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What’s AWS Conveying With Its Acquisition of Wickr?

As it looks to differentiate its service, AWS focuses on privacy and encryption with its acquisition of Wickr, which is known for its privacy features

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Arrow Electronics gives IoT a voice, connects devices to communications tools

Companies get into IoT for multiple reasons. In the case of Arrow, the Internet of Things (IoT) was thrust upon it. Now, however, Arrow Electronics is trailblazing into IoT platform services.Last year, Arrow did nearly $24 billion in revenue that was largely split between two businesses: electronic components and enterprise computing solutions. Historically, these two divisions had little overlap, but IoT has bridged the two units.+ Also on Network World: Forrester: 3 ways IoT can drive business value + A similar story is occurring at organizations everywhere as IoT converts disconnected things into computing peripherals. For example, hospital refrigerators that store blood and medicine are increasingly integrated into intelligent building management and communications systems.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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IoT poised to impact quality, capabilities of healthcare

Everything about the modern doctor’s office feels primitive. It’s one of the few businesses that requires I use my telephone for scheduling — unless it’s about lab results. For that, they prefer fax. Even the doctor’s tools, such as the blood pressure cuff, scale and stethoscope, are largely the same as the equipment used in my childhood.I get that the industry needs to be cautious regarding change and that legal requirements further complicate matters, but changes are overdue. Because medical professionals are unlikely to adopt unproven tech, the evolution will most likely come from existing tech being used in other applications.Let’s take a look at how things might change in healthcare technology:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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Today’s property rules don’t work in our IoT world

Property and ownership are among the most basic concepts of a modern society. Our ability to clarify who owns what separates us from savages because property and ownership help us maintain our independence and identity.The rules of property and ownership have evolved over centuries. There are clear transfer procedures for all types of property, including real estate, cars and even books. The problem is these age-old concepts are not holding up in our connected and digital world. Cambridge University Press “Property ownership as we know it is under attack and fading fast,” writes Joshua Fairfield in his book Owned: Property, Privacy, and the New Digital Serfdom. “The Internet of Things and digital property ownership systems are being built on the old feudal model.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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Today’s property rules don’t work in our IoT world

Property and ownership are among the most basic concepts of a modern society. Our ability to clarify who owns what separates us from savages because property and ownership help us maintain our independence and identity.The rules of property and ownership have evolved over centuries. There are clear transfer procedures for all types of property, including real estate, cars and even books. The problem is these age-old concepts are not holding up in our connected and digital world. Cambridge University Press “Property ownership as we know it is under attack and fading fast,” writes Joshua Fairfield in his book Owned: Property, Privacy, and the New Digital Serfdom. “The Internet of Things and digital property ownership systems are being built on the old feudal model.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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IoT gives Microsoft opportunity for cloud leadership

Next month, Microsoft will hold its Ignite and Envision conferences in Orlando, Florida. Ignite is aimed at enterprise IT professionals, and Envision is aimed at IT decision makers. Combining Ignite and Envision in the same venue increases the overall enterprise IT audience, so expect several enterprise-related announcements. The action will be in the cloud, as Microsoft has become cloud obsessed. Last month’s quarterly results put Microsoft as the second largest cloud company behind Amazon Web Services (AWS) — and growing faster.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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Staples Easy Button gets IoT makeover

“That was easy” is the iconic tagline of Staples. The international retailer has used that line since 2003. In 2005, the slogan took a material shape and appeared in ads as a red “easy” button. Now, Staples is giving its next-generation of the Easy Button a serious IoT makeover.The button was meant as a metaphor to represent easy business transactions. But that didn’t stop people from wanting an actual button. Staples responded by producing Easy Buttons as a “stress relieving” novelty. Pushing the button causes it to say, “That was easy.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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How the hospitality industry will profit from the IoT

Connecting the world changes everything. That’s what businesses and consumers are learning as they embrace the Internet of Things (IoT) for everything from household garage door openers to smart-city applications that solve traffic congestion and reduce crime.But IoT is more significant than just adding connectivity to existing products or services. In fact, it is about changing the way products and services deliver value. In the process, products are becoming services, and services are becoming more intelligent.+ Also on Network World: IoT devices or humans? The hospitality industry is not immune to this evolution, and, in fact, it is well positioned to benefit from IoT. That’s because the industry is poised to improve the customer experience while simultaneously reducing costs.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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IoT in the office: Plantronics service blocks annoying noises

The Internet of Things (IoT) is creating interesting, new business opportunities. This week, Plantronics announced a new noise-as-a-service portfolio called Habitat Soundscaping. The solution set is designed to counteract the productivity-killing side effects of open offices.Habitat Soundscaping sounds a bit crazy, so let’s hear them out.Plantronics has been around since the early 1960s when it launched lightweight aviation headsets. Its business opportunities expanded from pilots to include astronauts, call center agents, knowledge workers and mobile professionals. Headsets evolved from big clunky proprietary interfaces through 2.5 and 3.5 mm jacks to USB to Bluetooth.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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3 ways to track people using location-based services

There are lots of motivations driving organizations to install location-tracking technologies. The obvious driver is to find things, especially things on wheels, such as medical equipment in a hospital. It can also be smart to keep tabs on things in transit, such as a container. But the biggest reason to track things is simply because we can. We can also use these technologies to track people. Some solutions such as facial recognition can literally track people, but usually we just track a device someone might be carrying. We can now literally track the customer’s journey (through a retail store). There’s a popular misconception that global positioning satellites (GPS) are usable inside, but they range from worthless to unhelpful. GPS satellite signals require a direct line of sight to multiple satellites. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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AI heading back to the trough

I like Gartner’s concept of the technology hype cycle. It assumes that expectations of new technologies quickly ramp to an inflated peak, drop into a trough of disillusionment, then gradually ascend a slope of enlightenment until they plateau. Of course, not all technologies complete the cycle or transition through the stages at the same pace.Artificial intelligence (AI) has arguably been in the trough for 60 years. I am thinking of Kubrick’s HAL and Roddenberry’s “computer” that naturally interact with humans. That’s a long trough, and despite popular opinion, the end is nowhere in sight.+ Also on Network World: Using artificial intelligence to teach computers to see + There’s so much excitement and specialized research taking place that AI has fragmented into several camps such as heuristic programming for game-playing AI, natural language processing for conversational AI, and machine learning for statistical problems. The hype is building again, and just about every major tech company and countless startups are racing toward another inflated peak and subsequent trough.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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Cisco upgrades one IoT platform and announces another

Following Cisco's launch last week of its Digital Network Architecture (DNA), which delivers intent-based networking solutions and services, this week’s Cisco Live event in Las Vegas was highly focused on networking. Only a few announcements were made, but the Internet of Things (IoT) made the cut.Cisco’s approach to IoT has been difficult to grasp because it crosses so many divisions. Its largest IoT unit, Cisco Jasper, is exclusively focused on cellular-connected devices.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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IoT devices or humans?

A Swedish rail line can now collect fares by scanning its customers for embedded biometric chips. The primary benefit is the elimination of a physical ticket -- plus it’s harder to lose. It sounds futuristic, but my dogs have been sporting embedded chips for over a decade.If you think about it, physical tickets are kind of a silly. They are a surrogate for the person. The practice of scanning a ticket, instead of a person, was likely established when there just weren’t many viable alternatives. Technology now offers a more direct approach.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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Amazon transforms data into bricks

There’s been a lot of news lately about Amazon opening physical stores. These news articles keep interrupting my regular stream of stories about digital transformation. Or are these topics the same?Digital transformation involves using technology to improve performance and/or experience. The tool kit to do this is largely software-based and includes improved integration and workflow, analytics, mobility, social media and IoT devices.Due to Amazon.com's advantage in price and selection, the company has become a retailing behemoth at the expense of local retail. Store closures are about to hit a 20-year high, and malls are dying. This is unfortunate because retail centers provide more benefits than shopping. They are gathering places and contribute tax revenue for their municipalities.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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IDG Contributor Network: The future of IoT: Where it’s heading, what to expect

The subject of the Internet of Things (IoT) has an extremely broad range of interpretations. Some immediately think of the “thing” itself as a connected thermostat. Others see it as a means to extend products into services. Most interpretations gravitate toward financial reward through data collection and analysis.I recently attended IoT World in Santa Clara, California, and was struck by this diversity. Every conversation I witnessed had a five-minute preamble/negotiation just to agree on a common perspective. It’s kind of like the three blind men and the elephant parable, but instead of three men, it’s 1,000 people touching a sculpture made of wet clay.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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IDG Contributor Network: Adding an IoT dimension to the Tour de France

The Tour de France pro cycling race is one of the oldest and most prestigious annual sporting events in the world. Each year about 200 cyclists compete during most of July in a race that crosses some 2,200 miles of varied terrain in France.The first Tour de France was in 1903. Back then it attracted mostly local competitors and spectators. Coverage and prestige of the event expanded with each consecutive era of newspapers, radio, and television. However, we now live in the digital era. Fans don’t want to just watch a sport; they want to engage with it, and they expect more control and interaction.Professional sports are increasingly embracing digital technology to enhance the fan experience. This includes data-enhanced viewing, live streaming, video on demand, second-screen apps, gamification, and social media interaction. This technology is becoming a critical component of sports marketing necessary to attract fans, athletes, sponsors, and broadcasters.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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IDG Contributor Network: Smart buildings start with awareness

I want to work in an energy-efficient smart building. It would have advanced energy systems that would ensure no watt gets wasted. It would have lighting, like my fridge, that would magically turn off when unneeded, and doors that would reliably swish open Star Trek-style when and only when appropriate.Unfortunately, most buildings aren’t like that today. The majority of commercial buildings are relatively barbaric with primitive infrastructure oblivious to its purpose or costs. Far too often, building managers lack basic visibility into the infrastructure they are responsible for.+ Also on Network World: How IoT with bio-mimicry reduces indoor air pollution + However, times have changed, and today it’s appropriate to be green, although the interpretation of “green” ranges from environmental to financial motivations. Of course, a building with smart infrastructure might not always be viable. Renters wouldn’t want to pay for the upgrades. And, as long as infrastructure is otherwise working, it might not be green at all to replace it. A better option could be to focus on visibility.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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IDG Contributor Network: MasterCard puts a finger on fraud

Most credit card verification systems only verify whether the card is valid and not if the presenter is the authorized cardholder. MasterCard intends to address that with its newly introduced card with a built-in fingerprint sensor.This new MasterCard gives customers the option of using a single digit rather than a PIN. It’s a very impressive development, particularly since it works with existing chip readers.+ Also on Network World: Google’s Trust API: Bye-bye passwords, hello biometrics? + The card gives new meaning to the title “cardholder” as the customer must physically hold the card during the transaction. There’s a fingerprint sensor on the face of the card that syphons enough power from the chip reader to read and validate a fingerprint. If dirt, sweat or other factors prevent validation, the transaction can be completed with a PIN.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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IDG Contributor Network: MasterCard puts a finger on fraud

Most credit card verification systems only verify whether the card is valid and not if the presenter is the authorized cardholder. MasterCard intends to address that with its newly introduced card with a built-in fingerprint sensor.This new MasterCard gives customers the option of using a single digit rather than a PIN. It’s a very impressive development, particularly since it works with existing chip readers.+ Also on Network World: Google’s Trust API: Bye-bye passwords, hello biometrics? + The card gives new meaning to the title “cardholder” as the customer must physically hold the card during the transaction. There’s a fingerprint sensor on the face of the card that syphons enough power from the chip reader to read and validate a fingerprint. If dirt, sweat or other factors prevent validation, the transaction can be completed with a PIN.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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IDG Contributor Network: Can Amazon be stopped?

Prime retail space is going vacant. The latest example of yet another retailer closing its doors is Payless Shoe Source. Payless has filed Chapter 11 and will be closing 400 stores. It’s ironic really, because their whole premise is Americans want to pay less for shoes, but the retailer can’t match the price or experience of online options. It’s one more example of the epidemic hitting brick-and-mortar retailers.Last year (and again this year), it was Radio Shack that prompted the headlines. Sears has been in decline for decades. The Limited is even more limited now that it has filed for bankruptcy and has begun closing 250 of its stores.RELATED: How Notre Dame is going all in with Amazon’s cloud Macy’s and Sears alone will be abandoning 28 million square feet of retail space. The loss of these anchor stores is what starts the dreaded domino effect at the mall. If the mall can’t back fill that space, reduced numbers of shoppers impact the demand for sunglasses, cinnamon rolls and all the other small businesses that survive on the other brands’ crowds. When they fall, so does the mall.To read this article in full or to leave a Continue reading