Stuart Hughes is CIO and chief digital officer at Rolls-Royce, where he leads the team digital teams in the civil aerospace business. Rolls-Royce’s engines are used in fighter jets, business jets and more than 50 percent of long-haul planes. 
CIO’s Thor Olavsrud sat down with Hughes at IDG’s Edge Computing Summit to discuss how data collected from airplane engines is enabling Rolls-Royce’s customers to plan and execute better flights.
On how IoT and edge have changed how Rolls-Royce does business:
Our technology enables us to have a commercial model where the airplane owner actually pays per engine flying hour, so only pays for the time that the engine is in use.  And in exchange for that payment, Rolls-Royce covers all of the maintenance, all of the servicing and all of the warranty elements.  In effect, we sell power by the hour rather than airplane engines in that sense. 
On planning and executing a better flight:
A really important part of the innovation that my team in Singapore has been working on really closely with Singapore Airlines [is executing a more fuel-efficient flight]. 
We’ve created applications for the pilot and for the operations team that help them understand some of the strategies available to them.  And it’s a really big win, because if they can choose the right strategies, think about how they take off and how much thrust they’re using, think about the way they climb and think about the angle that they climb at, think about how they use wind better, think about how they basically optimize the engine, then there are two really big benefits.  There’s a reduction in fuel, so they’re paying less for fuel, they’re carrying less fuel.  And the other thing is, of course, we’re reducing CO2 in the atmosphere.
On personalizing service at the engine level:
A really significant change that happened in the time that I’ve been at Rolls-Royce,… [is] moving from treating everything the same, maybe replacing things that didn’t need replacing, maybe impacting the airlines and the customers by taking the engine off the wing too early, and thinking about it in a much more specific, individualized way. 
Continue reading: https://www.cio.com/article/304856/rolls-royce-cdio-stuart-hughes-on-leaning-into-iot.html

A Statista study shows that the number of IoT devices connected worldwide reached 10.07 billion in 2021, which is estimated to grow to over 25 billion by the end of the year 2025. Such a large amount of devices in constant communication would require huge amounts of data that is quick to process and yet sustainable. Cloud computing and fog cloud computing techniques have been traditionally used for IoT solutions. However, this trend is changing with the introduction of edge computing. Will cloud and fog computing methodologies eventually lose against edge computing?
Cloud computing: The global staple
Cloud computing is the process of delivering on-demand services or resources over the internet that allows users to gain seamless access to resources from remote locations without expending any additional time, cost or workforce. Switching from building in-house data centres to cloud computing helps the company reduce its investment and maintenance costs considerably. 
The key benefits of cloud computing are:

• Cost efficiency – A significant reduction in operational costs.
• Resource integration – Many users can use the same resource in real-time.
• Upscaling – Companies can commence projects at a minuscule level and expand during the course of the project. 

Since cloud computing deals with resources in remote locations, the collection and processing of data experiences a time lag. This time lag, although negligible in most cases, becomes a serious issue with real-time projects or time-sensitive applications like online gaming, e-commerce sites, etc. 
Fog computing: faster but smaller
Fog computing is a type of computing architecture that utilises a series of nodes to receive and process data from IoT devices in real-time. It is a decentralised infrastructure that provides access to the entry points of various service providers to compute, store, transmit and process data over a networking area. This method significantly improves the efficiency of the process as the time utilised in the transmission and processing of data is reduced. In addition, the implementation of protocol gateways ensures that the data is secure. 
Some of the advantages of fog computing are:

• Latency – Low latency ensures seamless processing of data in real-time.
• Integration – Multiple nodes of data transmission as well as IoT devices can be operated.
• Mobility – Fog computing supports the mobility of IoT devices to a certain extent. 
• Privacy – User’s sensitive data can be analysed locally instead of sending it to the centralised cloud infrastructure.

Fog computing provides added security to the network. However, encryption protocols and gates lead to denser data which is difficult for arbitrary devices to process. Achieving data consistency is another challenge faced by the architecture.  
Edge computing: the underdog
Cloud or fog data prove to be unreliable when dealing with applications that require instantaneous responses with tightly managed latency. Edge computing deals with processing persistent data situated near the data source in a region considered the ‘edge’ of the apparatus.
Continue reading: https://analyticsindiamag.com/cloud-computing-vs-fog-computing-vs-edge-computing-the-future-of-iot/

Deciding what kind of IoT SIM card to select for your business can be a tricky process. Initially, you must choose whether to hold a fixed (also known as static) or dynamic IP SIM card. Generally, IoT devices use fixed IP addresses for the greater security, visibility, and control they provide. Then, a decision must be made for whether you will go with a public vs. private IP SIM. So, how do you know which one will better fit your specific needs?
Fixed vs. Dynamic
Most IoT SIM cards, which act as the ‘tags’ that enable a device to connect and transmit data, use fixed IPs. Fixed IPs do not change, which allows devices to establish two-way communication with the servers and transmit data. Fixed IPs provide a permanent address for the device, directly correlating to better security and control over a device your server is already familiar with. 
In contrast, dynamic IPs change depending on what is currently available in your IP pool. Having IoT devices with automatically assigned IPs may be a cheaper option, but it would require the device to re-establish a connection with the server every time its IP changes. Many IoT devices work with dynamic IPs, but more complex and mission-critical devices would need to be addressed on a regular basis without having to add the new IP into the system all the time.
Public vs. Private IP
While most IoT devices are enabled with a fixed IP, the choice remains between opting for a public fixed or private fixed internet protocol for the IoT SIM. The difference between a public fixed IP IoT SIM and a regular public IP IoT SIM is that a standard public IP is assigned by the network provider directly over the Internet and is accessible by all. Let’s take a look at the separate benefits and downfalls of both so you can decide whether your business requires a public vs. private IP IoT SIM.
Benefits of Public Fixed IP

• Choosing a public fixed IP address allows the IoT device to connect to the company server from any internet host. The option is used for global-scale projects, where the device needs to establish two-way communication from various different locations and internet providers while retaining the same IP address, so the system can recognize which device is connecting.
• With a fixed public IP address, the customer doesn’t have to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to connect to the serve but instead uses a default Access Point Name (APN) that allows it to reach the core.

 
Continue reading: https://www.iotforall.com/private-vs-public-fixed-ip-iot-sim

Artificial intelligence is a hot topic for businesses. AI capabilities are expanding the possibilities for how businesses approach real-time engagement with their customers, manage their operations and ensure business continuity through the pandemic. As the technology advances, companies are finding new ways to innovate and expand. Here are some artificial intelligence statistics to help you understand AI usage in 2022.
The State of AI in Business
Everyone loves to talk about AI and the potential for business growth and enhancement—but what’s the general outlook for business use?

• 86% of CEOs report that AI is considered mainstream technology in their office as of 2021.
• 91.5% of leading businesses invest in AI on an ongoing basis.
• Gartner also tells us that customer satisfaction is expected to grow by 25% by 2023 in organization that use AI.
• Forbes reports that 50% of enterprises plan to spend more on AI and machine learning in 2021 and 20% report significant increases to their budgets.

Overall, there is a widespread adoption of AI in business, but most companies aren’t using it for world domination, but rather to automate processes, enhance customer service and personalization, increase output, and analyze data. Overall, businesses are trying to obtain a competitive advantage. Learn common AI terminology. 
AI Priorities and Plans
McKinsey reports the following risks and urges companies to prioritize the following when it comes to AI:

• Cybersecurity
• Compliance
• Explainability
• Personal Privacy

Voice Search and Artificial Intelligence Stats
With the prevalence of technologies such as Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri, (most frequently used on smartphones) picking up speed, voice search has certainly taken its place in the emerging tech space. According to Tech Jury:

• 40% of adults use voice assistants to search on a daily basis.
• 50% of all searches were the result of a voice search in 2020.
• 43% choose digital voice assistants because they are faster than type search.

Machine Learning and AI Stats
Taking part in machine learning, AI and big data is at the top of the priority list for many organizations. Forbes tells us that:

• 76% of enterprises surveyed in Algorithmia’s 2021 report plan to prioritize AI and machine learning initiatives over other IT goals in 2021.
• 83% of organizations have increased their AI and machine learning budgets YOY since 2019.

The entertainment giant Netflix is also known for its use of machine learning and AI software in content recommendations, which the company reports as saving $1 billion per year.
Impact of AI on Jobs and Employment Market
Many have expressed concern for their job status with the impending growth of AI and machine learning. Semrush revealed that:

• 38% of employees expect their job to be automated by 2023.
• 13% expect AI to eliminate positions entirely in their industry.

Despite the negative perceptions,

• AI technology was expected to create 500,000 more jobs than it was expected to replace in 2020.
• Jobs are anticipated to be in high demand with 97 million specialists needed in the AI industry by 2025.

One O’Reilly report broke down usage by industry. They show the following:

• Other: 22%
• Technology: 17%
• Financial Services: 15%
• Healthcare: 9%
• Education: 8%
• Government/Public Sector: 6%
• Telecomm: 5%
• Manufacturing 4%
• Retail: 4%
• Media: 3%
• Energy: 3%
• Defense/Security: 3%

Continue reading: https://connect.comptia.org/blog/artificial-intelligence-statistics-facts

Cisco Systems estimates that the Internet of Things (IoT) was first born around 2008 or 2009, which makes it more than a decade old. But after another turbulent year of COVID-19, supply chain disruptions and technological shifts, what can we expect from the IoT in 2022? Here Claudia Jarrett, US country manager at automation parts supplier EU Automation, explores the major IoT trends for 2022—including 5G, edge systems, machine learning and more. Cisco’s belief that the IoT began in the late noughties is based on the definition of IoT as "simply the point in time when more 'things or objects' were connected to the Internet than people.” The things-to-people-ratio grew from 0.08 in 2003 to 1.84 in 2010. But when was the term ‘Internet of Things (IoT)’ first used? That’s believed to be 1985, when Peter T. Lewis, co-founder of the first US cellular phone company, Cellular One, gave a speech at the Congressional Black Caucus in which he said: "The Internet of Things, or IoT, is the integration of people, processes and technology with connectable devices and sensors to enable remote monitoring, status, manipulation and evaluation of trends of such devices." That definition of IoT is fairly consistent with how we understand it today. The questions is, how  can manufacturers use digitalization to overcome the kinds of pandemic and supply chain-related turbulence we’ve seen in recent months?  
The future is 5G
Gartner reports that global spending on 5G infrastructure grew by $19 billion in 2021 at an annual growth rate of more than 39 per cent, and these numbers are likely to increase dramatically in 2022. 5G networks are opening new opportunities to manufacturers including speeding-up the IoT with faster data transfer rates and more efficient connections and communication between devices. Therefore, 5G will be key to the growth of the IoT in 2022. However, with these opportunities come cybersecurity risks. Not only will 5G entail a physical overhaul of networks that include more IoT devices, but we’ll also see a transfer from hardware to software networks. Software, however, presents new cyber vulnerabilities, considering that these networks involve harvesting massive amounts of sensitive data share between increasing numbers of connected devices. Security experts hope that artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and automation will offer the way forward, evolving alongside threats to critical systems. But what will AI and machine learning mean for the IoT?  
Machine learning
“Artificial intelligence is poised to unleash the next wave of digital disruption,” reports McKinsey. Plant managers should be especially interested in AI algorithms that learn over time and get better at tasks by performing them repeatedly ― otherwise known as machine learning. Machine learning is especially useful when large volumes of data are being managed and increasingly captured by connected devices and the IoT. While those reams of data would be too much for a human worker to process, machine learning can rapidly analyze them in real-time to identify anomalies and report the findings to human workers in easily understandable form. Machine learning has proven useful at all stages of supply chain management. Motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson, for example, used a software called Albert that predicts which prospective customers are most likely to convert into sales, increasing sales by 40 per cent. Meanwhile, back on the shop floor, machine learning algorithms can detect, say, when a machine is working at reduced capacity, and alert decision makers when preventative maintenance is needed. However, in Lewis’ words, the only way to get the most from the IoT is “the integration of people, processes and technology”, meaning that human workers might have to be upskilled.
Continue reading: https://www.automation.com/en-us/articles/february-2022/major-iot-trends-expect-2022?listname=Automation%20&%20Control%20News%20&%20Articles

Twenty women are preparing for careers in cybersecurity through a training program offered by the Women CyberSecurity Society (WCS2), Canada’s first and only nonprofit organization dedicated to attracting more women to pursue and excel in cyber careers, and CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce.
The two organisations have partnered to address the dual challenges of training and certifying more cybersecurity professionals and bringing more women into the tech workforce.
“There is a global shortfall of new professionals entering the cybersecurity sector and one of our key aims for this program is to demonstrate to individuals from all walks of life that it is possible to reskill into cybersecurity as long as you have the passion and tenacity to succeed,” said Lisa Kearney, president and CEO of WCS2.
Women comprise just 10% of Canada’s cybersecurity workforce. Even more alarming, an estimated 50% of women in ICT drop out of the tech workforce in the first four years of their careers. While data shows that working women have been among the demographics hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the field of cybersecurity offers a unique opportunity for women everywhere looking to skill, upskill and find employment in a new occupation.  
“CompTIA is dedicated to resolving the global shortfall of new professionals entering the cybersecurity sector,” said Zeshan Sattar, director of learning and skills certification at CompTIA. “Our partnership with WCS2 is our latest effort to widen participation and increase the diversity of people interested in entering the field.”
The International Women in Cyber Day Scholarship was created to provide training, certification, mentoring and career skills to diverse candidates seeking to advance their cybersecurity careers. Nearly 150 women applied for scholarships. The women selected for the scholarships are at various stages in the careers. Some currently work in technology and are looking for advancement opportunities, while others are transitioning from jobs in different industries to join the tech workforce for the first time.
Between January and March, scholars in this program are working to earn the coveted CompTIA Security+ credential, using CompTIA CertMaster Learn with integrated labs, and CertMaster Practice learning resources to help them progress. Their training is delivered via a series of workshops led by veteran cybersecurity lecturer and IT trainer, Rebecca Harrop.
“We are working closely with the candidates on our flipped classroom program and are looking forward to sharing their successes as they strive to become CompTIA Security+ certified professionals,” CompTIA’s Sattar said.
Read more: https://connect.comptia.org/newsroom/press-releases/2022/02/23/women-cybersecurity-society-and-comptia-partner-to-prepare-women-for-careers-in-cybersecurity

I’m going to let you in on a Decoder secret: at the end of last year, I tasked our producers with finding better ways for us to cover crypto and Web3 on Decoder. I don’t think it’s any secret that I’m fairly skeptical of crypto, but I want to come by that skepticism honestly — and on the flip side, I want to make sure to see its opportunities and benefits clearly. We’ve already done episodes on Bitcoin and DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations), and we’re going to do more episodes as the year goes on.
A lot of Web3 ideas seem to run directly into the existing legal system in complicated and sometimes very funny ways. The NFT world seems to have an impressionistic understanding of copyright law. DAOs, well, they aren’t actually recognized as legal entities in most states. So in a very technical sense, they can’t actually do anything in the real world. But all these things still exist, and at some point, the law will have to catch up.
So, today, I’m talking to Tonya Evans, a law professor at Penn State Dickinson Law. She teaches IP law, copyright, and blockchain. She also hosts the Tech Intersect podcast, where she covers how law and technology intersect. She has spent a lot of time thinking about crypto assets and how they interact with the law. Tonya’s point of view is that we shouldn’t just abandon many of the legal frameworks we have today — she just wants them to adapt to this new internet.
A few notes since the old law student in me can’t help trying to impress law professors when we have them on the show:
Continue reading: https://www.theverge.com/22944579/crypto-bitcoin-internet-law-nft-tiktok-dances-tonya-evans-interview

Blockchain has gained ground on the internet today, and many investors are pouring money into the venture. Developers in this space are also in-demand but scarce.
Are you a programmer thinking about transitioning into the blockchain web? Or you're just getting started with programming and want to dive into blockchain development? You're on the right path.
Here are six solid reasons you don't want to withdraw from your passion and ambitions.
What Is a Blockchain Developer?
A blockchain developer uses the standard internet protocol to create and manage applications on a decentralized ledger system. They code functional algorithms, including smart contracts, and use existing frameworks to process transaction-based agreements on the blockchain.
Unlike the conventional web you use daily, blockchain apps don't use a central database. But they store encrypted transaction records in several servers called nodes in a pair-to-pair fashion. The data is also encrypted and unmodifiable by a single node, making it more secure.
Continue reading: https://www.makeuseof.com/reasons-to-learn-blockchain-development/

Over the past few years, Blockchain has emerged as a technology that is now discussed everywhere. From the tech corridors of Silicon Valley to the thriving tech capitals in multiple cities worldwide – Blockchain has become the talk of the town.
Everyone is excited about this modern technology, especially after a few staggering NFT sales surfaced on the internet.
However, many still don’t know what Blockchain is, yet they are eager to know what benefits has it hidden for the future.
To understand the advantages of this state-of-the-art technology, one first needs to know how it actually works. Only then the implementation and applications will start making more sense.
Why do we need Blockchain?
Today’s world has become a massive sphere that fuels uncertainty. Online scams are prevalent everywhere, trust has become scarce, and many don’t know the remedy to this peculiar problem at hand.
Regulators and law enforcement agencies are often left awestruck.
The world has been in the middle of a pandemic with no apparent way out of it other than social distancing. In times like these, there is nothing better to have than a transparent and secure system. A system that restricts unauthorized access and impedes modifications with unmistakable validity.
When one looks around for a solution among a plethora of technology buzzwords, Blockchain shines bright.
It offers everything we need to build sustainable, secure, and safe systems for a better future.
Understanding Blockchain
Blockchain is a decentralized technology; but what does this mean?
The Blockchain works on a simple principle – it is not owned by any company or institution – it is built in a particular distributed manner that allows the computers on the network to access the information stored in it with certain parameters safeguarding the virtual borders.
The information is stored in the form of groups called blocks which is a constantly expanding list or an array. It is indeed a revolutionary technology that is ready to power software systems around the globe. All the information or data that is verified is stored in the block in chronological order. Each block is linked with the previous one, forming a Blockchain.
The disruption in the technological realm, as we speak, has begun, and Blockchain has a key role in it.
Continue reading: https://readwrite.com/blockchain-will-revolutionize-the-future/

Discover how white women and black women can partner and be in solidarity with each other on this podcast episode 201 on the Will to Change.  – Effective Allyship Between Black and White Women featuring Adrienne J. Lawrence and Jennifer Brown
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e201-effective-allyship-between-black-and-white-women/id1208603357?i=1000551565731

In 2020, Northern Kentucky University was ranked number one in the state for awarding the most Computer Science degrees to women. But according to College Factual, for NKU in the 2019-2020 academic year, in both Masters and Bachelors degrees, only 22 percent of graduates were women while 78 percent were men.
NKU is ranked number one with only 22 percent of women, so what does that say about the number of women in the informatics field at other universities?
A sense of belonging, to a group or even in everyday life, is a very important aspect of being human. For women in the field of informatics, it may be more difficult to feel that sense of belonging as it is a mostly male-dominant field.
Diversity is a highly important characteristic for countless organizations and is a key component in determining future success. A diverse group of individuals allows for technological success specifically because of the experience from different cultures and sexual orientations. Different perspectives working on a project would allow for the product to be more inclusive.
Continue reading: https://www.thenortherner.com/news/2022/02/22/the-reality-of-women-in-informatics-today/

Female scientists in Africa are entrepreneurial and resourceful. They are finding innovative solutions to problems that affect their communities, and many are actively seeking to engage others in their work. But for more women on the continent to achieve in science, they need policies that help to lower the barriers to their success and that incentivize international collaborations. These are among the findings of a special series of articles in Nature, as well as a poll that received responses from 249 African researchers. The majority (217) work in African countries, and 103 identified as female.
Our series shows that women working in research in African countries are thriving — founding businesses, launching non-profit science-education efforts, training the next generation of scientists and joining their countries’ health, agricultural and space ministries.
They include Khady Sall in Senegal, who in 2020 led a project to manufacture face shields against COVID-19, and Veronica Okello in Kenya, who is researching green approaches to cleaning up heavy metals such as chromium and arsenic. We also profile Aster Tsegaye, an HIV/AIDS researcher helping to train researchers in Ethiopia, and Elizabeth Kimani-Murage, who studies malnutrition in Nairobi’s urban communities.
Pontsho Maruping has switched from working in South Africa’s mining sector to helping to develop the country’s astronomy and space program. Meanwhile, Angela Tabiri in Ghana studies quantum algebra and founded a network of female mathematicians. Adidja Amani helps to run vaccination programs at Cameroon’s public-health ministry, and Nigerian microbiologist Amina Ahmed El-Imam researches the production of fuels from microorganisms.
Continue reading: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00492-x

The number of women in technology roles increased by just 2% year-on-year, from 25% in 2020 to 27% in 2021.
That's according to the latest findings from the Tech Talent Charter (TTC), which analyzed data from 580 organizations that employ a combined 196,179 tech workers in the UK –  an estimated 15% of the current UK tech-skilled labor force.
Across sectors, marketing was found to have the most gender-diverse workforce, with a median of 45% tech roles being held by women and other gender minorities. Cyber security, electronics, and health sectors were among the least gender-diverse, with some surveyed health companies not employing a single woman within a technology-based role.
Company size also proved to be a factor when employing gender minorities. Similarly to previous years, micro-organizations tended to have the most women-held roles (median of 33%), with the proportion decreasing with the number of overall employees. Medium and large companies employed less than a quarter (24%) of women in tech roles on average, with the proportion rising slightly for super-large companies at 27%.
Continue reading: https://www.itpro.co.uk/business-strategy/careers-training/362710/tech-roles-held-by-women-increased-2-in-2021

As organizations continue to add more data collection and analytics to their business, proper data management and governance is critical for future success.
As organizations continue to collect more data from an ever-expanding amount of sources, the need for proper data management is critical to ensure future success. 
However, according to a study by HFS Research, 75 percent of business executives do not have a high-level of trust in their data and 70 percent do not consider their data architecture to be “world class”. 
This lack of trust comes despite 89 percent of executives surveyed saying a high level of data quality was critical for success. This was considered even more valuable than management acumen, which 85 percent thought was a critical factor. 
Almost all organizations use data in some regard to either optimize experiences, analyze or provide insights for improvement. The introduction of artificial intelligence and deep learning technologies further emphasizes the need for high quality data. 
80 percent of executives believe these disruptive technologies will transform the competitive landscape, leading to high amounts of investment in skills and tools over the next five years. 
According to HFS Research, 70 percent of executive see data as a tool for survival and top-line growth. Executives also see data as critical for M&A and divestiture activity. 72 percent of executives see data as an important tool to improve decision making, and 69 percent believe it will reduce overall costs. 
“The cost of bad data is staggering, but most people don’t personalize it,” said CEO of Syniti, Kevin Campbell, to HFS Research. “If you talk to a C-level executive, they’ll say, ‘I have an inventory problem,’ or ‘My supply chain has issues.’ After thousands of projects, we know that almost 90% of the time it’s caused by a data problem. Either the right data isn’t properly accessible, or the data’s not clean enough for what needs to be done.” 
Continue reading: https://www.rtinsights.com/executives-dont-trust-data/

What’s do Decentraland’s stylish “live” DJ parties (which even the Omicron virus couldn’t stop), Beeple’s $69 million NFT artwork, and the cryptocurrency hype that’s going on across the globe? The answer is - blockchain, an emerging technology that promises to change the world by making finance - and other things - more decentralized. However, the big question is how blockchain will bring this drastic change, and is this technology really worth the attention it's getting?   
What is blockchain?
Blockchain refers to digital ledgers or records of transactions that can be viewed by all the users on a network and cannot be tampered with; it is also called distributed ledger technology (DLT). The sole aim of blockchain is to store and share data. Blocks contain the records of valid transactions that have taken place on the network.
In a blockchain, a request for a transaction is made, the system then authenticates the request. Then, a 'block' representing the transaction is created and forwarded to every node (i.e., participant) on the network. The nodes then compete to validate the transaction, using complex algorithms. On successful validation, the block is added to the existing blocks, thus forming a chain. The process of competing to authenticate and complete a block is known as “mining.” 
The update is transmitted across the network, and the transaction is completed. The transactions happening on the blockchain are secured using a cryptographic technique called hashing.
Hashing uses complex algorithms to create a string of characters (called the “hash”) from any piece of data. Each block stores its own hash and the hash of the block before it. If anyone tries to tamper with a block, or swap in a fake block, the hash would change, breaking the chain. In cryptocurrency, each time a hash is mined and a block is added to the ledger, the "miner" also earns a token, or part of a token, such as a Bitcoin. 
The decentralization comes from the fact that the data is spread out among several nodes, in different locations. This creates redundancy and also means that if somebody tries to change a record at one location, the other nodes would not be altered.
Continue reading: https://interestingengineering.com/what-is-blockchain

Sales of electric vehicles are booming: last year, in fact, EVs accounted for 20% of passenger vehicle sales, and that’s just the beginning. By the end of the decade, it’s anticipated that the number of EVs on the road will soar from 2 million to as many as 35 million — great news not just for Elon Musk, but for anyone who cares about reducing air pollution and tackling the climate crisis.
Keeping all those new EVs charged, however, will require the rapid rollout of a massive new network of charging infrastructure. More than 50 U.S. power companies just announced plans to build a coast-to-coast fast-charging network, with at least 90,000 new public charging stations needed to meet demand. Many smaller projects will also be built in coming years, with the country likely to need an additional 1-2 million public chargers by 2030.
That’s a big deal, because charging stations aren’t simply sockets: they’re smart devices that communicate — with cars, with drivers, with each other, and with the grid — to deliver effective services. The decisions we make now about how to connect this new infrastructure will have implications for decades to come, impacting everything from EV uptake, to grid management, to decarbonization, to energy pricing.
Understanding the stakes
It’s easy to think about EV infrastructure purely in terms of hooking charging stations up to the grid. But building out EV infrastructure is also a connectivity problem — because EV stations are IoT devices that need to communicate and share information. That’s important in a number of ways:

• Smarter charging. Connectivity lets charging stations operate more dynamically, perhaps by flexibly favoring off-peak hours to reduce the cost of “topping up” and lower the total cost-of-use for EVs.
• Added value. From checking an app to see whether a local charging station is free, to getting a push notification when your car is charged, smart EV infrastructure improves the EV owner’s experience and ultimately helps boost EV uptake.
• Increased resilience. Charging millions of EVs places a load on the grid, and unmanaged charging — such as when everyone gets home from work and plugs in their car — can cause problems. Connected charging stations can collaborate to smooth out the load, prevent problems, and keep energy costs low.

Continue reading: https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/ev-chargers-are-critical-infrastructure.-they-need-connectivity-to-match

Like the previous three revolutions, Industry 4.0 aims to transform manufacturing using the latest technologies. This time around, it is the advanced information and communications tech that creates the Internet of Things. Industry 4.0 combines IoT with AI, ML, and robotics to digitize manufacturing.
IoT is a key part of the Industry 4.0 strategy which works to create flexible and connected digital factories where communication is facilitated between all parts of the system. The best aspect of today’s technologies like IoT, AI, and Big Data is their range of applications. These technologies work on the factory floor as well as in other areas such as planning and management. Manufacturers can even integrate customers and business partners in value and business processes. 
As you can see, Industrial IoT (IIoT) has great potential to improve manufacturing. Today, automation and robots are present in almost all factories. The use of AI is also speeding up which has improved automation and manufacturing efficiency. As manufacturers look for ways to embrace IoT and Industry 4.0, the smart manufacturing market is expected to be worth $228.2 billion by 2027. Here are some of the ways the industry is moving towards that goal.
IoT in Manufacturing Automation
Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are at the core of the smart factory that Industry 4.0 envisions. CPS are systems that use sensors and software in all parts of manufacturing. These parts may be machines, vehicles, routes, inventory, and the plant building itself. The sensors record and save the data which is then processed by the computer to make decisions. These decisions directly affect the physical system through actuators and human-machine interfaces (HMIs).
CPS improves upon the automated machines using Industrial IoT. Regular automated machines work in isolation using the software. In contrast, CPS collects and shares data from and with all the assets and areas of the plant. Cloud computing is used to analyze this data to make decisions that optimize the system. Businesses can also use AI and ML for smarter optimization based on previous results.
CPS and IoT complement each other to create smart factories. These competitive factories have reduced downtimes, improved efficiency, create better products, and account for higher productivity.  Factories that implement IoT in manufacturing report cost reduction and an improvement in quality.
Continue reading: https://www.iotforall.com/the-role-of-iot-and-industry-4-0-in-creating-digital-factories-of-tomorrow

Officials with Griffin Blockchain Services, Inc., a blockchain group that plans to operate out of the old AmerisourceBergen building in downtown Paducah, gave a presentation Thursday on the basics of blockchain technology and how it ties into the fast-growing cryptocurrency market.
About 50 people attended the seminar hosted by the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce. Blockchain and cryptocurrency knowledge among the crowd ranged from the novice level still deciphering the two terms to some who were running their own small-scale cryptocurrency mining operation.
Qianjie “QJ” Zhao and Dennis Zhang, CEO and CFO of Griffin Blockchain Services, also shared insight about their company and what drew them to Paducah.
Zhang said he hopes business owners and entrepreneurs learned how they could apply blockchain technology to better their businesses.
“I think it’s important, for whatever business you’re in, to think about how, you know, ‘how [could] my business take advantage of this new technology?’ and how it could potentially benefit you,” Zhang said.
Zhang explained that blockchain is a digitally distributed ledger that stores information such as transaction records. Rather than data being stored with one centralized ledger, blockchain data are stored on a network of computers.
Because blockchains are stored on multiple networks, Zhang said it is close to impossible to hack blockchains. If a hacker accesses a blockchain on one computer, there would still be multiple, possibly millions of copies, of the correct blockchain stored on other networks.
Continue reading: https://www.paducahsun.com/news/new-bitcoin-mining-business-explains-basics-of-blockchain/article_ebbcd895-cf33-5bc5-905f-1fa7797226f3.html

Let’s be honest. Most tax accountants would not be described as “hip” and many struggle to be considered “tech savvy”. Even so, some of their clients’ needs are forcing them into a new world surrounding the exchange of digital assets. While many persons trading cryptocurrency or buying a non-fungible token (“NFT”) think they are just doing something new, fun, or just goofing around because they have cash to play with, what they don’t realize is that Uncle Sam is looking to collect their share. The number of questions being asked in this space have skyrocketed. Countless persons are looking for help and are shocked when they learn of their potential tax bills. The lack of understanding and proper planning in this space can result in a significant check being made out to the IRS. 
If you are one of those persons that is thinking, not again, this is just a fad, it might be time to rethink that attitude. The Crypto market capitalization, calculated by multiplying price of the cryptocurrency with the number of coins in circulation, went over $1 trillion in 2021. A large portion of the market capitalization relates to the nonfungible token (“NFT”) market. NFT sales volume totaled $24.9 billion, of which $4.8 billion was related to NFT gaming. For perspective, Crypto market capitalization in 2020 was $758 billion and the total sales in the NFT market in 2020 was just $340 million. 
But is the IRS really watching this? The short answer is yes. As early as 2016, the IRS utilized a “John Doe” summons to Coinbase, which is a secure online platform for buying, selling, transferring, and storing cryptocurrency. The summons requested transaction activity for Coinbase users from 2013 through 2015 who were US persons. Coinbase was required to provide user information who bought, sold, sent or received cryptocurrency of at least $20,000 in value in one year. Based off the information received, the IRS sent 10,000 compliance letters to taxpayers advising them of their failure to properly report cryptocurrency transactions. In 2021, the IRS issued John Doe Summons to Payward Ventures (aka Kraken) and Internet Financial (Circle) seeking similar information for taxable years 2016 through 2020. In March of 2021 the IRS launched Operation Hidden Treasure, an enforcement initiative for tax violations related to cryptocurrency. And maybe you haven’t notice, but there has been a question on the individual income tax return since 2019 regarding this topic, which for 2021 asks “At any time during 2021, did you receive, sell, exchange, or otherwise dispose of any financial interest in any virtual currency?”. So if your client says the IRS will never track their virtual currency activity, think again. 
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lynnmucenskikeck/2022/02/22/how-the-irs-is-looking-for-its-share-of-cryptocurrency-and-nft-growth/?sh=588a76993d1d

Business intelligence applications extract critical facts from data and help in decision making
Business intelligence extracts critical facts from massive amounts of unstructured data and converts them into usable information, allowing firms to make educated strategic decisions while enhancing organizational efficiency and business productivity. This actionable data provides critical insights into the underlying currents of client behavior, such as their likes and dislikes, online shopping experience, etc. Every day, contact centers handle millions of client contacts, many of which include completely untapped essential insights that may be efficiently used to deliver enormous value to businesses. Except when analyzed for Quality Assurance purposes, this data is largely underutilized.
Aside from the aforementioned benefits, other advantages that businesses can reap as a result of business intelligence include:
1. Improve Business Productivity
Businesses can channel their critical resources and staff to boost business productivity because they do not have to divert resources to obtain business intelligence (BI). Because the BI team handles all BI collection work, it results in cost savings, time savings, and effective reporting, which supports better business productivity. The BI gathering group can extract critical information from client encounters and deliver it in an easy-to-understand, convey, and execute style. BI collection teams guarantee that detailed reports are supplied to firms, ensuring that all critical information is presented in a well-documented and appealing manner, allowing the information being used to efficiently run the organization.
Continue reading: https://www.analyticsinsight.net/5-business-intelligence-applications-in-decision-making/

According to Gartner, artificial intelligence will create $2.9 trillion of business value and 6.2 billion hours of worker productivity globally in 2022.  Many companies are aiming for an AI-first strategy where machine learning, in addition to optimizing business processes, is now also being used to rethink business strategies.  An AI-first approach strategy makes AI the core of the company used to optimize forecasting, customer support, marketing, product, manufacturing, fault detection, and to learn about customer preferences and innovative ways to create competitive advantage.
In the ideal world, AI would be assisting with every phase of decision making fully embedded into systems and fully transparent to employees and customers.  But to achieve this goal, fundamental changes need to take place including a top-down shift in mindset, as well as implementation of MLOps tools to help IT teams to overcome technical hurdles that can prevent AI from reaching its full potential.
Here are five steps a company can take to shift to an AI-first strategy
1.    Make AI the center of the business – Successful adoption of AI relies on strong executive-leadership support.  Cross functional teams are put in place where subject matter experts such as radiologists or insurance specialists are on board, in addition to technical contributors.  A full range of professionals that have touchpoints with AI projects including business users, software engineers, data scientists, data analysts, testers, architects, and product managers need to be involved so organizations can leverage AI faster and machine learning models can move into production more smoothly.
Continue reading: https://www.datanami.com/2022/02/22/five-ways-to-shift-to-ai-first/

Web 2.0 brought us user-generated content and interactivity – think Twitter, Facebook, Slack and Zoom. It enabled online startup Dollar Shave Club to build global recognition in 2012 with a YouTube video that cost a mere $4,500 (£3,300) to produce. The company rattled the previously bomb-proof incumbents in its market to such an extent that Unilever reportedly paid $1bn to acquire it four years later.
Web 3.0 has brought us even more disruption, in the shape of technologies such as big data, machine learning and blockchain. Companies are understandably keen, therefore, to get ahead of Web 4.0. Definitions of it vary, but this iteration promises immersive and highly personalised online services, blurring the physical and the digital. 
What will that look like? The metaverse is both the biggest Web 4.0 promise and the biggest threat. It’s a threat to incumbents such as Facebook (now Meta), largely because of its decentralised nature. It’s a promise to startups because they may be able to harness the tech in ways that could give them a competitive edge. 
All sectors are keen to get on the front foot. Microsoft recently spent $68.7bn on gaming company Activision Blizzard. JPMorgan, meanwhile, has created its own metaverse lounge – in which visitors are greeted by, of all things, a virtual tiger.
A less headline-grabbing matter is what CIOs need to do to make such technology work well. 
Firms that offer augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in the metaverse will almost certainly have to reconfigure their computing power for the experiences to feel properly immersive. Centralised cloud computing provision, however punchy, won’t be enough. The reason for that is latency – the time lag on the network. 
Swedish telco Ericsson has pointed out that time-critical video games, such as first-person shooters, need no worse than 30 millisecond end-to-end network latency to ensure a high-quality experience. The further away the data centre is from the end device, the greater the latency. Even on the fastest fibre links, there is a latency of 5 microseconds (0.005 milliseconds) for every 1km of cable travelled by the data, according to research by Infinera.
That is why serious gamers use expensive hardware that can do the processing then and there. The problem for firms is that consumers are unlikely to want to spend much on special hardware to access metaverse services. What to do?
Gaining a competitive edge
Edge computing, where the processing muscle is placed closer to the data being crunched, is the next step on from the cloud. 
“People have been talking about the edge for two decades, but it has been limited to niche use cases,” says Ishu Verma, emerging technology evangelist at Red Hat, a provider of open-source enterprise software. “Now the idea of placing computing and storage closer to the data sources is being adopted more widely across industry and consumer applications.” 
One important reason for this is that data systems have become much more capable, cost-effective and energy-efficient, so deploying them at the edge on a large scale is far more feasible than it was. 
“In the cloud, you scale up capacity. At the edge, you scale it out to millions of sites,” says Verma, who adds that there is demand across all sectors that need low-latency services or simply want to avoid batch processing. 
Continue reading: https://www.raconteur.net/technology/edge-computing-customer-experience/

Processing data at the network’s edge, whether it is on IoT devices, industrial equipment, or in nearby data centres, can reduce the latency of applications and enable richer, AI-powered functionality and user experiences. But edge computing introduces new security challenges which, analysts argue, require new approaches to securing devices and networks.
The centralisation of computing – in local area networks, in corporate data centres, and more recently in hyperscale clouds – has been good for security. It has allowed organisations to ‘hide’ their data behind layers of security defences, both virtual and physical.
Now, though, computing is once again being redistributed away from this secure core. One driver is the spike in remote working, which means employees are connecting to corporate networks through the internet. Another is the growing need for data processing to be located near users or devices at the edge of the network, to reduce latency and accelerate analysis. This means data is increasingly processed and stored on IoT devices, on industrial equipment in remote locations, or in local data centres close to the user.
Conventional models of IT security are not suited for this redistribution. As computing moves to the edge, these models risk exposing corporate data assets, holding back digital transformation, or both.
“Network security architectures that place the enterprise data centre at the centre of connectivity requirements are an inhibitor to the dynamic access requirements of digital business,” analyst company Gartner wrote in a report last year. “Digital business and edge computing have inverted access requirements, with more users, devices, applications, services and data located outside of an enterprise than inside. “
Continue reading: https://techmonitor.ai/technology/cybersecurity/security-challenges-of-edge-computing

The bipartisan Senate Women in STEM Caucus – created late last year to advance women’s participation in science, technology, engineering and math education and careers – met on Feb. 16 to discuss the ongoing disparity in women’s participation in the STEM workforce and further challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, women made up nearly 28 percent of the U.S. STEM workforce. That gender gap has been particularly high in some of the fastest-growing and highest-paid jobs of the STEM field – like computer science and engineering – and has been under further pressure during the pandemic as women were forced to balance work and home responsibilities.
Sens. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., aired out the issue at the caucus’s first-ever panel discussion on Feb. 16.
“Early in my career as a computer programmer, I saw firsthand that women are underrepresented in STEM careers,” Sen. Rosen said. “Today, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, that shortage of women in the STEM workforce has only been exacerbated by the unique challenges the pandemic has presented for women.”
According to recent data from the U.S. Census, women – who make up nearly half of the entire American workforce – have been making some gains but are still “vastly underrepresented” in the STEM workforce, holding less than one-third of all STEM jobs.
In 2018 women earned about 49 percent of STEM-related degrees at the bachelor level, but by 2019 were only 29.4 percent of the workforce. For women of color, those disparities were even worse. In 2018 women of color earned 17.8 percent of STEM degrees at the bachelor levels, but in 2019 only made up 10.8 percent of the STEM workforce.
Continue reading: https://www.meritalk.com/articles/senators-tackling-gender-gap-in-stem-fields/

If you’ve ever heard people call the tech industry a boy’s club, they’re not wrong—historically, women make up a small portion of the tech industry. However, one local organization, Innovate Birmingham, is working hard to help women make an impact in the tech field in Birmingham and beyond.
We spoke with local entrepreneurs, current students, alumni and staff at Innovate Birmingham to learn more.
Understanding the Gender Gap in Tech.
To understand the need to encourage women in the tech workforce, it is important to understand why there is a gender gap to begin with. In Birmingham, no one understands that better than Elizabeth Anderson and Kelli Lucas, co-founders of LunarLab—a woman-led UX design and product strategy firm that, “empowers dreamers to create meaningful, impactful products through collaboration and innovation.”
Have you noticed a lack of women in the tech industry, specifically in Birmingham? If so, why do you think that is?

Elizabeth: “I have absolutely noticed a lack of women in the tech industry, including in Birmingham. There’s an irony to it, because women have been part of tech since the very beginning. The first computer programmers were women! We’re seeing a resurgence of women in the tech space, but we still have a long way to go.”
Kelli: “There are a lot of hurdles preventing women from entering this field to begin with, but there’s also a huge rate of burn out. 38% of women said they plan to leave their tech jobs within the next two years. The largest tech companies, on average, only have a workforce of about 34% women. The stats are even worse when you consider some specific fields, such as software engineering, which only has a workforce of 14% women. 50% of women have experienced gender discrimination at work. As a whole, women are hired less, promoted less, and paid less. On top of that, these stats are significantly worse for women of color. This problem isn’t specific to Birmingham—it’s a problem women across the globe face.” Elizabeth: “Over my career, I have seen dismissiveness and even hostility towards women in the field. All of these things combined mean that unfortunately, women are also more likely to leave the field.”

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What is it like to be a woman in tech in Birmingham?

Elizabeth: “I won’t sugar coat it: being a woman in tech definitely has some challenges, and I have even experienced gender-based discrimination. But the work itself is extraordinarily fulfilling; I love solving hard problems and working on exciting new software solutions. It’s really invigorating to work collaboratively with other people to create something new.” Kelli: “When we launched LunarLab, our goal was to create a space where we could improve gender equity within tech. And we have definitely felt amazingly supported by the Birmingham tech community! The tech scene here is incredibly tight-knit, and everyone works hard to lift each other up. That spirit of collaboration and community support really sets Birmingham apart from other cities. People have your back here, and that creates an environment where innovation can thrive.”
Elizabeth: “Being a woman in the tech field has been a challenge at times. Some of these challenges are what led us to launch LunarLab. We decided we’d had enough, and chose to spend our time and energy building a company aligned with our vision rather than continuing pushing for change from the inside-out. In contrast, we’ve received overwhelming support from other women in the tech community, especially in Birmingham. We’ve had the good fortune to be surrounded by brilliant women who share a common goal of empowering others, and some of our biggest supporters have been other women in our field.”

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Continue reading: https://bhamnow.com/2022/02/21/see-how-innovate-birmingham-is-closing-the-gender-gap-in-tech-in-the-magic-city/