Posts in Category: industry

The Cloud Becomes the Go-To Platform for Growth

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The ‘cloud-first’ strategy doesn’t work everywhere and for everyone, but where it does, it works wonders. Recent studies have found that cloud-centric strategies (SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS) are paying off big time for those with vision. So much so that organizations are now using the cloud as a strategic platform for expanding sales channels and growing customer demand.

Ten years ago you could count the available cloud applications on the fingers of one hand. Today, they are everywhere. CIOs and CTOs in 2015 are as much geeks as they are businessmen – because cloud investing has become a lucrative business in and of itself.

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Companies Today Prefer to Outsource Communication and Collaboration

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If there’s one thing you want to hear in business, it’s a good forecast. Today, we have one such forecast to share with everyone doing business in the Unified Communications market. Grand View Research estimates that the UC segment will be a $75 billion market by 2020. A report released by the company this month takes a deeper look at the products and their application in key areas around the globe.

Grand View Research has no doubt that the global Unified Communications market is ballooning and explains why this is happening. First on the list of reasons is BYOD (bring your own device), a phenomenon that requires little explanation. Second is the emergence of Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS). The research found that more and more companies

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Hubgets, Or How To Get ROI Without Dwelling On It

Photo by Michael Longmire on Unsplash

Moving into cloud territory isn’t about getting a rapid return on investment (ROI), but about giving your company a competitive edge (i.e. speeding up your time to market). Those who are obsessed with ROI are missing the point of cloud apps, and cloud computing in general.

CTOs and CIOs today are savvier than ever, no longer fixated on the ROI for cloud investments – though it’s still a pressing issue for many. According to Brett Gillett of Softchoice, a Toronto-based software reseller, two years ago business leaders would make one-to-one comparisons to see if the cloud version of a certain service fared better. Today, executives are on much better terms with cloud services (SaaS, Paas, IaaS, UCaaS). And here’s why.

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Google Shrinks Down the Internet with Brotli Compression Algorithm

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Last time anyone counted heads on the Internet, there were more than 3.2 billion active users scattered worldwide (more or less evenly). The World Wide Web Consortium (WC3) has even had to adopt new types of IP addresses (IPv6) because the older ones (IPv4) were running out. The data generated annually is being measured in exabytes (1 billion gigabytes). Internet providers estimate that annual global IP traffic will shift into a new gear, passing the zettabyte threshold by the end of 2016. For who’s asking, that’s 1024 exabytes.

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The Hidden ROI of User Experience [Infographic]

Ever ask yourself what the ROI of User Experience is? Not many business leaders do, despite UX playing a crucial role in the success of a given product or service.

Experience Dynamics has put together an extensive infographic that attacks the subject from every angle, showing that UX holds a return of investment (ROI) that far exceeds any forecast. For example, did you know that if you get the User Interface right you will have likely eliminated as many as 80% of the unforeseen issues that lay ahead? Or that good UX reduces development time by 33-to50 percent as it helps prioritize dev tasks more easily?

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Technology Is Evolving Faster Than We Can Handle It

Photo by Alessio Ferretti on Unsplash

Not too long ago, we discussed how a number of African countries were going mobile before they could even be fitted with landlines. Cell phones are dirt cheap today and ‘wireless’ is the norm, so it’s no surprise that copper-wire infrastructures are becoming irrelevant.

The same thing is happening across other industries and applications. According to a survey commissioned by Deloitte,

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Why iOS Gets More Apps Faster Than Android [Infographic]

Device Fragmentation - Why iOS Gets More Apps Faster Than Android | Image credits: OpenSignal

It’s no mystery that despite having less reach than Android, iOS is preferred by developers who put bread on the table by coding apps. The reason? Well, there are many reasons for that, but there is one crucial aspect where Android fares much worse than iOS: fragmentation.

Device fragmentation is both good and bad, depending on how you look at it. If you’re Google, fragmentation is good because it means you get to put your OS on a plethora of devices big and small, cheap or pricey, and in countries where Apple has yet to sell its expensive iPhone and iPad. But if you’re a developer or a regular user, fragmentation is not so good.

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Unified Communications Adds Extra Layer of Safety at Motorcycle Rally

Photo by Andrew Ruiz on Unsplash

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, an American motor-sport event held annually in Sturgis, South Dakota, is one of the largest motorcycle rallies in the world. Because it rakes in nearly a billion dollars in annual revenue, the event draws considerable crowds. Noisy engines and big crowds usually means at least a few incidents, so emergency responders have to be on alert.

Held during the first full week of August, the rally began in the ’30s as an event for stunts and races. Over the decades, it has evolved to become a nearly-sacred meeting for motorcycle enthusiasts from around the world. According to Rapid City Journal, emergency responders were much better equipped at this year’s rally, all thanks to a new tool.

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An Apple Event Packed With Awesome

In usual fashion, Cupertino behemoth Apple Inc. yesterday put its finest execs on stage to announce all-new products and upgrades, taking the world by storm in a 2-hour event marked with unprecedented oomph.

This isn’t a liveblogging session, so we’ll jump right to the quick. One of the less exciting announcements Apple made yesterday was the Apple Watch update, which included Watch OS 2, new apps, new finishes, new bands, etc. Then came the iPad Pro. And everything changed.

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