Onecom and Vodafone have signed a five-year deal aimed at expanding the choice of IoT services available to UK businesses.

The two companies will jointly "develop, launch and manage" a range of tools going forward. Onecom, a unified communications platform, will deploy Vodafone’s global IoT managed connectivity, platform and services, so businesses can use connected solutions within their organizations.

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New technology can be exciting, but it tends to be confusing as well. Those of us who grew up in in the 90s may remember the new fad of installing high-tech security systems with cutting-edge motion sensors and state-of-the art wall panels. Every one of those worked great… for about a week. What began as a flurry of excitement and restful nights quickly turned into a big hassle, as false alarms woke the neighbors, and parents struggled to remember the right key combinations to get things back to normal. After a few short months, those once-exciting upgrades gathered dust, and the home of the future seemed even further from reality.

As you consider making security upgrades to your home today, you might have some reservations due to the technological promises of the past. The good news is that a renaissance of inexpensive technology and consumer-friendly tools has made home security and automation one of the most impactful upgrades you can make for your family.

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IoT devices are generating huge amounts of data, and it’s leaving a mark across the enterprise IT industry.

That's according to a new report by analyst firm 451 Research, whose The Voice of the Enterprise: IoT -- Workloads and Key Projects report says a third of organizations is planning on increasing their storage capacity.

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Global analyst firm Gartner has predicted that by 2020 there will be more than 20 billion "things" connected to the Internet, sending data all over the world. These Internet of Things (IoT) devices could be anything from fish tanks and fidget spinners, to sunglasses, fridges and other home appliances. All these devices have the ability to send and receive data between one another, creating a network that can share valuable information.

When such devices are integrated into the infrastructure of our towns and cities, they have the potential to revolutionize the way we live our lives -- making our cities more accessible, safer and easier to navigate. For fleet and operations managers in particular, this presents a very enticing opportunity.

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Oracle has revealed a major upgrade to its IoT cloud offering that it says will help businesses get more value out of the platform.

The company has revealed it will be imbuing its IoT Cloud with built-in artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities which will be able to provide businesses with more detailed data than ever before.

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Apple has announced another major expansion of its Internet of Things (IoT) services with a significant new partnership.

The computing giant has revealed it will be teaming up with Accenture for the launch of a new platform that will let businesses better interact with their customers.

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Microsoft has revealed a new Azure feature aimed at helping developers that build event-based applications. Azure Event Grid is built to help devs that create event-based and serverless applications with a higher level of abstraction.

That way, worrying about infrastructure, provisioning or scaling, becomes a thing of the past, according to Microsoft.

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As the internet of things spreads into more and more areas, increasing numbers of medical devices are now connected, making them vulnerable to cyber attacks that could shut down medical processes, expose critical hospital and patient data, and ultimately put patient safety at risk.

Many medical devices are not built with cybersecurity in mind, yet a survey by Deloitte Cyber Risk Services of over 370 professionals organizations operating in the medical device/IoT arena shows that 36.5 percent have suffered a cyber security incident in the past year.

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A bipartisan group of US senators have introduced a new bill to better secure Internet of Things (IoT) devices and to protect security researchers as they attempt to find vulnerabilities in these devices.

The Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act 2017 will require manufacturers that supply the US government with connected devices to comply with industry-wide security practices.

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The IoT can represent a cultural shift for hardware makers as they move from just selling hardware to providing a connected digital experience.

But supplying applications and supporting an ecosystem of third-party devices, apps and services has a cost which either needs to be absorbed or factored into the price of the product. Samsung is addressing this problem with the launch of its ARTIK Cloud Monetization, a new service to monetize the data shared by IoT devices and enable an IoT data economy.

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The Internet of Things (IoT) is more than just the latest buzzword -- although it arguably started off life as such. Just as with any developing technology or trend, it is eyed with suspicion and eagerness in equal measure, but many businesses simply don't know where to start.

Ubuntu-maker Canonical has conducted research with IoT professionals, and it reveals the challenges and opportunities offered by the IoT. It highlights what needs to be considered in the areas of monetization, skills and security, and signals a way forward for businesses looking to make headway in this relatively new arena.

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With increasing numbers of connected devices entering our homes and workplaces, their security is becoming a major concern as they can offer hackers an attractive backdoor into networks.

A new survey from digital platform security company Irdeto shows that 90 percent of consumers across six countries think security should be built in, and 78 percent are aware that smart devices connected to their networks have the potential to be targeted.

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Microsoft has announced its entry into the smart office market with the launch of a new thermostat.

GLAS, which was revealed in a YouTube video this week, targets businesses and stores looking to establish a smarter, more connected workplace.

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The biggest challenges companies have with implementing IoT technologies is not security but rather identifying ROI.

This is according to a new report by Canonical, entitled Defining IoT Business Models, which polled 360 IoT professionals, including devs, vendors and enterprise users, more than half (53 percent) say "quantifying ROI and providing a clear use case" is currently their biggest challenge.

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Dogs are the best; certainly better than cats. I mean, litter boxes -- am I right? OK, cats are pretty cool too. Hell, all pets are wonderful -- except maybe snakes. Pets bring joy to our lives and provide unconditional love. After a hard day at work, petting your doggo or kitty can release stress and make everything feel alright.

Sadly, we can't be with our pets all the time -- we have to leave the house to earn money so we can buy them treats and toys. It can be heartbreaking to walk out the door while they look at you with sad eyes. Thankfully, Wi-Fi cameras allow us to see our furry friends even when we aren't home. Some models even let you interact with two-way audio. Today, a new product takes this a step further. The "Petcube Bites Treat Cam," as it is called, quite literally is a camera that remotely dispenses treats. While not the first such product to do so, it looks particularly elegant.

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