Month: October 2020

Leap Further Ahead with HUAWEI Mate 40 Series: Huawei Unveils the Most Powerful Mate Line-up Ever

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Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG) bolstered its product line-up with the advanced HUAWEI Mate 40 Series, the latest revolutionary flagship smartphones that empower users to leap further ahead. Showcasing the pinnacle of Huawei technology, the new Series reinforces Huawei’s dedication to innovation and its unrelenting determination to create the best Mate ever.

 

The HUAWEI Mate 40 Series has the Mate Series DNA at its core. Over the last eight years, there have been 10 outstanding generations of Mate Series devices and now the latest flagship smartphones take Mate to new heights with the best technology in the industry. From powerful performance to unique user interactions, everything about the HUAWEI Mate 40 Series has been fine-tuned to provide the most exciting smartphone experience possible. HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+ incorporate the world’s first 5 nanometer 5G SoC, Ultra Vision Cine Camera system and the iconic Space Ring Design, as well as a smarter, more attentive digital experience.

 

Richard Yu, Executive Director and CEO of Huawei Consumer BG said: “Each year the HUAWEI Mate Series brings the most exciting technology together into one stunning package. This is what defines the Mate Series DNA and is all made possible by our dedication to innovation. In these unprecedented times, we remain committed to creating a better future, with innovative technology that delivers a positive and meaningful impact on the lives of consumers. In the future, we will continue working closely with our partners to bring the Seamless AI Life experience to consumers all around the world.”

 

Pre-orders for the HUAWEI Mate 40 series will begin in UAE in November.

 

Leap further ahead with the iconic Space Ring Design

Marrying iconic design with innovative technology, HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+ are informed by the design principle that form manifests function. The uncompromised design of the HUAWEI 88° Horizon Display creates an immersive viewing experience in a compact package, while the silky curve also means the devices are comfortable to hold. The handsets also offer IP 68 dust and water resistance, a choice of both virtual and physical volume controls and enhanced mistouch prevention algorithms.  

 

Objects of sheer beauty, the HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+ devices carry a small front camera cut-out, which is packed full of technology, with 3D Face Unlock, an Ultra Vision Selfie Camera and Smart Gesture Control.

 

Turn the devices over and you will see that the HUAWEI Mate 40 Series adopts the Space Ring Design, an evolution of the HUAWEI Mate Series’ iconic circular and symmetrical design. HUAWEI Mate 40 and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro are available in Black and White, as well as an enchanting Mystic Silver, a finish with a colour-shifting effect that evokes the mysteries of the unseen. There are also two vegan leather variants, Yellow and Green. Meanwhile, HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+ features an exquisite nano-tech ceramic back panel available in two iconic colours: Ceramic White and Ceramic Black.

 

 

Leap further ahead with Kirin 9000 setting a new standard for performance

Powering the best Mate ever, the Kirin 9000 Series is fully equipped for 5G, capable of handling intensive computations and multi-tasking operations with ease. Embedded in HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+, the Kirin 9000 is the most sophisticated 5nm 5G SoC available, delivering vastly improved performance and power efficiency over its predecessor. For the first time ever, the flagship 5G SoC has more than 15.3 billion transistors, making it the densest and most full-featured 5G SoC to date. The powerful CPU features a three-level power efficiency architecture with cores running at clock frequencies of up to 3.13GHz. Also integrated into the SoC is a 24-core Mali-G78 GPU, as well as an innovative NPU featuring two big cores and one tiny core, taking on-device AI to a new level.

 

The 24-core Mali-G78 GPU in HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+ is the most powerful GPU ever seen on a Huawei device. This delivers advanced graphics performance and is complemented by an amazing audio visual experience for immersive gaming. The 90Hz display works together with 240Hz touch sampling rate for greater responsiveness and now provides haptic feedback to correspond with the visual experience. This entertainment set-up is completed with dual stereo speakers to create experiences with super bass stereo.

 

The HUAWEI Mate 40 Series is also equipped with the battery technology that is needed to keep up with the demands of 5G, supporting the fastest iteration of HUAWEI SuperCharge.

 

Leap further ahead with an all-round imaging system engineered to make photography simple

The camera system on the HUAWEI Mate 40 Series has been co-engineered with Leica to provide the best camera solution possible and sees breakthrough upgrades to the ultra-wide angle lens, powerful high-definition main camera, impressive telephoto camera and more. With the Dual Cine Cameras and Dual Ultra Wide Cameras on HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+, users can capture amazing wide angle videos and images from both the front-and rear-facing cameras.

 

When it comes to cinematic videography, the HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+ are unparalleled. The Dual Cine Cameras feature a 3:2 cinema-style shooting ratio sensor. Capturing high quality footage is easier than ever with Steady Shot, while the XD Fusion HDR Video ensures balanced exposure, even when users are capturing with extreme lighting contrast. Other evolutions include Tracking Shot, while Story Creator allows for true cinematic effects. Background music, filters and effects can also be added with ease. Not neglecting audio, HUAWEI Mate 40 Series features Audio Focus, Audio Zoom, and dual stereo speakers.

 

The Ultra Wide Cine Camera now offers an even wider field of view, as well as richer detail, improved low light performance and distortion correction algorithms, allowing users to capture beautiful expansive landscapes, while the Super Sensing Wide Camera provides true high definition shots. Image quality has been further enhanced with Full Pixel Octa PD AutoFocus. Improved distortion correction targets the face, body and limbs, making the ultra-wide angle lens useful in more scenarios than ever. HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro features a Periscope Telephoto Camera to support 10x hybrid zoom and 50x digital zoom, and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+ takes it further with a dual-telephoto camera system that enables 20x hybrid zoom and 100x digital zoom.

 

The Ultra Vision Selfie Camera on the HUAWEI Mate 40 Series take selfies and videos to new heights with support for 4K capture and the option to shoot in one of three available fields of view, ranging from up close and personal to ultra-wide. Slow-Motion Selfie adds even more versatility to the front camera by letting users add dramatic flair when documenting their fast-paced actions.

 

Leap further ahead with an all new user experience

HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+ are set to revolutionise how consumers integrate smartphones into their lives with new user-centric features including Smart Gesture Control, which allows total hands-free control of your device. Simply hover your hand over the device to wake it up or navigate your phone by swiping left, right, up and down. There is also an air press gesture for call answering.

 

A device that is always there for you, the all new dynamic Eyes on Display on HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+ can be activated at a glance, with fully customisable interactive displays hosting all the information you need from your phone. The ring of incoming calls can be reduced by making eye contact with your phone.

 

Improved MeeTime functionality is a gateway to a better connected, more intelligent life. When combined with the power of Huawei’s 1+8+N ecosystem, Multi-screen Collaboration offers an intuitive way for users to operate multiple devices at once, running several apps simultaneously, combining smartphone and PC to deliver unique experiences.

 

When it comes to privacy and security, the EMUI 11 operating system has always featured comprehensive security solutions to protect Huawei device users. The Trusted Execution Environment operating system is CC EAL5+ certified, which is the highest certification level for commercialised security microkernel. EMUI 11 also comes with new privacy features. When transferring images, users can easily purge sensitive personal data such as location, time and device details from the file before it is sent.

 

HUAWEI Mate 40 Series comes equipped with the innovative Huawei Mobile Services (HMS), bringing users a smarter, richer, more convenient and secure smartphone experience. During the launch, Huawei also unveiled new apps available for global Huawei users, including Petal Search, a search engine with support for multiple types of searches; Petal Maps, a map app that utilises the HUAWEI Mate 40 Series’ gesture control feature; and HUAWEI Docs, a unified word document service. These apps come together to lead the way towards a better digital life for the 700 million Huawei device users worldwide.

Bell aircraft used to safeguard food and agriculture amid historic locust infestation

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In the last 12 months, food security has been under serious threat from devastating swarms of locusts, destroying crops from East Africa to the Arabian Gulf. With experts warning of a “rolling emergency”1 that could endanger harvests across the regions for the rest of the year, governments and international organizations face a herculean challenge in controlling the infestations. Aircrafts from Bell, the U.S.-based helicopter manufacturer, have been playing a key role in the joint efforts to fight this ancient plague.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), desert locusts – whose destructive infestations cause major crop damage – are a species of grasshopper that live largely solitary lives until a combination of conditions promotes breeding and leads them to form massive swarms.

The region’s current crisis began in October 2019 as swarms formed along the Red Sea coastal plains in Yemen Saudi Arabi, Eritrea and Sudan, spreading eastwards across the Arabian peninsula and further south in Africa in the following months2.

By January, Kenya, one of the countries hardest hit by the crisis, was already experiencing its worst outbreak of desert locusts in 70 years. To target this problem, authorities contracted South African helicopter operator BAC Helicopters, who had recently purchased three Bell 206L-4 helicopters, to carry out the Emergency Desert Locust Survey and Control operation in an effected part of Kenya.

The helicopters were tasked with surveying vast areas throughout the Marsabit and Turkana counties in Northern Kenya, locating and mapping the locust swarms which were threatening food security through the region. The 206L-4’s were each equipped with specialized Agricultural Survey Equipment, an FDC Barrier Filter and Satellite Tracking System. Essential data gathered by the survey helicopters was then transferred to both fixed wing and helicopter spraying aircraft, allowing them to accurately target specific areas where the locust swarms were present.

Sameer Rehman, Managing Director of Africa and the Middle East, Bell, commented: “With a number of countries in eastern Africa and some parts of the Middle East at ongoing risk, the FAO has estimated that a locust control plan would cost $76 million to secure agriculture in the affected region. Bell understands the need to protect the food source of these regions and we’re pleased our products can be essential tools in the collective mission to eradicate the problem.

“When it comes to food security, the stakes are very high so the reliability and capability of every tool used in the fight against locust swarms is paramount. The Bell 206, and newer light aircraft like the Bell 505 have shown time and again that they can be trusted to operate in high temperatures and with heavy payloads, providing a capable defense wherever the swarms may be present.”

In most years, desert locust swarms tend to die out during dry season. However, with unusually high rainfall in 2020 in certain regions, the exponential growth in the populations has not abated, creating the specter of further swarms over the coming months.

The FAO states that countries most affected by the locust situation are Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia in Africa as well as Yemen, Saudi Arabia and parts of the UAE and Oman in the Middle East.

Anker’s new PowerPort III Nano charger is three times as powerful

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Today we headed to Anker Innovations to check out Anker’s new PowerPort III Nano charger that is optimized to fast-charge the new iPhone 12 and comes in a cute size that fits in your pocket.


It is the smallest wall charger capable of charging the new iPhones up to 3 times faster than a stock charger. The charger, dubbed the Anker Powerport III Nano is the slimmest and lightest in the new line of portable chargers from Anker.

Small, yet mighty
The most attractive thing about the PowerPort III Nano is its size, with a body measuring the same as a 5W stock smartphone charger PowerPort III Nano is small enough to comfortably fit in your front pocket. It features one single USB-C port capable of dispensing up to 20W of power using the Power Delivery standard. The USB-C port features Anker proprietary PowerIQ 3.0 technology, which has been updated and optimized to be fully compatible with the iPhone 12’s fast-charging protocol. This allows the Nano to charge the new iPhone 12 up to 50% in 30 minutes.

Riverbed Global User Conference Registration Now Open — Virtual Event Scheduled for November 17

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Free one-day virtual event focused on helping organizations maximize performance and visibility for any user, network, app, anywhere

User Conference to feature 30+ technical breakout sessions with Riverbed experts, customers and partners and includes success showcase with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

Riverbedtoday announced that it opened registration for the Riverbed Global User Conference 2020, a free one-day virtual event on November 17, 2020 that includes: 30+ technical sessions with Riverbed experts, customers and partners; General Session Keynotes featuring CEO Rich McBee, Chief Development Officer Dante Malagrino, CMO Subbu Iyer, and special guests on IT and business trends and how to prepare for a work-from-anywhere future; and an Expo Hall with the latest innovations in cloud and SaaS app performance, remote workforce productivity, and unified network performance management (NPM), as well as offerings from Riverbed’s partner community.

LinkedIn: Register for the free one-day virtual Riverbed Global User Conference 2020 on November 17 to help organizations maximize performance and visibility for any user, network, app, anywhere: https://rvbd.ly/2GAj877

The event will bring more than 1,000 attendees together with Riverbed leaders, customers, partners and industry experts to discuss how Riverbed’s visibility and performance solutions and tools can help propel organizations forward to succeed in the current business environment and into the future. Partners, customers and industry influencers participating in the event include leaders and experts from Microsoft, Shell, SBA (Small Business Association), Capital One, Environmental Resources Management (ERM), Landform, Gigamon, Versa, Netskope, analyst firm ESG, industry group ONUG and many others. Among the Fire Side sessions planned for the event is an exclusive Q&A with King Abduallah University of Science and Technology who have utilised Riverbed’s solutions to gain end-to-end visibility across its entire network.

“Cloud adoption and digitization had already been growing rapidly for years, but in 2020, the world met an unforeseen pandemic that put IT plans into overdrive, and all operating models have been put to the test,” said Subbu Iyer, CMO, Riverbed.  “In response, forward-thinking organizations are prioritizing investments in digital transformation, accelerating work-from-anywhere models, and strengthening operational resilience. The Riverbed Global User Conference will give attendees the inspiration, essential capabilities, and how-to advice needed to maximize performance and visibility of any network for any application to all users, anywhere.”

What: Riverbed Global User Conference 2020

When: Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Time: Middle East: 11:30am – 8:00pm GST / 10:30am – 7:00pm Arabian Standard Time

Where: Free virtual event

Registration: www.riverbed.com/UserConference

A sampling of the over 30 sessions that will cover use cases, demos, best practices and roadmaps, delivered in a flexible learning environment, include the following:

Roadmap Session 1: Visibility  Covering products including Net Profiler, AppResponse, NetIM Parimal Puranik, Vice President Product Management, Riverbed      Understanding the Economic Value and Benefits of Network Performance Monitoring Bob Laliberte, ESG Practice Director and Senior Analyst Heidi Gabrielson, Product Marketing Director    Infrastructure Monitoring with NetIM: Use-Cases and Workflows Jemant Seth, Group Product Manager, Riverbed Jesper Frishe, Technical Director, Riverbed    Machine Learning and AI for Network Operations and Troubleshooting Vincent Berk, Chief Architect Security and Vice President   Troubleshooting with Wireshark Gerald Combs, Director       Roadmap Session 2: Performance Covering products including Steelhead, Client Accelerator, SaaS Accelerator David Winikoff, Vice President Product Management, Riverbed   Maximize SaaS Performance and Quality of Experience with Riverbed SD-WAN Brandon Carroll, Director Technical Evangelism, Riverbed  Matthew Iakhov, SE Manager Americas Enterprise, Versa Networks   Enhanced Teams and Streams Experiences Brandon Carroll, Director Technical Evangelism, Riverbed    SaaS Offerings for the Public Sector  Marlin McFate, Chief Technology Officer, Public Sector   Performance and Visibility for the Public Sector: A Fireside Chat with the Small Business Administration (SBA) Terrence K. Hudgen, Deputy CTO, Director of Engineering, SBA Mort Batchelder, Solutions Engineer, RiverbedA CTO Conversation: Network Resiliency and Security for a Remote Workforce Shehzad Merchant, Chief Technology Officer, Gigamon Vincent Berk, Chief Architect Security and Vice President   Fireside Chat with Riverbed and ONUG Subbu Iyer, CMO, Riverbed Nick Lippis, Co-founder and Co-chair, ONUG   Customer Session: How this AEC Firm Stayed Competitive through a Global Pandemic Kevin Walgren, Technology Lead, Landform Professional Services Alison Conigliaro-Hubbard, Vice President Product Marketing, Riverbed   Customer Session: Widely Distributed Environment Consulting Firm ERM Discusses the Need to Work from Anywhere Ian Trueman, Director of IT Operations, ERM Alison Conigliaro-Hubbard, Vice President       

Suhail Bahwan Automobiles launches General Tire in Oman

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Suhail Bahwan Automobiles has unveiled the General Tire range in Oman. General Tire, with a reputation for producing some of the world’s best off-road and on-road tires, and a history stretching back over 100 years, has now arrived on Oman’s motoring scene. Renowned for its ‘Anywhere is possible’ slogan, the brand has been introduced to the Sultanate in partnership with Suhail Bahwan Automobiles LLC and offers a totally new range of safe, reliable and high value tires for car owners in Oman.

Founded in 1915, and now owned by premium tire and automotive technology company Continental, General Tire operates worldwide and manufactures a wide range of tires for passenger cars, trucks and industrial applications. With its rich American heritage, the brand is best known for its robust and durable high-performance SUV and 4×4 tires.

Mr. Karel Kucera, Managing Director, Continental Middle East, said: “General Tire has been waiting for the right moment to introduce the brand to Oman, and this partnership with Suhail Bahwan Automobiles represents exactly such an opportunity. We can now offer Omani motorists a range of tires designed to provide them with total confidence as well as an enjoyable and safe driving experience in varied weather conditions.”

Keeping in line with its business growth objective, Suhail Bahwan Automobiles partnered with Continental Group to launch General Tires in Oman. Commenting on the occasion Sheikh Ahmed Bahwan, Chairman, Bahwan International Group (BIG) said: “We are delighted to enter into this partnership with General Tire, a brand by Continental. Continental’s General Tire is world famous for its superior quality, heritage and performance. This range is surely going to complement the ever-increasing portfolio of automotive products and services that BIG is offering to its discerning customers.”

General Tire – A Brand by Continental

General Tire is headquartered in Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA and has a long history of evolution spanning over 100 years since its foundation in 1915. From early on, the company has produced tires for all types of motor vehicles.

Based on the brand’s American Heritage, General Tire has proven its ability to compete in the ever-changing tire industry with manufacturing and technological advancements for more than 100 years. With manufacturing bases spread across Europe (Germany, France, Portugal, Romania, Czech Republic) and USA, General Tire continues the long tradition of being the customer’s choice when it comes to Quality, Value and Performance. The brand is driven by its core values – Performance, Reliability and American Heritage.

Today, General Tire has a large and interesting choice of patterns and sizes. Its range includes tough, durable and ultra-high-performance tires for Passenger Cars, Light Vans, SUVs and Off-road 4×4 to meet customers’ needs.

Continental Group acquired General Tire in 1987. Today, General Tire delivers car, truck, and industrial tires to customers all around the world. It also equips 4×4 vehicles with special tires. Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for the sustainable and connected mobility of people and their goods. Founded in 1871, the technology company offers safe, efficient, intelligent and affordable solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic and transportation. In 2019, Continental generated sales of €44.5 billion and currently employs about 240,000 people in 59 countries and markets.

General Tire Range in Oman

Suhail Bahwan Automobiles has introduced two patterns of General tires which are made in Europe and USA – ALTIMAX and GRABBER

ALTIMAX comes in four patterns ALTIMAX ONE, ALTIMAX ONE S, ALTIMAX COMFORT and ALTIMAX SPORT that primarily caters for the Passenger and Luxury car segment. General Altimax‘s new Passenger Summer line provides reliable performance for everyday driving with outstanding grip in dry and wet conditions and significantly improved tread life.

GRABBER offers four patterns GRABBER GT, GRABBER HTS-60, GRABBER AT-3 and GRABBER X-3, which offer asymmetric state-of-the-art pattern design for fast and powerful SUVs/4×4 vehicles. General Grabber keeps the very good performance of the Grabber HP/UHP and offers improved performance in safety, handling and comfort. Grabber tires are the tough highway terrain all-season tires that provide the perfect synergy of comfort, durability and performance for light trucks, SUVs and crossovers.

Both the ALTIMAX and GRABBER patterns come with RTM (Replacement Tire Monitor) technology that provides the user with a warning when the tire is worn and has to be replaced. Also, VAI (Visual Alignment Indicator) technology allows the user to check wheel misalignment to avoid irregular wear of the tires.

For more information on General Tire please visit https://generaltire.com/

PEARL YACHTS FLAGSHIP PEARL 95 TO MAKE US DEBUT AT FLIBS 2020

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Pearl Yachts’ flagship model, the Pearl 95, will make its North American debut at the upcoming FLIBS 2020. She will be displayed alongside her smaller sister, the Pearl 80.

Both stunning motoryachts feature exterior design by the renowned Bill Dixon and luxurious interiors from the award-winning Kelly Hoppen.  

Pearl Yachts is pleased to announce the yard’s presence at the upcoming Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show 2020, hosted in Florida over October 28th to 1st November, along with its exclusive dealer for North America & the Caribbean Atlantic Yacht & Ship. The 29m flagship of the British yard, the Pearl 95 RPH, will make her official US debut at this year’s show alongside the smaller 24m Pearl 80 Flybridge.

Pearl 95: US Debut

The Pearl 95 is the largest model in Pearl Yachts’ growing line of superyachts and features sleek exterior lines from Bill Dixon’s renowned studio in the UK. Accommodating up to 10 guests and a crew of five, her luxurious interior design comes from the award-winning South African-born but UK-based interior designer Kelly Hoppen. Since the model’s launch in 2018, the Pearl 95 has been met with industry-wide acclaim, taking the title of ‘Best Interior Design – Power Yachts’ and ‘Best Main Saloon’ at the International Yacht and Aviation Awards 2019, as well as ‘Best Layout’ at the World Yachts Trophies 2018.

Looking forward to the Pearl 95’s US premiere, Iain Smallridge, Pearl Yachts Managing Director, states: “With the first hull in the Pearl 95 sold in 2018 and two additional units sold in 2019, the Pearl 95 is a resounding success. With superb performance, a shallow draft and award-winning layout, she is ideally suited to the American market and to cruising tastes in this fantastic region. We look forward to exhibiting at the Fort Lauderdale Show in a couple of weeks and are thrilled to be showcasing her there.”

PEARL 80: Recipe for Success

On display in Fort Lauderdale alongside the Pearl 95 will be the Pearl 80. Another collaboration between Bill Dixon and Kelly Hoppen, the Pearl 80 was first revealed in the ‘18 model-year and has since sold extremely worldwide. Commenting on the Pearl 80’s recipe for success, Dixon says: “Apart from the obvious attributes of style and performance, the Pearl 80 wins by being adventurous in design, offering clients unique and interesting solutions to enhance tomorrows yachting lifestyle.” Complete with jet ski garage and hydraulic bathing platform, the Pearl 80 offers accommodation for up to eight guests.

The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show 2020 will take place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from October 28th – 1st November. Atlantic Yacht & Ship will be present for the duration of the Fort Lauderdale show and will be delighted to meet you at Dock F, slips 622 – 624. Get in touch to schedule an onboard tour of the Pearl 95 or Pearl 80.

How the Edge is Set to Reshape the World of Hospitality

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By: Jacob Chacko Regional Business Head – Middle East, Saudi & South Africa (MESA) at HPE Aruba

The hospitality industry has been a keen adopter of technology, from Wi-Fi as central to guest satisfaction to embracing in-room assistants, consumer trends have rapidly driven and changed the industry. However, there’s a key technological shift still to come – edge networking.

The edge is more than just a technical concept, it is the culmination and coming together of many of the most talked about technologies of the past few years and crucial to improving guest experience.

We define the Edge as the new experiences being enabled by edge technologies for customers, employees, students, patients, and any users of network services. Edge technologies allow the processing of data by devices at the edge of networks, which is where users and devices are. It is where things connect to the network, whether they are wired or wireless. The edge is where actions take place. Over time, these actions at the edge will become smarter.

The opportunity at the Edge is driven by many things, including smart applications powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), mobile devices, Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, data analysis, next-generation Wi-Fi, 5G communications, and “edge-to-cloud computing.”

The new edge network combines AI, ML, and automation to continuously learn, predict, and adapt to changes, needs, and threats in real time. The new edge network utilizes technologies and software to make sense of the resulting insights, enabling businesses to act and respond, optimizing the experience for the customer or user wherever they are. Pushing intelligence out to the edge will drive change in the design of our products, services, processes, and organizations, and transform how decisions get made – giving greater autonomy to the devices at the edge.

According to Gartner, edge computing will be a necessary requirement for all digital businesses by 2022. With potentially trillions of dollars being invested in the hope of generating huge economic returns, the argument for paying attention to the Edge opportunity is clear and the window for learning and action is narrowing.

Edge Technology – Transforming Hospitality

In the hospitality sector, using facial recognition or other biometrics to check in and open bedroom doors is just the start of the next-generation hotel experience at the edge. Interaction between the guest’s intelligent assistant and the hotel can ensure that the mini-bar is stocked only with what is in their approved diet, and digital restaurant menus will automatically update using the same information – for example removing from view any high sugar content dishes. Buffet stations will automatically display a red light over anything that is off limits. In the bedroom, the digital wallpaper can reconfigure to your preferences – whether showing videos of your family or taking you on an underwater journey.

Using activity data about their current stay, historic information about the guest, social media, and any information provided by travel partners, each hotel employee will be able to interact with guests fully informed about their needs and current experience.

David Wortley, Digital Technology Strategist, CEO and Founder of 360in360 Immersive Experiences, highlights the potential for personalization here: “In the hotel sector, for example, an edge experience is when a client walks into a hotel, the building recognizes them and is able to tap into a previous relationship that the person has had with the hotel chain or their travel preferences.”

Futurist Bronwyn Williams highlights how personalization could be taken to the next level as people start enhancing their brains and bodies with embedded devices, arguing that “cyborg lifestyles is a trend that’s coming. It’s 10-20 years in the future but it’s definitely gaining traction … three thousand people have already had chips implanted in their hands for simple things.”

Zrinko Badanjak, CIO, Amadria Park, Croatia talks about different market segments having different needs, differentiating the likely automation of the commodity hotel sector versus the premium sector. “We’re looking at technology that allows us to offer a premium service, where we can incorporate the human element with the premium technology.” In part, the technology solution will allow each guest to receive differentiated service information based on the purpose of their stay in a hotel or resort. “The more information [a business guest has] then they can make the choice quickly between meetings, where as a leisure guest, you don’t want to over bombard them with so much information.”

The creation of “elevated guest experiences” is the objective for the Edge according to Tomeu Fiol, Global Hotel Technologies Director and IT director EMEA – Meliá Hotels International. The combination of human supported by the edge is key. “Ultimately, we will see the creation of enhanced personal/human experiences and interactions with hotel staff who will work as Experience Agents.”

Edge technologies opens up new possibilities for both providers and travellers. For example, capturing the multi-sensory experience of travellers (sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and touch) and enabling others to purchase an AR/VR version of that experience. Tomeu Fiol also speculates that the Edge could enable “The creation of additional, new, value added experiences which could be the focus of revenue generation in the future, challenging the traditional hotel/resort business model of room occupancy being the underpinning revenue generator.” Such offerings might include the opportunity to take part in immersive AR/VR experiences within a hotel.

KODAK S2085f Scanner

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Small-but-mighty, the S2085f quickly transforms information on paper into meaningful productivity

The KODAK S2085f Scanner features an integrated A4 flatbed scanner for exception document handling that is ideal for any document-heavy process that needs to digitize business-critical data trapped on paper at the edge of a process. It features built-in image processing that can enhance OCR accuracy at the same time reducing file sizes that helps you capture the best image quality without putting strains on your PCs. Simple to learn bundled free software empowers you to send your data to where it is needed from the push of a button.  A compact yet rugged design offers reliable paper handling and a straight-through paper path option can minimize document damage that improves the speed, accuracy, and efficiency of your processes and gives you a scanner that improves your bottom line.

Key features

  • Colour user interface with one touch destinations using Smart Touch 
  • Up to 85 ppm and 20,000 pages per day
  • Output stacking with controlled exit stacking and exit deflectors
  • Straight through paper path available
  • USB 3.2 Gen 1×1 compatible and Wired Network Available
  • Integrated flatbed 7 300-sheet feeder/elevator

Cohesity Announces Strategic Collaboration with AWS to Deliver Comprehensive Data Management as a Service

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Cohesity today announced that it has formed a strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to address the growing customer need for data management that is flexible, available, scalable, and reliable. Together, both companies are bringing to market a modern Data Management as a Service (DMaaS) offering unlike any other on the market today.

The DMaaS solution is designed to provide enterprise and mid-size customers with a radically simple way to back up, secure, govern, and analyze their data, all managed directly by Cohesity and hosted on AWS.

As data continues to grow exponentially, many organizations are looking to manage data in ways that allow their IT teams to focus on policy versus infrastructure, provide consumption-based pricing, accelerate the move to the cloud, make it easy to derive value from data, remove data infrastructure silos, and support multiple use cases — including data backup and archiving, disaster recovery, file and object services, copy data management, and analytics.

“AWS is delighted to establish a strategic collaboration with Cohesity as we share common goals — helping customers lower costs, become more agile, innovate faster, and do more with data,” said Doug Yeum, Head of Worldwide Channels and Alliances, Amazon Web Services, Inc. “Working with Cohesity, we are charting a new course in how data is managed in an as a service model, leveraging disruptive, modern data management capabilities from Cohesity, and industry-leading cloud services from AWS.”

As part of the strategic collaboration, Cohesity and the AWS Partner Network (APN) are investing in resources to design the DMaaS solution on AWS and to engage in joint go-to-market activities. Additionally, Amazon has made an equity investment in Cohesity.

“This collaboration between Cohesity and AWS shows a continued commitment to bringing data management solutions to enterprise and mid-size customers that provide unmatched simplicity, flexibility, and reduced total cost of ownership,” said Mohit Aron, CEO and Founder, Cohesity. “Cohesity and AWS are also focused on helping customers derive value from data. Through AWS, customers can access a wealth of AWS services, including Amazon Macie, to help customers meet compliance needs, and Amazon Redshift for analytics. We are thrilled to collaborate with AWS and look forward to ushering in a new era in data management for customers globally.”

“The DMaaS solution from Cohesity and AWS is a significant improvement over what’s available on the market today,” said Michael Graff, Senior Manager, IT Architecture, Dolby Laboratories. “I’ve been using Cohesity and AWS for years and both have brought amazing value to our organization. Now, I’m even more excited about a comprehensive DMaaS solution that can provide even greater simplicity, choice, and flexibility from best-of-breed cloud and data management providers.”

Cohesity Helios: The Foundation for Data Management as a Service

The foundation for this new DMaaS solution is Cohesity Helios, a proven SaaS-based data platform that currently serves more than 1,500 customers. Today, Helios empowers customers to see, manage, and act on their data globally across environments which they manage. Moving forward, customers will also have the option to use Helios to do the same for data that resides in a Cohesity-managed environment. Through this offering, customers will be able to benefit from:

●       A unique, comprehensive set of data management services: Within the DMaaS solution,customers will be able to subscribe to discrete data management offerings addressing a widerange of use cases — all from one provider. Accessing each of these capabilities through Cohesity — versus selecting one provider for backup, another for disaster recovery, and yet others for file and object services, copy data management, data security and governance — reduces infrastructure silos and addresses mass data fragmentation.

●       Advanced security and ransomware detection: Helios currently analyzes over 400,000 events daily and uses machine learning (ML) to detect anomalies that could signal a ransomware attack in progress. DMaaS customers can use these capabilities to detect, respond, and rapidly recover from such an attack.

●       Data management made simple: Customers will have the ability to easily and seamlessly manage their existing on-premises and cloud environments, as well as the policies for their data in the new Cohesity-managed environment all through Cohesity Helios. 

●       A shift to predictability and simplicity: Consumption-based pricing provides cost predictability and eliminates over-provisioning. The DMaaS solution also removes equipment procurement headaches and reduces operating expenses and administrative overhead.

●       Sophisticated cloud-based services that derive additional value from data: Once on AWS, customers can also easily take advantage of cloud-based services provided by AWS. Customers can use these services to help ensure compliance, enhance security, and extract additional insights and business intelligence through ML and analytics.

Providing Greater Choice for Today’s Modern Businesses

The DMaaS solution builds on Cohesity’s existing data management offerings that, according to a recent Forrester Consulting study entitled “The Total Economic Impact™ Of Cohesity,” enabled customers to realize a 66 percent reduction of backup and data management costs, save thousands of hours on planned downtime work, and realize a three-year return on investment of 150 percent.*

With DMaaS, Cohesity is now providing customers with an even broader set of options to choose from when managing their data. Customers can manage data infrastructure themselves — in the data center, at the edge, or in the cloud. They can also utilize this DMaaS solution where associated infrastructure is managed for them, or they can use a hybrid combination of both.

“Most customers prefer choice in how their data is managed,” said Graff from Dolby. “With some vendors you are forced to choose either-or, but with Cohesity, you have the flexibility to manage data your way.”

The first offer that will be made available to organizations as part of this DMaaS solution is Cohesity DataProtect delivered as a service. This Backup as a Service (BaaS) offering is currently in early access preview with general availability planned by the end of the year. Customers interested in getting early access can join the interest list here. Other DMaaS offers addressing additional data management needs will follow in the coming quarters.

For more information

  • Join the wait list for early access to our Backup as a Service offering
  • Watch the webcast “Modern Data Management for the Cloud Era” for more details from Cohesity and AWS on the DMaaS Solution
  • Read the Forrester Consulting study entitled “The Total Economic Impact™ Of Cohesity”

*Source: Data points delivered in the commissioned study, The Total Economic Impact™ Of Cohesity, conducted by Forrester Consulting, August, 2020.

Building a Human Firewall to Address Insider Threats

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By Renée Tarun – Deputy CISO and Vice President Information Security at Fortinet

During the first half of 2020, the FortiGuard Labs team found that evolving work environments and a greater reliance on personal devices presented new opportunities for cyber criminals to exploit enterprise networks. One method that threat actors have heavily relied on as of late is the creation of legitimate-looking phishing emails that can be used to tailor and launch attacks with ease. While this is not a new tactic by any means, these types of social engineering attacks have only grown more sophisticated and damaging as employees continue to work remotely and remain isolated from their teams. 

The Need to Mitigate Insider Threat Risk

Whether they know it or not, employees can pose a significant risk to the security of enterprise networks and the data they hold. Considering that 68% of organizations feel moderate to extremely vulnerable to insider attacks, as noted in a recent study, it’s clear just how significant this issue is. In addition to those that are considered malicious insiders, these threats can also be attributed to the group known as the “accidental insiders.” According to this same study, security teams view falling victim to phishing attacks (38%) as the top cause for accidental insider threats, followed by spear phishing (21%), poor passwords (16%), and browsing of suspicious websites (7%). In other words, opening the door for cyber criminals can be as simple as clicking on a link or downloading a file without taking the time to determine whether or not it is legitimate.   

Careless and negligent behaviors can have a lasting effect on organizations, especially in the case of a data breach. And with more employees working from home, unable to walk over to a coworker’s desk to get their thoughts on a suspicious-looking email, these individuals are more likely to be susceptible to social engineering attacks. With this in mind, it is more important than ever that CISOs prioritize their employees’ cybersecurity awareness to help them understand the role they play in keeping networks secure, and reducing the insider threat risk.  

Creating a Human Firewall Through a Culture of Security

Considering employees can be the best line of defense, it is crucial that CISOs protect their organizations by including employee education and awareness in their cybersecurity strategy. By embracing this technique, leaders can ensure the workforce is prepared to face the various threats. 

Regardless of job titles or roles, all employees should understand the repercussions of a security event and how it could affect the organization and them personally. The importance of this enterprise-wide strategic approach was highlighted in a 2019 Forbes Insights survey of over 200 CISOs. When asked which security initiatives they plan to prioritize in terms of funding over the next five years, 16% of respondents noted the creation of a culture of security. 

While this is a step in the right direction, establishing a baseline for good cyber hygiene must begin with CISOs helping their employees take cybersecurity seriously. This can be achieved in the following ways:

Prioritize Cyber Awareness Training 

Social engineering attacks are extremely prevalent across organizations simply because they work. In fact, Verizon’s 2019 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) found that approximately one-third of all data breaches involved phishing in one way or another. To combat this risk, CISOs must educate their employees about common attacks that could appear in the form of phishing, spear phishing, smishing, or other tech support scams. Whether these lessons are provided through online meeting spaces, video chat, or email, they should be prioritized. Understanding these threats and their associated red flags will be critical in helping employees avoid falling victim to fake emails or malicious websites.

In addition to teaching about common indicators of cyber scams (i.e., the promotion of “free” deals), these training offerings should also feature simulated phishing exercises designed to test knowledge and determine which employees might need more assistance. Through tactics such as these, employees will be better equipped to know when they are the target of a social engineering attack and can, therefore, act accordingly. Fortinet’s NSE Training Institute offers a free Information Security Awareness training service to educate employees about the increasing risks of cyberattacks and how to identify threats. 

Create a Partnership Between the Security Team and Other Departments

Cybersecurity cannot fall on the shoulders of the security and IT teams alone, especially as cyber threats continue to grow more sophisticated and challenging to detect. In addition to ensuring that employees can identify phishing attacks, leaders should also encourage collaboration between the security team and other departments. This means helping both sides understand expectations. While the security team will be the expert in terms of determining the risk and threats, other departments will be critical in helping to develop user-friendly policies that are easy to follow both in the office and in remote work environments, even for those who are not entirely cyber aware. 

Through collaborative efforts, CISOs can ensure that all individuals across the organization are not only aware of security policies but also understand the impact their actions can have on the organization as a whole. Helping employees understand safe cybersecurity practices and the ramifications their actions can have should lead to improvements in how these individuals respond when confronted with a suspicious email or website, even while working from home.  

When employees know what is expected and feel like they are a part of the team, they are more encouraged to follow best practices and help chip away at the behaviors that cause accidental insider issues, such as forgetting to change default passwords or neglecting to use strong passwords. And as more employees follow suit, the human firewall acting as the first line of defense to the organization will only grow stronger. 

Establish Straightforward Best Practices

Even once employees are made aware of what to look for in the case of a social engineering attack, they may still need some guidance when it comes to next steps. While it is easy to ignore or delete a suspicious-looking email, what about those that appear normal that the receiver is still unsure about? In this scenario, CISOs should encourage employees to ask themselves certain questions to help make the right judgment call: Do I know the sender? Was I expecting this email? Is this email invoking a strong emotion like excitement or fear? Am I being told to act with urgency?

While these questions should help clear up any confusion in regards to whether the email is malicious, the receiver should still take extra steps to protect themselves and their organization. This includes hovering over links to see if they are legitimate before clicking, not opening unexpected attachments, calling the sender to verify they actually sent the email, and reporting all suspicious emails to the IT or security team. By explaining these steps to their employees from the beginning, CISOs can avoid negative repercussions down the line.

Final Thoughts on Insider Threats

The ability to be cyber aware is a critical piece of the puzzle when it comes to keeping organizations secure. Whether employees realize it or not, their actions could open the door for cyber criminals to access sensitive information, meaning passivity towards security is no longer acceptable. 

By prioritizing training and collaboration between departments and the security team, CISOs can lay the groundwork for a strong culture of security. Identifying suspicious behaviors, keeping devices up to date, and practicing safe cyber behavior should be built into the fabric of all job roles to ensure that the human firewall continues to stand firm.