A new report from has highlighted that senior executives are still often the weakest link in the corporate cyber security chain and that cyber criminals target this vulnerability to commit serious data breaches.
AUTHOR ARCHIVES: Mark Glover
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Mark is an experienced B2B editor and journalist having worked across an array of magazines and websites covering health and safety, sustainable energy and airports.
Feb 19, 2019 • News • management • Cyber Security
A new report from has highlighted that senior executives are still often the weakest link in the corporate cyber security chain and that cyber criminals target this vulnerability to commit serious data breaches.
According to a white paper from The Bunker, many senior executives ignore the threat from hackers and cyber criminals and often feel that security policies in their respective organisations do not apply to their unique position. However, in reality, their often privileged access to company information make their personal accounts extremely valuable to exploit and heightens the need for extra care.In addition to highlighting the common mistakes made by senior executives, the white paper lists the top security areas that should be prioritised to ensure cyber security resilience.Phil Bindley, Managing Director at The Bunker said: “In tackling and mitigating the security threat, a critical issue is a failure to securely back up email data. Many businesses assume that a cloud-hosted service, such as Office 365, comes with automatic back-up and security provisions.
Unfortunately, it does not.“Unless stated and agreed, vendors do not guarantee complete system security or data backup as standard, so organisations need to be careful and have a full understanding of the SLAs in place. We advise people to replace the word ‘cloud’ with ‘someone else’s computer’, to get a better perspective of the risks that need to be mitigated when deploying a cloud-based service”.
All employees -especially those at the top of the corporate ladder- need to realise that cyber criminals use social engineering, email phishing and malware to access personal accounts, and C-level staff especially need to avoid becoming the weakest link in the cyber security chain by adhering to regularly updated, company-wide security policies regarding data sharing and backup.He continued: “Cloud offers a highly secure and cost-effective platform to defend against threats and malicious attacks.
However, data stored in a public cloud typically resides outside the protection of an organisation’s internal systems and many vendors do not automatically back-up data or implement security and privacy controls as standard, making it a perfect entry-point for cyber criminals to exploit.
“Reviewing corporate policies, with a focus on people, premises, processes, systems and suppliers will provide valuable insights into which areas to improve, and by championing a ‘security first’ corporate culture, organisations and their senior executives will be well positioned to avoid the high financial costs, reputational damage and unexpected downtime that could result from a cyber attack or data breach,” he concluded.
Download a copy of the white paper click here,
Feb 18, 2019 • News • Mergers and Acquisitions • Software
It follows the service management software provider's purchase of Purpose Software last month adding to the acquisitions of Tesseract and WS Software in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
The firm hope to benefit from Vantage's cloud-based software which currently works across 150 organisations and will bring Asolvi's small to medium customer-base above 1000 across 35 countries.
“The acquisition of Vantage Computing was a natural move for us,” says PålM.Rødseth, Asolvi CEO. “Previously a competitor of Purpose Software, which we acquired last month, Vantage Computing complements our Evatic solution as it will help reach more customers that are smaller in size.
Feb 18, 2019 • News • extreme weather • fleet • Fleet Risk
The effects of the record-breaking temperatures in the US, specifically the Midwest have had a significant economic impact on all fleet activity. Commercial fleets including UPS and USPS were forced to suspend their operations to ensure driver...
The effects of the record-breaking temperatures in the US, specifically the Midwest have had a significant economic impact on all fleet activity. Commercial fleets including UPS and USPS were forced to suspend their operations to ensure driver safety.
Geotab launched time-lapse maps showing how the polar vortex is impacting commercial fleet activity, based on a data analysis of connected vehicles.
Analysing data derived from an average of 7,500 vehicles equipped with devices (between 1/23 and 1/30), they quantified the impact this weather is causing on commercial activity and proven just how significant of an influencing factor the weather can be to our economy.
When Geotab looked at traffic on January 30, compared to the previous Wednesday, January 23, they saw a 51% reduction in total miles driven by all fleets, according to the data.
There was an overall drop in volume throughout the entire day, which translated into a drop in deliveries and other services in neighbourhoods away from the main roads.
Full Report: Polar vortex halts fleet activity in U.S.
Feb 15, 2019 • News • 5G • Software • Tieto
Tieto has entered into a strategic partnership with Swedish telecom operator Telia leveraging 5G mobile technology.
Tieto has entered into a strategic partnership with Swedish telecom operator Telia leveraging 5G mobile technology.
5G technology has been on the agenda for several years but the standard is not yet completely set and the roll-out of commercial networks will not begin until next year. But despite that, Telia and Tieto both see plenty of reasons for companies to start looking at the technology already today. As part of Telia’s partnership program, Tieto will be involved in developing solutions together with its customers and making use of the innovation-friendly environment for 5G that the operator has created. In addition to Tieto, other members of the Telia 5G Partner Program include Ericsson, Volvo Construction Equipment and Einride.
”To only view 5G as yet another communications technology is too simplistic. From our perspective, we feel that the technology is an enabler for our customers and a way for them to carry out projects and ventures that would have been very difficult – sometimes impossible – with today’s technology,” says Cecilia de Leeuw, Head of Telecom Services, Tieto.
One example is environments where requirements for reliability and security are extremely high. The technology can be used to expand infrastructure, for example to enable large numbers of connected devices that communicate with each other and send large quantities of data at high speed and controlling devices in real time.”“We are already seeing great interest from customers within the forest industry where they see opportunities to optimize its supply chain thanks to the possibilities for real-time planning that 5G technology enables. By placing connected sensors in trees, one can easily keep track of every parameter, from moisture levels and temperatures to weather conditions and possible risks like wood rot, in order to identify the exact right time for harvesting,” says de Leeuw.
Healthcare is another area where 5G technology is expected to have a major impact. Secure and stable connections will play an important role in building secure information pathways, and in the longer term the technology can lead to solutions like doctors operating surgical robots remotely – enabling people who live in faraway areas to receive advanced treatments without having to travel.
“As always when it comes to this type of potentially revolutionary technology leap, it is difficult to predict where the technology will go, how it will be utilized and what it will enable. But I feel confident that we will see many incredibly exciting services and products in the coming years that have been made possible thanks to 5G technology,” concluded de Leeuw.
5G technology has been on the agenda for several years but the standard is not yet completely set and the roll-out of commercial networks will not begin until next year. But despite that, Telia and Tieto both see plenty of reasons for companies to start looking at the technology already today. As part of Telia’s partnership program, Tieto will be involved in developing solutions together with its customers and making use of the innovation-friendly environment for 5G that the operator has created. In addition to Tieto, other members of the Telia 5G Partner Program include Ericsson, Volvo Construction Equipment and Einride.
”To only view 5G as yet another communications technology is too simplistic. From our perspective, we feel that the technology is an enabler for our customers and a way for them to carry out projects and ventures that would have been very difficult – sometimes impossible – with today’s technology,” says Cecilia de Leeuw, Head of Telecom Services, Tieto.
One example is environments where requirements for reliability and security are extremely high. The technology can be used to expand infrastructure, for example to enable large numbers of connected devices that communicate with each other and send large quantities of data at high speed and controlling devices in real time.”“We are already seeing great interest from customers within the forest industry where they see opportunities to optimize its supply chain thanks to the possibilities for real-time planning that 5G technology enables. By placing connected sensors in trees, one can easily keep track of every parameter, from moisture levels and temperatures to weather conditions and possible risks like wood rot, in order to identify the exact right time for harvesting,” says de Leeuw.
Healthcare is another area where 5G technology is expected to have a major impact. Secure and stable connections will play an important role in building secure information pathways, and in the longer term the technology can lead to solutions like doctors operating surgical robots remotely – enabling people who live in faraway areas to receive advanced treatments without having to travel.
“As always when it comes to this type of potentially revolutionary technology leap, it is difficult to predict where the technology will go, how it will be utilized and what it will enable. But I feel confident that we will see many incredibly exciting services and products in the coming years that have been made possible thanks to 5G technology,” concluded de Leeuw.
Feb 14, 2019 • News • Future of FIeld Service • Ericsson • Field Service Connectivity • Global Mobile Broadband
Ericsson has launched its critical communications broadband portfolio for service providers, enabling service providers to meet the business-critical and mission-critical needs of industries and public safety agencies as digitalization and...
Ericsson has launched its critical communications broadband portfolio for service providers, enabling service providers to meet the business-critical and mission-critical needs of industries and public safety agencies as digitalization and modernization of land mobile radio communications increases.
When communication is disrupted by minutes, seconds, or even milliseconds, it can have huge consequences for business operations, or serious implications for public safety. The need for fast and reliable communication is therefore paramount. Such critical communications are used in many areas: from first responders and nationwide emergency services to workforce safety in enterprises.
There is a growing demand for business- and mission-critical broadband for such use cases. Service providers need to deliver the highest level of availability, reliability and security to meet this demand.To meet critical communications users’ needs, Ericsson has developed a new portfolio comprising three offerings: Critical Network Capabilities; Critical Broadband Applications; and Flexible Deployments for both local private networks, and nationwide mission-critical LTE networks.
Per Narvinger, Head of Product Area Networks, Ericsson, says: “We see growth opportunities for service providers and government operators by addressing new segments with LTE/5G networks. Our critical broadband portfolio will enable our customers to effectively secure the critical communication needs of sectors such as public safety, energy and utilities, transportation, and manufacturing.”
Critical Network Capabilities
This offering includes advanced features for critical network performance and covers the following: high network availability; multi-network operation with spectrum sharing techniques; and coverage and capacity for critical applications. It also includes network security capabilities that ensure network services are maintained even when the infrastructure is under attack. Finally, quality of service, priority and preemption all guarantee latency performance and capacity requirements during high load and congestion. The critical network capabilities include new features that simplify the rollout of broadcasting services across nationwide areas. Another new feature enables radio access sites to operate in fallback mode, should the network connection fail. This offering also includes deployable systems that allow temporary coverage for disaster recovery and operations in rural areas without existing coverage.
Critical Broadband Applications
This offering covers Ericsson Group-Radio that provides mission-critical push-to-talk, data and video services. This will enable, for example, blue light personnel such as the police to be more effective in performing community services that require advanced mobile broadband.
Flexible Deployments for Private Networks
New business models are emerging for industries. From owning and operating their own networks, critical industries are now procuring private networks and services that leverage service providers’ existing network assets and operations – without compromising required local control. Ericsson’s flexible deployments for private networks range from network slicing to fully dedicated networks, enabling service providers to offer scalable, critical broadband network solutions and services for critical industries.Ericsson also offers Managed Services for private networks, with solutions based on AI and automation that predict and prevent events while reducing OPEX.
These solutions enable service providers to reduce time-to-market and onboard new industries, while securing critical service level agreements.Critical broadband will enable industries to increase efficiency through the following: enhancing workforce productivity and safety; massive onboarding of devices and sensors; real-time location of assets and equipment; and data collection to boost equipment and personnel performance and avoid downtime.
Thomas Lynch, Executive Director at IHS Markit, says: “The critical communications industry is developing ways to deliver critical mobile broadband solutions for professional users, augmenting today’s critical voice communications. Through its new portfolio, Ericsson is empowering service providers to address this growing segment by leveraging their existing LTE infrastructure and operations in an affordable and scalable manner.”
Feb 13, 2019 • Features • management • Cloud Service
Customer be central to every organization’s customer support strategy. Every field service repair should be treated as an opportunity to exceed expectations and deliver a truly exceptional customer experience, writes Martin Boggess from Hitachi.
Customer be central to every organization’s customer support strategy. Every field service repair should be treated as an opportunity to exceed expectations and deliver a truly exceptional customer experience, writes Martin Boggess from Hitachi.
It’s imperative that your organization consistently deliver on the four “R’s” of field service management: delivering to the right person, at the right place, at the right time, with the right tools. Proper field service management ensures that work is completed in accordance with customer expectations — within their budget, timeline, and quality specifications.
Meeting customer expectations is often easier said than done. Field service technicians are expected to be aware of everything that occurs at each stage of the customer lifecycle, to possess detailed technical knowledge about equipment and regulatory compliance, to execute complex repairs, and to draw upon this vast wealth of information at a moment’s notice — and they need to be able to do everything right the first time to avoid the dreaded callback. The job of a field service technician can be overwhelming, to say the least.
Fortunately, cloud and mobile technology have made it much easier for organizations to adopt field service software to automate and optimize core work processes, such as scheduling, dispatch management, contract, SLA and warranty management, inventory management, and more. Advanced field service solutions include applications tailored to complete specific tasks and resolve specific issues, which makes a field technician’s job more manageable and increases employee productivity in the process. To demonstrate how a field service solution can resolve some common problems, let’s look at a few examples.
As mentioned above, two of the four “R’s” of field service are the right person and the right tools. It’s essential that a field service organization dispatch the technician with the right level of expertise for the job and with the proper tools to complete the repair. Field service software makes it easier to match the right technician to the job, and the technician can then use the software to review service orders and see what parts they need for the job — all prior to meeting with the customer. This foresight drastically reduces the number of unnecessary trips and can increase an organization’s overall first-time fix rate.
It’s imperative that your organization consistently deliver on the four “R’s” of field service management: delivering to the right person, at the right place, at the right time, with the right tools. Proper field service management ensures that work is completed in accordance with customer expectations — within their budget, timeline, and quality specifications.
Meeting customer expectations is often easier said than done. Field service technicians are expected to be aware of everything that occurs at each stage of the customer lifecycle, to possess detailed technical knowledge about equipment and regulatory compliance, to execute complex repairs, and to draw upon this vast wealth of information at a moment’s notice — and they need to be able to do everything right the first time to avoid the dreaded callback. The job of a field service technician can be overwhelming, to say the least.
Fortunately, cloud and mobile technology have made it much easier for organizations to adopt field service software to automate and optimize core work processes, such as scheduling, dispatch management, contract, SLA and warranty management, inventory management, and more. Advanced field service solutions include applications tailored to complete specific tasks and resolve specific issues, which makes a field technician’s job more manageable and increases employee productivity in the process. To demonstrate how a field service solution can resolve some common problems, let’s look at a few examples.
As mentioned above, two of the four “R’s” of field service are the right person and the right tools. It’s essential that a field service organization dispatch the technician with the right level of expertise for the job and with the proper tools to complete the repair. Field service software makes it easier to match the right technician to the job, and the technician can then use the software to review service orders and see what parts they need for the job — all prior to meeting with the customer. This foresight drastically reduces the number of unnecessary trips and can increase an organization’s overall first-time fix rate.
"The job of a field service technician can be overwhelming, to say the least..."
Many field service solutions leverage mobile technology. Once a technician is on-site, they can use either a tablet or mobile phone to access the history of a piece of equipment, including previous repairs, previous service tickets, technician’s notes, meter readings, and so on. This information makes it easier for the technician to determine why the equipment is malfunctioning and what the best strategy is to repair it. Technicians can also use mobile field service applications to pull up service contracts while out in the field and present customers with accurate pricing.
The internet of things has also radically changed how field service organizations administer repairs. Put simply, the internet of things (IoT) is a system of connected devices capable of rapidly transferring data via virtual network. By attaching IoT-enabled sensors to equipment, field service organizations can receive real-time diagnostics from anywhere in the world, which enables them to identify and respond to issues before they even arise. This shift from a preventative repair model to a proactive model will be crucial to field service organizations’ success in an increasingly competitive market.
In addition to mobile and cloud technology, augmented and virtual reality are also transforming the way field service sector operates. Organizations can use AR and VR in conjunction with IoT-enabled devices to simplify knowledge transfer via interactive training, while technicians can use it to access equipment repair history and diagnostics without taking it apart and even perform remote fixes. Since AR and VR are still relatively new technology, only certain field solutions will offer AR and VR functionality.
As you can see, field service solutions provide innovative tools and capabilities to reduce costs and increase employee productivity and first-time fix rates. Hitachi Solutions’ Extended Field Service solution is one such solution with extended functionality to optimize scheduling, simplify contract and inventory management, increase mobile productivity, perform remote troubleshooting, deliver an end-to-end customer-centric experience, and more.
Martin Boggess is Industry VP, Manufacturing and Field Service at Hitachi Solutions America.
Feb 13, 2019 • News • cloud • Software • ERP system
A partnership between ERP company Acumatica, and cloud-based field sales management and mobile sales solutions Skynamo will give sales teams access to inventory, product and customer information and ability to capture and submit customer information...
A partnership between ERP company Acumatica, and cloud-based field sales management and mobile sales solutions Skynamo will give sales teams access to inventory, product and customer information and ability to capture and submit customer information and orders.
As an Acumatica Independent Software Vendor (ISV), Skynamo is working with Acumatica resellers to implement and support the business’ combined field sales solution to its existing and prospective customers. The partnership will enable any kind of manufacturer, wholesaler or distributor with a team of sales reps to benefit from synchronised Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) data functionality, which reps can access while on the road.
Skynamo’s field-sales app enables reps to access product stock levels, pricing, discounts and inventory data when visiting a customer site. This empowers sales reps to remotely submit orders, allow for customer visits to be recorded, and for notes from customer interactions to be accurately captured – all from a mobile device. It also uses mobile and GPS technology to give managers real-time visibility into sales activity in the field, while greatly reducing the number of administrative tasks for sales reps that tend to take their time away from building relationships and selling to customers.
“Our partnership means that Acumatica customers will be able to improve the quality and volume of customer data and sales activity information they have access to by giving sales reps a much easier way of capturing and acting on it in the field,” said Brian Howe, Alliances Director for Skynamo. “Acumatica customers will benefit from an increase in sales revenue as a direct result of enabling field sales reps to visit more customers and spend more time with them thanks to Skynamo’s time-saving mobile sales functionality.”
“Skynamo’s cloud-based mobile-first solution supports our mission to deliver adaptable cloud and mobile technology to the market and enable every customer to have a complete, real-time view of their business anytime, anywhere, on any device,” said Christian Lindberg, VP of Partner Solutions for Acumatica. “Our partnership enables customers with field sales reps to derive more value from their investment in Acumatica and for our resellers to offer additional functionality and services to our customer base.”
Skynamo is a mobile sales app that reduces administrative tasks for field sales reps and improves accuracy of data and orders collected in the field, so they can sell more. It also provides sales managers with insight into field sales activity in order to coach sales reps and improve sales. Among the many problems solved by the Skynamo sales app are inaccurate orders, inaccurate data collected in the field, lack of visibility into sales activity, poor sales performance and lost sales opportunities.
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Feb 12, 2019 • News • Future of FIeld Service • Medical • Berg Insight • Lone Worker Safety • Remote Monitoring
IoT connectivity and remote monitoring, used by companies to monitor the safety of their lone workers, straddles into medical sphere to keep tabs on patients' health.
IoT connectivity and remote monitoring, used by companies to monitor the safety of their lone workers, straddles into medical sphere to keep tabs on patients' health.
The number of remotely monitored patients grew by 41% to 16.5 million in 2017 as the market acceptance continues to grow in several key verticals, according to research by Berg Insight.
This number includes all patients enrolled in mHealth care programs in which connected medical devices are used as a part of the care regimen. Connected medical devices used for various forms of personal health tracking are not included in this figure. Berg Insight estimates that the number of remotely monitored patients will grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 31.0% to reach 83.4 million by 2023. The two main applications are monitoring of patients with sleep therapy devices and monitoring of patients with implantable cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices. These two segments accounted for 82% of all connected home medical monitoring systems in 2017.
The number of of remotely monitored sleep therapy patients grew by 37% in 2017, mainly driven by Philips and ResMed that together dominate the sleep therapy market. The CRM market is led by companies such as Medtronic, Boston Scientific and Abbott that started to include connectivity in CRM solutions more than a decade ago. Telehealth is the third largest segment with 0.8 million connections at the end of the year.
Leading telehealth hub vendors include Tunstall Healthcare, Resideo (Honeywell), Medtronic, Philips and Qualcomm Life. Other device categories – including ECG, glucose level, medication compliance, blood pressure monitors and others – accounted for just over two million connections. “The most promising segment is medication compliance, which we expect will become the second most connected segment in the next five years”, says Sebastian Hellström, IoT Analyst at Berg Insight.
More than 60% of all connected medical monitoring devices rely on cellular connectivity today and has become the de-facto standard for most types of connected home medical monitoring devices. The number of mHealth devices with integrated cellular connectivity increased from 7.1 million in 2016 to 10.7 million in 2017.
The use of BYOD connectivity will increase the most during the next six years, with a forecasted CAGR of 48.2%. “BYOD involves low cost and the technology is mostly adopted in patient-centric therapeutic areas such as diabetes and asthma that have younger patient demographics compared to many other chronic diseases. Many of these patients prefer to use their own smartphone as the interface instead of carrying around a dedicated device for remote monitoring”, concluded Mr. Hellström.
The increase of remote monitoring usage across professions, including health and safety, was highlighted in a further report by Berg Insight who found the number of monitored lone workers in Europe and North America reached 900,000 in 2017,
Download report brochure: mHealth and Home Monitoring
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Feb 11, 2019 • Features • Data • Future of FIeld Service • Novotek
It’s no secret that data collection is important for generating valuable insight that helps plant managers improve efficiency in industrial systems. However the importance of understanding the context of the data is less well known. George Walker...
It’s no secret that data collection is important for generating valuable insight that helps plant managers improve efficiency in industrial systems. However the importance of understanding the context of the data is less well known. George Walker from Novotek explains more.
Let’s take a hypothetical scenario. Imagine that a maintenance manager has a machine that is bending wires. These wires have to bend to a very accurate angle to properly work. However, the machine isn’t bending them properly at certain times of the day, causing the business to produce faulty goods that have to be discarded.
To fix this issue, the maintenance manager brings up the data collected by the device’s onboard software. The manager then analyses the data with a digital twinning platform. Looking at the analysis, it becomes apparent that the machine is vibrating anomalously at certain hours of the day. The manager dismantles the machine, reassembles it and even runs it in an isolated scenario, but is still unable to find the source of the problem.
"It is easy to get fixated on a single goal and to forget to take a step back for a wider view of a situation..."
In this instance, if the manager had taken a moment to take a step back and looked for context, they may have realised that the anomalous vibrations coincided with the activation period of a nearby piece of heavy machinery. There is nothing wrong with the machine in question, but its surrounding context reveals the cause of the error.
This is why context in data collection is vital.With an array of smart sensors and devices, paired with a digital twinning system like GE Digital’s Predix platform, across the whole production line, the manager could have clearly seen the correlation by viewing the data in context. Another method of achieving contextual understanding would have been by comparing the machine with other similar ones in different plants.
This shows why digital twinning is such a powerful tool. Being able to recreate an entire plant in a digital model breaks silo mentality. This allows managers to have holistic insight, which reveals issues that were previously not apparent. Whatever the issue, it is evident that context in data collection matters. Being able to analyse systems is now a reality and should be used to the full extent of its potential.
With potential to reduce waste and unnecessary expenditure, digital twins will allow stronger operations. With context being easily achievable in the modern industrial arena, it no longer needs to be a trade secret among industrial businesses. And by sharing this knowledge, more businesses can make their smart networks smarter, their operations more efficient and their production processes more productive.
George Walker is Managing Director of Novotek UK and Ireland.
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