Should your business embrace Bitcoin?
There’s been a lot of talk in recent months about cryptocurrencies, specifically Bitcoin. While it may not yet be on the verge of toppling the pound, dollar, euro, or yen in your wallet, the digital cryptocurrency is steadily gaining adoption within mainstream society and, with its rise, has brought many questions among regulators, consumers and small business looking to get in on the action.
As consumers slowly grow more comfortable with using digital currencies that use complex algorithms to make secure person-to-person payments, the businesses they serve are also beginning to accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as payment.
How the iPhone transformed visual communication
Last week we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the first iPhone. Now, if Apple sticks to it usual schedule, we will all be anxiously awaiting the newest iPhone debut for the next 2 months.
It’s hard to imagine a world without iPhones. Today, most people wouldn’t even consider leaving home without it. Apple’s impact on the world we live in spans far beyond telecommunications. Over the past decade, the iPhone has grown to become Apple's biggest moneymaker and its influence on human behavior and interaction continues to inhabit our everyday life.
AI and Machine Learning: Not just for data scientists anymore
While industry thought leaders are predicting a surge in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning this year, much of that usage is still siloed in the hands of large technology enterprises such as Apple, Google, and Facebook. In fact, your smartphone has a lot more AI in it than your local call center operator terminal. In a recent Forrester survey among technology and business professionals, 58 percent responded that their organizations are researching AI technology; however, only 12 percent are now using AI systems at work.
Why the gap between interest and implementation? For many organizations, the bottleneck lies in machine learning platforms that are designed to maximize ease of use and value for data scientists and not day-to-day business users. As a result, predictions, recommendations, and any actionable insights end up siloed in the data and analytics departments or executive reports, denying business users the insights they need to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently. But that has begun to change.
Enterprise migrations to Microsoft Windows 10: Faster than previously projected
A recently completed Adaptiva survey on efforts to migrate enterprise desktop and laptop systems to Microsoft Windows 10 reveals that enterprises are completing their migrations faster than earlier surveys had projected. In a survey conducted in 2016, a significant majority of respondents (88 percent) indicated that they had barely begun to deploy Windows 10. That group was running Windows 10 on less than 5 percent of their systems. Only a small portion of the 2016 respondents (12 percent) had migrated more than 5 percent of their systems to Windows 10, and less than half of this small portion (representing a total of 4.8 percent of all respondents) indicated that their enterprises had migrated more than half of their systems to Windows 10.
So, with more than 88 percent of last year’s respondents indicating that they had not even migrated 5 percent of systems to Windows 10 -- and with more than 95 percent of respondents indicating that they had migrated less than 50 percent of their systems -- we were more than slightly surprised when more than 10 percent of respondents to this year’s survey indicated that they had already completed their migrations.
UK companies reluctant to embrace public clouds
The UK is lagging behind much of Europe when it comes to seeing the real benefits of cloud services, new research has claimed.
Despite businesses on the continent fully embracing the cloud, companies in the UK appear more reluctant to make the move, meaning they are potentially missing out on some major advantages, according to a report from Barracuda.
Microsoft shutters Windows App Studio
Microsoft is killing Windows App Studio, its web-based app development tool. The news was announced late last week by the Windows Apps Team. However, don't be too alarmed -- the Redmond giant has already prepared a replacement.
Windows App Studio has long been the go-to place when it comes to the first steps in app development. Starting as a Windows phone app, it transformed over the years and became available for desktop operating systems, including Windows 10.
Microsoft structural changes could lead to thousands of layoffs
Microsoft is set for a major reorganization as it moves to focus more on selling cloud services, and less on selling traditional software, according to new reports.
A report by the The Wall Street Journal, claims that the Redmond giant has kicked off "structural changes" first proposed in 2014, when Satya Nadella took over the company.
Video calls are more effective than voice calls
Almost three quarters (72 percent) of workers in the UK and US agree that video calls are a more effective work communication channel than voice calls.
According to a new report by Kollective entitled Generation Now, almost two thirds (64 per cent) of workers now trust a message more if they see a person actually delivering it.
London behind other UK cities in 4G and broadband speeds
London's 4G and broadband speeds are slower than many smaller cities across the UK, a fact labelled 'quite embarrassing' according to a new study.
A report by the London Assembly (which can be found on this link), found that London's connectivity is lower than that in York, Coventry and Edinburgh. In some areas, like Rotherhithe in Southwark, there are "not-spots" and "digital deserts" (places with no connectivity at all).
China bets on AI to boost productivity and empower employees
China is reportedly set to beef up its AI capabilities as it looks to boost and improve its tech talent.
According to a Reuters report, this is all part of a soon-to-be-announced national Artificial Intelligence plan, which was allegedly confirmed by a senior Chinese official speaking to China Daily.
Google users starting to embrace voice search
Those people who have started using mobile voice search in the last six months are the most frequent voice adopters, according to news coming out of Google UK.
More than four in ten (42 percent) are using it daily, compared to those that started using it more than four years ago, where it’s frequently used by a quarter. According to the report, the adoption curve is "getting to a point where brands and agencies need to start taking it seriously."
How Canonical approaches the IoT market with Ubuntu Core
The Internet of Things has enjoyed major growth in recent years, as more and more of the world around us gets smarter and more connected.
But keeping all these new devices updated and online requires a reliable and robust software background, allowing for efficient and speedy monitoring and backup when needed.
Few UK consumers trust councils' ability to handle their data
Slightly over half (53 percent) of local authorities in the UK are ready to take on a cyber-attack, according to a new report by PwC.
When it comes to local authority leaders, 35 percent are confident their staff are well equipped to deal with such an attack. Three quarters (76 percent) of UK CEOs are concerned about cyber threats, and almost all (97 percent) said they’re currently addressing cyber breaches that are affecting business information or critical systems.
SMS-based mobile marketing will target 37.2 million Brits in 2017
When it comes to mobile marketing, there is a lot of room for growth among UK businesses, according to a new report from Textlocal.
The report, based on a poll of 1,000 users, says Britain has roughly 80 million active mobile users, but just 50 percent of businesses are using SMS for marketing.
The 'slow-burn' cost of a cyber attack
Businesses have been warned that they may be hit for damages in multiple ways after being affected by a cyber-attack.
A new report by Lloyd's of London says there are two different costs linked to a cyber-attack: a one-off cost, and a "slow-burn" effect. The one-off cost is the visible one -- notifying customers, paying ransom, paying for public relation expenses, things like that.
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