One major German automaker claims they lose over $40,000 a minute if they have to take a machine offline for maintenance or repairs. How much do you lose? 

Machines break down and need to be fixed. That much is unavoidable...as are the costs of downtime. But new Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)-powered machinery, combined with digital transformation technologies like cloud and edge computing, are helping manufacturing companies—both similar and different from yours—redefine the standards of efficiency. It truly is a new industrial revolution...

Large, multi-purpose business application suites are on their way out, and honestly, that’s not a very bold statement. The true needs of business vary immensely. Very similar companies may do things very differently. Even in the same company, different business units usually need vastly different tools and capabilities to support their role. And as business conditions change, tools and capabilities need to be adjusted or changed. 

Cloud provides instant adjustment, customization, and scalability at the click of a button. Swap out one SAAS for another! Never before have the capabilities of a business been so open to interpretation and experimentation. The “cloud” might as well be called a “canvas.” 

If you’re a company executive who’s been considering getting into a business that deals in monetized data, you should be considering the possibility with eyes wide open. As with any new thing in business—and the monetization of data represents an entirely new industry—you should focus on taking measures to mitigate risk before going all-in.

It's really important that you take this preparation seriously. While the specifics of what you'll need to do will vary according to the type of company you currently are, there are definitely some basic steps you should take before putting together and executing your plan to enter the data business.

Digital transformation technologies are revolutionizing the healthcare industry by improving access to information and treatment options for doctors and patients. Here's a look at several specific ways these improvements are happening. It is possible today to move data across platforms, EMR systems and more, plus it is HIPAA compliment at the same time. 

As new technology becomes more understood and widespread, the development ecosystem around that technology begins to coalesce into certain ways of doing things. Formats develop. Standards are created and accepted across user communities. Platforms emerge...or canvases...or languages...or schools of thought...or even (for better or worse) silos.  

This period of coalescence is the current state of cloud computing. As we head into 2020 and beyond, further development of these paradigms will transform the “levers” of cloud computing into ever more open-ended creative mediums for software engineers, data scientists, UX professionals, and all others who would dare attempt to mold a cloud-based solution for some aspect of life and/or business.  

Here are just a few of the developments we’ll be following this year and beyond...