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Today’s rapidly evolving tech world can essentially be summed up in one word: connectivity. It may seem cliché, but every “dumb device” we turn into a “smart device” presents an opportunity for innovation, and in turn expands the connected world we are all a part of. In the words of Akamai Technologies , the cloud services giant that serves roughly one third of the world’s daily web traffic, “You don’t just GO online, you ARE online.”   One industry that has been hugely impacted by evolution of technology, particularly the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT), is healthcare. Intel estimates that almost one third of smart devices are in healthcare buildings – not in your pocket or on your wrist. Medical facilities have embraced IoT so much that the industry has carved out its very own piece of the pie, the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). According to Forbes, there are currently 3.7 million devices that make up the IoMT, a number that continues to grow with every pulse oximeter

Stupid Patent of the Month: How 34 Patents Worth $1 Led to Hundreds of Lawsuits One of the nation’s most prolific patent trolls is finally dead. After more than a decade of litigation and more than 500 patent suits, Shipping & Transit LLC (formerly known as Arrivalstar ) has filed for bankruptcy. As part of its bankruptcy filing [PDF], Shipping & Transit was required to state how much its portfolio of 34 U.S. patents is worth. Its answer: $1. We are recognizing Shipping & Transit’s entire U.S. portfolio as our latest stupid patent of the month. We agree that these patents are worthless. Indeed, they have always been worthless, except as litigation weapons. In the hands of their unscrupulous owners, they caused enormous damage, costing productive companies more than $15 million in licensing fees and untold legal expenses. That’s tens of millions of dollars that won’t be used to invest in new products, reward shareholders, or give raises to workers. Dozens of worthless

Stupid Patent of the Month: How 34 Patents Worth $1 Led to Hundreds of Lawsuits One of the nation’s most prolific patent trolls is finally dead. After more than a decade of litigation and more than 500 patent suits, Shipping & Transit LLC (formerly known as Arrivalstar ) has filed for bankruptcy. As part of its bankruptcy filing [PDF], Shipping & Transit was required to state how much its portfolio of 34 U.S. patents is worth. Its answer: $1. We are recognizing Shipping & Transit’s entire U.S. portfolio as our latest stupid patent of the month. We agree that these patents are worthless. Indeed, they have always been worthless, except as litigation weapons. In the hands of their unscrupulous owners, they caused enormous damage, costing productive companies more than $15 million in licensing fees and untold legal expenses. That’s tens of millions of dollars that won’t be used to invest in new products, reward shareholders, or give raises to workers. Dozens of worthless

The world is making meaningful progress in building the “new energy” workforce needed to end energy poverty. Schneider Electric can proudly say that we’ve already helped train almost 20% of the 1 million solar technicians we’ve pledged to train by 2025. Yet, we must also acknowledge that there is a growing gap in the human capital — workers and entrepreneurs — needed to deliver electricity to the 1 billion people globally without it, two-thirds of whom live in Sub-Saharan Africa. It’s estimated that scaling off-grid renewables can create 4.5 million jobs by 2030. But of the 10.3 million renewable energy jobs in the world today, just 76,000 are in Africa. In other words, less than 1% of the jobs worldwide are in the region that most urgently needs them. The same trend holds true for energy-poor communities in Asia and elsewhere. That is why Schneider Electric is supporting the launch of the #PoweringJobs campaign, a global effort to ensure the creation of an energy access workforce

No matter how much has been written about edge computing , how many presentations given or panels held, the definition of edge is still a talking point. That’s where we started during the Data Center Austin Conference (DCAC) where I hosted a discussion with Ty Schmitt, VP and Fellow of Extreme Scale Infrastructure, Dell EMC, and Sharif Fotouh, Founder & CEO, Compass EdgePoint. Why can’t we agree on what edge means ? While there’s value to speaking in common terms, Schmitt thinks we shouldn’t try to define it. Though it’s human nature to want to put parameters and classifications around technology to solve a specific problem, in this case he believes the open-ended nature of edge is what makes it full of possibilities for the data center market . “The lack of definition or consistency comes with massive opportunity,” he explained. “We should embrace the unknowns. That’s where we find opportunity galore. If edge was a constant, we wouldn’t be talking about it, and there’d be no in

Hospitals are critical buildings – we all know that. Losing power in this type of facility is extremely dangerous and can quickly become fatal to many. Hospital power control and efficiency is heavily relied on from the emergency room to the executive suite. It is essential to maintain high performance and patient satisfaction which can be done through EcoStruxure for Healthcare . EcoStruxure is Schneider Electric’s open, interoperable, IoT-enabled system architecture and platform that delivers enhanced value around safety, reliability, efficiency, sustainability, and connectivity for our customers. Designed to deliver improved safety, patients’ satisfaction, and operational efficiency, EcoStruxure for Healthcare is the IoT-enabled hospital solution architecture for digital hospitals. From existing building to a fully connected, state-of-the-art IoT-enabled hospital In Novokuznetsk, Siberia, Russian Federation, EcoStruxure for Healthcare made a huge difference to a building that w

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The electrical distribution infrastructure is the foundation through which power is safely delivered to industrial processes around the globe. This vital power distribution infrastructure operations 24/7 for, in some cases, years at a time without interruption. Behind the scenes plant managers have used time-proven maintenance strategies to avoid unplanned downtime.  Today however, connected technologies and the  Industrial Internet-of-Things  (IIoT) are enabling innovative new  condition-based monitoring services  that continuously monitor asset health and, with the support of an expert-staffed service bureau, deliver advanced notification if any asset exhibits abnormal behavior. Potential problems are then addressed long before there is a safety risk or a costly impact to plant operations. The span of critical electrical distribution assets that now can be continuously monitored include  dry type transformers   and   oil type transformers, medium voltage switchgear and low voltage sw

  Infrastructure is one of the major components that play a significant role in the efficient functioning of an industry. Be it any domain, manufacturing, packaging or assembly, seamless operations help in meeting the deliveries in time. This in return establishes goodwill of the company. Now, to bring this into place, building management system can act as the pillar supporting such positive development. With technical advancements and various research and developments happening round the clock, it is now possible to deploy Internet of Things in the industrial setup. This means that the industrial components like machines, display panels, data centers, access points or even gates can be connected in a secured network. This network can be controlled by a central hub making network connectivity sustainable. In the absence of such advanced connected systems, companies have faced unwanted conditions of inefficiency and losses. The primary cause of such shortcomings were recorded to b

To get a better understanding of how HMI is contributing to modern technology, let’s first understand what exactly is HMI and what are its functions. To begin with, Human-Machine Interface is a system which acts as a link between the human operator and a machine. In HMI, the tools and other aids are controlled by a human operator. Human machine Interface The tool helps you to interact with the machine. For example, the physical aspect of HMI could be a machine that has a touch display, a push buttons or a computer that has a keypad. At the same time, it focuses on problem-saving in a naturalistic setting. From an industrial point of view, HMI helps you intimately understand and monitor production and respond to changing production demands, which therefore improves efficiency and increases output. Due to the Evolution, i.e., industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) it has opened many doors, as the technology is so advanced it will improve the process cycle time and provide data security

Among the dizzying array of new technologies that are reshaping business today, blockchain is among the most intriguing.  The theory behind blockchain is quite compelling. Networks of computers use consensus mechanism and cryptography to allow each participant on the network (or along the supply chain) to update a distributed ledger in a highly secure manner, without a central authority.  For a hacker to breach one of the blocks in the chain would be difficult, but breaching all links in the chain at the same time would be nearly impossible.  In private blockchain, this can be complemented by access rights rules defined by each participant of the blockchain based solution, so that it is difficult to access the data of the ledger without the proper access rights. Moreover, some blockchain technologies have ‘smart contracts’ capability so that defined rules can be executed on the data of the ledger, in a similar secured way. As a result, the level of trust built into such a system is hi

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A great trait of our species has been to survive and stay relevant in our environment. It is being said in this Age of Machines this ‘humanness’ of ours is our ticket to survival. But what does it mean to be human? I searched the internet in hopes of finding a simple definition to this seemingly straightforward question. To my surprise there is no clear agreement on what it means to be human! (which is a very very human thing by the way!!). Philosophy teaches us to dig deep inside, because all answers and goodness lies within. If I were asked list top three qualities of what it is to be human, I would say – The ability to reason, use our emotions and most importantly the ability to transcend ourselves. I believe, it’s the third one which has inspired every great act ever done. It’s when we think, do and act beyond ourselves that we create value. Which brings me to why I am penning down this piece in the first place – the notion that ‘ sharing ’ helps us transcend our own learning and

The EU’s Link Tax Will Kill Open Access and Creative Commons News All this month, the European Union’s “trilogue” is meeting behind closed doors to hammer out the final wording of the new Copyright Directive , a once-noncontroversial regulation that became a hotly contested matter when, at the last minute, a set of extremist copyright proposals were added and voted through. One of these proposals is Article 11, the “link tax,” which requires a negotiated, paid license for links that contain “excerpts” of news stories. The Directive is extremely vague on what defines a “link” or a “news story” and implies that an “excerpt” consists of more than one single word from a news-story (many URLs contain more than a single word from the headline). Article 11 is so badly drafted that it’s hard to figure out what it bans and what it permits (that’s why we’ve written to the trilogue negotiators to ask them to clarify key points). What can be discerned is deeply troubling. One of the Direc

The EU's Link Tax Will Kill Open Access and Creative Commons News All this month, the European Union's "trilogue" is meeting behind closed doors to hammer out the final wording of the new Copyright Directive , a once-noncontroversial regulation that became a hotly contested matter when, at the last minute, a set of extremist copyright proposals were added and voted through. One of these proposals is Article 11, the "link tax," which requires a negotiated, paid license for links that contain "excerpts" of news stories. The Directive is extremely vague on what defines a "link" or a "news story" and implies that an "excerpt" consists of more than one single word from a news-story (many URLs contain more than a single word from the headline). Article 11 is so badly drafted that it's hard to figure out what it bans and what it permits (that's why we've written to the trilogue negotiators to ask them to c

This article originally appeared on CNBC Sustainability is one of the highest priorities on today’s CEO agenda. Climate change is dramatically impacting the planet and creating new business risks. So how are companies responding to mitigating environmental damage and ensuring long-term resiliency through increased use of digitization ? With lessons from AEG, Entrade, Walmart and WWF, leaders should consider five key strategies: Strategy 1: Adopt a One Planet Mentality Companies leading on sustainability recognize that natural resources are finite — we only have one planet . This mindset drives companies to develop innovative ways to manage resources, including new products and services. Ultimately, this increases business flexibility, allows companies to rapidly adapt, and drives sustainable growth. Circularity The adoption of circular business practices is one key way in which companies can harness resiliency. By re-evaluating the way resources are consumed, products are made,

New Exemptions to DMCA Section 1201 Are Welcome, But Don’t Go Far Enough We’re pleased to announce that the Library of Congress and the Copyright Office have expanded the exemptions to Section 1201 of the DMCA, a dangerous law that inhibits speech, harms competition, and threatens digital security. But the exemptions are still too narrow and too complex for most technology users. Section 1201 makes it illegal to “circumvent” digital locks that control access to copyrighted works, and to make and sell devices that break digital locks. Every three years, the Copyright Office holds hearings and accepts evidence of how this ban harms lawful activities. This year, EFF proposed expansions of some of the existing exemptions for video creators, repair, and jailbreaking. With this rulemaking, there will be more circumstances where people can legally break digital access controls to do legal things with their own media and devices: People who repair digital devices, including vehicle

New Exemptions to DMCA Section 1201 Are Welcome, But Don’t Go Far Enough We’re pleased to announce that the Library of Congress and the Copyright Office have expanded the exemptions to Section 1201 of the DMCA, a dangerous law that inhibits speech, harms competition, and threatens digital security. But the exemptions are still too narrow and too complex for most technology users. Section 1201 makes it illegal to “circumvent” digital locks that control access to copyrighted works, and to make and sell devices that break digital locks. Every three years, the Copyright Office holds hearings and accepts evidence of how this ban harms lawful activities. This year, EFF proposed expansions of some of the existing exemptions for video creators, repair, and jailbreaking. With this rulemaking, there will be more circumstances where people can legally break digital access controls to do legal things with their own media and devices: People who repair digital devices, including vehicle

EFF Wins DMCA Exemption Petitions for Tinkering With Echos and Repairing Appliances, But New Circumvention Rules Still Too Narrow To Benefit Most Technology Users Library of Congress Denied Petition for Exemption Permitting Repair of All Software-Enabled Devices Washington, D.C.—The Electronic Frontier Foundation won petitions submitted to the Library of Congress that will make it easier for people to legally remove or repair software in the Amazon Echo, in cars, and in personal digital devices, but the library refused to issue the kind of broad, simple and robust exemptions to copyright rules that would benefit millions of technology users. The Library of Congress, through its subsidiary, the Copyright Office, yesterday granted several new exemptions to Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ( DMCA ). Section 1201 makes it illegal to circumvent the computer code that prevents copying or modifying in most software-controlled products—which nowadays includes ev