Trends

Amazon has taught me I don't have to wait for my next two-pack of ravioli cutter stamps, so if you can't get them to me in under two hours, I know someone else who can. It's 2019, and customers want what they want, when they want it. The global last-mile market is expected to hit $55.2 billion by 20...

OPINION

Consider Service Mesh as a Security Tool

If you're like most security pros, chances are pretty good that you're starting to get frustrated with microservices a little bit, or maybe a lot. Microservice architectures -- that is, architectures that leverage REST to build a number of small, distributed, modular components -- are powerful from...

The U.S. healthcare industry is in the midst of transformation, including an overhaul of its information infrastructure from physical to digital, and the rise of increasingly empowered consumers. Managing consumers' healthcare experience is no longer a selling point, but a must-deliver component of ...

OPINION

Why a Single Source of Truth Often Isn't

Salesforce used its annual Dreamforce mega-show to make a host of announcements, ranging from contact center partnership with Amazon to a smart speaker tool for sales. For the most part, the keynote featured practical applications of Salesforce technology. Some Dreamforces focus on the highly aspira...

OPINION

How Safe Are Home Security Systems?

I have loved the story of Ring doorbells ever since seeing CEO Jamie Siminoff on TV's "Shark Tank" several years ago. I also loved the story of SimpliSafe with CEO Chad Laurans. These companies, started by creative entrepreneurs, are changing the security industry. However, users need to be aware o...

EXPERT ADVICE

Keeping the 'Service' in SaaS

In today's highly competitive B2B software industry, it's not enough to staff a call center and sit back and wait for customers to reach out when they need you -- it's imperative that you take the initiative. When customers have so many solution vendors to choose from, service becomes a strategic di...

TECHNOLOGY LAW CORNER

You Might Owe Cryptocurrency-Related Taxes

Got your attention? We thought so. In a recently published Notice, the IRS seems to be offering some cautionary advice about the legal risks associated with using cryptocurrencies to avoid capital gains taxes. Likely displeased by the volume of folks who have utilized cryptocurrencies to avoid repor...

EXPERT ADVICE

Windows 7 End of Life

Microsoft will end support for the Windows 7 operating system on Jan. 14, 2020. Windows 7 will continue to run on Jan. 14 as it did on Jan. 13. So why is it so important to upgrade to Windows 10? The answer: cybercrime. End of support means that Windows 7 no longer will receive the OS patches or sec...

INSIGHTS

Salesforce and Microsoft in Another Deal

Salesforce named Microsoft Azure its public cloud provider for Salesforce Marketing Cloud and announced new integration between Salesforce Sales and Service Clouds with Microsoft Teams.

INSIGHTS

The Information Utility, Continued

I've been sharing my theory on the formation of an information utility for some time now. Various big vendors have announced alliances with that kind of aim. For instance, Oracle and Microsoft announced an effort to make their cloud databases interoperate, and Microsoft and others have announced com...

INSIGHTS

Previewing Dreamforce 2019

Dreamforce is next week. Once again, the sold-out show will be headquartered at San Francisco's Moscone Center and overflowing to neighboring hotels. Over the years Dreamforce has become the Las Vegas of trade shows in one important respect. Both are famous for being bastions of excess. Vegas has ex...

Google plans to use performance badges to warn users of slow-loading websites ahead. It will consider historical load latencies first, and later may expand to signal the likelihood that a page will load slowly based on the user's device and network conditions. The criteria will become increasingly s...

A venture between Google and Ascension, one of the largest healthcare providers in the United States, will give the tech giant access to the sensitive medical information of as many as 50 million patients in 21 states. Its venture with Google, called "The Nightingale Project," would enable it to imp...

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