Top Stories
​

IDC’s 3rd Platform Industry Spending Guides Provide In-Depth Forecasts for Technology Investments in Nine Industries

On By [email protected]_84

To bring more insight to technology spending across and within industries, International Data Corporation (IDC) recently published a series of Industry Spending Guides that provide in-depth forecasts for spending on 3rd Platform technologies (mobility, cloud, big data and analytics (BDA), social) and Innovation Accelerators (artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR), 3D printing, Internet of Things (IoT), security, and robotics) as well as traditional, 2nd Platform technologies. The guides cover nine industries – banking, government, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, oil and gas, retail, securities and investment services, and utilities – and provide detailed spending figures for nine geographic regions, 64 sub-industries and lines of business, and two delivery types (cloud and non-cloud).

“While IT spending is contracting in some areas, 3rd Platform spending will see healthy double-digit growth throughout the post-COVID recovery period and the investment priorities are somewhat varied across industries,” said Karen Massey, research manager, Customer Insights & Analysis. “The financial services industries, which include banking, securities and investment services, and insurance, rely more heavily on cloud, mobility and BDA, for example. But IoT is the primary investment focus in the other six industries, especially manufacturing, oil and gas, and utilities. However, mobility is a close second to IoT as an investment priority in government and healthcare.”

Within the banking industry, consumer banking is the largest line of business for technology spending with 2nd Platform technologies accounting for just over half the total in 2020. However, the shift from 2nd to 3rd Platform spending is evident with 3rd Platform and Innovation Accelerator spending enjoying compound annual growth rates (CAGR) of 10.4% and 17.7% respectively. Cloud and mobility spending will grow to nearly $53 billion combined in 2023 while cognitive AI spending will see a five-year CAGR of 21.6%. By the end of the forecast, 2nd Platform spending will be

…

Nokia signs multiyear deal to migrate its data center infrastructure to Google Cloud

On By [email protected]_84

Networking equipment provider Nokia announced that it has signed a multiyear agreement to use Google as its cloud infrastructure provider. Nokia said it will migrate its global data centers and servers, as well as various software applications, onto Google Cloud infrastructure over an 18- to 24-month period.

Nokia said the deal reflects the company’s operational shift toward a cloud-first IT strategy. The cloud move is also meant to help Nokia manage its digital operations and expand collaboration capabilities for its employees working remotely amid the pandemic.

Also: 5G could generate trillions in benefits in the next decade. So why aren’t companies moving faster with it?

 Under the deal, Nokia will use a suite of Google Cloud products and services, with its infrastructure and applications running in the public cloud or via SaaS model. The companies have also worked out a customized migration schedule that will allow Nokia to exit its data centers more quickly. Google Cloud will deploy strategic systems integrators, solutions specialists, and engineers to ensure a stable migration, the companies said.

“Nokia is on a digital transformation path that is about fundamentally changing how we operate and do business,” said Ravi Parmasad, VP of Global IT Infrastructure at Nokia. “This is crucial for how our employees collaborate so that we continue to raise the bar on meeting the needs of our customers. Given Nokia’s digital ambitions and plans, this is an ideal time for Nokia to be taking this step with Google Cloud to accelerate our efforts; and doing all of this in a secure and scalable way.”

RELATED COVERAGE: 

Source Article

…

PS4 update lets parents decide which games kids can chat in

On By [email protected]_84

Sony is giving the PlayStation 4 one more big update before the PS5 arrives, and it’s particularly good news for parents. A version 8.00 update releasing today makes multiple additions, including simpler and more adaptable parental controls. Limits on communication and viewing user-made content are now lumped together to make it “easier for parents to understand.” Crucially, kids can now ask for permission to use communications in specific games — you can make an exception if you know a young one will be talking to friends.



a close up of a speaker: PS4 Slim with DualShock 4 controller

PS4 Slim with DualShock 4 controller

Not everything is positive. The 8.00 update removes user-made events and the creation of private communities. You can still use private communities that already exist, but they’ll clearly dwindle without the option to make more. Sony hasn’t explained the move, but we’ve asked for comment.

Loading...

Load Error

There are more additions that might offset that decision. Party and Messages are now more closely connected, with a new interface that uses the same groups for party voice chats and messages. Two-factor authentication finally supports third-party authenticator apps during activation as well as sign-ins across PS4, mobile apps and the web. And you can finally mute all mics from the Quick Menu — you don’t have to wade through menus (if your headset doesn’t have a mute switch) just to take a quick break from the action.

Sony is also updating its Remote Play apps for phones and computers to enable PS5 connections, although that clearly won’t be useful until the new console’s November 12th debut.

You might not want to rush to update to 8.00 when there are reports (albeit a handful) of party and friend issues. We’ve asked Sony about those as well. Even so, it’s hard not to be at least a bit sentimental about this update.

…

Mint and Rocket Mortgage Reveal New Technology to Foster the Next Generation of Financial Empowerment

On By [email protected]_84

SAN DIEGO and DETROIT, Oct. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Today, financial empowerment app Mint by Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU), and Rocket Companies (NYSE: RKT), announced a first-of-its kind partnership in which Rocket Mortgage – the first fully digital mortgage experience – is now integrated into the Mint app via API to create a fast, simplified refinance experience for homeowners.

As part of this integration, Mint users are able to pre-fill information such as current mortgage information that they’ve added to their Mint profile. They are then able to seamlessly search for, apply and lock-in mortgage refinance rates with Rocket Mortgage in as few as eight minutes, instead of days or weeks – all powered by the Rocket Mortgage API. This is the first time the Rocket Mortgage experience has been directly integrated into a personal finance platform.

“Across the country, Americans are struggling with their finances as many face difficult economic times. As interest rates are near an all-time low, now is an ideal time for many to consider refinancing their mortgages and save thousands,” said Varun Krishna, SVP & Head of Consumer Finance at Intuit. “For too long, the refinance process has been an annoyingly tedious and overwhelming experience for all of us to find the right lender and loan for our situation. We’re excited to help simplify the process for Mint users with this integration of Rocket Mortgage and give our customers some peace of mind during this already stressful time.”

With the integration of Rocket Mortgage’s digital refinance application, Mint users can now seamlessly find the best options for lowering their rate through the easy-to-navigate Mint interface combined with the powerful Rocket Mortgage API. This new feature allows users to pre-fill data from Mint, skipping through additional account creation and data entry, greatly reducing the time it

…

MIT Technology Review’s Annual EmTech Event Reimagined online | News

On By [email protected]_84

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — MIT Technology Review’s annual EmTech MIT conference will take place October 19-22, 2020. This online event delves deep into the year’s most important developments in AI, biomedicine, cybersecurity, diversity, equality, and global-scale technology—all in a reimagined, immersive, virtual format focused on the attendee experience. See the full EmTech MIT conference agenda and register.

Attendees will hear from and engage with leaders, researchers, and innovators from across the globe representing companies and organizations that impact our daily lives, including Amazon, Facebook, Google, Salesforce, Twitter, Gavi, Lilly Research Laboratories, the Scripps Research Institute, and more. Featured speakers include:

  • Parag Agrawal, CTO | Twitter
  • Marc Benioff, Chair, CEO, and Cofounder | Salesforce
  • Seth Berkley, CEO | Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance
  • Mai-Lan Tomsen Bukovec, Global Vice President | Amazon Web Services
  • Geoffrey Hinton, VP and Engineering Fellow | Google
  • Anne Neuberger, Director of Cybersecurity | NSA
  • Mike Schroepfer, CTO | Facebook
  • Megan Smith, Former US CTO; CEO and Founder | shift7
  • Astro Teller, Captain of Moonshots (CEO) | Alphabet’s X

New for 2020: EmTech MIT attendees may choose from a selection of interactive sessions with engaging discussions and behind-the-scenes access to labs and researchers on the MIT campus. Options include:

  • Meet the Researchers: Chat with researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab about their latest projects
  • Inside the Lab: Get a behind-the-scenes view of some of MIT’s most innovative labs and join a Q&A session
  • Master Classes: Explainer sessions led by MIT experts to help you better understand the technologies being explored on the main stage
  • Innovators’ Think Tanks: Tune in as the Innovators Under 35 brainstorm solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems

Intel, a technology leader shaping the data-centric future

…