Epson EasyCare360 Eases Print Management

Epson recently launched its enterprise printing solution - EasyCare360 to ease print management for its customers nationwide.

From L-R  Malou Aguirre –Manager, Customer Support; Thea Austria,  Head - Business Printers;

Julia Avila, Product Manager -Business Printers;Eduardo Bonoan - Director of Marketing; Russel Cabrera - Manager- Product Management;Jester Cruz - Senior Management/Business Development /Sales & Mktg Support

EasyCare360 is an all-in-one solution installed in Epson printers to provide businesses printing management by monitoring the status of the unit and taking care of the consumables, spare parts, repair, and maintenance services.

“The detail-obsessed individuals in Epson are committed not only in creating the most innovative products for consumers, but also in developing solutions that will complement these products and help drive business innovation value,” said Eduardo Bonoan, marketing director for Epson Philippines. “With EasyCare360, we aim to showcase that we are capable of providing end-to-end service to our customers and ensure business continuity.”

It is a monthly subscription service which customers can buy separately from Epson WorkForce Pro WF-C869R printers. The subscription features a “pay-per-click” model for each printer, allowing customers to pay only for the total number of pages they print every month. With this, customers can control their printing costs by removing the uncertainty of buying consumables and unexpected parts for repair. EasyCare360 also minimizes printing downtime with its premium, on-call technical service, to ensure that printing operations are always up and running.

EasyCare360’s premium service is entails a dedicated technical support team, which guarantees a two-hour response time for solving on-site issues, and is available to serve customers every Mondays to Saturdays except on National Holidays, from 9 AM to 4 PM. For calls beyond 4 PM, on-site visits will be done on the next working day.

The subscription also includes free delivery of parts and consumables, remote troubleshooting, preventive maintenance, installation services, and end-user training.

Epson’s EasyCare360 is now available within Metro Manila, upon the purchase of WorkForce Pro WF-C869R units. This A3 multifunction printer offers the lowest-cost color printing in its class. Equipped with a Replaceable Ink Pack System (RIPS), the WorkForce Pro WF-C869R delivers up to 84,000 ISO pages before changing the ink packs, which translates to fewer interventions and less hassle for users. This powerful enterprise printer also speeds through professional-quality prints at 24 ISO pages per minute (ppm) (black/color) and scans up to 25 ppm.

Learn more about EasyCare360 through Epson Customer Care hotline—Metro Manila: (02) 441-9030; Toll Free: 1-800-1069-37766 (PLDT), 1-800-3-0037766 (DIGITEL)—or visit the Epson Customer Care website: http://customercare.epson.com.ph.

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Hikvision Bring Smarter Security with Artificial Intelligence

Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co., Ltd. (Hikvision), the world’s leading provider of innovative security products and solutions, recently embarked on an AI Tour across 40 countries spanning Asia, Africa, Middle East, Oceania, and Latin America. In the tour’s stop in the Philippines, Hikvision showcased AI innovations covering AI Cloud architecture, AI technologies, AI products, and other vertical solutions.

In today’s digital age, Artificial intelligence (AI) has begun to revolutionize how we live, work and play. AI is offering businesses the prospect of increased productivity and innovation, while at the same time also enabling society to help solve some of its most persistent challenges -- like disease, natural disasters, and security.

Ray Wu, General Manager of Hikvision

“As AI becomes more common and more powerful, deep learning will soon become the foundational technology for the security industry. AI will strengthen critical security efforts in every sphere, with new machine learning techniques giving CCTV cameras the ability to spot troubling behavior without human supervision,” said Ray Wu, General Manager of Hikvision. 

Deep learning is the next level of AI development. It is beyond machine learning where supervised classification of features and patterns are set into algorithms. Rather, deep learning incorporates unsupervised or “self-learning” principles. “Hikvision is building deep learning into its own analytics algorithms. The result of multi-layer learning and extensive data collection is enhanced accuracy and improved analytics. And this applies to vehicle and human recognition,“ explained Mr. Wu.

Based in Hangzhou, China, Hikvision is a pioneer in intelligent video surveillance and has created diversified products and solutions that utilize AI to address today’s modern challenges. In Hikvision’s AI tour, the company introduced several product models equipped with deep learning algorithms:

• EXIR Flexible PanoVu Network Camera - This camera features 1/2.7" progressive scan CMOS sensors and four lenses with each lens supporting 1080p resolution at 30fps. A compression of up to H.265+ saves bandwidth and storage space. The EXIR is capable of 6 behavior analyses as well as 4 exception detections.
• PanoVu PT Series 2MP + 2MP Target Capture Camera - This camera is able to capture distant images as well as close-up images with the integration design of distant view camera and tracking PTZ camera. This series can be widely used in situations where wide monitoring range and high definition are required, such as the entrance or exit of an airport, park, or station. 
• 2MP 25× IR Network Speed Dome - The speed dome is a DarkfighterX series camera that adopts the patented dual-sensor design to process color and brightness independently, and outputs one full-color image. It is equipped with deep-learning-based target classification algorithms for auto-tracking and perimeter protection.
• Facial Recognition Server - Powered by deep learning technology, the server incorporates algorithms for identity confirmation and support for up to 1 million blacklisted targets. It is compatible with third-party cameras and meets varied scenario requirements, including shopping malls and public squares.
• LPR Camera - Powered by Hikvision’s deep learning AI algorithm, this camera can identify more than 6 types of Philippine license plate numbers, including both private and public utility vehicles, at 90% accuracy. Hikvision is dedicated to optimizing its LPR algorithm and expects to up its accuracy to 95% by 2019.

Hikvision has introduced a series of products that can accurately detect, recognize, and analyze human, vehicle, and object features and behavior, and can be widely used in indoor and outdoor scenarios. “With AI, CCTV cameras now have the digital brains to match their eyes, letting them analyze live video with no humans necessary. AI is a game-changer, and we’re seeing firsthand how that technology can be used to guard against theft and improve security,” said Evelyn Ativo, Product Group Head of Iontech Inc., one of the key players in the Information Technology distribution industry in the Philippines.

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HomeSpace360 and Microsoft Transforming Real Estate with VR and AR

HomeSpace360 officially launched to transform Real Estate with VR/AR together with Microsoft!

We are in the age of digital transformation where technology has pave the way changing our lives from AI, blockchains and more digital innovations revolutionizing different industries including Real Estate.

Real Estate is a valuable commodity. According to 2015 Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industry (ASPBI), a total of 4826 establishment in the formal sector involve in the industry. That same year, real estate also contributed the major share in income and expense as the sector generated a total income of PHP534.5 billion. Although the industry remain static as it continued to rely on traditional practice. This just means that there is room for innovation to transform the industry.

Virtual reality (VR) and Augmented reality (AR) are often viewed as technology of the future. From academic research to engineering, design, business, the arts and entertainment, there are many more uses of VR and AR. In the real estate market, VR is becoming more popular among consumers and businesses although creating output is costly and require advance equipment. This led Simon Gemayel, CEO and Founder of HomeSpace360, to utilize smartphone technology to create, share, and display 360 content in 2D and 3D, at a fraction of the cost.

“Technology is the great equalizer. And we want to enable all realtors by democratizing immersive virtual tours through user-friendly technology. With HomeSpace360, we use smartphone technology to bring high quality 3D virtual tours within reach of every marketer,” said Gemayel.

HomeSpace360 offers brokers an all-in-one mobile app for creating high-quality 8K 2D and 3D photographic and video VR experiences directly on a smartphone.

This is a first of its kind, HomeSpace360 is a platform that allows real estate marketers to deliver gorgeous, immersive 360-degree virtual tours to prospective buyers and renters at scale, using both smartphones and virtual reality headsets.

HomeSpace360 is very intuitive, easy to use, and fast. A kit provides realtors everything they need to create and share high quality 360 virtual tours immediately. The kit includes: a (1) Mobile VR viewer, (2) battery-free smartphone rotator, (3) lightweight tripod with carrying bag, and an (4) HD fisheye lens for 3D capture. Here is their pricing:

Together with the HomeSpace360 Cloud, the end-to-end automated system offers property marketers a solution for quickly and inexpensively capturing, distributing, and visualizing properties in 2D and 3D on web, mobile and in VR. It is a low-cost alternative to a 3D camera for providing immersive virtual tours. Built on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, HomeSpace360 is redefining how people view and acquire properties in today’s digital age. “With our technology, marketers can easily transport their clients to 10, 20, even 30 properties in an hour,” added Gemayel.

Through its robust partner ecosystem, Microsoft gives its partners access to the latest technology and guidance on how to extend that technology to build tailor-made solutions. “It’s exciting to see partners like HomeSpace360 create democratizing solutions to today’s problems with Microsoft technology. Microsoft Partners such as HomeSpace360 are at the center of our digital transformation as they continue to enable our customers to achieve more,” said Eileen Ong, Microsoft Director of Commercial Partners & Small Medium Corporate Business Units.

For more information go to >  HomeSpace360 Website

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Microsoft: 5 Areas where AI Is Building A Better, Brighter Future For Asia

Across Asia, a hotly-debated topic amongst business leaders, government policymakers, academics and industry experts is the potential impact that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will have on society.

Understandably, some have a cautious view when it comes to AI development and sometimes painting a grim, dystopic future where large swathes of the population are rendered jobless, access to AI is not evenly distributed amongst citizens as well as privacy and civil liberties are increasingly under threat from AI’s insatiable need for data.

There is no denying that AI will present a new set of societal challenges that will need to be navigated thoughtfully and carefully and, in particular, it will be critical for all organizations to build trust in AI as to their customers and stakeholders.

However, these concerns should not overshadow the enormous potential that AI offers society.

Microsoft list Five key Areas where AI has created remarkable developments and improvements in Asia.

1.Accessibility
Asia-Pacific is currently home to 690 million people with disabilities. AI can help people with vision, hearing, cognitive, learning, and mobility disabilities perform daily tasks more independently, lead a richer, more productive life and participate more fully in society.

Seeing AI app turns the visual world into an audible experience for the low vision community.

For example, Seeing AI is a free app that leverages AI capabilities to identify a broad range of visual cues - including faces, emotions and handwriting. That data is then converted into audio descriptions for the visually-impaired. This enables the 285 million people in the world with low vision to better navigate their day, making the visual world more accessible.

 2.Agriculture
Today, Asia is the world’s most populous region with more than 4.5 billion inhabitants, approximately 60% of the global population, and this number is forecasted to grow to over 5 billion by 2030. This will put incredible strain on the region’s already-challenged food supply chains unless farmers can find new ways to keep up with demand, such as leveraging AI and analytics to greatly improve their yields.

In India, Microsoft has partnered with a non-profit organization, International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), to develop an AI Sowing App that sends advisories to farmers on the optimal date to sow their crops, based on weather conditions, soil, and other indicators.

The solution predicts the optimal sowing period by using AI to analyze 30 years of historic climate data and calculate the adequacy of rainfall and soil moisture using real-time data and weather forecasting models. In addition, the program does not require farmers to incur capital expenditure, such as installing sensors in their fields, making this optimal for emerging markets.

Microsoft and ICRISAT - Bringing Artificial Intelligence to agriculture to boost crop yield

3. Climate Change

One of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century is the Changing Climate, and how it threatens human health, infrastructure, and natural systems. A leading cause of climate change is Carbon Emissions.

Microsoft is embracing the responsibility to operate sustainably and reduce the environmental impact of its business. One of the ways it doe this is by enlisting AI's help to manage the operations and infrastructure of our data centers. As a result, less electricity is needed to fuel data centers’ computing and cooling requirements. In fact, cloud services are 93% more energy efficient and up to 98% more carbon efficient than traditional enterprise data centers.

AI technologies are also being applied beyond the data center to improve the energy efficiency of entire buildings. In Singapore, approximately one-third of the nation’s electricity is consumed by buildings. JTC, a government agency responsible for the developing the nation’s industrial infrastructure, is taking a proactive approach to address this voracious demand for electricity by centralizing its operations on the Microsoft Cloud to monitor, analyze and optimize its buildings. Using sensor data and AI-driven analytics, JTC can now identify and rectify faults before breakdowns occur through a predictive model, resulting in a 15 percent drop in energy cost avoidance.

 JTC is modeling what it means to make buildings more energy-efficient and sustainable

4. Education

Education is one of the building blocks for creating a better future, and AI is being leveraged to enhance the education experience for students and improve outcomes in schools.

With the help of AI, more students can complete their education and graduate as employable new workers who will help grow the future economy.

In Andhra Pradesh, a state in southern India, Microsoft is partnering with the Indian government to launch a new app that predicts which students are most likely to drop out of school. Powered by machine learning, AI capabilities, and the cloud, this solution processes complex data sets that include enrollment information, student performance, gender and socio-economic demographics, school infrastructure, and teacher skills, to look for predictive patterns.


This enables administrators and educators to intervene early and target the most at-risk students with programs and counseling to prevent dropouts. The app is already being used successfully by more than 10,000 schools in Andhra Pradesh, covering more than five million students in 2017.

5. Healthcare

Lastly, AI technology has the potential to assist healthcare providers in their quest to tackle some of the most prevalent diseases we face today, as well as improve the quality of life for Asia’s growing population.

In India, Microsoft is collaborating with one of the largest health organizations in the country, Apollo Hospitals, to develop an AI-focused network aimed at tackling cardiovascular disease, which contributes to nearly one-third of deaths worldwide. In India alone, nearly three million heart attacks happen annually, and it is estimated that 30 million Indians suffer from coronary disease.

By bringing together Microsoft’s AI expertise and Apollo Hospitals’ experience and knowledge in the field of cardiology, this partnership aims to develop new machine learning models to predict patient risk for heart diseases and assists doctors with treatment plans.

Apollo Hospitals India: AI predicts heart diseases

These are just some of the amazing benefits that AI is bringing to society according to Microsoft, though it’s clear that it is still in stage of development. The story of AI is still unfolding, and future chapters will be supported by positive, impactful anecdotes. After all, with AI, we are not just amplifying human ingenuity, but the qualities that make us human: Our caring. Our curiosity. Our collective desire to create a better tomorrow.

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Philippine Potential Economic Loss at $3.5 Billion Due to Cybersecurity threats - Microsoft

Microsoft commissioned a study to be conducted by Frost & Sullivan regarding “Understanding the Cybersecurity Threat Landscape in Asia Pacific: Securing the Modern Enterprise in a Digital World” that  aims to provide business and IT decision makers with insights on the Economic cost of Cybersecurity Breaches in the region and identify the gaps in organizations’ cybersecurity strategies. The study involved a survey of 1,300 business and IT decision makers ranging from mid-sized organizations (250 to 499 employees) to large-sized organizations (>than 500 employees).

Security experts discuss the economic impact of cybersecurity in the PH during Microsoft’s study launch. From L-R: Hans Bayaborda, Managing Director, Microsoft Philippines; Mary Jo Schrade, Assistant General Counsel, Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit, Microsoft Asia; Angel “Lito” S. Averia, Jr., President, Philippine Computer Emergency Response Team; Atty. Raul Cortez, Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs Lead, Microsoft Philippines.

The  Microsoft and Frost & Sullivan study revealed that the potential economic loss in the Philippines due to cybersecurity incidents can hit a staggering US$3.5 billion which is 1.1 percent of the Philippines’ total GDP of US$305 billion[1]. In addition, more than half of the organizations surveyed in the Philippines have either experienced a cybersecurity incident (18%) or are not sure if they had one as they have not performed proper forensics or data breach assessment (34%).

“As companies embrace the opportunities presented by cloud and mobile computing to connect with customers and optimize operations, they take on new risks,” said Hans Bayaborda, Managing Director, Microsoft Philippines. “With traditional IT boundaries disappearing the adversaries now have many new targets to attack. Companies face the risk of significant financial loss, damage to customer satisfaction and market reputation — as has been made all too clear by recent high-profile breaches.”

The True Cost of Cybersecurity Incidents – Economic, Opportunity and Job Losses

The study also focuses more on economics and employment.

The study finds that a large-sized organization in the Philippines can possibly incur an economic loss of US$7.5 million, more than 200 times higher than the average economic loss for a mid-sized organization (US$35,000); and Cybersecurity attacks have resulted in job losses across different functions in seven in ten (72%) organizations that have experienced an incident over the last 12 months.

To measure the cost of cybercrime, Frost & Sullivan has created an Economic Loss Model based on macro-economic data and insights shared by the survey respondents. This model factors in three kinds of losses which could be incurred due to a cybersecurity breach -  Direct, Indirect and Induced.

Direct are Financial losses associated with a cybersecurity incident which includes loss of productivity, fines, remediation cost, etc;

Indirect is the opportunity cost to the organization such as customer churn due to reputation loss; and

Induced is the impact of cyber breach to the broader ecosystem and economy, such as the decrease in consumer and enterprise spending.

“Although the direct losses from cybersecurity breaches are most visible, they are but just the tip of the iceberg,” said Edison Yu, Vice President and Asia Pacific Head of Enterprise for Frost & Sullivan. “There are many other hidden losses that we have to consider from both the indirect and induced perspectives, and the economic loss for organizations suffering from cybersecurity attacks can be often underestimated.”

In addition to financial losses, cybersecurity incidents are also undermining the Philippines organizations’ ability to capture future opportunities in today’s digital economy, with more than half (57%) respondents stating that their enterprise has put off digital transformation efforts due to the fear of cyber-risks.

Key Cyberthreats and Gaps in the Philippines Organizations’ Cybersecurity Strategies

Besides external threats, the research also revealed key gaps in organizations’ cybersecurity approach to protect their digital estate:

Although high-profile cyberattacks, such as ransomware, have been garnering a lot of attention from enterprises, the study found that for organizations in the Philippines that have encountered cybersecurity incidents, data exfiltration and data corruption are the biggest concern as they have the highest impact with the slowest recovery time.

Security an afterthought: Only 44% of organizations consider cybersecurity before the start of a digital transformation project. Majority of respondents (56%) either think about cybersecurity only after they start on the project or do not consider it at all. This limits their ability to conceptualize and deliver a “secure-by-design” project, potentially leading to insecure products going out into the market;

 Creating a Complex Environment: Negating the popular belief that deploying a large portfolio of cybersecurity solutions will render stronger protection, the survey revealed that 17% of respondents with more than 50 cybersecurity solutions could recover from cyberattacks within an hour. In contrast, more than twice as many respondents (38%) with fewer than 10 cybersecurity solutions responded that they can recover from cyberattacks within an hour; and

Lacking cybersecurity strategy: While more and more organizations are considering digital transformation to gain competitive advantage, the study has shown that 46% of respondents see cybersecurity strategy only as a means to safeguard the organization against cyberattacks rather than a strategic business enabler. A mere 25% of organizations see cybersecurity strategy as a digital transformation enabler.

“The ever-changing threat environment is challenging, but there are ways to be more effective using the right blend of modern technology, strategy, and expertise,” added Hans. “Microsoft is empowering businesses in the Philippines to take advantage of digital transformation by enabling them to embrace the technology that’s available to them, securely through its secure platform of products and services, combined with unique intelligence and broad industry partnerships.”

Microsoft tags Artifical Intelligence (AI) as the Next Frontier in Cybersecurity Defense

In a digital world where cyberthreats are constantly evolving and attack surface is rapidly expanding, AI is becoming a potent opponent against cyberattacks as it can detect and act on threat vectors based on data insights. The study reveals that more than almost four in five (79%) organizations in the Philippines have either adopted or are looking to adopt an AI approach towards boosting cybersecurity.

AI’s ability to rapidly analyze and respond to unprecedented quantities of data is becoming indispensable in a world where cyberattacks’ frequency, scale and sophistication continue to increase.

An AI-driven cybersecurity architecture will be more intelligent and be equipped with predictive abilities to allow organizations to fix or strengthen their security posture before problems emerge. It will also grant companies with the capabilities to accomplish tasks, such as identifying cyberattacks, removal of persistent threats and fixing bugs, faster than any human could, making it an increasingly vital element of any organizations’ cybersecurity strategy.

Recommendations for the Modern Enterprise in a Digital World

AI is but one of the many aspects that organizations need to incorporate or adhere to in order to maintain a robust cybersecurity posture. For a cybersecurity practice to be successful, organizations need to consider People, Process and Technology, and how each of these contributes to the overall security posture of the organization.

To help organizations better withstand and respond to cyberattacks and malware infections, Experts suggest Five Best Practices in improving their defense against cybersecurity threats:

Position cybersecurity as a digital transformation enabler: Disconnect between cybersecurity practices and digital transformation effort creates a lot of frustration for the employees. Cybersecurity is a requirement for digital transformation to guide and keep the company safe through its journey. Conversely, digital transformation presents an opportunity for cybersecurity practices to abandon aging practices to embrace new methods of addressing today’s risks;

Continue to invest in strengthening your security fundamentals: Over 90% of cyber incidents can be averted by maintaining the most basic best practices.  Maintaining strong passwords, conditional use of multi-factor authentication against suspicious authentications, keeping device operating systems, software and anti-malware protection up-to-date and genuine can rapidly raise the bar against cyberattacks. This should include not just tool-sets but also training and policies to support a stronger fundamental;

Maximize skills and tools by leveraging integrated best-of-suite tools. The best tools are useless in the hands of the amateur. Reduce the number of tools and the complexity of your security operations to allow your operators to hone their proficiency with the available tools. Prioritizing best-of-suite tools is a great way to maximize your risk coverage without the risk of introducing too many tools and complexity to the environment. This is especially true if tools within the suite are well-integrated to take advantage of their counterparts;

Assessment, review and continuous compliance: The organization should be in a continuous state of compliance. Assessments and reviews should be conducted regularly to test for potential gaps that may occur as the organization is rapidly transforming and address these gaps. The board should keep tab on not just compliance to industry regulations but also how the organization is progressing against security best practices; and

Leverage AI and automation to increase capabilities and capacity: With security capabilities in short supply, organizations need to look to automation and AI to improve the capabilities and capacity of their security operations. Current advancements in AI has shown a lot of promise, not just in raising detections that would otherwise be missed but also in reasoning over how the various data signals should be interpreted with recommended actions. Such systems have seen great success in cloud implementations where huge volumes of data can be processed rapidly. Ultimately, leveraging automation and AI can free up cybersecurity talents to focus on higher-level activities.

To better understand the cyberthreats happening globally and in Asia Pacific, please download the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report Volume 23 here > https://info.microsoft.com/ww-landing-Security-Intelligence-Report-Vol-23-Landing-Page-eBook.html

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Brave New World - Artificial Intelligence Impact on Work and Jobs

Brave New World – How AI Will Impact Work and Jobs

There’s no doubt that the advent of broadly-available Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers businesses the prospect of increased productivity and accelerated innovation, whilst also enabling society to help solve some of its toughest - and most persistent – challenges: disease, famine, climate control and natural disasters.

AI is already delivering tangible economic benefits for many organisations across Asia Pacific. For example, leading global container shipping company OOCL reports that applying AI to their business is already saving them $10m annually, whilst Apollo Hospitals in India are using AI to help predict heart disease amongst its patients.

While the benefits of Artificial Intelligence are undeniable, AI is a disrupter, especially when it comes to the displacement of jobs. The ramifications of AI on the workforce is a regular topic of discussion among CEOs and government leaders across Asia Pacific.

That said, it is also pertinent to examine the far-reaching implication that AI brings to the workforce. Will the social disruptions that AI can potentially create ultimately overshadow its benefits?

The Evolution of Jobs in the AI-Shaped Future
To put things in perspective: large-scale disruption is a challenge with every industrial revolution. Technology will always have profound implications on the creation, elimination, or evolution of jobs. For example, just a few years ago, it was common for offices to have a pool of typists. Clearly, this role is no longer relevant in today’s modern office, thanks to the proliferation of personal computing. The advent of AI will reshape jobs in a similar way.

Microsoft recently partnered with the leading technology advisory firm IDC to assess the digital transformation landscape across the region. Titled “Unlocking the Economic Impact of Digital Transformation in Asia Pacific”, the study surveyed 1,560 business and IT leaders from 15 Asia Pacific economies[i]. It showed that 85% of jobs in Asia Pacific will be transformed in the next three years. (See chart below)

Diving deeper into the results, the respondents said that over 50% of jobs will be redeployed to a new position and/or retrained and upskilled for digital transformation. What’s interesting is that the Study shows that 26% of jobs will be newly created roles from digital transformation, which will offset the 27% of jobs that will he outsourced or automated. In other words, the overall workforce effect will be broadly neutral.

These are clear indications that how businesses organize work, how people find employment and the skills people need to prepare for the workforce are changing dramatically. These changes are likely to accelerate in the decade ahead.

As AI continues to transform the nature of work, education, skills, and training will have to transform as well in order to ensure that people are prepared for the jobs of the future and businesses have access to the talent they need to succeed. And as traditional models of employment transform, there will be a need to modernize legal frameworks to recognize new ways of working, provide adequate worker protections, and maintain social safety nets.

Building a Better Future Together

The recently published, ‘The Future Computed, Artificial Intelligence and its Role in Society’, makes sense of this AI conundrum as it offers three conclusions on AI and the impact on work and jobs:.

Photo of a stack of books entitled "The Future Computed"

(You can download the book here for free today).

First, the organizations and countries that will fare best in the AI race will be early adopters. The reason is straightforward: AI will be useful wherever intelligence is needed and it helps us to be more productive in nearly every field of human endeavor, which can lead to economic growth. Put simply, new jobs and economic progress will favor those that embrace the technology, not those that resist it.

Second, while AI will help improve daily life in many ways and help solve big societal problems, its important to remain critical when examining the issues that it can bring. Beyond AI deployment, what’s equally important is to prepare society and the workforce for the impending changes that AI will catalyze by addressing the need for strong ethical principles, the evolution of laws, the importance of training for new skills, and even labor market reforms. These aspects must all come together in order to make the most of this new technology.

Third, to fully realize the benefits of AI, and to minimize the negative outcomes, technology companies, private and public organizations need to come together with a sense of shared responsibility -- AI must be democratized.

The AI building blocks that Microsoft is developing today, such as computer vision, speech, and knowledge recognition, should be made available to all so that they can create their own AI-based solutions. AI should not be controlled by just a few organizations. The AI future should be built by everyone with a vision on how AI can benefit economies and societies as well as how we can tackle AI issues and their implications.

The future of AI can burn brightly or dimly. Disruption is a norm, and the ability to adapt to disruptions is what defines all of us. And to adapt to the fast-approaching, rapidly evolving AI future, all parties – from workers to enterprises to governments - will need to spend more time listening to each other, collaborate and constantly learn new knowledge and skills.

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Microsoft Philippines launches Kaizala Secure Mobile Messaging App

Microsoft Philippines locally launch Secure Mobile Messaging App for work communication and collaboration.

Microsoft Kaizala Launch

For businesses, there has been challenges in managing staff in the field as well as gather feedback and data from them. Microsoft offers a convenient, secure and mobile tool - Microsoft Kaizala to address these challenges for organizations and businesses.

Microsoft Kaizala Offers

Kaizala makes it easier to connect large groups of people inside as well as outside your organization whether they may be your employees, suppliers or your customers. Enables you to organize work into teams and communicate and collaborate remotely through mobile.

Microsoft Kaizala Features

Microsoft Kaizala Features

Businesses nowadays are now digital and more concern with security. Therefore Microsoft made Kaizala adhere to industry standards for security and compliance. Azure Active Directory services authentication ensures secure access to Kaizala Management Portal, where IT administrators control membership of groups as well as manage users - add, remove and their access to data.

IT Management Kaizala

With Kaizala, Managers will be able to easily reach their remote staff or front-line workers and may as well be use to reach people outside their organization using a simplified yet secured interface. With simple interface, people even with less technical know-how will be able to easily grasp and operate the app.

“Most businesses work with several partners, distributors, and stakeholders who are not on the company’s email address list, so communication can be slow and unsecure. With Microsoft Kaizala, they can better connect and coordinate with the entire team. As internet usage increases, we believe it will be easier for organizations to communicate with all their stakeholders, wherever they are in the Philippines,” said Bertrand Launay, Microsoft Philippines Managing Director.

Reporting and Analytics Kaizala

Microsoft Kaizala gives Organization broadcasting, data collection tools and real-time analytics. Send information such as announcement or documents as well as photos and videos that may include location. Conduct surveys and polls and get results real-time. Other than this, companies can also assign tasks and jobs and track completion. This may be also be applied for bills payable and tracking expenses. The app really makes things simpler and seamless increasing coordination and productivity with real-time results. You can also link it with your Office 365. Even with only 3G, the App is usable as it was designed to have low data requirements.

For more elaborate administration controls, there is Kaizala Pro that has additional features that includes user and group management, system integration, automation with Microsoft Kaizala APIs, advance reporting and analytics, custom actions, creation of public groups, organizational profile and directory for enterprise.

“For management, the reviewing process becomes a lot easier online. What used to take 7-10 days to compile is now happening on a real-time basis. They are able to get information in real-time, and can also give feedback to the team in the field an in turn, can increase productivity or allow them to give better solutions to their customers,” added Launay.

Microsoft Kaizala is available for iOS and Android.

Android

iOS

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IBM Bluemix - Bring the Cloud Together

The next big step in the evolution of the IBM Cloud portfolio is here.

IBM Bluemix is integrating SoftLayer products and services into its vast catalog of infrastructure, platform, and application services.

The SoftLayer products, services, tools, systems, and support will become a cornerstone of a unified Bluemix cloud experience that delivers the performance, flexibility, and consistency of SoftLayer infrastructure alongside the extensive catalog of cloud resources that include IBM Watson services, development runtimes, containers, database services, and more.

With the integration of SoftLayer into the IBM Bluemix, one can only expect the best as it will bring all the cloud together with developer-centric compute models - Bluemix makes it easier to ship powerful, high-quality software every day.


What exactly is IBM SoftLayer, now Bluemix, and what does it do? 
The Bluemix cloud platform is not just about creating new apps or migrating existing ones, on-prem or off-prem implementations, or offering IaaS and PaaS cloud services. It is designed to bring all of these aspects together to help solve your real, complex business problems in the cloud.

If your organization requires high performance computing, or you manage very large databases, Bluemix provides leading edge, dedicated architecture and ease of provisioning specifically designed to accommodate high input/output intensity for online gaming, mobile applications and digital marketing.

For larger organizations that need a correspondingly high level of infrastructure control, it provides the ability to customize hardware, network control and control infrastructure via simple and intuitive application programming interfaces (APIs).

What makes Bluemix different and how can it help your business?
The IBM Bluemix cloud platform weaves together services, infrastructure and data to rapidly bring ideas into action. It simplifies the process of building systems that use data to understand, reason, and learn.
 
It also builds data rich software as apps and services become increasingly delivered through digital channels; analytics are the heart of personalization, establishing context and building systems that intuitively respond to both behavior and the environment.

Unlike some of its competitors, Bluemix also provides a unified integration and control panel for multiple cloud architectures — allowing for easy platform integration across dedicated, virtualised and cloud servers.

The Bluemix will simply drive your company’s existing IT into transformation.

If you’re ready to learn more about how IBM Bluemix can benefit your business, you may inquire with MSI-ECS at inquiry@msi-ecs.com.ph or call (02) 688-3512.

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Smart Biz LTE newest Wireless Internet for Business and MSME

PLDT SME Nation, leading business solutions provider introduces its newest wireless broadband, Smart Biz LTE for Micro, Small and Medium enterprses (MSMEs). Aim to take businesses to the next level by providing stable and high-speed internet.

Smart Biz LTE includes an industry-grade steel router with Dual LTE Antenna with Mimo Capability covering 30 to 50 meters WiFi reach and up to 45 connected users providing internet speeds up to 42mbps. "Smart BizLTE is your ultimate upgrade from usual pocket WiFi entrepreneurs use for connecting to their business while on the go." said Ms. Nephele Denosta, AVP & Head SME Nation Wireless Marketing. "The new wireless broadband offer answers entrepreneurs' need for stable, high-speeed data perfect for stationary or mobile assets in order to effectively oversee and grow their businesses," adds Denosta.

To compliment the launch, PLDT SME Nation unveiled Bryan Benitez McClelland, founder of socio-ecological enterprise, Bambike Revolution cycles as its newest brand ambassador. Bambike is company produces bicycles made of natural bamboos and abaca. These eco-friendly bicycles are used in tours around Intramuros, creating a unqiue and fun learning experience on our national history and culture.

Bambike also provides livelihood to a number of community workers in Tarlac through Gawad Kalinga, banking on McClelland's vision of fair-trade labor and sustainable business practice. "Bambike is dedicated to social and environmental stewardship through making te greenest bikes in the planet. Our vision as a company is to not only live our passsion for bicycles, local touris, and love for Mother Earth but also, create impacts to the betterment of our community,shares McClelland.
Mcclelland shares his excitement and considers PLDT SME nation their most trusted and reliable business partner and with Smart Biz LTE improves their comapny's operational efficiency by creating more collaborative working environment to provide livelihood to an underprivileged community like Victoria, Tarlac.

Smart Biz LTE plans starts at 1,899 for 5GB, 2,349 for 13GB and 4100 for 21GB Data Allocation for 24 months contract. It is said no throttling nor no stopping service. You have an option to avail of SmartCam for 250 Pesos per Month. Required documents includes BCIF, Mayors Permit, ID, Resolution of Partnership (Partnership), Certificate of Administration (Cooperative), Certificate of Budget (Government), Notarized Sec cert and SEC (Corporate).

Available starting September 2016. Business who subscribe from September 16 to October 31, 2016 shall be entitled to one (1) Free SmartCam for every line availed. To know more about PLDT SME Nation’s partnership with Bambike, more of its activities and what it has in store for the nation’s MSMEs, please visit http://smenation.com.ph/ or https://www.facebook.com/SMENation/.

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SimpliVity Announces Remote Sites to Simplify and Offer Greater Choice for Enterprise

SimpliVity, a leader in hyperconverged infrastructure revolutionizing enterprise IT, today announced two new remote office and branch office (ROBO) solutions, OmniStack Solution with Lenovo System x for Remote Sites and OmniCube CN-1400, to provide greater choice and flexibility, centralized management and improved data protection capabilities for enterprise and mid-market customers with remote sites.

SimpliVity’s hyperconverged infrastructure provides global unified management eliminating the requirement for on-site IT expertise by consolidating all IT infrastructures for virtualized workloads at remote offices, including data protection, to simplify management and backup and restore data over existing WAN links. Several enterprise customers have already seen the value of SimpliVity’s ROBO solutions, including Sinclair Oil, Woodman’s Food Group, and Merlin Entertainments.

“Enterprises have struggled with managing IT infrastructure at remote sites since the data at ROBOs is often inadequately protected and IT staff is often non-existent. The challenge of keeping network bandwidth costs in-check has also plagued ROBO deployments, given the ever-growing volumes of data passing over the WAN,” said Jesse St. Laurent, VP Product Strategy, SimpliVity. “All our ROBO solutions are designed with enterprise-performance in mind as they deliver improved data protection and the ability to manage all remote sites from a single console – for even the largest enterprise customers. With an expanded portfolio of available x86 models optimized for ROBOs, we are able to offer enterprises increased flexibility and choice at their remote sites at a compelling price point.”

SimpliVity for Sinclair Oil

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Sinclair Oil is the 51st-largest private company in the US with holdings including gas stations in 20 states, two refineries, and Grand America Hotels and Resorts in seven locations. With multiple road side properties and an IT staff centralized in Salt Lake City, being able to manage remote sites from a centralized location was critical for Sinclair Oil’s IT infrastructure and business as a whole. After first working to build a home-grown solution with legacy IT infrastructure, Sinclair Oil decided to speed up implementation by deploying SimpliVity OmniStack with                 Lenovo System x and SimpliVity OmniCube. The company has been impressed with SimpliVity’s ease of management and the integrated backup and recovery capabilities, which allows them to focus on driving business value rather than maintenance.

“With our old IT infrastructure, we used to have to travel to remote sites in Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, and California when things went wrong,” said Nathan Larsen, Director of IT, Sinclair Oil. “With our IT team centralized in Utah, SimpliVity’s global unified management is a real difference-maker. We can now manage all our remote sites from a centralized location, and all from a single console, which is a huge improvement. This is something no one else was offering us for our distributed sites and remote offices.”

SimpliVity for Woodman’s Food Group

Woodman’s Food Group operates 16 supermarkets in Wisconsin and northern Illinois. When looking to upgrade its IT infrastructure and improve its disaster recovery posture, Woodman’s selected SimpliVity OmniCube for its next-generation data center. With SimpliVity, Woodman’s has moved into a fully virtualized IT environment and has improved its data protection, disaster recovery, and availability. Woodman’s fully deployed the SimpliVity solution within two weeks in two core data centers and 16 remote offices, realizing the advantages of built-in data protection almost immediately.

“SimpliVity’s built-in data protection capabilities are a major differentiator, especially in dealing with remote and branch offices,” said Rory Vanse low, IT director, Woodman’s Food Markets. “We are running our entire disaster recovery strategy through SimpliVity and know we can rely on them for all our data protection needs. With built-in data protection, there is no need for third-party backup solutions.”

Benefits of SimpliVity Solutions for ROBO 

• Threefold reduction in TCO – SimpliVity eliminates the need for local staff to manage the ROBO resources, reduces storage requirements by 90%, and lowers power, cooling and space demands

• Faster, more reliable data protection to reduce risk – Reliable data protection with enterprise-proven RPOs and RTOs eliminates the need for specialized backup and recovery tools for ROBOs

• Improved WAN utilization –Advanced WAN optimization reduces network traffic to backup, clone, or move workloads between sites and eliminates the need for separate WAN appliances.

• Greater staff productivity – Simplified management of all resources, including VMs, resources, and data protection policies, improves productivity for maintaining remote sites

"SimpliVity’s hyperconverged infrastructure solution was designed to be vendor agnostic to give customers increased flexibility. For organizations that prefer Cisco technology, the OmniStack Solution with Cisco UCS for Remote Sites was released in February of 2016 and enterprises are already realizing the advantages of hyperconverged infrastructure for ROBO deployments with the integrated solution."

Availability

The OmniCube CN-1400 is available now. The OmniStack Solution with Lenovo System x for Remote Sites is orderable beginning in June. For more details, contact the partner distributor in the Philippines, MSI-ECS at (02) 688-3509 / (02) 688-3501 or email them at inquiry@msi-ecs.com.ph. Visit http://www.msi-ecs.com.ph for more details. 

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