Accelerated digitalization is a boon for the healthcare industry. With electronic healthcare records (EHRs), provider organizations can more easily manage population health and meet the needs of stakeholders. However, the increased use of electronic records also means that providers need to adjust their data management strategies to meet patient expectations and ensure integrity, interoperability, and security while complying with policies and regulations. To do that, they need to move away from data silos and leverage holistic care models and secure data.
Overcoming healthcare data challenges through connected enterprise data management
Disconnected healthcare data results in poor accessibility to records and translates into fragmented care delivery for patients. One must navigate from a primary care physician to a specialist, from labs to pharmacies, and from claims to payers—all across uncoordinated systems that often have little visibility into the conditions of the patients they’re treating. The result is hundreds—if not thousands—of disconnected systems across the industry. Bringing them all together, analyzing data records, and making sure these systems communicate with each other present major issues for today’s healthcare industry. 
The key challenges that healthcare enterprises face while implementing successful data management capabilities are captured in the four V’s of big data: 
– Volume: The amount of global healthcare data is huge, with numerous sources, patients, departments, and care settings. Projections indicate that there could be as much as 2,314 exabytes of new data generated in 2020.
Continue reading: https://hitconsultant.net/2021/09/21/moving-enterprise-data-management-to-health-cloud/#.YUtDZbhKg2w

Dive Brief:

• Less than one in five CIOs at Fortune 500 identify as female, according to a report from cloud talent firm Revolent. The company analyzed public data from sources such as LinkedIn profiles and company sites to produce the report.
• The gender gap at the highest levels of tech leadership has only marginally improved over the past three years. Representation among women CIOs is up just 2.8% since 2018.
• CIOs who identify as female also have shorter tenures than their male counterparts. On average, female CIOs hold onto their roles for three years and three months, compared to four years and nine months for male CIOs. 

Dive Insight:
The gender gap in tech is also persistent, and shows only minor improvement in senior roles despite nearly ubiquitous corporate diversity efforts. 
While women make up nearly half (47%) of the national workforce, they comprise less than one-third (28%) of tech leadership positions, according to BCG and Heidrick & Struggles. The barriers leading to the gender gap are also well documented, from sexual harassment and discrimination at industry events to lack of opportunities in professional development.
"We're not seeing enough women at C-level," said Nabila Salem, president of Revolent, in an email. "Not nearly enough."
Business interest in equality and parity for women in the workplace is declining, according to Salem. This may partly be happening due to the small increases in female tech employees, but the improvement "is really only at the most senior levels, which masks the issue rather than solving it."
Continue reading: https://www.ciodive.com/news/women-cio-fortune-500-revolent-/606942/

People ask me all the time if being a woman in tech is hard because we’re underrepresented in the field. I suppose you could think of it that way — but why would you want to focus exclusively on what it is difficult?
Where does support start? It starts with you.
One of the most important things you can do in your career as a woman in tech is to support yourself, support others and find people to support you. You truly have to believe — deep down — in yourself and that you can reach your goals. Then you need to believe in others and that they can accomplish their goals and it won’t negatively affect you. Finally, you need to find your own cheerleaders to encourage and believe in you.
How can you accomplish all of this? I’ll show you some tactical ways to support, be supported and find support.
Continue reading: https://builtin.com/women-tech/find-your-squad

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are fundamentally changing how customer experiences (CX) are built and delivered to customers, and Adobe is at the forefront of this trend. The company has long been a pioneer in delivering intelligent enhancements to its solutions. Its AI and ML technology, Adobe Sensei, has been integrated into various Adobe applications but can also be used independently to help brands succeed.
Currently, 80% of Adobe Experience Cloud customers are using its AI and ML capabilities, largely because of Adobe’s approach to delivering intelligence. Because Sensei-powered capabilities are built into Adobe enterprise applications, marketers and developers can use AI out of the box easily and seamlessly. In addition, intelligent capabilities that are built on the Adobe Experience Platform can be accessed as AI-as-a-Service. With a goal of making the power of AI and ML available to all, Adobe has made its Sensei-powered capabilities easily manageable to marketers, content strategists, business analysts, developers, and IT.
The key is to make the AI capabilities powerful but easy to use.
“The biggest challenges organizations face with AI are to identify the best use cases and then set up, implement, and manage the algorithms and data feeds appropriately,” says Gerry Murray, research director, marketing and sales technology, at IDC. “Adobe simplifies these challenges by embedding AI and ML capabilities via Adobe Sensei into Experience Cloud applications, enabling marketers and data scientists to quickly design and deliver compelling customer experiences that learn from and adapt to customer behavior over time.”
Brands that have tapped Adobe’s AI and ML capabilities have improved many aspects of their CX. Their personalization efforts are more individualized, and they can proactively manage the customer journey in real-time. In addition, Sensei-powered analytics improve decision making and give organizations far more insight than was possible just 12 months ago.
One of the newer uses of AI and ML technology is to make more intelligent choices about how to allocate marketing budgets. Budgets can be hit-or-miss guesswork when they are drawn up using legacy approaches driven by history and limited data. By leveraging Sensei, Adobe is introducing Marketing Mix Modeling capability that allows brands to forecast and optimize budgets for online and offline channels more effectively. And AI doesn’t just improve the regular budgeting process; it also focuses spend to meet specific business objectives. To deliver even more benefit, this solution can be combined with Adobe’s Attribution AI service, which allows marketers to quantify historical performance.
Continue reading: https://www.cio.com/article/3633936/leveraging-ai-to-optimize-customer-experience.html

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are some of the buzziest terms in tech and for a good reason. These innovations have the potential to tackle some of humanity's biggest obstacles across industries, from medicine to education and sustainability. One sector, in particular, is set to see massive advancement through these new technologies: assistive technology. 
Assistive technology is defined as any product that improves the lives of individuals who otherwise may not be able to complete tasks without specialized equipment, such as wheelchairs and dictation services. Globally, more than 1 billion people depend on assistive technology. When implemented effectively, assistive technology can improve accessibility and quality of life for all, regardless of ability. 
Here are three ways AI is currently improving assistive technology and its use-cases, which might give your company some new ideas for product innovation: 
Ensuring Education For All
Accessibility remains a challenging aspect of education. For children with learning disabilities or sensory impairments, dictation technology, more commonly known as speech-to-text or voice recognition, can help them to write and revise without pen or paper. In fact, 75 out of 149 participants with severe reading disabilities reported increased motivation in their schoolwork after a year of incorporating assistive technology.
This technology works best when powered by high-quality AI. Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms have the capability to improve the accuracy of speech recognition and word predictability, which can minimize dictation errors while facilitating effective communication from student to teacher or among collaborating schoolmates. 
That said, according to a 2001 study, only 35% of elementary schools — arguably the most significant portion of education a child receives — provide any assistive technology. This statistic could change due to social impact of AI programs. These include Microsoft's AI for Accessibility initiative, which invests in innovations that support people with neuro-diversities and disabilities. Its projects include educational AI applications that provide students with visual impairments the text-to-speech, speech recognition and object recognition tools they need to succeed in the classroom.  
Better Outcomes For Medical Technology 
With a rapidly aging population estimated to top approximately 2 billion over the age of 60 by 2050, our plans to care for our loved ones could rely heavily on AI and ML in the future. Doctors and entrepreneurs are already paving the way; in the past decade alone, medical AI investments topped $8.5 billion in venture capital funding for the top 50 startups. 
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/09/21/three-ways-ai-is-improving-assistive-technology/?sh=db3d41c419d0

The next few Tuesdays, The Verge’s flagship podcast The Vergecast is showcasing a miniseries dedicated to the use of artificial intelligence in industries that are often overlooked, hosted by Verge senior reporter Ashley Carman. This week, the series focuses on AI for the video world.
More specifically, we’re looking at how AI is being used as a tool to help people streamline the process of creating video content. Yes, this might mean software taking on a bigger role in the very human act of creativity, but what if instead of replacing us, machine learning tools could be used to assist our work?
That’s what Scott Prevost, VP of Adobe Sensei — Adobe’s machine learning platform — envisions for Adobe’s AI products. “Sensei was founded on this firm belief that we have that AI is going to democratize and amplify human creativity, but not replace it,” Prevost says. “Ultimately, enabling the creator to do things that maybe they couldn’t do before. But also to automate and speed up some of the mundane and repetitive tasks that are parts of creativity.”
Adobe has already built Sensei’s initiatives into its current products. Last fall, the company released a feature called Neural Filters for Photoshop, which can be used to remove artifacts from compressed images, change the lighting in a photo, or even alter a subject’s face, giving them a smile instead of a frown, for example, or adjusting their “facial age.” From the user’s perspective, all this is done by just moving a few sliders.
Continue reading: https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/21/22671542/vergecast-ai-series-video-production-adobe-flawless

By Sergey Gorbunov, Co-founder and CEO of Axelar
With the evolution of blockchain technology, there are many lessons we can glean from how the first global communication networks evolved, particularly when it comes to connecting distinct systems and protocols. While the Internet enables users to seamlessly share and exchange information across geographic regions and timezones, it has failed to deliver many fundamental properties such as authentication, traceability, and inclusivity required to establish trust and secure information exchange between users. These are just some of the properties that Web 3.0 and blockchain technology aims to deliver. As we’re building these new decentralized networks, it’s crucial that we learn everything we can from the Internet’s evolution.
Although the term “blockchain” is now widely used across industries, the concept remains enigmatic to many. Simply put, a blockchain is a decentralized ledger of information that is stored and maintained across a distributed network of computers, rather than with one centralized authority. A key distinction compared to classical distributed protocols, is that the blockchain protocol remains secure even when some of the computers on the network act maliciously. The result – the records of information recorded on the blockchain are virtually tamperproof and hence anyone can verify information recorded in it. Though hard to believe, three decades ago the term “the Internet” stirred similar feelings of confusion among the general public – who had not yet realised the potential of the technology.
Today, most have gained a thorough appreciation of the Internet’s capabilities and we take this technology for granted. For many, the Internet is now as indispensable as electricity. However, the execution of the simplest tasks we perform on the Internet relies on multiple layers of infrastructure, protocols, and APIs that were built over decades.
Continue reading: https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/lessons-learned%3A-the-internets-evolution-as-a-blueprint-for-blockchain-interoperability

Of the 40 percent of women graduates in STEM, a mere 14 percent actually end up pursuing a career in the field. Despite this statistic, India is writing for herself an extensive list of women who have made a notable impact on the industry and the economy. 
According to NASSCOM, the Indian workforce has seen a 10 percent rise in the number of women in technology over the last decade. Overall, women constitute around 35 percent of the workforce currently. One could say that women STEM professionals in the country are crossing the hurdles and are fighting the good fight. But the more important question is – what is causing a leaky funnel when it comes to women graduates choosing STEM careers. What are the major roadblocks? What steps do we need to take to make the funnel watertight? 
Two segments of women are seen to be facing drawbacks in pursuing their dreams. The first segment consists of those who get deprived of primary education which is well known, but quite surprisingly, the other segment consists of highly qualified women professionals.
Bringing about a mindset change
While a few women have broken stereotypes to emerge as impactful leaders, technology continues to be a male-dominated space. There are multiple factors that lead to the low conversion of women STEM graduates rising to senior leadership roles. 
Diversity, inclusion, and belonging at corporations are taking on a new meaning today. Companies across the globe are waking up to the significance of diversity in bringing better business results, as well as creating an inspiring workplace for more women to join STEM professions. Continuing with this approach, a mindset change is on the cards. First and foremost is educating hiring managers to conduct interviews using structured processes and tools to rule out bias. The same goes for identifying women with talent, encouraging them to take bigger positions and risks. Championing and rewarding those who champion the advancement of women is another strategy to boost gender diversity. Senior management has to become aggressive in personally championing diversity as a key business and cultural priority.
Being primary caregivers, women handle multiple obligations at home as well. This work-life integration requires a balance to curb women from dropping out. Offering policies beyond the de-reguier flexible working hours can prove crucial in retaining women technologists in mid-career and senior level positions. 
Tailored mentoring and counselling programs
Mentoring and counselling programs can go a long way in reversing the drain. Many women, though qualified for STEM careers, drop out owing to family duties and commitments. Interventions at critical junctures to encourage women to stay on- like post a marriage/ maternity break are crucial. This dilemma of having to ‘choose’ between two states of womanhood and professional, causes a confidence gap in women technologists, or at the least, slows them down. Women tend to become less confident than their male peers. This humility may lead them to take gaps in career or growth. This is where mentoring - and even sponsorship can come in. Women role models as mentors can also create the necessary bridge for many women technologists to embrace their potential. 
Women-led conferences, that are gaining popularity, serve as an avenue for aspiring female techies to learn from leaders in their fields of interest. 
Continue reading: http://bweducation.businessworld.in/article/3-Steps-To-STEM-The-Gender-Gap-/22-09-2021-405537/

The 148-page State of IoT report researched by IoT Analytics highlighted recent IoT-related news stories, 100 largest IoT-related funding rounds of the last nine months, major acquisitions, the company’s input on 36 current trends, and a view of the IoT vendor landscape.
IoT Analytics says the success of an entire technology business can depend on understanding which market segments remain attractive and which ones are limiting their budgets.
Markets can change radically in a matter of months, and technology vendors need to be aware of these changes and be ready to pivot, IoT Analytics says.
The IoT Analytics report also included its views of the growth prospects and general sentiment in 20 industry verticals, the four main global regions, and 10 elements of the IoT stack.
Here are the highlights:
Overall state of IoT: Clearly accelerating, hampered by the chip shortage
Digital technology markets in general have seen steady and pervasive momentum in 2021.
As Accenture CEO Julie Sweet puts it in her conference call last 24 June: “The dynamics in the market we are seeing are not only of recovery from the lower spending pattern at the onset of the pandemic but a more sustained growth in demand as companies race to modernize and accelerate their digital initiatives.”
Nordic Semiconductor CEO Svenn-Tore Larsen says that this digital acceleration has clearly reached IoT markets.
IoT Analytics CEO Knud Lasse Lueth agrees, but adds there are two main concerns: the shortage of IoT semiconductor chips and the ongoing regional impacts of COVID-19 in APAC, Latin America, and Africa.
Regional view: North America and Europe leading out of the pandemic
Tech budgets in 2021 and going into 2022 differ greatly by region. These budgets are still strongly correlated to regional COVID-19 impacts, with North America and Europe increasing IoT tech spending, while most places in APAC and the rest of the world are cautious when it comes to innovation and tech investments.
Overall business sentiment across all companies in North America has surpassed pre-COVID-19 levels. In North America in the second quarter (Q2) of 2021, business sentiment indexed at 107, compared to an index of 100 in Q2 2019. Europe is also strong at 104, according to the report.
Technology view: Opportunities across the entire stack
Addressing some of the current demand trends in the market will help them strengthen their solutions and win customers. Here are eight important technology topics that customers are increasingly willing to pay for (the State of IoT report covers many additional and more technology-specific trends):
Continue reading: https://itwire.com/internet-of-things/iot-analytics-state-of-iot-report-details-trends-and-overview-of-the-iot-vendor-landscape.html

Implementing a large-scale Internet of Things (IoT) project can be overwhelming for any organization. Studies show that many IoT projects fail to go beyond the trial phase, while return on investment (ROI) also remains elusive for many. This is further complicated by the inherent problems in IoT, such as lack of a universal platform, lackluster security and interoperability issues between devices. We look at the key issues that typically hold back large-scale IoT implementations and how organizations can address them. 
Interest in IoT is at an all-time high. Most IT decision-makers want to incorporate IoT into their businesses operations to achieve greater efficiency, reduce costs, open new revenue streams, and improve customer experience. Gartner’s findings show that the number of IoT devices is doubling every five years. 
Microsoft’s IoT Signals report, published October 2020, also found that more than 91% of business heads had adopted IoT in 2020, while 83% of them had seen at least one project reach the “use” stage. Microsoft classifies IoT projects into four stages: learn, trial/PoC (proof of concept), purchase, and use. 
Though more businesses are getting on the IoT bandwagon, many struggle to take their projects beyond the trial phase. Microsoft’s report (mentioned earlier) shows that almost a third of the IoT projects fail at the PoC stage as scaling an IoT project presents a formidable challenge for any organization. These issues are also not confined to any one sector. For instance, a third of manufacturing companies are still working through the implementation of their current solution. Likewise, in healthcare, one in three IoT projects are still in the learning phase. 
“These scale issues are across the board in many different industries that are looking to improve performance through automation of any kind. Healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, and sports are all affected by the increased knowledge of operations delivered through IoT applications,” notes Tom Ruth, Vice President, Americas at Quuppa, an IoT and RTLS company.
Velipekka Kuoppala, the co-founder & CBO of ConnectedYou, an IoT connectivity marketplace, points out that any company that needs cellular/SIM connectivity at a global scale regardless of the sector is facing the growth impact if the efficiency and data connectivity optimization/management is not well taken care of in the very beginning. “The real impact is measured in the complexity and efficient data connectivity orchestration itself,” he says.
Continue reading: https://www.toolbox.com/tech/iot/articles/what-is-ailing-iot-at-scale/

Oil and gas companies accelerated their adoption of internet of things (IoT) during 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A survey from Inmarsat reported that 74% of those participating in the survey had deployed at least one IoT project. In the 12 months from the second quarter of 2020, 44% took this step.
Of the 26% that had not yet adopted any IoT projects, all are trialling or planning to try this out within the next two years.
Inmarsat issued a report today, Industrial IoT in the Time of Covid-19, based on interviews with 450 respondents. These came from a range of industries, including electrical utilities, mining, transport and oil and gas. Companies from the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific participated in the survey.
Inmarsat’s market development manager Damian Lewis linked the use of IoT with the demands of oil and gas. Much activity in the sector “takes place in some of the world’s most remote and inhospitable conditions”, he said. Adopting IoT allows “oil and gas businesses have to increase their ability to monitor, manage and automate remotely”.
The results from the oil and gas companies linked the adoption of IoT with challenges posed by COVID-19. 81% of respondents said the intended to accelerate this work.
This included 51% who had already accelerated their adoption of this technology. The rest are planning to move in this direction.
Continuity crunch
Inmarsat said the 51% – those who had already moved into IoT – were less likely to report negative impact from COVID-19 on their operational ability. This, the report said, demonstrates that IoT is linked to business continuity.
Continue reading: https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/351245/oil-companies-iot-covid-19/

Transporting blood samples, Germany
Wingcopter drones recently transported blood samples over a distance of 26 kilometres in the German state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. The drones' flight time was 18 minutes on average, nearly twice as fast as ground-based transport. 
The use of Wingcopter drones could significantly speed up emergency medical care in rural areas which could help save lives, particularly in the event of a blood transfusion being needed at short notice. 
The flights were carried out by Greifswald University Medical Centre, with the aim of establishing permanent flight connections between the medical centre and hospitals in the surrounding area as soon as possible. 
Drones are also to be used to support first responders on site, for example by quickly transporting medication, transfusions, or emergency medical equipment such as defibrillators to the scene of an accident.
Wingcopter is already engaged with the NGO WeRobotics to deliver medical goods to hard-to-reach parts of the world. 
Delivering COVID-19 vaccines, India
Indian drone company Skye Air is running a trial to deliver COVID-19 vaccines in the southern state of Telangana. As part of the 'Medicines in the Sky' project, the drones are delivering the supplies packaged in temperature-controlled boxes within a 12 km range, taking around 18 minutes to arrive. 
With vast remote areas and challenging weather events, it is hoped drones will help the Indian government achieve its target of vaccinating 950 million adults by the end of 2021. 
Skye Air is running the trials with Dunzo Digital, a hyper-local on-demand delivery service startup backed by Google.  India's Ministry of Civil Aviation relaxed rules for drone flights this year, giving the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) conditional exemption from national drone rules.
Disease control, Philippines and Malaysia
In 2013 the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine embarked on a programme to track the progression of malaria in the Philippines and Malaysia
Cotninue reading: https://healthcareglobal.com/technology-and-ai/3-ways-drones-are-impacting-healthcare

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — known commonly as drones — were originally a tool solely for the military.
Now they’re used regularly for civilian purposes such as photography, monitoring traffic and fighting fires, said Janarthan Sivarajah, senior new business manager, professional liability, with Toronto-based Zensurance.
As with most flying objects, drones are prone to accidents. According to the Canadian Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System, 779 drone incidents were reported between 2014 and 2018. Furthermore, 30% of those incidents were reported within one nautical mile of an airport.
As a result, insurance is a must, whether your clients are flying drones for work or for play.
First, there’s insuring for the physical damage of the UAV itself. “Say it crashes into a building and it’s damaged, lost or stolen,” Sivarajah said. “We can insure the actual drone.”
More important is third-party liability. “That protects you from any bodily injury or property damage from the use of the drone,” he said. For example, injuries can occur from a drone landing (or crashing) into a person’s vehicle — or the person. “If your drone runs out of power and crashes into an individual, [the insurance] will cover the injury, as well as any medical expenses associated with that injury.”
Similar to other insurance types, drone coverage can come with extensions such as invasion of privacy. “If you’re a photographer and flying drones, there’s a chance of invasion of privacy if you take a photo of someone you don’t have a right to.”
There’s also a cyber extension. A photographer using a UAV will have digital assets, Sivarajah said. “If the drone gets stolen, lost or damaged, are they able to recoup the costs for those assets?”
And consider noise liability. “[Say] your drone causes too much noise and your neighbour complains and there’s a lawsuit against that,” he said.
In other words, the nature of the UAV use will determine the right amount of coverage and the type, Sivarajah said.
Continue reading: https://www.canadianunderwriter.ca/insurance/eyes-in-the-sky-coverage-for-drone-usage-1004212694/

The energy sector is rapidly adopting unmanned systems to improve business outcomes and worker safety.  Learn more about how they do it in this week’s Dawn of Drones podcast!
Original article: https://dronelife.com/2021/09/21/energy-drones-and-robotics-this-week-on-dawn-of-drones/

With millions of Internet of Things (IoT) devices from phones to smart home censors flooding the market every year, effective cybersecurity to help mitigate risks to devices is vital. New guidance from The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), IoT Non-Technical Supporting Capability Core Baseline (NISTIR 8259B), is intended to help manufacturers identify the non-technical capabilities they need to support device and system cybersecurity controls and to communicate with customers and third parties effectively. NISTIR 8259B is one of four documents recently released by NIST to help manufacturers and federal agencies manage cybersecurity, which include IoT Device Cybersecurity Guidance for the Federal Government: Establishing IoT Device Cybersecurity Requirements (SP 800-213), Creating a Profile Using the IoT Core Baseline and Non-Technical Baseline (NISTIR 8259C), and Profile Using the IoT Core Baseline and Non-Technical Baseline for the Federal Government (NISTIR 8259D).
The guidance notes that “both device cybersecurity capabilities and non-technical supporting capabilities are vital to customers’ abilities to achieve their needs and goals.” While IoT devices are typically secured through technological capabilities, NISTIR 8259B focuses on the non-technical supporting capabilities that “that manufacturers or third parties take in support of the initial and ongoing security of IoT devices.” The guidance identifies four primary non-technical areas of cybersecurity:

• Documentation, which ensures that customers and third parties have the information they need to ensure their device and its data are secure;
• Information and query reception, which helps businesses respond to questions customers and others may have about a device’s security and operation;
• Information dissemination, which ensures that customers are kept in the loop about any newly discovered security issues or device or related systems updates; and
• Education and awareness, to assist customers and others in understanding how to secure and protect IoT software, hardware, and systems.

Continue reading: https://www.natlawreview.com/article/nist-lays-out-cybersecurity-guidance-non-technical-supporting-capabilities-related

Computers are faster, smaller and more affordable than ever before. More interestingly, they are being integrated into many consumer products, making everything from our beds to wristwatches smarter, Internet of Things-ready and capable of doing automated tasks. These “smart” devices are proliferating faster than you might expect, with smartwatches becoming one of the largest groups of connected devices, according to data from my company.
However, I’ve seen firsthand through my company’s AI cybersecurity platform that many IoT devices are not sufficiently protected against cyberattacks. Some devices lack even the most basic security measures. As a result, IoT-based cyberattacks are becoming more frequent. For example, variations of the Mirai botnet have infected countless consumer IoT devices since 2016.
This is disturbing, knowing that IoT devices are becoming more and more popular. This makes a large part of the domestic population at risk of having their home network security compromised if steps are not taken to secure their IoT devices.
Vulnerable connected devices are also a threat to businesses, especially considering bring-your-own-device campaigns and hybrid work arrangements where employees use their own devices to access corporate networks.
Today, dozens of IoT device categories are vying for their place under the sun, and while some devices that have a history of security issues might not be gaining a lot of popularity, I’ve seen wearables emerge as one of the most popular IoT devices and believe they could become a target for malicious actors.
Overall cybersecurity depends on IoT security.
The Mirai botnet attack had a significant impact on internet usability back in 2016 and showed why vulnerable IoT devices can be a threat to key infrastructure. It should have been a wakeup call for IoT manufacturers and the wider public. Unfortunately, I’ve found that some manufacturers continue making devices with severe security issues, such as open ports or hard-coded root passwords.
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/09/21/what-does-the-consumer-iot-market-tell-us-about-security/?sh=7b49e1005495

The Biden administration on Tuesday unveiled sanctions against a cryptocurrency exchange over its alleged role in enabling illegal payments from ransomware attacks, officials said, part of a broader crackdown on the growing threat.
The Treasury Department accused Suex OTC, S.R.O. of facilitating transactions involving illicit proceeds for at least eight ransomware variants, its first such move against a virtual currency exchange over ransomware activity.
"Exchanges like Suex are critical to attackers' ability to extract profits from ransomware attackers," Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a call with reporters previewing the announcement on Monday evening. The action "is a signal of our intention to expose and disrupt the illicit infrastructure using these attacks."
Hackers use ransomware to take down systems that control everything from hospital billing to manufacturing. They stop only after receiving hefty payments, typically in cryptocurrency.
This year, ransomware gangs have hit numerous important U.S. companies in large scale hacks. One such attack on pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline led to temporary fuel supply shortages on the U.S. East Coast. Hackers also targeted an Iowa-based agricultural firm, sparking fears of disruptions to grain harvesting in the Midwest.
In 2020 ransomware payments reached over $400 million, more than four times the level in 2019, Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber, told reporters on the call.
The threat has grown so prominent that U.S. President Joe Biden reportedly told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a July meeting that "critical infrastructure" companies should be off limits to ransomware gangs. Such groups often operate from Russia or Ukraine, according to cybersecurity experts and federal prosecutors.
Continue reading: https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/biden-sanctions-cryptocurrency-exchange-over-ransomware-attacks-2021-09-21/

• Private blockchains are typically more efficient than public, however, private blockchains usually substitute speed for decentralization.
• Public blockchain are widely adopted due to the network effect and the ability to instantly provide goods or services to anyone connected to the public infrastructure
• Hybrid blockchains are advantageous as they allow users to control the privacy policies of data while reducing the impact on scalability.
• A a well-designed multichain privacy framework will allow developers to keep most of their existing codebases intact and with a little elbow grease and modifications, identify the privacy components and then bridge these via Liminal  

Blockchain has become a bit of a buzzword in the last few years and for a good reason. This technology has notable ramifications for how a wide variety of industries conduct business. Already there are dozens of examples of companies utilizing blockchain in industries ranging from financial services to supply chain management and energy distribution. However, not all blockchains are created equal; there are some important differences between public blockchains that anyone can use and private ones controlled internally by an organization. For most businesses, there are pros and cons for going either route, but it’s increasingly looking like needing to choose may soon be a thing of the past. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of using blockchain for business solutions, describing the differences between public and private versions of this technology in practice. We’ll also talk about a new type of chain — a hybrid of private and public chains which takes the benefits of both to create a truly versatile platform with no compromises. Lastly, we’ll take a look at the actual use cases for hybrid blockchains and how they could be deployed in real-world situations.
The case for blockchain
Over the last decade, more and more businesses have begun to explore the opportunities afforded by blockchain technology. Thanks to the overall speed and low transaction costs, not to mention the security and immutability, these networks provide multiple benefits in the areas of data management, financial tracking, value transfers, and much more. This is why companies like BMW are already implementing blockchain for a variety of business solutions, including digital car passports and supply chain management.
However, not all blockchains are created equal. Businesses have always required a reasonable degree of privacy as well as control over their networks. Since the popularisation of the internet, and the advance of eCommerce, it’s been essential that companies protect their systems from outside attackers, both to preserve their workflow but also any sensitive information they might be storing. Hence, as blockchain technology becomes integrated into the modern digital workplace, it is only logical that private networks are often seen as preferable for many organizations. 
This is no big surprise — especially given that some of the main selling points of blockchain include a completely transparent ledger containing all data as well as the ability to move value around. And it’s clear why a business wouldn’t want just anyone to be able to access their internal network. This way, the company gets many of the benefits of the novel tech but can remain opaque to most of the world.
Continue reading: https://www.infoq.com/articles/enterprise-private-public-blockchains/

Elizabeth Kolade is a cybersecurity analyst with the Defence Space Administration, Nigeria. She has expertise in incident handling and response, open source intelligence, and cyber diplomacy, and has been involved in the strategy, creation and implementation of security measures and the delivery of cybersecurity awareness across critical organizations. She has embarked on numerous campaigns to promote end-user security education in and outside Nigeria.
Elizabeth is a Fellow of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) and has been a part of several multistakeholder engagements on cybersecurity within and beyond Africa. In 2020, Elizabeth was listed as one of the Top 50 Women in Cybersecurity in Africa. She is a long-serving member of the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) and remains an avid advocate for the education of women in technology.
Julian Hall (JH): What are the most pressing issues in the cybersecurity sector right now?
Elizabeth Kolade (EK): The rise of ransomware. Ransomware has become somewhat lucrative, as we have witnessed an increased willingness on the part of victims to pay demands. While end-user awareness is increasing, attacks are still on the rise. This may be as a result of the relevant staff not implementing measures to tackle the problems they have faced.
Continue reading: https://www.darkreading.com/physical-security/elizabeth-kolade-on-how-ai-is-a-double-edged-sword-the-challenge-of-harmonizing-cyber-and-physical-security

In his keynote, Brandon Torres Declet, CEO of AgEagle, spoke to solution providers calling upon them to continue to innovate and to end users to invest saying:
“My call to action is, let's not wait. There’s no need to wait anymore to make real investments in drone technology and deploying it at scale. I think we have proven the value, time and time again, and we've done the math and can show the cost savings and value so now's the time to step up and really make those investments.”
Commercial UAV News caught up with Torres Declet after his speech to discuss why this is the time for end users to invest, how the industry can innovate, and other key takeaways from the discussion.
Continue reading: https://www.commercialuavnews.com/forestry/brandon-torres-declet-it-is-time-for-end-users-to-invest-in-drones

The autonomous BVLOS drones market is gaining traction, as the applications of these autonomous BVLOS drones are increasing, in tandem with the increasing need for enhancing efficiency and industrial productivity. Currently, the military segment has the largest market share in the autonomous BVLOS drones market. Autonomous drones are being used for various purposes in the military, like aerial warfare and ISR applications. The revenues have been higher from the military segment, as militaries mostly use large UAVs with higher unit prices. In addition to the existing models of autonomous BVLOS drones, new drones are also being produced.  The use of autonomous BVLOS drones was mainly limited to the military in the past. However, presently, these drones are being vigorously adopted for commercial purposes, for aerial mapping, surveying, and inspection purposes over long distances. In addition, the increasing demand for last-mile drone delivery is boosting the autonomous BVLOS drones market in the civil and commercial sector, which is expected to propel the segment to register a higher CAGR during the forecast period.  According to report from ResearchAndMarkets The autonomous BVLOS drones market is projected to register a CAGR of more than 15% through 2025.  Active stocks in the markets this week include Plymouth Rock Technologies Inc. (OTCQB: PLRTF) (CSE: PRT), Ambarella, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMBA), Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX), General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX).
The report also said that "North America will Continue to Dominate the Autonomous BVLOS Drones Market through 2025.  In 2019, North America held the largest market share in the autonomous BVLOS drones market. The demand from the United States has been the prime reason for the large share of the market. In the United States, autonomous BVLOS drones are being used for many applications. While most of the demand is from the military, progress is being made toward integrating small drones into the airspace and obtaining the necessary regulatory approval of BVLOS flights from the FAA.
Continue reading: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/north-america-continues-to-dominate-the-autonomous-bvlos-drones-market-301381099.html

Snowdonia Aerospace is pleased to announce a new permanent Danger Area around Llanbedr Airfield has been approved by the CAA to support the ongoing development of novel aerospace systems in the UK, including drones-for-good, the next generation of electric air mobility vehicles and space launch and recovery systems.
Following completion of a formal 24-month CAP1616 airspace change process, the new Danger Area (DA), EG D217, is available with immediate effect (September 2021) and provides a unique mix of inshore, offshore, coastal lowland and mountain operational test environments and a corridor connecting to a further 7000 sq. km of additional airspace over Cardigan Bay for extended range, endurance, high altitude, and near-space testing.
None of the areas of the proposed DA areas will be permanently active and will only be activated by Notice to Aviators (NOTAV) when novel aerospace flying activities are scheduled to take place. Activation via NOTAV will be provided 24 hours in advance, the DA will only be active for the minimum time necessary, and Snowdonia Aerospace will provide a Flight Information Service (FIS) and Danger Area Activity Information Service (DAAIS). Airfield contact details will be included in the NOTAV.
Continue reading: https://www.suasnews.com/2021/09/new-drone-danger-area-for-llanbedr/

The number of individual and organizational drone operators is rising nearly every day, and with it the pressure on new users get schooled and skilled on flying their craft. To help with that, the Rocky Mountain Unmanned Systems (RMUS) is offering a range of online courses teaching drone piloting techniques and preparing to pass certification tests.
The RMUS’s array of drone piloting courses spans from basic introductions of uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to specialized tutoring on the capacities and operation of specific enterprise craft. The elements likely to appeal to the broadest number of new users are those getting aspiring pilots fully up to speed – on both technique and regulations – and a matching course for people who will be managing fleets of drones in business activity. The menu of instruction is largely modular, meaning students can add successive educational blocks if they wish as they progress.
New pilots are given intensive, hands-on proficiency UAS training with a particular emphasis on commercial UAS operations, including basic flying, equipment functionality, and full regulation schooling. An introduction module teaching drone piloting runs $49, and is designed to permit students to master safe and efficient flight and pass their Part 107 exam. 
Teaching drone piloting, fleet management to new enterprise users
A more detailed, enterprise-focused option called UAS Foundations teaches a deeper and wider set of skills, including aerial mapping and dealing with various system disruptions or outages. That $249 option also contains the introductory module.
Students who’ll be managing drone fleets are given an overview of how to create, organize, and maintain a UAS program for business purposes. Participants come away with complete, product-specific knowledge of various operating systems, and will be equipped to oversee a UAS platform after completing the course.
On-demand modules delving into use of specific tech payloads or applications are also available, as are focused courses teaching drone piloting of specialized enterprise use of DJI, Autel, and Parrot drones.
Continue reading: https://dronedj.com/2021/09/21/uas-service-provider-teaching-drone-piloting-rules-and-fleet-management-to-new-users/

Encryption is one of the most effective tools to protect data on network-attached storage. Even if cybercriminals gain access to the drives or intercept communications to or from them, encryption makes the data unreadable to anyone who does not have the cryptographic key.
Use NAS encryption to prevent unauthorized individuals from gaining access to confidential data at rest or in motion. The data might include credit card numbers, intellectual property, medical records, personally identifiable information (PII) or other types of confidential data. Also, use encryption to comply with regulations such as GDPR or HIPAA.
Without encryption, data is stored and transmitted as clear text, which can be read by anyone who intercepts communications or gains access to the drives. A NAS device also shares the same LAN as other devices and traffic. These systems include computers, printers, smartphones, tablets and IoT devices.
NAS encryption can be a complex process and, if done incorrectly, can put sensitive data at risk. However, administrators can make their jobs easier by following these seven best practices.

1. Identify what to encrypt
Encrypting and decrypting data can slow performance, sometimes significantly. The extent of the impact depends on the NAS device, how the organization implements encryption and whether the storage unit includes a cryptographic accelerator. In some cases, encryption can also make data reduction techniques less effective.
Encrypt only the data that needs protection or that applicable regulations govern. Prioritize the data based on its requirements for confidentiality. To help prioritize data, consider what the repercussions would be if certain types of data were compromised.
2. Encrypt sensitive data at rest
At-rest data refers to the data stored on the NAS device, as opposed to the data transmitted between endpoints. This doesn't preclude copies of the data from being transmitted, but the core data itself is persisted to the NAS media.
Use NAS encryption to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access, even if a device is stolen. However, ensure that the cryptographic modules used for the encryption and decryption operations have been validated against recognized standards such as the Federal Information Processing Standards developed by NIST.
Continue reading: https://searchstorage.techtarget.com/tip/7-NAS-encryption-best-practices-to-protect-data

On September 14, the Atlantic Council’s empowerME Initiative held a workshop on “Venture Capital Financing: How to Increase Funding for Women-led Ventures,” featuring a fireside chat with Mumzworld Co-Founder CEO Mona Ataya, which was moderated byCareem Pay Head of Strategy & Strategic Partnerships Madiha Sattar. There was also a panel discussion with Atlantic Council empowerME Director and Resident Senior Fellow Amjad Ahmad, RockCreek Managing Director Alifia Doriwala, and Blossom Accelerator Founder and CEO Emon Shakoor, which was moderated by US Development Finance Corporation Global Gender Equity Initiative Head Algene Sajery.
This workshop is part of the Igniting Women’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Saudi Arabia program led by the Atlantic Council’s empowerME Initiative in partnership with the US Mission to Saudi Arabia, the American Chamber of Commerce Saudi Arabia, and Quantum Leaps. The program brings US entrepreneurs, experts, and business leaders together with their Saudi counterparts to build relationships, share knowledge, and develop partnership opportunities via hybrid workshops and networking sessions.
Key takeaways: Women’s entrepreneurship and funding for women-led startups is improving, but more needs to be done

• Mona Ataya pointed to the “seismic shift” in the Gulf Cooperation Council region: more women are entering a diverse array of jobs and jumping on the bandwagon of entrepreneurship. One reason for this, she believes, is that “success breeds success.” Success creates confidence as well as resources that other entrepreneurs can tap into. Moreover, the infrastructure is changing, with more venture capital firms entering the region. Ataya noted that at Mumzworld, 70 percent of the leadership team is made up of women and 60 percent of the employee team is also made up of women.

Continue reading: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/investing-in-women-is-just-good-business-ways-to-increase-funding-for-women-led-ventures-in-the-middle-east/