More than 18 months into the COVID-19 pandemic and the new normal of the workplace, organizations continue to figure out how to best approach cybersecurity. And they are struggling. A new study from Lynx Software Technologies found most American executives believe their company has serious security gaps, and that remote work made the situation worse.
“Now more than ever, it is incredibly important that employees feel like they can trust the security of their corporate networks,” Arun Subbarao, vice president of engineering and technology at Lynx Software Technologies, said in a formal statement. “Remote and hybrid work models are here to stay, and organizations need to ensure not only that their corporate network infrastructure is secure, but also verify that every endpoint—from printers at HQ, to laptops and tablets in each employee’s home—are protected, as well.”
A little more than half of the survey’s respondents think that edge computing would improve security in their organizations. But no cybersecurity system is 100% incident-proof, and anyone who is turning to edge computing for better security has to remember that there are security gaps on the edge, too.
New Edge Security Concerns Open New Gaps
As technology has evolved, so have the risks that need to be addressed. Back in the days when systems were connected inside an organization and there were no outside connections to worry about, threats literally came from inside the building. More often than not, disgruntled employees presented the biggest risk to the company, and the security gap was identifying the employee before damage could be done. “With a network connection from that enterprise to external services (public clouds), there is a potential access point for anyone on the planet to attack that system,” said Ian Ferguson, VP of marketing, Lynx Software Technologies, in an interview.
IoT devices are a prime target for edge security threats. Gaps are most likely to be found in data protection since there are no physical or centralized security systems around data on the edge. Also, devices designed for edge computing aren’t built with a security-first (or second, or third) mindset. Authentication methods are lax—many users never change the default passwords from the setup process—operating systems are often out-of-date and applying patches and updates to firmware often is ignored because there is no simple way to alert users that it needs to be done. In the new normal of the hybrid workplace, there are more unknown devices than ever connecting to the network. Finally, when a threat hits an edge device, time is of the essence even more than in more traditional network systems.
“At the edge, seconds matter, meaning that cybersecurity tools must be automated to deal with threats in real-time to prevent serious damage,” Matt Hathaway, vice president, product marketing at Imperva, told Security Boulevard earlier this year. “You have milliseconds to handle data traffic in order to mitigate the threat.”
Any organization without a plan to handle threats on edge computing devices has huge gaps in their overall security system and in, therefore, at a greater risk for being hacked.
Continue reading: https://securityboulevard.com/2021/10/closing-the-security-gaps-at-the-edge/

IoT decision makers are still not sold on the promise of 5G, according to a new report from IDC. Companies also are concerned about managing the costs of cellular IoT and having enough developer tools and APIs to support these projects. 
The survey also found that 75% of IoT devices using cellular connections are stationary. Stacy Crook, research director, Internet of Things at IDC, analyzed the survey results and wrote the report, "Streamlining Connectivity Management for Cellular IoT Success." 
Cellular IoT uses the same mobile networks as smartphones to connect sensors and other devices to the internet. Ericsson predicts that the number of cellular IoT connections will grow from 1.6 billion in 2020 to 5.4 billion in 2026, a compound annual growth rate of 23%.
Crook found that 79% of respondents plan to use 4G for cellular IoT deployments with only 9% making the jump to 5G. Respondents listed these concerns about 5G service:

• Limited access to Tier 1 networks
• Network quality degradation when devices are in motion
• Poor troubleshooting capabilities 
• No failover options during network outages
• The ability to select which radio technology devices connect to

The survey found that proof-of-concept projects also take twice as long as companies expect: 12 months vs. six. Survey respondents named these three challenges that slow down cellular IoT projects:

1. Lack of visibility into domestic and global device deployments and usage
2. Ordering and shipping SIMs and modules in a timely manner
3. Inability to try SIMs during the evaluation process
   [/LIST=1]
   Cost is another pain point for cellular IoT projects with 65% of companies stating that they pay for overages and unused data. Managing multiple cellular carriers and the associated billing complexities are also a significant problem.  
   Continue reading: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/iot-device-managers-are-sticking-with-4g-with-only-9-planning-a-move-to-5g/

The prevalence of smartphones and apps like Apple Wallet, which stores digital versions of credit cards, boarding passes, and event tickets, make our phones an essential part of everyday life. Now that Apple has opened the Wallet app to developers, experts expect to see an increase in mobile credentials used for everything from unlocking cars to storing driver’s licenses, to accessing the office. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how mobile credentials impact cyber and physical security in the workplace. 
With a traditional key card system, people need to have a physical card or fob credential to access the property. While this technology is simple to use, it’s no longer a modern offering for tech-savvy employers, and it lacks the security needed for today’s evolving threats. Key cards are vulnerable to copying and are easily lost, stolen, and borrowed. While some key card systems do offer good security through data encryption and real-time logs, they still require management and monitoring in order to ensure the people scanning the credential are who they say they are.
A mobile credential offers a few key benefits for cyber and physical security in commercial buildings. 

1. Lower costs
   [/LIST=1]
   Because the credentials use the phone already in your pocket, there’s no need to purchase and store any additional key cards or fobs. People are also much less likely to lose their smartphones, so you don’t need to replace credentials. While mobile-enabled door readers are more expensive up-front, there are cost savings over time thanks to less wear-and-tear on the hardware, and many cloud-based systems offer subscriptions to avoid expensive licensing fees and on-premise maintenance.  
   1. Improved security
      [/LIST=1]
      A mobile-based access control system leverages 2FA and biometrics already built into the smartphone, plus features like facial recognition to tie a credential directly to a specific individual. Key card entry systems still lack this ability, as anyone can pick up a card and swipe it, plus it’s much harder to replicate or steal a mobile credential to gain access. Data and communication between mobile devices and readers can be fully encrypted, keeping personal identifying information secure.
      In addition, mobile credentials have the benefit of instant access. New hires or visitors can get access within seconds, and terminated employees’ access is revoked instantly. However, because smartphones can easily connect to other devices over wifi, Bluetooth, and cell signals, they can be vulnerable to interception. It’s important to educate mobile credential users on cybersecurity best practices to ensure optimal safety.
      1. Convenient and contactless
         [/LIST=1]
         It’s no secret that people really don’t like key cards and ID badges. Having yet another thing to remember every time you leave the house is a hassle. With mobile credentials, everything is easily in one place. However, some mobile-based access systems still require users to open an app on their phone to unlock the door. For a truly convenient and touchless entry experience, some access control apps use proximity to determine when a user is nearby a door, and motion detection to authorize an unlock without having to have your phone in hand. 
         Another great thing about using a mobile device as your key? One credential for every door, parking gate, and elevator. Instead of a different key card for every building, a mobile credential can store all that information in a single place. Plus, mobile entry is now available for all entry types and door locks, including turnstiles, elevators, parking lot and garage gates, plus wired and wireless door locks.
         Continue reading: https://iottechnews.com/news/2021/oct/04/why-your-phone-is-the-key-to-better-building-security/

Nozomi Networks and the SANS Institute released a survey showing that companies are investing more in industrial control system (ICS) cybersecurity to match the increasingly elaborate cyber threat landscape.
The 2021 SANS ICS/OT survey got 480 responses, with 47% reporting that their ICS security budgets increased over the past two years. Another 32% said there had been no change.
Nearly half of respondents said they did not know if their organizations had suffered from a cybersecurity incident while just 15% admitted that they had one in the last 12 months. 
Of those who did say they dealt with cybersecurity incidents, more than half said they were able to detect compromise between 6-24 hours. Thirty percent were able to detect compromise in under six hours. 
Almost 20% said the engineering workstation was an initial infection vector. About half cited "external connections" as the dominant access vector while 36% mentioned remote access services as a prevalent reported initial access vector for incidents.
Surprisingly, nearly 70% of respondents rated risk to their environment high or severe, a significant increase compared to the 51% seen in 2019. More than half cited ransomware, cybercrime and nation-state attacks as the top threat vectors. More than 31% of respondents said unprotected devices were also a major concern.
Thankfully, about 70% of respondents said they have some form of monitoring program in place for OT security and nearly 76% said they have conducted a security audit of their OT/control systems or networks in the past year. 
Continue reading: https://www.zdnet.com/article/cybersecurity-budgets-for-industrial-control-systems-increasing-sans-institute/

Owing to widespread data falsification and poor data management practices, data integrity and compliance with good manufacturing practice (GMP) regulations are currently a major topic in the pharmaceutical industry. To aid our understanding of data integrity concerns, regulatory authorities such as the World Health Organization (WHO),1 Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)2,3 and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)4 have issued guidance documents on the topic. In July 2021, the latest guidance document was released by the Pharmaceutical Inspection Cooperation Scheme (PIC/S) entitled Good Practices for Data Management and Integrity in Regulated GMP/GDP Environments.1 This article will give an overview of the whole guidance document and review specific requirements for computerized systems. This is an important document as it is written by inspectors for inspectors.
 
What is PIC/S?
A word of explanation is needed about PIC/S. This organization is essentially a good manufacturing practice (GMP) inspector’s club of over 50 regulatory authorities. PIC/S’s aim is to harmonize GMP regulations globally. A regulatory authority applies to join PIC/S and after an assessment by other members is admitted if they meet the organization’s criteria.  PIC/S has its own GMP regulations which are adopted by their members e.g., EU member states, UK, Australia and Japan; the exception being the FDA that still uses 21 CFR 211. In addition, PIC/S publishes regulatory guidance documents. One of these is PI-041 on data integrity. This guidance has had a long gestation, with the first draft issued in 2016, the next in 2018 for public comment and the final version released in July 2021.1  
European Compliance Academy review of the 2018 draft guidance
Following the issue of the third draft – PI-041 – for public comment, the European Compliance Academy (ECA) held a meeting in February 2019 in Berlin with 25 of its members to review and submit comments to the PIC/S secretariat. Two of the ECA members were Wolfgang Schumacher, formerly of Roche and Yves Samson from Kereon AG, a consulting company.
Continue reading: https://www.technologynetworks.com/informatics/articles/the-latest-regulatory-guidance-for-data-integrity-and-regulatory-compliance-353714

The federal government is seeking comments on issues related to spectrum for the Internet of Things, including broadband connectivity needed for remote patient monitoring and telehealth programs and mHealth wearables.
The Federal Communications Commission has issued a Notice of Inquiry, as directed by the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2021, seeking advice on how to allocate and govern spectrum needs now and into the future. This gives healthcare organizations and other stakeholders the opportunity to advance the conversation on the value of reliable connectivity for devices and platforms included in healthcare services delivered outside the hospital, office or clinic.
“As 5G wireless systems and low Earth orbiting satellites expand the availability of high-speed and high-capacity networks, we can expect the pace of innovation to increase,” Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in comments accompanying the notice. “Of course, for this to happen we need to make sure that adequate spectrum is available for all of this activity. That is because most IoT devices connect wirelessly, whether over licensed or unlicensed airwaves or terrestrial or space-based systems.”
Dig Deeper

• Can Telehealth Providers Take Advantage of Broadcast Internet Spectrum?
• New Bill Targets Broadband Funding to Fuel Telehealth Expansion
• Broadband Deal Gives UNC Children’s a Springboard to Telehealth Expansion

“Congress saw this very clearly and in the National Defense Authorization Act directed us to open an inquiry into the spectrum required to support the growth of IoT technologies,” she added. “This is what we do here today. We ask how we can ensure spectrum availability keeps pace with demand. We seek comment on addressing regulatory barriers that may inadvertently impede access to spectrum for IoT deployments. We also ask about the role licensed and unlicensed operations play in the growth and development of IoT. These are important questions and I hope and expect the record will produce thoughtful answers.”
With more healthcare services being pushed out of the healthcare setting and into remote locations like the home, connectivity becomes a bigger issue – particularly as other, non-clinical platforms and devices seek access to the grid. RPM and telehealth programs won’t be sustainable if they have to compete with other services for connectivity, or if that connectivity is in any way compromised.
Because many of these programs are new, and because the IoT is still a developing concept, the timing is right for a conversation on how connectivity should be regulated for healthcare uses.
The FCC notice also wants to talk about digital equity and inclusion – a crucial part of a healthcare ecosystem that is just now turning its attention to the social determinants of health. Spurred on in part by the rapid adoption of telehealth during the pandemic, healthcare providers and others are looking at how telehealth can help underserved populations access care, as well as how telehealth may be causing some of these access issues due to a lack of connectivity.
“The Commission, as part of its continuing effort to advance digital equity for all, including people of color, persons with disabilities, persons who live in rural or Tribal areas, and others who are or have been historically underserved, marginalized, or adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality, invites comment on any equity-related considerations and benefits (if any) that may be associated with the issues discussed herein,” the notice states. “Specifically, we seek comment on how topics discussed herein may promote or inhibit advances in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, as well the scope of the Commission’s relevant legal authority.”
“We must acknowledge that many Americans will not realize the benefits of IoT; until broadband service is available and affordable to everyone, those without broadband will be left behind during the IoT revolution,” FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said in comments accompanying the notice. “That’s why my number one priority at the Commission remains addressing the problem of internet inequality and the digital divide. The growing importance of the Internet of Things is one more example of why the Commission must continue to focus on connecting all Americans.”
Continue reading: https://mhealthintelligence.com/news/how-can-the-internet-of-things-integrate-with-telehealth-remote-patient-monitoring

Enterprise customers of companies like Microsoft and Google have come to expect their office productivity suites -- Office 365 and Google Docs -- to incorporate localization for the various markets where employees work and where they do business with customers. For instance, that means that Office 365 could be customized in preferences to use certain languages and currencies as a default, depending on where the user works. In the US it's dollars and in the UK it’s pounds.
That kind of localization technology has been around for decades and extends to many different enterprise applications and services.
But emerging technologies generally focus on a single market when they are developed. That means they aren’t initially equipped with this kind of localization technology. For instance, if a US-based company has launched an AI program, the AI models may do a terrific job of reflecting how things work in the US, but may very well fall short in markets abroad. Localization for AI has not yet arrived.
That’s not hugely surprising. Just a few years ago many enterprises were finding it challenging to implement AI into production at scale. The pandemic has accelerated adoption, however, and now some organizations may find themselves at the point of refining these systems.
Continue reading: https://www.informationweek.com/ai-or-machine-learning/why-enterprises-are-training-ai-for-local-markets

RFID Journal has long invited members of the academic, industrial and research communities, as well as vendors and other businesses, to submit white papers relevant to the fields of radio frequency identification (RFID) and the Internet of Things (IoT). Topics discussed in our  white paper archive include supply chain, manufacturing, healthcare, retailing, security, asset tracking, privacy, standards and regulations, and more. The white papers we accept for publication are also spotlighted in our email newsletters to maximize exposure to our readers.
White papers are an effective tool for concisely informing audiences about complex issues facing a particular industry or field of study, while providing the issuing body's viewpoints and insights. They serve as a means of helping readers better comprehend and solve such issues, as well as improve the decisions they make. Companies publish these problem-solving guides to offer education regarding the common problems readers face, and to explain the available methodologies.
While some white papers produced in business-to-businesses communities tend to come off merely as marketing content intended to promote specific products or technologies to partners and customers, we strive to make sure the documents we post offer something more worthwhile for our readers than glorified advertising. RFID Journal's goal is to help businesses improve their decision-making when it comes to RFID and other Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. With that in mind, here are some recent white papers we've added to our archive:
Secure Printing in the IoT Era: RFID Solutions for Print Management and Security Networked multifunction printers offer productivity and convenience, allowing users to print and fax from a desk across the hall or a workstation on the other side of the country. Sophisticated managed print service software enables better tracking and cost control, but convenience and functionality can come with a hidden price. Today's networked printers are part of an expanding business ecosystem of Internet of Things devices. As IoT endpoints, MFPs have security vulnerabilities that can create costly headaches. This white paper explains why print security matters.
How NFC Can Help Luxury Brands Grow Their Business With more than 80 percent of market growth during the past several years fueled by a new generation of consumers, the luxury-goods industry is facing a generational shift. A growing number of shoppers are now buying online, and this trend is expected to increase in the coming years. The growth of online sales offers multiple business opportunities, but it also brings about more counterfeiting, which can lead to sales losses, decrease consumer trust and negatively impact brand reputation. To ensure a competitive edge and long-term market growth, this document explains why luxury brands need to focus more on digitalization.
Secure Self-Service with RFID This white paper explores contactless user authentication, authorization and access control for the kiosk industry. Standalone, automated kiosks enable self-service access to goods, services or information, and are used to vend goods and materials, process payments, take orders, input information, answer questions, print tickets or documents, and provide Internet access, among other applications. The market includes smart lockers and smart carts that provide secure storage or control access to high-value or hazardous goods. RFID, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Near Field Communication (NFC) technologies offer a variety of benefits for kiosk manufacturers, as well as for companies that deploy kiosks and their end users.
Connecting the Unconnected: The Unique Power of NFC in IoT Data Acquisition The IoT promises a future in which businesses and consumers can benefit from dramatic increases in efficiency, productivity, ease and speed. If such predictions become reality, industrial machines will alert companies before they fail, traffic jams will be sharply reduced, homes and offices will be vastly more energy-efficient, chronic health conditions will be better managed and treated, and more. Such benefits will only become reality if companies can effectively capture, analyze and report data from electronic devices, ranging from industrial equipment to smart home appliances. Businesses across multiple industries are deploying IoT solutions to gain insights that can inform the product-development process, identify new revenue-generating opportunities, lower service costs and more, and this white paper explains how NFC technology can play a key role in supporting secure, efficient data acquisition.
Continue reading: https://www.rfidjournal.com/educating-end-users-on-the-benefits-of-rfid-and-the-iot

Initial Comments Requested by November 1, 2021
 
In a Notice of Inquiry, the FCC is requesting public comment in a proceeding that will help determine the scope and nature of regulation of the “Internet of Things” for the next several decades.
 
A link to the Notice can be found here.
What to Know

• The FCC is examining its regulation of devices and systems operating as part of the “Internet of Things” (IoT) and is requesting comment from the public in a Notice of Inquiry
• This proceeding is likely to help shape the FCC’s approach to the IoT for the next several decades
• Initial Comments due by November 1, 2021; Reply Comments due by November 16, 2021

The outcome of this proceeding will be critically important to any companies involved with the manufacturer or use of Internet-connected devices that are able to collect and transfer data.
Industries and technologies affected by this proceeding include, but are not limited to, those operating in the following settings:
Industrial/Commercial (devices to monitor, collect, exchange, and analyze data)
Examples:

• Providers of Data Service
• Automotive (e.g., monitoring traffic conditions)
• Healthcare and Telehealth (e.g., patient monitoring)
• Precision agriculture (e.g., monitoring rainfall, etc.)
• Inventory tracking
• Monitoring of product quality
• Factory automation
• Power grid monitoring

Read more: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/fcc-seeks-public-comment-on-the-current-3722640/

As AI begins to play a much larger role in our daily lives, informing healthcare decisions, making recommendations, helping us resolve customer service issues, talking with us as companion bots, making financial decisions, driving autonomous cars, and helping employees make more informed, faster decisions, it becomes more important that ethics and morality are built into AI applications. AI applications are making decisions that affect people’s privacy, health, finances, jobs, criminal justice, safety, and overall happiness. Ethical AI is no longer an afterthought — it must be built into the fabric of AI from this point forward. This article will look at the ways that ethics and diversity are being built into AI and the importance of doing so.
Tech Giants Stand Behind Ethical AI
To ensure that AI is ethical, it must be transparent and explainable. Unconscious biases must be prevented or removed, and human review processes must occur regularly. Ethical standards must be developed and adhered to by brands that create, develop, and use AI. Companies such as Google and Microsoft have already published ethical AI principles. Microsoft puts its ethical standards into practice through its Office of Responsible AI (ORA), the AI, Ethics, and Effects in Engineering and Research (Aether) Committee, and Responsible AI Strategy in Engineering (RAISE). 
Additionally, aside from implementing ethical practices within AI applications, it’s important that brands do not use AI for applications that violate the greater good of the community and the world at large. Google has committed that while it will work with government entities on AI technologies for cybersecurity, training, military recruitment, veterans’ healthcare, and search and rescue, it absolutely will not develop AI-based weapons or other technologies “whose principal purpose or implementation is to cause or directly facilitate injury to people.”
Continue reading: https://www.cmswire.com/digital-experience/what-is-ethical-ai-and-why-is-it-vitally-important/

Sample size always plays a role in data science, but there are certain instances where risk, time or expense will limit the size of your data: You can only launch a rocket once; you only have so much time to test a much-needed vaccine; your early-stage startup or B2B company only has a handful of customer data points to work with. And in these small data situations, I’ve found that companies either avoid data science altogether or they are using it incorrectly. One of the more common issues in applying AI is blindly relying on historical data for predicting future situations -- I call this “assuming the past is the future.”
A common example of this is when we assume the model that has worked so well for us in previous markets will work the same “magic” when we use it to launch products in a new market. The problem is, our new market -- the future -- is completely different from the past market, which leaves us with poor judgement, incorrect predictions, and lackluster business results.
Instead of assuming the past is the future, here are three ways to better apply AI to small data sets:
Continue reading: https://www.informationweek.com/ai-or-machine-learning/3-ways-to-better-apply-ai-to-small-data-sets

Enterprises of all sizes and across virtually all markets are scrambling to augment their analytics capabilities with artificial intelligence (AI) in the hopes of gaining a competitive advantage in a challenging post-pandemic economy.
Plenty of anecdotal evidence points to AI’s ability to improve analytics, but there seems to be less conversation around how it should be implemented in production environments, let alone how organizations should view it strategically over the long term.
Start with a plan
AI may be the latest iteration of digital technology, but like its predecessors, it is not infallible. More often than not, success hinges on deployment and integration into existing environments, not the technology itself. Before rushing headlong into the AI tsunami, enterprise executives would be wise to consider how they plan to use it and to what end.
According to Content Rules founder and CEO Val Swisher, AI can be applied to analytics in three ways: as a descriptive tool, a predictive tool, and a prescriptive tool. Descriptive AI is used to describe something that has happened in the past, usually by grouping data into clusters to detect patterns and outliers. This allows enterprises to answer the question, “What happened?” Predictive AI takes descriptive results and attempts to apply them to the future, again using massive data mining and storing. This answers the question, “What could happen?” Prescriptive AI then takes all this data and resulting analytics to help guide the process to a desired outcome, answering the question “What should happen?”
Continue reading: https://venturebeat.com/2021/10/04/how-to-get-ai-analytics-right/

A new study* has found that just 19.2% of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) working at Fortune 500 companies in 2021 currently identify as female.
The findings also show a difference in tenure between men and women working within those roles, as the average length of service for women was calculated at around three years and three months, a full year and a half shorter than male CIOs.
The data supports the idea that women are not reaching executive level as the average age of individuals working in CIO positions is 55. In contrast, an alarming 50% of women are dropping off the tech career ladder by the age of 35. That’s a 45% higher rate than their male counterparts and 30% higher than in other types of tech roles.
Revolent also highlight similar studies which suggest that the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown may have accelerated gender inequality in tech.
The bigger picture: diversity and AI The company joins the growing group of experts to have voiced their concerns over gender equity in tech, particularly as a lack of diversity can have a dangerous impact on the technology our world runs on.
“Similar concerns were raised around the AI used on Google phones when it failed to recognise black males because black communities were not involved in development,” said President of Revolent, Nabila Salem. “Or in 2019, when Apple’s credit card system was found to operate algorithms that were inherently biased against women after Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple) was offered a credit limit almost ten times higher than his wife.”
“With fewer women sitting at the table when it comes down to designing and creating these new technologies, we can’t feel confident that, ultimately, they will not be biased against women in some way or another.”
The “missing middle” of women in tech roles The result of 50% of women dropping off the tech career ladder before 35 is what Revolent and others call the “missing middle”. In other words, where senior tech roles are male-dominated because women are less likely to reach this point in their careers.
Salem believes that “while we’ve made progress when it comes to gender equity in tech, the numbers we’ve found suggest there’s a lot more work needed before we truly level the playing field for women.”
Continue reading: https://www.thehrdirector.com/business-news/diversity-and-equality-inclusion/less-than-one-fifth-of-ftse500-cios-are-female-research-finds/

Soon after I finished my MBA, I joined a company and had started moving up in the ranks. About that time, I created a list of what I wanted to accomplish in my career and things I wanted to learn to expand my skill set. One of those things was fundraising, so I worked with amazing leaders, ones who had raised hundreds of millions of dollars to build a great company. Ultimately, this job and this team sparked my desire to become an entrepreneur. 
Though, like all things, we don’t start out as experts. We all look for and hope to find great mentors and advocates to accelerate opportunities for us―fortunately, I was lucky enough to find that at this juncture in my career, and it changed everything for me. 
As a leadership team, we decided to raise a round of capital for growth, and my mentor and CEO asked me to participate in the fundraise as one of the core team members. I got the experience of creating pitch decks, identifying potential partners, flying all over the country talking to VCs, looking at term sheets, getting rejected, and everything else that comes with raising capital. 
Looking back, I recognize that he truly accelerated my career. He made me a member of the fundraising leadership team when I was really early in my career and when he had more seasoned team members. This experience shaped my career and accelerated opportunities for me. This is what great leaders do― they accelerate, grow, and make a positive impact on the trajectory of careers for those around them. 
All leaders should try their best to do this: to see the great talent around you, create acceleration opportunities, and mentor. This is how we make a difference for those on our teams and in our organizations. I like to think of this as tapping someone on the shoulder—telling a coworker or subordinate, “We believe you can do this and want to give you an opportunity to jump in,” and then mentoring them through it. This tap increases their momentum and the impact they can have on a team and organization. Often times, it can redefine their career. 
This is especially true for women in tech―where the numbers are stacked against them. These women are founders and CEOs of innovative tech companies. They are creating new technologies, getting patents, and fundraising millions of dollars in venture capital. They are leaders on their teams, in their organizations, and in the community. They are an absolute force breaking down barriers for other women to enter and succeed in the tech industry. But like all of us at some point in our career, many of them need someone to tap them on the shoulder, elevate their visibility, and accelerate their impact. 
There are many ways to support these women and accelerate their trajectories. Informally, tapping them on the shoulder can mean inviting them into a project or introducing them to someone you feel could mentor them in a specific area. Formally, it can mean recognizing them in a company setting, nominating them for an award, or supporting them when they’re receiving formal recognition. These formal recognitions often get overlooked, but they are powerful and important. Having someone recognize what you’re doing is a huge boost, but when they help elevate it and bring attention to it, it’s even more transformative. 
Continue reading: https://www.utahbusiness.com/is-your-employee-growth-enough/

Candace Johnson is showing me a photo taken in Kourou, French Guiana, on Dec. 12, 1988. It’s a grainy, black-and-white picture. But her recollection of that day is crystal clear: The photo was taken on the eve of the launch of the first Astra satellite, made by European aerospace company SES, which Johnson cofounded. (Another visionary entrepreneur, Rupert Murdoch, was her very first customer, and he used that inaugural satellite to launch his Sky Television Network.) The image, uploaded to Johnson’s computer and shared with me over Zoom, depicts two rows of people, the team behind the Astra-1A launch. Some are standing and some are crouching. Most of them are wearing white button-down shirts, khakis, and rectangular name badges. But Johnson is easy to spot. Out of the group of nearly 30, she’s the only one in culottes—and the only woman on the team.  “Had I not been there, none of those men would have been there,” says the entrepreneur, who pushed and fundraised for years in order to pull off the ambitious launch. “So it didn’t really occur to me that I was the only woman.” 
Since that day in Kourou, Johnson has helped put many more satellites into orbit. (It’s earned her the nickname “Satellady.”) She has also found herself the only woman in the picture—and the C-suite, and the boardroom—countless more times. Eventually that feeling started to wear on her, and she decided to do something about it: For the past three decades, she has devoted herself not only to innovating and investing in space-based technologies but also to connecting with and expanding the constellation of women who work in the field. “We’re always helping each other,” says Johnson.
The fact that women like Johnson have had to resort to setting up their own networks in a field traditionally dominated by men is not new. Since the days of Sputnik and Explorer 1, women in the space industry have largely toiled away in the shadows of men. (And women of color? Even more so—just watch Hidden Figures, the film that chronicles the careers of three Black, female mathematicians who worked at NASA during the Space Race days.) But here’s a new wrinkle: Back when Johnson was getting started, the commercial space sector was tiny. She was a rarity not just because she was a woman but also because she was an entrepreneur. Until the turn of the century, nearly every project that aimed beyond the Earth’s atmosphere was the domain of government-run space agencies, not commercial companies. 
No longer. Today, private money is flowing into a range of space-based innovations at light speed. According to BryceTech, a research firm that tracks the sector, $36.7 billion was invested in space startups over the past two decades—with a full 72% of that pot doled out since 2015. This recent uptick in private funding is largely driven by venture capital firms that are betting space is quite literally the next big frontier. 
It’s not just investors who are increasingly looking toward the heavens, though. The private space industry has also blasted its way into the public consciousness recently, thanks to the high-flying theatrics—and yes, incredible innovations—of a trio of billionaires: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson, and Elon Musk of SpaceX.
These men and their companies are reshaping the way much of the world thinks about the future of space—and many people in the industry say that’s an overall plus for the sector. Their spectacular launches are adding to the allure of working in the field, and attracting more interest from investors.
But the adventures of the flyboy founders also cloud the reality of what’s happening in the industry. All three are emphasizing space tourism, which, while exciting, represents just a fraction of the innovation happening in the sector; the tourism market accounts for $1.7 billion of the $366 billion “space economy,” according to BryceTech. What’s more, the headline-grabbing prominence of Bezos et al. means that the private space sector is at risk of repeating some of the missteps of our earlier, public sector efforts, in which the essential contributions of women were minimized or overlooked.  
Continue reading: https://fortune.com/longform/women-space-tourism-industry-rockets-satellites-launches/

In August, the Department of Homeland Security’s science and technology directorate recently published a strategy to maximize technological opportunities from artificial intelligence and machine learning.
“Through this strategy, S&T will build and apply expertise to help the department fulfill the game-changing promise of AI/ML technologies while mitigating the inherent risks,” said Kathryn Coulter Mitchell, senior official performing the duties of undersecretary for science and technology.
The S&T Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Strategic Plan describes three main goals to address AI/ML opportunities and challenges.
First is driving the next-generation technologies for cross-cutting homeland security capabilities, which focuses on research and development efforts intended to advance trustworthy AI, human-machine teaming and leveraging AI/ML for secure cyberinfrastructure.
The second goal is to facilitate the utilization of proven AI/ML capabilities in homeland security missions, while the final objective is to develop an interdisciplinary workforce equipped with AI/ML competence.
With the federal government’s growing investment in AI technology to strengthen homeland security capabilities and the agencies’ initiatives in supporting this mission, AI continues to prove its vital role in the nation’s top defense strategies.
Robert Brown, chief technology officer at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said data quality checks are vital in handling machine learning AI models.
He noted during an event that a team of employees in their department conducts cross-comparison to help in supplementing the data and training the models in play, Meritalk reported April 15.
“Those are some of the aspects that we’re doing from ensuring that we’re not only being fed good data but also doing quality checks on the data and enriching the data in that full pipeline,” Brown said.
The USCIS official added that the agency is applying cloud technologies and “will continue to do so, especially as it relates to moving the ball forward on AI and ML.”
Continue reading: https://www.govconwire.com/2021/10/dhs-seeks-to-harness-ai-ml-opportunities-through-sandt-directorate-strategy/

The stepping stones for women in cybersecurity date back to the 1940s, when the computer industry was still in its nascent stage. Brave women dubbed as ‘code girls’ worked secretly in wartime intelligence during the World War II breaking codes for the Army and Navy. These women were the precursors of what we now call women in cybersecurity.
Fast forward to 2020s and we have come a long way. The women of the 21st century are breaking glass ceilings – becoming leaders and setting great examples not only in the field of technology and science but in every walk in life. The worry however is why the number of women in IT and technology roles continue to be dramatically lower than that of men. The difference is even more startling in specialized role such as cybersecurity. Today women comprise just 24% of the cybersecurity workforce and in leadership positions it is even less than 11% – the numbers indisputably suggest there’s still a long way to go.
According to the 2020 (ISC)² Cybersecurity Workforce Study, gender disparities persist around the globe. The highest percentage of women cybersecurity professionals is in Latin America, with 40%, while in North America the figure is just 21%. The results in Europe and Asia-Pacific are at 23% and 30% respectively.
Cybersecurity isn’t all about becoming a code jockey; critical thinking skills, curiosity, and problem-solving abilities go a long way toward success in the field. And because of the ongoing talent shortage, salaries in cybersecurity are high. According to PayScale, the average base salary for a cybersecurity analyst ranges from $64,235 for entry-level positions to $112,984 for experienced pros.
Unfortunately, the industry is currently experiencing a global shortage of about four million professionals, according to the Cybersecurity Workforce Study. Research shows, a more equitable gender ratio in cybersecurity teams benefits businesses. As Jennifer Sunshine Steffens, CEO of cybersecurity services provider IOActive, expressed a similar sentiment to cybersecurity news site Fifth Domain: Without women on a cybersecurity team, she said, “you lose out on a lot of diverse perspectives.” Boosting diversity helps organizations “stay up to speed” on cyber threats.
An often-cited issue is the lack of female role models and encouragement to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. Many women simply haven’t met anyone working in the field of cybersecurity. That makes it a grey area for them. Research done by Girls Who Code shows that although 74% of middle school girls express interest in STEM subjects, only 0.4% of high school girls choose to major in computer science. Read more at: https://www.cxotoday.com/security/why-are-there-so-few-women-in-cybersecurity/

The technology industry has experienced a seismic shift over the past two years, as the pandemic has radically changed the way people and companies work. The need for business modernisation has accelerated and organisations have scrambled to bring forward the release of digital solutions. This has also meant that demand for tech skills is at an all-time high, which has highlighted a worrying skills shortage – particularly in cloud roles.
To address this growing problem, cloud services company Cloudreach has launched its Talent Academy collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS). The academy’s head, Poonam Flammarion, believes the pandemic has exacerbated a tech skills shortage, and the industry has not kept pace.
“There was a huge gap before the pandemic, and we were struggling to find skilled resources, but the crisis has multiplied it,” says Flammarion.
Candidates in the market who have extensive experience in cloud are few and far between. The competition for those candidates is now more fierce than ever and companies can no longer rely on substantial compensation alone; the wider rewards and benefits offering is also crucial.
Having previously hosted graduate and ‘Fast Track’ schemes, Cloudreach had the chance to design a training programme from scratch, while learning from prior lessons and experience. For Flammarion, it also presented an opportunity to demonstrate Cloudreach’s core values – that its people are its product – as she adds: “At Cloudreach, we have a culture that really lets people thrive and bring their whole selves to work. This was a breath of fresh air for me when I arrived from a large corporation in 2018.”
Continue reading: https://www.information-age.com/how-can-big-tech-address-the-cloud-skills-shortage-123497054/

When former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi joined the beverage and snack giant in 1994, she had never worked with a more senior woman or even had a close female colleague at her level. The 15 top jobs in the company were all held by white American men in blue or gray suits. The bylaws of corporate America had been written for men by men. Nooyi would go on to change some of those rules, but to get to the top, first she had to learn them. “If you don’t understand what happens in the corridors of power by interacting with men, you end up falling further behind,” she says.  Those corridors, like the rest of our lives, have moved online over the past 18 months, making it even more challenging for women to elbow their way into the spaces that have long shut them out. In a survey of members of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women community—a group that primarily consists of CEOs and other C-suite executives—55% said they did not think they could have advanced to their current role if they had spent significant stretches of their career working remotely. In a virtual world, how do you know that no one clued you in on the important Zoom that is happening right now? When you’re physically present, you can walk past the conference room or peer into your boss’s office. “At least then you know you weren’t invited,” Nooyi says with a laugh. 
No matter the industry or title or level of seniority, the economic disruption caused by COVID-19 will leave a scar on working women in ways that other downturns have not. Blue-collar women lost their jobs and have yet to fully regain them. Working mothers whose livelihoods were saved by telework dropped out at higher rates than women without children and men. Those who remained did so at a cost. “Mothers who stayed in the labor force had great stress, anxiety, and frustration,” says Claudia Goldin, a professor of economics at Harvard. “They were working under tremendous strain.” 
It’s acutely wrenching that the pandemic arrived just as women were reaching new milestones in the labor market. In January 2020 they made up more of the workforce than men for the first time in over a decade. At the very top of corporate America, women were starting to not just receive invitations to those closed-door meetings but actually run them. In June, when the most recent Fortune 500 list was published, a record 41 women led some of the biggest companies in the U.S. Let’s pause to acknowledge this is still a depressingly low number—but it is progress. Ten years ago, there were only 12. 
Given the urgency of the crisis hitting women in other segments of the working world, it’s understandable that there hasn’t yet been much attention paid to the pandemic’s potential impact on women in the C-suite. But whether the ranks of female CEOs will continue to grow in a post-COVID future has implications far beyond the corner office. Women are graduating from college at significantly higher rates than men and are starting to get closer to parity in the most competitive MBA programs. But the ratio flips inside U.S. corporations, and the discrepancy grows the closer you get to the top. A recent report from McKinsey and LeanIn.org found that women face a “broken rung” at the step up to manager. Last year, 89 white women and 85 women of color were promoted to manager for every 100 men. “Think of this as an economist, not a feminist,” says Nooyi. “This is our single biggest opportunity, and somehow we’re suboptimizing that.” 
Continue reading: https://fortune.com/longform/covid-women-in-leadership-corporate-america-pandemic-effects/

Hunting for a new job in tech can feel like a tough task. You have to find the perfect role, meet the criteria and nail the application (not to mention the interview process that follows – but that’s another story).
If you really want to secure your dream tech gig you need to stand out from the crowd. In this competitive job market, hiring managers will often receive hundreds of applications for each role, so you have to do what you can.
They will only choose a select few to interview. So, how do you guarantee that you make the cut? Follow our top tips for standing out from the crowd.
Find their pain points
Tech companies hire people with solutions. Every single business from a startup to a multinational corporation will have problems and issues that need solving. If you really want to stand out from the crowd, find the company’s pain points.
Perhaps you’ve noticed a flaw in their website design or you’ve thought of a better way to run their service. Tell them. A good hiring manager will be impressed with your proactive approach.
Attend industry events
Networking is a great way to meet relevant people in tech, which will get your name out there. It’s important to attend industry-specific events and seminars. Product director and co-founder of YADA Events, Mehram Sumray-Roots, advises professionals to:
”Be yourself! Be vibrant, bubbly and someone we can’t miss. With the industry we are in, we need people that are confident and can stand out in a crowd.”
Keep your bio up-to-date
This one might seem a little obvious, but it’s so important. Update your LinkedIn every couple of months, so people know what you’ve been up to. Whether you’ve adopted new technical skills, accomplished something significant in your current role or undertaken special training.
Your soft skills are important: they determine your emotional intelligence and whether or not you will fit in with the company culture. Don’t overlook them!
Continue reading: https://www.information-age.com/how-to-stand-out-when-hunting-for-job-in-tech-123497102/

“We are in the midst of the digital revolution. The number of transactions that a global company completes every day is huge. Naturally, it is all conducted automatically using billing systems etc. However, all communications with a commercial entity begin with an agreement on the terms and conditions of the agreement and as long as this is formulated in human language, there will always be points that are overlooked and room for different interpretation of the text,” says Dror Bin, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority. “Blockchain's digital smart contracts lead us to a new era thanks to the dramatic increase in the efficiency of transaction management and the high level of trust that can be created between the parties. Nevertheless, this field's great potential is accompanied by several risks. We are proud of the privilege we have had to support companies engaged in the core of this technology that is building trust between business entities in tomorrow's world".
"Already today, it's clear that blockchain is the next generation of the financial system", declares Eran Haggiag, CEO of Clear. Blockchain is a sophisticated computer technology that was invented by developers of the first virtual currency – Bitcoin. It is a method for encoding data (cryptography) in a way that enables visible and secure business activity via the internet and verification of transactions without the need for a central controlling entity.
"At the most basic level, the blockchain network allows us to change the reality in which we need central entities that everyone trusts (such as government entities or banks) to create agreement and trust around information like identity as well as ownership of assets and real estate etc.", Haggiag explains. The blockchain network enables the verification of all these details, not via a central entity, but rather, with a network that is operated by many different entities. By using advanced algorithms and cryptographic signatures, the network facilitates complete authenticity of information and prevents its deliberate disruption. As a result, in many ways, this system is more secure than centrally controlled systems. One day, all the world's financial records will migrate to this infrastructure – it's a real revolution".
Continue reading: https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3918939,00.html

Cryptocurrencies — and blockchain, the decentralized distributed-ledger technology that powers them — are more popular than ever in mayor’s offices around the country. But technology officials, in cities like Miami, Philadelphia and San Jose, California, still have unanswered questions about how the technology applies to their local governments.
Though public blockchains — which provide a mostly tamper-proof method of keeping records without the need for a trusted third party — have existed for more than a decade, Miami Chief Information Officer Mike Sarasti said he only recently began taking them seriously. Sarasti told StateScoop that until 2021, he had mentally cast aside the technology as a “generic smart-city” sales pitch, most often encountered through cold emails or events held by blockchain enthusiasts within Miami’s budding technology sector.
And until recently, he said, he wasn’t swayed by blockchain’s potential government use cases, few of which have taken hold in cities. A handful of states have formed blockchain committees to study the technology in recent years, but locally, Sarasti said, “it didn’t really have a lot of meaning for me.”
“Everyone was just like ‘blah, blah, blockchain,’” Sarasti said.
A change of heart
Sarasti’s attitude changed, however, when Miami Mayor Francis Suarez took steps during the COVID-19 pandemic to embrace the technology. Suarez has courted cryptocurrency mining operations, considered paying city staff partially in bitcoin and recently went public with support for CityCoins, a cryptocurrency nonprofit that helps fund local governments with digital currency.
Now, “it’s a whole different ball game,” Sarasti said. Miami will soon invite companies to propose how they could help the city accept and invest in cryptocurrencies. Sarasti said the city is also exploring how validation, verification and auditing could be automated through the use of blockchain, potentially improving the efficiency of decades-old government processes, he said.
“Blockchain is creating a real possibility that those things at some point could be automated without the need for trust,” Sarasti said. “That’s the thing that well-designed, secure blockchains are enabling. They’re enabling an environment where you don’t need an individual guaranteeing trust — you now have the technology itself and you can now have trustless transactions.”
Sarasti said it will take time for those innovations to make their way into city government, largely because the knowledge required to navigate local government bureaucracy aren’t well-documented or easily translatable to software developers who’ve never been in government.
Continued reading: https://statescoop.com/cities-blockchain-cio/

The new Sentera 6X Thermal provides users with dynamic infrared imagery, enabling them to take their field research and analysis further.
Sentera’s 6X Thermal sensor for drones is a variaton of the company’s 6X sensor. The 6X Thermal is a multispectral sensor equipped with dynamic infrared imagery.
“We know that our customers are tackling some of the most complex issues in agriculture,” said Ryan Nelson, Director of Product Management at Sentera. “We designed the 6X Thermal to meet the most advanced requirements and help our customers achieve their project goals.”
Continue reading: https://www.futurefarming.com/tech-in-focus/drones/sentera-launches-thermal-drone-sensor-for-agriculture/

The UK company plans to expand its drone delivery service in the medical, maritime and logistics sectors across Europe.
Air mobility company Skyports has been granted a licence to test its remotely operated drones in Ireland.
The UK company received a Light UAS Operator Certificate (LUC) from the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), permitting the self-authorisation of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights.
LUCs are recognised in all EU member states and give drone operators certain privileges, such as conducting flights without first obtaining authorisation from aviation authorities. When an LUC applicant has demonstrated certain necessary capabilities, the IAA can issue the certificate and assign privileges to the drone operators based on their level of maturity.
“The LUC creates new opportunities for Skyports in Europe – one of our key markets,” Skyports CEO Duncan Walker said. “Obtaining certification is a landmark moment for our drone delivery business that will enable us to deploy our service more efficiently and meet our customers’ needs more quickly.”
European expansion
The London-based company has previously used its fleet of drones in Scotland to carry Covid-19 samples and test kits, and has also operated an inter-island medical drone delivery service between the Isles of Scilly off the south-west coast of England for Royal Mail.
Skyports now intends to expand its services in the medical, maritime and logistics across Europe.
“This is an exciting development for the European drone sector – in this case providing Skyports with groundbreaking access to a European market of 500m potential customers,” Diarmuid Ó Conghaile, CEO designate of the IAA,  said.
“Drone services are an increasingly important part of the commercial aviation landscape and provide a competitive alternative to traditional service delivery.”
Backed by former Ryanair CEO Declan Ryan’s Irelandia Aviation, Skyports develops infrastructure for passenger air taxis and drone delivery services. It announced a multimillion euro investment earlier this year to establish a base at Shannon’s new Future Mobility Campus Ireland.
Skyports said today (4 October) that FedEx Express began a collaboration with the Future Mobility Campus last week. A last-mile drone delivery flight, conducted by Skyports, was tested between Shannon Airport and Foynes Port.
The delivery is part of a month-long trial that will see a number of test flights conducted in Ireland’s mid-west region with BVLOS technology.
Continue reading: https://www.siliconrepublic.com/machines/skysports-drones-ireland-luc-certificate

Gender balance in Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications is crucial to the goal of bringing about positive social change through use of technology. With artificial intelligence becoming ever more widespread, gender diversity in platform, data and AI governance can present solutions to gender inequities, protect and empower communities facing gender-related violence, and support diversity in the technology industry.
Some crucial issues which we need to look at are:
The right to internet
As per a UNESCO report, women have a very low share in advanced technology jobs which include non-routine, cognitive tasks that are in demand in the digital economy. This is a result of a lack of access to technology— a major problem in India. Data suggests that only 46% of Indian women between the ages of 15 to 65 own a mobile phone as compared to 56% ownership among Indian men.
One way for Indian law to further the rights of women in India is by addressing the principle of Right to the Internet. In 2020, the Kerala High Court  recognized that mobile phones and internet access through it are part and parcel of day-to-day life and an essential part of the infrastructure of freedom of speech and expression. 
The court had looked at resolutions adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council and the General Assembly which unequivocally assert that internet access plays a key role in accessing information, and its close link to education and knowledge. The court took the view that the right to be able to access internet fell under Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees two rights: Right to life, and Right to personal liberty.
However, in a subsequent petition filed in the Supreme Court for restoration of 4G internet services in Jammu & Kashmir, the government had argued that the right to access the internet is not a fundamental right. But on January 10th, 2020, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that access to the internet is a fundamental right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The apex court said that it comes under Article 19 of the Constitution (protection of certain rights regarding freedom of speech) and that an internet ban and section 144 can be imposed only when it is unavoidable.
Continue reading: https://citizenmatters.in/opinion-artificial-intelligence-gender-equality-women-27757