Manufacturing And Warehousing IT News For VARs — August 18, 2014
By Trisha Leon, contributing writer
In the news, an article looks at the Internet of Things (IoT) merging with Big Data to boost business potential. Also U.S. factory output rose in July, and experts are predicting 3 percent growth throughout the remainder of the year.
The IoT + Big Data = Business Potential
Manufacturing.net features a video this week by Big Think, an online forum that shares interviews, multimedia presentations, and roundtable discussions with speakers from a range of fields. In the video, titled “The Internet of Things Meets Big Data,” Chris Curran, chief technologist at PwC, describes the evolution of the IoT, its adoption by the business sector, and the inevitable merge with Big Data. He offers valuable insights into how Big Data and the IoT can boost business potential.
Internet Security Must Be User-Friendly
Larry Seltzer writes in the article “Security Fails Without Usability,” that when security is hard to use, users try to find a way around it. He emphasizes that to keep the Internet secure, security measures must be held to a high usability standard. He gives examples of security systems that have failed and where they broke down. According to Seltzer, “IT (security) has to be done right at all levels of the system. And if it's too hard to do, people won't do it. For that reason, difficult security just isn't enough and we should demand more.”
Elements Every Mobile Strategy Needs
A recent white paper featured in ComputerWorld , “Microsoft: Planning for Mobile Success,” gives advice on how to overcome the tough challenges that inevitably come along with deploying mobile technologies .According to the authors, “The antidote to these technological ills is an overarching strategy that details how to provision, manage, secure, and support a modern collaborative culture based on mobility.” They offer tips on taking the pain out of mobile management and securing mobility in a risky world. For enterprises with mobile workforces, nailing mobile technology is a way for them to gain a competitive edge in today’s manufacturing market.
Manufacturing Growth Expected Throughout 2014
According to a report in Industrial Distribution, U.S. factory output surged in July. The increase was led by a jump in the production of motor vehicles, furniture, textiles, and metals. Stuart Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services, predicts that “manufacturing will continue to add to the recovery throughout 2014 and into 2015.” This is good news as it should aid the economic expansion to continue. Most analysts expect the economy to expand at a roughly 3 percent rate in the second half the year.
Manufacturing And Warehousing IT Talking Points
Wyoming, the first state to deploy Google Apps for government statewide, will take the next step toward moving the state’s computing resources to cloud service by closing data centers. InfoWorld reports, “state governments have been outsourcing various parts of their infrastructures for years, but how they outsource is changing. What's now driving government IT decision-making in Wyoming and other states is a desire to move resources to dynamic cloud-based services, both public and private.” Wyoming CIO, Flint Waters, explains the move this way: “What we're trying to accomplish is not to have a scenario where the tech you have in place dictates how innovative you can be.”
For more news and insights, visit BSMinfo’s Manufacturing And Warehousing Tech Center.