The world we see today isn’t what it was centuries ago. There used to be a long gap between different parts of the world.
More than just the barrier of distance and differing languages, every part of society; business, arts, education, sciences, philosophy, craft and career were worlds apart, across the globe.
Then came the game-changer that will not only modify all but bring all together into a single community: The Internet. Thanks to this invention, everyone is closer than we could ever imagine.
The internet of Things (IoT)
The era of the internet brought about a vast connection between every part of society and the globe.
First, information and data can be shared at a faster rate, are readily available and easily accessible. The internet started as a means of connecting people together.
If there was a future its inventor never foresaw, it is what would be known as “the internet of things”. Recent innovations have taken the internet a step further: making it a network not just for connecting people, but things as well.
The internet of things is simply a process whereby devices and machines are connected via the internet and interact with one another with little or no human intervention.
Devices are enabled to read and share data with one another, which can be interpreted to carry out tasks and communicate with other devices within a network.
In developed climes, we have seen where refrigerators can notify you of the expiry date of groceries, or detect that you are running out of milk and place an order in that regard.
Another scenario is your alarm waking you up and communicating with your coffee maker to prepare you some coffee. With the internet of things, machines and devices talk to each other. The List is countless to the vast possibilities of the internet of things.
Continue reading: https://techbuild.africa/5-ways-internet-of-things-iot-affect-daily-life/

What are the benefits of having IoT (Internet of Things)? To answer this question, I will be discussing with you 6 astounding benefits of having IoT. Let’s hop right into it!
1.) New business amazing opportunities
IoT can give you the capacity to gather information from the organization and utilize progressed investigation to uncover business bits of knowledge and open doors, and diminish functional expense. For instance: Select a testing of information about your top clients and the key cycles that help those clients. Separate what you can assemble to make an underlying pattern. Check out how clients are mentioning your administrations and your common reaction. Is it safe to say that you are just reacting to asks for, or by tapping IoT information, would you be able to set out new open doors to develop income?
2.) New capacities to foresee and act
A key open door is the capacity to foresee needs before they emerge and act with accuracy in view of experiences from the IoT organization. Gathered information can be utilized to construct the recorded patterns that anticipate and place you before issues before they happen. For instance, producer guarantee and support data can be matched with IoT-gathered information to anticipate upkeep occurrences. You might have the potential chance to furnish clients with a worth added administration that sets aside them cash while, simultaneously, building their reliability.
Continue reading: https://medium.com/codex/6-astounding-benefits-of-having-iot-internet-of-things-997222f3cbb2

On the final day of the St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs, two local experts broke from the mold of discussing the world’s problems, focusing instead on emerging global opportunities through blockchain technology.
As the international conference came to a close Friday, St. Pete Catalyst publisher and Metacity Head of Network Joe Hamilton took the stage at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg with BlockSpaces Co-Founder Gabe Higgins. In addition to those inside the ballroom, organizers announced a global streaming audience of 2,500 for the second-to-last presentation of the four-day event, breaking the previous record by 500 viewers.
The discussion explained how blockchain technology, cryptocurrency and decentralized finance are rapidly changing the landscape of international business. Higgins, whose Tampa-based blockchain integration platform raised over $7.25 million in venture funding in less than a year, put the precipitous adoption of Bitcoin in perspective.
“It took Apple – the largest company in the world as far as market capitalization and value – it took them like 24 years to get to the trillion-dollar in value mark,” he said. “Facebook, it took them 18 years to get to a trillion dollars of value.
“But Bitcoin, it took Bitcoin 12 years to get to a trillion dollars. It’s growing faster than the internet itself did in the ’90s.”
Bitcoin and blockchain technology are intrinsically intertwined, as the alpha crypto was the first to apply the innovative data structure in 2009. By 2014, people began to realize blockchain’s potential in global financial and inter-organizational transactions.
Continue reading: https://stpetecatalyst.com/security-through-transparency-how-blockchain-is-changing-global-business/

It’s no secret that AI is changing industries and businesses of all types. Medicine, education, retail, manufacturing, automotive, and many others are impacted by advances in machine intelligence, also known as machine learning, neural network technology, natural language processing, or simply AI.
AI-powered technologies have already been responsible for significant efficiencies and improvements in a wide variety of areas — but this is just the beginning; the AI-wrought changes we’ve seen so far utilize, by many estimates, only a small amount of all data available. It’s safe to say that when we use more data — much of it unstructured — things will really get interesting.
Most AI data-analysis efforts center around text, audio, and videos collected via the web, mostly to provide insights for business, marketing, and customer service, with only a growing minority of organizations now using tools to understand and organize unstructured data from the physical world. But there’s a whole world of unstructured data that could be a boon to many other industries — medicine, agriculture, transportation, construction, to name just a few.
Sensors that are currently in use — and the expected explosive growth of IoT devices — will collect huge amounts of data, much of it unstructured, and much of it in non-text forms. Such data, by definition, is “computer friendly,” but not AI-analysis friendly. While data collected by sensors and machines are easily readable by systems, it cannot provide insights in this “raw” state. In order for AI systems to be able to analyze data and provide those insights, it needs to be deployed in a structure that will enable scientists to mine it for information that will provide the answers they seek. The first step is to apply an initial layer of AI to transform this unstructured data into structured data that can then be exploited by additional types of AI for insights into solutions in a wide variety of areas. 
For example, unstructured data will be essential to further the development and use of autonomous vehicles. Utilizing data from cameras and sensors, autonomous vehicles currently do quite well on well-maintained roads with clear markings and signage, where driving is done in a “predictable” manner. A bigger challenge to expanded usage of autonomous vehicles is their performance in non-standard driving situations — where the roads aren’t smooth, neat, straight, or properly signed and marked. 
And it’s here that unstructured data could make a difference. By utilizing the data pulled into the system and applying it to the structures that autonomous vehicles can understand, AI systems can enable vehicles to navigate driving those challenging roads just as they would the easy, standardized highways. Given that a massive reconstruction of country roads, urban streets, and long-distance expressways to accommodate autonomous vehicles is unlikely, utilizing unstructured data in this way — converting it to structured data — will be an important component in the growth of autonomous vehicle usage.
Continue reading: https://venturebeat.com/2022/02/20/the-data-that-will-change-the-world-is-scattered-all-around-us/

Blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies have surged in popularity since their inception. Many individuals have raced to invest in cryptos, and the increased interest has prompted developers to explore technologies. As a result, many blockchains have emerged. There are three common types of blockchain networks – public, private and consortium – each of which serves a particular purpose, solves a specific problem, and has its own set of features.  
A blockchains uses peer to peer(P2P) network to store data across millions of servers. It is sometimes referred to as decentralized, distributed ledger technology since it operates without the involvement of any third-party mediator or central authority. A distributed ledger is a type of database synced and shared by several people across different institutions and regions.
Moreover, a blockchain provides greater transparency and security that is why it is currently the most talked-about technology.
In this article, we’ll give you an overview of the three blockchain technologies that are commonly in use – public, private and consortium.
Continue reading: https://kalkinemedia.com/news/cryptocurrency/a-beginners-guide-to-blockchain-public-vs-private-vs-consortium

On our most recent IoT podcast, Eddie called in with an industrial IoT, or IIoT, question. He’s wondering if the new Matter protocol that will make many smart homes devices from different ecosystems work together is coming to the IIoT?
The short answer is no, or at least not any time soon if ever. The longer answer explains why.
For starters, Matter only supports two wireless radio protocols for now: Thread and Wi-Fi. Both of these enable devices to communicate directly with the internet. In a smart home, that’s not a bad thing. But for industrial devices such as production lines and public infrastructure? You really don’t want a direct connection to the internet in cases like that for security reasons. Instead, you have the devices protected behind firewalls or on managed connections to gateway devices for remote access.
Second, the types of devices that the Matter specification supports are relatively limited. It focuses on connected devices in the smart home such as locks, lights, and switches, for example. Eventually, it will also support building management in commercial locations for similar devices.
If you have a smart home you may find the number of connected things in your home is overwhelming. And it can be from a consumer perspective. It’s nothing, however, compared to the sheer scope of industrial machines. There you might find actuators, cameras, pressure plates, robotics, and many, many more device types.
Continue reading: https://staceyoniot.com/is-the-matter-protocol-coming-to-the-iiot/

Blockchain is fluttering the dove coats as a reputable technology. It has its implications in various fields. Healthcare is no exception. Recently, blockchain is gaining a great deal of attention as a patient centric approach or model. As time passes by, an amazing number of stakeholders in healthcare organizations are becoming more enthusiastic and eager about the crucial healthcare benefits which you can accrue out of blockchain technology.   
Here’s a petite attempt to showcase some of the best advantages which patients can take leverage of. 
In the first place, it is the interoperability standards which will get a surprising upgrade for sure. Based on the upgraded standards, it will be easy to facilitate operational proficiency levels. Besides, you can also take the leverage of standardized information system. Well, there are more for you to fathom out. As part of the upgraded interoperability standards, you will get easy and effortless access to digital objects and vital pieces of data related to a patient or a treatment procedure. 
Patient records become more confidential
Along with the aspect of data security, you need to give your focus on the aspect of patient records. They tend to be highly confidential because the process appears to be a completely patient oriented model. By dint of the decentralized functionalities, blockchain can take a reassuring step in terms of enhancing patient information integrity as well as safety. It also arrange things in such a nice fashion that each and every piece of information tends to become easily accessible. With the presence of such a benevolent system, patients can, as if, take care of their issues with personal efforts.
Continue reading: https://www.techiexpert.com/how-healthcare-benefits-from-blockchain/

1. What is RegTech?
RegTech is the management of regulation, compliance, reporting and monitoring through technologies like big data, data mining, artificial intelligence and blockchain to provide robust, reliable and effective solutions.
The technologies offer data on money laundering activities and help to reduce the risk of financial fraud. However, regtech is facing some challenges like operational barriers, lack of recourse, high cost and cumbersome process of automating manual procedures.
After the global financial crisis, regulators started to focus more on the compliance element in the business and thousands of rules and provisions were introduced all around the world. According to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), about £189.8 million has been paid against the regulatory violations. The cost of doing compliant business is higher, which is why all global regulators are showing interest in blockchain technology for regulatory purposes.
Whether it is a big bank like HSBC or a small organization, the cost of compliance is high, and getting higher with time. Currently, all the global financial regulators are putting efforts to collaborate with organizations that employ software-as-a-service (SaaS) or cloud computing technologies to assist businesses in complying with laws more efficiently and cost-effectively.
This article aims to discuss various regtech use-cases in compliance and the application of blockchain technology in the regtech ecosystem.
Continue reading: https://cointelegraph.com/explained/what-is-the-importance-of-blockchain-in-the-regtech-ecosystem

Global Drone Technology in Education Market research report gives a comprehensive outlook of the markets 2020-2026 and offers an in-depth summary of the current market status, historic, and expected way forward for the Drone Technology in Education Market. Additionally, to this, the report provides data on the restraints negatively impacting the growth of the market. The report includes valuable information to assist new entrants, as well as established players, to understand the prevailing trends in the Market.
Download Free Sample Copy of Drone Technology in Education Market Report: https://www.amplemarketreports.com/sample-request/2020-2025-global-drone-technology-in-education-market-2585762.html
Key Objectives of Drone Technology in Education Report:
– Study of the annual revenues and market developments of the major players that supply Drone Technology in Education
– Analysis of the demand for Drone Technology in Education by component
– Assessment of future trends and growth of architecture in the Drone Technology in Education Market
– Assessment of the Drone Technology in Education Market with respect to the type of application
– Study of the market trends in various regions and countries, by component, of the Drone Technology in Education Market
– Study of contracts and developments related to the Drone Technology in Education Market by key players across different regions
– Finalization of overall market sizes by triangulating the supply-side data, which includes product developments, supply chain, and annual revenues of companies supplying Drone Technology in Education across the globe
Major Players included in this report are as follows – Parrot, Action Drone, Draganfly, Skycatch, DJI, Pix4D, Extreme Fliers, Syma, Skyward – A Verizon Company, 3DR
Drone Technology in Education Market can be segmented into Product Types as – Learning, Security surveillance
Drone Technology in Education Market can be segmented into Applications as – K-12 sector, Higher education sector
To Buy this report, Visit  https://www.amplemarketreports.com/buy-report.html?report=2585762&format=1
Read more: https://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/drone-technology-in-education-market-is-booming-worldwide-parrot-action-drone-draganfly#ixzz7LY0tKoV8

“Are we alone in the universe?” is one of humanity’s biggest questions. But now, some of the world’s top scientists and tech companies are setting out to answer an even bigger question: “Are we being visited?”
This used to be seen as a silly topic for debate, confined to conspiratorial subreddits filled with stories of reptilian alien overlords covertly living among us. But things are starting to change.
Last year, not only did US president Biden approve a new US government office to study the nature of unidentified flying objects, but a distinguished academic, Professor Avi Loeb — the longest serving chair of Harvard’s Department of Astronomy — launched The Galileo Project, a search for UFOs. 
And one difference this time is that artificial intelligence is being drafted into the search. Tel Aviv-founded AI startup Timbr, for example, has offered its technology — which allows users to interact with complex databases using simple queries — to the project.
If ET’s out there, AI may finally allow us to spot them. 
Is this really serious? 
Well, serious people from the US government have certainly started to take UFOs a lot more seriously recently.  In May last year, Barack Obama admitted that there really are objects moving in our skies that can’t be easily explained away: “There’s footage and records of objects in the skies, that we don’t know exactly what they are, we can’t explain how they moved, their trajectory… They did not have an easily explainable pattern.”
Continue reading: https://sifted.eu/articles/ai-evidence-ufos-aliens-search/

AI is transforming how enterprises function and engage with people. The technology offers the ability to automate simple and repetitive tasks, unlock insights hidden inside data, and help adopters make better, more informed decisions. Yet as AI firmly embeds itself into the IT mainstream, concerns are growing over its potential misuse.
To address the ethical problems that can arise from non-human data analysis and decision-making, a growing number of enterprises are starting to pay attention to how AI can be kept from making potentially harmful decisions.
AI is a powerful technology with an immense number of positive attributes. “However, to fully gauge its potential benefits, we need to build a system of trust, both in the technology and in those who produce it,” says Francesca Rossi, IBM's AI ethics global leader. “Issues of bias, explainability, data handling, transparency on data policies, systems capabilities, and design choices should be addressed in a responsible and open way.”
“AI ethics should be focused on understanding AI's impact on society, mitigating unintended consequences, and driving global innovation toward good,” explains Olivia Gambelin, an AI ethicist and CEO of ethics advisory firm Ethical Intelligence. The practice of operationalizing AI ethics involves the translation of high-level principles into concrete, detailed actions and seeks to enable technology focused on human values at the core,” she says.
Continue reading: https://www.informationweek.com/big-data/what-you-need-to-know-about-ai-ethics

Cybersecurity threats are evolving at an alarming pace. There’s nothing new about that – cybercriminals are always seeking new ways to compromise business systems, so as soon as one threat is identified and neutralized, we should already be on the lookout for the next.
COVID-19 has, if anything, only accelerated this evolution thanks to the vulnerabilities presented by rapid digital transformation and the transition to remote working – coupled with uncertainty that bad actors have been only too happy to exploit.
It goes without saying that IT teams need to be properly equipped to deal with these threats, but alarmingly, there is evidence that many IT decision-makers do not feel that they are properly set up for this mammoth task. A recent AI/ML report from Carbonite + Webroot revealed that both enterprise organizations and SMBs (small- and medium-sized businesses) believe they’ve been harder hit by cyber attacks in the last year than in those before. However, just 19% of enterprise IT decision-makers say their current tools help stop all their cyber security-related threats, down from 36% in the company’s previous annual survey.
Fortunately, artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) technologies can deliver the powerful new cyber security tools ITDMs crave, and offer hope in our ability to keep up with the latest cyber threats. While adoption of AI/ML technologies has been increasing, understanding of how they work and the true benefits they offer is trailing behind.
The power of AI/ML
From data analysis to customer service and much more, the applications of AI/ML for IT departments are ever increasing. Cyber security is no exception to this, and these new technologies are helping to boost automation and identify emerging threats before they can wreak havoc with your systems.
Continue reading: https://www.itpro.co.uk/security/cyber-security/362050/why-ai-and-machine-learning-are-vital-cybersecurity-tools-for-2022

Carolyn and Seth dive into the hype around web3, the concept of decentralizing the internet using blockchain. Starting with a quick history of web1/web2.0/web3, the two define the web3 concept as a shift toward ownership of content rather than production of content. The technology being used for web3 concepts has already launched cryptocurrencies and NFTs, but there is still a challenge in finding a killer app, especially for businesses. The big hurdle for web3 will be in redefining technology protocols now that they are already ingrained in society and business, and the best advice for companies right now is to make sure they have processes for monitoring and evaluating web3 and other emerging trends in order to stay ahead of the curve.
Listen in: https://blubrry.com/volley/83951296/episode-141-unpacking-web3-hype/

When it comes to search and rescue (SAR) operations, every second matters. And this new drone payload strives to not let any moment go waste as rescuers look for survivors trapped under debris or buried in an avalanche.
Echo SAR turns any cellular handset into a location beacon, even when there is no cellular network present.
Designed by Canadian firm Robotics Centre and manufactured by Teledyne FLIR Defense, the Echo SAR drone payload is equipped with the ARTEMIS mobile phone detection system, which has been developed by British cellular tech company Smith Myers.
The module enables drone operators to quickly find, map, and interact with mobile phone handsets in fast-evolving disaster situations, boosting the ability of first responders to locate victims and save lives.
More specifically, Echo SAR can find both an individual mobile handset and conduct mass mapping of mobile phones in out-of-service areas. Similarly, it can be used to communicate either with individuals or groups of mobile phones via SMS.
Now, the technology itself is not new. What’s new is its adaption for small, quickly deployable drones such as Teledyne FLIR’s R80D SkyRaider and SkyRanger R70 aircraft.
As Dr. Eric Karmouch, CTO of Robotics Centre, explains:

Previously, ARTEMIS airborne capabilities were only available for use on manned rotary and fixed-wing platforms. Now, for the first time, this life-saving technology can be deployed in minutes on a small quad-rotor UAV, providing a whole new capability to SAR operators working in the most difficult conditions.

Click to expand...

Continue reading: https://dronedj.com/2022/02/17/mobile-payload-search-rescue-drones/

Drones have become a part of our daily lives over the past decade. People use them as toys to take pictures and some industries have started using them for work. In agriculture, drones have become popular, but are they being used to their full potential? On Seed Speaks we’ll be talking with John Scott from Purdue University and Progeny Drone Inc.’s Anthony Hearst about how the seed industry is using drones for research and what opportunities there are for farmers to use them.
Read more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXpUG-o694s

The global internet of things (IoT) in healthcare market is projected to grow to $446.52 billion by 2028, according to Fortune Business Insights.  Integration of IoT technologies and medical care drive exciting innovations, resulting in more effective healthcare solutions. One of these new innovations is the Internet of Bodies. Let’s find out exactly what it is and the ways in which it can revolutionize our lives.
What is the Internet of Bodies?
In recent years, the healthcare industry has been undergoing significant technology-related changes. Several of these changes include the use of augmented reality applications to assist doctors during surgery, the introduction of AI to improve the efficiency of diagnostic processes and, of course, the surge of IoT devices that are becoming more widespread. This list would be incomplete without the Internet of Bodies.
IoB gadgets are wearable, ingestible, or implantable. We can consider IoB as an ecosystem of devices that are connected to the Internet. Following the Web of Things concept, IoB enhances the interoperability and connectivity of smart devices by standardizing communication protocols between different IoT smart devices. In healthcare, they gather crucial data at the core of precision medicine. This enables accurate treatment for the needs of the particular person.
Having first appeared in 2016, the term the Internet of Bodies (IoB) came into general use, bringing together all devices that monitor the human body. Some devices include the following: 
Continue reading: https://www.iotforall.com/meeting-the-future-internet-of-bodies

In the jaw-dropping saga of disgraced health-tech entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes, there was one aspect that attracted most of the public’s attention: her voice.
Despite lying about her “revolutionary” pin-prick blood test technology that failed to work, then duping her patients with false diagnoses (she was convicted of four counts of defrauding investors earlier this year) it was her appearance – the Steve Jobs-esque black turtleneck jumpers and signature red lipstick – and her deep baritone, masculine-affected voice that people really zoned in on. So when The Dropout, the TV adaptation of Holmes’s life story – based on Rebecca Jarvis’s 2019 podcast of the same name – was first announced with Amanda Seyfried in the lead role, the internet was abuzz. Would Seyfried do “the voice”?
Yes, as it turns out. But while this vocal affectation might have been a joke to social media, to Melissa, who has worked in the upper management of a big tech company for the past 20 years, it’s something that rings true.
“I have absolutely lived that,” Melissa – who, like all the women in tech interviewed for this article, asked for anonymity – says. “When I want to be heard at my work, I have to talk slower and deeper. If you hit too high of a pitch, they [the men] don’t hear you. If I don’t think my voice will be listened to, I’ll call a male colleague, one of my allies, prior to the meeting and say: ‘Hey, I’m going to ping you in the background, say this when I tell you to.’ They’ll be my voice.”
With the news agenda for the past decade being full of the ethically dubious behavior of some of the male leaders of the tech world, scant attention has been paid to the women in the industry, who make up just 19% of the tech workforce in the UK. The same is true reflected in pop culture. While the Tech Bro villain is now a well-worn trope in everything from the recent Matrix reboot to Succession and the video game send-up Free Guy, and we’ve had multiple portrayals of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, there’s been hardly any representation of women in tech on the small screen. With a smattering of comedy roles of women working lower down the tech chain (the brilliantly sarky Dobby from Peep Show or blagger Jen from The IT Crowd) to women actually making power moves in the industry (riot grrrl programmer Cameron in Halt and Catch Fire or whistleblower coder Nanette in the Black Mirror episode USS Callister), stories of women in tech have historically been as rare as a female CEO in Palo Alto.
Continue reading: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/feb/18/bossing-it-why-the-women-of-big-tech-are-taking-over-the-small-screen

A group of major crypto companies, led by Circle and Coinbase, introduced a digital identity protocol Thursday designed for blockchains, which would comply with “know-your-customer” requirements in traditional finance while giving users control over their personal information.
The system, called Verite, is “designed to enable individuals to have self-sovereign control over their identity” while offering “very strong KYC assurances,” Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire told Protocol. “You can think of it like an identity token in their wallet” which can be used to “interact with these networks.”
Verite underlines the crypto industry’s heightened focus on following established financial services regulations.
The rollout comes a day after another group of crypto companies, also including Coinbase and Circle, said they are building a system called TRUST which would enable its members to comply with the Treasury Department’s Travel Rule, which requires information about big financial transactions to “travel” with the movement of funds.
Continue reading: https://www.protocol.com/fintech/verite-crypto-kyc

Blockchain technology has been making headlines lately, and it’s not hard to see why. Originally designed to power Bitcoin, blockchain has the potential to disrupt everything from accounting to voting, but it’s not yet clear how best to take advantage of this disruptive technology. In this article, we’ll take a look at what exactly blockchain technology is and how it works. We’ll also see how it can be applied in the real world and how you can leverage its benefits if you want to try it out on your own website or business. What Is Blockchain Technology?
Blockchain technology explained in 10 minutes
This post aims to provide an introduction to blockchain technology. We’ll start with a definition, move onto its history, talk about why it is disruptive, and conclude with some thoughts on its future. If you are new to blockchain, don’t worry if some of these terms do not make sense now. I will explain everything as we go along. But first, let me get straight to business… What is Blockchain?
Understanding blockchain – the new Internet of value
Understanding blockchain technology is one of those things that’s easy to talk about but hard to do. I get it – I was once in your shoes… desperately looking for information on blockchain (and cryptocurrency) so I could understand what it’s all about.
Continue reading: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/digital-mehta/what-is-blockchain-technology-and-how-does-it-work/

Blockchain technology has been revolutionizing the banking space for years, leveraging a decentralized system that enhances storage capabilities, enhances payments transactions and elevates other banking sector elements.
From tokenizing various securities to using distributed ledgers, blockchain technology is disrupting traditional banking and forcing traditional institutions and large enterprises to take notice. Blockchain technology also creates smart contracts that automate claims and compliance processing while providing an inexpensive, highly-effective method of sending payments.
Blockchain technology, coupled with the increased advent of digital banking, should be identified as a viable banking method for traditional banks and large enterprises coping with their disruptive presence in the banking industry.
Why is blockchain technology so difficult to breach?
Blockchain technology is harder to hack considering that financial information is consistently stored on different computers, making it difficult to compromise the network, preventing falsified balances and fraudulent transactions.
A single blockchain server is tough to compromise, even for the savviest of cybercriminals, as hackers would have to breach every node in the technology at the same time to hack it. The decentralized technology that buffers the blockchain also establishes secure networks for various types of assets.
Continue reading: https://dailyhodl.com/2022/02/15/how-blockchain-technology-is-creating-a-secure-method-of-banking/

Blockchain is a decentralized system. It is secure, but the security comes at the cost of performance. The cloud is a centralized system. It offers high performance and significant data storage, but one shortcoming is the potential for trust abuse. As a fellow in the 2020 Cloud Computing Fellowship, Ivanov saw an opportunity to bring a long-term vision to life. He set out to create a system that combines the best features of blockchain and cloud computing, which he calls Blockumulus. Blockumulus, named by combining the words blockchain and cumulus, is a groundbreaking system that combines the security of blockchain with the high performance of the cloud. “Blockumulus allows us to preserve decentralization but make it much faster,” explains Ivanov.
Continue reading: https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2022/combining-best-blockchain-cloud-computing

More than 100 tech and cybersecurity entities are calling for governments and industry to move towards universal standards for baseline security when it comes to Internet of Things devices.
In a letter released Thursday, 104 different organizations – ranging from private companies like Google, Microsoft and Deloitte to non-profits like Consumer Reports, the Center for Internet Security, and the Cyber Threat Alliance – said there is a “global consensus” forming around the need for IoT security standards that must be addressed through a mix of government regulation and voluntary private sector action.
In particular, the groups highlight five security capabilities that all connected devices should share, including regular software updates, no default passwords, a vulnerability disclosure policy for the product for manufacturer, data security and secure communications, that should be universal. These five capabilities are already in more than 100 security and privacy standards around the world, and further adoption could help dramatically reshape the notoriously shoddy and largely unregulated IoT security landscape.
“While all stakeholders – manufacturers, distributors, vendors, regulators, even consumers themselves – have respective roles to play in the safe development, deployment and use of IoT products, device security requires manufacturers and vendors who place devices on the market to adhere to best practices to ensure products are designed with security in mind,” the group writes. “With connected devices today having supply chains that reach around the world, establishing a recognized global baseline for consumer IoT security is a critical step toward a more resilient and trusted digital future.”
One of the most challenging aspects of regulating this area is that “IoT” is essentially a catch-all term for a wide range of products and devices, many of which have different levels of technological maturity and sophistication. The software powering a smart fridge or Alexa device is exponentially more complex and trickier to secure than a low-grade light or power sensor, yet all can and are regularly captured under the current definition.
That makes it difficult to develop standards that would be relevant to the security problems posed by products and systems on the higher end of the scale while still being practical for manufacturers at the lower end. Even defining what an IoT device is and what it is not can be difficult. The groups acknowledge that this will not be a smooth or easy process, and pledge to continue working through international bodies like the World Economic Forum to develop additional guidance and throw their consensus support behind emerging standards.
Continue reading: https://www.scmagazine.com/analysis/iot/more-than-100-tech-companies-cyber-organizations-rally-around-5-baseline-security-standards-for-iot-devices

2022 promises to be the year that more companies leverage the power of data and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to spur business growth. Companies around the globe were put on the defensive when the pandemic rapidly increased the demand for digital services, revealing gaps in digital experiences and databases and accelerating digital transformation across industries.
Now, more enterprises are able to move from reactive to proactive operational strategies. This includes investing in data and AI innovations, which are rapidly advancing in capabilities and accessibility. The following are my top data and AI predictions for digital businesses in 2022:
Holistic platforms will reign over point solutions.
Over time, most businesses have collected data and/or AI tools that each solve a specific operational problem. This can lead to conflicting information across departments or a difficult juggling act as technologies advance. In 2022, we will see a collective shift away from point solutions toward holistic platforms that offer a suite of business solutions. We saw this trend begin in the digital experience analytics space in 2021, as the industry consolidated through a series of mergers and acquisitions.
Consolidation will continue in 2022, which will lead to more holistic DEA solutions that offer deeper insights into the full customer journey rather than siloed pieces (i.e., A/B testing, customer clicks, consumer survey, conversion rates, session replay, etc.). Digital experience intelligence will be a key part of this platform shift. As an extension of DEA, DXI uses machine learning and AI to provide businesses with a comprehensive picture of the customer experience by owning and analyzing the bulk of customer experience data.
Continue reading: 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/02/18/predictions-how-data-and-ai-will-shape-business-growth-in-2022/?sh=73bed7693b61

With the start of each year come predictions, plans, and surveys from consulting firms. When it comes to artificial intelligence, multiple recent surveys indicate that companies aren’t just planning on spending serious money on AI in 2022 — they are already making good money from the technology.
A bit of context might be helpful. Despite some AI successes, one of the challenges in recent years has been that projects involving the technology have frequently lacked sufficient economic returns. In a 2019 MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group AI survey, for example, 7 out of 10 companies reported minimal or no value from their AI investments. One of the reasons for poor returns was that relatively few projects were deployed into production; they were too often research exercises. Production deployments admittedly can be difficult, since they usually require integration with existing systems and processes, worker reskilling, and the ability to scale AI technology.
Just a few years later, things are beginning to change. In the 2022 survey of senior data and technology executives by NewVantage Partners (where Randy Bean is CEO and cofounder, and Tom Davenport is a fellow), 92% of large companies reported that they are achieving returns on their data and AI investments. That’s up markedly from 48% in 2017. The same percentage (92%) said that they are increasing investments in data and AI, equaling last year’s percentage. Twenty-six percent of companies have AI systems in widespread production — more than double the 12% in last year’s survey. The survey also asked respondents whether their organizations were data driven, and only 26% said they are. However, that doesn’t seem to be preventing them from making progress on AI.
Continue reading: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/companies-are-making-serious-money-with-ai/

Can your brand explain how its artificial intelligence (AI) applications work, and why they make the decisions they do? Brand trust is hard to win and easy to lose, and transparent and easily explainable AI applications are a great start towards building customers’ trust and enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of AI apps.
This article looks at Explainable AI (XAI), and why it should be a part of your brand’s AI strategy.
What Is Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI)?
Typical AI apps are often referred to as “black box” AI because whatever occurs within the application is relatively unknown to all but those data scientists, programmers and designers who created it. Individually, even those people may not be able to explain anything outside of their primary domain. Without being able to provide any discernible insights as to how AI comes to make decisions, an AI app cannot be fully optimized. 
Rather than being hidden in a figurative black box, XAI is to offer transparency, making it easy to see and infinitely more explainable. Typically, the aspects of AI that are hard to understand revolve around decisions the AI app makes, which are based on the actionable insights it gains from real-time and past interactions. XAI makes it easier to understand why AI algorithms decide to perform that “next best action.” Because XAI apps are transparent and easier to debug, brands can eliminate unconscious biases and explain ethical decisions.
Why Is Explainability Important?
The inner workings of relatively complex AI applications, such as online retail recommender systems, intelligent assistants or conversational chatbots, use moderately benign decision engines that are of no interest to the majority of users.  Most brands are likely unconcerned with providing transparency or explainability for these types of AI applications. 
Continue reading: https://www.cmswire.com/digital-marketing/does-your-artificial-intelligence-strategy-include-xai/