In today’s economy, IT departments’ success often hinges on the ability to turn ideas into innovative applications and services faster than the competition. It’s a tough challenge, given the rigidity and complexity of many data centers. So it’s not surprising that businesses of all sizes are looking for infrastructure that’s faster, simpler and more maneuverable.The search is complicated by the need to support two separate and conflicting operating models. First, there’s the traditional applications that are critical to the business – enterprise resource planning, on-line transaction processing, databases – with SLAs and objectives defined around reliability and stability. These keep-the-lights-on applications typically consume most of IT’s spend. IT is tasked with reducing their operational cost and complexity, improving efficiency, and above all else, keeping them running.Second, there’s the new generation of mobile, social, … [Read more...] about How hybrid infrastructure fuels IT velocity
Digital fuel
How a population boom is fueling Charleston’s tech scene
One of the fastest-growing regions in the U.S., Charleston, South Carolina is now the No. 1 mid-sized metro for millennials, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. As of 2016, the metro area was growing at three times the rate of the U.S. population. Often among the 34 new residents Charleston welcomes each day are venture capitalists and real estate developers, who are drawn to Charleston for a chance to participate in a fast-growing economy, while living in a more affordable coastal hub. These change agents have helped shaped Charleston into an emerging location for startup activity, and its tech community offers lessons for other cities on how to capitalize on an influx of new residents. VentureBeat’s Heartland Tech channel invites you to join us and other senior business leaders at BLUEPRINT in Reno on March 5-7. Learn how to expand jobs to Middle America, lower costs, and boost profits. Click here to request an invite and be a part of the conversation. The … [Read more...] about How a population boom is fueling Charleston’s tech scene
Millennials fuel increasing usage of mobile payment systems
Apple's fiscal Q1 earnings report showed a 500% increase in Apple Pay transactions year-over-year. Since Apple gets a slice of every transaction, this is a big deal financially. Besides Apple Pay, other mobile payment services are seeing a rise in usage. Scott Blum, VP at Total Merchant Services, gives credit to the millennials for this. Making up one quarter of the U.S. population, Blum predicts that this generation will lead the way as credit cards become obsolete, replaced by the mobile wallet.As typically occurs with new technology, there are those who would prefer to use the old methods. According to the 2016 North American Consumer Digital Payments Survey conducted by Accenture, "…consumers are still relying largely on traditional payments methods despite the availability of reliable digital payments providers." The same report noted that 56% of consumers are aware that they can make payments using their smartphone.The Accenture survey points out three major trends that are … [Read more...] about Millennials fuel increasing usage of mobile payment systems
How a rock star of Iranian digital activism built a culture of misogyny and fear
The news came down on Thanksgiving Day. ASL19 founder Ali Karimzadeh Bangi, one of the leading lights of the expat Iranian digital rights community, appeared in court on charges of sexual assault and forcible imprisonment. The following day, he would be forced to cut ties with ASL19 entirely. For many in civil society groups, the court appearance came as a surprise. For years, Bangi had been the public face of the Iran Cyber Dialogue Conference, a major conference dedicated to digital freedom and the promotion of human rights in Iran. Bangi was a cornerstone of the event; one ASL19 employee described it as “the Ali show.” He was a hero to the community, a partner to countless smaller organizations — and now, an alleged sexual predator. In fact, it wasn’t the first time Bangi had faced such charges. In early 2009, separate charges of sexual assault were filed against Bangi, although they were withdrawn before reaching court. The Verge has also learned of at least … [Read more...] about How a rock star of Iranian digital activism built a culture of misogyny and fear
Smart manufacturing fuels digital transformation: Takeaways from SEMI Member Forum
By Emmy Yi, SEMI Taiwan Driven by emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning and big data, the digital transformation has become an irreversible trend for the electronics manufacturing industry. The global market for smart manufacturing and smart factory technologies is expected to reach US$250 billion in 2018.“The semiconductor manufacturing process has reached its downscaling limit, making outstanding manufacturing capabilities indispensable for corporations to stay competitive,” said Ana Li, Director of Outreach and Member Service at SEMI. “Advances in cloud computing, data processing, and system integration technologies will be key to driving the broad adoption of smart manufacturing.”To help semiconductor manufacturing companies navigate the digital transformation, SEMI recently held the AI and Smart Manufacturing Forum, a gathering of industry professionals from Microsoft, Stark Technology, … [Read more...] about Smart manufacturing fuels digital transformation: Takeaways from SEMI Member Forum