Weekly Tips & Industry Articles- June 30, 2017

General, Industry News

Industry Articles

IoT is Crutial in Digital Transformation

The internet of things (IoT) is gaining momentum around the world, with 92% of large organisations putting the technology as the top priority in their digital transformation efforts. 

While organisations in a global survey have put IoT as their top priority, those in Southeast Asia remain concerned with the cost and complexity of rolling out the internet of things. Conducted independently on behalf of satellite communications company Inmarsat by Vanson Bourne, the survey involved 500 senior respondents from organisations with more than 1,000 employees across various industries, including energy, transportation and mining sectors.

Read the full article on www.computerweekly.com

Leaders in Digital Transformation Have These Traits in Common

What characteristics do leaders in digital transformation have in common? A new study by open-source provider Alfresco Software and Forbes Insights aims to find out what separates the winners from the losers in the digital economy. 

What is Design Thinking?

Thirty-nine percent of organizations have shown leadership in design thinking, defined as a human centered approach to innovation that integrates the needs of people, the possibilities of technology and the requirements for business success. Design thinking fosters an iterative approach in which collaboration with the customer or user leads to a superior brand experience, one that has optimized the customer experience (CX) and the user experience (UX) in their end-to-end journeys throughout the value chain.

Click to read more about this study

Microsoft Enlists AI in Fight Against Tech Support Scams

Last October, Microsoft's Digital Crimes unit warned that two-thirds of consumers had experienced, but not necessarily fallen victim to, a tech support scam in the preceding 12 months. 

As tech support scams grow more sophisticated in hopes of ensnaring a tech-savvier populace, so have Microsoft's efforts to combat them. The company's weapon of choice: AI.

To level the playing field, the company is resorting to AI, it revealed in a recent blog post.

Microsoft revealed that it is using machine learning and analytics to scour the web for tech support scammers and reveal their tactics. Running custom AI tools on its Azure cloud platform, the company's security researchers devised a system that detects scam sites and the tech tricks they use.

Read the full article on www.eweek.com

WannaCry Ransomware Blamed for Honda Plant Shutdown

According to a Reuters report on June 21, Honda shut down production at its Sayama plant, where it manufactures approximately 1,000 cars a day including the Accord sedan and Odyssey minivan. The plant was only shut down on June 19, with normal operations restored on June 20. 

The WannaCry ransomware worm is still having an impact on organizations around the world, more than a month after it first emerged. The latest victims appear to be Honda Motor Co. in Japan and traffic cameras in Australia.

WannaCry first struck organizations on May 12 by abusing the MS17-010 vulnerability that Microsoft had patched in March. WannaCry exploits unpatched Server Message Block (SMB) services on Microsoft operating systems to gain access and then encrypt data, holding it for ransom until the victim pays up.

Read the full article by clicking here.

Banking Cyber-security Alerts are Overwhelming

Security alert overload, a source of frustration for bank security departments for some time, appears to have careened out of control.

A survey of bank security chiefs being released by the research firm Ovum on Thursday morning documents how high the daily volume of messages about possible security incidents has grown. A third of the respondents were from banks in North America.

More than a third (37 percent) of banks, it turns out, receive more than 200,000 security alerts a day.

 

Ovum analyst Rik Turner called this a “signal-to-noise ratio” problem, in the research report.

It’s too much for humans to cope with, even at banks with the largest security teams. Adding more operators isn’t the solution, the problem needs to be solved through automation, Rich Baich, chief information security officer at Wells Fargo, said in an interview.

“Volumes of alerts will continue to climb until organizations implement the appropriate technology and overlay them with operational innovations that allow the organization to rapidly sift through the mountains of data to find the actionable alerts,” Baich said.

Read the full article on www.information-management.com

 

AI, business process automation the hardest skills to find

 

The most difficult to find skills this summer are those in emerging and growing technology areas, including artificial intelligence, business process automation and the Internet of Things.

That is the finding of a major new technology jobs report from CompTIA entitled “Assessing the Skills Gap.” The study looks at the experience of organizations hiring for critical IT positions, what organizations are doing with technology, and the impact that any skills gaps has on the industry.

 

Setting the stage for the findings is the fact that nearly half (46 percent) of all organizations believe the skills gap for top tech job areas is getting worse, and will continue to do so. Furthermore, only one-third of organizations believe they have any sort of process in place to address the problem.

Topping the list of the largest skills gap – the difference between the demands for certain skills and the supply of talent that has those skills – are the emerging and growing technology areas as noted above. This isn’t really surprising, since emerging technologies of any kind always outpace experience workers with those skills, until the workforce can play catch-up to some degree.

Tied with emerging technologies were skills for integrating different applications, data sources, platforms and devices, at 59 percent of respondents. Closely behind was cloud infrastructure and cloud application skills, at 57 percent, and digital business transformation skills or skills for modernizing legacy hardware or software.

Click to read more about the hardest skills to find

Washington State University breach compromises data of 1 million

The health and wellness services division of Washington State University in Seattle has experienced a major breach of protected health information, but the extent of the incident is not yet clear. On April 21, the university discovered that a hard drive was stolen from a locked safe. The hard drive held back-up files from a server used by the Social and Economic Sciences Research Center. 

Local media, including KUOW a National Public Radio station, have reported the breach affects 1 million individuals, but the HHS Office for Civil Rights, which enforces the HIPAA privacy and security rules, has not publicly confirmed that number.

Click here to read more

Tips for handling tough paper challenges

Digital transformation isn’t just a means to a competitive edge—it’s crucial to success. Advanced document capture and information management solutions can help businesses automate and streamline workflows, empowering employees to get more done faster. However, the big-picture promises of accelerated processes and stronger customer service can sometimes overshadow the complexities, including technical requirements and the challenge of gaining employee buy-in. By keeping in mind existing workflows and end-users’ needs, businesses can avoid the roadblocks to new technology adoption and see the full return on investment in upgraded equipment.

Mistake No. 1: Slow, Costly Integration

While new technology signals positive change for C-suite decision-makers and end users, it can also mean headaches for IT if integration isn’t seamless and cost-effective. Connecting scanners to and installing capture software on every computer take a significant amount of time, driving up implementation costs and delaying full integration.

Enter: Wireless technology. Scanners that function wirelessly within existing infrastructure and applications make integration simple and quick. In addition, thin-client software like the Kodak Info Input Solution is deployed and managed centrally via the web. This not only allows for a fast launch but also minimizes costs associated with upgrades and ensures they take place at the same time, maximizing the software’s capabilities.

Mistake No. 2: Technology Isn’t User-friendly

Across industries, employees face pressure to complete processes efficiently and accurately. While they can benefit from new technology aimed at helping them work faster, employees presented with a new solution often turn to legacy tools they’re comfortable using. If scanning technology has even a slight learning curve, the perceived cost of taking the time to become familiar with the device or software can override the downside of continuing to use time-consuming, manual processes. Conversely, the more intuitive solutions are, the more quickly they’ll become part of employees’ day-to-day routines.

Desktop, network and wireless scanners from Kodak Alaris feature user-friendly touchscreens, and they can be configured to offer one-touch scanning, allowing employees to automatically start or continue a business process directly from the device. Because the technology is easy to use and integrate into existing workflows, it can be adopted—and start producing results—immediately. In addition, Info Input is web-based and can be embedded within the existing enterprise business applications employees use every day.

Mistake No. 3: Ignoring BYOD

New technology also needs to be compatible with the devices employees use every day. The growth of cloud adoption and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies has contributed to the consumerization of IT and shows no sign of slowing down. According to Tech Pro Research, 60 percent of organizations already permit employees to use their personal devices for work, and 14 percent plan to begin doing so in the next 12 months.¹ Allowing employees to work with devices they are familiar with not only makes them productive, but also helps reduce businesses’ IT infrastructure costs.

Advanced desktop scanners, like the Kodak i1190WN Scanner and the Kodak ScanMate i1150WN Scanner, offer wireless connectivity to mobile devices. Rather than having to power up a PC and connect to their organization’s server every time they need to scan documents, employees can easily sync with the scanner from their smartphone or tablet. Using the ScanMate+ mobile app, on iOS and Android, they can then access the scanned documents on their phones and cue up the associated business process at the touch of a button. This not only allows employees to be more efficient but ensures processes start sooner and are carried out faster—a win for the business and its customers.

Mistake No. 4: Ineffective Change Management

An investment in hardware and software may streamline workflows, fuel productivity and meet mobile needs, but if it’s not introduced strategically, businesses risk employees not adopting it fully. A study by MIT Sloan Management Review and Capgemini Consulting² reveals that while the vast majority of employees feel digital transformation is imperative, most believe it’s happening too slowly at their organization, suggesting a gap between how decision-makers and employees view these changes.

Derik Timmerman, co-founder and CEO of insights services provider Spreadsheet Sherpa, says there are three M’s to prioritize when leading technological change: the message, the messenger and the method. Before crafting a message, he recommends businesses consult with their employees and identify their frustrations with current technology.

“It’s not just any message that might make sense. It’s understanding how to craft that message in a way that is directed like a laser right at the pain points of the people that need to adopt [the technology],” he says.

Equally as important as developing messaging that resonates with employees is selecting a messenger who’s respected and trusted. Someone who works alongside staff on the front lines is often a stronger choice for this advocate role than a manager because he or she can serve as a relatable example to the rest of the staff, Timmerman says.

Finally, the method by which the transformation is communicated and executed is crucial to its success. Timmerman suggests maintaining the focus on the common pain points discussed and how the technology alleviates or eliminates them.

Advanced information management solutions are central to lean, competitive operations. By taking measures to ensure smooth implementation and adoption of scanners and capture software, businesses can begin seeing results sooner and ultimately achieve greater ROI.

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Leading transportation and logistics providers increase efficiency with ABBYY intelligent capture solutions

Industry News

Milpitas, United States (June 28, 2017) Accounts Payable Automation and Supply Chain Management Fuel Digital Transformation Initiatives ABBYY®, a leading provider of technologies and solutions to action information, today announced that several global transportation and logistics providers are digitizing critical business processes using ABBYY intelligent capture solutions. Transportation and logistics companies and service providers, including...
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