TechKnowledge: The Best of 2014

Posted by Bryan Williams on December 30, 2014April 14, 2015 Posted in Straight Talk Tagged 2014, analytics, IERS, mobility, NEC, nectoday, SDN, solutions, technology, UC

As we look back at 2014 to prepare for 2015, we thought it would be great to provide you with some of the best tips from our NEC Today series. So sit back, relax and prepare to be informed!

MOBILITY – COMMUNICATION

Creating a strong mobile platform provides flexibility for your workforce, but must remain secure in order to protect company assets. Take a look at these posts on the subject:

SDN

Software-defined networking supports business agility through architecture that is dynamic, manageable, and adaptable. Are your ready for some transformative technology?

BIG DATA

A critical component and potential differentiator for businesses going forward, big data and analytics are showing up in every industry and business type, as you can see in the posts referenced below:

IERS

Our guest blogger, Matt Sarrel, provided us with many good posts on InfoFrame Elastic Relational Store, so if you are in need of information on high-performance databases building for high availability and flexible scalability, look no further! Here is a sampling:

We hope you enjoyed some of our best posts from 2014. We look forward to providing more compelling information in 2015, so check back regularly to see what’s going on with NECToday!

Warning Calgary Criminals: You Can Run…But You Can No Longer Hide!

Posted by Bryan Williams on December 15, 2014February 19, 2015 Posted in Straight Talk Tagged biometrics, calgary, calgary police service, canada, criminal photos, facial recognition, law enforcement, NEC, NECAM, neoface, neoscan, police, reveal

Every day, members of law enforcement risk their lives and spend long, grueling hours trying to catch criminals. They make these sacrifices to protect law-abiding citizens, so shouldn’t they be provided with useful technology that would aid them in their investigations?

Calgary Police Service: Investigative Experts Choose NeoFace®

Recently, the City of Calgary (Canada) and the Calgary Police Service (CPS) made the conscious choice to enhance their investigative capability by choosing NeoFace® Reveal facial recognition software. This decision did not come without a rigorous review process of multiple face recognition-based criminal identification systems, but nothing less should be expected from investigative experts.

The implementation of NeoFace Reveal will reduce investigation times and lighten the caseloads through more efficient methods of analyzing images. Additionally, quicker identifications inform investigators of a criminal’s identity immediately following a crime, thus preventing the criminal from gaining a significant head start while fleeing. CPS will be able to confidently solve higher volumes of crime in a much more timely and efficient manner. Ultimately, this facial recognition solution gives the Calgary Police Service a valuable tool to serve public safety and security needs.

View Demo:

Bio-Metrics | Life-To Measure

Some may wonder…what is biometrics exactly? Simply, it is the study of identifying and verifying individuals based on their physical characteristics. Not so simply, it includes a person’s recognition through biological measurements such as their fingerprints, voice, DNA, the iris of the eye, hair and facial features.

These are but a few examples of characteristics that police departments use to verify and identify persons of interest. The sphere of the characteristics used in law enforcement investigations expands to more specific kinds of measurements, although facial characteristics can be examined and identified much quicker than the other factors. NEC recognizes the importance and usefulness of facial recognition, and through years of experience has developed NeoFace Reveal into a go-to resource for law enforcement.

NeoFace, Revealed!

Facial recognition techniques have existed for some time, but NEC has perfected the process through advanced technology. Investigators are able to process and analyze images rapidly and with unsurpassed accuracy and matching speed. Standard imaging enhancements, such as crop/rotate, brightness, contrast, intensity, smooth, sharpen, histogram equalization, noise reduction, aspect ratio correction, and de-interlacing, are combined with additional highly developed processing methods that allow for superior image quality and matching ability.

NeoFace advanced enhancements include:

· Pose correction on off-centered images improves facial matching score

· Consolidation of multiple images creates the most accurate frontal face image

· Illumination allows correction of shadows from off-center light sources

The images acquired during an investigation do not always provide law enforcement with the clear-cut evidence or positive identification needed in an investigation. Whether the image is too dark or taken at the wrong angle, a number of potential things can slow down an investigation. NeoFace easily addresses these issues. Poor quality images, outdated criminal photos, or images that appear to be unusable are no longer setbacks associated with facial recognition technology when using NeoFace Reveal.

For more information on NeoFace, visit our web site where you can find more information on this solution as well as case studies and white papers. We are proud to serve law enforcement by providing solutions for society that help keep us safe.

Black Friday Sales Tanked?

Posted by Linda Graham on December 5, 2014April 14, 2015 Posted in Straight Talk Tagged analytics, Big Data, black Friday, NEC, NECAM, point of sale, pos, retail, retail solutions, shopping

According to this business reporter, Walmart is the reason Black Friday sales were down this year. While that is probably not the case, or at least not the whole picture, the results from Black Friday have proven interesting. The in-store sales numbers were down, while the online numbers were up 14.3 percent over 2013. Many retailers, including Walmart, chose to mark down items in the weeks leading up to Black Friday, giving consumers an opportunity to bargain shop in advance. Plus, the convenience of online shopping is difficult to overcome. It’s easy to grab a tablet and shop while lounging in your favorite chair.

So how does a retail brick and mortar establishment compete with this type of convenience? Create an amazing in-store experience!

Did Your Customers Have the Best Experience?

Customers have opinions about how you do business, and if you don’t succeed in fulfilling their expectations, they will shop somewhere else. A big part of what they want is an innovative, personalized experience that enables them to utilize online technology and access inside a brick-and-mortar store. That is a tall order!

Making reasonable and strategic efforts to fulfill customer expectations is important for 2015, particularly for those retailers who spent time this year analyzing the customer journey. To truly appreciate the importance of having a point-of-sale (POS) system that empowers customer expectations, consider who is actually doing the shopping over this holiday season.

According to a new report by Bankrate.com, a majority of Americans did not plan to shop on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. They expect to find deals throughout the holiday season. The report also stated that Millennials were expected to be visiting stores on Black Friday in higher numbers than older Americans, and we are very aware of the tech-savvy, mobility centric ways of this generation.

As reported by the U.K. publication Retail Systems, a study by 1010data shows many Americans prefer to shop in stores because they do not want to wait on shipping. Additionally, 97 percent of study participants claimed they would purchase gifts early this year, with half of those starting before Thanksgiving and one in five participating in Black Friday. The reason? They want to ensure product availability.

Fully Connect with Your Shoppers

Whether catering to Millennials, bargain shoppers or early-birds who want to make sure they get that perfect gift, there are ways to improve the experience by embracing technology that your customers really want. First, let’s discuss what that actually is:

Going Mobile

Shoppers are price and comparison shopping from the floor of your store. They are constantly connected now, and want to have that experience enabled in their brick-and-mortar store experience. This constant connectivity also changes the behavior of a shopper. They are no longer willing to wait in line to make a purchase. They believe they can find what is needed online and will simply exit your store if they are made to wait.

In addition, shoppers have significantly more information at their fingertips, so they are able to not only price shop, but feature compare as well. If the item you have in stock is not what they want, they will go find it somewhere else.
Fortunately, you can update your current POS to include mobility solutions that allow you to achieve the following:

Real-time access to data on the selling floor – Now you know what merchandise is in-stock, so you can serve customers more effectively.
Better up-selling and cross-selling – Get that key data to sales associates to help them to make better recommendations to customers.
Improved communication – Your team can collaborate from the sales floor, again better serving customers without sending them all over the store.

Dynamic Advertising

The ability to deliver real-time information and highly targeted messages is available now. Customers really want to feel like you care about them and are appreciative they shop in your store. Adding digital signage to a POS system provides you the opportunity to:

Reach customers where they shop
Increase sales volumes of higher margin merchandise
Suggest add-on merchandise to increase average purchase volume
Incorporate real-time data to present timely and relevant offers to customers at the point they make the buying decision
Customize messages for local storefronts easily

Now you can easily get that “wow” factor in your store and enhance the customer shopping experience.

Time to Go High Tech

Retailers who are able to cater to the connected nature of their shoppers will win the in-store experience, and have the ability to better compete with online retailers. However, to do so requires adding a strategy to improve mobility, interactivity and information by empowering the sales staff to access data and sell from the floor. Fortunately, NEC has retail solutions available now and can support you in implementation so you can stay focused on your business.

This is just the beginning. There are many more exciting technology trends coming that improve the customer experience, support better data analytics and increase security. Retail is in for some exciting innovation!

Did You Consider This in Your 2015 IT Budget

Posted by Linda Graham on November 17, 2014April 14, 2015 Posted in Straight Talk Tagged analytics, Big Data, budgets, cloud, cloud services, IT budget, IT budgeting, managed security, managed services, NEC

Your IT budget planning is most likely well underway and you are probably putting the finishing touches on it. Or perhaps you work for one of those organizations that has a fiscal year that does not align with the annual calendar, and you are in research mode. Either way, deciding where money will be well spent is a significant planning process. The word “budget” can be such an intimidating and restricting word to many…but it’s an essential annual process and perhaps could be viewed as a way to limit unnecessary expenses and maximize the value of the investments to enable your business.

To prioritize your 2015 IT expenses, it is important to consider the following to ensure you have allocated enough budget dollars. Not only will considering these as priorities help set up your IT team for success, but the addition of strong strategic partners for managed services will place your core team in the driver’s seat for more strategic and revenue-generating activities, leaving other less-strategic IT tasks to a value-added partner.

The Complexity of Big Data

Big data is here, and will continue to be an important part of every organization’s IT department. It is important to recognize that multiple aspects of a big data strategy enable your access to the best information. These include:

Acquiring and storing data securely
Analyzing data effectively
Ensuring your team has the right skills to manage this process

Fortunately, you do not have to go it alone. NEC offers complex Analytics and Big Data that turn your data into valuable insights for your business. Think of these insights as priceless intellectual information your business can use to make smarter decisions. Maximize your business potential by using analytics to decrease costs, improve revenue, drive profitability and increase customer satisfaction.
While your team is focused on the core of your business, the NEC team will partner with you to bring big data to life, unlocking the intelligence hidden in the data, while also supporting any planning and implementation. Our solutions work in the NEC Cloud, on-premise and hybrid deployment models and leverage multi-vendor strategies.

How Do You Cloud?

Cloud services provide an excellent way to empower a mobility strategy, as well as ensure rapid provisioning of seasonal and temporary employees. In fact, enterprise mobility removes many barriers for employees who are either on the road or in remote locations, ensuring they can access enterprise applications quickly and easily. However, the use of cloud in your organization is something that requires strategic thought.

There are many concerns about cloud applications, including security and reliability. What applications should you actually use in the cloud? Are there some that should remain on-premises? Can you be certain that the cloud services will meet your needs?

This is an area where the NEC team can bring broad experience to your table. Our Cloud Services team provides solutions that transform your business by bringing together people, applications and smart devices to deliver communications and collaboration solutions through the cloud. For example, Desktop-as-a-Service or DaaS is a cloud service that deploys virtual desktops that users can access from any device, anywhere. Talk about flexibility for your business! One of the benefits of DaaS is that it enables your business to step into cloud usage in a strategic manner, while giving you peace of mind regarding security and access, all without touching critical enterprise applications, such as financial software.

The NEC team offers a solid strategy that meets your specific environment, from on-premises to hybrid to public cloud services. The important thing is that your business requirements are considered and met without interruption through a seamless integration. Our team is well-versed in creating this environment so you can utilize the cloud to maximize your business while minimizing any risk.

Finding the Best Managed Services Partner

Knowing which services are core to your business or simply routine, but still important, is a key decision to be made…so that leaves the question: Do you have all the expertise in-house to properly evaluate the many aspects of IT and then make the best decision for your organization? With the ever-changing landscape, particularly in the areas of security, cloud and virtualization, it is extraordinarily difficult to have all the talent in-house you need to make the best decisions and implement the right solutions while still contributing to the company bottom line.

Our Managed Services teams understand all these complexities, and have built a strong talent pool to execute our offerings. We believe that rather than trying to do it all on your own, you should have the option to align with experts who act as an extension of your existing IT team.

Our managed services offering, NECommand, enables business through important IT solutions in three key offerings: nBuild™, nMaintain™, and nManage™. These services provide you with the level of expertise for your particular environment, whether it’s implementing a new system, providing administrative functions and maintenance to free up your internal IT talent, or managing those complex systems such as security, we have created services to align with your business needs.

Budgeting and Beyond

The typical budgeting process often means “take what you have done, add or subtract by percentages and submit the number.” However, with the consistent fluctuations in IT, you should probably ask yourself is it better to rely on historical experiences alone to make important business decisions? Instead, consider working with NEC to help you manage your IT future and make solid business decisions that can enhance your bottom line.

You can learn more about our Analytics and Big Data, Cloud and Managed Services by visiting our web site, where you will find white papers, videos and other information to help you make the right adjustments to your 2015 IT budget.

Recapping NEC-Sponsored Meet Up: ‘Leveraging Technology and Innovation for Proactive Healthcare’

Posted by Matt Sarrel on October 22, 2014February 19, 2015 Posted in Straight Talk Tagged doctor, healthcare, kaiser, NEC, NECAM, NoSQL, nurse cutting edge, UCSF

In September, NEC Corporation of America (NEC) sponsored a meet up, “Leveraging Technology and Innovation for Proactive Healthcare,” at the Plug and Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale, CA. The panel was moderated by Charlene Yu Vaughn, CEO, The Algonquin Group, and consisted of Dr. Andrew Auerbach, MD, MPH, director of innovation at the Center for Digital Health Innovation, and Professor of Medicine in Residence at UCSF; Drew Schiller, CTO and founder of Validic; Jason Roos, CTO, Stanford Medical Center; Matt Sarrel, MPH, technology analyst, epidemiologist, and founder of Sarrel Group; and Calvin Togashi, SVP/partner, Assigncorp/HealthQEC, formerly with Kaiser Permanente. More than 100 people attended the event.

The panel convened to discuss healthcare innovations and trends in healthcare-related product and service development. Panelists began with a discussion of the types of problems found in healthcare that can be solved by technology. Mr. Roos spoke about being “on the cutting edge, not the bleeding edge” and how the innovation center needs to evaluate technology solutions and how they work at scale, and whether the manufacturer/solution provider will support the solution for a long time. Dr. Auerbach spoke about governance and problem solving using technology. UCSF is particularly interested in technology that automates processes and saves the time of the physicians, administrators, and nurses. Mr. Togashi talked about the challenges faced when trying to introduce new technologies into a healthcare enterprise and how Kaiser placed an emphasis on always trying to improve patient care. Mr. Schiller talked about the need for entrepreneurs to constantly be working to solve problems with innovative solutions and the need for an agile development process that can constantly evolve.

The conversation then turned to streamlining provider-patient communication. Mr. Togashi talked about the projects he worked on at Kaiser where they targeted specific high-risk populations and found that good, timely communication could positively impact treatment outcomes. Dr. Auerbach discussed the need to communicate with patients across different communications methods, such as telephone, email, mail, and Facebook. Patients need access to their care team in flexible ways. At this point, Mr. Sarrel commented that it might be appropriate to compare patient-provider communications to retail communications in that they are omni-channel and systems should be designed to facilitate communication the way that the patient (or customer) wants it. The ultimate goal is to improve treatment outcomes so organizations should do whatever it takes to get helpful communication flowing back and forth between providers and patients.

Any discussion of provider-patient communication must involve discussing the role of care plans in patient care. The panel discussed different ways to use technology to communicate care plans to patients and their families who may be involved in care. This creates a need to communicate across different vectors and is typically asynchronous. Particular care needs to be paid to ensuring that care continues after the patient is discharged. Do patients know what to do once they leave the hospital? Where can they turn for additional information? Providers need to communicate effectively and efficiently.

The conversation continued and the panelists discussed the role of wearables in patient health. With more and more sensors on fitness bands and smart watches, there’s a growing need to gather and analyze data from wearables. The panel agreed that there’s a huge potential in wearables because they give the provider a chance to see a complete picture of the health of the patient. Most of the face to face time between providers and patients is spent communicating so if wearables can gather diagnostic information in advance of the visit then this can streamline and improve patient-provider communications.

The panel then took questions from the audience. Questions ranged from how IT can help providers and patients communicate better to what kinds of products we might see coming on the market in the near future. One question that was interesting was how technology could improve access to healthcare in underserved populations. The panel responded with mentions of telemedicine, patient portals, and communication via SMS. It’s important to bring patients and their families into the discussion with providers.

Overall, it was an informative panel with a free-ranging and comfortable discussion. The panelists concluded by thanking NEC, the sponsor of the discussion. NEC’s IERS database is a high performance, elastically scalable key value store with a SQL interpreter and Hadoop connectors. IERS is currently being used to improve patient-provider communication as the foundation of the Prompt Outreach patient messaging system.

*Matt Sarrel is a leading tech analyst and writer providing guest content for NEC.