Science & Technology

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 18 dec 2014

Maturing social business and evolving enterprise social networks will transform the way employees, customers and partners connect, work and collaborate with each other. Trey Tramonte, President & CEO of Bloomfire, provides following 10 predictions for enterprise collaboration for 2015 - (1) Analytics will drive increased investment in enterprise collaboration. (2) Rise of personal analytics. (3) Gamification will invade the enterprise. (4) File sharing will become an integration point, not a destination. (5) Mobile will evolve from "urgent" to integrated part of the daily workflow. (6) Multi-media content will become table stakes. (7) Small is the new big. Testing specific use cases in select teams and then implement throughout the organization. (8) Service providers will build new revenue channels around knowledge management platforms. (9) Learning Management Systems solutions will lose market share to enterprise collaboration platforms. (10) Nonprofits will follow the Pinterest approach. Read on...

Business 2 Community: 10 Predictions for Enterprise Collaboration in 2015
Author: Trey Tramonte

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 13 dec 2014

At EDUCAUSE2014 in October, Professor Clayton Christensen of Harvard University mentioned that higher education is poised for massive disruption as a result of new offerings in online learning. The MOOCs phenomenon, advancements in Learning Management Systems, Cloud-based and mobile technologies etc are some of the factors facilitating the transformation in online education and learning landscape. Although the debates regarding the success of online-only learning and education still continues with educators evaluating its outcomes and comparing it with traditional college and university education. But one thing is commonly agreed upon and that is education technology is here to stay. Moreover there are advocates of technology enhanced blended learning. Latest infographic by TalentLMS, a cloud-based learning management system, provides in detail 10 eLearning trends for 2015 - (1) Big Data: Numbers in eLearning are becoming so large that processing user generated data using traditional methods is becoming impossible. (2) Gamification: It is the concept of applying game mechanics and game design techniques to engage and motivate people to achieve their learning goals. Gamification taps into the basic desires and needs of the user, focusing on impulses which revolve around the ideas of Status and Achievement. (3) Personalization: It is the tailoring of pedagogy, curriculum and learning environments to meet the needs and aspirations of individual learners. (4) M-Learning: As mobile use continues to grow, it will become the dominant medium for offering learning materials. (5) Focus on Return-on-Investment: ROI compares the investment in training deliverable with the benefits over a specified period of time. Despite the traditional difficulties of calculating ROI, its importance will rise, as it provides a strong argument in favor of eLearning. (6) Application Programming Interfaces: API is basically the way applications communicate with each other. The widely accepted SCORM and Tin Can are two examples of APIs in eLearning. Systems like Zapier, offer non-programmable ways to integrate APIs between services and achieve desired effects. (7) Automation: Content creation is a tedious and time consuming process. If we could somehow automate the process of content creation then we could potentially create a revolution in the quantity and quality of online courses. (8) Augmented Learning: It is an on-demand learning technique where the environment adapts to the learner. Augmented Reality market is expected to grow significantly from 60 million users in 2013 to 200 million in 2018. (9) Corporate Massive Open Online Courses: MOOCs are courses for large number of users. MOOCs are often used by universities. In the last few years MOOCs have been getting more popular among companies and organizations. (10) Rise of Cloud Learning Management Systems: Despite speculations about the death of LMS, last years showed continued growth in the industry. Forecast of 2015 predict that it will continue to grow. Out of all learning sytems, cloud-based platforms had the highest growth in the last two years. Read on...

EdTech: 10 Online Learning Trends to Watch in 2015 (Infographic)
Author: D. Frank Smith

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 12 dec 2014

Internet of Things (IoT) promises to bring diverse set of smart devices together through seamless network technologies and provide human-centered connected solutions. Home hubs are being launched in the market to sync everything from refrigerators to air conditioners to locks. But most homes are not yet ready with enough smart devices, although near future will see the growth of such connectivity and numerous possibilities resulting from smart homes. Roberta Gamble, Vice President of Frost & Sullivan Energy & Environment, predicts that telehealth will see a big surge in the market. Telehealth connects doctors and patients through use of technology. According to Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio, by 2015 Americans over the age of 65 will outnumber children under five. The aging baby boomer population will increase the demand for home gadgets for elderly care. The health, safety and independence of this population will encourage innovations and developments towards smart homes. Read on...

Digital Trends: THE SMART HOME OF THE FUTURE WILL BE ALL ABOUT TELEHEALTH, SO WHAT IS THAT?
Author: Jenny McGrath

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 05 dec 2014

Social media phenomenon has transformed the way individuals and businesses connect, interact and engage with their audiences and customers. The accelerating pace of change in social media is further enhancing its value and at the same time providing new challenges for companies to adapt to change and incorporate the latest tools to stay ahead. Ryan Holmes, CEO of Hootsuite, suggests the following 5 changes that will shape social media in 2015 - (1) Social media and e-commerce merge. (2) Social media privacy issues come to the fore. (3) Social media becomes your virtual wallet. (4) New networks come and new networks go. (5) Smart devices get smarter, with help from social media. Read on...

Financial Post: These 5 trends will change social media in 2015
Author: Ryan Holmes

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 05 dec 2014

In the technology-enabled world, businesses have to utilize latest technologies, systems and processes to stay ahead of the competition and satisfy their customers. Enterprise technologies that were successful in the past may not suffice in the future. Eric Knorr, Editor-in-Chief of InfoWorld, provides 9 trends in enterprise technology that will have an impact in 2015 and beyond - (1) The triumph of the public cloud. (2) Container madness. (3) Microservices architecture. (4) Liquid computing. (5) Multicloud management. (6) Endpoint security innovation. (7) Machine learning. (8) The return of devops. (9) The end of network switches. Open source is leading the way in most technology developments with startups bringing them to production for their customers and other developers see their value and start building ecosystem around the core projects like Docker, Hadoop, OpenStack etc. This model of open source development - collaborative, self-organized, and distributed - is starting to impact enterprise app dev and will be a trend to watch in the years to come. Read on...

InfoWorld: 9 key enterprise tech trends for 2015 and beyond
Author: Eric Knorr

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 04 dec 2014

'Meaningful use' section of the American Investment & Recovery Act of 2009 and provisions in the Affordable Care Act of 2010, required health providers to invest in patients' electronic health records and allow for electronic data reporting to the government. This prompted healthcare organizations in US to invest heavily on IT and created large amount of data that can be used to improve the quality of care, increase patient satisfaction, and reduce costs. But only few are doing it efficiently and effectively with the help of clinical business intelligence (CBI). CBI is an IT system that collects and analyzes data and delivers the results to frontline clinicians in real time, helping them to make better decisions. It can be used to keep clinicians informed about everything from infections and iatrogenic injuries (those caused unintentionally by physicians) to whether units are over- or understaffed. ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value, an independent non-profit educational institute, has identified three key building blocks that are required to create and implement a CBI strategy - (1) Change leaders' mind-set: A sustainable, transparent, empowered, evidence-based culture supported by CBI is the end state. Getting there requires leaders to understand the need for information at the front line of care and to support efforts to provide it. (2) Standardize data: Organizations must create a centrally located area for storing data and develop standard definitions for variables and exclusions. (3) Build a culture of transparency: Create an environment where workers are empowered to identify and solve problems each day without manager intervention. Workers need leadership support, transparent work environments, and the essential data on defects, wait times, inventory etc. Read on...

Harvard Business Review: Hospitals Are Finally Starting to Put Real-Time Data to Use
Authors: Melissa Mannon, John S. Toussaint

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 01 dec 2014

Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and Internet Security Alliance (ISA), are organizations that have been working on issues of corporate governance related to cyber security. NACD and ISA recently published a report 'Cyber-Risk Oversight' in which they propose five key principles for boards in approaching cyber-risk - (1) Cyber-risk is more than just an IT issue: It is a key component of enterprise risk management, requiring board-level oversight. (2) Cyber risks have important legal ramifications, which directors need to understand. (3) Cyber-risk should be a topic of regular board discussion, and boards need access to the expertise to engage with cyber-risk issues. (4) Directors should ensure management implements an effective cyber-risk framework for the company. (5) The board and management should assess cyber-risk just like other enterprise-level risks: Ensuring a specific determination is made of which aspects of cyber-risk to accept, avoid, mitigate or insure against. The IIA and ISACA have built upon these five principles to provide well thought out implementation guidance in a publication titled 'Cybersecurity: What the Board of Directors Needs to Ask'. Moreover IIA and ISACA also suggest six questions boards should consider to prepare for discussions with management and audit. Read on...

CTOvision.com: Cyber Security and Corporate Governance: The five principles every corporate director should embody
Author: Bob Gourley

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 28 nov 2014

Advancements in Internet of Things (IoT) with expanded internet access and connectivity through various devices, gadgets and machines, also brings security risks. Security community has to be prepared to face variety of cyber attacks and plug loopholes and vulnerabilities. Symantec's APJ (Asia-Pacific/Japan) security predictions for 2015 explores issues that will affect individual customers, businesses and governments in the region - (1) Attacks on the Internet of Things (IoT) will focus on smart home automation. (2) Mobile devices will become even more attractive targets. (3) Machine learning will be a game changer in the fight against cybercrime. (4) Privacy will continue to be sacrificed for mobile apps. (5) Scammers will continue to run profitable ransomware scams. (6) The prominent data leaks of 2014 will keep cybersecurity in the spotlight in 2015. (7) Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) will continue to rise as a threat. (8) User behaviour will take centre stage as security moves beyond passwords. (9) The Cloud will take us to Infinity and Beyond. (10) The front lines of cybersecurity will be strengthened by closer industry partnerships and collaborations. Read on...

InformationWeek: Top 10 security predictions for 2015
Author: NA

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 23 nov 2014

Shopping malls and retailers are utilizing interactive and virtual technologies to enhance and facilitate customer buying experience. Mobile apps, touchscreens, tablets, 'Elf-Ray Vision', image search, texting services etc are some of the customer focused technologies that are being applied. One of the retailer have even partnered with a 3D printing company to provide customizable products. Deloitte holiday survey of more than 5000 people found that 2/3rd of Americans now own a smartphone, and 72% plan to use it in holiday shopping; for 27%, that means spending more. According to Jesse Tron of International Council of Shopping Centers, 'Using phones as a shopping tool also means many consumers have a pretty good idea of what they want before they ever walk through the door.' 'Consumers want to be entertained. But going beyond the entertainment factor and making technology helpful is crucial to successfully integrating digital experiences in stores.' says Kathleen Jordan, a leader in the retail practice group of design and architecture firm Gensler. Read on...

USA TODAY: Retailers use virtual technology to vie for sales
Author: Hadley Malcolm

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 20 nov 2014

According to recent American Community Survey, 2.6% of workers telecommute. More and more organizations are providing their workforce flexible work hours and locations to perform their job responsibilities. Technology is facilitating this shift in work dynamics. Effective collaboration tools are needed to get the dispersed members of the teams to stay connected, focused and efficient. There are variety of such tools available in the market, both free and paid. Here is the list of 7 free online collaboration tools - (1) Podio: Enterprise social network with project management system functionality. It has user profiles, chat app, internal email, contacts, calendar and tasks. Has customization features. (2) Asana: Project management/workflow management tool. Works on most platforms, offering the flexibility to assign tasks and to-dos, set milestones and deadlines and keep track of it all on work on tablets, smartphones or desktops. (3) Google Apps: Used as a suit, provides Gmail, Hangouts, Calendars, Docs, Sheets, Slides and more many of the features project management and collaboration software offer. (4) Yammer: Enterprise social network where users can create a personal profile page, create and join groups, share and like comments, upload images, and attach files. Best for communication but lacks project management capability. (5) Trello: Project management tool that uses a model known as Kanban. Projects are represented and organised using boards or cards that contain task/to-do lists that users share in real-time. (6) HipChat: Multi-platform communications tool allows to create virtual rooms for teams to meet and communicate as well as share files and photos. (7) GanttProject: Open source project management and scheduling app. Allows users to create and organise tasks and milestones. It can also create Gantt and PERT charts as well as reports in HTML or PDF formats. But it doesn't provide social features. Read on...

ComputerWorldUK: 7 free online collaboration and project management tools
Author: Rich Hein

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