Blogs

When it comes to manufacturing and utilities, legacy applications have considerable sticking power. For example, a substantial number of manufacturers are still using legacy SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems. These legacy systems are unable to keep up with the speed demanded by information technology in the era of industry 4.0 – and they’re also dramatically vulnerable to cyberattacks. A recent survey by Kasperksy labs shows that almost 43% of industrial control systems (ICS, of which SCADA is a subset) were attacked or infected by malware last year.

The conventional wisdom has it that American manufacturing is beginning to die. Plant closings, mass layoffs, and rusting industrial cities are now supposed to characterize that portion of our economy. When you look at the actual data, however, this grim picture shows anything but the truth.

If you work in information technology, you probably know that when a piece of software is declared “end of life,” its end is in reality far from over. If you’re still running a copy of Windows Server 2003 – like one in five companies as of 2016 – then you’ll get the idea. Same if there’s a computer in your organization that still runs Windows XP. Although less than 5% of companies still run Windows XP, a majority of ATMs still do.

We are literally drowning in data. Every day, the combined efforts of humans, businesses, and automated processes generate 2.5 quintillion bytes of data.  We are still only approaching the upslope of an exponential curve, however. 

 “Big Data” is already really big, and as the Internet of things expands, we can expect an even greater deluge of data. Luckily researchers and scientists have come up with new and intriguing ways to make use of all that data.

Most business solutions are migrating to the cloud due to the flexibility, scalability, and cost-saving features. However, while moving to the cloud, data, systems, and services can be exposed to serious security and compliance challenges.

When moving data to the cloud, it is necessary to ensure that your information and data remain compliant with the laws and regulations of your industry.

Technology and businesses are increasingly moving to the cloud. However, certain conditions (such as security concerns, regulatory issues, or abnormal workflows of data) prevent complete public cloud adoption for some businesses. For these businesses, the solution can be the hybrid cloud model, which provides the rapid provisioning of resources on a billing/usage basis (public cloud), while maintaining the speed, reliability, and agility of an on-premises solution (private cloud).

Business is tough. Your competition is actively trying to bury you, customers are slow to pay you, and the government will abscond with a pile of your cash if you have the audacity to show a profit.  At times it can seem as if the deck is stacked against you.  If those factors weren’t bad enough, here’s another nugget of inspiration for you,

“You’re probably digging the hole, jumping in, and burying yourself.”

The good news is when you stop digging, your competition will become less relevant, and your customers will fuel your growth instead of consuming your cash flow.

What is Sales Force Automation?

Organizations use sales force automation (SFA) to automate sales activities, processes and administrative responsibilities for their sales professionals, and SFA applications are a core technology of leading sales teams.  

Your project, despite your best efforts, went completely off the rails.  Scope crept, deadlines were missed, budgets were busted, and fingers were pointed.  No amount of cajoling your developers made the situation any better, and the client, well, why couldn’t they just be reasonable?