The Multi-Billion Dollar Robotics Market Is About to Boom

Here’s another sign that the robotics industry is poised to see big gains in the future.

On Wednesday, a report by International Data Corporation said worldwide spending on robotics and related services will hit $135.4 billion in 2019. The research firm said that global robotics spending in 2015 was $71 billion, and is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 17%.

Lumping together everything from robot software to hardware components to robot services (like robotic hotel receptionists) in its tally of robotic spending, the report’s authors explain that the total spend on robot services, business consulting, education, and training will eventually eclipse sales of the robots themselves by 2019.

“Robotics as a technology has really reached its tipping point,” said IDC Manufacturing Insights research manager John Santagate in a statement. “Robotic capabilities continue to expand while increasing investment in robot development is driving competition and helping to bring down the costs associated with robots.”

The authors said that the two fastest growing industries for robotics are healthcare and process manufacturing, which is a branch of manufacturing that involves developing products based on recipes or formulas, like sodas or drugs.

Currently, the manufacturing sector is purchasing the most robots and related services. But the report explained that the healthcare sector is expected to see a bump in robotics purchases, with spending expected to double by 2019.

Read More: http://fortune.com/2016/02/24/robotics-market-multi-billion-boom/

Is 2016 the end of the road for ERP software?

In the past, enterprise resource planning (ERP) software has always been about tasks and transactions. It has provided businesses with the control they need to manage production lines and supply chains as they repeat precise patterns, season by season.

However, the business landscape is changing. Manufacturing, for example, is no longer a simple matter of basing decisions on past order experience, making plans based on historic patterns and duplicating processes with little deviation.

As we move into 2016, businesses need to respond quicker, change tactics dynamically according to market demand, analyse and act upon internal and external data, and deliver their products to customers faster than ever before. In effect, rigid, function-led ERP software as we know it will become obsolete. In this article, I will explain why 2016 signals the death-knell for legacy ERP systems.

The latest technologies are changing the ERP industry for good

From adaptive manufacturing to prototyping, the latest technologies are shaking up how we produce, consume and deliver products. The burgeoning development of 3D printing, or additive layer manufacturing (ALM) for example, has the potential to change the face of the production line.

Read More: http://www.itproportal.com/2016/01/14/is-2016-the-end-of-the-road-for-erp-software/

How to measure the value of big data

Data itself is quite often inconsequential in its own right. Measuring the value of data is a boundless process with endless options and approaches – whether structured or unstructured, data is only as valuable as the business outcomes it makes possible.

It is how we make use of data that allows us to fully recognise its true value and potential to improve our decision making capabilities and, from a business stand point, measure it against the result of positive business outcomes.

There are multiple approaches to improving a business’s decision-making process and to determine the ultimate value of data, including data warehouses, business intelligence systems, and analytics sandboxes and solutions.

These approaches place high emphasis on the importance of every individual data item that goes into these systems and, as a result, highlight the importance of every single outcome linking to business impacts delivered.

Big data characteristics are defined popularly through the four Vs: volume, velocity, variety and veracity. Adapting these four characteristics provides multiple dimensions to the value of data at hand.

Essentially, there is an assumption that the data has great potential, but no one has explored where that might be. Unlike a business intelligence system, where analysts know what information they are seeking, the possibilities of exploring big data are all linked to identifying connections between things we don’t know. It is all about designing the system to decipher this information.

Read More: http://www.information-age.com/it-management/strategy-and-innovation/123460041/how-measure-value-big-data

Windows 10: Enabling BitLocker hardware encryption fails with November update

Windows users seem to be experiencing an issue with enabling BitLocker hardware encryption after updating to their system to November update, which Microsoft is calling its major update to Windows 10 that brings version 1511, build 10586. This happens with the clean installation of the November update.

Windows BitLocker drive encryption is a security feature that Microsoft claims provides better data protection for your PC by encrypting the data stored on your Windows operating system volume. BitLocker uses Trusted Platform Module (TPM) to protect Windows OS and data as well as ensures the computer is not tampered with even when it is lost. The TPM is a microchip built into the computer and used to store information including encryption keys.

You can use BitLocker without a TPM, for which you need to change the default behaviour of the BitLocker setup wizard by using Group Policy, or configure BitLocker. When you are using BitLocker without TPM, the encryption keys are stored on a USB flash drive.

BitLocker encryption issue with November Update

According to a user, nesoi, who has reported this on the Microsoft TechNet forum, the BitLocker encryption worked fine before the update. It even works with Windows 10 build 10240, which is the RTM build, released prior to the November update.


Read More: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/windows-10-enabling-bitlocker-hardware-encryption-fails-november-update-1530069

Dimension Data launches Managed Security Services in Middle East and Africa

Dimension Data today announced the launch of its Managed Security Services (MSS) in Middle East and Africa. Dimension Data's MSS are a suite of managed and cloud-based services to help organisations establish compliance, minimise business impact, and reduce overall security risk in the face of today's emerging threats.

"Our MSS offerings represent a new milestone in our security capabilities and will strengthen Dimension Data's position as a leading managed security services provider in Middle East and Africa," said Sean Duffy, Security Executive at Dimension Data Middle East and Africa.

"These services offload the burden of real-time network monitoring, advanced security analysis, and global intelligence correlation to Dimension Data, while allowing businesses to keep complete insight into critical business information."

MSS is a global offering, currently delivered by Dimension Data's 24x7 Security Operations Centres (SOCs). The services will be complemented by the extensive knowledge and experience of Dimension Data's professional security services teams across Middle East and Africa.

MSS identifies and solves real-time security risks through a proven, continuous management process. Organisations can outsource the management of specific security activities and services so they can achieve the business flexibility needed to manage IT infrastructure while focusing on core business objectives.


Read More : http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=147634

4G drives smartphone growth in Sept quarter

Shipments of smartphones in the third quarter of 2015 grew by over 21 per cent mainly on the back of rising demand for affordable 4G devices.

According to the International Data Corporation's (IDC) Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, 28.3 million smartphones were shipped to India in the third quarter of 2015, against 23.3 million units for the same period last year.

In the period under review, 4G enabled devices witnessed a near three-fold increase in unit shipments over Q2 2015. Samsung emerged as the biggest 4G player in India with its sub-$150 LTE models such as Galaxy Grand Prime and Galaxy J2.

“The growth in the smartphone market was helped by rising demand for affordable 4G smartphones,” Karthik J, Senior Market Analyst, client devices for IDC, said in a statement.

E-tailers such as Flipkart, Snapdeal, and Amazon continue to drive shipments of the Chinese vendors, who have been aggressively trying to capture the 4G smartphone market in India,” he added.

The closing weeks of the quarter witnessed incremental supplies as many vendors were preparing their channels in lieu of the festive season and online mega sale programmes.

In addition, growth was also driven by low-cost phones with larger screens.

Read More: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/4g-drives-smartphone-growth-in-sept-quarter/article7908326.ece