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  • Smart Building Technology: Concept, Features, and Application

    Smart Building Technology: Concept, Features, and Application

    In the digital era, it is no longer enough for buildings to provide space, keep occupants warm, and please the eye. New demands require the digital market to offer advanced complex solutions like smart buildings.

    A smart building is a structure based on IoT technology that uses hardware, software, and connectivity to manage HVAC, lighting, security, etc., and create a comfortable and safe environment for occupants. The above elements interlinked form a complex solution that collects and analyzes building operation data in real time and improves building upkeep and maintenance as well as the experience of its occupants.

    Why Opt for Smart Building

    • Comfort for occupants due to controlling lighting, temperature, humidity, and other parameters and allowing for personalized comfort settings.
    • Automated control of a building’s HVAC, electrical, lighting, shading, access, and security systems based on collecting and analyzing data on environmental conditions, occupant behavior, and more.
    • Cost optimization due to analyzing building usage patterns and making adjustments to improve a building’s upkeep, optimize HVAC operation, match occupancy patterns to energy use, enhance space utilization efficiency, and more.
    • Reduced environmental impact due to analyzing indoor and outdoor environment conditions, occupants’ behavior, and other data to optimize energy and water consumption patterns and reduce emissions.
    • Integration capabilities due to which there is no need to construct or move to a new building to benefit from the smart technology. Modern smart building solutions can be embedded into older structures.
    • Preventive maintenance due to analyzing real-time and historical equipment data and detecting patterns leading to a potential failure.
    • Enhanced health and well-being due to supporting physical distancing efforts through space optimization and access control systems and improving indoor air quality through efficient HVAC operation, and more.

     

    Use Cases of Smart Building Technology

    Smart offices like the Edge in Amsterdam, Netherlands, or Capital Tower in Singapore use smart building technology to adjust building operations to workers’ needs and enhance employee satisfaction and productivity. Occupants of these buildings can book available office spaces, have seamless access to location information and personalized comfort settings. Building managers can handle maintenance and sanitization requests and get space and energy efficiency optimized.

    For example, with the help of a special app, the Edge knows the routine of each of its occupants: it books workplaces based on their business schedules, knows which cars they drive and takes care of parking arrangements accordingly, remembers each occupant’s lighting and temperature preferences. Every aspect of building operation from energy use to coffee machines is monitored via its central dashboards, which helps optimize building resources and cut upkeep costs whenever possible.

    Smart offices are also capable of addressing global challenges like air purification or fighting extreme temperatures. For example, with its five air purification systems, Glumac’s Shanghai office, China, ensures the best indoor air quality in Shanghai. And Hindmarsh Shire Council Corporate Center in Melbourne, Australia, has a series of underground thermal chambers and a ventilation system to maintain a comfortable indoor climate.

    Smart hospitals can bring better treatment outcomes, enhanced staff productivity, and cost-effectiveness, as proven by the Ankara City Hospital, Turkey, or the Sint-Maarten Hospital in Mechelen, Belgium. These hospitals are intelligent ecosystems with a central building management platform that controls the subsystems. Smart building hardware and software are used to lower infection risks, optimize the use and maintenance of medical equipment, facilitate patient and visitor registration, provide individual comfort settings for patients, improve energy use, and more.

    Smart data centers prioritize uptime, energy efficiency, physical security, and fire safety. They use smart building solutions that operate 24/7/365 as in NxtGen Data Center in Bangalore, India, or Interxion Data Center in Vienna, Austria. They leverage smart power supply systems that provide power independently from the public power grid, smoke detectors that identify incipient fires and activate response measures, and security management systems that ensure perimeter protection, intrusion detection, and visitor management.

    Smart life science facilities face unique challenges like biosafety hazards or intellectual property loss and use specialized smart solutions for cleanrooms, laboratories, and critical storage facilities to address them. For example, Ferring Pharmaceuticals and Develco Pharma use tailored smart building technologies in their production buildings in Saint-Prex, Switzerland, and Schopfheim, Germany. The solutions they use provide security monitoring via smart surveillance systems, control airflows, detect and protect the buildings from fire, and share building operation analytics through real-time dashboards.

  • 4 ways AI can help us enter a new age of Cybersecurity

    4 ways AI can help us enter a new age of Cybersecurity

    • AI is helping companies recover from the pandemic more efficiently.
    • The growing uptake of AI is causing concern for data security in a time of escalating cyberthreats.
    • Well-deployed AI can be used to counter these cybersecurity threats.

    Global catastrophes have historically brought moments of truth for all fields of business. In such times, their inner workings, strengths and weaknesses are laid bare for the whole world to see, as organizations rapidly alter their processes to come to terms with the new reality.

    Businesses that can make bold moves during such challenging times can quickly turn the misfortune into a benefit. So early indications are that businesses that value information as a currency, and have been quick to adapt machine learning and advanced data analytics, have emerged better from the economic aftermath of the pandemic.

    AI and business optimization

    The coronavirus pandemic that continues to ravage the world has forced small businesses into building online ventures. It has also compelled them to adopt AI-enabled platforms that offer consumer insights and help enterprises to deliver “hyper-personalized” products to online buyers.

    Additionally, AI has so far helped companies that are struggling to create safe and contagion-free work environments by setting up on-demand online labour forces.

    In a business context, AI has the potential to perform automated, repetitive tasks that would otherwise have been left for humans. It helps improve efficiency, reduces cost and saves time that could be invested in other business functions.

    However, AI requires massive amounts of data to learn about consumer trends, predict consumer behaviour and find the “next best action” to enhance customer satisfaction and boost sales. But this predictive intelligence can also foresee demand and supply behaviours and help in quality control processes in manufacturing facilities

    The trouble is that gathering and storing this data securely while safeguarding the interests of your stakeholders is no easy task. In the age of digital transformation, where everything is interconnected and shared online, internet of things (IoT) security poses a significant risk for users.

    In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase – 15% to 21%, according to various estimates ­– in security breaches. Leading platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Yahoo have become victims, compromising millions of dollars’ worth of users’ data.

    This does not only mean people must set better passwords, but also mandates that these platforms have higher standards for cybersecurity. Since data science and AI will be shaping the next stages of IoT development, data-rich companies must create efficient and trustworthy approaches to turn data into useful and actionable insights.

    Cybersecurity in the age of AI

    Data collection and AI algorithms are becoming the cornerstone of the cybersecurity industry. Automated decision-making and evaluation processes provide a wider range of protection from malicious activity than legacy solutions. For instance, AI can be proactive and monitor devices for suspicious activity, instead of relying on slowly updated malware databases.

    AI developments in cybersecurity should emphasize on making systems safer and more secure for consumers to use. Let’s take a look at how to do this right:

    1. Identify threats early

    Combine conventional threat intelligence (a list of all known cyberthreats to date) and use machine learning to understand risks. This should result in a better, more efficient system of threat detection and prevention.

    This can also help to identify any loophole or threat present in the data.

    In fact, machine learning can also be used to spot any abnormality or potential vulnerability in the midst of “normal” activity and warn users of a threat before it could compromise essential data. With the right systems in place, your hackers won’t even realize that you know of their presence, so you can take immediate measures to ensure the safety of your digital infrastructure.

    1. Prevent credit-card fraud

    Unusual activity, such as purchases made from a different device or unusual transactions, can be instantly detected using AI-powered services that help verify the credit-card holder.

    Machine learning can also help users choose passwords by warning them if a password is not safe enough.

    1. Build on the blockchain

    In recent years, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum have been rising in popularity. These cryptocurrencies are built upon blockchain, an innovative technical solution to store a secure, decentralized record of transactions.

    Blockchain can be used to enable medical records and help in security management by identifying criminal identity loopholes in the system.

    With blockchain technology, verification keys wouldn’t be required anymore. If someone tries to hack the data, the system analyzes the whole mass of data chains. Even if one data node is left uninterrupted by the hacker, the entire system can be restored successfully.

    This makes the entire system far more secure, ensuring that there is no discrete way of tampering with blocks in the chain, and the stored data can remain safe.

    1. Go deep into the data

    One of the main areas where AI can help cybersecurity is by responding to threats almost immediately. For example, in 2016 Google listed around 20,000 sites for having malware within their system. While humans can’t scrutinize millions of websites, machine learning can. It is possible to use relevant AI solutions to analyze every visit to the site, categorize visitors based on their threat level, and deal with them accordingly.

    We are entering an era of hypercomplexity, where all of our information is interconnected

  • What Processes Does IT Service Management (ITSM) Foster and What Do They Do?

    What Processes Does IT Service Management (ITSM) Foster and What Do They Do?

    Editor’s note: This is a general overview of what ITSM processes are and what they can bring to a company.

    Here at SCS Tech, our ITSM consulting team believes that the less chaos in one’s IT infrastructure, the better. And this belief proves to be right with the fact that establishing stable and efficient IT operations is one of the reasons for companies from all over the world to adopt ITSM processes. But what are these ITSM processes and why else would a company want to adopt them? We will go through that in detail below, but let’s briefly clarify the difference between ITSM and ITIL first.

    ITSM is a widespread ideology – a “religion” as some of my colleagues say – of managing IT in an organization by delivering it as a service.

    ITIL is the most popular approach to ITSM, a documented set of best practices for running IT within an organization that is built around certain ITIL processes.

    ITIL processes are often dubbed “ITSM processes,” so for the sake of convenience, I’ll use the ITSM processes term throughout this article to refer to ITIL processes.

    What ITSM processes actually are

    SCS Tech team of ITILv3-certified experts applies ITSM processes in their daily work and implements them for our customers according to the following 5 stages:

    Service Strategy (SS) is the first and foremost stage. Here, you determine what exactly your IT does, explore what your users/customers need and verify whether the IT service is worth it financially. Broadly speaking, SS contributes to the overall understanding of your IT services. Some of the processes here: Service Portfolio, Financial Management, Business Relationship Management, etc.

    Service Description (SD) is the ‘helping hand’ of Service Strategy. It complements strategic findings with a detailed documented description of your services. SD ensures that your IT service delivery will meet the needed requirements, your company will have enough capacity to deliver the services, and these services will be available, secure, etc.

    Service Transition (ST) is responsible for the conversion of your services from paper into real action. Apart from that, ST maintains your services as stable and undisturbed as possible, while allowing them to be dynamic by carefully introducing changes. The processes at this stage, for instance, are Change, Release and Knowledge Management.

    Service Operation (SO) makes sure your services work, and disruptions get solved promptly. There are 5 main processes that help SO do that:

    • Event Management: Monitors how services run. In case of trouble, it notifies you and aims to resolve it.
    • Incident Management: Aims at restoring the normal flow of IT processes as soon as possible. If something isn’t working properly, IT guys implement a quick solution, for instance, a reboot.

     

    • Problem Management: Deals with the underlying cause of incidents. If any problem is detected, the IT team analyzes why it appeared and how it can be solved properly, so that no similar incidents occur in the future.

     

    • Request Fulfillment: Tries to take some load off Change Management in ST and deals with low-risk repeated and pre-defined situations. For example, when a newcomer needs a computer installed, an account created, etc.
    • Access Management: Deals with accounts and passwords. Since password resets are the most common inquiries within Access Management, this process can enable a company with, say, 600,000 annual password resets to save as much as $1,850,000 per year by automating the fulfillment of such inquiries. And such savings are not uncommon among our ITSM implementation customers.

    According to our experience of implementing and supporting ITSM solutions for our customers. Incident Management and Request Fulfillment are the most popular processes of the SO stage.

    Continual Service Improvement (CSI) is the last stage aimed at achieving the constant perfection of your services. To do that, your organization needs to monitor IT performance and react to its problem areas.

    Thinking Of Going ITSM?

    Grasping the theory behind ITSM processes is good, but now is the time for you to turn to SCS Tech and see for a fact what ITSM will bring to your organization!

     

    What ITSM processes bring

    Being a very structured approach to IT services, ITSM can bring lots of benefits. But the other side of the coin shouldn’t be neglected too.

    The Good

    The good side of ITSM processes is that they bring clarity and transparency to your IT structure. But is there something else behind these vague words? Yes, there is. Here is what customers cite as the most prominent outcomes of introducing ITSM in their orgs:

     

    • ITSM processes help IT departments stabilize IT service availability. Armed with clear what-and-how guidelines, IT teams reduce downtime (when disruptions in services occur) and increase service availability.
    • The decrease in IT teams’ reaction and resolve time, as well as the increase in overall service availability, improves user/customer satisfaction rate.
    • A more effective approach to daily operations and the automation of some of them reduce IT service management costs.
    • ITSM processes ensure that IT services are solid as a rock and at the same time aren’t resisting change. Release and Change Management help achieve ‘cautious’ IT dynamics within the enterprise.

     

    The Evil

    Although SCS Tech helped them in the end to find solutions to each point in the ‘dark side’ of ITSM, our customers do admit that often there was some resistance in their midst regarding the introduction of ITSM processes. Here are some of the ‘evil things’ about ITSM that caused this resistance:

     

    • Introducing ITSM processes was viewed as ‘too big of a change’ since it required a lot of time and effort. But most importantly, it required a change in their employees’ way of thinking. And so, learning the new workflows was met with considerable resistance. As a compulsory condition for success in such cases, we see not only the need to have the IT personnel change their approach but also the need to educate the company’s management.
    • Once our customers decided to adopt ITSM processes, they saw that the processes were actually expensive to introduce.
    • At some point, to support ITSM, a company needs to use specific software. Free tools don’t incorporate all ITSM processes and aren’t free to maintain. Mid-level platforms aren’t that expensive but still lack needed functionality. And comprehensive ITSM systems can cost a small fortune. The choice can be overwhelming, but having SCS Tech as an ITSM consultant at their side, our customers managed to easily find a fit solution.
    • A company needs to invest in organizing training for staff to teach them the core concepts of ITIL and also may have to additionally organize training for the users of the new ITSM platform.
    • Some of the ITSM processes (especially, Change Management) bring the element of ‘bureaucracy’ into the work of IT departments. It happens with practically every complex hierarchical structure and is an aftereffect of the IT process formalization.

     

    The Balance

    Despite all the ‘evil’ that ITSM processes can bring, SCS Tech customers are inclined to think that ITSM is on the light side of the force. Obviously, a company needs to invest in changing their IT structure while introducing ITSM processes. But the benefits (the improvement of IT service delivery and reduced IT support costs) will soon outweigh the difficulties of the implementation process.

    How SCS Tech introduces ITSM processes

    Here is a high-level outline of how SCS Tech ITSM experts usually introduce ITSM processes in our customers’ organizations. Note that this outline does not apply to all cases of introducing ITSM and is subject to change under the specific conditions of a particular customer.

    Step 1: We assess the as-is situation.

    Step 2: We work out an ITSM introduction strategy.

    Step 3: We design a detailed plan.

    Step 4: We gradually introduce ST and SO processes (incident – problem – configuration – change – SLA).

    Step 5: We check for implementation problems (for example, set up mechanisms for controlling the usage of newly implemented processes so that all the effort isn’t in vain).

    Step 6: We continually improve IT service management and start to prepare for going to the next level of ITSM maturity when the customer is ready.

    SCS TECH ITSM PROCESS

     

    Our ITSM experts think that the key idea here is that no company should try to grasp it all at once. The transformation process has to happen carefully, with one step at a time, achieving specific small-scale goals (reducing operational costs or increasing first-response time). If you have trouble with that, turn to our ITSM consultants to identify your small-scale and forward-looking goals that would be a good place to start your ITSM journey.

     

  • The Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Future of Education

    The Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Future of Education

    Gone are the days of visiting the library to photocopy a few pages from an encyclopedia for a school project. As generations of children grow up with technology at their fingertips, we live in a world where the internet is their primary source of information, education, and entertainment. A recent survey found that children in the U.S. aged between eight and 12 spend almost five hours a day looking at screens, while teenagers are clocking nearly seven hours a day of screen time – and that’s not counting the time they spend doing schoolwork. Hours spent learning from chalkboards in physical classrooms has also reduced significantly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ensuing social restrictions and lock-downs. As technology and society continue to evolve and develop, the way we learn will also continue to change, for children and adults alike.

    The rapid advancement of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and robotics impacts all industries, including education. If the education sector hopes to utilize AI’s full potential for everyone, the focus should be to continue exposing the next generation to AI early on and utilizing the technology in the classroom. Teachers are already finding that many students use AI through social media and are, therefore, open to its educational applications.

    There’s also a great professional need for these abilities. “The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics sees strong growth for data science jobs skills in its prediction that the data science field will grow about 28 percent through 2026,” says Bernard Schroeder, senior contributor for Forbes. With increased technology comes increased data operations and analysis sophistication, as well as more AI. These changes will ultimately increase the demand for data scientists and other AI specialists

    The role of artificial intelligence in education

    Global Market Insights Inc. predicts that the AI education market could have a market value of $20 billion by 2027. The industry growth is good news, as AI can ultimately reduce the burden on teachers across the globe.

    However, some educators fear that in the future, AI technology might replace the role of the teacher altogether. Fortunately, it doesn’t look like teachers are at risk of being replaced by robots anytime soon. While AI programs can teach students literacy or math, the more complex impartation of social and emotional skills will remain in the domain of humans.

    How artificial intelligence is currently used in education

    How technology is used in classrooms has changed significantly in response to COVID-19. Rather than teaching in front of a classroom full of students, lock-downs forced many educators across the globe to teach remotely, from their homes. Edtech company Promethean surveyed teachers and learned that 86 percent thought AI should be an important part of education.

    Using AI in education holds many benefits for both students and teachers:

    • Learning resources can be accessed from anywhere, at any time
    • Time-consuming, tedious tasks such as record keeping or grading multiple-choice tests can be completed through AI automation
    • Frequently asked questions can be answered through chatbots
    • AI tutors and chatbots can be available to answer questions at any time
    • Learning can be tailored and adapted to each student’s goals and abilities through personalized programs

    How AI is set to change the education market

    The World Economic Forum estimates that, by 2025, a large proportion of companies will have adopted technologies such as ML. They strongly encourage governments and educational institutions to focus on rapidly increasing related education and skills, focusing on both STEM and non-cognitive soft skills to meet the impending need. Advances in technology will cause major disruptions in the workforce, as automation could replace up to 50 percent of existing jobs in the U.S. alone, Microsoft reported. The Microsoft report continues, suggesting students will need to have mastered two facets of this new world by the time they graduate.

    They need to:

    • Know how to utilize ever-changing technology, such as AI, to their advantage
    • Understand how to work with other people in a team to problem-solve effectively

    Preparing students to work alongside AI in the future can start early. As many children are already comfortable with digital technology before entering school, it’s essential to teach them the skills to thrive in a digital workplace. The workforce of the future has its foundation in the now.

  • Digital Transformation Services – Strategy & Framework for Company Transition

    Digital Transformation Services – Strategy & Framework for Company Transition

    What is Digital Transformation?

    The term digital transformation often gets associated with buzzwords like AI, blockchain, cloud, and automation. But what is it? Do you need it? And if so, what will be the benefits of implementing it in your organization.

    Digital transformation means something different for every organization. That’s why it’s a challenging task to provide a clear definition.

    Digital transformation is the integration of digital technology into all areas of a business, fundamentally changing how you operate and deliver value to customers. It’s also a cultural change that requires organizations to continually challenge the status quo, experiment, and get comfortable with failure.

    from this definition, you can clearly see that having a website and a social media presence is not enough anymore.

    There is just one thing we would like to stress. Digital transformation is a long and challenging journey. Arriving at the state from the above definition may take some time and effort.

    Why Companies Need Digital Transformation?

    In 2020 in the US, eCommerce grew by a stunning 44% and represented 21.3% of total retail sales for that year. You may say that year was special but look at the prognosis for the eCommerce market below. This trend is not going to stop.

    The transition of retail companies to the digital world is one of the best examples of what business benefits digital transformation can bring.

    And eCommerce is just the tip of an iceberg of digital transformation that’s taking place as we speak. Can you imagine a bank without online access to its services? The hotel that doesn’t allow for online bookings? Whether we like it or not, the digital world is already here. Soon, the businesses that don’t go along will be niches for enthusiasts. (Do you remember when you last used the paper map?)

    What are the Benefits of Digital Transformation?

    Digital Transformation is all about redefining processes and finding better ways to do business. The most straightforward gain from going down this path is saving resources and time.

    What are Digital Transformation Services?

    We already discussed what Digital Transformation is, but what are Digital Transformation Services? There’s going to be no surprise. They are all the services you can buy that help you take your business in the digital direction.  From collecting data about business processes to implementing chosen technology – external transformation experts can be of help.

    There are three main types of Digital Transformation services:

    • Digital transformation consulting
    • Digital transformation strategy
    • Digital transformation implementation

    Let’s discuss all of them in more detail.

    Digital Transformation Consulting

    While it might be a bit counter-intuitive to trust external experts with decisions about your organization, a fresh look at business processes can uncover hidden potential and help see new possibilities. Transformation consultants come equipped with knowledge about the industry, typical customer journey, and market dynamics.

    When they combine their domain expertise with insights they gain from the leaders and the team, they can come up with an effective transformation strategy with measurable business outcomes.

    However, consulting services don’t have to end there. Some providers offer comprehensive digital transformation solutions and take care of every part of the process.

    Digital Transformation Strategy and Framework

    Drafting a digital transformation strategy is the first step towards the real revolution. Such a document considers business processes and aligns them with technology, business needs, and customer expectations.  It examines the technology landscape to look for solutions that are best suited for the company’s expectations and budget.

    When working on digital transformation strategy, experts analyze three dimensions:

    • Current technological status
    • Business requirements
    • Internal IT experts’ capability

    Let’s take a closer look at each of them.

    Current Technological Status

    Transformation consultants take a look at all the technology that is used at the moment. They examine existing solutions paying attention to their use and effectiveness. They take into account what software is used by your clients and cooperators. Compatibility is vital.

    When they know everything about the current IT solutions implemented in your company, they are ready for the next step.

    SCS Tech can help you strategize your company current technological status.

    Collecting Business Requirements

    Organizations have different expectations regarding their digital transformation. It’s the consultants’ job to introduce innovation without disrupting daily operations.

    Once they gather data about technology in use and insights about the expected outcome, it’s time for them to draft the plan. Transformation services should align with the client’s needs and capabilities. A bespoke custom-built system is going to provide a better experience than even the best out-of-the-box solution.

    However, sometimes both approaches can be combined to provide the best experience at a competitive price.

    Maintaining Innovation

    There is one more thing that should be kept in mind during the digital transformation. Once all the new systems are built, they’ll need to be maintained. Is the organization ready for this? Does it have enough capacity, or will additional people be required?

    Thinking about HR issues when preparing the transformation roadmap can spare you unpleasant surprises at the implementation phase.

    Digital Transformation Implementation

    Digital transformation implementation is when the strategy comes to life. Digital transformation services that stay on paper don’t bring results. Sure, planning is essential, but only moving past the brainstorming phase can enhance clients and team experience.

    It’s important to remember that the development phase can falsify some assumptions made at the planning phase. IT leaders must rely on their experience to suggest the best solutions, even if it means deviating from the original strategy. After all, digital transformation is all about flexibility and experiments.

    What is the Best Place to Start the Digital Transformation in Your Company?

    Up to this place, this article mainly covered the theory of digital transformation solutions. From now on, we’re going to give you more practical advice.

    No two organizations are the same. Businesses differ, and so differ their needs. Hence the generic advice on where to start your digital transformation journey would be useless.

    However, we are sure that it’s worth hiring an external expert who will help with the preparation. His insight into a business landscape, the services you provide, operating models, your products, and the technology you use is priceless.

    Experts gather data, talk to people, and assess your business strategy. Coming from outside the industry, they can identify problems you weren’t aware of. At the same time, they may also suggest simple improvements for things that “have always been done this way.”

    Even if you decide your transformation is going to be done by the internal IT leaders, DT consulting should vastly enhance the overall experience.

    Identify Pain Points

    Another universal piece of advice for starting a digital transformation is:

    identify your organization’s pain points and aim to improve them.

    Depending on the type of your business, this might mean applying different solutions. Your sales team might welcome a new CRM. Maybe your website needs some extra care regarding UX? Or do the documents need to be printed and scanned repeatedly? Think of experiences you want to enhance.

    Typical digital transformation starts from cloud services and data integration. Those two basic steps open the gate for future digital services development.

    Practical Aspects of DT

    Companies starting the digital transformation journey need to take into consideration:

    • People
    • Budget
    • Expected results.

    This paragraph is going to answer the most common questions regarding the practical aspects of DT.

    How to Prepare your Organization for Digital Transformation?

    People

    Successful digital transformation starts from talking to people. No matter if you decide to collect data and do the talking yourself or hire an external expert. You need insights from the team. And you need your team to be cognizant of a change.

    Budget

    Budget is not a sexy thing to mention, but you need to know upfront how much you can spend. Plan your solutions accordingly. It’s better to have one small implementation than a lot of big plans.

    What to Expect During DT?

    The best way is to take the Agile approach and expect the unexpected. As they say, things have to get worse before they get better. Introducing new solutions tends to be painful. That’s why it’s so crucial to preparing organizations for a change before it starts. It gives you a chance to reduce pushback from the team, which is only natural when you disrupt the usual way.

    How to Measure the Outcome?

    This is how we arrived at the expected results section. As with any business process transformation, you have to find out KPIs to be monitored.

    Here is our list of suggestions:

    • the number of licenses in use vs. licenses bought
    • hours saved
    • revenue from new digital services
    • customer experience

    As with everything regarding digital transformation, the metrics should mirror the organization’s structure and needs.

     

  • Smart Factory: the Way to Smarter Manufacturing

    Smart Factory: the Way to Smarter Manufacturing

    What is a smart factory?

    The National Institute of Standards and Technology of the United States of America (NIST) defines smart manufacturing as “fully-integrated, collaborative manufacturing systems that respond in real time to meet changing demands and conditions in the factory, in the supply network, and in customer needs”.

    A smart factory is a product of Industry 4.0, the fourth industrial revolution, where technologies like big data, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and AI/machine learning are the driving force of digital manufacturing changes. A smart factory is the end goal of digitization in manufacturing.

    Smart factories are characterized by a high degree of complex manufacturing automation, which entails running manufacturing processes with minimal or no human intervention. Such automation is powered by industrial IoT technologies comprising hardware (sensors, actuators) and software (big data, machine learning tools).

    Benefits of a smart factory

    • Agile production process

    A smart factory allows manufacturers to quickly adapt to changing client needs, budget, product quality requirements, due to the connectivity of multiple systems, (e.g., an IIoT solution, ERP, MES, SCM) and powerful data analytics capabilities.

    • Improved efficiency of manufacturing operations

    The network of sensors allows for collecting data about the production process, environment, and equipment. This data is analyzed by the cloud software in near-real time, allowing manufacturers to make quick adjustments, for example, in equipment operating parameters. Further analysis of sensor-generated data helps spot trends and improvement opportunities through the entire production process.

    • Improved reliability of manufacturing operations

    In smart factories, the probability of human error in manufacturing operations is reduced due to high-level automation.

    • Improved product quality

    In smart factories, AI technologies are used for quality control. For example, cameras with computer vision algorithms can detect defects immediately, and advanced analytics software can help identify the cause of a problem.

    • Improved visibility into shop floor operations

    IIoT provides greater visibility into shop floor operations by providing manufacturers with continuous real-time updates on production operations and the status of industrial assets.

    • Information security

    Data security is ensured with the help of at-rest and in-transit data encryption, access control, AI-powered detection of abnormal user activity within a smart factory, and more

    • Predictive maintenance

    With the help of IIoT, data on various equipment parameters determining its health and performance is transmitted to the cloud in near-real time. There, combined with metadata, it is fed to machine learning algorithms, which help determine abnormal patterns. Thus, it becomes possible to predict potential equipment breakdown and take timely measures.

    • Improved worker safety

    Robots can replace human workers for dangerous tasks.

    Technologies used in a smart factory

    • Cloud computing

    Popular cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure) allow processing, storing, and analyzing large amounts of data securely.

    • Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

    RFID can help track industrial equipment and machinery, inventory, finished goods as well as objects and workers in smart factories.

    • Big data

    This technology is used for continuous collecting, storing, and analyzing large amounts of production-related data.

    • Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)

    AI and ML are employed for end-to-end automation of the production process, equipment monitoring, and more. What’s more, these technologies enable advanced analytics insights (e.g., predictive maintenance, detection of quality improvement opportunities)

    Make your manufacturing process smarter

    Switching to the smart factory model is an ambitious initiative that requires substantial time and money investments. To make the transformation smooth and get value early, SCS Tech suggests going in iterations. For example, it may be viable to start with introducing a cloud-based big data storage that will later become the basis for enterprise-wide analytics and provide insights for production planning and management, industrial asset management, and more. If you need advice on where to start or if you are ready to embark on the digital transformation journey, SCS Tech team is always ready to help.

     

     

     

  • How to Design a Network Operations Center in a Winning Way

    How to Design a Network Operations Center in a Winning Way

    A network operations center is an IT infrastructure management unit that has become a necessity for many companies, especially those who have to see to multiple networks on a regular basis. A NOC gives an opportunity of 24/7/365 IT infrastructure monitoring, troubleshooting and foreseeing network failures to ensure high network uptime and stable functioning of applications and databases. However, establishing an orderly NOC is quite challenging. The first step you should take is to choose the NOC’s structure that will determine your resource needs. Below, I explain how adopting a multi-tier model used in most of today’s large NOCs will help you build a structured and smoothly functioning NOC in your company.

    NOC design in tiers

    A multi-tier model to network operations center design helps effectively distribute responsibilities among different NOC levels, according to the skills and experience of NOC engineers and the complexity of issues they deal with.

    NOC Tier 1 – First aid

    At this level, NOC staff receives infrastructure-related requests and deals with simple network issues, such as login problems, checking proper network configurations. NOC Tier 1 specialists can use problem-solving scripts containing step-by-step instructions on how to tackle issues quickly. Problems that require a higher level of technical expertise are escalated to NOC Tier 2 specialists.

    NOC Tier 2 – More complex issues

    This level is represented by more tech-savvy specialists who deal with thornier network issues, which often requires a deeper understanding of the supported IT infrastructure. Some common tasks at NOC Tier 2 include resolving configuration issues, account administration, services restart, etc. If an issue involves more detailed research on the code level, it is escalated to NOC Tier 3.

    NOC Tier 3 – Advanced problems

    Tier 3 serves as the top escalation point for NOC Tier 1 and Tier 2 specialists. Tier 3 engineers are responsible for handling issues on the code or database level and provide hot fixes. Resolving issues at NOC Tier 3 requires development skills, so you can either keep it in-house or outsource to a vendor who is ready to work at the backend level.

    Build an orderly NOC

    A properly chosen structure is the key to a smoothly functioning network operations center. By choosing a multi-tier model with proper escalation procedures for your NOC, you can resolve IT infrastructure issues of different complexity promptly and make your IT infrastructure truly reliable. If you’d like to entrust the design and management of your network operations center to a reliable service provider, feel free to contact us.

     

  • The 6 Most Important Technologies in Machine Learning

    The 6 Most Important Technologies in Machine Learning

    With the sudden technological boom within the IT and development organizations a couple of years ago, both Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning have now become the trending careers for a lot of people to follow. With so many businesses coming up and clamouring for the best new talent, today, the industry is experiencing a shortage of skilled and qualified professionals. However, a plethora of tech professionals have rushed to fill in this gap by learning all of the technologies associated with machines learning and AI and adding them to their skillset.

    Since this is mainly limited to key learning languages and does not break new ground, most people in these industries are now beginning to realise the importance of looking beyond the learning languages as these will decide the future. There is no simple solution as to which technology to watch out for as things are in a constant state of flux and all the new and old frameworks are constantly evolving.

    However, since it has been established that AI is rapidly transforming every sphere of our life (think Siri and the like), there are certain key AI technologies to focus on so that one can take machine learning projects to the next level. Here is an informative list of the six best technologies one can use:-

    • Keras: This is an open source software library that focuses on simplifying the creation of deep learning models. Written in Python, it can also be deployed on top of many other AI technologies such as Theano and TensorFlow. It runs optimally on both CPUs and GPUs, plus it is known for its user-friendliness as well as fast prototyping.

     

    • Torch: One of the oldest such technologies released all the way back in 2002, it is a machine learning library that has a variety of algorithms to offer for deep learning. With an open source framework, you will be provided with the best speed and flexibility without having to worry about any complexities getting in the way.

     

    • Caffe: Being one of the more recent options, the best part about Caffe is that it inspires a degree of innovation with an expressive architecture along with the provision of a vibrant community. This machine learning framework primarily focuses on speed, expressiveness and modularity.

     

    • TensorFlow: With the initial release of this open source machine learning framework being 2015, it has been deployed across many different platforms and is easy to use. Created by Google at first, now all the top tech giants such as eBay, Dropbox, Intel and Uber use it extensively. With the help of flowgraphs, one can develop neural networks.

     

    • Theano: This is basically an open source Python library that you can use to fashion various machine learning models. Being one of the oldest libraries, it is regarded as an Industry standard. It simplifies the process of optimizing, defining and assessing mathematical expressions.

     

    • Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit: Initially released about three years back, this is an AI solution that you can use to take your machine learning projects to the next level in every way. Certain studies have revealed that the open source framework can train certain algorithms to function like the human brain.

     

    One has to take note of the fact that building a machine learning application is one thing, but selecting the ideal technology from the many options out there is another ball game altogether. It is anything but a simple task to achieve and evaluating many different options before selecting the final one is a must.

    Furthermore, learning how the various machine learning technologies work separately and with each other will be a key component of your decision-making process in totality. Most importantly, it will also play a decisive role in ensuring that you stay ahead of the pack with regard to your contemporaries.

  • GPS Tracking System For Ambulance Services

    GPS Tracking System For Ambulance Services

    We feel alert as soon as we hear the word Ambulance! Ambulances are always in pursuit of reaching to patients or carrying them to hospitals with least minimum time. Ambulance services, also called as ‘mini-hospitals’ or ‘mobile-hospitals’, can play a vital part in saving one’s life. In a life-death situation, each second counts for ambulance. As ambulances set out each day and night to serve the patients/victims and get them to nearest medical support, GPS tracking system can assist them with its live tracking and other multiple features, and save many more lives.

    Following are some of the important reasons why GPS tracking device is essential for ambulance services-

    • Assign the Nearest Ambulance

    In case of emergency where each second counts, the time needed to reach the patient for an ambulance should be least. GPS tracking system gives the manager ‘live tracking’ of every ambulance in their fleet. Thus, when the hospital gets a call for emergency ambulance service, the manager can assign an ambulance which is nearest to the location of emergency. The time for ambulance to reach to patient can thus be minimized.

    • Assess Driver’s behavior

    The admin or the manager can assess the driver’s behavior by the tracking feature, notifications & route history features. The manager can assess if the driver has taken the most optimal route, or if he/she has taken any unauthorized stops, or if the said instruction from authorities were followed or not, and the pattern of their driving can be assessed too. Also, the system can assist to determine the shortest or the most efficient route to reach the destination. This can save a lot of time which can be prove vital in cases of emergency.

    • Send Real-time Data to Hospital Authorities

    GPS tracking system, when installed on ambulances, gives its live location and the speed at which it is traveling, to the admin or manager from hospital. The hospital can take subsequent necessary measures and be prepared with the required equipment or medicines, by determining the accurate time required for ambulance to reach the hospital.

    • Curtail Unnecessary Expenses

    GPS tracking system can help drivers in assessing shortest route with its Trip History feature, & thus saving fleet’s fuel expenses. Also the system reminds the managers for upcoming maintenance of vehicle; making sure the vehicle is maintained properly. The GPS tracking system also gives a data of driver’s behavior, rash driving, harsh braking, etc. upon which the authorities can ask the drivers to drive cautiously or take any subsequent actions on it thus avoiding unnecessary maintenance costs.

    • Securing the ambulance

    The security of ambulance vehicles can be maintained as an alert is sent to the admin in case the vehicle crosses a virtually ‘user-set’ perimeter. Ambulances are equipped with high value & expensive machinery & equipment. Thus, authorities can protect their ambulances and save losses.

    • Maintain Recommended Temperature for Drugs or Medicines

    The ambulances carry with them life-saving equipment & machines in which even a minor variation in temperature can spoil the medication. Thus it is obligatory to maintain the recommended temperature. The GPS tracking systems have temperature sensors on the devices installed on ambulances that alert the admin through notifications, SMS’s for any temperature variation. Thus, any adverse circumstances can be avoided.

    • Multiple Admin Access

    In case wherein hospitals operate several ambulance services across various locations, the system can be used by multiple sub-managers assigned by the managers. The tasks of each sub manager can be assigned on the basis of number of ambulances, specific areas, etc.

    • SOS & alerts

    The GPS tracking system has an SOS button which can be triggered by driver in case of any emergency situations that alerts the admins or authorities. Necessary measures can be taken immediately by the admins by sending immediate help. Also the admins are alerted with many alarms and notifications like Vibration alert, over speed alert, harsh braking alert, etc thus keeping the admin updated instantly for any instance. The whole system can be managed from mobile or laptops. Thus, giving ease-of-use to admin and help them to take important decisions anytime, anywhere.

    When it is a matter of ‘life’ & ‘death’, every decision made by the medical authorities counts and so does every second of time. GPS tracking system can play a crucial role in saving one’s life by enabling the authorities to take informed decisions with the help of the right data provided by the system at the right time and optimize emergency response. With more innovations and evolving technology update, GPS tracking system will prove to be an integral part in ambulance service’s success.

    We understand the importance of knowing that your vehicle is secure and on your ease to track, that’s why we are providing One Stop Solution for all your safety and tracking problems. To know more about our services contact us on www.scstechindia.com/contact

  • What Is Cyber Risk Management?

    What Is Cyber Risk Management?

    Cyber risk management is the process by which you determine potential cyber threats, and then put measures into place to keep those threats at acceptable levels. Your cyber risk management efforts should be formalized into a plan, which should then be updated often to stay current with evolving cybersecurity threats.

    Considering just how dangerous cyber-criminals can be to your organization, a current cybersecurity framework is no longer just a good idea; it’s required. Cybersecurity risk management is so important that multiple organizations offer guidance and standards to mitigate cyber threats. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is one; the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is another.

    Cybersecurity risk is the likelihood your company might suffer damages because of a successful cyber-attack. This risk includes data breaches, loss of critical information, regulatory enforcement (including monetary penalties) due to a breach, or damage to your reputation after a cybersecurity event. Risk is different from uncertainty in that risk can be measured, and protected against. For example, you can block phishing attempts or build strong firewalls (a risk) but you cannot stop a hurricane from downing your WI-Fi networks for a whole day (uncertainty).

    This means you should evaluate your business several times a year to understand how your company adheres to current information security protocols, and what new threats may have developed since your last analysis. This evaluation is known as a cybersecurity risk assessment. Regular risk assessments will help in implementing a scalable cybersecurity framework for your business.

    What Are the Different Types of Cybersecurity Risk?

    Cybersecurity risks come in many forms, and CISOs should be aware of all them when developing your risk management process. To start, the four most common cyber-attacks are:

    Malware: Malicious software that installs itself that causes abnormal behavior within your information system;
    Phishing: Emails or messages that trick users into revealing personal or sensitive data;
    Man-in-the-Middle attack (MitM): Cyber-criminals eavesdrop on private conversations to steal sensitive information; and
    SQL injection: A string of code is inserted in the server, prompting it to leak private data.

    When building your risk management strategy, prioritize which common cyber incidents you want to prepare for. Strategizing for those most likely to occur within your business, or for those events where regulatory compliance obligates you to address them. Then you can move forward with creating an effective risk management program.

    Why Is Cyber Risk Management Important?

    Your business should always be learning how to adapt to changing cybersecurity standards while also monitoring potential threats.

    A cybersecurity event like an internal data breach or a successful cyber-attack can cause significant financial losses. It can also create disruptions in the day-to-day operations of your business, as you inform employees and customers of the breach and the steps you’ll take in response.

    By maintaining regular cyber risk management you can keep the chances of a cybersecurity event low, protecting your business for the long term.

    What Is the Cybersecurity Risk Management Process?

    Cybersecurity risk management is an ongoing process that involves regular monitoring and frequent analysis of existing security protocols. Generally, a cyber risk manager will work with key stakeholders and decision-makers across the business to draft a cybersecurity risk statement, where potential risks are identified as well as the company’s tolerance for each risk. Then, safety measures and training are matched with each cybersecurity risk.

    The organization then follows policies and procedures in its daily operations to keep cybersecurity threats at a minimum, and the cybersecurity risk manager monitors the overall security posture. From time to time the risk manager should also report on how well security protocols are helping to mitigate cyber risks and potential threats, and make recommendations as necessary to improve security for the evolving threat landscape.

    A follow-up risk assessment may be required to update the risk management strategy currently in place.

    SCS Tech offers cybersecurity services for Large Enterprises and SME’s. Our experts help you navigate your cybersecurity needs as your business scales, whether continuing your current cybersecurity program or building all-new network security.

    To know more about our cybersecurity service visit www.scstechindia.com/