As a business entrusted with protecting customer data, it’s critical to understand the threat landscape and how to leverage threat intelligence in order to make the best decisions for you and your clients. For many MSPs, not knowing the latest risks—or how to respond—could have devastating consequences. Make sure you’re properly educated by joining Wayne R Selk, Executive Director of the CompTIA ISAO and Mick Baccio, Global Security Strategist at Splunk SURGe, as they discuss what threat intelligence is and how it is created. Learn to identify common observable threat types, how they’re used, and how to guard against threats. Your customers will thank you later!
Please contact [email protected] with any questions.
Register here: https://connect.comptia.org/events/registration?eventid=ISAO41222

Today’s Woman in Tech: Hamida Rebaï Trabelsi, Senior Cloud Application Architect at Revenu Quebec
Hamida Rebaï Trabelsi is Senior Cloud Application Architect at Revenu Quebec—a Canadian government agency. Since 2017, she has been awarded by Microsoft as a Most Valuable Professional in Developer Training. She is Azure Certified, is also a Microsoft Certified Trainer, author, international speaker, a member of the .NET Foundation and is recognized as a Microsoft DevHero.
When did you become interested in technology? What first got you interested in tech?
At the young age of 13 when I learned Pascal programming and algorithmic, I was a girl with a natural curiosity and a taste for learning that led me to IT, a field in which very few women worked in my native country, Tunisia at the time.
I remember my first computer. My father bought it for me when I showed an interest in technology, it ran on Windows 2000. That’s where I started discovering the charm of Technology. I tried to balance my studies in high school and programming. I found myself attached to this domain as a technical woman. Starting your career as a freshly graduated junior with no experience was not as easy, despite study internships, interviews, and technical tests, you had to prove your skills and above all, work hard and learn at the same time. The problem in companies in Tunisia is the lack of technical support and integration of new employees. I spent more than 8 years in Tunisia in several companies trying to learn and evolve before leaving for Canada.
Continue reading: https://jaxenter.com/women-in-tech-trabelsi-176979.html

Human resource, for most companies, is the first gate into a business for talent, the reason retention succeeds or fails, the key to company culture, and at the heart of diversity and inclusion. Historically, women have been at the helm of HR, today making up about 74% of HR positions, according to a report by Data USA. 
You can’t say the same for tech, though. Tech, as you’re probably aware, is still a male-dominant field, with women making up only 28% of the STEM workforce, according to the AAUW. What does that mean for women who work in tech HR, especially in a post-pandemic era that disproportionately affected women? 
To me, it means one thing: we’re at a crucial crossroad, and it’s our responsibility to harness this moment for change for women in tech. We have an opportunity to rebuild what was lost in terms of female talent and momentum, drive gender equity in tech, and empower more women both personally and professionally.
The Effect of COVID-19 on Women in Tech
You’ve likely read the statistics, but I wanted to dive into some specifics on how the digital revolution, and more recently COVID-19, has affected working women significantly more than men. Women were more vulnerable to COVID-19–related economic effects because of existing gender inequalities. Not only did they leave the workforce (according to Women Tech Council, 865,000 women left the U.S. workforce in September 2020 alone — 4x more than men), but they also had a greater workload at home than they did pre-pandemic.
Continue reading: https://www.toolbox.com/hr/diversity-inclusion/guest-article/empowering-women-in-tech-hr-for-a-successful-post-pandemic-workplace/

At Mapleblock Capital, we have bet our full attention on the blockchain. However, for those outside the industry, it could be hard to understand the reasoning behind such a choice. In simple words, a blockchain is a database with a shared global state that can be validated by every party in the network. This simple property allows blockchain to have far-reaching potential by allowing people to settle transactions globally without any permissions or counterparty risk. This becomes incredibly important because it is the only method, developed so far, that we can use to run a global economic system over the internet. Hence, blockchain allows us to add a ‘money’ layer and ‘verification’ layer on the internet and opens up the doors to a new epoch for the web altogether.
Let’s discuss further the applications and possibilities of blockchain:
1. The first application of blockchain technology was Bitcoin. Bitcoin has all the properties of being global, fast, permissionless, and works without counter-parties; however what’s interesting is that Bitcoin was designed as a fixed supply digital asset, in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. Thus, the programmability of blockchain allows for the creation of different financial products that mirror the real world. The Bitcoin case in point mirrors the store of value properties of Gold, however different blockchains have different properties with the same core principles.
Continue reading: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/brandhub/the-big-bet-on-blockchain-going-web20-to-web30/article65293186.ece

The Web3 revolution is well underway. Wherever you look, everyone in the tech space is talking about what a miracle Web3 will be and why we should all get on the train immediately. While there are detractors and those who believe that this so-called evolution of the internet isn't ready yet, enthusiasts are going full steam ahead and ensuring that Web3 is brought to life.
As a self-proclaimed evolution of the internet, it is only right to expect that Web3 will be an improvement on what we have today. After all, there’s no point in having an innovation if it doesn’t perform better than what we are used to. 
For it to function, Web3 needs to rest on some pillars. Many proponents have claimed that blockchain technology – the same technology that powers things like cryptocurrencies and decentralized finance (DeFi) – will also have a role to play in bringing Web3 to the world.
So, the question remains; what will blockchain do for Web3? How does the technology that began as a way for transaction records for a cryptocurrency to be taken down become a cornerstone of what will end up being the internet of tomorrow?
 An Introduction To Web3
When you hear Web3, you’re probably thinking about what it is in the first place. After all, it’s difficult to know how blockchain will be important to the concept if you don’t exactly have an idea of what it even is.
Continue reading: https://coinrivet.com/the-important-role-of-blockchain-for-web3-development/

Nearly 4 trillion hours. This shows the amount of time consumers worldwide spent gazing at their phones in 2021. While this figure is nearly unbelievable, it should not come as a surprise given our increasing dependency on the internet, which has grown more prominent during the Covid-19 epidemic.
Since the birth of the World Wide Web in the 1980s, the internet has come to revolutionize the way people live, work, and play. Today’s internet has become an essential component of our daily lives, even fueling the global economy from business to recreation. According to a study conducted by App Annie’s State of Mobile 2022, seven out of every ten minutes spent on our phones were spent on social or picture and video applications, attesting to Web 2.0’s dominance in our daily lives.
However, while the internet — and Web 2.0 — has undeniably become almost irreplaceable in today’s world, issues such as data privacy and system outages have emerged over the last couple of decades, leading to growing discontent as the general public begins to question the tech giants’ use of their personal data.
Is it a fresh vision for the future or a pipe dream? The Case for a Decentralized Web
As requests for increased control and autonomy over data privacy and digital identity grow stronger, the concept of Web 3 seems to be attractive. Even as Web 3 concepts like non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the metaverse gain popularity, challenges such as cybersecurity concerns and continuous dependence on centralized ecosystems remain, as seen by the recent CoinMarketCap pricing malfunction.
Continue reading: https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/how-will-web3-potentially-transform-a-decentralized-world-158fc24c65a6

You. Yes, you. Are you an actual human?
It’s not an entirely unreasonable question to ask because the odds of a human reading these words is about one in three. You see, two-thirds of traffic on the internet is comprised of bots, according to analysis by security vendor Barracuda Networks.
What are these bots doing? Many are cruising the web indexing web pages, making it easier to find content. Others are doing “bad bot” things like trying to hack into sites. Yet more are clicking on ads.
It’s those ad-clicking bots that are a symptom of the problem plaguing media today. Click fraud is profitable because clicks generate payouts from ad networks. But as the volume of traffic surges, the value of each click falls. So the scale of traffic required to support actual journalism and publishing becomes ever larger.
The ad-fraud researcher Augustine Fou has a great chart titled “Not Humans, Something Else.” It plots the total number of internet users in the U.S. since 2004 against annual digital ad spending. Ad spend rockets upwards and to the right, far outpacing the number of internet users. To whom are advertisers showing all those ads? Probably bots.
Continue reading: https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/2022/04/05/web-3-and-the-rise-of-small-media/?outputType=amp

Digital transformation failing to ignite in capital markets

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In theory, a bumblebee should be unable to fly, but perversely it does. In theory, many aspects of capital markets, including primary bond markets, ought to be crying out for a blockchain technology enabled transformation, but perversely the digital revolution fails to ignite. Despite more pilots in operation than there are at Heathrow airport, the breakthrough transformation currently refuses to occur. Does blockchain offer significant, step-change advantages to capital markets or is it the eight-track cassette, an interesting technology but ultimately of limited interest? This conundrum lay at the heart of fascinating debate at a recent OMFIF Digital Monetary Institute seminar held to mark the launch of the ‘Future of capital markets’ report.
On the face of it, the bill of fare for blockchain as an enabling technology for bond markets ought to make its implementation both a no-brainer and a pressing priority. The potential for same day, even atomic, settlement, operating via automatic smart contracts on a continuous basis, would eliminate the effect of time zones, open the market to new players, eject unnecessary and expensive intermediaries, and herald greater efficiency coupled with lower cost and risk. This added value would be felt throughout the entire process from issuance to settlement, in front, middle and back offices. There would be significant opportunities to introduce digital native instruments for both trading and settlement. What’s not to like?
Continue reading: https://www.omfif.org/2022/04/blockchain-in-capital-markets-revolution-in-waiting/

OAKLAND, Calif. : Microsoft Corp's LinkedIn boosted subscription revenue by 8per cent after arming its sales team with artificial intelligence software that not only predicts clients at risk of canceling, but also explains how it arrived at its conclusion.
The system, introduced last July and to be described in a LinkedIn blog post on Wednesday, marks a breakthrough in getting AI to "show its work" in a helpful way.
While AI scientists have no problem designing systems that make accurate predictions on all sorts of business outcomes, they are discovering that to make those tools more effective for human operators, the AI may need to explain itself through another algorithm.
The emerging field of “Explainable AI,” or XAI, has spurred big investment in Silicon Valley as startups and cloud giants compete to make opaque software more understandable and has stoked discussion in Washington and Brussels where regulators want to ensure automated decision-making is done fairly and transparently.
AI technology can perpetuate societal biases like those around race, gender and culture. Some AI scientists view explanations as a crucial part of mitigating those problematic outcomes.
Continue reading: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/ai-explaining-itself-humans-and-its-paying-2611966

What does it mean to be human in an age where artificial intelligence agents make decisions that shape human actions? That’s a deep question with no easy answers, and it’s been on the mind of Dan Huttenlocher SM ’84, PhD ’88, dean of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, for the past few years.
“Advances in AI are going to happen, but the destination that we get to with those advances is up to us, and it is far from certain,” says Huttenlocher, who is also the Henry Ellis Warren Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Along with former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and elder statesman Henry Kissinger, Huttenlocher recently explored some of the quandaries posed by the rise of AI, in the book, “The Age of AI: And Our Human Future.” For Huttenlocher and his co-authors, “Our belief is that, to get there, we need much more informed dialogue and much more multilateral dialogue. Our hope is that the book will get people interested in doing that from a broad range of places,” he says.
Now, with nearly two and a half years as the college dean, Huttenlocher doesn’t just talk the talk when it comes to interdisciplinarity. He is leading the college as it incorporates computer science into all fields of study at MIT while teaching students to use formidable tools like artificial intelligence ethically and responsibly.
Continue reading: https://scitechdaily.com/our-human-future-in-an-age-of-artificial-intelligence/

Data reveals that the Artificial Intelligence industry is growing rapidly and is expected to reach 126 billion U.S. dollars by 2025. But, what are the leading companies contributing to the AI world?
That we’ll find out today.
In this article, I’ll give you an overview of the 5 top Artificial Intelligence companies that are leading the market. Furthermore, with this article I am opening a new blog section dedicated to investing in the Artificial Intelligence.
1. Microsoft
Microsoft is one of the most successful technology companies, popular for its Windows Operating Systems, software products, and the Internet Explorer web browser. The company launched its AI platform back in 2002 and has been playing a part in AI development ever since.
The AI platform of Microsoft provides resources and services for developing AI solutions in data sciences, robotics, IoT, machine learning, and much more.
2. Alphabet
Alphabet is the parent company of Youtube & Google and uses AI technologies everywhere in its systems, be it Youtube, Google, and other app algorithms or email filters & content promotion.
Another point to note is that Alphabet is also the parent organization of Waymo, an autonomous driving technology development company.
Continue reading: https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/5-leaders-of-artificial-intelligence-ab86cf7fd04

Stories of how AI will benefit the enterprise are a dime-a-dozen these days. Applications in sales, marketing, payroll and a host of other areas are legion. But as of yet, there is precious little talk about how, exactly, organizations are faring with their AI projects. Are they really delivering on these promises, and might there be some concrete examples of AI at work that can be emulated elsewhere?
Judging by Gartner’s Hype Cycle, most organizations are close to wrapping up the developmental and experimentation phases of their initial AI programs and are now looking to operationalize them within the business model. This is a crucial step for the technology because it represents the leap from expectation to reality. Without tangible results in the real world, such as heightened productivity, lower costs or some other positive outcome, AI could get pushed back to the lab for further refinement or possibly suffer a slow death altogether.
Positive outlook for AI
According to MIT Sloan Management Review, however, 2022 is shaping up to be the year that AI finally starts to produce solid returns on the investments of the past few years. In 2019, for example, only three out of 10 surveyed companies reported even minimal value from their AI endeavors, with failures largely attributed to the difficulty in pushing the technology into production environments. This year, more than 90% are reporting solid returns on their AI investments and are planning to expand their strategies going forward.
Continue reading: https://venturebeat.com/2022/04/04/how-ai-is-making-real-contributions-right-now-to-business-models/

The world is becoming more digitalized each day. Tasks that once took hours, or even days, when performed manually, are now completed within seconds thanks to technology. The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the latest advancements in the world’s digital revolution. With greater efficiency, it is no surprise that, in the average enterprise, more than 30 percent of all network-connected endpoints are IoT devices – with this figure predicted to grow… Yet, as IoT devices become ingrained in our daily lives, cybercriminals have also found value in these nifty tools; in just the first six months of 2021, IoT attacks increased by 100 percent. As the attack surface expands, it’s safe to say that IoT security needs serious attention. But first, why are these devices so commonly targeted?
 
Dollars In Data
IoT devices collect data. This is how they function. They collect corporate data, personal data, and financial data. You name it! IoT devices gather it. While this might make the device more accurate, the wealth of data collected by IoT devices makes them highly sought after by bad actors. To attackers – most of whom are financially motivated – data means money, and IoT devices are the slot machines. Whether the device collects valuable data itself or simply acts as a gateway to profitable information, IoT devices are an appealing target for greedy cybercriminals.
A Virtual Pandemic
As the cyber domain becomes the new battlefield, IoT devices can be useful in cyber warfare efforts. Be it, state-sponsored adversaries or terrorists, malicious cyber actors can use IoT devices to cause significant damage to the victim. The connectedness of IoT devices makes launching a botnet attack extremely easy, with the consequences potentially being disastrous. Botnets execute ransomware or distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, both of which disrupt operations. While this is damaging to any victim, operational disruption to critical infrastructure will be detrimental to national security. And as critical infrastructure continues to adopt IoT, hostile actors are finding great value in these smart devices.
IoT Attack Surface With No Boundaries
Enterprises’ vulnerabilities increase with the use of IoT devices. By incorporating IoT devices, enterprises become more accessible. Today, there are around 10 billion IoT devices in use, all of which provide a point of entry to the network. Further, as the attack surface expands, it becomes more dispersed as IoT devices get used for various day-to-day activities. The widespread use of IoT devices is especially beneficial for hardware-based attacks – which IoT devices are highly susceptible to – due to the need for physical access. For instance, a smart coffee machine in an enterprise lobby is easily accessible and enough to provide a hardware attacker with network access to allow for further attacks to take place.
Continue reading: https://www.iotforall.com/are-iot-devices-an-advantage-or-being-taken-advantage-of

Traditionally, the crypto industry is considered a ‘boys club’ since most of the executive roles in the industry were undertaken by men. But now, more and more women are spearheading the initiative of breaking the stereotypes and building an all-inclusive crypto and blockchain domain. Several major projects are being undertaken by women entrepreneurs who are hell-bent on breaking all the taboos and shackles that prevent women from building a career in a tech-focused area. One such entrepreneur is Tavonia Evans. 
Analytics Insight has engaged in an interview with Tavonia Evans, Founder at Guapcoin & Block4Hire. During the conversation, she takes us through her entrepreneurial journey, the challenges she faced, and her interest in blockchain technology. 
Take us through your entrepreneurial journey and your responsibilities at Guapcoin and Block4Hire.com.
Tavonia Evans: I am a founder, blockchain engineer, technologist, and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience. I am the Founder and Creator of Guapcoin, a cryptocurrency focused on closing the wealth gap and providing access to crypto for African-Americans, Latinx people, and the global African Diaspora. I am the Co-Founder of Block4Hire.com, a platform that connects blockchain talent with budding entrepreneurs and companies. I am also the CTO of Black Wall Street, a cryptocurrency wallet and community aimed at empowering investors of color.
Continue reading: https://www.analyticsinsight.net/tavonia-evans-the-entrepreneur-at-the-intersection-of-blockchain-and-women-advocacy/

Nancy Njeri Muriithi is a cybersecurity expert and consultant and has been working in the cybersecurity space for two years now.
Njeri is passionate about technology, application security and software development. She also mentors students in universities across the country.
Ms Njeri shares her career path with the Sunday Nation.
Tell us about your childhood and educational background.
I am the second born in a family of three. I have an elder brother and a younger one who is in high school. We grew up in Embu where I attended both my primary and secondary education.
I then joined Kenyatta University for my undergraduate studies. I also pursued industry certifications by Cisco, Google and Microsoft in security.
My parents and siblings have been very supportive and instrumental in my education and career journey.
Share with us your career journey
My interest in security developed gradually while I was still in campus. I did freelance software developer projects till I got to third year and was sponsored by Cisco to take CCNA Routing & Switching and Cisco cybersecurity Ops.
The same year, I started working at RCD Africa as head of outreach and trainer KU chapter; in this role I mainly led and trained sessions in my school for women empowerment in STEM. Six months later, I started working as a CTO for women in STEM network and led the technology department.
Continue reading: https://nairobiwire.com/2022/04/women-in-tech-meet-cybersecurity-consultant-and-mentor-nancy-njeri-muriithi.html

Web3 promises to be a game-changer in the evolution of the internet. At its core, Web3 is a vision for a more open, decentralized, and secure internet, enabled by advances in technologies such as blockchain and machine learning. The applications seem limitless—especially in the context of the entertainment industry. Although the extent of Web3’s impact on the future of entertainment is yet to be seen, Web3 is poised to critically alter several key aspects of the industry:
Changing incentive structures.
There’s compelling evidence that Web3 will give rise to new incentive structures for entertainers and their fans. Increasingly, fans and other audience members want to be active participants in the entire entertainment creation process—from idea to distribution. Thanks to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which are at the heart of Web3, fans can realize this objective and become long-term investors in an entertainer’s success. A fan that purchases an NFT from an under-the-radar entertainer can see their ROI increase over time—perhaps exponentially—if the entertainer gains popularity. And, on the creator side, NFTs enable entertainers to reward early adopters and rewards fans who bet on their future potential. In the end, if all goes according to plan, a positive feedback loop is created that nurtures a sustainable community united around shared confidence in the future potential of an entertainer.
Of course, NFTs also create new lucrative incentive structures for already popular entertainers. In purchasing NFTs, audience members can be rewarded for betting on the future potential of content that they believe is underappreciated or will appreciate in value over time. Long-term fans and nonfans looking for a quick win can both stand to benefit. In March 2021, an art NFT from entertainer Lindsay Lohan was purchased for $17k and the seller immediately put it back up for sale for $78k. In a rhetorical quip, content creator @danipass0s asked:
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/falonfatemi/2022/04/04/web3-is-the-future-of-entertainment/?sh=2cceb15d423f

My dear friends Chris Heuer and Kristie Wells asked me to open Web 3.1, a new unconference series they founded. The goal of the event was to explore ways to deliver the promise of web3. This article is inspired by the research that went into my presentation and the conversations that followed. You can watch the presentation here.
Since October 2021, Google Trends data shows that “web3” as a search term started to take off. The same is true for “NFT” and “metaverse.” And with all of the hype amplifying the web3 ecosystem, the divide between its current state and its potential will only widen before it begins to close. It means that progress lies ahead. But to close the gap requires vision, utility, value, and execution toward innovative possibilities and solutions.
This is about leading web3 technologies such as NFTs, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, smart contracts, DAOs, dApps, wallets, the metaverse, and trustless networks to a decentralized future that benefits everyone. Hype and failure are part of the path toward disruption. Think “dot bomb” in Web 1.0 before mainstream successes like Amazon, eBay, Slashdot, and Craigslist demonstrated value and scale.
Right now, much of what we see defined as web3 is actually similar to the principles of Web 2.0, with centralized applications, servers, and platforms tied to blockchain transactions. Centralization has its upsides. But data ownership and portability is where the future starts to really take shape. Like 5G, and the various frequency bands before it, the foundation is set before mass market killer apps are built upon it.
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolis/2022/04/04/building-on-the-promise-of-web3-to-deliver-a-future-of-utility-value-and-empowerment-that-benefits-everyone/?sh=50de56186c50

Scientists can leverage blockchain tools, such as smart contracts and tokens, to improve collaboration in scientific endeavors between different stakeholders. This so-called decentralized science movement, or DeSci for short, combines blockchain and Web3 technologies to improve scientific research.
A primary goal of DeSci is wider participation and funding when approaching scientific challenges, as well as democratizing the peer-to-peer review process, which is dominated by a few journals in which it can be costly to appear and combatting censorship. DeSci can also create standards for research storage with the proof of existence technology. Whereas on financial blockchains such as Bitcoin, transactions are verified by a network of miners, research could also be verified by participants in a blockchain network of scientists, etc.
Decentralization of science
Blockchain-based peer review ecosystems can be transparent, and they can lend credibility to research contributed by even pseudonymous participants. Scientists might, for instance, receive a stake or “reward” for participating, incentivizing a wider community to contribute.
Continue reading: https://cointelegraph.com/news/nfts-web3-and-the-metaverse-are-changing-the-way-scientists-conduct-research

THIS WEEK, THE cryptocurrency network Ronin disclosed a breach in which attackers made off with $540 million worth of Ethereum and USDC stablecoin. The incident, which is one of the biggest heists in the history of cryptocurrency, specifically siphoned funds from a service known as the Ronin Bridge. Successful attacks on “blockchain bridges” have become increasingly common over the past couple of years, and the situation with Ronin is a prominent reminder of the urgency of the problem. 
Blockchain bridges, also known as network bridges, are applications that allow people to move digital assets from one blockchain to another. Cryptocurrencies are typically siloed and can't interoperate—you can't do a transaction on the Bitcoin blockchain using Dogecoins—so “bridges” have become a crucial mechanism, almost a missing link, in the cryptocurrency economy. 
Bridge services “wrap” cryptocurrency to convert one type of coin into another. So if you go to a bridge to use another currency, like Bitcoin (BTC), the bridge will spit out wrapped bitcoins (WBTC). It's like a gift card or a check that represents stored value in a flexible alternative format. Bridges need a reserve of cryptocurrency coins to underwrite all those wrapped coins, and that trove is a major target for hackers.
Continue reading: https://www.wired.com/story/blockchain-network-bridge-hacks/

The convergence of artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing, edge computing, Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, computer vision and augmented/virtual reality is taking society on a journey through the next wave of the digital revolution and toward the metaverse.
As one of the key enablers of the metaverse, IoT has reshaped our lives in significant ways with a myriad of applications, including smart homes, smart manufacturing, smart healthcare and intelligent transportation systems. Billions of connected devices have generated massive amounts of data that tech giants analyzed to extract valuable insight for their businesses.
However, the IoT industry presently possesses several limitations that restrict the sustainable growth of IoT ecosystems. Can blockchain and cryptocurrency help tackle industry-wide challenges and take IoT to the next level?
Internet of Things: The Status Quo
Today, a typical IoT application is still primarily centralized. An IoT company distributes smart devices to its customers and builds the entire solution that often includes various components.
These include identity management, device management, connectivity gateway, data storage, digital twin, data visualization and others, all on a preferred cloud platform. Centralized IoT system architecture was developed to deliver incredible value to customers, but it comes with five key disadvantages:
• Single point of failure: An IoT solution deployed as a centralized solution is subject to a single point of failure. Although cloud service providers have made efforts to improve the scalability, reliability and availability of their platforms, cloud platforms still experience service outages from time to time, leaving customers with smart devices in the lurch.
• Ownership of devices and data: Users who purchase IoT devices do not truly own their devices or data that’s collected. The lifecycle of smart devices is often fully managed by IoT companies, and it is quite difficult, if not impossible, for users to repurpose their devices for other applications. Moreover, IoT companies have extensively used data collected by smart devices, creating new value in businesses without compensating their customers.
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/04/05/how-can-blockchain-and-digital-payments-reinvent-the-internet-of-things/?sh=43ef9e213565

Over the past two years, digitalization within our homes has seen a tremendous boost. Accelerated by the pandemic, everyone has gotten used to being ‘connected’; our daily activities, from work to leisure, now depend increasingly on being online. Besides the growing number of connected devices per household, we have also seen disruptive changes in smart home applications, including range, functionality and performance. By 2026, ABI Research predicts that the smart home device and appliance market will reach $474 billion US Dollar. The compound annual growth rate for smart home equipment revenues, including devices such as smart door locks, cameras and smart appliances, is expected to increase with an annual rate of 22 percent and above. Specifically, the smart home market is likely to nearly triple in size.
Yet, we are just at the beginning of the digital transformation process, where devices will more and more communicate independently to each other to perform the task, while humans will set the guidelines.
Imagine the benefits of a self-regulating system to optimize power usage in and around the smart home. The photovoltaic system, wall box and other power consumers, for example, would then enable charging electric cars with green energy in the most efficient manner.
Or think of elderly people who could live longer independently in their own homes thanks to a lot of smart home devices supporting them and health solutions that monitor vital signs and connect to the doctor in case of an emergency.
The opportunities created simply by connecting to the cloud have the potential to transform practically every application, not just our homes. We will see this development growing in other areas as well, as smart city, industrial internet and mobility, to name a few. We know today that these opportunities will also offer significant societal and economic value in the future.  In fact, McKinsey recently estimated that IoT could enable 5.5 trillion to 12.6 trillion US Dollar in value globally by 2030, including the value captured by consumers and customers of IoT products and services.
Yet, to make IoT work, there are a few challenges that must be addressed properly, whether it’s a single product or a more complex solution. What we have to consider from the beginning of the design process are key parameters including:

• Robust connectivity
• Reliable data collection and analysis
• Secured device identification from the edge-to-the -cloud
• Data privacy, especially for consumer IoT, along with data security
• And, finally, interoperability of the devices and IoT ecosystems

This is where Infineon fits in.  Semiconductors make devices and machines smart, secured and energy efficient.
Continue reading: https://www.iotworldtoday.com/2022/04/04/unleashing-the-power-of-iot/

IoT and AI are two of the hottest topics in tech, which is a good reason why enterprise technologists must understand them. The two technologies are very symbiotic, so it's critical to plan for how they can support each other to benefit enterprise users.
What is IoT?
IoT is a network of devices rather than people. IoT applications are normally built from devices that sense real-world conditions and then trigger actions to respond in some way. Often the response includes steps that influence the real world. A simple example is a sensor that, when activated, turns on some lights, but many IoT applications require more complicated rules to link triggers and actions.
The messages that represent triggers and actions/commands in IoT flow through what's commonly called a control loop. The part of an IoT application that receives the triggers and initiates the actions is the center point of that loop and the place where IoT rules reside.
The control loop is only a part of the total information flow in an IoT application -- the part that actually receives information on real-world process conditions and generates real-world responses. Most IoT applications also generate some business transactions. For example, the reading of a shipping manifest at the entry to a warehouse might open the gate for the driver -- a control loop decision -- and also generate a transaction to receive the goods represented on the manifest into inventory -- a business transaction. Decisions made in the control loop must meet application latency requirements, which are often referred to as the length of the control loop.
Often control loops only require simple processing to close the loop and create a real-world response to an event. Entering a code to open a gate is an example of this. In other cases, the processing needed to decide is more complicated. When the processing must apply more decision factors, the time required to make these decisions can affect the length of the control loop and the ability of IoT to provide the features expected. A half-minute delay in having a worker scan a manifest before admitting a truck into a freight yard, for example, could reduce yard capacity. IoT could read a QR code on the manifest and make the necessary decisions much faster, speeding the movement of goods.
Continue reading: https://www.techtarget.com/iotagenda/tip/AI-and-IoT-How-do-the-internet-of-things-and-AI-work-together

A federal judge has struck down a Texas drone law, one of the most restrictive in the country, for violating the First Amendment’s protections of freedom of speech and the press.
U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman on March 28 ruled that Chapter 423 of the Texas Government Code was unconstitutional and could not be enforced by any government or police entity. The law, which was passed in 2013 and later amended, had restricted the use of drones to collect images of private property, or to conduct “surveillance” of individuals.
The law was challenged by the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), the Texas Press Association (TPA) and three Texas-based photojournalists, who successfully argued that the law improperly prohibited the use of drones to collect images used for newsgathering purposes. Chapter 423 included exceptions, allowing drone photography and videography for other purposes, such as surveying, real estate work and academic research, but notably not for news reporting.
In an interview Mickey Osterreicher, NPPA’s general counsel, said the strong ruling would likely affect laws restricting the use of UAVs in other states.
Continue reading: https://dronelife.com/2022/04/04/texas-drone-law-struck-down-restrictions-violate-first-amendment-rights/

Artificial Intelligence is being used in almost every aspect of life. AI symbolizes growth and productivity in the minds of some, but it is raising questions as well on the fairness, privacy, and security of these systems. Many legitimate issues exist, including biased choices, labor replacement, and a lack of security. When it comes to robots, this is very frightening. Self-driving automobiles, for example, can cause injury or death if they make mistakes. Responsible AI addresses these difficulties and makes AI systems more accountable.

• Interpretability: We obtain an explanation for how a model makes predictions when we interpret it. An AI system makes predictions for a user. Even if these selections are correct, a user is likely to seek an explanation. Responsible AI can describe how we create interpretable models.
• Fairness: AI systems have the potential to make judgments that are biased towards particular groups of people. Bias in the training data is the source of this bias. The easier it is to assure fairness and rectify any bias in a model, the more interpretable it is. As a result, we need a Responsible AI framework to explain how we evaluate fairness and what to do if a model makes unjust predictions.
• Safety and Security: AI systems aren’t deterministic. When confronted with new situations, they are prone to making poor choices. The systems can even be tampered with to make unwise decisions. Therefore, we need to ensure safety and security in these systems.
• Data Governance: The data used must be of high quality. If the data used by AI has errors, the system may make wrong decisions.

Continue reading: https://www.marktechpost.com/2022/04/02/building-trust-with-responsible-ai/

AI has proven to be a blessing for marketers to carry out successful social media strategies for businesses
Artificial intelligence has opened up a myriad of opportunities in almost every field, and social media is no different. In this ever-evolving ecosystem of social media platforms, it has become quite challenging for brands to gather authentic data and build creative campaigns that will attract their target audience to their services. Recently, the industry has witnessed mass digital transformation initiatives with the adoption of AI and machine learning to accelerate the growth of businesses and boost customer satisfaction. The technology has the potential to transform how brands market across social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. AI enables social media marketers to get to know their audience and understand their preferences, it also enables them to target their ads in a better way as well as create trending, creative content. The need for AI in business has exceeded to a great extent. In this article, we have listed some of the top ways in which leaders can use AI in social media marketing to promote their businesses.
Attaining Enhanced Customer Intelligence
The first step to promoting a service or product is to find out how to understand the background of the customers, their needs and wants, and what exactly are they looking for. The combination of AI and machine learning can help leaders gather such essential data and get more accurate results to build their social media campaigns.
Content Creation and Targeting
AI can help businesses create innovative content for social media and also help them manage distribution and targeting in an effective way. Advertisement and marketing professionals can use various AI-driven tools to recognize the content and generate relatable social media posts for the audiences.
Continue reading: https://www.analyticsinsight.net/10-ways-you-can-use-ai-in-business-social-media-strategy/