Category: Cloud Enable

Cloud Enable examines the options available to IT departments considering adopting or managing cloud-based architectures in their business environment.

WebexOne 2021: Cisco Paints a Portrait of the Hybrid Workplace

by Gregg Willsky, posted in Cloud Enable, Communicate
G. Willsky

Summary Bullets:

  • WebexOne 2021 provided a window into how Cisco sees the hybrid workplace evolving.
  • Cisco has been aggressive in improving the Webex platform yet still faces intense competition.

Introduction

Like its competition, Cisco has made supporting hybrid work the focal point of its cloud-based collaboration initiatives.  But Cisco stands out as being especially aggressive in assembling hybrid work capabilities.  In the past 12 months, the flagship Webex platform has seen more than 1,000 improvements.  The latest round was dissected at the recent WebexOne 2021 event.  The occasion served as not only a showcase of the latest and greatest from Cisco, but also a window into how the company sees the market evolving.  Some of the key highlights are described below. Continue reading “WebexOne 2021: Cisco Paints a Portrait of the Hybrid Workplace” →

Malaysia Enterprise Telecom Update Q3 2021 – Even More Cloud Developments

by Alfie Amir, posted in Cloud Enable

Summary Bullets:

A. Amir

• The rapid increase in cloud demand is pushing providers to innovate and drive the market competition.

• Malaysian telcos continued to add new capabilities through acquisition and partnerships.

This report discusses major enterprise telecom events based on announcements from industry players in the recent quarter For more on the previous update, please see Malaysia Enterprise Telecom Update Q2 2021: Major Cloud Developments, July 27, 2021.

1. Maxis Launched Right Cloud: Maxis stepped up its cloud play with the launch of Right Cloud. Moving from the basic cloud service (IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS) player, Maxis Right Cloud offers multicloud solutions that manage workload across multiple environments. Further, it also offers Right Network, integrating its cloud with network services, and Right Expertise, for cloud professional services.

Continue reading “Malaysia Enterprise Telecom Update Q3 2021 – Even More Cloud Developments” →

Field Solutions Group: The Rural Telco Tier 1s Should Keep an Eye On

by Malcolm Rogers, posted in Cloud Enable, Internet of Things, IT Leader, Mobilize, Network

M. Rogers

Summary Bullets:

  • FSG, a telco focused only on regional and rural Australia, is set to become Australia’s fourth MNO in 2022 as it builds out a 200-plus tower network.
  • The company has valuable spectrum assets, a unique neutral host approach, and a focus on critical verticals to become a threat in the enterprise 5G market in rural areas.

A little-known, fledgling telecom company called Field Solutions Group (FSG) has quietly become Australia’s fourth mobile network operator.  The company, which focuses specifically on providing FWA, NBN, and mobile services to regional and rural Australian businesses and government organizations, has an ambitious plan to build out more than 200 mobile towers in regional and rural Australia by 2023.  Currently, the company only offers FWA on its ‘Regional Australia Network,’ but through government grants from the Mobile Blackspot Program, technology partnerships with Optus, and the recent acquisition of Tasmanet, the company hopes to be a disruptive fourth MNO option for regional and rural governments and businesses.  While the company is small, earning AUD 18.8 million in FY 2021 (ended June 30, 2021), the company has a few things working in its favor that could enable it to become a real challenger to the largest telcos when competing for business and enterprise 5G revenues in rural and regional Australia over the coming years. Continue reading “Field Solutions Group: The Rural Telco Tier 1s Should Keep an Eye On” →

Malaysia Budget 2022 Enterprise ICT Takeaways: Sustainability and 5G Ecosystem

by Alfie Amir, posted in Cloud Enable, Communicate

Summary Bullets:

A. Amir

• Sustainability is becoming increasingly important and should be part of enterprise ICT solution propositions.

• The TPM innovation hub will drive the enterprise 5G ecosystem and development in the country.

The Malaysian government announced the country budget for 2022 last week, allocating MYR332 billion ($80 billion) on operating and development expenditure as well as the COVID-19 Fund. The theme of the budget is mainly around economic recovery from the pandemic and there are also various initiatives in the overall ICT industry such as connectivity expansion in underserved areas, more funds for startups, and additional digital adoption grants for enterprises. However, sustainability and 5G ecosystem are rather new and would have higher impacts on the domestic enterprise ICT market.

Sustainability and Environmental

Initiatives: The government announced several initiatives such as the Voluntary Carbon Market to facilitate carbon credit trading and the Low Carbon Transition Facility to drive enterprises to adopt sustainability practices.

Continue reading “Malaysia Budget 2022 Enterprise ICT Takeaways: Sustainability and 5G Ecosystem” →

Finance Organizations Require a Range of AI Tools

by Rena Bhattacharyya, posted in Big Data, Cloud Enable, IT Leader

Summary Bullets:

R. Bhattacharyya

• Financial organizations are using artificial intelligence (AI) in multiple ways, including to improve service, better understand customers, gauge risk and predict market movements, and speed claims processing.

• Recent results from GlobalData’s 2021 ICT Customer Insight survey reveal that between 25-27% of digital spending by companies in finance will go towards artificial intelligence and machine learning.

For years the finance industry, which encompasses organizations in financial services, insurance, and banking, has been a strong adopter of AI. Financial organizations are AI in multiple ways, including to improve service, better understand customers, gauge risk and predict market movements, and speed claims processing. For example, chatbots and natural language processing (NLP) assist with customer support, optical character recognition (OCR) helps with the ingestion of information from documents, computer vision analyzes images and videos to speed claim processing, and machine learning (ML) models assess risk, detect fraud, and help determine rating and pricing.

Continue reading “Finance Organizations Require a Range of AI Tools” →

ASEAN 5G Q3 2021 Roundup: Competition Heats Up

by Alfie Amir, posted in Cloud Enable, Internet of Things, IT Leader, Mobilize, Network, Secure

A. Amir

Summary Bullets:

  • The domestic competitions across ASEAN are heating up as providers are moving from network deployment to the solution development stage.
  • Leading providers are starting to commercialize their edge computing services and gain a first-mover advantage.

The enterprise 5G market in ASEAN is moving from network deployment to the solution development stage, led by early adopters such as the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.  Most telcos in these countries such as Globe, PLDT, M1, Singtel, Starhub, and AIS have enabled 5G standalone (SA) networks to support a wider range of enterprises applications through edge integration, lower latency, and network slicing.  The competition at the country level is also heating up, as providers are beginning to commercialize the solutions they have been developing through industry collaborations.  This includes Singtel’s edge computing and AIS’ 5G smart manufacturing solutions.  Service providers are also expanding their collaboration initiatives with enterprises from across verticals and are expected to launch more applications in the market in the near term.  AIS and Globe are Singtel’s associates; hence, the three providers could also gain an advantage in 5G solution development in their respective markets through knowledge and partner sharing. Continue reading “ASEAN 5G Q3 2021 Roundup: Competition Heats Up” →

Collaboration Finds a Seat at the DevOps Table

by Charlotte Dunlap, posted in Big Data, Cloud Enable, Communicate, IT Leader

C. Dunlap

Summary Bullets:

  • Salesforce’s Slack integration into high-productivity platforms eases IT’s ALM demands.
  • Microsoft initiated collaboration integration with developer platforms via Teams and Power Platforms.

Why have collaboration tools suddenly become an indispensable piece of the DevOps toolbox? Well, some might say the advent of the global pandemic and the rise of low-code’s prominence after being injected with AI have created the perfect storm for shoring up the next wave in app modernization. Continue reading “Collaboration Finds a Seat at the DevOps Table” →

Connected Technology and Data Are Part of the Solution for Environmental Sustainability

by Dustin Kehoe, posted in Cloud Enable, Communicate, Internet of Things, IT Leader, Mobilize, Network, Secure

D. Kehoe

Summary Bullets:

  • ICT contributes to a carbon footprint, but stats alone do not provide the full picture.
  • The industry is setting its own goals, but also enabling so many other sectors to be greener.
  • In the past two years, technology really kept us connected in the most challenging times.

GlobalData’s thematic research shows sustainability is one of the most important themes discussed in corporate boardrooms.  While previous decades have witnessed environmental movements, the current wave is unprecedented.  Each headline-grabbing event reinforces public opinion that companies must become more sustainable.  Sustainability is being reported in annual reports and established into corporate strategy.  Over the coming decade, the issue will further transform the way that business is conducted and extend across the supply chain.  Companies that take sustainability seriously now will be better placed to succeed, and technology will be part of the solution. Continue reading “Connected Technology and Data Are Part of the Solution for Environmental Sustainability” →

Amazon Web Services Commits $40 Million to Improve Health Outcomes in Underserved Communities

by Amy Larsen DeCarlo, posted in Cloud Enable

Summary Bullets:

Amy Larsen DeCarlo – Principal Analyst, Security and Data Center Services

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) earmarked $40 million over the next three years to support organizations working to advance healthcare equity over the next three years via AWS credits and technical support

• This is a follow on to a program AWS launched in 2020 to improve health diagnostics in which it has so far assisted 87 organizations in 17 countries

AWS is flexing a fairly mighty philanthropic muscle with a new program dedicated to advancing global healthcare equity and improving medical outcomes. By offering qualified non-profits, research institutions, and other organizations computing credits, technology, and other supports, AWS is hoping to advance an agenda to better support underserved and underrepresented communities. The program is directed to organizations developing cloud-based healthcare solutions.

The AWS program is targeted at organizations that are addressing any of three major imperatives: Expanding access to health services; lessening disproportionate negative health outcomes in underrepresented communities by addressing root causes of disease and illness; and tapping into larger data sets to promote equitable care systems.

Continue reading “Amazon Web Services Commits $40 Million to Improve Health Outcomes in Underserved Communities” →

5G War Begins Again in Malaysia as Launch Nears

by Alfie Amir, posted in Big Data, Cloud Enable, Internet of Things, IT Leader, Mobilize, Network

A. Amir

Summary Bullets:

  • Service providers are picking up their pace again in developing 5G capabilities.
  • Solution co-creation is key not just in building solution capabilities but also in driving brand share.

Early Pace of 5G in Malaysia

Malaysia had an early start with 5G.  The race between service providers began in mid-2019 when Celcom launched the country’s first live 5G cluster trial that enabled various use cases across multiple verticals (for more, please see “Celcom Leads the 5G Race in Malaysia with 5G Live Cluster Field Trial,” July 29, 2019).  This was only a few months after the launch of the very first commercial 5G network in the world.  Not long after that, Maxis announced a partnership with Huawei to deploy 5G and develop use cases, Digi partnered with Cyberview on the 5G OpenLab to co-create 5G smart city applications, and TM shared its plan to be the first provider to offer 5G standalone (SA) network.  The government, MCMC, also played key roles in driving the technology development in the country.  It established a 5G task force in December 2018, hosted a 5G event in April 2019, collaborated with telcos and other industry players to launch 55 use cases across 32 locations (5GDP), and planned for commercial availability of the technology in the first half of 2020 (for more, please see “5G Enterprise in Malaysia: Strong Push by the Government Despite Low Market Maturity,” October 17, 2019).  It was ahead of many other countries in the region. Continue reading “5G War Begins Again in Malaysia as Launch Nears” →