are taking in less information from more sources,” Szmigin explains. “Publishers have to think about getting a story or piece of information across quickly and succinctly. We have to accept that consumers will be moving from their phone to their tablet, to a TV.”

Perceptual vigilance, meanwhile, has always been around – but an increase in branded content across multiple platforms means consumers use this more and more often nowadays. Essentially, perceptual vigilance is a subconscious mental state where our brain is ‘on guard’ to deal with non-essential content – often advertising. When adverts were delivered in predictable formats like four-minute breaks in television shows, we could easily predict when to switch this ‘vigilance’ on, but in the age of branded content and sponsored social posts, we’re constantly having to decide for ourselves if content should be taken at face value or treated as an advert.

Ad-blockers are more popular than ever, with 30% of internet users set to use one in 2018
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This presents a major problem when it comes to capturing a consumer’s attention: if they are used to exercising this perceptual vigilance, they’re automatically on the defensive when it comes to giving away their attention or affection, and are less likely to engage with advertising content.

Perceptual vigilance can also be used to tackle a method used by many modern brands and publishers: disruption. Szmigin explains how disruption can be both a positive and a negative for consumers: “Doing something that’s different or unexpected often triggers vigilance – consumers basically filter these messages out. Very often consumers get annoyed if their lives are disrupted. If they’re visiting a site and looking for something in particular, disruption affects their whole process, which is a problem for them.”

“On the other hand, finding something that disrupts us in a way that grabs our attention makes us think or makes us look at it can be a good thing. The trick to overcoming perceptual vigilance is finding disruption that consumers can relate to. Publishers have got to be aware of different age socio-economic groups who might be consuming their content. When we can find something that is specific and interesting to particular groups, we should aim to match these stories with relevant audiences.“

The key to ensuring we’re engaging consumers with content, rather than irritating them, is context. If we can present consumers with content we know they are likely to be interested in, we can use the element of surprise to our advantage. If we use disruptive techniques without considering context, we’re likely to irritate consumers and risk turning them off our brand, message or campaign completely.

Disruption can be both a positive and a negative for consumers
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With the advent of GDPR, advertisers have a real opportunity to heed this advice and focus on creating compelling, narrative-led content to engage consumers, rather than the hyperactive, programmatic approach that has helped create the attention-deficit economy we now have.

Now the reset button has been hit on consumer data, contextually targeted storytelling can help rebuild a degree of trust between advertisers and consumers. If we’re delivering messaging that takes its cues from a person’s actual interests and activities, we’re much more likely to deliver relevant content that is of interest to consumers, and in turn hold their attention long enough to convey our message.

With the advent of GDPR, advertisers have a real opportunity to focus on creating compelling, narrative-led content to engage consumers
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To find out how to leverage VR/AR/MR in your enterprise, Tech Trends offers bespoke Virtual Reality Consultancy support

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio and @techtrends_tech on Twitter.

The post Expert View: Harnessing Disruption to Capture Attention appeared first on Tech Trends.

The past months have seen scandals emerge that have demonstrated to Brits the value their data holds, and the risks that come with giving it away so freely.

By Gary McKay, Co-founder of APPII

With privacy becoming an increasing concern, but users reluctant to sacrifice the ease of use that Internet freedom allows them, blockchain offers a solution to reconcile data protection with simplicity without the need for regulation.

Until recently, we gave our data away because we either didn’t realise we were doing so, or because we perceive it to be a small price to pay
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Cambridge Analytica demonstrated not only how efficacious harnessing seemingly useless data can be in producing real world results, but also how easily data can be collected unknowingly from online users. Another UK company Carphone Warehouse was fined in January of this year for having historically stored customer data using insufficient security measures, as was discovered when the data was stolen by hackers. This shows that even data that was collected legally and for the direct purpose of buying a phone contract can be used later for nefarious purposes such as identity theft.

Until recently, we have given our data away because we either didn’t realise we were doing so, or because we perceive it to be a small price to pay for an easy transaction. Data that holds value for all sorts of companies can be collected from any manner of online interactions; from a baking video you liked on Facebook, to the tube stop that you tap in at every morning with your contactless card.

We want to have more control over our data and how it is used without sacrificing the ease that sharing it allows us to operate with
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We want to have more control over our data and how it is used, but we don’t want to sacrifice the ease and simplicity that sharing it allows us to operate with. The problem is that actively controlling where your data does and does not exist is a laborious and time-consuming process. It could mean always entering your details manually on a new platform every time you log in rather than just using your Facebook credentials. Alternatively, it could mean exercising your GDPR-given right to manually ask every company you suspect might be storing your data to ‘forget’ you.

Blockchain relies on sophisticated cryptography to ensure that all the data it stores is safely encrypted
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It is clearly time for a shift in the way we view our data, and crucially, the way we secure it. Blockchain technology provides a solution that safeguards data without sacrificing any of the functionality that a free and open Internet provides. Blockchain is essentially a vast, distributed, ledger where data is stored across a web of different devices, rather than in one centralised place that makes it vulnerable to hacking. Most essentially, blockchain relies on sophisticated cryptography to ensure that all the data it stores is safely encrypted.

It is clearly time for a shift in the way we view and secure our data
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As has been well-documented over the last year or so, the real-life applications of blockchain are myriad and diverse and will therefore replace the methods by which we currently share our data in many, many cases. Rather than sharing our information with every online shop or platform, we can store our data on a blockchain. This combats the problem in several ways. Firstly, distributed across many different devices (the data on each of which is futile in itself,) the information is not stored in one centralised place where it is at risk of an external security breach. Secondly, the information is encrypted and can easily be secured by biometric identification, meaning that only you would ever be able to access and share it.

Cambridge Analytica demonstrated not only how efficacious harnessing seemingly useless data can be in producing real world results, but also how easily data can be collected unknowingly from online users
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To put this into context, take the recruitment industry. Candidates share reams of confidential data with recruiters and potential employers during the job-hunting process. This sort of data is extremely valuable in many different ways and, as such, is a target for hackers. Blockchain CVs already exist – candidates can enter their qualification and employment history on to the blockchain. Once it is verified by the institutions where that person enrolled or qualified, the CV is secured immutably.

Candidates share reams of confidential data with recruiters and potential employers during the job-hunting process
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Candidates can then apply for jobs with a CV that is trusted and credible but; moreover, they are safe in the knowledge that their data is securely held. They can use their own biometric data to share the data they want, when they want, and they can employ smart contracts to dictate how long their data is accessible to the people they’ve shared it with, such as recruiters or potential employers.

Blockchain CVs already exist
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This is just one example of the endless possibilities blockchain has in revolutionising the way we view security and data sharing, without compromising on the ease and openness that the Internet is synonymous with. By encrypting data and allowing the owner full control over when and how it is shared, blockchain offers the solution to an increasingly pressing issue.

The post Expert View: Reconciling Privacy and Internet Freedom with Blockchain appeared first on Tech Trends.