Archive for September 27, 2017

Twitter Testing 280 Character Limit

Posted in Commentary with tags on September 27, 2017 by itnerd

Twitter today announced that it is going to “try out” a longer character limit. If successful, it will double the current 140-character limit to 280 characters. This will be rolled out to “only available to a small group” of users at a time and they won’t roll it out to everyone until they are sure it works. Those who get to test this feature will be selected at random/

To be honest, I can’t decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I guess we’ll have to see when a critical mass of users gets this new feature.

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Concur Finds That Business Travellers Like Uber In Quebec

Posted in Commentary with tags , on September 27, 2017 by itnerd

With the news that Uber is potentially leaving Quebec because of a disagreement between them and the provincial government over rules for ride sharing companies, Concur took a look at their data and found that Uber had a huge amount of growth with business travellers to the province earlier this year.

As it turns out, business travelers to Quebec are going to miss Uber when it goes. Concur, which represents 57 per cent of the global business travel and expense management industry, found that businesses travellers have been increasing their use of Uber in Quebec in the first half of the year, demonstrating that consumer habits are bleeding into corporate travel preferences.

Concur compared Uber usage among business travellers from Q1 2017 to Q2 2017, finding:

  • Uber transactions among business travelers in Quebec are up 37.4 per cent quarter over quarter.
  • Users expensing Uber in Quebec are up 45.7 per cent.
  • Spend on Uber in Quebec is up 42.9 per cent.
  • Companies with employees expensing Uber rides in Quebec are up 33.1 per cent.

Will this sort of data help get the two sides in this dispute closer together? We’ll have to see. October 14th is the date that Uber plans to exit the province if they can’t come to an agreement.

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Life Is Good Is Celebrating The Power Of Optimism At A New Leslieville Pop-up.

Posted in Commentary with tags on September 27, 2017 by itnerd

Starting, Wednesday, September 27, and going on until Saturday, October 7, using some high-tech happiness people can see the power of their positive thoughts in action at a new Leslieville pop-up.

The pop-up features the Power of Optimism Machine – an EEG machine that shows the power of positive thinking by engaging users to physically fill up a glass of water by harnessing their positive thoughts.

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The Power of Optimism Machine is the creation of Toronto-based creative agency, The Garden and was developed by Toronto-based creative digital production studio, ThinkingBox. The machine uses Emotiv’s open library of commands to create the signal that is sent to a tap that integrates with an arduino microcontroller and computer through bluetooth. This signal then passes through the computer and Arduino, through to the on/off switch of the tap.

Here’s how the the Power of Optimism Machine works:

  1. You put on the EEG headset. EEG (electroencephalography) technology records electrical activity and patterns in the brain.
  2. Users will observe optimistic stimuli on a screen, which will trigger specific brain patterns associated with positive thinking.
  3. Proprietary software will recognize these positive brain patterns through an algorithm.
  4. Once positive brain waves are detected, the glass will automatically fill up halfway with water.

The power of positivity is practically palpable. Researchers have found that having an optimistic outlook is associated with better psychological and physical health. Optimists typically possess better coping strategies than pessimists and are more likely to engage in lifestyles that protect against disease and illness. And a 75-year Harvard study found that people in happy relationships tend to live longer.

The pop-up is being put on by Life is Good, a lifestyle brand dedicated to spreading the power of optimism and helping kids in need. Life is Good donates at least 10% of its annual net profits to the Life is Good Kids Foundation to positively impact over 1 million kids every year facing poverty, violence, and illness. This pop up will specifically benefit the Toronto Kiwanis Boys & Girls Clubs.

Address: VandenBerg House, at 1400 Queen Street East in Leslieville

Pop-up hours: 

11am – 8pm Monday to Friday

9am – 6pm Saturday & Sunday

 

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OpenTable Unveils New Features Optimized for iOS 11

Posted in Commentary with tags on September 27, 2017 by itnerd

OpenTable today announced new features optimized for iOS 11, giving diners across the globe new ways to discover and share restaurants using the latest OpenTable apps for iPhone and iPad.

The new Invite Guests feature lets OpenTable’s iPhone and iPad app users send dining invitations and share restaurant reservation details directly within an iMessage conversation. By simply tapping the “Add Guests” button on the reservation confirmation screen, diners can invite friends, colleagues or loved ones to join their reservation.

With the new Drag and Drop feature on iPad, diners can now seamlessly drag and drop restaurants from anywhere in the OpenTable app into iMessage conversations. They can also drag and drop upcoming reservations into iCal Apple Maps, and other apps on iPad.

To experience the new features, diners can download the OpenTable apps on the App Store or by visiting https://www.opentable.com/m/mobile-apps/.

 

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Zoom.ai Acquires SimplyInsight

Posted in Commentary with tags on September 27, 2017 by itnerd

Zoom.ai announces the acquisition of automated data analysis and visualization startup, SimplyInsight. Zoom.ai will integrate SimplyInsight’s data-querying technology to continue redefining the modern workplace and increase employees’ efficiency.

SimplyInsight’s sophisticated natural language querying technology engine allows employees to request, analyze and visualize internal business data to quickly capitalize on hidden trends and improve organizational productivity. For employees, access to vital statistics can occur in minutes, driving critical business decisions and on-the-go optimization. SimplyInsight’s scalable insights are accessible through chat and connected to a company’s internal and third-party data tools. This acquisition uniquely positions Zoom.ai to advance their vision of a more efficient and data-driven workplace.

SimplyInsight founders Amanda Parker and Alexey Adamsky have joined the Zoom.ai team as part of the acquisition. Parker will be leading business development as VP Business Development & Partnerships, while Adamsky joins as Senior AI Scientist.

Zoom.ai makes this acquisition on the heels of its recent seed funding of $2.1 million and a noteworthy $100,000 win as Best Technology Pitch at OpenText Enterprise World 2017.

On average, Zoom.ai’s active users have gained 14% productivity, saving approximately 25 hours per month and $16,000per senior employee annually. Zoom.ai invites interested companies and professionals to acquaint themselves with these and more of Zoom.ai’s integrated capabilities at www.zoom.ai/demo.

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Schneider Electric Makes Announcements At The 2017 Innovation Summit

Posted in Commentary with tags on September 27, 2017 by itnerd

Schneider Electric is holding its marquee Innovation Summit from September 25-26 in Hong Kong. At the Summit, Schneider experts and world-leading industry thinkers will collaborate on ways to turn bold ideas into solutions on Powering the Digital Economy.

Innovation Summit Hong Kong will feature the EcoStruxure World Premiere, unveiling the latest innovations in EcoStruxure, Schneider’s IoT-enabled, plug-and-play, open architecture, which delivers end-to-end solutions in six domains of expertise – Power, IT, Building, Machine, Plant and Grid ­– for four end markets, Building, Data Centre, Industry and Infrastructure. EcoStruxure World Premiere includes an exclusive first look at the launch of three new solutions:

  • EcoStruxure IT, offering next-generation cloud-based Data Centre Infrastructure Management, providing visibility of real-time and predictive analytics, optimizing operations across IT and facilities
  • EcoStruxure Building, features a collaborative smart building platform and an open system architecture allowing developers and partners to interact, share data and develop apps, increasing efficiency up to 30 per cent and ensuring optimal comfort for occupants
  • EcoStruxure Industrial Software platform, which combines scalability and domain expertise to enable people and processes to work seamlessly together, enabling lowest total cost of ownership without compromising risk, data security, or performance requirements

Over 1,000 Schneider customers from across the globe will hear from more than 50 expert speakers, including Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman and CEO, Schneider Electric and Cyril Perducat, Executive Vice President IoT & Digital Transformation, Schneider Electric. The event program will feature strategy talks and interactive deep-dive expert learning sessions with a diverse group of customers and partners, designed to further accelerate digital solutions. Attendees will also be able to visit the company’s Innovation Hub, a 1,000+ square meter showcase of the company’s rich portfolio of software, solutions and services. The Innovation Hub also features a Partner Village, which brings together its network of technology partners and start-ups, including Microsoft, Accenture, Cisco, Intel and Salesforce, showcasing their latest co-innovations.

With Innovation Summit Hong Kong, Schneider is also now expanding its COP21 sustainability commitments and its goal to become a carbon neutral company by 2030 into large events. Schneider is investing in a carbon offset project to compensate for all air travel and event construction related to the Summit. Sustainable event practices will be implemented throughout the event through managed climate control, focus on sustainable packaging and food and a reduced use of paper and waste. This sustainability commitment will be incorporated in all future editions of the Innovation Summit World Tour.

 

At this event, the company announced EcoStruxure IT, the first Data Centre Management as a Service architecture.

EcoStruxure IT revolutionizes DCIM by delivering a cloud-based architecture purpose-built for hybrid IT and data centre environments. The vendor-agnostic architecture delivers a new standard for proactive insights on critical assets that impact the health and availability of an IT environment with the ability to deliver actionable real-time recommendations to optimize infrastructure performance and mitigate risk.

Key benefits include:

  • Global visibility across the hybrid ecosystem – from anywhere – with one tap access right from a smartphone
  • Device information, smart alarms and monitoring through open system collecting data from all devices regardless of vendor
  • Foresight into potential risks by leveraging global benchmarks and analytics in the EcoStruxure data lake
  • Ease of deployment through a convenient subscription model for any size environment
  • 24/7 remote monitoring with the Schneider Electric Service Bureau. In the event of an incident, the Service Bureau helps troubleshoot and ultimately reduces mean time to repair

 

EcoStruxure IT is the latest addition to Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure, its IoT-enabled, plug-and-play, open architecture, which delivers end-to-end solutions in six domains of expertise – Power, IT, Building, Machine, Plant and Grid – for four end markets, Building, Data Centre, Industry and Infrastructure. EcoStruxure is driving digital transformation for Schneider Electric clients globally, enabling them to be competitive in today’s digital economy.

Rolling out to select geographies over the remainder of 2017 and into 2018, highlights of EcoStruxure IT include:

  • EcoStruxure IT Expert – Expert delivers visibility across the hybrid environment from anywhere with one tap access direct from any computer or smart phone with the Mobile Insights application. Data centre and IT managers can benchmark performance against their own system or those across the industry for trend analysis, maintenance or failure prediction, efficiency comparisons and other measures.
  • EcoStruxure IT Advisor – Advisor addresses the need for greater system optimization and inventory management for enterprise and colocation users. This enables superior control, planning and prediction across all site locations – on and off premises. Failing equipment can be located and addressed easily, reducing time to repair, and can be supported by Schneider Electric’s 24/7 remote monitoring Service Bureau.

As a part of EcoStruxure IT, Schneider Electric continues to offer StruxureWare for Data Centers, a self-contained on-premises monitoring and operations management solution, suitable for data centre and IT deployments of all size and scale. Additionally, Schneider Electric offers a simplified process and tool for StruxureWare customers interested in migrating to the new EcoStruxure IT architecture.

As part of the launch, EcoStruxure IT was piloted in the U.S., benchmarking IT environments with more than 500 customers, 1,000 data centres, 60,000 devices and 2 million sensors. Customer feedback on the results of their EcoStruxure IT implementations affirm the growing need for a cloud-based data centre management solution.

More information on the capabilities and availability of EcoStruxure IT can be found here.

Finally, the company announced a new Global Family Leave policy that is industry-leading in its global scope and strengthens the company’s commitment to Diversity and Inclusion.

The policy will support Schneider Electric employees worldwide by providing paid personal time during moments when it matters the most, enabling them to better manage their unique life and work.

The policy features the following provisions as the global minimum paid leave standards:

    • 12 weeks for the primary parent (both natural birth and adoption)
    • Two weeks for the secondary parent (both natural birth and adoption)
    • One week for care for an immediate family member that either needs elder care or care for a serious health condition
    • One week of bereavement leave for a death of an immediate family member

In formulating the policy, Schneider Electric has actively chosen to define “leave” and “family” in an inclusive way, recognizing that definition of family, life and work are changing every day. By design, the policy includes key life stages for welcoming a new baby, taking care of sick or elderly family members, and mourning the loss of a family member. It also assumes an inclusive definition of family by extending an equal amount of parental leave to a parent by natural birth or adoption. Resources will be provided to Schneider Electric countries to ensure understanding and support of the new policy by managers and employees.

The policy will be deployed gradually, with 40+ countries including the U.S., Mexico, China and India, implementing by January 2018, and 100 per cent global deployment by January 2019. If a country’s legal requirement or current practice is more than the minimum standards, the higher standards will be followed. Eligibility within a country may vary based on local laws as well as current eligibility for the Schneider Electric benefits.

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StaffConnect’s Next Generation Mobile App Platform Transforms Employee Engagement

Posted in Commentary with tags on September 27, 2017 by itnerd

StaffConnect, has ushered in a new era of innovation in creating powerful employee experiences in the enterprise.  StaffConnect’s next generation StaffConnect Mobile App Platform version 2 (v2) features key bar-raising enhancements that transform the employee experience by enabling business, nonprofit and government organizations to better connect, communicate and engage with their entire workforce – including remote, non-desk employees.  The result is employees are more loyal, passionate and productive – leading to improved customer/client experiences, and consequently superior business outcomes.

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While the foremost authorities agree regarding the business criticality of employee engagement, prevailing research demonstrates that the world is in the throes of an employee engagement crisis.  In fact, according to a recent Gallop poll, a mere 13% of employees were found to be engaged. Unfortunately, the associated costs can be truly devastating. Gallop has stated that 65% of all lost customers can be tracked to a disengaged employee.  This issue is further exacerbated by what is now being referred to as the “forgotten workforce” i.e., non-desk employees.  Surprising, given that today non-desk employees make up over 80% of the world’s workforce, and in this digital age, the non-desk employee number is only expected to rise.

Key new StaffConnect Mobile App Platform feature enhancements include:

  • Chat– Seamless, secure, and easy-to-use workforce messaging
  • Directory – Seamless, secure and easy-to-search employee listing featuring employee profiles
  • Survey – Integrated and flexible survey tool, featuring enhanced employee voice features, for pulse and engagement surveys
  • Events – Company meetings, town halls, etc. promotion
  • Communities – Sophisticated user and group management

The new Management Console features:

  • User Management– View, upload and manage users to ensure only current employees can access the app.
  • Content Management– Powerful content management that allows admins to manage, edit and moderate app content.
  • Notifications – Utilize push notifications to enhance your internal communications and app engagement levels.  Target by group/dept., location, function and/or project.  Send real-time or preschedule.
  • Analytics – Measure the effectiveness of your communication channels with app analytics.  Gain valuable real-time insights, measure engagement, rank content, produce reports.

StaffConnect is offered in Standard, Professional and Enterprise Editions to meet each client’s business and budgetary requirements.

Unique to StaffConnect and a key differentiator from otherwise potential competitors is its AppSuccess, Best Practices Services. Now offered in three new and unique services bundles, Bronze, Silver and Gold, each package was designed from the ground-up to establish best practice content and communication strategies, as well as ensure smooth and successful platform implementation, fast adoption and ongoing success.

 

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Majority of students optimistic about AI’s future: OpenText

Posted in Commentary with tags on September 27, 2017 by itnerd

The 2017 Student Leadership Conference is happening this week (September 26-30) in Waterloo, bringing together student leaders from across the country for sessions on leadership, entrepreneurship and community development. During Tuesday’s opening ceremonies, Adam Howatson, CMO at OpenText, shared his career journey, and discuss artificial intelligence based on the results of a survey OpenText conducted on AI with the students at the conference.

The results show some of Canada’s most passionate student leaders have mixed feelings on AI and how it will impact their lives. Seventy per cent of students were highly or slightly optimistic about the role that AI could play in the world, but 49 per cent of the students surveyed were concerned that their future career might one day be automated or replaced by robots.

In a future where automation will likely play a much more prevalent role in daily work, students attending the conference are prepared. Forty-two per cent said they were taking concerns about automation and robotics into account when selecting an educational path. Similarly, 68 per cent said there were career paths and fields they would avoid because they are likely to be automated in the future.

While students may be avoiding certain career tracks, they do see value in AI and robotics, particularly in improving healthcare and curing disease, where 81 per cent felt it was a problem AI should address. Other areas where they saw benefit was in automating everyday tasks like cooking and cleaning (53 per cent) and improving the automotive industry (38 per cent).

A total of 327 students attending the conference answered the questions between September 8 and 18, 2017.

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