Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)

Zara's Recipe for Success: More Data, Fewer Bosses

December 2, 2016

Deep inside a sprawling glass-and-cement edifice the size of an airplane hangar in the Spanish town of Arteixo, 10 designers swarm around a model dressed in cropped gray trousers and a double-breasted navy blazer. Sweaters, shirts and suits are spread out on the white-tile floor, while seamstresses in white labcoats stitch prototypes nearby. "It's classic, but it's new at the same time," says a woman from China. "I'm not sure about the bold patterns," counters a British woman, dressed in white sneakers and a flowing skirt. Others nod their assent or express doubt.

IoT Attacks Could Bring Real-World Damage, Cyber Experts Warn

December 1, 2016

CIO

Members of Congress received a warning this month about security vulnerabilities in the so-called internet of things (IoT), as cyber experts cautioned that with billions of new devices coming online, coordinated hacking attacks could become - literally - a matter of life and death.

Study: Third Party Logistics Will Be Worth $925Bn by 2020

December 1, 2016

Supply Management

The global third party logistics (3PL) market is expected to be worth $925.31bn by 2020 and will be partially driven by the outsourcing of secondary business activities, according to a new report.

Wal-Mart Tackles Food Safety With Trial of Blockchain

November 23, 2016

Bloomberg

If you shop at Wal-Mart, you might be buying packaged produce unlike any ever sold in a U.S. store. The sliced apples or cut broccoli - the merchant won't say what's involved exactly - are being used to test blockchain, a new database technology. If successful, the trial could change how Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which serves some 260 million customers a week, monitors food and takes action when something goes wrong. That could spur big leaps in food safety, cut costs and save lives.

Analytics Professionals Are Questioning 'Big Data' After U.S. Election

November 18, 2016

CRM Daily

For an American public that relies on data for everything from where to find the best taco to the likely victor in a baseball game, Election Day offered a jarring wake-up: The data was wrong. Donald Trump's stunning electoral win came despite prognosticators' overwhelming insistence he would lose. And it has forced many to question not just political polling, but other facets of life that are being informed and directed by data.

Real-world IoT deployments transforming businesses will be exposed as John Lewis, Tesco and BMW take to stage at Internet of Things World Europe

November 17, 2016

Unique event will show how IoT technology can be applied across a multitude of industries

Skills Deficit Hampers IoT Growth in 2017, Research Group Warns

November 17, 2016

CIO

The allure of IoT is strong. Companies are eager to explore the potential for connected products and business processes. But technologies and use cases for the IoT vary wildly, and the vendor landscape is rapidly changing, warns research and advisory firm Forrester. Adding to the hurdles IT teams face is the demand for IoT skills - including data analytics, security and wireless networking expertise - that are already in short supply in many organizations.

Sap Aims to Simplify Innovation With Update to In-Memory Database

November 14, 2016

CIO

SAP says it wants businesses struggling to keep up with the pace of innovation in its HANA in-memory database to relax as it readies a new version, HANA 2. Since introducing HANA in 2010, the supply chain software company has been releasing updates twice a year, providing customers with new capabilities but also pushing them to keep their software current to benefit from continuing support.

To Solve IoT Security, Look to Cloud Software, ARM Says

November 4, 2016

Computerworld

The recent DDoS attacks launched from IoT devices demonstrate that the internet of things spans all parts of IT and that most companies deploying it still need a lot of help. That's the message from ARM, the chip design company behind nearly every smartphone and a big chunk of IoT, at its annual TechCon event last week in Silicon Valley.

Why Retail Today Is About Data and Experiences

November 3, 2016

Apparel

If retail advisor Doug Stephens is to be believed, the term "store" someday will be remembered as a relic of the Industrial Revolution as our culture and technology enable transactions virtually anywhere, thanks to socially integrated buy buttons, mobile commerce and more. We've already seen a shift in the language of retail away from "stores" to "physical retail spaces," which Stephens told attendees at September's SAP Retail Forum is a better way to describe how retailers should think about their businesses as commerce channels proliferate.