Posts

Emerging Technology Innovations to Expect in 2023 and Beyond

Year after year new technology is discovered, improved, and taken to the next level. There is no shortage of innovation in this digital age. Keysight Technologies features an article on Yahoo! Finance highlighting the emerging technology innovation that industry experts predict will thrive in 2023 and beyond.

Quantum – Building the Foundation. “After decades-long hype around quantum computing and quantum systems, the industry will start to realize its potential for creating new opportunities in fields spanning cybersecurity, materials creation, financial analysis, and military receivers. Proactive companies will start investing in quantum, fostering quantum talent within the next generation of workers through university partnerships, hackathons, and other projects. This will create an ancillary boost to DEI initiatives resulting in much-needed diversity in the tech workforce. Recent research revealed that 74% of companies believe they will fall behind if they fail to adopt quantum. As a result, organizations will begin to shift their thinking that quantum is a futuristic technology and begin addressing key challenges, including financial resources and operations, and developing real enterprise applications of quantum by 2026, if not sooner.” – Dr. Eric Holland, Director of Quantum Engineering Solutions

Electric Vehicles – The Construction Industry Goes Green. “To date, EVs have been associated with climate-conscious consumers, but by 2025, expect adoption to come from some surprising sectors. For example, the construction industry stands to reap numerous benefits from utilizing EVs’ excess energy to power machinery that previously required cumbersome generators or numerous extension cords to function.” – Thomas Goetzl, VP & GM Automotive & Energy Solutions

Software Quality – Sustainability of Testing. “Traditional test automation is based on the need to run many fixed tests at defined periods (overnight, weekends and prior to a release, for example). The execution of each test requires significant computing power and thus has both an energy cost and an environmental impact. With the increase in energy prices and the greater awareness of sustainability, this legacy approach of “non-intelligent” test automation will be replaced by intelligent test optimization – in which the goal is to only run the tests that are known to identify a problem.” – Gareth Smith, GM Software Test Automation

6G – New Olympic Sport: The Metaverse. “The 2028 Summer Games will welcome 6G to the global stage. As a worldwide Olympic partner, expect Samsung to unveil a 6G deployment, which will be a pivotal part of how viewers consume events. For example, you can expect one of the two opening ceremonies to happen in the metaverse. The metaverse will also feature prominently in the user experience, enabling fans to participate in some Olympic events. We’ll also see certain sports and, potentially, eSports run a 6G Metaverse Olympics in parallel with the actual Games, with at least one medal awarded within the metaverse. As brands draw inspiration from the Olympics, there will be a subsequent explosion of 6G use cases throughout 2028.” – Colin Bauer, Market Initiative Manager Wireless Communications

Product Development – DIY Digital Twins Will Drive Up Recalls “Faster 5G rollouts are accelerating demand and expectations for adjacent advancements in complex technologies like autonomous driving, new distributed IoT applications, and the rollout of metaverse capabilities. Products involving this level of complexity need to meet more compliance and connectivity standards, operate across a much wider range of often unknown conditions, and are expected to be backward compatible with other systems that are not yet in the market. As a result, I anticipate that product developers will be tempted to build – known as do-it-yourself, or DIY – vs. buy their digital twins. Those taking DIY shortcuts will be leading the spike in product recalls.” – Jeff Harris, Vice President, Corporate & Portfolio Marketing

 

For Full Article, Click Here

9 Ways in Which Innovation is Changing ERP Technology

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software has become more than its initial function of managing day-to-day business activities. ERP is more pervasive, responsive, and adaptable than ever before. An article on MacSources notes the evolution of ERP and how its rebirth has been a decade-long process that has resulted in a more versatile and multifaceted instrument that has assisted businesses of different sizes in re-inventing their company strategy. Being utilized in many aspects of business and across mobile, social and traditional channels, this technology has since evolved thanks to the latest innovations integrated with ERP systems.

Cloud-based Solutions. “Currently, everything ERP has to offer may be run on the cloud or on-premise, but this may change in the coming years. The development of Industry 4.0 necessitates more intuitive business software and rapid access to data on the go, which the cloud platform is better suited to.”

IoT.  “Without a doubt, the Internet of Things has enormous potential to improve the corporate sector. IoT has enabled commercial organizations to follow and study the flow of information as well as computing processes in real-time. The analytics enabled by IoT have provided immediate access to specialized company knowledge, allowing management to make well-informed, timely judgments and choices.”

Wearable Technology. “The integration of ERP software development and wearable technology has numerous advantages. This integration allows the transmission of real-time data, which can help to reduce errors and losses by tracking shipments in manufacturing businesses. Additionally, data reduplication can be greatly reduced with real-time data access. Wearable technology and ERP software will also allow for faster decision-making, allowing top authorities to purchase critical goods quickly by utilizing portable devices.”

Big Data. “Big Data and ERP software can be very effective if used concurrently. For example, it can help assess the current pattern of customer behavior by examining data that is already available as well as data gathered by automated devices.”

AI. “Customer service is the primary area in which AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ERP software can be combined to create a more successful and helpful software product. AI-enabled ERP technology can be beneficial to the HR department, for example, it can assist HR in identifying the vulnerabilities of inefficient employees who are unable to complete tasks on time.”

CRM, SCM, BI, and ERP as One Solution. “When all four technologies are used together, an organization can produce enormous revenues by enhancing its work efficiency. Almost all large-scale industries now use ERP-based solutions. Many firms now provide supply chain management software that includes ERP-based functions designed to execute specific tasks. And not only SCM but also the majority of CRM and BI solutions are deployed using ERP software.”

RFID. “RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is one of the most commonly used terms in the market for automatic identification and data collecting. This technology allows users to identify, monitor, and detect practically any object. It is most commonly used in inventory and warehousing, distribution, access control, and asset tracking. An ERP and RFID system has three primary advantages: tracking of goods and materials in real-time, dynamic updates of information on a box or label, and hands-free and quick product information scanning with no human interaction required.”

Mobile ERP. “Industries have recognized the value of allowing their managers and staff to access data in real-time on a mobile device or tablet and collaborate from any location. Employees can use mobile ERP to manage orders, quotes, and prepositions while working on the pitch from any device, improve customer service with full access to client history, contracts, and product-specific information, have access to all corporate information while working away from the office, and enter all important information as it is collected in the field, avoiding the need to retype it into the back-end system.”

Social ERP. “Social ERP is an excellent step toward consumer collaboration and engagement. It is unnecessary to integrate your ERP systems with external social networking platforms. Instead, you can use social ERP to imitate the functionality of, say, Facebook. The only difference is that it will be safer and more secure within your ERP system.”

Today, ERP has made a presence in almost every aspect of the business environment, creating a shift in how firms employ ERP systems. The article concludes that ERP innovation will allow you to make more effective decisions both in the short and the long term.

 

For Full Article, Click Here

4 Ways Technology Can Support A Culture Of Innovation

Innovation is a key formula to maintaining success in today’s business landscape. One of the easiest way to bring about innovation to your company is utilizing technology and the many advancements its given to businesses of every sector. While a business leader may be hesitant to bring about technological change because they don’t quite fully understand the right technology to introduce to their companies, they can still lay a technological foundation to invite change. Many times, it’s about having the right minds and leaders on your team. Daragh Mahon, Forbes Technology Council Member and EVP and CIO of Werner Enterprises, shares an article describing how technology can support a culture of innovation for your business.

  1. Position IT as collaborators. “Because innovation and tech are so intertwined, your IT department will play a crucial role in driving your innovation culture. They will be the builders of departmental designs and solutions, so their expertise in providing recommendations will be vital.”
  2. Invest in diverse tech leadership. “Technology is the primary tool of the modern world, and leaders need to have a solid understanding of how it can best benefit their business.”
  3. Reassess and revise your tech. “Legacy technology has been a stumbling block for many organizations as they try to modernize. Many businesses opt for building intermediate solutions between old and new solutions as a quick workaround. However, long-term costs need to be considered as well. Time and labor spent creating solutions to integrate with older systems are resources taken away from any forward-looking innovation. Newer talent may not be versed in an older system’s framework or language, making them harder to maintain as time goes by.”
  4. Create an idea-testing process. “Developing a standardized process for creating, building and testing ideas—whether technical or not—is imperative for an innovative culture. You must set clear boundaries around time, budget, resources, testing and scalability.”

 

For Full Article, Click Here

City of Coral Gables Selects Infor to Reach New Levels of Operational Efficiency and Innovation

The City of Coral Gables, Florida, has selected Infor to help the organization provide better service to its constituents. The tech giant will support the city in its goal of reaching new levels of efficiency and innovation and promoting a culture of exceptional customer service. Per the press release, the city will implement a suite of Infor cloud applications to streamline financials, supply management and human capital management to better aggregate data through deep industry-specific analytics and artificial intelligence. Further, Coral Gables also will implement key Infor analytics solutions and set up a cloud operating platform for the future that will help enhance productivity, and bring business processes and artificial intelligence together to offer unparalleled insights. Infor will provide the city a platform for networked business analytics, help automate the process of preparing data and add an adaptive user experience.

 

For Full Article, Click Here

4 Healthcare Technology Trends Expected to Boom During COVID-19

A year after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the healthcare industry and health organizations had to pivot overnight. This global disruption caused healthcare organizations to be quick on their feet and innovate now more than ever. Technology and innovation writer Doug Bonderud shares an article on Health Tech Magazine looking at four key technology trends healthcare enterprises can expect in 2021 as COVID-19 comes under control.

  1. Predictive Analytics in Healthcare. “Although the first few months of the pandemic came with unparalleled uncertainty, ongoing work into the causes, mechanisms and mortality of the disease have yielded valuable healthcare data.”
  2. IoMT: Connected Medical Devices Support Proactive Health Care. “The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) gained significant ground during the pandemic, allowing providers to deliver proactive care at a distance. Applications have ranged widely, from connected wearables that report critical patient data to the deployment of “smart beds” in hospital settings to improve patient comfort.”
  3. Future Telehealth Advances Will Deliver the Best of Both Worlds. “Together, many of the shifts that have taken place have moved the needle toward a more patient-focused experience of healthcare delivery. Although many providers expect the expansion of telehealth to persist even after patients and providers can safely meet in person, they also expect this technology-driven approach to undergo its own evolution. Such solutions will be essential for healthcare organizations serving distributed, disparate populations who may lack access to unlimited smartphone data or high-speed broadband internet.”
  4. New Cybersecurity Concerns Increase Cloud Adoption in Healthcare. “Changes in care delivery models also have implications for associated IT infrastructure, with cybersecurity concerns pushing some organizations to the cloud.”

 

For healthcare organizations, this continuing pandemic is clear about one thing: innovation and disruptive service is now the ‘new normal’.

 

For Full Article, Click Here

Infor Becomes Founding Sponsor of The Smart Factory at Wichita

Infor has become the first founding sponsor of The Smart Factory @ Wichita, a new Industry 4.0 immersive experience center launched by Deloitte and Wichita State University in Kansas. Per the press release, Infor, Deloitte, Wichita State and the Smart Factory partner ecosystem is expected to help customers across numerous industries continuously innovate and develop next-generation, value-added services. A smart factory is a highly digitized, connected production facility that uses technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics to help companies manufacture products, create new business value, unlock data-driven insights and automate or eliminate business processes. At The Smart Factory @ Wichita, Infor will create and demonstrate a practical, ready-to-deploy technology package which will address eight key smart factory use cases:

  • Factory asset intelligence and performance management
  • Quality sensing and detection
  • Factory synchronization and dynamic scheduling
  • Augmented workforce efficiency
  • Plant consumption and energy management
  • Smart warehousing
  • Smart conveyance
  • Engineering collaboration and digital twins (digital representations of physical environments)

The new Smart Factory facility is anticipated to open in 2021.

 

For Full Article, Click Here

3 Retail Technology Trends to Watch in 2020

Ten years ago at the face of a recession we would have never guessed that the retail industry would last. Amazon began to surface and “smart phones” were becoming smarter and more of use than simple text and talk. Fast forward to 2020 and the retail industry is more competitive than ever in this digital age. Agnes Teh Stubbs shared an article on Softwareadvice.com of the importance for retailers to stay relevant to the eyes of consumers and to competitors. Strategies today include not just store front but online sales as well. Here are Agnes Teh Stubbs’ three immersive technological trends that will impact the retail landscape by the end of the year.

Trend #1: Retailers will harness AI to optimize delivery services
“Whether it’s by same-day delivery, curbside pickup, or in-store pickup, never has there been more urgency to get a product to customers as quickly as possible, whatever the method. Faced with such pressure, it should come as no surprise that retailers are making efforts and investments to use artificial intelligence based tools to improve the efficiency of their supply chain work processes.”

Trend #2: Retailers will invest in AR and VR to create more compelling in-store experiences
“A growing number of retailers across various industries are already using augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to make the in-store experience a more interactive one. According to Gartner, more than 100 million consumers will be using AR technologies to shop in-store and online by 2020.”

Trend #3: Retailers will adopt flexible payment methods to match customer spending habits
“The concept of a monthly payment plan for a furniture purchase isn’t new. What’s new is that now almost every major retailer is offering flexible payment plans or “buy now, pay later” options on their checkout pages for a wide variety of items. The increasing appetite for “buy now, pay later” services is especially prevalent among younger customers, such as Gen Z and millennials, who want more options for how they pay for things.”

 

For Full Article, Click Here

Technology hubs pushing business innovation

In today’s business world, technology has been the central focus for innovation, development and change for everything from cloud services to internet security. In an article from Tech Radar, as technology continues to evolve at an ever-quickening pace, hubs have become the engines driving implementation and ensuring that products and services with genuine impact continue roll out to market. Hubs are spaces that promote innovation. Business growth and innovation go hand-in-hand in order to survive today. Tech hubs are important as they set an innovative environment for teams and encourages open communication. The article concludes by adding that technology hubs can foster a collaborative and inspirational culture that will be central in shaping the future, not just of individual businesses but of large-scale economies.

 

For Full Article, Click Here

7 tips for managing complex legal information with technology

No one would ever put legal and tech industry in the same respect, but almost every industry can and should evolve in the digital age. As clients’ needs – and their focus on efficiency and results – evolve, the legal industry must continually innovate and push the boundaries of law and technology. By integrating technology to solve complex legal issues, lawyers can gain a competitive edge. In 2016, Bricker & Eckler’s litigation support team developed a highly-customized technology solution for a client’s interstate natural gas pipeline project. It won multiple legal technology awards and has received international recognition in the technology arena. With the success of LandTracker, here are some tips on integrating technology into your legal practice.

  1. Move past linear thinking
  2. Focus on the client
  3. Cost allocation
  4. Build a team
  5. Don’t reinvent the wheel
  6. Train and educate
  7. Recycle

Modern lawyering can benefit from cutting edge technology solutions, proving that any industry can jump on the digital bandwagon.

For Full Article, Click Here

Collaboration Drives ERP Innovation

Collaboration today is simpler than ever before with the advent of integrated social collaboration tools and Agile Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions. In the ERP context, users participate as equals in the platform and interact in real time, collaborate around a business object within the ERP, and bring people together from different departments to share their expertise and increase productivity.  This opens up conversations beyond business walls to customers and suppliers. Collaboration features such as messaging, presence and notification, use of established social networking technique concepts like message streams, hash tags, status updates, and subscriptions, as well as crowd sourcing further promote the sharing and documenting of ideas within the organization’s ERP.

 

For the full article, click here