Category Archives: Technology

What does a typical work day look like for Kristie Curameng Bradford, MBA 05? Well, theres really no such thing and thats precisely why she loves her job.

No days look similar, says Bradford, director of intellectual property at IBM. There are so many things I could be doing in one day.

In her current role, she is responsible for monetizing innovations, from strategy development to transaction execution. Her focus is in quantum computing, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and monetization via Venture Capital and Private Equity channels.

In her prior role as a business development executive, Bradford led healthcare-specific mergers, acquisitions and strategic partnership for IBM Watson, the well-known supercomputer best known for beating out contestants Jeopardy! in 2011. Of course, Watson is much more than that AI has come a long way in the past decade.

I help businesses think about whether they need to grow via partnership, create a joint venture, or actually acquire a business outright, Bradford says. When you do any of thatwhether its closing a deal or creating a strategy the day-to-day looks very different.

Business and technology are by necessity in constant collaboration. Bradfords position at IBM provides the perfect opportunity to put her expertise and business acumen to use. But she also gets to be a student of technology who is always learning something new.

One of the things that attracted me to IBM is that we use the word transform and we mean it, she says.

When people ask me what its like to be a part of this company, its interesting because were asked to look at the same things people have been looking at, but almost in an upside-down, inside-out way, she says. Its how can it be versus how it is today. Those are the fun things that we get to do.

To those she mentors, Bradford says that understanding business fundamentals is as important as understanding innovation. Lots of people say they want to join technology companies, and sign up for computer science classes, Bradford said. She believes that todays students should broaden their perspectives to include stages of business from the lab to the market, and understand how disciplines such as operations, sales and marketing, and finance translate to an innovations commercial success. I think tech-savvy and business acumen will be essential for the next generation of Smith students.

She also recommends taking time to strike a balance: building a successful and fulfilling career, while not forgetting the other cherished aspects of your life. She cites advice she received from her uncle, a role model in her life, as she was graduating from her MBA program at Smith: Time is precious, and you dont get it back.

Everyone else will prioritize themselves, so you must make sure to prioritize yourself, she says. Just take the time to be with the people that you love.

By Erica Spaeth. Spaeth is a 2023 MBA Candidate and a Fort and Smith Fellow. Originally from Potomac, Md., Spaeth worked in digital marketing, publishing, and most recently operations management, leading her to come to Maryland Smith.

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Thriving, Where Business and Technology Meet | Maryland Smith - Robert H. Smith School of Business

FARMLAND, Ind. Harvest time is here but the work doesnt stop for farmers when the crops leave the field, in some ways it begins anew.

Hoosier farmers are busy this week dodging raindrops while planting cover crops like radishes, wheat and oats. This lineup of winter produce helps keep the soil, and the nutrients within, in place until next year.

Purdue University is using drones to do what tractors cannot as they say the future of agriculture may be above the ground.

I think this drone is absolutely amazing, Purdue Extension Precision AG Educator Mark Carter said. We use it for spreading seeds. Use it for spraying pesticides, herbicides. We can do it in a very precise manner. Its very controlled.

Remote controlled Purdue University employs nearly 25 drones throughout Indiana at various AG Centers. Each drone can carry roughly 25 pounds of seed or liquid which is then programmed and spread throughout any given field.

You think about the first tractor that pulled something without horses that was technology, Carter said. This is just the next step. We have digital agriculture where were mapping everything, were tracking every acre and immediately we started seeing some different results.

With the help of their eight-propellered implements, farmers can plot their fields, plant more precisely and get a real time view of whats typically reserved for birds.

Real time information can let you know if you have any issues emerging whether its disease or insects, weeds or water issues, Carter said. You can see it from up high. and you dont need a bunch of fancy software, you just fly up and take a look and see whats there.

While most newer tractors are equipped with satellite technology which allows them to be precise to the nearest inch, these often, self driving tractors, still come up short when the weathers wet.

The fields are so muddy that if we put a tractor in there right now its gonna sink. Its gonna rut up the field. Its gonna make a big mess, Carter said. The beautiful thing about this technology with the drones is Im spreading cover crops today where as we couldnt get the tractor and the drill in to plant the cover crop even if we waited a few days and the weather today is favorable for planting why waste time?

If time is money then Carter says farmers should be all ears.

Every dollar counts, our seasons arent always the longest and the weather is always a variable so every minute counts, Carter said. Our margins are thin thats why it all really matters.

At Purdue Universitys Davis Purdue AG Center along County Road 900 West in Farmland, a few miles northeast of Muncie; educators like Carter and AG-Center Superintendent Jeff Boyer take the time to test new technology so hardworking producers dont have to.

The story of Indiana agricultures been a story of progress. Its very important I think in some of the things that we do here with the price of seed and fertilizers and herbicides nowadays you can save on product in a lot of cases with technology like this at your disposal, Boyer said. We do the testing to save farmers the runaround because sometimes things work and sometimes they dont.

Purdue University also offers farmers courses to help them pass the FAA Part 107 License Course for drones to help more Hoosier farmers get their FAA certifications to fly commercial drones of their own.

Generally speaking its an improvement in efficiency as things change and evolve, but this technology is not for everybody. There are people who say no, Im gonna use my sprayer Im gonna do my own field scouting, Im gonna use satellite for field scouting which is totally fine, Boyer said. Its virtually impossible to predict where things may go in the future. But its fun to be a part of that change and in time the drones will get bigger I think so youll have more capacity to do more things and the cost will come down too to make it more affordable.

Bringing farms into the future by bringing seeds to the skies, Purdue believes all their tests will yield positive results, meaning more drones could be humming in fields near you.

Everything these drones can do creates a more positive environment, a healthier soil if you will, for soybeans, corn, wheat, whatever your cash crop is, Carter said. The technologys absolutely amazing, Carter said. Were using it in amazing ways working with producers, working with local communities to educate and inform.

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Purdue University takes farming to the sky with drone technology testing - CBS 4 Indianapolis

Published: Oct. 27, 2021 at 12:32 PM CDT|Updated: 19 hours ago

PLANO, Texas, Oct. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Huawei Technologies USA has confirmed it will address the critical issue of privacy and information security at Reuters MOMENTUM the leading global emerging technology conference and executive virtual event which will be held on Wednesday, October 27.

Speaking on behalf of Huawei Technologies USA, Andy Purdy, Chief Security Officer, will explore prevalent consumer and regulatory issues surrounding the right to privacy, how information is used and how it's protected given the rise of cyberattacks and heightened government regulation. The discussion, moderated by Nadira Tudor, TV & Radio Broadcast Journalist/Presenter, will take place on October 27 at 12:00 p.m. EST and will also include insights from Trevor Hughes, President and CEO of The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).

"This conversation comes at a pivotal point in the global narrative," said Purdy. "Given the sophistication of malicious cyber attackers and our growing dependence on connected devices and 5G technologies, privacy and information transparency have never been more important."

Running October 27-29, Reuters MOMENTUM brings together more than 25,000 executive attendees to hear from the world's most influential technologists, policymakers, NGOs and business leaders, including:

As Reuters flagship technology event, the virtual conference brings professionals from around the world together for live sessions, discussion, Q&A and networking, with content themed around four interlinked pillars: Society, Economy, Sustainability, Trust & Ethics.

For more information on Reuters Momentum, visit https://reutersevents.com/events/momentum/

About Huawei

Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. With integrated solutions across four key domains telecom networks, IT, smart devices, and cloud services we are committed to bringing digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world.

Huawei's end-to-end portfolio of products, solutions and services are both competitive and secure. Through open collaboration with ecosystem partners, we create lasting value for our customers, working to empower people, enrich home life, and inspire innovation in organizations of all shapes and sizes.

At Huawei, innovation focuses on customer needs. We invest heavily in basic research, concentrating on technological breakthroughs that drive the world forward. We have more than 188,000 employees, and we operate in more than 170 countries and regions. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees.

For more information, please visit Huawei online at http://www.huawei.comor follow us on: http://www.linkedin.com/company/Huawei http://www.twitter.com/Huaweihttp://www.facebook.com/Huawei http://www.youtube.com/Huawei

Contact: Kimberlee Bradshaw Archibald / kbradsha@huawei.us

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SOURCE Huawei Technologies USA

The above press release was provided courtesy of PRNewswire. The views, opinions and statements in the press release are not endorsed by Gray Media Group nor do they necessarily state or reflect those of Gray Media Group, Inc.

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Huawei Technologies USA to tackle privacy and information at Reuters global technology event - WSFA

This post contains moderate spoilers for the first episode and slight spoilers for episode two of Star Trek: Prodigy.

How do you make a series that can draw in newcomers while still appealing to long-time fans? In the case of Star Trek: Prodigy, you set it in a place where the United Federation of Planets has little to no presence the Delta Quadrant and make your cast a bunch of misfit kids who have never heard of the Federation or Starfleet. That puts them on the same level as the children this show hopes to draw in, while offering up just enough tidbits to intrigue their Trekkie parents.

The pilot, Lost and Found, is a feature-length episode that debuted today on Paramount+ (that means its technically two parts). It was originally planned to air on Nickelodeon first, but it was changed to a streaming-exclusive for 2021 with the cable channel airing it later at a still-unknown date. The animated show fills in the content gap between the end of Lower Decks earlier this month and the premiere of Discovery season four in November which in turn, should carry fans through to the start of season two of Picard in February. The idea is to keep Star Trek fans from dropping their subscriptions to Paramount+ during the downtime, something that was fairly common during Discoverys first three seasons.

Nickelodeon

That assumes, however, that Prodigy has something to offer those adult fans. And thats where the deeper ties to Trek lore come in. Though Voyager spent seven years in the Delta Quadrant, the ships mission to get back to Federation space meant it couldnt stick around in any one place too long, or return to previous locales. Theres a ton left to explore as well as plenty of room for Prodigys creators, Dan and Kevin Hageman, to populate their own corner of the universe.

First, they have to introduce their main characters, and thats what Lost and Found is largely dedicated to doing. Our cast of misfits, led by Dal (voiced by Brett Gray), lives on a mining colony populated by prisoners and orphans. Its the last place anyone would want to be, especially a Star Trek character, which is why the main drive is to just get off this bleak rock. But right away the series makes its point about being far from Federation space and technology, as the inhabitants cant even talk to each other due to a lack of universal translators. That system has been how, for over 55 years, Star Trek has managed to populate its cast with aliens who all speak English. Its the future! Different languages arent a problem!

Except here, they are. It keeps the characters from even knowing each others names, which makes the discovery of the USS Protostar and its built-in translator the perfect opportunity for everyone to re-introduce themselves to each other and thus, to the audience. And, when Dal and Rocktok discover a lost Starfleet ship buried under the surface of the planet, the ship itself may fill them with awe, but its the translator that truly elicits the most enthusiastic reaction: Rocktok calls it magic. Its a rather fitting introduction to a franchise with a goal to seek out new life and new civilizations, in how it puts the connection between these disparate aliens up front.

When I saw the pilot at New York Comic Con a few weeks ago, I compared it to shows like Clone Wars and Rebels. The Star Wars influence that J.J. Abrams brought to the Star Trek franchise is still present in Prodigy, notably in its action sequences and score, the latter composed by frequent Michael Giacchino collaborator Nami Melumad. Giacchino is best known for his work on various Pixar and Star Trek films, and he also supplies the main theme for Prodigy. You can hear his influence on Melumads score, which does a great job of blending a quirky style with the signature Trek leitmotifs.

The final action sequence feels like pure Star Wars, as the USS Protostar makes its way off the planet and Dal is trapped on its hull, battling the villainous Drednok. The bad guys insect-like cyborg body reminds me of General Grievous if the general could turn into a giant gun, that is. Its the kind of thing that works best in CG and, like Lower Decks before it, Prodigy seems more than willing to embrace the extra freedom offered by animation as a medium. Were long past the clunky microfiche displays and cosplaying dogs of the original series.

That freedom is probably best illustrated in the character of hologram Captain Janeway, voiced by Kate Mulgrew (of course). Its been over 20 years since Voyager last graced the small screen, and Mulgrew has kept busy on shows like Warehouse 13 and Orange is the New Black. But in the Star Trek universe, its only been six years (though an exact date is never given on-screen in Prodigy). Animation means they can easily erase the decades from Janeway without resorting to the creepy live-action simulacrums seen in Rogue One of Moff Tarkin and Princess Leia.

Hologram Janeway makes her debut at the end of todays pilot episode, but shell make a much fuller appearance in next weeks Starstruck. Thats where the new cadets get to explore the ship and learn more about the distant Federation. While theres still plenty of banter and conflict between the characters, the real star of the second episode is the ship itself what it looks like, and what its capable of. While there is a plot which I wont divulge details of it serves as a showcase for all the different features of this new prototype ship. You can almost imagine Janeway as a car salesman, slapping the hood of the Protostar and saying this babys warp core can travel to so many planets.

Star Trek has always been a humanist franchise, devoted to exploring social themes and dilemmas. It also has a tendency to take its technology and the post-scarcity utopia for granted. Prodigy goes against the grain by showing from the start how technology can change lives.

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Star Trek: Prodigy centers technology by focusing on those who dont have it - Engadget

Contributed to this research: Adam Laurie and Sameer Koranne.

Given the accelerating rise in operational technology (OT) threats, this blog will address some of the most common threats IBM Security X-Force is observing against organizations with OT networks, including ransomware and vulnerability exploitation. IBM will also highlight several measures that can enhance security for OT networks based on insights gained from the X-Force Red penetration testing team and X-Force incident responses experience assisting OT clients with security incidents. These include a focus on data historian and network architecture, such as domain controllers.

OT is hardware and software that controls industrial processes, such as heavy manufacturing equipment, robotics, oil pipeline or chemical flows, electric utilities and water and the functionality of transportation vehicles.

Typically, OT networks are segregated from information technology (IT) networks at organizations that have both. Email, customer transactions, human resources databases and other IT are separated from technologies that control physical processes. Even so, typical threats against IT networks have the potential to affect OT networks, particularly if segmentation is not effective or engineers decide to shut down the OT network as a precaution after an attack on the IT network, such as ransomware.

Threats to OT networks are arguably more dangerous than threats to IT networks because of the physical outcomes that can result, such as passenger vehicle malfunctions, explosions, fires and potential loss of life. A cyberattack with these outcomes becomes, in effect, a physical weapon.

Of all the attack types X-Force observes against OT organizations, ransomware is the leader. In fact, nearly one-third of all attacks X-Force has observed against organizations with OT networks in 2021 have been ransomware a significantly higher percentage than any other attack type.

In many cases, ransomware attacks affect only the IT portion of a network. Yet, these IT infections can still have tremendous consequences for operations governed by OT networks. Research by X-Force and Dragos in late 2020 found that 56% of ransomware attacks on organizations with OT networks affected operational functionality in cases where the scope of impact was known. In many of these cases, OT networks were probably shut down as a precaution to prevent ransomware from spreading to OT networks or negatively affecting operations. This was the case in the high-impact ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline that resulted in gasoline shortages in several U.S. states in May 2021.

In other cases, however, ransomware does make its way over to the OT portion of the network. Ryuk is the ransomware strain most commonly observed by IBM as attacking the OT network.

In the fall of 2019, Ryuk ransomware actors hit at least five oil and gas organizations in what appeared to be part of a targeted campaign aimed at OT specifically oil and gas entities.At least one of these organizations was a natural gas compression facility at a U.S. pipeline operator as reported by the U.S. Coast Guard, according to a report by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and analysis by Dragos.

AMaritime Safety Information Bulletin issued by the Coast Guard on Dec. 16, 2019, indicated that segregation between the pipeline organizations IT and OT network was insufficient to prevent the attacker from reaching the OT environment. The report stated that after infecting the organizations IT network, the virus further burrowed into the industrial control systems that monitor and control cargo transfer and encrypted files critical to process operations. The bulletin further indicated that the attack disrupted camera and physical access control systems and resulted in the loss of critical process control monitoring systems.

X-Force Incident Response has similarly observed Ryuk affiliates cross over into OT networks in attack remediation and investigations, using methods similar to those observed by the Coast Guard.

In February 2021, a report by theFrench government noted that newer Ryuk variants have worm-like capabilities and can replicate autonomously across an infected network. X-Force malware analysis of a Ryuk malware sample in June 2021 substantiated these findings, similarly revealing these worm-like capabilities in newer Ryuk variants. X-Force analysis of Ryuk malware showed that samples were packed in loaders similar to those used in Emotet and Trickbot campaigns, andEmotethas been known to worm into OT networks in the past.

It is possible that the new worm-like characteristics of recent Ryuk ransomware samples will give the group a higher likelihood of worming into OT networks in future ransomware operations, particularly if robust segmentation is not in place.

X-Force Incident Response data reveals that, in 2021, vulnerability exploitation is the primary method attackers are using to gain unauthorized access to organizations with OT networks. In fact, vulnerability exploitation has led to a staggering 89% of incidents X-Force has observed at organizations with OT networks so far this year, where the initial infection vector is known.

In 2021, X-Force has also observed threat actors exploit CVE-2019-19781 a Citrix server path traversal flaw to access networks at OT organizations. This was the most exploited vulnerabilityX-Force observed in 2020. The ease with which threat actors have been able to exploit this Citrix vulnerability and the level of access it provides to critical servers make it an entry point of choice for multiple attackers. We strongly recommend remediating this vulnerability if your organization has not done so already.

In some cases, OT organizations became victims of theKaseya-linked ransomware attack, where exploitation of a zero-day vulnerability and a supply chain-esque operation became the initial infection vectors. In the Kaseya case, Sodinokibi/REvil ransomware operators exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Kaseyas VSA software (now known as CVE-2021-30116) to deliver a ransomware attack. This attack leveraged attack techniques that are more common to advanced nation-state actors namely, exploitation of a zero-day and a supply-chain propagation technique which are uniquely difficult to defend against.

In a separate supply chain attack, multiple OT organizations reached out to X-Force for assistance in determining the extent to which theSolarWinds supply chain attack may have affected them. For some of the OT organizations impacted by the SolarWinds attack, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) were the entry path, underscoring how attackers seek to exploit relationships of trust built between vendors and clients. The OEMs had access to the OT clients network to perform remote maintenance and were using compromised SolarWinds software across those remote connections.

Examples such as these highlight the significant risk to OT organizations from supply chain operations.

When it comes to OT network security, X-Force Red penetration testers have indicated that data historian often provides a reliable pathway into an OT network. Compromising data historian often can create opportunities to compromise the OT network. Thus, security teams should be careful not to overlook data historian when identifying and shoring up potential weak points in their OT network.

A data historian is a type of time-series database designed to efficiently collect and store process data from industrial automation systems. It is used widely for OT networks, industrial control systems (ICS) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) networks. Data historian was originally created for and continues to be used most commonly for identifying, diagnosing and remediating problems that might lead to costly downtime.

Adversaries that are able to gain access to data historian then have access to data, analysis and information on control systems at that organization useful for reconnaissance and further attack planning. In addition, data historian can provide a pathway from the IT network into the OT network, if the data historian is dual-homed. Further, data historian tends to have extensive connectionsthroughout OT networks, which can give an attacker an array of potential options for moving throughout an OT environment.

OT organizations can better secure data historian by creating historian security groups, carefully defining who has access to these groups, closely monitoring accounts with access to ensure they are not stolen or abused and implementing strong authentication measures. Organizations can also use electronic signatures and electronic recordsto demand authentication whenever a change is made to data or configurations in data historian. In addition, placing the historian in a demilitarized zone (DMZ) can help segregate it from the OT network while still providing access from the IT network.

It is not uncommon to find companies creating and using enterprise data historians hosted within the IT infrastructure. With aggressive cloud adoption strategies and an increase in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices, companies have started implementing or moving these enterprise historians to cloud environments. Typically, these historians aggregate the data from site- and plant-specific data historians. This approach provides scalability and seamless integration with cloud-based storage and applications for secure information sharing, where needed. However, companies must ensure that they store the data safely without creating an opening for an attack.

MITRE has provided several additional risk mitigation measures to help secure data historian servers/databases, and IBM recommends reviewing those and implementing as many as possible.

Securing OT networks is more critical than ever. OT network defenders can implement a range of measures to decrease the chances of encountering a cyber incident on their OT network. Some of these measures are aimed at decreasing the risk of a ransomware attack including Ryuk attacks while others can assist in preventing a range of different attack types with the potential to weaponize OT networks.

Originally posted here:

The Weaponization of Operational Technology - Security Intelligence

Digitalisation must be matched by social innovation if the national recovery and resilience plans are to be effective.

The digital transformation is progressing slowly in many European Union countries. Available digital technologies are not being implemented and utilised to improve processes in government administration, in healthcare or in many companies.

This deficit became particularly evident with the Covid-19 crisis. For example, in the supposedly high-tech country of Germany the federal administration and the health-care system were often unable adequately to track infection chains, due to outdated equipment, hence failing to ensure prompt quarantine.

The EUs National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs) aim significantly to improve this situation, through massive financial stimulus in the member states. A minimum of 20 per cent of the total of just under 724 billion available from the Recovery and Resilience Facility is intended to promote digital transformation. The financing of digital technology comprises three pillars: the modernisation of public administration, expansion of the digital infrastructure, and education and training to support digital skills.

Without question, this plan will accelerate digitalisation in the EU. It will particularly benefit countries hardest hit by the pandemic with only limited investment resources. But the NRRPs can also enhance digitalisation in some of the western- and northern-European countries more advanced in technological development.

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The question is, however, to what extent the previous deficits can actually be overcome with this financial injection. There is a risk that while investments will be made in new technologies the goal of increasing social resilience will only be suboptimally realised. The mere introduction of digital technologies alone does not automatically lead to the desired structural change in institutions, organisations or companies.

This is because digital technologies are general-purpose technologies. They can be flexibly integrated into existing institutional and organisational structures and do not in themselves create any greater pressure for change. Research in the corporate sector, for example, has shown that the introduction of digital technologies is characterised by a high degree of hesitation in many companies and fundamental structural changes are seldom made. Similar situations can be foundeven more pronouncedin the bureaucratised, established areas of the state administration.

The motives for this hesitancy are obvious and at first glance very rational: with such an approach, decision-makers avoid the costs and the risks of far-reaching digital innovation. Above all, they avoid conflicts of interest with the employees likely to be affected by the change process.

On closer inspection, however, this means there is only a limited increase in efficiency and suboptimal structures are stabilised. In a nutshell, existing organisational deficits, well-established routines and excessively bureaucratic regulations cannot be eliminated through the introduction of digital systems alone.

Crisis-free, normal situations can usually be managed with such well-worn, only partially digitally-supported routines. Against the background of the pandemic, howeverand aiming for a recovery which establishes a new normalit becomes clear that incremental and cautious innovation steps are far from sufficient.

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This is clearly shown by analyses of the often not only inadequate but even hapless and inefficient government measures to cope with the Covid-19 crisis in Germany. The mere digitalisation of established processes may not only fail to enhance resilience but sustain inertia.

That may go fine for a while. But in view of the future challenges to the ability of companies and states to act, digitalised business as usual is extremely risky. This is particularly true of the oncoming climate crisis but also forecast further pandemics.

A situation threatens to arise which, following the British sociologist Anthony Giddens, can be termed Giddens paradox: the willingness to take effective measures to increase resilience will only arise when the pressure to act has become unavoidably high as a result of a crisis. Impending crises are not really reckoned with for a long time and well-trodden paths and routines continue to be followed. When measures are introduced, they are too lateas the crisis can no longer be mastered, still less averted.

How can this risk be avoided and the funding from the NRRPs used to create structures of high resilience and social ability to act, effective over the long term? Research and practical experience indicate that a successful digitalisation push must by no means only be technology-centered but must also systematically take into account the social conditions of innovation. There is a close connection between the effectiveness potential of the new technologies on the one hand and their institutional, organisational and personnel embedding on the other.

Yet it is very often overlooked that efficient use of digital technologies always requires innovation in their institutional and organisational environments. As early as 2014, Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfeeleading global figures on digitalisation and artificial intelligencestrongly emphasised the indispensability of complementary innovations in The Second Machine Age, a bestseller.

The Recovery and Resilience Facility does address this aspect at least indirectly, via the funding of education and training to support digital skills. This would deal with the personnel side of digitalisation but a broader perspective on the social prerequisites of successful implementation and utilisation of digital technologies is absent. In terms of a convincing political programme, it would have been appropriate to identify social innovation as an essential focus to complement the introduction of digital technologies.

In other words, this cannot just be about the introduction of new technologies. Digitalisation, regardless of its purposes, affects the interdependences between technology, humans and the organisation as a whole. So the overall socio-technical system must be explored. Key to this approach is the formula of joint optimisation: the desired goals can only be achieved if the social and technological elements of the overall socio-technical system are co-ordinated with one another.

A systematic, socio-technical perspective for a genuinely crisis-resilient digitalisation can only be a matter for the individual member states: they each have specific social conditions. These peculiarities require particular consideration in each case through adapted national implementation strategies.

For example, an aim of the German recovery plan is to strengthen social participation in the process of digitalisation. Without question this refers to the tradition of the German system of corporate co-determination, which can be seen as a positive example for other areas of society.

The specific challenges of individual member states are also shown clearly by the continuing hiatus affecting the NRRPs submitted by Hungary and Poland. This demonstrates in extremis that the introduction of digital technologies without the simultaneous tackling of social challenges makes little sense.

This is part of a series on the NRRPs, supported by the Hans Bckler Stiftung

Hartmut Hirsch-Kreinsen is a former professor of economic and industrial sociology at the TU Dortmund and currently a senior research professor working on the digitisation of work and industry 4.0, in close co-operation with the Social Research Centre Dortmund.

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Digitalisation and recoveryit's not just about the technology - Social Europe

An Electric Vehicle charging station in Monterey Park, California on May 18, 2021. - President Joe ... [+] Biden's administration continues the push for alternative forms of transportation and energy and on a visit today to the Ford Motor plant in Dearborn, Michigan, Biden made the case for his $174 billion electric-vehicle proposal, urging automakers not to build zero-emission vehicles abroad for US consumers and touting electric vehicles as the future of the auto industry. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

The introduction, scaling, and integration of revolutionary technologies into an economy is a dynamic, inherently disruptive process that both creates and destroys businesses, markets, and jobs. This creative destruction is essential for generating the economic growth, productivity, and competitive impact that such technologies can deliver. One thing that can serve as either a brake or accelerator on this process is government policy andregulation.

As multiple technology revolutions unfold at a rapid pace, a countrys dynamism, including the speed and efficiency with which it can reorganize around new technology, will be a major determinant of its competitiveness.

Hitting the Accelerator for the Digital Revolution.

There is no better case of creative destruction in action than the scaling of the digital revolution. In 1993, as the internet emerged, the Clinton administration issued a policy framework, outlining a vision for an information infrastructure, and how this network, vast universe of information, and applications, software, and devices to access it could unleash a revolution and forever change how we live, work, and interact. The framework proposed regulatory and policy actions that would rapidly scale the internet in the United States, including opening competition, ensuring universal access, developing interoperability standards, and reforming regulations that impeded development of interactive services and applications.

The U.S. economy responded by reorganizing in a three-decade whirlwind of creative destruction. Private fixed investment in information processing equipment and software grew from $176 billion annually in 1990 to more than a trillion annually today. Thousands of new firms were born. In 1992, about 740 software publishing start-ups were formed; by 1997, the number grew to 1,240. After the internet bust came scaling of the app economy, and software start-ups rose again, from about 270 in 2010 to 1,480 in 2018. Today, the top 10 on the Fortune 500 includes companies that did not exist in 1992 when Clinton issued that policy, such as Amazon and Alphabet, as well as Apple. Furthermore, digitalization disrupted entire industries, such as broadcasting, publishing, and distribution. New ways of doing business have swept the globe. The U.S. digital economys GDP has grown to $2 trillion, ranking just below manufacturing.

Three Key Emerging Areas for Regulation and Government Policy

Borrowing from the lessons of the internets emergence in the 1990s, policymakers, as well as private sector leaders, must significantly increase their attention to todays emerging revolutionary technologies that are bound to have a massive impact.

Electric, Connected, and Autonomous Vehicles.The shift in how our cars operate, and what they run on, means a widespread shift in the entire infrastructure and industries around vehicle transportation, fromauto manufacturing and repair to goods delivery, and to mass transportation, traffic management, and urban planning.More EVs on the road means automotive technicians and mechanics must be able to work on high-voltage electrical systems, lithium-ion batteries, and electric generators. Meanwhile, charging stations will become prevalent where people spend considerable time such as hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, and office buildings. There are about 100,000 gas stations in the U.S., employing more than 950,000 people, so as we transition away from internal combustion engines, these sites and the role of employees will need to be repurposed or reimagined.

Biomanufacturing.A recent McKinsey Global Institute study suggests that as much as60% of the physical inputs to the global economy could be produced using biological materials or processes. If the manufacturing paradigm shifts to biotech, there would be dramatic disruption among incumbent producers, reconfigured supply chains, new business entrants and models, and a shift in the manufacturing skill base. Innovations in biology pose risks, such as uncontrolled spread of genetically engineered organisms, homebrew bio labs, or the potential for countries to operate on different regulatory or ethical standards to achieve a competitive advantage.Onthe latter, while the government can establish guardrails for such a powerful technology through regulation, it cannot engineer the revolution. The future state will emerge from the turbulence of market forces spun by the decisions and actions of thousands of investors and businesses in numerous industries, and millions of consumers.

Artificial Intelligence.AI promises to reweave the fabric of the economy, society, and our lives, "reshaping each domain from the macro to the micro with intelligentization as Chinas central planners note.Governments around the world are already preparing for its implementation in and impact on their economies, industries, workforce, and society.

Chinas plan includes deployment of AI in nearly all dimensions of society, ranging from transport and logistics, manufacturing and agriculture, finance and law, health care and public safety. Meanwhile, the EUs proposed AI regulation recognizes the societal scope of this potential disruption, deeming the use of AI as high risk in some applications in infrastructure, education and training, law enforcement, and administration of justice. Thorny regulatory issues are rising in areas such as legal liability for AI-related damages, algorithm bias, trust and transparency in expert systems, and data ownership.

AI could disrupt labor at every level of the economy, from the job levelsuch as the tasks performed, or the way work is organized, decisions made, and problems solvedto the labor market levelby creating new occupations or eliminating existing ones, and changing the market value of skillsand every level in between. Policy-makers must focus on smoothing the reallocation of human capital and addressing worker dislocation.

We need regulation and standards development at the speed of innovation, and policies that facilitate and smooth the process of creative destructionfor example, that encourage start-ups, ensure robust competition, and ease capital and laborreallocation.

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Technology Disruption On The Road Ahead Fasten Your Seat Belts, Its Going To Be A Bumpy Ride! - Forbes

Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced in March 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.

Safari Technology Preview release 134 includes bug fixes and performance improvements for Web Inspector, CSS, CSS Font Loading API, Scrolling, Rendering, Dialog Element, WebAssembly, JavaScript, Web API, WebGL, Media, WebRTC, Accessibility, Private Click Measurement, and Web Extensions.

The current Safari Technology Preview release is built on the Safari 15.4 update and it includes Safari 15 features introduced in macOS Monterey. There's a new streamlined tab bar with support for Tab Groups to organize tabs, along with improved support for Safari Web Extensions.

Live Text allows users to select and interact with text in images on the web, but macOS Monterey and an M1 Mac is required. There's also Quick Notes support for adding links and Safari highlights to remember important information and ideas. The new Safari Technology Preview update is available for both macOS Big Sur and macOS Monterey, the newest version of the Mac operating system.

The Safari Technology Preview update is available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences to anyone who has downloaded the browser. Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.

Apple's aim with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.

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Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 134 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements - MacRumors

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 27, 2021 Today at its inaugural Intel Innovationevent, Intel returned to its developer roots, highlighting a renewed commitment to the community and a developer-first approach across software and hardware. Announcements spanning new products, developer tools and technologies underscore Intels focus on empowering an open ecosystem, ensuring choice for developers to use the tools and environments they prefer, and building trust and partnership across cloud service providers, open source communities, startups and others.

Highlights

As the creator of the original Intel Developer Forum, its a great honor to once again bring together people from across the ecosystem to explore the future of technology, said Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger. Developers are the true superheroes of the digitized world a world which is underpinned by semiconductors. We will not rest until weve exhausted the periodic table, unlocking the magic of silicon and empowering developers so that, together, we can usher in a new era of innovation.

Intel detailed key investments for developers, including an updated, unified and more comprehensive Developer Zone, oneAPI 2022 toolkits and new oneAPI Centers of Excellence. All are intended to improve access to resources and simplify development across central processing unit (CPU) and accelerator architectures:

More:Developer/oneAPI News from Intel Innovation

Intel is executing to its product and process roadmap and accelerating the cadence of innovation across the superpowers ubiquitous computing, cloud-to-edge infrastructure, pervasive connectivity and AI enabling developers to push forward with disruption, discovery and impact.

Ubiquitous Computing: The Human-to-Technology Interaction Point

Computing capabilities permeate every aspect of our existence, serving as the human to technology interaction point across existing devices and emerging form factors. Soon, we will all have thousands of devices at our immediate disposal. By the end of this decade, there will be the potential for every human to have 1 petaflop of computing power and 1 petabyte of data less than 1 millisecond away.

By breaking down walled gardens and building an open environment, Intel is driving the future of the PC new CPUs, GPUs and platform advancements creating huge opportunities for developers to create amazing experiences:

More:12th Gen Intel Core/Ubiquitous Computing News from Intel Innovation

Cloud-to-Edge Infrastructure: Unlimited Scale and Capacity in the Cloud Combines with Unlimited Reach through the Intelligent Edge

Computing is spreading across heterogeneous fabrics of CPUs, GPUs, application accelerators, interconnect processors, edge-computing devices and FPGAs all of which require persistent memory and software to bind these elements into a complete solution. The race to zettascale is on to generate, store and analyze data at scale. It took over 12 years to get from petascale to exascale computing. Intel has challenged itself to make it to zetta in five years: zetta 2027. Central to this goal is Intels work with the open ecosystem to ensure developers have optimized tools and software environments to accelerate their deployments:

Intel also highlighted that cloud developers have broad access to the latest 3rd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors within major cloud service providers, including Alibaba, AWS, Baidu, Google, Microsoft, Oracle and Tencent.

More:Cloud-to-Edge Infrastructure News from Intel Innovation

Pervasive Connectivity: Everyone and Everything is Connected

With networks programmable top-to-bottom and end-to-end, the future lies in a fully programmable network that is truly open where developers have the freedom to move at the speed of software. Intel is the only company offering a comprehensive set of hardware and software to create an end-to-end programmable network from Intel Xeon Scalable processors and next-generation Xeon-D to new P4-programmable infrastructure processing units (IPUs) and switches:

More:Pervasive Connectivity News from Intel Innovation

Artificial Intelligence: Making AI More Accessible and Scalable for Developers

Intels deep investments in developer ecosystems, tools, technology and an open platform are clearing the path forward to scale AI everywhere. Intels role is to responsibly scale this technology. Intel has made AI more accessible and scalable for developers through extensive optimizations of popular libraries and frameworks on Intel Xeon Scalable processors. Intels investment in multiple AI architectures to meet diverse customer requirements, using an open standards-based programming model, makes it easier for developers to run more AI workloads in more use cases. Many of the worlds leading organizations leverage Intel AI to solve complex tasks, as evidenced by todays announcements:

More:Artificial Intelligence News from Intel Innovation

Innovation thrives in open environments where developers connect, communicate and collaborate freely. Technology is a human creation and builds what is possible, said Greg Lavender, chief technology officer, senior vice president and general manager of the Software and Advanced Technology Group at Intel. Technology is also inherently neutral. It is up to everyone to use it in a way that is more responsible, inclusive, sustainable and ethical. Intel has doubled down on its deep legacy in open platforms and massive inventory of foundational software technologies with the specific intention of enabling software innovation.

1Not available on certain 12th Gen Intel Core processors. More details at http://www.Intel.com/InnovationEventClaims.

2As measured by unique features and superior in-game benchmark mode performance (score or frames per second) on majority of the 31 game titles tested (as of Oct 1, 2021), including in comparison to AMD Ryzen 5950X. See intel.com/12thgen for additional details. Results may vary.

Performance varies by use, configuration and other factors. See http://www.intel.com/InnovationEventClaims for workloads and configurations. Results may vary.

Performance results are based on testing as of dates shown in configurations and may not reflect all publicly available updates. See backup for configuration details. No product or component can be absolutely secure.

Your costs and results may vary.

Intel technologies may require enabled hardware, software or service activation.

About Intel

Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) is an industry leader, creating world-changing technology that enables global progress and enriches lives. Inspired by Moores Law, we continuously work to advance the design and manufacturing of semiconductors to help address our customers greatest challenges. By embedding intelligence in the cloud, network, edge and every kind of computing device, we unleash the potential of data to transform business and society for the better. To learn more about Intels innovations, go tonewsroom.intel.comandintel.com.

Source: Intel

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Intel Innovation Spotlights New Products, Technology and Tools for Developers - HPCwire

[Vienna, October 27, 2021] Huawei Austria, the University of Vienna, and the Neusiedler See - Seewinkel National Park have now launched their joint TECH4ALL project. In cooperation with the NGO Rainforest Connection (RFCx), smart technologies and artificial intelligence will be used for research on biodiversity in the reed belt of Lake Neusiedl and to derive suitable protection measures from the results. "We are a biodiversity hotspot in Austria and we rely on hands-on mentality," DI Johannes Ehrenfeldner, Director of the National Park, explains. The project, which is planned to continue for two years, will bring numerous benefits to the westernmost steppe lake in Eurasia.

The protection of Austria's enormous biodiversity

Lake Neusiedl is not only the largest lake in Austria, but is also home to a very special flora and fauna. As a result of this project, the balance between reed belt management and environmental protection, as well as the region's ecosystem for humans and animals, can be improved. "With the help of the knowledge gained, we can derive measures in the fight against climate change." Dr. Christian H. Schulze of the Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research at the University of Vienna adds, "Due to the changed hydrological dynamics of the lake, impacts are expected not only on the condition of the reed belt, but also on its biodiversity."

The project will explore the short- and long-term effects of fluctuating water levels on breeding bird species, as well as the importance of the reed belt for wildlife throughout the year. Researchers are also looking at how different weather conditions affect bird song activity. "The consequences of climate change are obvious in the area around Lake Neusiedl," says Astrid Eisenkopf, Deputy Governor of Burgenland. "From the joint TECH4ALL project, we hope to gain new insights into environmental protection and biodiversity. These will help us to keep the region in good condition for the population."

For the project, more than 70 devices are placed in the reed belt to record the soundscape. Some of the devices store the recordings for subsequent analysis, while others named Nature Guardian connected directly to wireless network. Nature Guardian is an acoustic monitoring system which creates a whole new dimension to research by being able to collect acoustic data continuously at different locations regardless of the weather or time of day. The data of Nature Guardian is transmitted remotely and real-time through the wireless network of Magenta, Austria's best network. This fast and minimally invasive approach not only saves a lot of researchers' time, but also barely affects the animals' habitat.

Willi Song, Chairman of Huawei Technologies for the Czech Republic, Austria, and Slovakia explains the technology in detail, "The biggest advantage is that the voices of birds and amphibians can be transmitted over the mobile network, which saves scientists a lot of time and minimizes the impact on the animals. Also, it's very difficult for researchers in this particular area to get access to studies."

Technology and artificial intelligence in nature

From positive impact on society to conservation projects: Technology plays an important role in many areas and contributes significantly to all kinds of positive developments. The project at Lake Neusiedl is Huawei's first TECH4ALL project in Austria. Together with the NGO Rainforest Connection, Huawei is already working on many different projects internationally: Whales are being monitored and protected off the coast of Ireland, and in Chilean forests Huawei is working to protect the critically endangered Darwin's fox. "Austria has incredible, untouched ecosystems and enormous biodiversity. It's great that we can finally implement a project in this beautiful country with great partners," said a delighted Chrissy Durkin, Director of International Expansion at Rainforest Connection. "Partnering with great technology companies such as Huawei allows us to do research projects that wouldn't be possible without their expertise."

For more information on Huawei's current projects, see:https://www.huawei.com/en/tech4all

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Protecting Biodiversity of Lake Neusiedl with Advanced Technology - Huawei - Huawei