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 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.
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.
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.
Picture yourself entering a department store and, instead of wandering around searching for the correct department or product, you are guided by an expert personal concierge. The concierge is not a person, but rather a humanlike smartphone assistant. Whether you want to know "where are women's shoes located?" or "is this dress available in size six?" this concierge is always at hand to assist you. This is what retail shopping may be fast becoming, thanks to the mass proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI)-based technologies.
The message at Gartner's recent Symposium/ITxpo was to prepare for a fast move to augmented reality, the decline of mobile apps, a major shift away from web browsing and more. Many users will expect businesses, universities and governments to respond to these shifts, the market research firm said at its annual conference.
Oracle's October security update is one of the largest ever, fixing more than 250 vulnerabilities in enterprise products that are used to store and work with business data, the company reported.
A hack at Sony Pictures that exposed more than 170,000 emails in 2014 derailed a much-hyped film's release and prompted a months-long industry freakout. A hacking incident at Yahoo now threatens to derail a sale to Verizon. WikiLeaks' releases of Democratic officials' hacked private emails are providing near-endless fodder for Donald Trump's presidential campaign. And yet, while large numbers of Americans appreciate the threat of getting hacked, they don't seem to be changing their behaviors in any appreciable way.
Digital mapping company Esri has announced a partnership with crowdsourcing traffic app maker Waze to help city governments and drivers communicate more efficiently about traffic conditions, including construction delays and accidents. By using Esri ArcGIS (geographic information system) software to connect to a new Waze connected citizens program, cities can share data about the conditions of their roads with drivers, while drivers can anonymously report accidents, potholes and other road condition information.
Mention artificial intelligence, and a discussion about the robot wipeout of humankind is sure to follow. It's also a technology that businesses will increasingly trust in decision-making, Gartner analysts said this week at the research firm's annual Symposium and ITxpo.
The latest news, analysis, trends and solutions for big data, blockchain and the internet of things (IoT) and their impact on supply chain management. Big data describes the large volume of data that inundates a business on a day-to-day basis and can be analyzed for strategic business insights. IoT is the means that collects and sends data from a range of “things” — anything from watches to fridges to cars — that are connected to the internet with sensors or computer chips. Learn how companies around the world are using big data, blockchain and IoT for supply chain optimization and competitive advantage.
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