Rethinking Low-Code Platforms Through Software Automation

by Charlotte Dunlap, posted in Cloud Enable, IT Leader
C. Dunlap

Summary Bullets:

  • Low-code platforms will continue to consolidate key technologies including AI, RPA, and OCR.
  • This month, two key acquisitions build on low-code momentum: Google-AppSheet and Appian-Novayre.

Last year’s consolidation of low-code platforms, in which AI played the most prominent role, has elevated the enterprise application platforms to new heights of innovation addressing operations’ most pressing issue: the need for software automation. The latest low-code trend supporting automation is the addition of robotic process automation (RPA), a promising technology which helps enterprises eliminate repetitive tasks in the app modernization process. Continue reading “Rethinking Low-Code Platforms Through Software Automation” →

TM 5G Showcase Langkawi: Leading the 5G Race in Malaysia

by Alfie Amir, posted in Cloud Enable, Communicate, IT Leader, Mobilize, Network, Secure
A. Amir

Summary Bullets:

  • The 5G race in Malaysia is heating up with various initiatives announced by service providers.
  • Telekom Malaysia (TM) edges out the competition by leveraging its existing ICT portfolio, professional service capabilities, and R&D to offer end-to-end solutions.

The 5G scene in Malaysia is heating up, as the market is only a few months away from expected commercial availability. The regulator, MCMC, recently announced that 5G will be available to users by July 2020. Since the kickoff of the 5G Demonstration Project (5GDP) by MCMC in September of last year, the telcos have been making regular announcements about their progress. These include Celcom’s partnership with the police and municipal council on a smart city deployment in Langkawi, Digi’s launch of its 5G OpenLab in Cyberjaya, Maxis’ 3 Gbps in C-band 5G trial spectrum, and TM’s collaboration with players from other verticals to co-develop 5G applications in Subang and Langkawi. While MCMC has outlined 55 use cases in 32 sites across six states for the 5GDP, Langkawi has been the center of the attention, as the service providers placed most of their resources for their 5G initiatives on the island. Continue reading “TM 5G Showcase Langkawi: Leading the 5G Race in Malaysia” →

TM Collaborates with Eight Players Across Different Verticals to Develop 5G Use Cases in Langkawi

by Alfie Amir, posted in Cloud Enable
A. Amir

Summary Bullets:

• TM announced its 5G collaboration with eight players from different industries: government, hospitality, and retail.

• Apart from mixed reality and video, TM should also develop applications that leverage other 5G benefits (e.g., URLLC, network slicing, and edge-compute).

TM is making a major milestone in its 5G journey with its collaboration with the Majlis Perbandaran Langkawi Bandaraya Pelancongan (the city council) and Langkawi Development Authority, Jabatan Laut Malaysia (Malaysia Marine Department) as well as several other hospitality and retail players including Haji Ismail Group, Nadias Hotel, Hotel Ayda Chenang, The Loaf Asia, and Artisans Pizza. The collaborations focus on smart city and smart tourism use cases such as smart traffic light, smart parking, smart safety and security, smart retail analytics, and smart vehicle management solutions. These applications are running on the carrier’s trial standalone (SA) 5G network on 700MHz (the first SA 5G network in the country).

Continue reading “TM Collaborates with Eight Players Across Different Verticals to Develop 5G Use Cases in Langkawi” →

An Intriguing Networking Choice: Passive Optical LAN (POL)

by Steven J. Schuchart Jr., posted in Network
S. Schuchart

Summary Bullets:

• With growing bandwidth needs due to things like Wi-Fi 6 and video, options like POL can provide long-term investment protection benefits

• POL can reduce operating expenses, both administratively and from a power/cooling standpoint

The networking journey is always one of change, yet there are some technologies that we’ve used for literally decades that are not up to the challenges of growing bandwidth and device density. Indeed, new services such as Wi-Fi 6 are driving the need for more bandwidth, especially on the backhaul. Copper Ethernet cables are a great example of where a great technology is beginning to run into the harsh limits of physics. To achieve even 10 Gigabit speeds excessive care has to be taken with thick, less flexible cables and distance limits of 100 meters for properly installed cabling systems (Cat6a or Cat7). With bandwidth rising to 40Gbps and 100Gbps and beyond, it becomes a matter of much discussion on how we support networks going forward, especially in new construction. Nobody wants the expense of upgrading a building’s network cabling because bandwidth needs have exceeded its limited capacity.

Continue reading “An Intriguing Networking Choice: Passive Optical LAN (POL)” →

CES 2020: Enterprise Treasures Among High-Tech Gadgetry and Games

by Kitty Weldon, posted in Mobilize
Kathryn Weldon – Research Director, Business Network and IT Services – Americas

Summary Bullets:

• While most people go to CES to see exciting new devices and technologies for consumer applications, many of the same technologies enable compelling enterprise use cases.

• Enterprise offerings at CES 2020 featured solutions for healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, public safety, and transportation, using technologies such as AR/VR, 5G, AI/machine learning and IoT/digital twins.

As CES renamed itself several years ago in order to remove the limitation of its initial laser focus on consumer electronics, the show has evolved to include high-tech solutions of all kinds for both consumer and enterprise use cases (as well as new infrastructure solutions from network and IT technology providers). Hidden among the cool immersive gaming applications and thin feature-rich sexy new AR glasses were a wide variety of enterprise focused companies and products. Technologies including AR/VR, 3D printing, AI/automation/robotics, 5G/wireless networking, and solutions for the next generation of connected car/autonomous vehicles were featured in many exhibits and keynote sessions.

Continue reading “CES 2020: Enterprise Treasures Among High-Tech Gadgetry and Games” →

2020: Planning Is the Cure for Uncertainty

by Steven J. Schuchart Jr., posted in IT Leader
S. Schuchart

Summary Bullets:

  • The new year and all the changes in the world, both political and otherwise, can cause uncertainty and stress.
  • Planning can rationalize the risk and reduce stress and feelings of helplessness.

Our connected society is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it gives us the sum of human knowledge in the palms of our hands. On the other hand, it makes us hyper-aware of political, geopolitical, climate, human, and economic problems on a 24/7 basis. As IT professionals, we are affected by the challenges from the constant bombardment of the world’s problems, and it takes a toll on everyone’s decision-making processes. Continue reading “2020: Planning Is the Cure for Uncertainty” →

Enterprise Mobility Services Are Alive and Well

by Kitty Weldon, posted in Mobilize
K. Weldon
K. Weldon

Summary Bullets:

  • While some elements of mobility portfolios remain static, all Tier 1 mobile operators profiled in GlobalData’s new report announced new capabilities for enterprise mobility in 2019.
  • New offerings included unified endpoint management, multi-sourcing integration, device enrollment options, security enhancements, and new consulting deliverables.

Enterprise mobility services have been a mainstay of service provider portfolios for many years; as a result, some offerings (such as MDM) have commoditized and the market may appear static. Core capabilities (i.e., mobile devices, device lifecycle management, mobile device management, enterprise voice and data plans, device- and application-level security management, application development/enablement, telecom expense management, and business and technical consulting) are table stakes. But, service providers generate substantial revenues from enterprise mobility and therefore services need to remain fresh and relevant. Continue reading “Enterprise Mobility Services Are Alive and Well” →

Edge Computing’s New Ecosystem Will Mature, Expand, and Diversify in 2020

by Chris Drake, posted in Cloud Enable
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

  • Edge computing solutions will become more diverse and sophisticated in 2020, giving enterprise buyers greater choice but also complicating procurement decisions.
  • Hyperscale clouds will deepen their engagement with emerging edge computing ecosystems in 2020, expanding relationships with existing partners and forging new ones.

Edge computing commanded increased attention in 2019, amid growing recognition that IT architectures need to evolve in order to support new low-latency, data-rich digital services and applications. Edge computing involves the use of computer processing, data storage, and analytics capabilities close to the places where data is collected and where digital content and applications are consumed. Benefits include the higher performance that can be achieved when powering applications closer to points of consumption. They also include being able to make faster decisions about data collected from Internet-connected sensors on factory floors and transportation networks and in retail outlets and other locations. Continue reading “Edge Computing’s New Ecosystem Will Mature, Expand, and Diversify in 2020” →

Kubernetes, Service Mesh, API Security, and Low-Code to Dominate DevOps in 2020

by Charlotte Dunlap, posted in Cloud Enable
Charlotte Dunlap – Principal Analyst, Application Platforms

Summary Bullets:

• Kubernetes, service mesh, and low-code will drive DevOps’ innovations

• API security will enhance API gateway offerings

Kubernetes to Consolidate OpenStack:

In 2020 Kubernetes will bridge technologies between the OpenStack and platform providers’ market segments, highlighting the growing role of traditional infrastructure vendors in app modernization. Kubernetes has obtained the power to rally, helping infrastructure and cloud providers alike build out their systems and solutions in ways that take advantage of the benefits of cloud services. Cloud providers are preparing cloud management tools to enable better collaboration under a DevOps model and help enterprises through the entire process from building containerized apps to managing Kubernetes clusters, to providing fixes and debugging potential problems. A continued emphasis will be made on new and enhanced OSS technologies in ongoing efforts to improve Kubernetes.

Continue reading “Kubernetes, Service Mesh, API Security, and Low-Code to Dominate DevOps in 2020” →

When It Comes to Building Trusted AI Outcomes, Knowledge Must Precede Speed

by Brad Shimmin, posted in Big Data
B. Shimmin

Summary Bullets:

• Looking to build good artificiaI intelligence (AI)? Don’t let the speed and availability of open source frameworks, modules, libraries, and languages lull you into a false sense of confidence.

• Good AI needs to start with good data and good data needs to be ingested, registered, described, validated, and processed well before it reaches the ready hands of AI practitioners.

These are heady times. Enterprises have at their disposal both the raw materials and the necessary tools to achieve great things with AI, be that something grandiose as self-driving cars or unassuming as a fraud detection algorithm. The trouble with an abundance of materials (e.g., data) and tools (e.g., open source machine learning models), however, is speed. Speed kills, as they say.

For AI practitioners, this means learning to run before learning to walk by hastily automating decisions via AI models that are built on unsound data. With a few simple open source frameworks, modules, libraries, and languages, seemingly useful but ultimately erroneous predictions and conclusions can be readily drawn from any old data set in very short order. What’s the answer? More or better tools? No. As with most human problems, good old human knowhow and understanding are necessary. And that begins with data.

Continue reading “When It Comes to Building Trusted AI Outcomes, Knowledge Must Precede Speed” →