May 14
Help! Movie Poster (The Beatles, 1965)

IoT and Software Support

By Internet of Things (IoT), IT Strategy 4 Comments

You think IoT has Nothing to do with Software Support? Think Again!

You cannot escape the onslaught of breathless headlines about the rapid proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT). You hear and read ad nauseam about a brave new connected world that is threatening to change all businesses as we know them.

These stories are usually accompanied by images of complex industrial equipment, giant oil rigs, and highly sophisticated jet engines.

If you are in software support you may dismiss these as not quite relevant to your business and daily activity. Some of you may even sigh in relief that you do not need to get to the bottom of the 4th Industrial Revolution and that your job is not threatened by these new technologies.

But if you do, you’d be wrong! Read More

May 07
Autocars Sabra

Smart Mobility in the Startup Nation

By Automotive No Comments

From the Sussita to Billion-Dollar Megadeals

You do not need to be intimately vested in the automotive industry to have heard about megadeals involving Israeli automotive technology startups.

On June 11, 2013, Google completed the acquisition of navigation software company Waze for a reported $1.3 billion. As part of the deal, each of Waze’s 100 employees was to receive an average of about $1.2 million, which is the largest payout to employees in the history of Israeli high tech.

On March 13, 2017, Intel announced a mammoth $15.3 billion deal to acquire Mobileye, a provider of vision technology used in vehicle active safety applications and autonomous driving. The deal price was a 34% premium over where Mobileye’s shares were trading at the time of the deal. Intel also announced it was moving its automotive R&D unit to Israel. Read More

Apr 27
The Accountant (Florent Willems)

The CPA and the Internet of Things

By Internet of Things (IoT), IT Strategy One Comment

No, this is not a modern-day technology Aesop fable.

But it is yet another observation in the neck-breaking evolution of the Internet of Things narrative in which eye candies tend to divert attention away from critical business functions such as customer billing.

The Internet of Things is transforming every business. Early discussions about IoT were all about connecting industrial assets, but as the technology is maturing to become the fuel of the connected enterprise, its impact is going to be profound, touching every part of the business and every function in its value chain.

Even accountants recognize the potentially disruptive impact IoT is going to have on their profession. An article titled The Internet of Things: The CPA’s Role in the New World of Business, published by the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, suggests that “the duties of CPAs will continue to transform and integrate with IT systems, possibly leading to consolidation”. Read More

Apr 26
The Open Book (Juan Gris, 1925)

An Obvious Observation About Open-Source Software

By IT Strategy 2 Comments

I spoke with a client at a recent Aras PLM event about open-source software. I’d like to share a point of view that may be obvious to some, but perhaps not to everyone thinking about using open-source software.

The first thing people think about when they hear “open source” is: “Open source! its free!”

And then they say, “But wait, if anyone can, as the GNU license states, freely use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute the software, then what about code quality? and security?” Read More

Apr 24
Delicate Tension (Wassily Kandisnky, 1923)

The Emergence of Application-Specific IoT

By Internet of Things (IoT) No Comments

In a recent announcement, covered here under the title PTC’s ThingWorx and Deloitte Release Plans for Industry-Specific IoT Solutions, the two companies have announced a plan to collaborate on industry-focused IoT initiatives.

Back in September 2014, which, in IoT-years, seems like a decade ago, I published a blog article under a very similar title, anticipating The Emergence of Application-Specific IoT.

Below is an abbreviated and edited excerpt from of my 2014 article, followed by additional commentary. You will be the judge of how much, or, perhaps, how little has changed in nearly 3 years of intense activity in the IoT space. Read More