Many device manufacturers ship their devices with laughably bad default passwords—think “admin” or “password” or “12345”—expecting the user to change them. Unfortunately, many users never do, leaving the devices vulnerable to attack.

The UK government outlined its requirements in a press release:

Manufacturers will be legally required to protect consumers from hackers and cyber criminals from accessing devices with internet or network connectivity – from smartphones to games consoles and connected fridges – as the UK becomes the first country in the world to introduce these laws.

Under the new regime, manufacturers will be banned from having weak, easily guessable default passwords like ‘admin’ or ‘12345’ and if there is a common password the user will be promoted to change it on start-up. This will help prevent threats like the damaging Mirai attack in 2016 which saw 300,000 smart products compromised due to weak security features and used to attack major internet platforms and services, leaving much of the US East Coast without internet. Since then, similar attacks have occurred on UK banks including Lloyds and RBS leading to disruption to customers.

Companies that fail to comply with the new rules could have their offending products recalled and be subject to a fine of up to £10 million or 4% of their worldwide revenue, whichever is greater.

“As every-day life becomes increasingly dependent on connected devices, the threats generated by the internet multiply and become even greater,” said Viscount Camrose, Minister for Cyber.

“From today, consumers will have greater peace of mind that their smart devices are protected from cyber criminals, as we introduce world first laws that will make sure their personal privacy, data and finances are safe.

“We are committed to making the UK the safest place in the world to be online and these new regulations mark a significant leap towards a more secure digital world.”

Although the US has yet to implement such a law, the UK’s enforcement may help boost IoT device security globally.

Canonical’s silicon partner program ensures maximum Ubuntu compatibility and long-term support with certified hardware. The company counts Intel, Nvidia, AMD, Ampere, Arm, MediaTek, SiFive, StarFive, and Allwinner among its silicon partners.

Qualcomm now joins the ranks of Canonical’s silicon partners, giving Qualcomm access to optimized versions of Ubuntu for its processors. Companies looking to use Ubuntu on Qualcomm chips will benefit from an OS that provides 10 years of support and security updates.

The collaboration is expected to be a boon for AI, edge computing, and IoT applications.

“The combination of Qualcomm Technologies’ processors with the popularity of Ubuntu among AI and IoT developers is a game changer for the industry,” commented Dev Singh, Vice President, Business Development and Head of Building, Enterprise & Industrial Automation, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “The collaboration was a natural fit, with Qualcomm Technologies’s Product Longevity program complementing the 10-year enterprise security and support commitments made by Canonical.”

Canonical says Qualcomm’s inclusion in the silicon partner program will help customers reduce development costs and shorten time to market.

“Canonical’s partner programs, in conjunction with Canonical’s expertise in guiding customers navigate their AI and IoT journey, help set the industry bar for performance with robustness, security and compliance. The work to integrate and optimise Qualcomm Technologies’ software with Ubuntu will enable channel partners and manufacturers to bring Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core platforms to a wide range of devices“, said Olivier Philippe, VP for Devices Engineering at Canonical.

“We are the ones offering software and products to industry all over the world, making industry smarter,” explains Brad Keywell, Uptake CEO and co-founder, highlighting the company’s mission to revolutionize industrial operations through data-driven intelligence. With clients spanning diverse sectors, including energy, manufacturing, oil and gas, and mining, Uptake’s influence is felt on six continents, with aspirations even reaching the icy terrains of Antarctica.

One of Uptake’s notable collaborations includes a smart city project in Rhode Island, where the company’s technology aids in predictive maintenance for public transit buses, ensuring uninterrupted service and enhancing overall operational efficiency. Such initiatives underscore Uptake’s commitment to optimizing asset performance and prioritizing human safety and environmental sustainability.

In a landscape where giants like General Electric and IBM have staked claims in industrial IoT, Uptake distinguishes itself through its entrepreneurial focus and unwavering dedication to execution and innovation. “I believe that entrepreneurial focus is the right one for creating technology, and this is a unique time,” says Keywell, emphasizing the company’s confidence in its ability to compete against industry behemoths.

However, as the technological landscape evolves, questions about the future loom. Will Uptake remain independent, or will it succumb to acquisition offers from industry titans like Google or Amazon? Uptake’s focus remains steadfast on growth and execution, driven by a passion for leveraging technology to unlock unprecedented value in traditional industries.

As Uptake continues to disrupt and innovate, it is a testament to the transformative power of technology and the indomitable spirit of entrepreneurialism. Uptake stands at the forefront in a world increasingly reliant on data and intelligence, shaping the industry’s future one insight at a time.

Sibros, a leader in connected vehicle solutions, has partnered with Google Cloud to usher in a new era of automotive innovation driven by artificial intelligence (AI). Leveraging the power of Google Cloud’s infrastructure and Sibros’ cutting-edge technology, automakers can harness the full potential of their vehicle data like never before.

At the heart of this collaboration lies Sibros’ ability to collect data from any vehicle source and stream it to Google Cloud’s robust platform. Whether through cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity, Sibros ensures that vehicle data flows seamlessly to Google Cloud, which can be leveraged for actionable insights.

Once the data reaches Google Cloud, automakers gain access to a treasure trove of possibilities. By combining Sibros-provided vehicle data with their datasets in BigQuery, automakers can create a unified data set that serves as the foundation for advanced analytics and AI-driven solutions.

The integration with BigQuery opens doors to a multitude of capabilities. The possibilities are endless, from AI-enabled anomaly detection to tracking battery health and identifying service needs to providing partners with access to vehicle data through APIs with Apigee. Engineers can now explore vehicle data conversationally, leveraging generative AI to query data without complex SQL queries or data analytics tools.

The impact of this collaboration extends far beyond the realm of technology. Connected vehicles powered by Sibros and Google Cloud have the potential to revolutionize the automotive industry in several key areas:

Reduced Warranty Costs: Early detection of issues in the field allows automakers to address problems proactively, minimizing warranty costs.

Remote Diagnostics: Diagnosing vehicle issues remotely saves time and money, streamlining maintenance processes and enhancing efficiency.

Monetization Opportunities: By partnering with ecosystem partners, automakers can monetize vehicle data and generate new revenue streams.

Improved Customer Experience: Leveraging real-time insights, automakers can enhance the customer experience by offering personalized services and proactive support.

As automotive manufacturers strive to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive landscape, the partnership between Sibros and Google Cloud offers a gateway to unparalleled innovation. By unlocking the full potential of connected vehicles and harnessing the power of AI, automakers can drive towards a future where safety, efficiency, and innovation converge seamlessly on tomorrow’s roadways. With Sibros and Google Cloud leading the way, the possibilities are limitless.

According to IoTNews, Blackberry planned to split into two separate companies, with one focused on IoT. The company planned for the IoT company to eventually go public.

The outlet is now reporting that Blackberry has changed its plans, and will remain a single company. Instead, the company will reorganize into two separate divisions: one focused on IoT and the other on cybersecurity, Blackberry’s core business. The news coincides with the appointment of John J. Giamatteo as CEO.

“I am honoured and excited to lead the next phase of BlackBerry’s evolution as its CEO. BlackBerry’s IoT and Cybersecurity businesses have market-leading technology, exceptional teams and large market opportunities,” said Giamatteo.

“The Board and I are fully aligned on the next steps needed to unlock the value within BlackBerry, and work on this effort will proceed at full speed. I look forward to working with the entire team to uphold our legacy of innovation and continue providing exceptional service to our customers as we deliver on our goals.”

Arm and Raspberry Pi are two of the most beloved names in the computer industry, with the former powering the world’s most popular devices and the latter a popular low-cost computing option for a range of users and industries.

The two companies are expanding their partnership in an effort to meet the needs of a changing industry:

As the demand for edge compute accelerates, with the proliferation of more demanding IoT and AI applications, Raspberry Pi’s solutions are putting the power of low-cost, high-performance computing into the hands of people and businesses all over the world. This investment further cements a partnership that began in 2008, and which has seen the release of many popular Arm-based Raspberry Pi products for students, enthusiasts and commercial developers. Raspberry Pi’s most recent flagship product, Raspberry Pi 5, became available at the end of October.

“Arm and Raspberry Pi share a vision to make computing accessible for all, by lowering barriers to innovation so that anyone, anywhere can learn, experience and create new IoT solutions,” said Paul Williamson, SVP and GM, Internet of Things Line of Business, Arm. “With the rapid growth of edge and endpoint AI applications, platforms like those from Raspberry Pi, built on Arm, are critical to driving the adoption of high-performance IoT devices globally by enabling developers to innovate faster and more easily. This strategic investment is further proof of our continued commitment to the developer community, and to our partnership with Raspberry Pi.”

“Arm technology has always been central to the platforms we create, and this investment is an important milestone in our longstanding partnership,” said Eben Upton, CEO, Raspberry Pi. “Using Arm technology as the foundation of our current and future products offers us access to the compute performance, energy efficiency and extensive software ecosystem we need, as we continue to remove barriers to entry for everyone, from students and enthusiasts, to professional developers deploying commercial IoT systems at scale.”

Firmware vulnerabilities are an often-overlooked attack vector, one that can be especially problematic for the IoT industry, given the plethora of devices organizations may be managing. Microsoft is finally making it easier for them to analyze their IoT devices.

The company announced the new features in a blog post:

“With modern endpoint solutions, IT and security analysts get visibility into the software inventories and known vulnerabilities for IT devices,” writes Microsoft’s Derick Naef. “But for IoT and OT devices without an agent, organizations don’t get the same level of visibility into the growing number of devices on their network. The devices are basically black boxes – without insight into what software or patch level was used to build the device, known vulnerabilities, or other potential anomalies. To help address this challenge, we are excited to announce the firmware analysis capability in Microsoft Defender for IoT – now available in Public Preview.”

The blog post goes on to highlight how the new feature works:

Firmware analysis takes a binary firmware image that runs on an IoT device and conducts an automated analysis to identify potential security vulnerabilities and weaknesses. This analysis provides insights into the software inventory, weaknesses, and certificates of IoT devices without requiring an endpoint agent to be deployed.

To use the firmware analysis capability, navigate to the “Firmware analysis (preview)” blade in Defender for IoT and upload an unencrypted Linux-based firmware image directly. The image needs to be acquired from the device vendor. Once the image is unpacked and the embedded file system is identified, a thorough security analysis of the firmware image identifies hidden threat vectors.

The new feature is a welcome addition, one that should go a long way toward helping organizations secure their IoT devices.

Many consumer IoTs are created with poor security practices. Or released many years ago. In the meantime, manufacturers have stopped providing upgrades that would otherwise continually strengthen their security.

Also, IoT devices lack universal standard protocols that all of the components need to meet to decrease the risk of cyber threats.

Yet, there are around 15.14 billion connected IoT devices to worry about. These small components are integral parts of any smart technology we use at homes or offices.

From smart fridges, printers, coffee machines, cameras, phones, and toothbrushes to entire homes, hackers have plenty of opportunities to exploit vulnerabilities lurking behind poorly protected IoT devices.

The question becomes, “How can we guard a growing number of IoT devices in a world that is currently shaped by artificial intelligence?”

One solution is to use AI to facilitate IoT security.

Protecting Private Data

Weaknesses within unsecured IoT devices can grant illicit access to a company’s network. If a hacker uncovers them before the security team does, they can exploit them to enter the network. From there, using a privileged account, they can access personal user data.

That is, an unsecured camera or phone can grant them initial access and open doors for deeper movement within the network.

Once threat actors steal the information, they can use it to demand ransom, make changes within the infrastructure, or cease all operations within the company.

Organizations rely on plenty of IoT devices. They use them to either streamline operations within the network or to form a birdseye view of the network.

As a result, businesses have linked a large number of IoT components that, when unprotected or have a vulnerability, can lead a malicious actor straight to the user and corporate data.

How Can AI Secure Sensitive Information?

AI-powered solutions can automate security by continually uncovering sensitive data within the system. In addition to mapping the most valuable documents, they can also govern access.

To protect sensitive files, companies need to take care of any potential security gaps — such as uncovering IoTs that follow non-existent or lax security practices or have vulnerabilities.

Another component of IoT protection is the prevention of illicit access.

One way to increase IoT security is to automate the zero-trust principle. Hackers will try to exploit unsecured IoT components to gain initial access.

Within the network applies a strict “trust but verify” policy, IoT security solution double checks if a person is a genuine user, regardless if they do have the right credentials.

Blocking Zero-Day Attacks

Zero-day threats are one of the major challenges for security in 2023. Those are evolved threats for which businesses have zero days to mitigate. It’s difficult to uncover something that you can’t expect.

Paired with the IoTs that are known for their lack of security, threats that exploit zero-day weaknesses pose a high risk for businesses.

Security tools that most businesses have can’t identify and stop such threats because their solutions cannot recognize them. As a result, zero-day threats can bypass most old security solutions.

How Does AI Deter Zero-Day Threats?

Security solutions that leverage AI can detect the signs of zero-day threats by tracking anomalies — any activity that is out of the ordinary.

The tool continuously analyzes the devices that rely on IoT. It automatically blocks possible threats.

For instance, an AI-based solution analyzes hundreds of IPA signatures in its database to detect malicious activity.

Once it discovers patterns that don’t match the usual activity, the tool instantly blocks the possibly malicious activity. If the anomaly points to a more advanced threat, it alerts security teams to investigate the issue at hand.

Covering the Entire Attack Surface

An attack surface includes any software that can be targeted by hackers. It must be completely secured — IoT devices included. When overlooked within the ever-growing attack surface of the company, IoTs pose a threat.

Even the printer, smart lighting, or coffee machines with a gap in security are ticking time bombs — waiting to be exploited by hackers.

As companies add more and more devices and the number of cyber threats rises, the attack surface of the company grows as well. 

So how can we retain the visibility of all activity and safeguard hackable devices within the architecture?

Does AI Increase Visibility?

AI can uncover all IoT devices that connect to the internet and that are used by an organization. Also, it can detect threats or weaknesses that potentially endanger the company because of these linked components in real-time.

Some of the major security issues that AI can track and stop include:

• Ransomware
• Malicious traffic
• Attempts at unauthorized access

The longer security teams wait to uncover the hackers within an infrastructure, the greater the cost of the cyberattack.

To prevent incidents within the complex modern architectures, AI maps all devices, activity, and vulnerabilities. The data help security analysts to plan for patching vulnerabilities continuously or to restrict access for unauthorized users.

Reducing Hacking Risk Posed By IoT Components

While artificial intelligence is nothing new, people are becoming more aware of how it shapes every part of our daily lives. AI is no longer a device feature they overlook. Instead, now more than ever, it’s something they actively use in their everyday lives.

One industry where AI has been applied for years is cybersecurity. 

Why? 

Because a single weakness posed by an IoT device can put an entire enterprise at risk of 

hacking.

IoT security paired with the capabilities of AI leads to the rapid discovery of attempts at unauthorized access within a network or threat actors trying to exploit weaknesses.

As a result of proper IoT protection, the company’s network and the data they store are safe. 

This is true even in the era when the attack surface keeps rapidly growing because of an increasing number of IoT devices and cyber threats that leverage lax IoT security practices.

A new Competitive Assessment report puts Microsoft Azure and AWS leading the pack in IoT deployment.

AWS and Microsoft Azure are the two largest cloud platforms, and the two companies play an important role in IoT. According to ABI Research, the two companies are also leading the pack in core IoT deployments.

“Understanding the intricacies of the market is key,” Dimitrios Pavlakis, Senior Analyst of IoT and Digital Security at ABI Research. “Cloud device management alone is not enough to guarantee victory; the importance of critical partnerships is as relevant as ever to increase market reach and not be consumed by the competition. Intelligent solutions and automation are required for a sustainable lifecycle management environment, and even criteria like dev-tools and resource modularity can greatly add to the popularity of certain solutions and shape future IoT-borne revenue streams.”

According to ABI Research, Pelion, Intel, Telit, Device Authority, Thales, and Digicert were in the middle of the pack, with Avsystem and Sequitur Labs following.

All together, twelve criteria were used in the assessment, including encryption and hardware security, dev tools, cloud, software options, IoT connectivity and ecosystem support, strategic partnerships, regulatory policies, FOTA, automation, trusted ID, pricing and monetization.

“Innovation without a clear device-to-cloud roadmap, a flexible monetization strategy, and a solid partnership circle is utterly meaningless in most cases,” Pavlakis concludes.

SAP entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ), admitting it illegally exported thousands of copies of its software to Iran.

SAP is the one of the leading enterprise software companies in the world, with a focus on ERP, cloud and IoT solutions. The company does business all over the world, requiring it to adhere to the laws and regulations of the many countries it operates within.

Unfortunately, the company has run afoul of the US, ignoring sanctions and export restrictions against Iran. As a result, SAP has entered a non-prosecution agreement with the DOJ, admitting it sold thousands of copies of its software to Iran, and agreeing to penalties and restitution.

Under the terms of the agreement, SAP will pay combined penalties of more than $8 million. SAP will disgorge $5.14 million of the money it received through the illegal sales.

“Today’s first-ever resolution pursuant to the Department’s Export Control and Sanctions Enforcement Policy for Business Organizations sends a strong message that businesses must abide by export control and sanctions laws, but that when they violate those laws, there is a clear benefit to coming to the Department before they get caught,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers for the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “SAP will suffer the penalties for its violations of the Iran sanctions, but these would have been far worse had they not disclosed, cooperated, and remediated. We hope that other businesses, software or otherwise, we heed this lesson.”

“By supplying Iran with millions of dollars’ worth of illegally exported software and services, SAP circumvented U.S. economic sanctions against Iran—pressure that is intended to end Iran’s malign behavior. However, it was SAP that first uncovered and reported this sanctions violation, and we would like to thank them for working hard to enhance their compliance program to prevent future violations,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph R. Bonavolonta for the FBI’s Boston Division. “Let this case be a lesson to others that it’s better to self-report and own up to one’s mistakes than undermine U.S. foreign policy and adversely affect our national security.”

GE Research and Verizon have partnered to power a cross-industry GE testbed with Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband.

Verizon’s Ultra Wideband, also known as mmWave, is the fastest flavor of 5G. It offers revolutionary speed, measured in gigabits. This makes it ideal for data-intensive applications that require high speeds and low latency.

GE’s testbed will tackle a range of industries, including wireless, remote patient monitoring, predictive maintenance of aircraft engines and real-time control of wind farms.

“Together with Verizon, we are leading the way in innovating on 5G,” said Vic Abate, GE’s Chief Technology Officer. “It marks a pivotal moment for the industrial world, as we finally have a wireless network platform that delivers the speed, scale, reliability and flexibility to connect industrial devices in a truly transformative way.”

“Verizon’s 5G platform capabilities provide the perfect testbed for GE’s research team to build the next-generation, real-time solutions that will transform every industry,” said Tami Erwin, CEO of Verizon Business. “There’s never been a more critical time to build the 21st century infrastructure built on mobility, broadband and cloud and our 5G sits right at the epicenter.”

Senator Edward J. Markey and Congressman Ted W. Lieu have reintroduced the Cyber Shield Act legislation to tackle Internet of Things (IoT) security.

The Cyber Shield Act will create a voluntary certification program for IoT devices, ensuring they meet a certain security standard. The installed base of IoT devices is expected to hit 75.44 billion by 2025. Those devices include baby monitors, smart locks, cameras, home assistants, cell phones, laptops and much more.

Unfortunately, it’s estimated that 98% of IoT data is unencrypted, leaving important data vulnerable to attack. IoT security is also one of the leading issues the enterprise faces, with 50% listing security and data privacy as their top concern.

The Cyber Shield Act attempts to address those issues by establishing an advisory committee of cybersecurity experts from a wide range of industries. The committee will establish cybersecurity benchmarks for the myriad of IoT devices, giving the industry a clear goal and set of parameters to work within.

The legislation would also allow for a “Cyber Shield” badge that certified products could display, serving as a way for consumers to make educated choices about what devices to purchase.

“The IoT will also stand for the Internet of Threats until we put in place appropriate cybersecurity safeguards,” said Senator Markey. “With as many as 75 billion IoT devices projected to be in our pockets and homes by 2025, cybersecurity continues to pose a direct threat to economic prosperity, personal privacy, and global security. By creating a cybersecurity certification program, the Cyber Shield Act will give consumers a seal of approval for more secure products, as well as encourage manufacturers to adopt the best cybersecurity practices so they can compete in the marketplace for safety. I thank Congressman Lieu for his partnership on this essential legislation.”

“Championing innovation is important, because technological advancement can make our lives easier and more efficient. But, for every smart refrigerator or wifi-enabled baby monitor, there comes increased cybersecurity risks that make consumers vulnerable to hacking and invasions of privacy. As we connect more parts of our lives to the internet, we have to make sure we’re doing it safely. That’s where Sen. Markey and my Cyber Shield Act comes in,” said Representative Lieu. “By creating a voluntary program allowing IoT manufacturers to certify the security of their devices, we’re encouraging the idea that cybersecurity should be top of mind for industry and consumers alike. It’s a great solution to an ever-increasing problem, and I’m grateful to have Sen. Markey as a partner on this bill.”

A copy of the legislation can be viewed here (PDF).

The Taiwanese government has offered assurances there is enough water to keep the country’s chipmaking industry running till May.

Taiwan has become one of the most important semiconductor manufacturing hubs in the world. TSMC is one of the biggest chipmakers, relied on by companies across a number of industries. That demand is at a record high, with multiple industries impacted by shortages.

Unfortunately, Taiwan is currently in the midst of its worst drought in 56 years, impacting the water supply that’s available for a number of critical industries, including semiconductor manufacturing.

According to Bloomberg, the government has offered reassurances the country has enough water to last until May. At that time, the yearly monsoons should alleviate the drought, although experts are already warning rainfall may fall short of historical levels.

In the meantime, manufacturing at TSMC has not yet been impacted, and the company says it has contingency plans in place.

Dell Technologies CTO John Roese says 2021 will be a big year for 5G, as it moves beyond the consumer and begins to reach its full potential.

When many people think of 5G, their first thought is how fast the service will be on their phone, tablet or computer. More than any previous generation of wireless tech, however, 5G is on the threshold of revolutionizing multiple industries. The speed 5G offers promises to help advance artificial intelligence, edge computing, autonomous driving, Internet of Things (IoT) and much more.

Roese believes 2021 is the year 5G will finally start delivering on its promises, beyond what it offers to consumers.

5G “hasn’t really transformed much because the first wave of 5G was really an extension of 4G, it wasn’t the real 5G,” Roese said, speaking with media, via ZDNet. “But in 2021 with what’s called release 16 and release 17 of the 5G standards, we will now have true standalone 5G materialise and it will include advanced features…[that will]…make 5G interesting.”

“Building a smart city, or smart factory, or smart hospital, or a logistics system, or a transportation network needs these advanced features and as they materialise, the 5G ecosystem will shift from being very consumer focused to really being dominated by enterprise use cases,” Roese added. “Revolutionising transportation, or healthcare, or logistics will become more and more of the dominant thread of why we’re doing 5G.”

Ring made headlines in late 2019 when a number of users reported their video streams being hacked, and outsiders watching what was happening in people’s homes and even speaking to them. In some cases, the incidents took very disturbing turns, with strangers talking with children or going on racist rants.

It’s little wonder that Ring is rolling out end-to-end encryption, which the company is calling a technical preview at this point.

By default, Ring already encrypts videos when they are uploaded to the cloud (in transit) and stored on Ring’s servers (at rest). With End-to-End Encryption, customer videos are further secured with an additional lock, which can only be unlocked by a key that is stored on the customer’s enrolled mobile device, designed so that only the customer can decrypt and view recordings on their enrolled device.

Privacy, security and user control are foundational to Ring, and video End-to-End Encryption demonstrates Ring’s ongoing commitment to continually delivering enhanced privacy, security, and control to customers.

Ring’s announcement is a welcome upgrade…even if it is long-overdue.

Smart cities are considered the future of urban planning, using sensors, Internet of Things (IoT) devices and other electronics to improve the city’s functioning. Everything from utilities to hospitals to policing to medical care to IT services to traffic and transportation can be greatly improved and made more efficient.

Cisco had bet heavily on the technology, centering its efforts around its Cisco Kinetic for Cities software. According to The Wall Street Journal, however, the company is now abandoning its efforts.

“We recently decided to stop sales and eventually support for the Cisco Kinetic for City product line to align our product investment to evolving market needs and customer requirements,” a company spokesman told The Wall Street Journal.

Cisco has been working for some time to transition into software and services, relying less on hardware. Its latest earnings report showed the strategy is beginning to pay off, especially during the pandemic. Nonetheless, it appears the smart city business presented too many challenges for continued investment.

Verizon’s on-site 5G Edge network integrated with Azure edge services can enable ultra-low latency, many times faster than the blink of an eye, according to Verizon, which can help businesses tap into real-time data analysis and delivery. Applications incorporating computer vision, augmented, mixed and virtual reality, digital twins or machine learning can be enhanced with 5G and MEC on the customer premise, helping transform the way industries such as retail, transportation, and logistics operations.

Think of automated high-precision asset localization, tracking and positioning in manufacturing. In healthcare, the increased speed, reduced latency and high bandwidth connectivity of 5G networks could enable real-time precision medicine leveraging mixed reality and AI capabilities as well as seamless and fast sharing of large files to improve patient care.

“We have built a network that provides real-world, 5G-enabled solutions TODAY,” said Rima Qureshi, EVP and Chief Strategy Officer at Verizon. “By bringing together Verizon’s 5G network and on-site 5G Edge platform with Microsoft’s expertise in cloud services, we will enable the development of the next-generation technologies everyone has been envisioning.”

The collaboration brings Azure cloud and edge capabilities together with Verizon’s on-site 5G Edge, a mobile edge computing platform designed to enable developers to build applications for mobile end-users and wireless edge devices with ultra-low latency. By utilizing on-site private 5G, businesses will be able to realize increased power efficiencies and reduced costs of end user devices while addressing their privacy and security needs.

Logistics and supply chain solutions company Ice Mobility is already testing on Verizon’s on-site 5G Edge platform, integrated with Microsoft Azure. The company is using 5G and MEC to help with computer vision assisted product packing. By gathering data in near real-time on product packing errors, the company has the potential to improve on-site quality assurance and save 15% to 30% in processing time.

“We are especially excited to join Verizon and Microsoft to test how 5G and MEC can improve the quality assurance process,” said Mike Mohr, CEO of Ice Mobility. “They truly have listened to our needs to provide automated real-time quality oversight and feedback, which will enable us to cost-effectively launch unique new products, while maintaining the highest execution standards, significantly increasing throughput and reducing costs. And, this is just the beginning.”

“By leveraging Verizon’s 5G network integrated with Microsoft’s cloud and edge capabilities, developers and businesses can benefit from fast, secure and reliable connections to deliver seamless digital experiences from massive industrial IoT workloads to precision medicine,” said Yousef Khalidi, corporate vice president Azure for Operators at Microsoft.

Moving forward, Verizon will explore opportunities to co-innovate with Microsoft to deliver new value to industries ranging from manufacturing to healthcare.

Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network enables throughput at least 25 times faster than today’s 4G networks*; delivers ultra-low latency; and offers very high bandwidth. Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband is expected to eventually enable 100 times larger data volumes than 4G; and the ability to connect more than a million devices per kilometer. Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband service is available to people in 55 cities and its 5G Nationwide service is available to more than 200 million people in more than 1,800 cities around the U.S.

Incredibly, 79% are reinventing their business model as a result of the disruption caused by the pandemic and 50% of international business leaders worry they didn’t transition fast enough. The study notes that digital transformation is not easy, 94% of businesses surveyed say they are facing entrenched barriers spanning across technology, people, and policy.

According to the 2020 DT Index, the following are the top-3 barriers to digital transformation success:

1. Data privacy and cybersecurity concerns (up from 5^th place in 2016)
2. Lack of budget and resources (#1 in 2016, #2 in 2018)
3. Unable to extract insights from data and/or information overload (a jump of eight places since 2016)

“We’ve been given a glimpse of the future, and the organizations that are accelerating their digital transformation now will be poised for success in the Data Era that is unfolding before our eyes”, says Michael Dell, Chairman, and CEO, Dell Technologies.

Additionally, the survey reveals a huge shift toward remote work. About 25% of employees worked remotely before the pandemic and today it is more than 50% of all employees are remote. According to the survey, remote work has become the new normal.

Top IT Investments Are For Emerging Technologies

Prior to the pandemic, business investments were strongly focused on foundational technologies, rather than emerging technologies. The vast majority, 89 percent recognizethat as a result of disruption this year, they need a more agile/scalable IT infrastructure to allow of contingencies. The DT Index shows the top technology investments for the next one to three years:

1. Cybersecurity
2. Data management tools
3. 5G infrastructure
4. Privacy software
5. Multi-Cloud environment

And recognizing the importance of emerging technologies, 82 percent of respondents envision increased usage of Augmented Reality to learn how to do or fix things in an instant; 85 percent foresee organizations using Artificial Intelligence and data models to predict potential disruptions, and 78 percent predict distributed ledgers – such as Blockchain – will make the gig economy fairer (by cutting out the intermediary).

Despite these findings, only 16 percent are planning to invest in Virtual/Augmented Reality, just 32 percent intend to invest in Artificial Intelligence, and a mere 15 percent plan to invest in distributed ledgers in the next one to three years.

Xilinx is a chipmaker based in San Jose, California, specializing in the programmable chips used in wireless networks. The acquisition, will help AMD better compete with Intel in the datacenter market.

As Bloomberg points out, Xilinx has historically made chips for the telecommunications industry. In recent years, however, it has been branching out to the datacenter market. This market is a high-profit market that has caught the attention of AMD and Nvidia, a factor in the latter’s acquisition of Mellanox Technologies and potentially Arm.

Given Intel’s recent supply chain issues, not to mention bugs that have delayed the move to 7nm chips and Zombieland flaws that some experts have deemed “unfixable,” more options would likely be welcomed within the industry.

Brenda Harvey, General Manager of IBM Asia Pacific, discusses how the work at home acceleration caused by the pandemic has permanently broken down the barriers to digital transformation:

Cloud Driving Better Business Impact

The benefits coming from new personalized services, workflow automation, infusing AI to help drive this more personal experience, are actually driving better business impact. When we think about hybrid cloud which enables you to leverage all of your investments across your infrastructure we’re actually seeing two and a half times value than traditional models. We’re also seeing the benefits from regulatory cloud and capabilities that we’re putting into our platforms. We just announced a financial services cloud and we’ll do the same with insurance and healthcare.

We’ll take the costs out of the regulatory risk and compliance while providing more value from a business perspective. We’ve had a number of relationships across multiple industries including BNP Paribas, MUFG Bank, Adobe, across telecom with Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel, Verizon, and even Schlumberger and Ernst & Young. Companies are seeing the value of these platforms. In fact, in the study, 94% of the respondents said that by 2022 they would have a new business platform model that would continue to power their business.

Barriers To Digital Transformation Have Broken Down

We see continued growth of hybrid cloud and of cloud services after the pandemic. It’s touching every element of a company’s business processes from the inside out and the outside in. The inside out includes HR, finance, risk compliance, procurement, supply chain. Then the outside in, marketing, sales, customer engagement, and customer service. With marketing at marketing events, we saw a 3X response into our Think Digital than previous years because we could have more reach. So now marketing is taking into account a digital transformation of the clients’ needs.

Customer service and engagement are the number one priority of our clients. They are building and investing in the contact center to improve the experience and drive more value. This cloud platform will bring in new capabilities with 5G such as IoT (internet of things), blockchain, and of course quantum capabilities. We’ll see the technology advance while the cultural change is advancing too. The barriers have broken down now in digital transformation because of people working from home and the need to adopt faster.