2025 Predictions by Justin Borgman, Cofounder and CEO, Starburst 

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 20, 2024 by itnerd

Here are some 2025 Technology Predictions about major developments Justin Borgman, Cofounder and CEO, sees in Data, AI  and Storage.

Instant Data Gratification – “Businesses will prioritize real-time analytics, delivering insights within minutes to keep pace with intensifying customer and market demand and competition. This shift will enable faster decision-making across departments, from marketing to customer service, giving organizations a competitive edge. Real-time data will become essential for companies aiming to act on insights immediately, transforming analytics from an ad hoc, retrospective tool to a proactive business driver.”

Accelerating and Scaling AI with Data Products – “Well-defined data products become a prerequisite for scaling AI workflows like RAG.  We all know that your AI is only as good as the data you feed it, and the importance of quality and governance will become more important than ever.  Furthermore, data products INCLUDE business context, which is so critical to your AI applications.”

The Rise of the Hybrid Lakehouse – “The resurgence of on-prem data architectures will see lakehouses expanding into hybrid environments, merging cloud and on-premises data storage seamlessly. The hybrid lakehouse model offers scalability of cloud storage and secure control of on-premises, delivering flexibility and scalability within a unified, accessible framework.”

SQL’s Return to the Lake – “SQL is experiencing a comeback in the data lake as table formats like Apache Iceberg simplify data access, enabling SQL engines to outpace Spark. SQL’s renewed popularity democratizes data across organizations, fostering data-driven decision-making and expanding data literacy across teams. SQL’s accessibility will make data insights widely available, supporting data empowerment.”

Modern Data-Driven SaaS Applications Will Be Built on Lakes Rather Than Warehouses – “New data applications will be built on the lake rather than traditional databases or data warehouses.  The reason is simple: SaaS companies care deeply about gross margins in the products that they offer and data lakes offer significantly better TCO and no vendor lock-in. Building an application on an object storage lake allows companies to leverage open formats like Iceberg for storage and open engines like Trino for compute.  The end result is an application stack that won’t break the bank and is proven to handle Internet scale.”

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AppSOC Announces Integration with Databricks 

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 19, 2024 by itnerd

AppSOC, a leader in AI governance and application security, today announced the launch of its AI Security & Governance solutions tailored for the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform. This collaboration introduces robust security, governance, and compliance capabilities for organizations leveraging Databricks to develop and deploy AI models at scale. The integration is designed to address the growing need for securing AI models and workflows, enabling Databricks users to innovate confidently while maintaining stringent governance standards. The release also coincides with AppSOC validation in the Databricks Technology Partner program.

With the rapid adoption of AI, enterprises face a unique challenge: how to secure and govern AI systems without impeding innovation. AppSOC’s new solutions seamlessly integrate with the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform, providing end-to-end security, including AI discovery, model scanning, runtime threat protection, and data leak prevention. The solution provides comprehensive coverage for the Databricks AI Security Framework (DASF), helping customers ensure that their AI systems remain secure, compliant, and aligned with best practices.

AppSOC’s solutions help Databricks users manage AI risk proactively and prevent potential security and compliance incidents before they happen. The joint solution secures AI models, datasets, notebooks, and workflows through key features including:

  • AI Discovery: Automated detection of AI models, datasets, and assets within Databricks to ensure adherence to security best practices.
  • AI Security Testing: Continuous scanning and Red Teaming of AI models to detect malware, vulnerabilities, and API calls to connected enterprise applications.
  • AI Security Posture Management: Preventing misconfiguration, access control issues, model theft, malicious libraries, and supply chain attacks.
  • AI Runtime Enforcement: Detecting data leaks prompt injections, data poisoning, jailbreaking, and malicious code, with automated enforcement actions.
  • AI Governance and Compliance: Integrated workflows for governing AI development, ensuring compliance with DASF and other industry frameworks.

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Berkeley RDI & Polyhedra Unveil Production-Ready zkML

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 19, 2024 by itnerd

Berkeley RDI and Polyhedra are excited to announce that they have developed a production-ready compiler that lets any AI developers utilize zkMLwithout any expertise in zero-knowledge proofs. 

What is zkML?

zkML, a subset of verifiable computation, addresses trust in the context of AI by enabling proof of the correctness of model inference. Through zero-knowledge proofs, a service provider can demonstrate that a specific output was genuinely produced by running a given model on an input. Whether it’s a decision tree, neural network, or another machine learning model, zkML ensures verifiability without exposing underlying data or models.

Extended Capabilities of zkML

The potential of zkML extends beyond simple inference verification. It can be applied to:

  • Data Origin Verification: Tracing and proving the lineage and authenticity of training data.
  • Authenticated Data Labeling: Ensuring that data labeling processes are genuine and unaltered.

Find out more at https://www.polyhedra.network and https://rdi.berkeley.edu.

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Top-down Approach to Generative AI is Crucial as Canadian Employees Surpass Employers in Adoption: CDW

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 19, 2024 by itnerd

Today, CDW Canada, a leading provider of technology solutions and services for Canadian organizations, released new research exploring how Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is reshaping Canadian workplaces. Uncharted Innovation: The Rise of Unofficial AI Tool Usage Among Canadian Office Workers report contains research conducted among members of the Angus Reid Forum, including 1,000 office workers across businesses of varying sizes and industries throughout Canada.

Employee driven adoption is outpacing organization policies

As artificial intelligence (AI) tools become even more accessible, employees are increasingly leveraging GenAI to enhance productivity and explore new workflows. However, much of this adoption occurs informally without approval or guidance from their organizations, as nearly half (47 percent) of Canadian employees admitted to using unregulated AI tools. Additionally, over a third (33 percent) of these unregulated users engage with AI tools weekly, signaling a strong demand for accessible organization-approved AI solutions.

The survey found employees feel more confident using AI when their organization takes the lead. Many (61 percent) Canadian employees report feeling comfortable with workplace AI tools when they are officially implemented by their employer, compared to only 43 percent in workplaces without approved AI tools. Additionally, 54 percent of employees without access to AI tools indicated an interest in using them if implemented first by their organization.

As demand and unregulated use continue to surge, organizations will need to adapt to remain competitive and retain Millennial and Gen Z talent, as over half (61 percent) of younger employees aged 18 to 34 are adopting AI tools, significantly above the national average of 45 percent. This presents an opportunity for employers to shape the use of AI within their organization, ensuring security while meeting the rising demand for innovative solutions.

Unregulated use high amongst mid-level and senior-level employees

As Canadian employees increasingly rely on GenAI tools for tasks involving sensitive data, many organizations are left vulnerable due to the absence of guidance and policies. The survey found that mid and senior-level employees are the biggest users of unapproved GenAI tools. Over a third of mid-level (38 percent) and senior-level (37 percent) employees report using these tools without workplace approval. Without secure platforms and clear guidelines, organizations face risks to data security and reputation that they may not be aware of.

GenAI governance increases pressure on IT teams

Organizations are constantly contending with everchanging technology and the unknowns as AI applications evolve. Internal IT teams are bearing the burden of AI adoption, often without the resources or expertise needed to manage its unique challenges.

The report found that while 36 percent of organizations are planning to implement AI tools, nearly three-quarters (73 percent) have yet to enlist third-party support.

To learn more about the opportunities and challenges Generative AI presents to organizations, download the report here.

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Foxit Expands AI Leadership with the Launch of AI Assistant in the Admin Console

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 19, 2024 by itnerd

Foxit, a leading provider of innovative PDF and eSignature products and services, helping knowledge workers to increase their productivity and do more with documents, today announced the launch of its AI Assistant in the Foxit Admin Console, further solidifying its position as a trailblazer in the industry. Building on its legacy as the first company to introduce AI into the PDF Editor Software Market, Foxit now brings that feature to its admin console product to help users manage products and licenses. 

Notably, Foxit sets itself apart by being the first to introduce smart commands that can execute tasks directly within the admin console. This feature enhances the user experience for enterprise administrators by providing smarter, more efficient ways to manage team members, their assigned plans, and product usage.

The newly integrated AI Assistant transforms how administrators manage their operations by simplifying complex tasks and providing enhanced user guidance. The AI Assistant empowers users to:

  • Automate Key Administrative Tasks: Streamline processes such as license management, user account updates, and domain verification. This automation saves time and reduces the manual effort involved in routine administrative work, enabling admins to focus on higher-value tasks. 
  • Navigate Directly to Task-Specific Pages: The AI Assistant can instantly direct users to the exact page needed for task execution, minimizing the hassle of searching through the interface and ensuring a more efficient workflow. 
  • Provide Instant Support for Troubleshooting and FAQs: Whether you need guidance on technical issues or answers to frequently asked questions, the AI Assistant offers real-time assistance to resolve challenges quickly and maintain productivity.

With this launch, Foxit continues to set new standards for intuitive document and administrative management, demonstrating its commitment to innovation and comprehensive AI-driven solutions.

For more information on the AI Assistant and how it can transform your administrative processes, check out this tutorial: https://www.foxit.com/support/tutorial.html?open=ai-assistant-for-admin-console&utm_source=pressrelease&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=pr_aiforadminconsole.

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Bell Expands Collaboration with Microsoft to Launch Services for Microsoft Teams Phone Mobile for Canadian Businesses

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 19, 2024 by itnerd

Bell today announced it is launching services for Microsoft Teams Phone Mobile, building on its collaboration with Microsoft to offer Canadian businesses a flexible, secure, high-performance communication solution. This innovative mobile-first solution integrates mobile numbers with Teams, enabling seamless calling and collaboration. Teams Phone Mobile provides a consistent user experience, simplifying business communication and boosting productivity and efficiency.

With Bell Calling for Microsoft Teams Phone Mobile, users can expect:  

  • Reliable mobile calling: Make and receive business calls using a mobile device’s native dialer or the Teams app, all with one mobile number.
  • Unified communication: Make and receive business calls from any device, including mobile, laptop, desktop, or tablet, and access all the features of Teams, like status updates, call transfer, voicemail, unified call logs and missed calls, and recording, from any device, no matter the work location.
  • Enhanced management: IT administrators can now manage Teams Phone users, both mobile and fixed-line, within the Microsoft 365 Admin Portal, simplifying moves, adds, and changes.
  • AI integration: Advanced features like Microsoft 365 Copilot, available as add-ons, add powerful artificial intelligence capabilities, including summarization of live calls.

Bell expands its Calling solutions for Teams with the addition of its Teams Phone Mobile services, joining Operator Connect, Direct Routing as a Service, and Direct Routing. These options cater to diverse workstyles, from remote and hybrid to mobile-only employees, allowing businesses to choose the best integration method for their specific communication needs.

Beyond Calling, Bell offers a range of Microsoft Modern Workplace solutions, including Microsoft 365, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and security, providing full Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) resale, professional services, and complimentary management solutions for Microsoft 365 subscriptions, including Teams Phone and Microsoft Defender. Through affiliates like Stratejm , Bell enhances communication, collaboration and security with its Security as a Service (SECaaS) offering. This service ensures the secure deployment, installation, and integration of Teams, while effectively managing Microsoft security licenses to enable businesses to operate with confidence and maximize their investments in cybersecurity. 

Bell also collaborates with customers to optimize their use of Microsoft 365 Copilot, enhancing both their calling experience and broader operations. This commitment to comprehensive solutions extends to cloud migration, where Bell assists businesses with Microsoft Cloud solutions, providing secure access to existing solutions while paving the way for future innovations.

To learn more about how Bell can help your organization embrace the future of communication, visit Bell.ca/MicrosoftTeamsVoiceSolutions .

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Samsung’s one-stop-shop gadget gift guide

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 19, 2024 by itnerd

Ready or not, ‘tis the season for holiday shopping and great deals. And as everyone starts scrambling to find those perfect gifts for their loved ones, Samsung is here to help.

The number of gifts and gadgets to choose from can feel endless and overwhelming. But imagine there was one item suitable across the board – for the studious sister, the nephew that’s always gaming, the mother that’s always multi-tasking, or the husband who just loves his Netflix and chill. What if we told you there is?

Enter Samsung and the Galaxy Tab S10 series that has something for everyone: 

  • For the student: Circle to Search with Google makes math easy— automatically calculating complex formulas. And it can also offer handwriting help with the ability to decipher your handwritten notes. Plus, experience the power of Circle to Search with Google on a large screen. Just circle, highlight, or tap an image or text to get Google Search results. You can even get instant translations!
  • For the gamer: Rev up the excitement with an ultra-fast, powerful processor. When the action really heats up, it keeps cool with the larger Vapor Chamber system — built to efficiently cool the longer you game, or binge videos.
  • For the busy bee: Take notes while staying completely engaged in what you do, from summarizing your grandmother’s secret recipe to condensing business meeting minutes — just record and Galaxy AI can transcribe, format and summarize notes. 
  • For the movie lover: Dive into an immersive experience with incredible resolution and ultra smooth visuals with the Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. And even watch outside or on those long winter road trips to the cottage with no glare, thanks to Vision Booster!

There are some promotions will be running in-stores and online that you should be aware of:

  • $350 Enhanced Trade-In on the Tab S10+ between Nov. 20-Dec. 5
  • $400 Enhanced Trade-In on the Tab S10 Ultra between Nov. 20-Dec. 5
  • $150 Promo Code on the Tab S10+ for Non-Trade-In customers between Nov. 20-Dec. 5
  • $200 Promo Code the Tab S10 Ultra for Non-Trade-In customers between Nov. 20-Dec.

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Cyware Welcomes Jawahar Sivasankaran as President

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 19, 2024 by itnerd

Cyware, the leading provider of threat intelligence management, low-code/no-code automation, and cyber fusion solutions, today announced the appointment of Jawahar Sivasankaran as President, marking a pivotal step in Cyware’s mission to empower organizations with advanced threat intelligence and security solutions. 

Jawahar brings 25+ years of experience fostering security product innovation, growth leadership, and customer success at Cisco, Splunk, and Appgate. Most recently, as President and COO of Appgate, Jawahar led all go-to-market functions including sales, marketing, and customer success and served as a Section 16 public company officer. 

Previously at Splunk, Jawahar played a key leadership role in transforming specialization sales for Splunk’s advanced security offerings, driving growth and customer intimacy. Before that, he held various leadership positions in go-to-market and product functions at Cisco. 

Over the past year, he has served as an advisor to leading consulting and private equity firms, including with Advent International as an Industry Operating Advisor. Jawahar is active in the startup ecosystem as an investor and advisor focused on scale-up activities. 

With this appointment, Cyware reaffirms its commitment to innovative cybersecurity and customer-centered solutions, positioning itself for accelerated growth and industry leadership.

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2025 Predictions from Kishore Gopalakrishna, Cofounder and CEO, StarTree

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 19, 2024 by itnerd

Here’s some 2025 Predictions from Kishore Gopalakrishna, Cofounder and CEO, StarTree. This is what they see coming for next year that you should pay attention to.

The Dawn of Real-Time RAG for Dynamic Insights in 2025 – We’ll see the emergence of real-time Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) as organizations push beyond batch processing limitations. Today’s RAG implementations primarily rely on static large language models (LLMs) paired with batch vector databases, which augment responses with preprocessed, stale data. While effective for many applications, this approach falls short for dynamic use cases that require real-time information updates, such as logistics optimization, personalized video game assistants, or financial risk monitoring. Real-time RAG will bridge this gap by integrating LLMs with real-time data streams and event-driven architectures, enabling models to access and leverage the freshest data during generation. This shift will unlock powerful, timely insights in scenarios where up-to-the-second context is critical, making 2025 a pivotal year for real-time augmented intelligence.

From Streams to Insights: 2025 Marks the Real-Time Analytics Revolution – Real-time analytics will finally hit its stride as organizations complete the “last mile” of their data architecture. Over the past few years, businesses have focused heavily on building out event streaming systems like Apache Kafka, ensuring that data flows smoothly in real-time. However, many are now realizing that traditional analytic endpoints, such as data warehouses and batch-based solutions, are unable to fully harness the potential of these streams. These legacy systems simply can’t deliver the instant insights needed in today’s fast-paced environment. In 2025, organizations will prioritize real-time analytics platforms that can process, analyze, and act on data instantly, closing the loop and unlocking the true value of their streaming architectures. This shift will enable innovative use cases such as hyper-personalized customer experiences, real-time external-facing data products, and adaptive risk management systems—far beyond the capabilities of traditional solutions.

2025 Will be the Year Observability Stacks Break Apart – Observability stacks are likely to become more disaggregated as companies move away from monolithic, all-in-one solutions to specialized, best-of-breed tools. As data volumes and complexity grow, teams will demand more flexibility in how they monitor and manage their infrastructure. This shift will result in observability stacks breaking into distinct layers—such as metrics, logs, traces, and events—each optimized with dedicated solutions. Disaggregation will enable more tailored observability strategies, greater scalability, and cost efficiency, as businesses can choose the most effective tools for specific parts of their systems rather than relying on a single, unified platform.

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In Depth: Ford BlueCruise

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 19, 2024 by itnerd

Ford BlueCruise is a hands-free highway driving assistance feature designed to help make driving easier, more enjoyable, and less stressful. And Consumer Reports has had it as the top-ranked active driving assistance system twice in a row out of 17 systems tested.

Rather than explain how it works, here’s a two minute video explaining how it works:

From a safety perspective, there’s two things that I ‘d like to highlight:

  • A driver-facing camera tracks eye gaze and head position to ensure your eyes stay on the road while your hands are off the wheel. A driver monitoring system like this one adds an additional level of confirmation that the driver is still engaged and can resume control at any moment.
  • External sensors detect the environment around your vehicle, allowing BlueCruise to keep you centred in the lane, at a safe distance from other vehicles, and give you more space from vehicles in adjacent lanes. This situational awareness can provide an extra sense of security while you drive hands-free.

One last thing that I’d like to point out is that BlueCruise works only in places where Ford has mapped out the roads. Those are called “Blue Zones” and additional “Blue Zones” are downloaded over the air to your car as the become available.

Ford recently lowered the price of the BlueCruise annual and monthly plan pricing for all Canadian customers with Ford BlueCruise-equipped vehicles and simplifying how new vehicle owners in Canada access hands-free highway driving, while continuing to offer flexible options. 

BlueCruise will now be even simpler to activate on Ford vehicles with both a one-year plan and one-time purchase option. The one-year plan will either be included standard or as an option based on the vehicle line and trim. Starting on select 2025 model year vehicle lines, Ford customers can choose to upgrade to a one-time purchase at vehicle order and won’t need to activate BlueCruise again on their vehicle.   

In addition, Ford will continue to offer a 90-day complimentary trial to customers who do not select a one-year plan, if it is not included standard, or the one-time purchase at vehicle order. Customers will be able to experience hands-free highway driving for 90 days and then have the flexibility to activate annually or monthly at the end of the trial based on their needs. For example, a customer could activate the service for one month for a road trip and not activate it again for another year or could choose to activate it only during the holiday travel season.    

BlueCruise availability will expand across 2025 model year vehicles and trims to give more customers who want an electric, hybrid or gas-powered Ford vehicle access to hands-free highway driving. In Canada, BlueCruise is now available on: Ford Explorer, Ford Expedition, Ford F-150, F-150 Lightning, and Mustang Mach-E.  

  • For 2025 model year vehicles, the one-year plan will either be included standard or as an option at vehicle order for $650 CAD, based on the vehicle line and trim.  
  • Starting on select 2025 model year vehicle lines, 2025 Mustang Mach-E and 2025 Expedition, the one-time purchase will be available at vehicle order for $3,295 CAD MSRP. Ford will share additional details in the future around one-time purchase options for other vehicle lines.
  • The new pricing plan for all Ford owners with BlueCruise-equipped vehicles is $650 CAD annually and $64.99 CAD monthly, effective November 1, 2024. BlueCruise customers with active annual and monthly plans will see the price drop reflected on their next payment. 

I’ve reached out to Ford to see if I can try out BlueCruise for myself. If I can get some seat time, expect a full review to be posted.

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