Category Archives: Automation

Controlled-environment agriculture also simply known as indoor farming had a big year both in terms of activity and investment dollars. While once we might have questioned the sectors economic viability and ability to actually feed a growing global population, a lot of those doubts have diminished and indoor ag in its many forms now has an important role in our future food system.

What that role is, however, will continue to evolve over time. Here are a few thoughts on how that will happen over the next 12 months.

More automation.

Automation isnt new to controlled-environment agriculture, but its presence as a part of indoor farming operations has increased over the last several months and will continue to in the next year.

In the context of controlled-environment farming, automation can refer to any kind of technology that removes manual human labor from the growing process. In some cases that includes robots that plant and harvest greens or move trays of produce around the farm. More often, though, automation refers to software that can calculate the optimal environmental temperature for each plant, know when plants need to be fed and harvested, and handle many other calculations that would otherwise require a person to have horticultural and technological (hardware and software) expertise.

Moving into 2021, well definitely see a few more robots buzzing around the indoor farm. But the bulk of automation will be about software.

More grocery store partnerships.

Many large-scale indoor farms started out selling their leafy green wares to restaurants and hotels. The pandemic, of course, put a hold on that in 2020, and controlled-environment agriculture operations had to look elsewhere for customers.

Enter the grocery store. From container farms at local markets to Kaleras partnership with Publix stores across the U.S., more indoor farming companies are growing their greens either onsite at grocery stores or within throwing distance of them.

This could in turn help bring the cost of greens grown on high-tech farms down, since the shipping and distribution steps will be less resource intensive in many cases and nonexistent in others.

More underutilized space.

One of my favorite stories from 2020 was this one, about a company called Wilder Fields that turned an abandoned Target store in south Chicago into a massive indoor farm.

Many companies are constructing their own facilities from the ground up, while others stick to smaller scale container farms that are a bit more mobile. Finding existing space, such as an abandoned big box retailer, seems a logical middle ground, and one well likely see more of as companies work to lower costs and keep their environmental footprint down.

Predictions pieces, of course, are always a bit of a crapshoot, and even if the above forecasts turn out to be true, theyll be but a smattering of the activity that will happen for controlled-environment ag in 2021.

Related

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Abandoned Spaces and Automation: What to Expect for Indoor Farming in 2021 - The Spoon

A recently published report titled Global Industrial Wireless in Process Automation Market 2020 by Company, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2025 by MarketsandResearch.biz broadly analyzes the markets critical aspects such as the vendor landscape, market dynamics, and regional analysis. The report offers end to end industry from the definition, product specifications, and demand till forecast prospects. The report comes out as a compilation of key guidelines for players to secure a position of strength in the global market. The report states global Industrial Wireless in Process Automation industry developmental factors, historical performance from 2015-2025. The segmental market view by types of products, applications, end-users, and top vendors is given. In addition, the production value growth rate, production growth rate, import and export, and key players of each regional market are provided.

Market Landscape Analysis:

The report provides comprehensive research that focuses on overall consumption structure, development trends, and sales of top countries in the global Industrial Wireless in Process Automation market. The research study deeply analyzes the global Industrial Wireless in Process Automation industry landscape and the prospects it is anticipated to create during the forecast period from 2020 to 2025. Key segments are studied about different factors such as consumption, market share, value, growth rate, and production. The report analyzes region-wise revenue and volume for the forecast period of 2015 to 2025.

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NOTE: Our report highlights the major issues and hazards that companies might come across due to the unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19.

Market competition by top manufacturers as follows: Cisco, Exloc Instruments, Siemens, Emerson Electric, Belden, Honeywell, Moxa, ABB, Yokogawa Electric, Motorola, Ruckus Wireless, Westermo

Based on product types, this report focuses on the status and outlook for product types, consumption (sales), market share, and growth rate for types, including: , Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN), Satellite (GNSS), Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN), Cellular

Based on application, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share, and growth rate for each application, including: , Oil and Gas Industry, Water and Wastewater Industry, Food and Beverage Industry, Chemical and Biochemical Industry, Metal industry

Global Industrial Wireless in Process Automation market segment by regions, regional analysis covers: North America (United States, Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia), South America (Brazil, Argentina, etc.), Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)

The report delivers marketing type analysis, market supply chain analysis, international trade type analysis, and traders or distributors by region with their contact information. The description of the products comprises the various ex-factors, production & consumption rates, and other factors about the products. The global Industrial Wireless in Process Automation market report additionally focuses on investigating product capacity, product price, profit streams, supply to demand ratio, production and market growth rate, and a projected growth forecast.

Guide For Report Investment:

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Moreover, the report minutely studies all such factors which are essential to be known by all major industry players operating into this market or new players planning to enter this global Industrial Wireless in Process Automation market. The report examines the global Industrial Wireless in Process Automation market breakdown and anticipates the market volume related to volume and value.

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Global Industrial Wireless in Process Automation Market 2020 Demand, Product Segmentation, Competitive and Statistical Analysis, and Current Market...

Detail Market Research Report on Global Playout Automation and Channel-In-A-Box Market with Industry Growth Analysis, Size, Trends and Forecast by 2026.

The global Playout Automation and Channel-In-A-Box market research report offers an in-depth analysis of the latest developments, market size, status, upcoming technologies, market drivers, restrains, challenges, opportunities, regulatory policies, with key company profiles and strategies of key players. The research report includes the new players in the global Playout Automation and Channel-In-A-Box market to get an idea about the current market scenario as well as upcoming market opportunities or challenges. The data that is required for the research report study of the Playout Automation and Channel-In-A-Box market is collected with helps of various research tools like SWOT analysis, PESTAL analysis and Posters Five Forces analysis.

The outburst of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis in the global Playout Automation and Channel-In-A-Box market has expressively impacted the infrastructure in overall market in 2021. This pandemic crisis has brought the impact on various industries in different ways like disruption of the supply chain, shutdown of the manufacturing processes and manufacturing plants, all indoor events restricted, over forty countries state of emergency declared, stock market volatility and uncertainty about future. This global Playout Automation and Channel-In-A-Box market research report covers the new survey on the Covid-19 impact on the Playout Automation and Channel-In-A-Box market, which helps the marketers to find latest market dynamics, new development in the market and in the industry, along with this, this survey also helps to form the new business plans, product portfolio and segmentations.

Global Playout Automation and Channel-In-A-Box Market by Key Players:

Harmonic, Pebble Beach Systems, Evertz, Cinegy, Imagine Communications, Grass Valley Canada, PlayBox Technology (UK), Pixel Power, florical systems, Hardata, BroadStream Solutions, Axel Technology, Aveco, Anyware Video company, wTVision Solutions, PlayBox Neo, SkyLark Technology, AQ BROADCAST

Get The Sample Report PDF with Detail TOC & List of Figures@https://www.apexmarketsresearch.com/report/global-playout-automation-and-channel-in-a-box-761113/#sample

The Market is Segmented into The Following Types:

Segments by Product Types:Single Channel, Multiple Channel,

Segments by Applications:Entertainment, News, Sports, Others

Regional analysis of the Global Playout Automation and Channel-In-A-Box Market:

Purely, this research report is segmented into several key regions, with the market production, consumption, revenue and market share.

North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico) Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Italy, Russia, Spain, and Rest of Europe) Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, Russia, and Rest of Asia Pacific) Latin America (Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, and Rest of Latin America) Middle East & Africa (South Africa, GCC and Rest of the Middle East & Africa)

Takeaways from the market report study:

The Playout Automation and Channel-In-A-Box market research report provides entirely analyzed and evaluated data of the key players in the market and the current and future situation these players in the market, which also considers the impact of the Covid-19 crisis. The data that is required for the report study is collected with the help of the various tools like SWOT analysis, Porters five forces analysis and PESTEL analysis.

The answers of some important questions that are covered in the report:

Data about those regions that are providing rewarding open doors or future opportunities for the Playout Automation and Channel-In-A-Box market The report also provides the data about all the business threats and the impact of Covid-19 on the Playout Automation and Channel-In-A-Box market growth and its forecast analysis The report also provides high-development scenarios for Playout Automation and Channel-In-A-Box market, in terms of applications, types and regions Data about those segments that grabs the most noteworthy attention in the Playout Automation and Channel-In-A-Box market in 2019 and beyond The report also provides the data about the key players in the global Playout Automation and Channel-In-A-Box market

Need questions types sentences above points.

Browse The Report@https://www.apexmarketsresearch.com/report/global-playout-automation-and-channel-in-a-box-761113/

TOC for the Global Playout Automation and Channel-In-A-Box Market:

Chapter 1: Market Overview, Drivers, Restraints and Opportunities, Segmentation OverviewChapter 2: Market Competition by ManufacturersChapter 3: Production by RegionsChapter 4: Consumption by RegionsChapter 5: Production, By Types, Revenue and Market share by TypesChapter 6: Consumption, By Applications, Market share (%) and Growth Rate by ApplicationsChapter 7: Complete profiling and analysis of ManufacturersChapter 8: Manufacturing cost analysis, Raw materials analysis, Region-wise Manufacturing expensesChapter 9: Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter 10: Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter 11: Market Effect Factors AnalysisChapter 12: Market ForecastChapter 13: Playout Automation and Channel-In-A-Box Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source

About Us:We at Apex Market Research aim to be global leaders in qualitative and predictive analysis as we put ourselves in the front seat for identifying worldwide industrial trends and opportunities and mapping them out for you on a silver platter. We specialize in identifying the calibers of the markets robust activities and constantly pushing out the areas which allow our clientele base in making the most innovative, optimized, integrated and strategic business decisions in order to put them ahead of their competition by leaps and bounds. Our researchers achieve this mammoth of a task by conducting sound research through many data points scattered through carefully placed equatorial regions.

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Playout Automation and Channel-In-A-Box Market | In Depth Research Report with Size, Trends and Forecast 2020-2026 | Harmonic, Pebble Beach Systems,...

Windows admins can leverage a great deal of automation by integrating PowerShell (PS) into their daily tasks to make short work of even the most cumbersome administrative tasks.

Image: iStock/BestForBest

Administrators have a tough, often tedious role to fill. Keeping everything going can be just as (if not more) difficult than swooping in to fix something that isn't working properly. Even relatively simple tasks, like creating new computer objects in Active Directory (AD) or ensuring that the devices on the network are all patched and operating optimally can be very time consuming when you factor in the sheer number of devices being managed.

SEE: TechRepublic Premium editorial calendar: IT policies, checklists, toolkits, and research for download (TechRepublic Premium)

I'm a big fan of automating as much as possible because it provides the following:

Lastly, it's better to work smarter, not harder, especially when it comes to types of repeat tasks that IT pros must perform.

Here are a few tasks common to IT pros in the hopes that they help you to work smarter, while inspiring you to apply that thought process to your organization's needs and make the necessary changes to automate frequently accessed tasks for a simpler, more efficient workflow.

The cmdlets below reference variables, beginning with the "$" character. These are labeled with the data the variable should be holding to make the cmdlet execute without error. These must first be stated in your script as shown in the sample below when setting the OU path variable:

$OU=OU=Office,OU=Dept,OU=Company,DC=DomainName,DC=DomainExt

While the PowerShell cmdlets may be duplicated within your script, it is generally considered a best practice to keep the code to a minimum. This means eliminating duplicate code as much as possible. One way I've found that helps keep code nice and tidy, while making the script efficient, is to leverage a cmdlet such as Import-CSV and create a looping condition so that the cmdlet runs against all items within your CSV file with a column named "Computers" to create the desired effect, as shown in the example below when setting computer names:

Import-Csv -Path $csv | ForEach ( { New-ADComputer -Name "$($_.Computers)"

ForEach ( { New-ADComputer -Name "$CompName" -Server $dc -Path $ou -Enabled $True } )

$comp = Get-ADComputer -Filter {Name -like $custom}

foreach ($station in $comp){Add-ADGroupMember -Identity $group -Members $station}

Get-ADComputer -SearchBase $searchOU -Filter {LastLogon -lt $time -and enabled -eq $true} -Properties LastLogon, description | Select-Object Name,DistinguishedName, description, enabled,@{Name="Stamp"; Expression={[DateTime]::FromFileTime($_.LastLogon)}} | export-csv $logfile -notypeinformation

Install-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate -AcceptAll -AutoReboot | Out-File "C:$Nodes-$(Get-Date -f yyyy-MM-dd)-MSUpdates.log" -Force

$VM = Get-SCVMHost -VMMServer "$VMMServer" -ComputerName "$CompName" | Get-SCVirtualMachine | Where-Object { $_.Status -eq "PowerOff" }

$VM | Start-SCVirtualMachine

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5 Windows administration tasks that can be automated using PowerShell - TechRepublic

The market has been down on Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd (HOLI) stock recently. HOLI gets a Bearish score from InvestorsObserver's Stock Sentiment Indicator.

Sentiment is a very short-term indicator that is entirely technical. There is no information about the health of profitability of the underlying company in our sentiment score.

As a technical indicator, news about the stock, or company, such as an earnings release or other event, could move the stock counter to the recent trend.

Recent trends are a good indicator of current market sentiments. In its most basic form, stocks that are trending up are desirable by investors while stocks currently falling must be unattractive.

InvestorsObserver's Sentimental Indicator tracks both changes in price and volume to analyze the most recent trends. Typically an increase in volume indicates ongoing trends are getting stronger, while a decrease in volume usually signals an end to the current trend.

Available options can also represent current sentiments for a given stock. Since investors are able to bet on future trends of stocks using options, we consider the ratio of calls to puts when analyzing market sentiments .

Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd (HOLI) stock is up 1.33% while the S&P 500 has fallen -0.33% as of 1:45 PM on Friday, Jan 8. HOLI is up $0.20 from the previous closing price of $14.70 on volume of 263,740 shares. Over the past year the S&P 500 is up 16.55% while HOLI has fallen -11.41%. HOLI earned $1.16 a per share in the over the last 12 months, giving it a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.82.

To screen for more stocks like Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd click here.

Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd is a China-based company that provides automation and control technologies and products. The company operates through three segments. Its IA segment supplies solutions including third-party hardware-centric products, proprietary software products, and others. The Rail segment supplies train control center and automation train protection to the rail and subway industries. The M&E segment consists of its two Southeast Asia-based subsidiaries that provide mechanical and electrical solutions. Hollysys Automation Technologies generates most of its sales from the Chinese domestic market.

Click Here to get the full Stock Score Report on Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd (HOLI) Stock.

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Is it Time to Dump Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd (HOLI) Stock After it Is Higher By 1.43% in a Week? - InvestorsObserver

One of the things I miss most during this pandemic is work travel. There is so much great innovation happening in food tech around the world right now, and I can only read about or watch video of it.

Case in point, Id love to hop over to Bangalore, India, where Mukunda Foods has been developing an array of devices to automate restaurant cooking since its founding in 2012. Among Mukundas food robots is the Dosamatic dosa maker, the Doughbot roti maker, and an automatic Biryani maker. The company has also developed a smart fryer, a steam microwave and an induction cooker to make bowl foods.

Dibyananda brahma, Vice President of Growth at Mukunda Foods told me during a call last week that his company already has machines installed in more than 2,000 locations.

Here in the U.S., one of the reasons restaurants are adopting automation is because of labor issues. Back before the pandemic, it wasnt uncommon for a QSR to have more than 100 percent churn in its workforce. I asked brahma what is driving automation in India, and he said that access to labor isnt as much a problem as finding workers with the right skills.

Because Mukunda Foods machines automate so much of the work in making food, there isnt a need for as much skill in making dosas or biryanis. According to a case study provided by Mukunda Foods, traditionally, biryanis require 2 skilled cooks and and 90 minutes to make. Mukunda says its automation can reduce that to 1 operator (per shift) and just 60 minutes to prepare biryani.

Like everywhere else, brahma said that the COVID pandemic has spurred inbound interest from restaurants. As noted, Mukunda touts its ability to create more food with fewer people, which reduces the amount of human-to-human contact in the restaurant and provides more space in the kitchen for social distancing.

Robots also have general benefits outside of pandemic-related issues. Machines can operate all day without taking a break, they can reduce supply costs through precise ingredient application, and they can create consistent meals with little variation (i.e. not burnt).

The cost for Mukunda machines varies. The fryers start at $400, a flatbread maker costs $1,000 and the Dosamatic costs $2,000. These prices arent bad, considering that Zimplistics Rotimatic home roti making machine costs $1,000.

I wouldnt be surprised to see Mukunda Foods machines pop up here in the U.S. joining other food automation players such as Picnic, Middleby and Miso Robotics. Mukunda is also working on applying its technology to other types of cuisines like Italian and other Asian fare.

Hopefully, though, the day wont be too far off when I can travel to India and see (and taste!) the results for myself.

Make sure to check out food robots and other food tech at The Spoons Food Tech Live on January 11th!

Related

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From Dosas to Biryanis, Mukunda Foods is Automating Indian Cuisine - The Spoon

MarketsandResearch.biz proclaims the addition of a new research report titled as, Global Library Automation Services and System Market 2020 by Company, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2025 that contains the industrial chain, factual data about every single part of the Library Automation Services and System market, production chain, manufacturing capacity, sales volume, and revenue. The report starts with a brief introduction and market overview of the industry with estimates of market scope and size. According to the report, the global Library Automation Services and System market has been developing at a higher pace with the development of imaginative frameworks and a developing end-client tendency. The report showcases an overview of the market scope, players, key market segments, market analysis by application, market analysis by type, and other chapters that give an overview of the research study.

Analysis of Market Effect Factors:

The report contemplates the global industry market size, industry status and gauge, rivalry scene, and development opportunity. The drivers, limitations, and opportunities for the market are also listed along with current trends in the industry. The market report is categorized by application, end-user, product/service types, and other, as well as by region. Players around various regions are covered under this report. The report contains analysis and market concentration of the key players in the market, along with their market presence analysis by region and product portfolio. As per the report, the Library Automation Services and System market report points out national and global business prospects and competitive conditions.

NOTE: Our report highlights the major issues and hazards that companies might come across due to the unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19.

DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORT: https://www.marketsandresearch.biz/sample-request/131438

Competitive analysis:

Competitive and company share analysis has been given in the report. The study highlights the presence of several major and leading vendors in the Library Automation Services and System market. The key players are included in the report with broad analysis with coverage of price, revenue, cost, company profile, contact credentials, and among others. The report also gives future demand, the quantity of production, required raw material, and the health of the organization.

With an emphasis on strategies, there have been several primary developments done by major companies such as: Auto-Graphics, Electronic Online Systems, COMPanion Corporation, Brodart, Ex Libris Group, CASPR Library Systems, Infor Library and Information Solutions, Eloquent Systems, CyberTools, Follett Software Company, Keystone Systems, New Generation Technologies, Inmagic, Polaris Library Systems, LibLime, Isacsoft, Innovative Interfaces, Open Text, Mandarin Library Automation, Insignia Software, SirsiDynix, Visionary Technology In Library Solutions, The Library Corporation, SydneyPLUS International Library Systems, Softlink, Surpass Software

On the basis of types, the market is primarily split into: , Windows, Linux, OS

On the basis of applications, the market covers: , Public Library, K-12 Library, Higher Education Library

Regional Segmentation And Analysis To Understand Growth Patterns: The market has been segmented into major regions to understand the global development and demand patterns of this market. By region, the global Library Automation Services and System market has been segmented in North America (United States, Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia), South America (Brazil, Argentina, etc.), Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)

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Credible Targets of The Industry Report:

Customization of the Report:

This report can be customized to meet the clients requirements. Please connect with our sales team (sales@marketsandresearch.biz), who will ensure that you get a report that suits your needs. You can also get in touch with our executives on +1-201-465-4211 to share your research requirements.

Contact UsMark StoneHead of Business DevelopmentPhone: +1-201-465-4211Email: sales@marketsandresearch.bizWeb: http://www.marketsandresearch.biz

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Global Library Automation Services and System Market 2020 Industry Analysis by Key Players, Product Type, Application, Regions and Forecast to 2025 -...

Welding technology developer K-TIGs (ASX: KTG) expansion plans in the US are progressing with the company revealing its had secured its first distribution partner.

The formal five-year distribution agreement follows a memorandum of understanding with automatic welding and robotics welding provider Key Plant Automation.

Key Plant provides welding solutions to more than 45 countries across pressure vessel, aerospace, defence and oil and gas sectors.

Under the deal, Key Plant and K-TIG will establish a demonstration facility to showcase K-TIGs disruptive welding technology.

K-TIG claims its high speed precision technology welds up to 100 times faster than traditional processes and is up to two times faster than plasma welding.

Australias CSIRO originally developed the technology, which can be used across a range of applications and is well suited to corrosion resistant metals including stainless steel, nickel alloys, titanium alloys and the most exotic materials.

K-TIG owns all the rights, title and interest relating to the proprietary and patented technology.

The technology has also been awarded Australian Industrial Product of the Year and secured the DTC Defence Industry Award.

The agreement with Key Plan combines K-TIGs technology with Key Plants capabilities to create turn-key solutions for customers.

K-TIG managing director Adrian Smith said the jointly developed facility will enable physical demonstration of K-TIGs technology to new customers across aerospace, defect and oil and gas sectors in the US.

The plant will be built at Key Plants head office in Houston, Texas.

The agreement with Key Plant helps to build K-TIGs on the ground sales force as well as our US-based spare parts and technical support capability, Mr Smith said.

K-TIG sees enormous potential for growth in the US market and our partnership with Key Plant is a way of fast-tracking our expansion in the worlds largest economy, he added.

Meanwhile, Key Plant US director of automation Michael Keith said the company sees significant potential in the US working with K-TIG.

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K-TIG teams up with Key Plant Automation to underpin US expansion of proprietary welding technology - Small Caps

BRISTOL, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GDS Group, the global events, research and technology services company, has today announced the results of independent research into the top IT trends that concern business leaders heading into 2021. According to senior leaders at the 300+ global companies polled on behalf of Meet the Boss, the virtual roundtable platform and subsidiary brand of GDS Group, IT security remains their top priority, and the area where leaders feel their knowledge is most lacking. However, despite strong media attention on these topics, AI/automation and the Internet of Things are the least important topics for IT leaders right now, despite AI/Automation being classified by board level respondents as a very high priority.

As a global events company serving the needs of senior business leaders, it is essential for GDS to understand what keeps its customers awake at night. In its latest Business Technology Barometer survey, GDS sought to understand the topics that business leaders are most concerned with as they enter 2021, how knowledgeable they feel they are on these topics, and how they prefer to expand their knowledge. The report anonymously polled over 300 GDS customers all senior leaders (VP/Directors and above) from major global enterprises, of which 150 were IT leaders specifically. The research was independently conducted and analysed by Boost Evaluation Limited.

IT leaders most concerned with lack of knowledge around IT security

The survey asked those in technology leadership roles, Please rate how relevant / important these hot topics are to your role and asked respondents to give an importance score out of ten. IT Security achieved the highest score of 9.0, closely followed by Cloud Strategy (8.5) and Digital Transformation (8.4). What was a surprise, however, was that Internet of Things (IoT) and AI/Automation received the lowest scores (5.0 and 7.5 respectively).

In order to reveal any knowledge gaps that might exist, respondents were then asked, Rate your knowledge level on the following topics. The biggest gap between the relevance/importance of a topic and the level of knowledge felt by respondents was revealed in IT security, with an importance score of 9.0 and knowledge of just 7.2.

As part of the survey, GDS also asked 37 board-level contacts what topics they said were the most important to them. In contrast to technology leaders, they rated AI/Automation as one of the most important topics with an extremely high score of 8.0/10.0, indicating a disconnect in priorities down the chain of command.

Business leaders are keen to learn and dont mind how they do it

The research demonstrated that business leaders have a real hunger for knowledge on most topics and are very flexible with how they approach their learning. While there is a small preference for face-to-face learning, they are equally at home learning from digital content, digital training courses and virtual conferences and roundtables.

The survey asked, Please rate how useful the following are in helping you learn about hot topics. There was no mode of learning that stood out as a clear winner.

Face to face training and digital content got the highest average scores (7.7 and 7.4), despite these being polar opposites in terms of investment (time and money) and degree of interactivity. Second equal were digital training courses, which strike a balance between ease of attendance and interactivity, written content, which allows self-paced learning, and virtual round tables which achieve high levels of human interaction with only a small investment of time involved.

Methods of learning which require little investment of time and money received the same scores as methods which were extremely expensive and time-consuming.

Spencer Green, founder and chairman of GDS comments on the results, Despite all the media buzz, we were surprised to see that AI/automation is not currently a top priority for technology leaders. However, as a relatively new trend, we expect it will climb the ranks as we see more evidence of its ability to transform businesses. The high interest we found among board level contacts in AI/automation provides another indication that this will become a key trend. While interest in cyber security, data, cloud and digital transformation remain as high as ever, so it is vital for us to help our clients to inform and educate business leaders in these areas.

As we commence a new year, technology remains an ever-changing landscape and it is great to see that its leaders accept the fact that they have significant knowledge gaps and have identified a range of ways to acquire knowledge, which suit all different learning preferences.

Overall, they have little preference for one method over another; they are simply eager to learn. Leaders know that those who adapt to the challenges that come their way will prosper, so it is inspiring to see them leading by example here.

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AI/automation fails to make the New Year's wish list for businesses: GDS survey - Business Wire

The incoming presidential administration has a lot of potential to spur growth in the building automation marketplace and overall smart city technologies for the built environment, from traditional building automation systems to IoT-based systems, building information modeling (BIM), and digital twin technology for buildings, cities, and campuses. Lets look at the overall Biden energy plan and what it means specifically for the commercial buildings sector.

The market for commercial buildings in the US is, overall, an aging one that is ripe for some modern energy efficiency measures. According to the EIAs recently released preliminary figures from the EIAs Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey, more than half of the commercial buildings in the US were built between 1960 and 1999. Buildings built before 1960 represent 21 percent of overall commercial buildings. These buildings incorporate various generations and levels of sophistication when it comes to building controls. Many of these buildings are hugely inefficient and represent a lot of low hanging fruit for energy efficiency.

A big part of the overall Biden plan is to make these buildings more energy efficient. The plan calls for an upgrade of four million commercial buildings in the US. The goal is to take nearly a quarter of the savings realized from these retrofit projects and return them directly to state and local governments where those buildings are located. Energy efficiency measures touted by the administration as part of their plan include installation of LED lighting, electrical appliances, and advanced heating and cooling systems.

The plan also includes investment in energy upgrades for homes, offices, warehouses, and public buildings. The administration states that these measures should create one million jobs in fields ranging from construction to engineering and manufacturing, with big improvements in air quality and overall environmental health. Bidens plan also calls for a reform the building code process to establish a series of nationwide building performance standards for existing buildings. New funding mechanisms will be provided to states, local governments, and tribes. Other planned infrastructure investments include modernization of school buildings and funding for energy efficient campuses.

According to this paper by National Grid, energy represents about 19 percent of total expenditures for a typical office building in the US. Heating and cooling in a typical office building, including lighting, heating, and cooling, represents between 54 and 71 percent of total use depending on climate, making those systems ripe for considerable energy cost savings. According to the US Department of Energy, commercial buildings consume around 20 percent of all the energy produced in the US, while both commercial and residential buildings produce about 38 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings consume over 70 percent of the electricity produced in the US according to EIA.

The COVID crisis in the US represents an even greater opportunity for energy savings. Older systems are not as adaptable, and many opportunities for energy savings in buildings that are not occupied or are partially occupied are not sufficiently realized. According to a September survey from Johnson Controls, energy consumption in buildings did not go down significantly, even in the wake of COVID-19 closings.

Most of the installed base of traditional HVAC systems consists of pneumatic controls and aging electronic hardware hardwired together via serial networks. As microprocessors became smaller and more powerful, products with embedded intelligence became easier to manufacture, less expensive to produce, and more widely adopted.

This led to a very competitive price structure for hardware in this largely bid-spec market. Hardware became commoditized, which made the already high cost of wiring and installation appear even more asphyxiating as it became a larger percentage of the total project spend. As the result of high wiring costs and the proliferation of intelligent hardware, system designs that utilized distributed intelligence became popular.

The traditional model of having a large space dedicated to housing all system controllers and running conduits to each physical access point was largely replaced by a model that scattered an appropriate number of controllers throughout the facility. Newer systems are server based, and information can be accessed through the Internet; but even these systems are becoming lagging technology as rapid technological advancements continue to revolutionize the industry.

While many installed systems are basic analog electrical systems, most projects that are being designed and commissioned today utilize digital architecture, IP-based communications, and web accessibility to increase the breadth and capabilities of these systems. There is also a strong trend toward the integration of once disparate systems, such as lighting control, access control, and others. Suppliers that develop all these systems on one platform allow information to be exchanged seamlessly between the systems, and data from the systems can be viewed holistically, where applicable.

While many industrial markets are suffering because of COVID-19, the market for OT level digital solutions, including building automation systems and an entire suite of industrial IoT-based offerings, is expected to accelerate in 2021 after the COVID dip in spending. The policies of the new administration should accelerate this trend. Investments in energy efficiency have a good return on investment, this return can be quite rapid. New energy innovations are centered on digital technologies and the strategic use of energy data. New buildings under smart city initiatives and energy intensive industries face a shift from a focus on hardware to the increased importance of software to make systems and assets more efficient, resilient, and digital.

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Biden's Energy Plan Will Boost Building Automation and Smart City Tech - ARC Advisory Group