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Five Personal Technologies That Will Disrupt Your Business

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Spending on personal technologies is massive and expected to grow to $2.7 trillion a year by 2019.

Personal technologies such as wearables, immersive virtual and augmented reality, sensors such as those found in Internet of Things (IoT) applications and the next wave of mobile apps will soon have a major impact on every business.

Speaking at the Gartner Business Transformation & Process Management Summit in Sydney, Brian Blau, research vice president at Gartner, gave his top five picks for personal technologies that will break away from the hype and prove to be an integral component in business over the coming years.

Immersive Augmented and Virtual Reality
As was apparent at major technology shows like CES this year, device vendors and big platform owners such as Google and Microsoft are investigating how to exploit immersive technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to expand the experiences associated with existing device categories (notably smartphones) and to find opportunities among new ones (like head-mounted displays).

While consumer adoption of VR outpaces enterprise adoption, AR is seeing business adoption first.

“The potential is huge in both consumer and enterprise environments,” Blau said. “An immersive user experience enables deeper workplace engagement and can open the door to behavior change,” Blau said.

For example, logistics giant DHL has been able to improve warehouse operations through the use of advanced wearable displays and augmented reality. Head mounted displays (HMDs) replace the use of handheld scanners and paper pick lists, improving efficiency, reducing errors and making the workplace more enjoyable.

Wearable Devices
From head-worn cameras and displays, sensors and activity trackers to smart shoes and socks, wearables are expanding the body’s potential in business.

The smartwatch will become mainstream and new solutions and platforms will drive enterprise adoption.

Gartner forecasts that annual sales of wearable devices will exceed 227 million by 2020, up from 88 million this year. Form factors will move from bulky to inconspicuous and usability will improve as devices begin to anticipate user needs and wants.

Personal IoT Sensors
By the year 2021, one million new IoT sensor devices will be purchased every hour of every day.

New devices will open up new opportunities for business, for example, predictive maintenance and support for autonomous “things”. Gartner predicts that by 2018, six billion connected “things” will be requesting support.

Virtual Personal Assistants and Bots
Mobile app usage is stabilizing. Downloads have plateaued as users stick with tried-and-tested apps.

Apps won’t vanish anytime soon. However, their interfaces will fade and new interaction techniques will take their place. Apps currently offer siloed interactions, but the next wave will offer an integrated experience, Blau said.

Future apps will report to us via our virtual personal assistant (VPA), or apps will simply be hidden in the background, and their interfaces will be more seamlessly integrated into an overall flow of content.

The VPA will become the vital link for consumers and, later, business users to simplify access to their apps, data and content. Businesses should evaluate VPAs for their potential to provide better customer experience.

Advanced Camera and Vision Technologies
In 2016 and 2017, Gartner expects cameras to remain a top differentiation priority for smartphone vendors. The incorporation of advanced autofocus, wide-angle lens and, above all, multilens capabilities to be a key trend this year, delivering new experiences.

There are many potential applications in the enterprise. For example, customer digital assistants in retail outlets will recognize individuals by face and voice across channels and partners, proving opportunities to enhance the in-store experience.

At the same time, consumer video consumption is at all-time high, especially on mobile devices. For the enterprise, the revolution in 360-degree and multilens cameras could improve collaboration through shared virtual surfaces and immersive remote meetings, while video and scene analytics will decode meaning and add more value to video content.

Instead of seeing consumerization of technology as a force happening to the organization, Gartner recommends taking a proactive approach. Set up a process for evaluating personal technologies and identify opportunities to improve workplace process and actions.

 


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E-Business

TD Africa Dangles Discounts on Mercury Inverters

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In response to Nigeria’s epileptic power supply and the need for a cost-effective back-up, TD Africa, the authorised distributor of Mercury Inverters on the continent, is encouraging Nigerians to take control of their power needs with a discounted offer on all Mercury inverters.

This offer will not only reduce overdependence on the exorbitant fuel-powered generating option widely used, but also offer a seamless and uninterrupted power supply while cutting operational cost by more than 50%.

“Mercury Inverters are a game-changer for Nigerians seeking to overcome the challenges of frequent power outages,” said Toyin Adeniji, TD Africa’s Business Manager for Mercury Inverters.

According to her, the inverters exceptional performance, durability, and affordability, makes it a reliable and sustainable solution that can enhance both personal and business productivity.

TD Africa’s move to discount these Inverters will make the product accessible to more  Nigerians, providing an affordable and reliable power backup option that promises to improve the overall quality of life for individuals and businesses.

The inverters which come in 10KVA and 7.5KVA with a 120V, also contribute to environmental sustainability by minimizing carbon emissions.

While this discounted offer is for a limited time, how to take advantage of this offer can be obtained at  [email protected].

 


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FG to Train 5, 000 Data Protection Officers

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Federal government has granted the Institute of Information Management permission to conduct examinations and certify data protection specialists on a local level.

FG to Train 5, 000 Data Protection Officers

As the demand for data management grows throughout Africa, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Youth Development has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) to train 5,000 Nigerian youths to become data protection specialists.

The agreement is part of the NDPC’s ambition to create 10,123 data management related jobs in Nigeria.

Dr. Vincent Olatunji, CEO of the NDPC, stressed the growing demand for data protection officers in Nigeria during the signing event.

He stated that there are a large number of data controllers in the country, each of which must have at least one data protection officer.

According to the government, young people can now pursue data management careers and fill expected new roles in the ecosystem.

Olatunji also stated that the NDPC has granted the Institute of Information Management permission to conduct examinations and certify data protection specialists on a local level.

He stated that the goal of this move is to improve local knowledge while also reducing the foreign exchange expenses connected with international training.

“In addition, the certification provided by our in-country body will carry global recognition, ensuring our professionals are competitive on the international stage,” he explained.


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Kaspersky Warns that Scammers Hide Phishing Links behind Images

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At the end of August, Kaspersky experts discovered a phishing campaign with an unusual attack vector – through an image. This scam targeted organisations in the fields of online retail, distribution, transportation, and logistics. The cyber attackers aimed to steal corporate email credentials from potential victims.

Within the phishing scheme, the cyber attackers send emails in English, allegedly on behalf of a South Korean company. Pretending to be employees of this organisation, the cybercriminals email about sending instructions to their bank for transferring a payment.

They ask potential victims to check the details in the scanned document, which is added to the body of the letter. According to the legend, this must be done quickly in order to receive payment as soon as possible.

“The image in these phishing emails is poorly visible – this is what the attackers are counting on. Even if a person does not expect an email, he may be interested in looking at the details. However, in reality, the image hides a phishing link.

If the users click on the scan, they will be redirected to a fake resource that mimics a file sharing service from Adobe. There, they will be asked to enter the credentials for a corporate email account to gain access to the document.

However, this should never be done, otherwise this information will go to the cybercriminals,” comments Roman Dedenok, a cybersecurity expert at Kaspersky.

To avoid becoming a victim of such phishing attacks, Kaspersky recommends that users do not trust emails from unknown mailboxes, especially when it comes to confidential data, financial transactions and suspicious attachments, even if it visually looks like the email came from an organisation with a good reputation.

Kaspersky also recommends that companies install a reliable security solution that will automatically send such emails to spam, such as Kaspersky Secure Mail Gateway, and also regularly conduct cybersecurity training for employees, teaching them how to recognise social engineering techniques, for example, using the Kaspersky Automated Security Awareness Platform.

 


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