In today's world Data Scientist is the most- desired workers in IT industries. Since the demand for such skills is high, this has become a desired job for the potential candidates as well. So here are some skills which will increase your chances of hiring, if you want to become a Data scientist - SQL, Hadoop, Python, Java, and R. Not only these, but MapReduce, Hive and Pig skills which will increase your desirability as a data scientist. So, gear yourself up and start working and learning these skills to become a data scientist. Read more at: https://adtmag.com/articles/2016/01/08/data-science-skills.aspx

The Internet of Things (IoT) is impacting on consumers’ lives and corporate business models. It is increasing at the rapid rate and by 2020, more than half of the major new process will incorporate some element of the IoT. IoT is basically connecting device with an on and off switch to the internet. By 2020, a black market exceeding $5 billion would exist to sell fake sensor and video data for enabling criminal activity and protecting personal privacy. To address this compromises in IoT security will have increased security costs to 20% of annual security budgets. To read more visit on:  http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/by-2020-more-than-half-of-new-business-processes-will-incorporate-some-element-of-iot-says-gartner-295467.html

The cloud technology is evolving and is also benefiting enterprise computing. The key is to improve the cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution and ensure that you allow solution to grow with the cloud. Maintenance & service costs for cloud-based solutions have fallen in recent years, so, more businesses are being drawn to the many benefits the cloud offers. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/inside-erp/3-business-benefits-of-cloud-erps-predictive-analytics-71009

I found this interesting article which described transformation to Agile using a metaphor of the train's journey. Source and destination points are described as process initiation phase and successful completion of the process. An agile coach is the driver of the train which leads the transition. This approach made sure that Agile coaches were available at the right time and helped coaches transforming 800-900 individuals per year with the help of 10 agile coaches. There were certain steps followed by each team- Agile introduction workshop, Management Start-up, Training and Start-up, Warm-up, Ongoing support, and evaluation. But this metaphor was used in the starting days of Agile. In the present time, we need something faster than a train. So, how about a racing car? Why? Because, it’s fast and will help the team in understanding the need to respond rapidly to changes. Read more at: : https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2016/january/travelling-without-moving

IoT is the new green. One of the biggest problems facing the IoT, is scalability. According to a research, it was found that there will be something like 50 billion devices connected to the IoT by 2020. It was also found that each device will usually generate data, and all this data has to go somewhere. Nowadays, networks are connected to several thousands of devices for example, ATM networks and to several million devices i.e. point of sale terminals. Read more about IoT at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/datasecurity/iot-scalability-71022

We all are aware of the revolution brought by the cloud computing in today's business functionality. The management and storage of big data in cloud is well known to everyone. One of the best outcomes of cloud based solutions is the Hosted VoIP technology which is changing the way we communicate. On an average, 7 out of 10 telecom customers still do not understand what Hosted VoIP is. In short, VoIP is the concept of using the internet and cloud based servers to place calls instead of using traditional PBX boxes and phone cables. The same concept applies to telecoms solutions built on a larger scale. Irrespective of the type of business Hosted VoIP is beneficial to all. To read more about Hosted VoIP visit at:http://www.smartdatacollective.com/josh-rose/367715/72-people-aren-t-familiar-hosted-voip

Drop shipping refers to the direct delivery of the products from a manufacturer to the retailer or the customer. This is very convenient if you are going to start an ecommerce business. This decreases the overhead as the costs of purchasing inventory or managing warehouses is eliminated. The businesses using drop shipping find scaling easier. For example: if you receive four times as much offers, you'll usually need to do four times as much work. But with drop shipping most of the work to satisfy the additional orders is to be done by the suppliers. This makes businesses flexible. Most of the startups find difficulties in raising funds. So, it is easier to start with drop shipping. It even offers the largest variety for the customers. Being directly linked to the manufacturers selling the products, number of middlemen decreases. Fewer the middlemen, bigger the profits of a business. Read more at: https://econsultancy.com/blog/67406-what-is-dropshipping-and-is-it-right-for-your-business/

Most organizations and teams struggle to quantify the business benefits of a potential ERP implementation. Organizations must understand the vision of your organization, and to foresee the ways that technology can help drive higher revenues and lower costs. This article link explores some tips to quantify the potential benefits of your ERP project. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/erp-roi/by-the-numbers-quantifying-the-potential-benefits-of-your-erp-project-70983

Companies rely on a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system to communicate, but, a power failure or Internet outage can result in lost revenue and productivity. The causes of a VoIP outage can range from a loss of power in a data center to glitches in Internet connectivity. It’s impossible to avoid outages, but there are steps enterprises can take to ensure business continuity. Read more about how companies protect business continuity for VoIP at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/voip-news/protecting-business-continuity-for-voip-70989

Firms often spend a huge amount of money on display marketing. But as a consumer, do you remember at all the last display ad you saw. The answer is NO. Display Marketing can be very effective if targeted. It is important to know which item should be placed on which site and what part of the site. Most vendors don't go into details of the strategy, thus shelling out more money out of those interested in display marketing. Algorithmic attributions can be used to determine how the impressions will impact the ROI. Learn more about it in the article written by Sandy Martin (Sr. Business Consultant) at : http://blogs.adobe.com/digitalmarketing/analytics/how-to-get-more-from-display-marketing-with-analytics/

Yes! Agile is for everyone, not just for IT industry, though it has become a misconception because it is majorly implemented in IT world only. Let's just understand what is agile. Agile is a framework which helps in problem solving with use of teamwork, with main focus and priority for delivery and a constant effort on finding ways to improve the quality of work and the product.  So this can apply whether you are building software, a toothpaste, a dam, or managing a restaurant. There are some things which surely must be kept in mind while considering a shift to agile. Like, what am I really trying to build or achieve? How do I create a creative environment where the right people on the team? How to keep focused on the agenda? How do I measure progress? How to increase feedback and learning cycle? If you can answer these questions considering your business, then, welcome to the agile world! Read more at - https://adtmag.com/articles/2015/07/06/does-agile-apply-to-you.aspx

A system outage is worse than a nightmare for the IT managers. Downtime is when, the system on which your business relies is dead, down or unavailable. In spite of any levels of preparation, this problem is faced by most of the organizations. And the recovery period builds astronomical pressure on the IT team. A report suggests that the majority of the system outages is due to ill planning. System Outages lead to huge revenue losses each year. Downtime affects the reputation of the business firms significantly. Read more about system outage at: http://www.evolven.com/blog/downtime-outages-and-failures-understanding-their-true-costs.html

There are many CRM software and this actually increase project risks. The CRM solution you pick must align with your business goals and it is true for any industry. According to a research, it was found that the most important criteria for a successful implementation include: Creating measurable goals, Aligning business and IT, Letting business goals drive features, and Maximizing out-of-the-box functionality. This article link describes some risks of "too much" software and other common CRM implementation mistakes. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/when-more-spells-doom-the-risks-of-too-much-crm-software-70962

Business must coordinate according to the target audience and must be aware of what the customers’ needs. Communication with your potential customers will enable you to create loyal fans, who will then become your most valuable brand ambassadors. Every business should put effort into exploring your CRM options. They are- Operational CRM, Sales Force Automation, Marketing Automation, Service Automation, Analytical CRM, and Collaborative CRM. In short, the idea to implement CRM is to automatize the overall communication with each customer. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/marketing-strategies/how-to-approach-crm-use-the-basics-70973

The internet has changed all aspects of our lives, including planning a vacation. Online research gives us ideas while planning a vacation and helps us with the logistics too. It is found that on an average, a normal person searches 5 to 6 websites on either a laptop or mobile device when planning their travel and if you are a frequent traveler, then that number increases based on the amount that you travel. All of this online research leaves hundreds of data points for marketers and marketing organizations. Analysts are now using this data to market to potential travelers at each step of your trip, from planning to inception. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/accessible-bi/how-the-tourism-industry-is-using-big-data-to-its-advantage-70977

We often get placed or appointed for roles which we don’t want to pursue after few years but it’s not so easy to change the line of course. For example, if you are part of the technical team, it is not easy for you to switch to the managerial team. But the organizations must understand that rather than appointing people to work or designating work, they sometimes should create vacuum holes. By vacuum holes, I mean an opportunity which is open to all to work on. But then this might create a problem that everyone would want to work in some profile which they love and the actual work which is to be done will lose its priority. So the company should make policies to balance the two things. For example in Google, an employee can invest 20% of his/her work hours to do something he/she likes to do. So rather than appointing work, companies should create a vacuum and should see who steps up to fill it in.  Read the complete article by Mike Cohn (Founder of Mountain Goat Software) at: https://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/blog/leave-work-unassigned-and-see-who-steps-forward

Interviewing a ScrumMaster is pretty much similar to interviewing any other employee but there are certain attributes which must not be neglected. They are :

• ·         Responsible: Its Scrummaster’s responsibility to bring the best out of each team member.
• ·         Humble: ScrumMaster must work with “we” ideology rather than “I”
• ·         Collaborative: SrumMaster must ensure a collaborative environment where anybody can raise questions.
• ·         Committed: ScumMaster must be committed to success of the project
• ·         Influential: ScrumMaster leads the team without direct authority, so they must be influential.
• ·         Knowledgeable: having the knowledge of the domain or the project is a big plus

To know more, read the article by Mike Cohn (founder of Mountain Goat Software), at: https://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/blog/advice-for-interviewing-scrummasters

Cybersecurity is a very important and is becoming one of the biggest worries for companies. According to various surveys, companies are investing a lot of money in cyber security and training their employees in it. It is estimated that till 2020 investment in the cybersecurity will be around $170 billion. In today’s world as the data is rising, so the risks on it are also increasing. The pattern classification systems that machine-learning algorithm rely on themselves exhibit vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers. As we know machine learning algorithms train themselves with the training data set so it may be manipulated according to the needs as hacker wants. For example, Search-engine-optimization algorithm was trained and manipulate website content to boost results in the search ranking or senders of junk emails try to fool spam-filtering algorithm. Even the results of the public election can also be affected by 20% or more as it is found that the order in which candidates appear in search results can have significant impact on perception. To read more about Cybersecurity risks, follow the article by Dr. Kira Radinsky (CTO and Co-founder of SalesPredict) at: http://blog.kiraradinsky.com/author/kiraradinsky/

Predictive models are used to predict future outcomes on the basis of data collected from past. Many organizations take their crucial decisions based on the foundations laid by the predictive models. But what if the model goes wrong? "BOOM"- crash of a significant part of the strategy! Though each predictive model has some scope of error. There are chances that the input variables considered for the model were not appropriate. But we need to find out what kind of error and to what extent it is acceptable. There is a need to work on the foundation of the predictive models to prevent failures.  Read more about it in the article written by John Bates(Senior Product Manager for Data Science & Predictive Marketing Solutions) at: http://blogs.adobe.com/digitalmarketing/analytics/what-to-do-when-your-predictive-marketing-is-wrong/

Gone are the days when the tiny pieces of paper were most essential parts of CRM. Automation has made it lot easier by keeping the data records. Sticky notes are quite prone to physical damage, leading to loss of critical information. Automated systems keep data records safe and highly organized. This way data can be efficiently sorted or searched. If you still continue to wholly rely on sticky notes, come out of the cocoon and take the benefits of technology. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/crm-and-the-death-of-the-sticky-note-70917