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GDIT Study Finds Federal IT Leaders are Spurring the Transition to PQC

Olivia Rowan — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 14:00:34 +0000

With advancements in quantum computing posing a risk to current encryption methods used to safeguard sensitive data, 50% of federal IT leaders are working on strategies to accelerate the shift to post-quantum cryptography (PQC), according to a new study by General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) in collaboration with IBM. The study emphasizes the importance of federal agencies preparing for a future where existing cryptographic standards may no longer offer adequate protection against emerging threats.

The study, Quantum Waves, conducted by GDIT’s Digital Consulting Practice, surveyed 200 experts and decision-makers across defense, civilian, and intelligence agencies. It explores how agencies are addressing the PQC transition and identifying risks, challenges and technologies needed for migration. The findings reveal that while planning for PQC is gaining momentum, significant obstacles remain, including the absence of formal guidance. Key insights from the study include:

50% of respondents are actively developing strategies for PQC readiness, while 35% are in the process of defining their plans and budgets.
46% have identified key risks associated with current cryptographic practices but have not yet begun formal assessments, and only 8% have fully integrated current PQC standards.
44% of respondents cite vulnerability management as a top capability needed to discover, assess, and manage cryptographic assets, prioritize risks and accelerate the PQC transition.

The research further highlights key obstacles federal agencies are currently facing with PQC adoption:

37% of respondents cited the lack of formal guidance and strategic frameworks as a major challenge.
48% of respondents said modernizing legacy systems remains a significant challenge, while 29% cited the implications for operational technology — the interconnected systems that control physical operations in critical infrastructure.
24% reported integrating PQC into the supply chain as an obstacle.

“Quantum computing represents a turning point for cybersecurity, and achieving cryptographic agility is critical to secure our sensitive information against future threats,” said Ben Gianni, GDIT senior vice president and chief technology officer. “With finalized NIST PQC standards, agencies must accelerate their migration efforts. By developing flexible and scalable strategies today, they will be prepared to modernize and build long-term resilience against emerging quantum threats.”

The research findings will be discussed in a public webinar on Oct. 23 with leaders from government, GDIT and IBM.

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The Riverbed Global AI & Digital Experience Survey Financial Services Released

Taylor Graham — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 17:00:03 +0000

Riverbed has released the Financial Services findings from the Riverbed Global AI & Digital Experience Survey, revealing that most organizations in the financial sector hold progressive views on AI technology. According to the survey, 94% of business and IT leaders believe AI will enhance the digital experience for their users. Industry leaders are dedicated to leveraging AI as a strategic asset to boost operational performance and drive business growth.*

Compared to other sectors, Financial Services is also one of the most prepared for AI adoption. Currently, 46% of leaders surveyed in the Financial Services sector say their organization is fully prepared to implement their AI strategy now (against a 37% average). However, with the majority not fully prepared, a readiness gap still exists within the Financial Services industry. Additionally, Riverbed’s research reveals that Financial Services leaders require reassurances in data confidentiality and accuracy before they can deliver secure digital experiences for their end users.

At the same time, Financial Services decision-makers are also more assured in the practical benefits of AI than most, with 96% of respondents believing it provides their business a competitive advantage. Financial organizations are vying for an edge against digital-native startups – which demands a strategic and practical approach to AI that reduces costs, increases efficiency, offers bespoke services, and mitigates customer risk.

While AI is still maturing, it’s evident that trust in AI is growing with 65% of Financial Services IT and business leaders agreeing they would rather automate a major IT upgrade than sit in the back seat of a driverless car in a city – which is 4% more than the global average.

Investment in Infrastructure and Talent May Help to Offset Generational Concerns

Nearly all leaders in the Financial Services industry (99%) consider AI to be either a key strategic priority or at least moderately important across their organization. Furthermore, the perception of AI within Financial Services organizations is slightly more enthusiastic than in other sectors, with 62% of leaders believing their teams are positive towards the adoption of the new technology, and only 3% skeptical (versus 59% and 4% respectively as the global average).

When asked which generation is most comfortable with leveraging AI in their organization, leaders said Gen Z (55%), followed by Millennials (36%), with Gen X and Baby Boomers at 9% combined. All industries mirror this perception, potentially reflecting the broader apprehension that AI will replace knowledge-holders, and therefore be better received by tech-native employees. This generational refresh might suggest the underlying reason as to why 68% of Financial Services organizations are growing their investment in infrastructure and talent, continuing the industry’s forward-leaning approach.

Financial Organizations Set to Improve DEX and Operational Efficiency With AI

In last year’s the Riverbed Global Digital Employee Experience (DEX) Survey, 92% of Financial Services business and IT leaders believed pressure on IT resources would increase in response to the need to provide a greater DEX for employees and customers. Now, it’s becoming clear that AI automation can offer a solution for these heightened expectations, with nearly half (49%) of financial leaders reporting that AI implementation has either optimized resource utilization or will begin to do so within three years – benefitting workplace morale by supporting stretched teams with their daily tasks.

Over the same time frame, leaders in the Financial Services sector expect AI to streamline their operations by improving workflow automation (71%), automated remediation (62%) and autonomously offering 24/7 support via tools like chatbots (62%).

Currently, the primary reason for using AI in the Finance Sector is almost equal between driving operational efficiencies (51%) versus driving growth (49%) – demonstrating that these Financial Services organizations are currently more advanced in terms of AI maturity than other industries. However, it’s expected in three years’ time that the primary focus will shift towards driving growth (54%), with operational efficiencies becoming slightly less (46%) of a priority.

Generative AI is also expected to gain traction in IT operations over the next 12-18 months. According to the results, currently 36% of Financial Services organizations have put Gen AI use cases for IT operations in production or have completed prototypes they now plan on taking to production. Leaders in the industry expect to become even more progressive as the sector revolutionizes further, with use cases materializing into 71% implementation over the upcoming 12-18 months. All other respondents remain in the ideation phases for their potential AI usage.

Despite Being Ahead of Other Industries, There Are Still Doubts Regarding AI Data Integrity and Readiness

The Riverbed Global AI & Digital Experience Survey revealed three key areas in which there’s a noticeable gap between AI enthusiasm and implementation, although Financial Services continue to display above average progress in preparedness. As referenced earlier, there is a Readiness Gap with less than half (46%) claiming they are fully prepared to implement AI projects today, though this is nearly 10% higher than cross-industry averages.

There’s also a Reality Gap, with 85% of leaders in the industry saying they’re either ‘significantly’ or ‘slightly’ ahead of their competitors with their adoption of AI for IT services and digital experiences. This gap between perception and reality indicates many leaders are overconfident about where their IT function is on their AI journey relative to their industry peers.

However, the biggest concern for the Financial Services industry is the Data Gap, which represents the area in which financial organizations must seek improvements to compete with the cross-sector average – although this is still a shared concern across all industries.

“As the financial sector traditionally handles more sensitive customer information than other industries, it’s not surprising that 80% of leaders are worried about their proprietary data being accessible in the public domain due to AI usage,” said Jim Gargan, Chief Marketing Officer, at Riverbed. “What’s more, leaders also have reservations regarding the effectiveness of the data at their disposal, with only about a third rating their data as excellent for completeness (36%) and accuracy (34%) – the lowest across all industries.”

Gargan continued, “Great AI starts with great data and the data gap is one of the biggest inhibitors to AI success. At Riverbed, we are helping our customers address this data gap with a practical approach to AI, which includes an AI-powered platform that provides full-fidelity data and observability across the entire IT landscape. Additionally, Riverbed’s AI is safe, secure and accurate, providing real value with data-driven insights that allows organizations to deliver optimized digital experiences and improved business outcomes.”

Observability and Authentic Data Anticipated to be Crucial for Full AI Implementation

The survey’s findings indicate that financial services organizations are even more keen to address the data gap than their counterparts in other sectors. Most leaders (92%) say that using real data, rather than synthetic data, is crucial in AI efforts to improve DEX, and 91% agree that observability across all elements of IT is important in an AIOps strategy. This is several percentage points higher than other industry sectors.

Leaders in the Financial Services industry are more aligned with the broader consensus on the benefits of other AI strategies, including:

At least 84% say observability is either extremely or moderately important when overcoming network blind spots, including public cloud, remote work environments, Zero Trust architectures, and enterprise mobile services.
45% have established observability and/or user experience teams; and over half of organizations (55%) have formed dedicated teams to address AI preparedness.

Financial Services organizations are clearly adjusting their infrastructure as they look to continue optimizing the benefits of emerging technologies. AI is undeniably a core aspect of the industry’s future – but strategic adjustments and increased data security are still necessary before full integration can be achieved. The financial services organizations that act swiftly to address these gaps will not only produce secure and seamless operational performance, but also gain a significant competitive advantage within this increasingly AI-driven landscape.

Methodology

The Riverbed Global AI & Digital Experience Survey polled 1,200 IT, business, and public sector decision-makers across seven countries, all with over $250 million in annual revenue (over $500 million in the US, UK, and France). Industries included manufacturing, financial services, retail, government/public sector, healthcare providers, energy and utilities, and transport and airlines. A total of 200 decision makers were surveyed in the Financial Services industry. The survey was conducted by Coleman Parkes Research in June 2024.

Discover more on the topic of how IT, business and public sector decision-makers are overcoming gaps and navigating AI adoption and implementation by checking out The Riverbed Global AI & Digital Experience Survey report here.

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* Note: Unless otherwise noted, all data and percentages referenced in the press release are percentages calculated from responses to the Riverbed Global AI & Digital Experience survey. Respondents included IT and business decision makers across seven countries in the Financial Services industry.

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Telehealth Providers Praised for Convenience and Speed, but Experiences Vary

Taylor Graham — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 15:00:15 +0000

Telehealth, once hailed for its ability to overcome socioeconomic and geographic barriers and seen as a crucial tool during the pandemic, is now a focal point in U.S. healthcare delivery. But is it meeting patient expectations? According to the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study, the results are mixed. While telehealth usage has grown and many patients report positive experiences, not all interactions have been ideal. Satisfaction varies significantly across providers, and questions persist about its effectiveness for certain types of care.

“The telehealth marketplace has grown rapidly and although its usage has been normalized in recent years, we’re still in a growth phase where individuals can have vastly different experiences based on the providers they use, their medical conditions and even things like the quality of internet and phone connections where they live,” said Christopher Lis, managing director of global healthcare intelligence at J.D. Power. “Most consumers agree that telehealth is tough to beat when it comes to convenience and accessing care quickly, but it is not the ideal channel for all healthcare encounters. The wide variation in patient experience is something telehealth providers, insurers and public health officials will want to monitor closely.”

Following are some key findings of the 2024 study:

Overall satisfaction varies widely: Overall patient satisfaction with direct-to-consumer telehealth providers is 730 (on a 1,000-point scale), which is down one point from 2023. Overall patient satisfaction with payer-provided telehealth offerings is 708, up 18 points from a year ago. This wide variation between the two categories of providers and within individual providers profiled in the study suggests that patients are experiencing significant variability in their perceived quality of care and ease of accessing care.
Convenience is king, but barriers persist: The top reasons patients cite for using telehealth services are convenience (65%); ability to receive care quickly (46%); and having a condition that is covered by a telehealth visit (30%). The top barriers making the telehealth experience difficult are internet/cellular connectivity difficulties (25%); limited services provided (25%); and data security concerns with personal/medical information (15%). Overall, 65% of telehealth patients experienced at least one barrier during their telehealth visit.
Biggest gaps in experience: Among specific services in which patients indicate that they would prefer to use telehealth, reviewing medication options and chronic care follow-up are the two areas in which the gap in customer experience is largest. Nearly three-fourths (74%) of those having an easy experience with a medication review said they would use telehealth again, while only 58% who had a difficult experience said they would use it again. When following up on a chronic condition, 44% of patients who had an easy experience said they would use it again, while only 28% of those who had a difficult experience said they would use it again.
Experience varies across socioeconomic and demographic groups: Overall satisfaction with telehealth providers is highest among patients covered by Medicaid, those living in urban environments and those in Gen Y¹ and Gen Z. Satisfaction is lowest among patients covered by Medicare and private insurance, those living in suburban environments, and those in the Boomer and older generations.

Study Rankings

MyTelemedicine ranks highest in telehealth satisfaction among direct-to-consumer brands, with a score of 747. Doctor On Demand(743) and Teladoc Health(743) each rank second in a tie.

Humana ranks highest among payers of health plan-provided telehealth services, with a score of 747. Florida Blue (734) ranks second and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (733) ranks third.

The U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study, now in its fifth year, measures customer satisfaction with telehealth service experience based on seven factors (in order of importance): level of trust; visit with provider met my needs; people; digital channels; ease of receiving care; scheduling of appointment; and helping to save me time or money. The study is based on responses of 4,070 healthcare customers who used a telehealth service within the past 12 months. It was fielded from September 2023 through July 2024.

See the rank chart for each segment at the website here.

In addition to measuring patient perceptions of their telehealth providers ability to meet their expectations, the study also provides a series of measurable and actionable Key Performance Indicators for satisfying patients. Visit the website to see the results.

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¹ J.D. Power defines generational groups as Pre-Boomers (born before 1946); Boomers (1946-1964); Gen X (1965-1976); Gen Y (1977-1994); and Gen Z (1995-2006).

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BofA Launches Family Banking to Help Parents Raise Financially Savvy Kids

Taylor Graham — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 14:00:18 +0000

Bank of America introduced a new solution to assist parents in guiding their children as they start their financial journey. SafeBalance Banking for Family Banking is a bank account designed to provide parents with tools and resources to help children develop healthy financial habits and manage their money through a secure and convenient digital platform.

“For many parents, it can be hard to find the right financial tools and resources that can also instill positive financial habits in their children,” said Mary Hines Droesch, Head of Product for Consumer, Business and Wealth Management Banking and Lending at Bank of America. “Family Banking offers the foundation young people need for managing money, with support for parents seeking to help their children on the path to financial health and independence.”

A recent Bank of America survey found 90% of parents believe they bear responsibility in teaching their children financial literacy and 61% start talking to their kids about money by the age of 10.

“Designed with the whole family in mind, Family Banking offers the convenience and safety features parents seek, along with knowledge-building tools that will help set their children up for a strong financial future,” said Holly O’Neill, President of Retail Banking at Bank of America.

Family Banking can be opened via Bank of America online banking or the mobile banking app and allows parents to maintain oversight of their child’s spending and supervise the account. Key features include:

Intuitive digital experience: Allows a parent to open and add a child to an account, and offers an age-appropriate banking experience
Financial literacy resources: Easy-to-understand Better Money Habits educational resources help parents have personal finance conversations with a child
Child’s first debit card: When a child is ready for their first experience managing money or budgeting, parents can give them access to a physical or digital debit card
Flexible parental controls: Daily spending limits, card lock/unlock features and real-time alerts act as guardrails and help teach responsible financial management
Monthly maintenance fees waived: SafeBalance Banking® for Family Banking has no monthly maintenance fees while the child is under age 25
Account ‘Graduation’: As a child’s needs become more advanced, parents can add them as an owner to the account when they determine a child is ready

Family Banking launched in select states (Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island), with access expanded to additional states over the next three months, leading up to nationwide availability in December. The solution allows parents to open a banking account for their child and will expand to include other enhancements next year. The account is geared toward parents with children under the age of 16.

10 Years of SafeBalance Banking

Initially offered in 2014, SafeBalance Banking is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. This convenient, easy-to-use account has no overdraft fees and was designed to help clients manage their day-to-day finances. As of August 2024, SafeBalance Banking has grown to nearly 7 million accounts — including more than 3 million accounts held by youth and young adults. SafeBalance now represents nearly two-thirds of all new consumer banking accounts opened at Bank of America.

To learn more about Bank of America’s Family Banking resources for parents and their children, visit the website here.

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Emerson and Nozomi Networks Partners Secure Power and Water Industry

Taylor Graham — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 14:00:25 +0000

Emerson and Nozomi Networks have announced the extension of their partnership to better meet the rising demand for OT cybersecurity solutions in the power and water sectors. Emerson will now offer Nozomi Networks’ advanced cyber resilience and real-time operational visibility solutions for industrial control systems to customers of its Ovation Automation Platform worldwide. This expanded agreement integrates Nozomi Networks’ OT and IoT security expertise with Emerson’s industry knowledge and Power and Water Cybersecurity suite, helping customers enhance their cybersecurity defenses and minimize the risk of downtime from cyberattacks or operational disruptions.

“Emerson is enhancing our power and water customers’ immediate access to OT network visibility, security and asset intelligence with Nozomi Networks’ advanced software that integrates seamlessly with our industry-leading Ovation Automation Platform and purpose-built Power and Water Cybersecurity suite of solutions,” said Emily Thomas, Director of Cybersecurity and Shared Services for Emerson’s power and water business. “Together, we will deliver the deepest possible industrial process expertise, superior solutions and a proven track record of serving our customers.”

Operating in thousands of power, renewable and water plants worldwide, Emerson’s Ovation software and technologies form a reliable and innovative automation platform embodying the company’s five decades of industry expertise. Designed to evolve easily with rapidly changing technology, the Ovation Automation Platform helps to increase plant performance and reliability. The platform’s intelligent control is easy to operate and maintain and is adaptable to meet customer requirements and objectives, scaling easily without adding complexity.

Nozomi Networks’ OT & IoT threat and anomaly detection and actionable intelligence complement the Ovation platform by helping customers quickly see and respond to cyber threats before they impact process controls. In addition, vulnerability assessment capabilities help customers identify OT devices that can be exploited in cyberattacks. Nozomi Networks’ asset discovery capabilities combine active and passive techniques to safely identify OT and IoT assets.

“We’ve extended our relationship with Emerson from the DeltaV Automation Platform for process industries to the Ovation Automation Platform, addressing the cybersecurity concerns that are an everyday reality for modern automation processes,” said Chet Namboodri, Nozomi Networks Senior Vice President of Global Business Development. “Power, renewable and water customers rely on Emerson for its innovative technologies and solutions. This new agreement strengthens our joint commitment to help protect critical infrastructure around the world.”

Nozomi Networks’ full suite of OT and IoT cybersecurity solutions is now available globally through Emerson. Visit ICS Security – Power and Water Cybersecurity Suite website here for more information.

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Everbridge 360 Alert Management Introduced at GSX 2024

Taylor Graham — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 16:01:27 +0000

Everbridge, Inc. introduced Everbridge 360 Alert Management. This new interactive mobile UI revolutionizes how security professionals manage critical events, whether working remotely or from their Security Operations Center (SOC).

“The introduction of Alert Management, part of our end-to-end Everbridge 360 platform, represents an important step forward in our mission to provide organizations with the tools they need to manage critical events more effectively,” said Dave Wagner, Chief Executive Officer at Everbridge. “With the new Alert Management offering, we are enabling our customers to visualize and control risk events more comprehensively than ever before.”

Alert Management, now part of Everbridge 360

Everbridge is showcasing its new Alert Management capabilities at GSX 2024 in Orlando. Features include:

Interactive User Interface: A revolutionary way for users to interact with and manage risk events. The new interface allows users to visualize their most important alerts, assign ownership, and track status from inception to closure, ensuring a more streamlined and effective response to critical events.
Mobile Device Support: With the rapidity of evolving risk around the globe, security professionals need to be able to not only mitigate risk, but also manage it while on the move. Everbridge 360 Alert Management empowers users to take action via a fully mobile responsive UI that can be embedded in the Everbridge 360 Mobile App.
Enterprise-level Collaboration: Whether a security team is small and agile or Best In Resilience certified with multiple SOCs around the world, Everbridge 360 Alert Management was built to help organizations manage risk at scale with unique collaboration tools to help distributed teams take action when necessary.

More than two dozen organizations participated in the early adopter program for the Alert Management offering, including a leading global aerospace company, a major U.S. insurance provider, a multinational technology corporation, a popular movie & TV streaming platform, a social media giant, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, and a prominent retailer in the beauty industry.

Some of the initial feedback from the early adopter program includes:

– “Turned it on 30 minutes ago and I already love it!”
– “I love the way it looks! It’s so much easier to read and navigate.”
– “Very clean and concise looking.”
– “Especially like it on my phone. Alerts are already pushed to my phone and faster than getting into my computer.”

Existing Features of Everbridge 360

The new features are built on the foundation of Everbridge 360, which has already transformed the way organizations manage critical events. The platform integrates Risk Intelligence, Communications, Collaboration, and Coordination capabilities into a single, modernized interface, providing unparalleled intelligence and innovative capabilities:

Reduced Mean Time to Communicate: Accelerates critical communication and operational incident response processes, ensuring vital information reaches the right people in real-time.
Faster Onboarding for New Users: The optimized features and user-friendly interface enable quicker onboarding for new users.
Minimized Errors in Communication: Mitigates the risk of errors in sending communications, enhancing accuracy and reliability during critical situations.

Bryan Barney, Chief Product Officer at Everbridge, highlighted the company’s dedication to continuous innovation and improvement. “Everbridge 360 showcases our relentless commitment to empowering customers to anticipate, prepare for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from critical events using intelligent automation technology. Our goal is to keep people safe and organizations running smoothly, and Everbridge 360 is a testament to that pledge.”

Experience Everbridge 360 at GSX

The 2024 Global Security eXchange (GSX) conference in Orlando, Florida provides a prime opportunity for attendees to witness live demonstrations of Everbridge 360 and experience firsthand how the platform can transform organizational resilience. Interact with Everbridge experts, explore the features, and learn how Everbridge 360 can elevate your organization’s security and operations at GSX 2024 or visit the website here.

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Bitsgap AI Assistant Features to Enhance Crypto Trading

Taylor Graham — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 15:00:34 +0000

Bitsgap is excited to introduce its new AI Assistant features, aimed at helping traders stay profitable. With this launch, Bitsgap becomes the first platform to offer AI-driven portfolio management.

Leveraging seven years of experience in developing algorithmic and automated trading systems, Bitsgap has introduced the AI Assistant. This new feature enhances crypto bot trading by empowering users to leverage AI insights across all Bitsgap partner exchanges, including Binance, OKX, KuCoin, and others.

The AI Assistant takes this innovation to the next level by shifting the focus from managing individual trading bots to overseeing an entire portfolio. This advanced feature supports a broader range of assets, including Bitcoin, enabling traders to diversify their portfolios and engage in crypto-to-crypto trading.

Bitsgap AI analyzes thousands of pairs across all exchanges connected by the user and, based on back testing and algorithms, selects the most profitable automated trading strategies.

The bot has unique features such as portfolio management for easier control and a take-profit functionality that allows users to secure gains for an entire group of bots.

“With the AI Assistant, Bitsgap is setting a new standard in crypto trading,” said Max Kalmykov, CEO at Bitsgap. “Our AI-driven approach ensures that traders can navigate the volatile crypto market with confidence, backed by data-driven strategies to maximize profits.”

For more information about Bitsgap AI Assistant, visit the website here.

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Mobi.Ai Unveils Mobi IDS, Industry First Search and Discovery Tool

Taylor Graham — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 17:30:50 +0000

Mobi.ai has launched its groundbreaking search and discovery technology, Mobi Intent Driven Search (IDS). This innovative system integrates intuitive, natural language search with generative AI, leveraging Mobi’s proprietary database of over 40 million fully enriched global points of interest. By combining this vast content store with its advanced AI, Mobi IDS delivers optimal destinations, accommodations, and experiences for travelers, catering specifically to the needs of companies in the travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors.

AI is upending the industry and fundamentally changing how travel companies are interacting with customers. A recent report, The Promise of Travel in the Age of AI, produced by McKinsey and Skift Research, found that organizations that take advantage of the latest technological advancements “have the potential to see a 15 to 25 percent earnings improvement.”

“Search is changing in a big way with major browsers and most online travel agencies (OTA) embracing large language models like ChatGPT to offer natural language search,” said Mobi CEO and founder Anna Jaffe. “At Mobi, we leverage generative AI and LLMs to power natural language capabilities and understand guest travel intents. We then use a multimodal approach, combining our proprietary content with advanced planning and optimization AI, to deliver fast, accurate recommendations that meet guests’ specific requirements and desires.”

Mobi IDS ingests, cleans and structures data from multiple sources to provide real-time and accurate information about anything and everything surrounding any location or property, from dining and transportation options to activities, attractions, wildlife and more. This unlocks the ability to offer experience-led searches and provide specific recommendations for any customer query.

By enabling guests to ask personal questions with natural language, guests will share incredible insight into their likes, dislikes and behavior. These personal details can then be used to improve brands’ communications and marketing tactics. Mobi IDS can even integrate with client loyalty systems and booking engines to drive engagement and increase revenue capture.

“Most travelers know what they want to do on their next vacation, they simply don’t know where to go to pursue their passions,” said Mobi’s VP of Product Harriet Brown, who worked on the team that built and scaled the product behind Google Flights. “With IDS, hospitality companies don’t need to predict what a customer might want, they can listen to their intentions and provide a highly tailored recommendation of destination, property and activities to create their ideal adventure. This deep personalization will delight and inspire customers, and go a long way in building emotional loyalty.”

The basic implementation of Mobi IDS can be completed in just six weeks with custom enrichment of all client properties completed over the next two months. “Getting started with Mobi IDS is easy,” said Peng Yu, Mobi CTO and co-founder. “We’ve built a data pipeline capable of ingesting unstructured or structured data of any kind. We can accommodate any business logic or customer rules in configuration and we have a ready-made testing environment. This infrastructure is designed to get our clients from inspiration to implementation to value as quickly as possible.”

To learn more about Mobi IDC, visit the website here.

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Kontakt.io’s Sticker Tag Sets a New Benchmark for Asset Tracking

Taylor Graham — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 17:30:45 +0000

Kontakt.io has launched the Sticker Tag, an ultra-thin, adhesive BLE tag designed for tracking small, flat, or disposable assets.

Designed for rapid deployment at scale, Kontakt.io’s Sticker Tag offers a wide range of use cases across healthcare and other industries, including tracking mobile phones, tablets, patient charts, logistics pallets, office supplies, and many more.

As part of Kontakt.io’s turnkey solutions delivered as a service, the Sticker Tag creates foundational data that not only allows every enterprise to gain a real-time view of asset locations and movements, driving loss prevention; it also feeds into an AI-powered platform that turns data into insights and uncovers operational opportunities to cut waste, streamline capacity, improve experiences, and generate ROI.

The Sticker Tag is playing a key role in the healthcare industry’s largest Real Time Location Services (RTLS) deployment, in which Kontakt.io has partnered with a large health system. The initiative involves more than 180 facilities, 300 locations, 500,000 assets, and 41,000 licensed beds.

“Kontakt.io is a trusted partner for leading health systems and other industries because we consistently invest about 30% of our revenue in product innovation to create new solutions for evolving customer needs,” said Rom Eizenberg, Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Product Innovation at Kontakt.io. “Our commitment to extracting value from the data our customers create sets Kontakt.io apart.”

Key features of Kontakt.io’s Sticker Tag include:

Flat and Unobtrusive: Ultra-thin and weighing only four grams, including the battery, the Sticker Tag fits on daily-use items and small hand-held devices without disrupting the user experience.

Real-Time Tracking: BLE-connected, the tag comes with advanced RF performance combined with Kontakt.io’s Location Engine. Supported frames include Cisco Spaces, iBeacon, Eddystone, and Telemetry.

Fast and Scalable: Lightweight and cost-effective, the Sticker Tag is operational immediately, activated individually with a smartphone (Android or iOS) via NFC or in a batch at shipping for large-scale deployments. It can enable asset management use cases ranging from a few dozen to hundreds of thousands of assets.

Long-lasting, Eco-Friendly Battery: The Sticker Tag ensures uninterrupted tracking of assets with three options for battery life: 90 days, 1 year, and 2.2 years. Plus, unlike typical batteries, this battery is built with biodegradable, non-toxic materials.

To learn more about Kontakt.io’s Sticker Tag, visit the website here.

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Open Kitchen Showcases Advanced IoT Software with AI Energy Management

Taylor Graham — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 17:00:29 +0000

Powerhouse Dynamics is excited to announce its return as a key sponsor of the 2024 FSTEC Conference, scheduled for September 16-18 in Grapevine, Texas. Powerhouse Dynamics will present the latest innovations in Open Kitchen, the leading IoT solution for food service equipment management, food safety, and energy management.

FSTEC, known for bringing together the most innovative minds and technologies in the foodservice sector, provides a premier platform for Powerhouse Dynamics to demonstrate how Open Kitchen continues to revolutionize restaurant and foodservice operations. Designed to enhance efficiency and reduce costs and waste, Open Kitchen empowers operators to boost profitability and sustainability in an increasingly competitive landscape.

“We are excited to continue our partnership with Branded Hospitality Ventures and FSTEC as a key sponsor and to share the latest innovations of Open Kitchen with the industry’s top leaders and decision-makers,” said Jay Fiske, President of Powerhouse Dynamics. “The addition of new features such as DemandSmart, which reduces utility demand charges for our customers, underscores our commitment to continuous innovation and driving operational excellence and sustainability in the foodservice industry. We look forward to engaging with attendees at Booth IA-55 and demonstrating how Open Kitchen can help them achieve their operational and sustainability goals.”

Attendees at FSTEC 2024 will have the opportunity to experience live demonstrations of Open Kitchen’s capabilities at Booth IA-55, including:

Energy Management: Delivering automation and actionable insights to optimize energy use, reduce waste, and cut peak demand costs.
Proactive Equipment Management: Ensuring equipment reliability and longevity with real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance.
Comprehensive Food Safety: Providing tools to maintain compliance with food safety regulations and protect brand reputation.

For more information about Powerhouse Dynamics and Open Kitchen, visit the website here.

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