Design thinking is at the top of mind for business teams of big giants as well as startups. The traditional "If you build it, they will come," mentality has been taken from techniques like customer journey mapping and empathy-driven prototyping. Many companies are unsure how to implement it to improve their business - especially in areas like data analytics and decision sciences. The first step is to ask:  for whom are we designing and what is the problem they are experiencing? The second: to what end are we modeling the design - to boost consumption and engagement, improve performance, or to achieve scale? These same needs to be asked at the outset of any analytics effort. Here are five simple steps that are key to infusing analytics with a designer mindset.

1) Create a design framework that allows you to fail fast.

2) Empathize with your customer to impart emotion into your product.

3) Focus on problem-solving that allows for rapid experimentation.

4) Employ methods to inspire creative brainstorming across teams.

5) To design the killer solution, let nature be your guide.  

To read more visit at:  http://www.datanami.com/2016/02/16/what-design-thinking-means-for-data-analytics/

Every company wants happy and healthy employees and for better operations, it is way more than just productivity. As fit employees are happy and healthier, many companies have corporate wellness programs. But involving employees to participate in such activities is a real challenge for HR officials. Thanks to technology, corporates have fitness wearable devices for employees and Fitbit is the market leader in this category. It has revolutionaries the wellness programs by adding a social and competitive component. Not only fitness, but it is improving the work environment in companies also. It is economical for corporate as there are company-specific online storefronts where companies can get subsidized Fitbit as per their needs. Read more about this in the article written by Sarah K. white (Senior Writer) at -: http://www.cio.com/article/2980242/wearable-technology/how-hr-uses-fitness-trackers-to-increase-company-wellness.html 

Companies which have process manufacturing as an activity to do on their list, face potential challenges with ERP. Process manufacturers need highly customized ERP packages as every process has its own special features. If the ERP package that you choose doesn't have all the functionalities to handle your needs and wants, then it can result in an expensive customization which will result in a significant hike in your costs. Traceability is a very important aspect as well. Manufacturing ERP systems need to be robust for effective tracking. Documentation is another important factor which should be kept in mind. In addition to this, process manufacturing ERP must have features for quality assurance and quality management. Read the complete article at - http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/inside-erp/process-manufacturing-erp-71400

The major basis of all the enterprise lies on IT system and services. What will happen if there is a major shutdown in IT section? The solution does not lie on the questions whom to contact or how to fix! But a well prepared process may lead to quick remedy. According to columnist Gene Rogers we can follow eight easy steps to manage:

1.How much time should be taken to manage the crisis so that the sudden shut down do not disturb your business model, revenue generation, customer loyalty and HR system.

2. Prepare a quick action team with at least one primary and secondary back up in each service area.

3. Create a crisis checklist where we can anticipate any upcoming issues.

4. Create predefined templates as email, text message to facilitate the process faster and smarter.

5. Devise an automated alert mechanism.

6. Separate conference line for tech staffs and business personnel to facilitate the smooth crisis management situation.

7. Create a script for the conference line to keep order.

8. Practice in regular basis to stay updated and ready for any situation.

To read, follow: http://www.sixsigmaiq.com/pex-tools-technologies/columns/are-you-ready-for-a-major-it-outage/

Staying up to date with technology is essential. It can determine the success and failure of the business. Technology plays an important role in following ways –

·         Online Presence: Starting or running a business is simply not possible today without an online presence. An effective digital marketing strategy can help immensely in increasing brand awareness.

·         Marketing Strategies: To land more people on your website, you will need content marketing techniques and email outreach campaigns. Moreover a good PPC campaign can help in targeting the right customers without spending too much on marketing.

·         Stay up to date with available technology: Always be equipped with the latest hardware and software in the market to increase your speed and productivity.

·         Stay up to date with software solutions: Solution like cloud computing will save your data online which can be accessed from anywhere at any time.

Read the complete article here: : http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/marketing-strategies/improve-your-business-by-adapting-to-modern-technologies-71423

The stability of financial services in Asia is at stake because of the growing threat of cyber crime. The challenge is the high cost of defending mechanism against low cost cyber-attack ($1million/$1000). These attacks fuels the expansion of the cyber security market with a CAGR of 14.1%, which will be worth $33 million by 2019. Major drivers could be. 1. Financial gain through theft of money or information.  2. Politically motivated attack. And 3. Destructive attack to core business.  Unfortunately, financial sectors in the Middle East and Asia are mostly threatened by cyber threat. So to combat this crime, there must be a community defense model, i.e. sharing of cyber threat info among Financial institutions in an effort to identify and block attacks which are already initiated by US and European companies and followed by Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan & Australia. To read, follow:  http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1912324/asias-financial-services-industry-must-unite-against-threat

Today world is changing at a rapid speed. Technology is playing an important role. Agriculture technology is also advancing and promises to unleash its productivity. The combination of advanced mathematics, automation, advancements in sensor systems and next-generation plant breeding are setting the stage for the next Green Revolution, which is needed to ensure a better future. Next-generation farms are putting science and technology to work towards delivering a step change in yields and growing more from less. Here are the four most exciting developments in 2016.

1) The Mathematics revolution.

2) The Sensing Revolution.

3) Putting it together with automation.

4) Next generation plant breeding of corn.

Read more at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/gmoanswers/2016/01/26/four-technologies-that-will-usher-next-generation-farming/#3cfe147b69f5

Very soon we will be able to connect all our electronic items at home and it will in turn improve our quality of life. It will also turn the business world upside down. DanRadak (Consultant), writes in his article about the new trends in the IOT and how it will affect business efficiency. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/hosting-facts/the-internet-of-things-new-trends-for-business-productivity-71405

The goal of marketing technology is to deliver "the right message to the right customer or audience at the right time," says Jake Sorofman, research vice president at Gartner. Marketing technology has evolved into a combination of complex software and data. Tools which are used today with marketing technology also create new complexities and difficulties. It can't solve the ad- waste dilemma. This means that the marketing team wastes billions of dollars on digital ads that no one sees. Marketing tech can't tell about the impact an advertisement had about the brand to the viewer. Read the complete article here: http://www.cio.com/article/3024934/marketing/how-and-why-marketing-tech-fails-to-deliver-on-its-promise.html

There is a lot of confusion building around marketing tech and ad tech. Are they same or different? There are minute differences between the two. Let's see what they are. Marketing technology comprises of tools that manage marketing processes, customer analytics, digital content and workflows. It covers all aspects of marketing, SEO, and even ad tech. It is basically the understanding the customer and optimizing data science around them. Programmatic buying and selling of advertisements are referred as ad tech. Both of these technologies also share many similarities. Read the complete article here:  http://www.itworld.com/article/3030325/marketing/what-the-hell-is-the-difference-between-ad-tech-and-marketing-tech.html

Some volunteers of a nonprofit volunteer outfit are going door to door in Odisha. They are collecting data about schools, health facilities, Panchayat, roads, etc. These data points are being analyzed by a not-for-profit development organization which will use this data and will draft a development plan for Member of Parliament. The idea is to filter the data into meaningful information which will help in reducing the gap between real needs and actions. Some big consultancies are also working together with politicians for the same purpose. Data analytics tools are used to determine demographic profiles and socioeconomic aims. Read the full article here: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2016-02-02/news/70283182_1_data-analytics-tools-prime-minister-narendra-modi

The breakthrough in the mobile innovations that is coming into industry holds many promises for the future of mobile healthcare solutions. The power of technology to monitor patients from distance improves health care in a way that is cost effective and beneficial. To implement such systems the need is to change the thinking of both doctors and the patients. Mobile Healthcare systems keep a constant vigilance on the patient and can collect important data. The data related to the blood pressure, sugar levels and various important factors can be analyzed to make the treatment better. This gives freedom to the patients to complete their works without being tense about their healthcare system. They can remotely access the same. There are projects which are working on mobile healthcare and they have offered promising results.  Read more at: http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/article/harnessing-power-mobile

Want to make your industry more tech oriented? Follow a well-planned strategy and nicely made roadmap. The financial services and the manufacturing industry are adapting technology in their work culture. But the scenario is not the same for natural products industry. The new technical platforms are very critical to the organization's growth. But those who are still not working to make their work easy using technology are at a big loss. To blend Information technology with your work, it is important to have a strategy and a roadmap. A strategy consists of analyzing the current state, benchmarking and collecting recommendations. Then an analysis of the vision and the goals of an organization is required. To make the workforce acquainted with tech, a plan is required. Upgradation can be done only after taking the estimation of budget. Then comes the role of the consultants, they recommend which software or hardware will be most suitable and at what place. To do the same IT people recommend a plan of how and what is required to be done. Read more about it at: http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/articles/2016/01/information-technology-strategy-and-roadmap.aspx

Enormous demand of Wi-Fi has led to transmission of billions of bytes of data every day. Researchers have predicted that by 2019 mobile devices will exchange 35 quintillion bytes of information every month. This is just for mobile devices, just consider computers, IOT devices and you can get an idea how much data will be transferred. But our traditional Wi-Fi can't handle this entire load. So scientists have discovered a new technology known as LiFi. It uses light as a means of data transmission. Using LiFi we can send 224 gigabits per second. They can be also used in healthcare facilities. The idea that light can pass through walls can increase security because one has to be physically present in the room to access the data. Read the full article here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2016/01/12/will-lifi-take-big-data-and-the-internet-of-things-to-a-new-level/#2bceb09c346f

Big data is in its adolescence. Companies have started to treat it as a corporate asset. The focus has been shifted to find those data initiatives that will have biggest and immediate effect. Companies are not looking for more data, but the right data. This helps in making better informed decisions. A correlation between good data policies and financial success is also observed. Big data is becoming less about volume and velocity, but more about value. As technology continues to improve, the "bigness" of big data is becoming a less important factor. Read the full article here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2015/11/30/big-data-now-a-top-management-issue/#29598044794d

The field of smart wears brings up wonderful innovations each day. New horizons are explored and tested. This merging of machine and man has brought many such things which we never thought of. Exoskeletons are one such example. These give superhuman abilities to human beings. Nowadays there have been issues regarding privacy. There is always a third eye around looking and collecting more and more information about you. So to protect this the stealth wear is coming. To make this work you need to find the right reflective material that can block surveillance cameras and mobile tracking devices. Smart textile and smart clothing are already very popular. These have various applications ranging from health monitoring clothes to the environmental monitoring ones.  Read more at: http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-thedownload-wearable-tech-oddities-20160209-story.html

Nowadays, data analysis and space technology are used to help live crime mapping and is known as Predictive Policing. This has been used by various police departments of the few developed countries. In India, Delhi Police is also developing this mechanism in partnership with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). It is called The Crime Mapping, Analytics and Predictive System (CMAPS) and is used for with ensuring internal security. This will help in crime control, and law and order and security management through analysis of relevant data and patterns, leading to the optimization of available resources. Each police officials will be equipped with Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device connected to a central processor, with the records of more than two lakh criminals. To read more about Predictive Policing, follow: http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/delhi-police-join-hands-with-isro-will-use-space-technology-to-predict-and-stop-crime-250432.html

The Information Technology (IT) industry had changed a lot from its early years. If we see today, IT sector is changing at the rapid rate and also the problems related to it. Today IT is everywhere directly or indirectly. But if we look at the education system, it was never been easier to manage, but nowadays, it is like a choice between the difficult and the impossible. That is because of the rapid changes. So it is the reason of slowing down the pace of IT sector. The question arises as to how can we align our timelines and change our ecosystem? Top ten IT Issues gives a clear response: Divest, Reinvest, and Differentiate. The ten issues divided into these three categories are:

# Differentiate:

* Optimizing educational technology.

* Student success technologies.

* BI and analytics.

* E-learning and online education.

# Reinvest:

* Information security.

*IT Workforce Hiring and Retention.

* IT Workforce Hiring and Retention

* IT Organizational Development.

# Divest:

* Institutional data management.

* Enterprise application integration.

Read more at: http://er.educause.edu/articles/2016/1/top-10-it-issues-2016 

People are actively looking for ways to increase their online privacy and security. So here are five tools to increase that will help you achieve the same.

1. Privacy Badger: It blocks all the tricky ads. It can be used as an extra level of security over common ad block sites.

 2. HTTPS Everywhere: This makes browsing more secure by encrypting communications provided that the sites you are opening have these additional capabilities.

3. Ublock Origin: It's a free and open source extension.

4. Purify Blocker: this application is made for iOS helps in browsing websites without ads and tracking. It will also lower the data usage and will improve speed.

5. Tor: It's a service that can encrypt web traffic and sends it across a series of relays to help maintain anonymity. It can be downloaded on laptop for Windows, Mac or Linux.

Read the full article here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ygrauer/2015/10/13/five-tools-privacy-security/#5804444e537c

The term "Artificial intelligence" (AI) was first introduced by the John McCarthy for the study of intelligence which is carried out using a computer. AI is becoming reality and both fear and faith are also increasing day by day. Even many movies like the terminator, ROBOT, RA-One are based on AI and machine taking control. Similarly, the world famous physicist Stephen Hawking shows his fear on the growth of AI and IoT by saying that the full development of AI could "spell the end of the human race". It is expected that by 2020, about 80% of adults will own a smartphone. It is also changing the way people relate to one another and their surroundings. There are apps for most of things that you can think of, like fitness apps, cooking apps and much more. Today AI and IoT are allowing people to do more things on their phones and off them too. Read more at: http://www.notchcommunications.co.uk/blog/2015/03/the-dawn-of-artificial-intelligence-and-the-internet-of-things