Tag: technology

Walmart Canada tests 3D printed products in time for Christmas [Portfolio]

/ Gary Hilson

Many of us would love to create the perfect unique gift for family and friends at Christmas, but if you’re not crafty or can’t knit a sweater to save your life, perhaps 3D printing might be the answer.

That’s what Walmart is looking to find out with a pilot program at its new Ancaster, Ontario store through December 20 with the help of Toronto-based Intersect. The company, formerly known as Bnotions, has partnered with Walmart Canada to guide customers on a personalized journey of designing and printing their own, unique holiday mementos.

“Walmart came to us,” said Amber Foucault, the VP of product management for Intersect, the innovation and custom services division of Symbility Solutions Inc.

Read my full article on ITBusiness.ca.

University Research Affirms Benefits of Eliminating Information Delays [Portfolio]

/ Gary Hilson

My latest for EBN Online: A core principle of One Network Enterprises is that reducing information latency – even eliminating it, if possible – is fundamental to how it brings value to its customers, and it now has the science to back it up.

shield-229112_1280-1A study recently released by the University of North Texas (UNT) as part of a funded project between the school and the company has demonstrated that One Network Enterprises’ Real Time Value Network for leveraging a new inventory management strategy called the Science of Theoretical Minimums (STM) that minimizes inventory by reducing physical and informational lead times from the customer back through the entire value chain. Read my complete article on EBN Online.

Building Smart Cities requires collaboration and new mindsets, ITAC says [Portfolio]

/ Gary Hilson

Are you ready for the Smart Cities challenge?

As part of its fall economic update, the federal government said it’s looking to launch a new Smart Cities Challenge initiative next year. It’s a move lauded by the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC), and described as “timely” by the organization’s senior director of policy, David Messer, but it also means municipalities need to start rethinking their procurement policies.

Read my entire article on ITBusiness.ca

 

Salesforce outlines 4 ways brands can thrill the connected customer [Portfolio]

/ Gary Hilson

New research puts customers in the driver’s seat when it comes to determining which companies lead in the digital age.

According to a new Salesforce.com report, “The State of the Connected Customer,” 62 per cent of Canadians agree technology is redefining their behavior as a consumer, and 61 per cent feel significantly more empowered than they did five years ago.

They also expect businesses to quickly adapt to these changing preferences, otherwise they’ll simply switch brands: According to the report, 69 per cent of consumers agree technology makes it easier than ever before to take their business elsewhere because it empowers them to research, browse, and purchase wherever they are and whenever they want.

Tech tops most-loved U.S. brands, Accenture finds [Portfolio]

/ Gary Hilson

Why users love a brand, product, service or experience is not a question easily answered, according to new research, but it would appear that technology brands have the upper hand.

Digital giants such as Google, Fitbit, Amazon and Netflix were at the top of a recent brand affection-measuring study carried out by consulting firm Accenture PLC’s research arm Fjord, which doubled as a test for the organization’s new Love Index.

To the extent the Index can identify why digital brands scored so well, the evidence points to their particular skill at meeting users’ individual needs, the researchers found, whether it’s Apple’s intuitive hardware and software, or Netflix customers’ love for binge watching.

Read my full article on ITBusiness.ca.

Community engagement key factor for success at healthcare IT delivery project in Alberta [Portfolio]

/ Gary Hilson

An ongoing project to ensure First Nation community residents in Alberta receive timely client assessments has seen a surprising side effect – the quality of data gathered is improved as well.

Every Albertan seeking placement in a provincial supportive living or long-term care facility requires an InterRAI placement assessment, whether they live on or off reserve. The interRAI Home Care Assessment System has been designed to be a user-friendly, reliable, person-centered assessment system that informs and guides comprehensive care and service planning in community-based settings around the world. But although these client assessments are essential, Home Care clients on-reserve were experiencing wait times of up to 18 months.

Read my full article on IT World Canada.

Cloud-based ERP levels the playing field for retailers [Portfolio]

/ Gary Hilson

It makes a lot of sense that Oracle wants to buy NetSuite given its cloud-centric strategy, as the smaller company considers itself first to the cloud in enterprise resource management (ERP) software. But what they also have in common is by being cloud-first with their software portfolio, customers that couldn’t previously take advantage of large ERP software deployments can now do so online.

It’s something that Oracle CEO Mark Hurd noted in his keynote at this year’s OpenWorld, where he highlighted smaller, younger customers such as Uber-competitor Lyft and wireless HotSpot provider Boingo. Hurd said the prior to having cloud offerings, Oracle wouldn’t be involved with these smaller organizations because they don’t have any IT staff.

NetSuite now services 30,000 organizations in 160 countries and is adding 400 customers per year, according to company senior VP Steve Cerovcec, who kicked off a showcase of Canadian customers in Toronto Tuesday night, including retailers Casalife and Sears Canada.

Read my full article on IT World Canada.

Cloud comes first, driven by DevOps: ServiceNow survey [Portfolio]

/ Gary Hilson

We’re living in cloud-first era, according to a new report released by ServiceNow, and it’s result of DevOps have a strong influence that spans across the organization.

That’s one of the key findings “The 2016 Cloud Computing Tipping Point,” which found that more than half of all enterprises with 500 people or more are now choosing cloud as the default for IT projects, based on interviews and polls with 1,800 respondents spanning IT, DevOps and lines of business.

“There’s more going on faster than what we expected,” said Farrell Hough, ‎VP of  product operations at ServiceNow. “Reality is meeting the hype for cloud computing.” What was particularly surprising, she added, what that DevOps was leading the charge. “The rise of DevOps is a major factor.”

Read my article and slideshow on IT World Canada.

Savvius looks to help security teams with forensic investigations [Portfolio]

/ Gary Hilson

Savvius, Inc. is looking to broaden its user base for OmniPeek 10, the company’s latest major update to its software for network performance diagnostics and troubleshooting, by appealing to security teams with features to help with their investigations.

“What we’re finding is it’s just not engineers anymore that want to do packet analysis,” said Savvius director of products Jay Botelho. “We’re definitely finding a growing percentage of people in security who want to do packet analysis.” This includes those brought in on contract to conduct a specific forensic investigation, he said.

The release of OmniPeek 10 marks the first time in recent years that Savvius has taken a new spin on the software, said Botelho, as it looks to provide a combination of tools that makes it useful for security investigations as well as the tradition networking market customer base. “Security features area important to network engineers too.”

Read my full article on IT World Canada.

Facebook and Apple take top spot for encrypted IM [Portfolio]

/ Gary Hilson

Facebook Messenger has become omni-present in the lives of one billion people, and despite concerns over the years about what information it might be gathering from users, a report recently released by Amnesty International found it to be highly secure.

The human rights organization also found that Facebook-owned WhatsApp and Apple’s iMessage also excelled in terms of security, while other commonly-used messaging applications didn’t make the grade, including – and somewhat surprisingly – Blackberry’s BBM. Even as the popularity of its hardware dimmed, Blackberry had a reputation for strong security. However, Amnesty said that it is not taking the basic steps necessary to guarantee user privacy, along with more popular messaging services such as Snapchat and Microsoft’s Skype. Blackberry and China-based Tencent brought up the rear with Google landing in the middle.

Read my full article on ITBusiness.ca.