By Shereen Shabnam

With the recent introduction of the innovative IQOS at the Dubai Duty Free, interest in smoke-free products has increased in particular with the new IQOS 3 and IQOS 3 MULTI that comes with improved design and functionality and offers adult smokers a better alternative for nicotine consumption than traditional combustible cigarettes.

We recently ventured to Geneva to explore the benefits of moving away from smoking with combustion where toxicants associated with burning are the primary cause of smoking-related disease to an alternative that helps the transition to eliminate health issues related to smoking.

We learnt with Philip Morris International (PMI) that the high temperatures in the lit end of a burning cigarette, above 600C, cause a large number of chemical reactions to take place, breaking down the tobacco into the thousands of chemicals that appear in cigarette smoke. Many are considered harmful, and together they are recognized as the main cause of smoking-related diseases.

Seeing first hand the future plans of Philip Morris International as they work towards building their future on smoke-free products is commendable, especially as smoke free products are a much better choice for those who refuse to quit.

Through multidisciplinary capabilities in product development, state-of-the-art facilities and scientific substantiation, PMI aims to ensure that smoke-free products meet adult consumer preferences and rigorous regulatory requirements. The vision for PMI is that these products ultimately replace cigarettes to the benefit of adult smokers, society, the company and the shareholders.

Having seen the quality control measures on their production site and the commitment to invest further into smoke free alternatives, the future looks better for smokers worldwide as they learn that inhaling the complex chemical mixture of combustion compounds in tobacco smoke causes adverse health outcomes and move towards smoke free products.

Using smoke free products like IQOS eliminates burning and hence the formation of toxicants is significantly reduced. If the tobacco is heated to temperatures below 400C, a tobacco vapor is produced instead of smoke.

At these lower temperatures, the toxicants in cigarette smoke are significantly reduced or eliminated. The resulting vapor still provides the flavor and nicotine that adult smokers are used to and crave.

The positive response and the growing support for the role of non-burning alternatives in public health is a sign that smokers and stakeholders appreciate the research and studies done to make smokers understand the benefits of moving to smoke free products.

According to PMI, an increasing number of public health experts from around the world now believe that products that don’t burn tobacco and tobacco-free nicotine products that smokers can switch to can have a positive public health impact.

The new IQOS 3 and IQOS 3 MULTI deliver a premium tobacco experience with simplified usability, personalization and taste from real tobacco rather than liquid. Both devises have no ash and releases a nicotine-containing aerosol, not smoke, which leaves a less lingering smell on hands, clothes and hair, meaning, favorite clothes are safe from burns and undesired smoke smell.

The new IQOS devices have new protective reliability, a more sophisticated design and will appeal to adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke and are looking for an alternative.

IQOS has already helped nearly 6-million adult smokers stop using cigarettes and switch to smoke-free alternatives

The IQOS 3 MULTI provides the user with 10 consecutive uses without needing to be recharged. The work of over 400 PMI scientific personnel has yielded an elegant design, which does not sacrifice functionality.

As well as state-of-the-art design and premium feel, PMI products come with a choice of over 500 color combinations using a wide range of available accessories.

What we leant in Geneva is that IQOS is a technologically-advanced heat-not-burn alternative to cigarettes which emits over 90% less harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes and hence PMI has made a commitment to a smoke free world and having loved ones who are heavy smokers, I sincerely wish the message on the alternative smoke free products reaches far and wide.

Thankfully, with products like IQOS, there are now rapid developments in nicotine-based products that can effectively substitute for cigarettes and become viable alternatives to smoking in the future.

Machine Learning (ML) Powered DDoS Protection Quickly Identifies and Mitigates Threats Without Manual Intervention

A10 Networks(NYSE: ATEN) adds Zero-day Automated Protection (ZAP) capabilities to its leading Thunder Threat Protection System (TPS) family of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) defense solutions. The ZAP capabilities automatically recognize the characteristics of DDoS attacks and apply mitigation filters without advanced configuration or manual intervention. This speeds the response to the increasingly sophisticated multi-vector attacks to minimize downtime and errors and lower operating costs.

Today’s DDoS attacks are more prevalent, multi-vector in nature and morph over time. With millions of IoT devices predicted to be in use over the coming years, driven by the transition to 5G networks, traditional DDoS solutions will quickly become inadequate. Current solutions are static, reactive and require significant operator intervention, resulting in a slow response time to the rapidly evolving attack landscape. It is clear that DDoS detection and mitigation is a growing concern for enterprises, cloud providers and service providers, alike. In fact, in a recent A10 Networks surveyof mobile operators, 63 percent saw advanced DDoS protection as the most important security capability needed for 5G networks. And, in an IDG research report, respondents confirmed that the number-one most important capability in a DDoS solution was automated detection and mitigation.

“The economics of DDoS mitigation and attacks are very much slanted towards the attackers now, so we will need more efficient tools and advanced technologies to balance the equation to make DDoS defense more effective and economical,” said Chris Rodriguez, research manager, cybersecurity products. “A10 Networks is advancing the economics of DDoS security by leveraging machine learning and advanced heuristics to create that balance.”

DDoS Protection Powered by Machine Learning

A10 Networks’ ZAP is comprised of two components: dynamic attack pattern recognition by a machine learning algorithm and heuristic behavior analysis recognition to dynamically identify anomalous behavior and block attacking agents. ZAP works in conjunction with A10 Networks’ adaptive DDoS security model and its five-level adaptive policy mitigation engines to provide a complete in-depth defense system. This comprehensive approach blocks DDoS attacks while protecting legitimate users from indiscriminate collateral damage typically associated with traditional DDoS protection methods.

The ZAP policies can be enforced by a combination of hardware and software. Thunder SPE (Security and Policy Engine) appliances can serve up to 100,000 ZAP policies at line rate and the remaining ZAP policies can be served by software. This provides superior mitigation performance over the traditional software only solution, enabling superior response time and scalability.

“In today’s climate with the dramatic increase in polymorphic multi-vector attacks and the chronic shortage of qualified security professionals, enterprises and service providers need intelligently automated defenses that can accomplish tasks autonomously,” said Lee Chen, CEO of A10 Networks. “Manual interventions are not only resource-intensive but too slow and ineffective, resulting in a greater potential of network downtime and high cost to the organization.”

A10 Networks provides the highest performance with 500 Gbps of protection in a single one-rack unit (RU) appliance, leading automation capabilities with ZAP and five-level adaptive policy, and actionable DDoS weapons threat intelligence for a complete multi-modal defense in depth solution.

A10 Networks Thunder TPS with ZAP is available now.

Following rigorous testing, including an extensive durability assessment and evaluation of key attributes such as usability, image quality and value, Keypoint Intelligence – Buyers Lab (BLI)has selected the Alaris E1000 Series Scanner as winner of the Summer 2019 Pick award for Outstanding Scanner for SMBs.

According to Lee Davis, Editor of Scanner/Software Evaluation at Keypoint Intelligence – Buyers Lab, the Alaris E1025 and E1035 Scanners are loaded with features and functionalities that complement today’s document management and business process optimization solutions, enabling SMBs to maximize their ROI.

Easy to set-up and integrate with existing business processes and applications – from network to Cloud – the Alaris E1000 Series from Kodak Alaris enables users to scan right out of the box. Productivity-boosting features include the ability to power up and start scanning in less than ten seconds and fast throughput. The devices can scan at speeds up to 25 pages per minute (ppm)/50 images per minute (ipm) and up to 35ppm/70ipm, respectively. The bundled Smart Touch scan utility lets users create scanning shortcuts – complete with image enhancement and document processing settings, plus routing instructions – to streamline and standardize frequently recurring scanning chores.

“The Alaris E1000 Series was very impressive during testing, with exceptional results in OCR accuracy and file size testing,” said Joe Ellerman, Manager of U.S. Lab Operations at Keypoint Intelligence – Buyers Lab. Ellerman also commented on the E1000 series’ media-handling capabilitiesdescribing them as “second to none in this class”.

“The device offers an 80-sheet capacity ADF – the largest in its class – so workers cancapture more documents at a time. Other nifty features, like Intelligent Document Protection and multifeed detection prevent jams and misfeeds to keep information flowing seamlessly,” Ellerman noted.

“Our award-winning scanners deliver best-in-class image quality, paper handling, and a user experience that is unmatched in the industry,” said Sue Rodeman, Worldwide Marketing Director, Alaris, a Kodak Alaris business. “We will continue to develop smart, connected solutions that set the stage for automation, drive productivity, and give our customers insight to make more intelligent business decisions.”

Alaris has won more BLI Awards than any other scanner manufacturer including four Scanner Line of the Year awards. The Alaris S2040 Scanner received the Winter 2019 Pick award for Outstanding Departmental Scanner and the Alaris Passport Flatbed Accessory was recognized with an Outstanding Achievement in Innovation award last year.

 

ServiceNow study shows building C-suite influence, focusing on customers and digital workflow maturity will unlock success

 Top-performing CIOs are focusing more on business leadership and the goals of the customers, employees, and other business functions, rather than technology operations, according to new research from ServiceNow.

The global survey of 516 CIOs, conducted by Oxford Economics, examined the most important capabilities for the modern CIO. For many years, CIOs were focused primarily on IT. The survey shows that nearly two-thirds (63%) of CIOs believe business and leadership skills are more important than technology acumen — and, critically, the most successful CIOs are those who have positioned themselves firmly as business visionaries.

The three things that separate around one-fifth of CIOs that consider themselves effective, across the most important CIO capabilities, from the rest are:

• They are further along at digitising workflows
• They build C-suite influence
• They focus externally on customers

The highest-performing CIOs focus on strategy versus operations and aligning the goals of IT with the goals of the business. These CIOs also report higher levels of productivity, innovation and customer satisfaction in their organisation and have the strongest relationships with other business leaders, in particular the CEO and chief human resources officer (CHRO).

There is a consensus among most CIOs that establishing partnerships and cross-team projects at C-level is a critical part of their role:

• 64% of CIOs agree that their role is to educate other members of the C-suite on digital technologies
• 69% say collaborating with the CEO on setting organisational roadmaps is key to their role
• 77% of CIOs say their core responsibilities include collaborating with the CHRO on talent strategies

From a technology perspective, the most successful CIOs are those who are building consensus and action around automating and integrating work processes and introducing digital workflows to drive outcomes. They recognise the importance of digital workflows in increasing efficiency (80%), financial performance (78%), productivity (78%), employee performance (76%), and innovation (75%).

“As technology becomes critical to business success, expectations of the CIO have grown exponentially,” says Chris Bedi, CIO, ServiceNow. “In the past the CIO was an organisation’s top technologist, but today the most successful CIOs are those who are thought leaders, innovators and business visionaries.”

“CIOs have the opportunity to take centre stage in leading a transformational change for their organisations. Building C-suite influence, focusing externally on employee and customer experiences, and changing the operating model through workflow digitisation are key to unlocking high performance.”