Global Teams Management

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Technossus 19 October 2022 Technossus Appoints Liem Vu as New CEO Orange County, CA-based IT Consulting & Software Development Firm Selects Former Pariveda MVP, Nuedesic COO as CEO. Irvine, California, October 17, 2022. Technossus announced today that Liem Vu has been appointed as the new CEO of Technossus USA. An experienced business leader, Vu will succeed Ravnish Bhalla and assume responsibilities on October 17. Ravnish Bhalla will remain with the company as an active partner along with Giri Kalluri & Kevin Castle, Technossus’ Global Management Board. Vu leverages his experience in all aspects of consulting, allowing him to be effective at implementing top and bottom-line improvements throughout the business. He has led high-performing teams with purpose at companies like KPMG, Hitachi Consulting, and Pariveda Solutions, among others. Across all these companies, he has consistently grown his teams and the business year after year. “We are thrilled to add Liem’s proven successful business-building methods to our organization,” said Ravnish Bhalla. “Technossus has built a solid reputation for delivering productive technology innovation to leading global corporations since 2008, and Liem will help us build upon our existing track record to take the company to new heights.” Leading from the front and with integrity, Vu has built teams serving clients such as Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Toyota, NFL, Standard Chartered, and many others. For these companies, he and his teams have architected and delivered solutions in areas like Cloud, AI/ML Analytics, Digital Services, Enterprise Data Architecture, CRM, etc.  Liem focuses on developing strong, lasting relationships, which have been the key to his long history of success with his teams and clients. “Liem has developed a unique perspective for a consulting business, where he strives to enable and unleash the full potential of the people around him,” said Kevin Castle. “He believes that the sum is always greater than the parts and values teamwork above all,” adds Giri Kalluri. ”I am truly excited to join the talented team at Technossus,” adds Vu. “My vision is to grow the company the right way, by aligning all that we do best with the clients and enterprise projects that best match our strengths.” By joining Technossus, Vu seeks to advance a storied career spanning over 30 years in Consulting. About Technossus Technossus helps companies reach their potential by optimizing the technology they use to operate, grow, and improve engagement with their customers. We provide world-class IT consulting and enterprise software development services to help global innovators leverage the latest available technology and solutions. Technossus delivers unmatched levels of quality in the fields of End-to-end Software Engineering & Testing; AI & Machine Learning Application Development; Cloud Migration, Integration, & Optimization; IT Functional & Technical Role Staffing, and Enterprise Software Processes Management. Media Contact: Kurt Lohse Head of Global Marketing Kurt.Lohse@techdev.tndc8ws003.techienetworks.com +1 (949) 769-3500 www.Technossus.com Related posts: Digital Transformation – The New Frontier for Business Leaders Touchless Technology Revolutionizing the Airport COVID-19 Response: Long-Term Strategy for CIOs 3 Ways to Drive Revenue with IT

ABSTRACT India is the world’s largest democracy and the fifth largest economy, coming in at an estimated four trillion dollars in 2010 (Central Intelligence Agency, 2011). The U.S.A.’s economy is the world’s largest, coming in at an estimated twelve trillion dollars in 2010 (Central Intelligence Agency, 2011). What happens when two of the world’s economic powerhouses come together to do business? The commonalities in democratic governments and the use of English in official matters can make doing business transactions across borders easy between India and the U.S.A. At the same time, cultural differences should not be ignored. This paper seeks to explore the impact of cultural differences between the U.S.A. and India in the particular area of work culture and how to apply the Map-Bridge-Integrate process. Using Hofstede’s typology, a comparison is made on the overall cultural differences between the U.S.A. and India. The mapping techniques have been shown in order to show the difference in terms of technology adoption. Then a comparative analysis is performed on the work culture literature in both countries revealing some distinct differences that help to bridge the communication gap. The integration of India’s culture with the U.S.A. is in their all-encompassing approach to work accountability. INTRODUCTION As globalization gathers momentum, contact between business people from other countries is becoming more frequent. The more national boundaries a company crosses, the greater the scope for misunderstanding and conflict. To succeed internationally, it is essential to be able to break the barriers of culture, language, and set patterns of thinking. A decade ago, the work culture in India had vast differences as compared to the rest of the world, especially western countries. But, now there is a paradigm shift due to the enormous growth of MNCs in the IT sector in India, BPOs, etc. The advent of globalization made business enterprises and employees work across the borders of various countries, thus providing exposure to cross-cultural working environments to both the organizations and employees. This eliminated the huge gap between the work culture of India and other countries to some extent. However, in fields other than IT and Government sectors of India the work culture differs a lot from that of other countries. A good work environment addresses the culture of the group and the humanity of the individual. It also acknowledges that some habitat needs are universal. MANAGING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES MAP (UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCES) Cultural values Leadership style Personality Thinking style INTEGRATE (MANAGE THE DIFFERENCES) Managing participation Resolving conflicts Building on ideas BRIDGE (COMMUNICATE ACROSS DIFFERENCES) Approaching with motivation & confidence Decentering w/o Blame. Reentering with Commonalities Mapping, Bridging, Integrating: Measurable increases in productivity and effectiveness can be gained by not only effectively managing differences in cultures among employees, but by leveraging the differences to provide added value.   MAPPING CULTURAL GAPS DIMENSIONS OF NATIONAL CULTURES Geert Hofstede has operated in an international environment since 1965, and his curiosity as a social psychologist led him to the comparison of nations, first as a traveling international staff member of a multinational (IBM) and later as a visiting professor at an international business school in Switzerland. His 1980 book Culture’s Consequences combined his personal experiences with the statistical analysis of two unique databases. FIVE DIMENSIONS OF CULTURE The first and largest comprised answers from matched employee samples from 40 different countries to the same attitude survey questions. The second consisted of answers to some of these same questions by his executive students who came from 15 countries and from a variety of companies and industries. Systematic differences between nations in these two databases occurred in particular for questions dealing with values. Values, in this case, are “broad preferences for one state of affairs over others”, and they are mostly unconscious. In order to gauge the impact of differences in national culture on management, G. Hofstede carried out a cross-cultural study in 50 countries and 3 regions. Since modern cultures are too complex and subculturally heterogeneous, the strategy used in the original research was a narrow-sample strategy based on a comparison of similar subcultures in different countries. The values that distinguished countries (rather than individuals) from each other grouped themselves statistically into four clusters. They dealt with four anthropological problem areas that different national societies handle differently: ways of coping with inequality, ways of coping with uncertainty, the relationship of the individual with her or his primary group, and the emotional implications of having been born as a girl or as a boy. These became the Hofstede dimensions of national culture: Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism versus Collectivism, and Masculinity versus Femininity. Between 1990 and 2002, these dimensions were largely replicated in six other cross-national studies on very different populations from consumers to airline pilots, covering between 14 and 28 countries. HOFSTEDE’S DIMENSION TRAITS Power distance Individualism vs. collectivism Femininity vs. masculinity Uncertainty avoidance Long term orientation   POWER DISTANCE (PDI) This dimension deals with the fact that all individuals in societies are not equal – it expresses the attitude of the culture toward these inequalities among us. Power distance is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. It has to do with the fact that a society’s inequality is endorsed by the followers as well as by the leaders. The U.S.A. score low on this dimension, (40), which underscores: The American premise of “liberty and justice for all”. This is also evidenced by the focus on equal rights in all aspects of American society and government. Within American organizations, hierarchy is established for convenience, superiors are always accessible and managers rely on individual employees and teams for their expertise. Both managers and employees expect to be consulted and information is shared frequently. At the same time, communication is informal, direct, and participative. India scores high on this dimension, (77), indicating: An appreciation for hierarchy and a Top – Down Structure in society and Organizations. If one were to encapsulate the […]

According to experts from the industry, cyber insurance is in the middle of a “crisis moment.” The main reason behind this is the increasing number of ransomware attacks over the last 12-18 months. Though this is not a new type of attack, the disturbance caused by ransomware reached new levels in 2021. About 37% of companies experienced a ransomware attack last year. Advances in Healthcare Cybersecurity Modern healthcare and technology are extremely interlinked with each other. It is difficult to run a healthcare organization without relying on information technology in today’s world. Like other IT advancements, this has associated risks like malware infection, unauthorized system access, and data corruption. Here are some vital tips to take your healthcare cybersecurity to the next level. Passwordless Authentication Currently, passwords are the source of 81% of data breaches. Password-only protection or even two-factor authentication (2FA) is no longer enough to safeguard data, systems, or networks. It has become a cakewalk for attackers to gain access, steal, and compromise vital data of an organization. Therefore, companies started using passwordless authentication. With this advancement, people are no longer required to remember passwords and constantly change them. It is achieved by using advanced authentication methods combined with risk-based analysis. This authentication is basically a combination of authentication methods like biometrics, mobile app, and multilayered risk analysis such as device recognition, IP reputation, and behavior analytics. Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) SASE represents a model that defines security as network functionality and cloud service delivered. It could also be defined as a managed service package managed via the cloud. SASE consolidates network and security solutions from different vendors. Single-vendor solutions offer better integration and centralized management. It simplifies implementation, configuration, reporting, and support services. Because SASE architectures require migration of security functions to the cloud, less hardware is required overall, which improves the architecture’s elasticity and scalability. Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) ZTNA is a set of functionalities and technologies that enables secure remote access to internal apps. It gives remote users secure, seamless connectivity to private applications without placing them on the network. In contrast to a Virtual Private Network (VPN), no tunnels are set up between the client and the central company network, but dedicated application connections are established. It offers a way to connect applications, users, and data, even when they are not using the company’s network, where micro-services-based applications can reside on multiple clouds and on-premises. Emerging Technology Technologies in healthcare have changed how health is measured, managed, and ensured. With the new challenges facing healthcare, these solutions help companies by increasing performance, improving system collaboration, and controlling costs. As the demands on healthcare organizations increase, technology can streamline processes, automate tasks, and improve workflows on a scale that humans alone cannot achieve. Here are two of the emerging technology in healthcare cybersecurity: Homomorphic Encryption Homomorphic encryption is a type of encryption that helps computation by converting it to ciphertext to ensure the originality of knowledge during transmission. According to the report published by Marketing Research Future (MRFR), the global homomorphic encryption market is expected to expand at a remarkable CAGR of 7.55% during the forecast period 2016-2027 and the valuation of USD 268.3 million to the top of the forecast period will be successful. It has enormous potential, especially when it comes to data in the cloud. Currently, the data must first be decrypted before calculations can be performed on them. And while they are decrypted, they are vulnerable to hacking. On the other hand, homomorphic encryption is used to avoid the decryption step, and data protection is guaranteed. Homomorphic encryption does not affect the results obtained when performing calculations on encrypted data. The results are the same as for analysis based on decrypted data. Blockchain A blockchain is a distributed, public database having no central control authority and still meets various information security requirements, such as integrity and availability. New records in the database are added as blocks at the end of previous records, creating a kind of chain. Each block contains the checksum of the past block, which ensures that the chain cannot be easily manipulated. Blockchain technology can be used to better control the quality of medicines since the entire production chain, from manufacture to temperature fluctuations and the transport route to delivery to pharmacies could be monitored and stored in the blockchain. The result is if the cold chain is not maintained, the drug will not be delivered. Regardless, pharmaceutical companies could assign each drug a QR code that patients can scan to verify its authenticity. It would not be impossible to falsify this, but it would be much more complex than it has been up to now. Ransomware in 2022 and How to Prepare The term “ransomware” has already characterized the year 2021 and has thus increasingly appeared in the media. In the USA alone, targeted ransomware attacks demanded more than 500 million dollars in ransom with blackmail Trojans in the first half of the year. It is a type of malware in which attackers try to penetrate a company’s network to gain complete control. On successful completion, the data is usually encrypted, and companies are blackmailed for a ransom demand in the form of cryptocurrencies. The blackmail Trojan is extremely popular with criminals, especially because of the increasing number of remote and hybrid working models. To protect against ransomware, organizations should be proactive and develop a cybersecurity plan against malware. Since it is very difficult to detect and combat ransomware, you should use various protective mechanisms. The most important protection is the training and sensitization of employees. Only those who know that ransomware exists and how it works can also recognize such attacks. Good spam filters, frequent data backups, and keeping systems updated are some ways to prepare against ransomware. Key Takeaways All healthcare cybersecurity trends of 2022 have one thing in common: Modern companies not only want to – they have to use new, and innovative technologies. They are looking for solutions that will […]

Over the past year, companies have discovered that remote work does not hurt productivity as much as once believed. Research has shown that remote work can even increase productivity, positively impacting an organization’s bottom line. One study found that over 90 percent of executives thought productivity stayed the same or increased.   In the post-pandemic world, more than 80 percent of companies are planning for hybrid teams. CIOs will need to prepare for this new, hybrid workplace. It means developing practices and policies that cultivate a team culture in a remote environment. One way to do this is to establish some rules to guide your hybrid team. Here are three rules that you can implement to help your hybrid team succeed. 1. Tools and Equipment Members of your hybrid team must take ownership of their digital acuity. However, CIOs should be clear about the minimum competencies for employees concerning productivity tools. There needs to be some continuity to allow team members to communicate effectively with one another. You will also need to provision equipment and offer adequate help desk service. In a successful hybrid team, no one should feel left behind. Be sure to check with each employee that they have what they need in their remote office, including reliable internet connection, devices, and connectivity software. Offer any training or tips that may be required to get your team on the same page. 2. Hybrid Team Unity and Health Recent surveys have found employees can suffer mentally and emotionally when working from home.  Anxiety, stress, and loss of sleep are some of the major issues that hybrid team members may face. A Telus International report found that 80 percent of workers would leave their jobs to work somewhere that focused on improving employees’ mental health. It is essential to help members of your hybrid team avoid the negative impact of isolation and disconnectedness that can result from working at home. Peer-to-peer relationships and social connections can help remote workers overcome these risks. Cultivate connectedness with water cooler events or team-building activities and encourage all hybrid team members to participate. Be transparent with news or changes that will impact your team. Helping each member feel informed can combat feelings of isolation. Creating an attitude of unity, inclusion, and team engagement may not be easy, but it is crucial. Managers need to be empathetic to the challenges of the remote team. Offer flexibility for employees who may need time off during the day for other responsibilities, such as a medical appointment or to pick up kids from school or other activities. Watch for signs that someone on your hybrid team may be struggling and reach out to them. Good managers who make themselves available to hybrid team members create a positive remote work experience. Time Management and Hybrid Team Coordination To build an effective hybrid team, you’ll also need to provide some guidance around the use of time. For example, let employees know what a reasonable response time is to a request from a team member. It’s also useful to be clear about flexibility and how teams are expected to use their work time. One key to effective hybrid teams is to allow employees the flexibility to balance their work-life time. As long as the work is being completed and they attend meetings and activities when required, you don’t need to monitor their every move. Having a schedule for a collaborative time during the week will help strengthen the team’s connection and productivity. Aim for a good mix of individual work and teamwork time. For example, set Mondays and Wednesdays aside as in-person meetings and workdays so that everyone on the team knows where they need to be. Doing this can also overcome any perceived inequality between in-office workers and your hybrid team. Set guidelines around response times, such as team members will respond within two hours if they receive a chat message in the collaboration software tool, but give them a day to respond to non-urgent emails. Organizations are still adjusting to the new hybrid-work model, and it will take some time to get it right. It’s okay to figure it out as you go, but having some guidelines and rules in place can help everyone stay on track during the journey. Related posts: 4 Keys to Fast Software Development The Evolution of IT Outsourcing 5 Ways to Reduce Cloud Spend IT Automation: Where It Will Work, Where It Won’t

The global pandemic has placed IT at the forefront of business development. Over the past several months, it has been IT initiatives that have kept companies running. IBM research found that 59 percent of organizations accelerated digital transformation, and 66 percent were able to find more support for previously resisted initiatives at their companies. An Accenture study found that companies that used technology innovation during the pandemic saw revenue growth five times faster than organizations that lagged. However, as organizations struggle to recover from a financially tumultuous year, many are looking to IT leaders to develop new forms of revenue production. According to a study from PwC, 32 percent of CFOs are looking to offer tech-driven products and services to grow their business. What that looks like could be different for every company, depending on the industry they are in. Still, there are some opportunities that every organization can take to drive revenue with IT.   Turn an Internal App Into a Product One option for IT leaders is to turn internal, custom-made apps into a product. Consider the software solutions that your business has designed internally and determine if there is a market for it on a wider scale. Has there been an internal IT problem that your team has solved by devising its own tech solution? Are you using AI or machine learning to improve productivity? Does your company have internally-created automation options that you could market? Is it possible to tweak the app so that it will be more applicable to other organizations? Perhaps vendors would have a use for your app? Think about whether there are some variables that you could adjust for different industries. A benefit of this option is that you already have a working model to showcase to potential customers and buyers. Build Customer-Centric Platforms Prior to the pandemic, telehealth solutions were not widely used. However, that changed when government lockdowns and transmission fears prompted more and more patients to rely on this safe alternative for physician visits and assessments. And even as the pandemic wanes, patients will still rely on telehealth platforms, which are more convenient than sitting in a waiting room for hours on end. In the same way, IT teams can brainstorm some customer-centric platforms that your business could design and build. Whether you are a B2B or B2C organization, customers are essential to the process. You need to know them, their needs and wants. For IT departments, dream up tech solutions that empower your customers. Build a platform that will put them in the driver’s seat to meet their needs and desires. Expedite Product Development What does your IT team need in order to deliver new products more quickly? Are there microservices that you can develop at a faster pace? Software solutions that are simple and easy to use can have significant benefits for customers. The key is to provide something of value for consumers that will help them as they go about their business. Some organizations invest time building a platform that allows them to continually update the products they have for customers. For example, a bank may build a customer-centric platform that offers insight into customer’s spending habits, enabling them to make better financial decisions. Over time, the bank can add more and more options for customers. It can unlock both direct and indirect streams of revenue for your company. Over the past year, companies have seen IT departments pivot from enabling businesses to being revenue drivers. As technology becomes a tool not just to help a company with internal processes but a key ingredient in customer service and product design, IT teams have the opportunity to build innovative tech tools and have a direct impact on the company’s bottom line. Related posts: COVID-19 Response: Long-Term Strategy for CIOs The CIO Evolution as a Strategic Business Partner COVID-19 Response: Short-Term Strategy for CIOs 4 Keys to Fast Software Development

IT automation holds a lot of promise for companies, but it may not be the right solution for every problem. When done right, automating processes can free up IT staff to focus on more critical business operations. But the key lies in automating the right IT tasks. What Is IT Automation? IT automation refers to the use of software to complete instructions and processes with IT systems. It is also called infrastructure automation. The goal is to substitute or cut back on the need for human interaction with IT systems. Software that has been designed for IT automation is capable of carrying out tasks that have been defined according to instructions, tools or frameworks. Digital transformation and IT optimization require IT automation. Organizations need to scale up their IT systems fast, and that is possible with automation. The idea is that if there is an IT task to be done, you can use automation. It can integrate with nearly anything, including: Network automation Infrastructure Cloud provision Standard operating environments Application deployment Configuration management Some automation software may even have capabilities or applications in more specific areas, such as containers, DevOps, cloud, edge computing, security, testing, and monitoring/alerting.   Where It Will Work Organizations that take a holistic approach to IT automation will find countless ways to relieve employees of repetitive, manual processes. Your teams will be free to be more productive and focus on more important business tasks. Adding IT automation into the mix will also improve collaboration and reduce errors. Here are some of the areas that companies can effectively implement IT automation: Provisioning – Business systems need infrastructure, and it needs to be set up. This is where IT automation is helpful. While in the past, IT revolved around data centers that included cables, boxes, racks, etc., it is now more about cloud assets. These include networks, storage, virtual machines, and containers. Due to these changes, companies need to codify processes so that they adapt to the modern way of doing business. It is also essential to cut costs and improve efficiency. Yet, setting up these environments can be a tedious and time-consuming process. With codification, it becomes easier as there are templates that automated systems can use to do the work. Doing this uses your current infrastructure and management tools to set you up for the future. Configuration management – After your provision has been automated, there is still more work that needs to be done. Applications need different settings, file systems, ports, users, etc., and you can automate how these resources do their job. Moreover, as you add to your systems, you’ll need a way to record and manage the systems efficiently. Using a strong configuration management solution can simplify the automation scripts and procedures, making it easier for your employees to focus on more critical tasks. Orchestration – Most companies have complex IT systems. Unless you are using just one service on one machine, it can be challenging to manage it all. You’ll need to define several automated tasks that will need to work in the same systems and machines. This is where orchestration comes in and how you can use automation solutions to keep everything running.  These solutions will be able to monitor and control all the moving parts, including multiple apps, different data centers, and infrastructures, as well as public, private, and hybrid cloud deployments. It will be easier to keep track of them, connect them, and bring in even more advanced systems. IT migration – Moving data or software from one system to another is called IT migration. The process may involve different kinds of movement, such as data migration, application migration, operating system migration, or cloud migration. These projects are often very specific to a business’s needs. IT automation can streamline the process and make things run quicker and more accurately. App deployment – To get the best from your apps, you need a strong automated system regardless of your approach to deployment. To have effective app deployment, you need efficient automation for essential tasks and capabilities. It is particularly important during the testing phase. Using deployment automation allows you to transition from building to testing to deployment seamlessly. It also reduces the chance of human error. Security and Compliance – You can make security and compliance simple for staff by defining policies and automating the steps in your infrastructure. The results will be to put security front and center of your IT processes. In addition, by standardizing processes and workflows, compliance will become easier. With IT automation, you’ll be able to verify the consistency of procedures.   Where It Won’t Work While it can help simplify processes, IT automation may not be the answer to every problem. There are some places where it won’t work. It is essential to understand what these instances might be. Here are some things to consider before implementing IT automation: What are the bottlenecks in your company’s processes? What area will get the most benefit from automation? Is there a pattern of help requests that signal a possible need for automation? Will employees buy into the change?   IT automation can help simplify and streamline IT processes, eliminating the need for manual intervention. However, companies must identify what tasks should be automated from those that should not. Tasks like provisioning, configuration management, app deployment, and security and compliance are ideal for automation. Removing the need for human involvement in mundane and repeatable tasks frees up your IT staff to focus on more important work. Related posts: Your Guide to Quick Automation Wins Sustaining IT Efficiency by Increasing Automation 4 Keys to Controlling Cloud Costs 3 Ways to Drive Revenue with IT

It is easy to understand why quality control is key to lab testing. An inaccurate result can prevent a patient from getting the care they need. Alternatively, it may lead to undue stress for a patient who was given the wrong diagnosis.  An inaccurate test result hurts more than just the patient. It can also damage the reputation of a lab. This, in turn, costs the trust of patients and medical professionals. To ensure that lab testing has the right quality control measures in place, there are four aspects of quality control in labs that are important to know. From understanding the consequences of poor testing quality control to external and internal controls to sensitivity pressure tests to daily control runs. These tips can help unlock quality control testing that can help labs do their best for patients and clinicians. The Consequences of Poor Testing Quality Control While many lab managers understand the importance of updating test quality control, often the costs involved can seem too steep. Budgets must be adhered to, but it is just as important to calculate the cost of quality control failure. By not adopting higher standards, a lab may actually be paying a higher price. When working out the costs of updating quality control consider the following factors: Failed runs – The easiest cost to calculate when it comes to poor quality control is failed runs. Doing a test over will lead to twice the cost. This is why it is important to know what the failure rate is for the lab so that these costs can be measured against the expense of updating quality control. Troubleshooting – Another cost that needs to be calculated is the price of equipment downtime. Instrument failures require some troubleshooting, which can be a resource drain on both personnel and equipment. There are also times when troubleshooting is more complex. This leads to expensive outsourcing of testing while the equipment is being repaired. These costs add up quickly. It is important to consider whether further quality control could help prevent these scenarios. Failed proficiency testing – Labs do not need an updated quality control system, but they do need to be involved in a proficiency testing program. A healthy quality control procedure can help a lab prepare for this type of testing. Failure of proficiency testing will come with an additional cost for investigation and corrective measures. Moreover, some scenarios of failed proficiency testing can lead to a loss of lab certification. Inaccurate results – A patient’s health and a lab’s reputation can both be at risk when inaccurate test results are reported. This is one of the main reasons that labs need to update their quality control measures. Materials needed for updating quality control can be expensive, but it is important to compare the price with the cost of poor quality control for labs. External and Internal Controls One of the quickest ways to improve testing quality control is by adding external, third-party controls to daily testing. Unfortunately, many labs consider the internal controls that are provided in manufacturers’ assay kits are all they need for quality control. Yet, internal controls alone do not always offer an accurate assessment of performance. This is because the internal controls are made with the same materials as assay calibrators. Moreover, they are mass-manufactured and go through several lot changes. This makes them ineffective for quality control as they are not always able to detect performance issues that cause inaccurate test results. To compensate for these drawbacks, using internal and external controls can give a lab a more accurate picture. Assay Sensitivity Pressure Tests Assay’s often sure failure at the limit of detection. This is where the true sensitivity of an assay can be tested. This point is also where performance failures can have the most detrimental outcomes. This is near the clinical decision point.quality control Test kits often come with internal controls that mimic strong positive samples. These, however, do not come close to the clinical decision point. This is where the benefit of having third-party control can be truly seen. Most of these test samples are designed to be weak, which makes them ideal to uncover performance problems at lower limits of detection. Run Daily Controls While most lab managers understand that daily quality control testing is important, it is also best to run external controls each day. Depending on the lab, some managers may call for running controls with each shift change. Moreover, if there have been performance problems with an assay, it is best to run more control tests on it regularly. Quality control is an essential element of control lab testing. The cost of updating quality control measures should always be weighed against the price of poor quality control. Failed runs, poor proficiency testing, or inaccurate reporting are just some of the costs of not updating testing quality control. By considering these costs, running internal and external controls daily, and being aware of assay sensitivity pressure tests labs can improve their testing quality control. Related posts: Clinical AI in Healthcare Touchless Technology Revolutionizing the Airport Benefits of Device Integration with LIMS Healthcare CIOs Increasingly Concerned About Ransomware Amid Pandemic

In many organizations today, there has been an increasing demand for faster software development. Yet this can leave developers overwhelmed. The risk is that developers get stuck doing non-technical tasks, which can slow down the development process and, in turn, delay product development and release. To prevent this organizations should have a clear process to improve the speed of software development. In addition, due to the global pandemic, many business leaders are trying to focus on the future, which may put extra pressure on the shoulders of CIOs. There has been a switch from enabling remote workplaces to trying to make up for lost time, productivity, and revenues. One of the ways to do this is to make software development faster. There are four key ways to do that including aligning strategy with delivery, clarifying the goal, adopting the right tools, and making the most of low-code platforms.   Align Strategy with Delivery One of the main ways to enable fast software development is to ensure that strategies and delivery are aligned. To develop software and apps quicker, organizations need to have a clear and thoughtful strategy. There are some things that should be considered when building the strategy including: Skill development – employees may need to be upskilled so they can get coding done faster. Team creation – software development can be enhanced if many different perspectives are guiding and informing the process. This means that teams should include more than just developers. Consider adding data scientists, business managers, and other key players in the organization. Having a plan is the first step to creating an atmosphere that allows for fast software development.   Adopt the Right Tools There are a number of tools that can help software developers do their jobs faster. But some developers don’t use these tools to simplify their work. Moreover, some teams are using just some of the tools that are available. One study stated that 35 percent of respondents said the development lifecycle was automated at their organization, and 38 percent reported the lifecycle at their organization was mostly automated. A further 16 percent said they were just beginning to automate, and three percent said there was no automation at all in their development work. Furthermore, researchers report that only 38 percent of participants indicated that their organization had continuous integration/continuous delivery. Developers also said that 29 percent use test automation while only 12 percent said they had full-time test automation. Participants also told researchers they knew that if they adopted more of these tools they could speed up their development work. Sixty-six percent said their process and tools enabled them to do their jobs better. They also acknowledged that test automation was one of the three biggest areas of investment for their organizations. The conclusion of these statistics shows the need to put the right tools in place that can help developers build quality software at a faster rate. Organizations that want to develop software faster should ensure they adopt the right tools as often as possible.   Clarify the Goal To get the best results in the shortest amount of time, teams need to have clarity and focus. This means that teams should concentrate on the most important aspects of development.  Pull out the most essential goal or aspect of the project, what makes it stand out? What makes it different? This is where the most time and effort should be invested. Some projects may need to be revamped, which could lead to faster software development. Innovation is great, but it needs to be guided. There is a lot of opportunities to get lost during the software development process, so maintaining focus is vital. One way to do this is to keep adding features from making their way into the design. Keep the team on track and don’t entertain any extras during the development process unless they are essential to the product. Otherwise, the developmental process may become hampered.   Consider Low-Code Platforms No-code or low-code platforms have been touted as one of the key advances that has enhanced the speed of software development. Low-code technology can help developers create code at a quicker pace than if they write it themselves. It can also help businesses quickly develop software solutions to meet their needs. Low-code platforms are a great place for business owners to build a solution in real time based on their own ideas.  This cuts down on development time that can come with the traditional development process that requires collaboration and several meetings to define the project. Similarly, low-code platforms can be used by non-IT individuals for less demanding development projects. This allows IT teams to focus on more complicated and higher-value development. It can also mean that those more intricate projects get completed faster. There is a case for CIOs to invest more in low-code or no-code platforms as development solutions. By doing so, they can enable citizen developers and business owners to create simple software solutions while still remaining in charge of more complex software development. However, it is important to remember that not all low-code platforms are the same. It is also essential to have a development process in place to prevent any errors in the product. As businesses continue to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic, there is more pressure to speed up the software development process. However, the risk is that developers become overwhelmed and the product suffers. But, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are four ways that can help improve the speed of software development including aligning strategy with delivery, clarifying the goal, adopting the right tools, and using low-code platforms. Companies that put these steps into place will be able to develop software faster, which will improve productivity and revenues well into the future. Related posts: Breaking Down DevSecOps COVID-19 Response: Short-Term Strategy for CIOs Supply Chain Leaders: 6 Key Initiatives 3 Ways to Drive Revenue with IT

Over the past few years, CIOs in retail have been shifting their organizations more online. The main focus of retail operations during these online transitions has been on e-commerce and AI-enabled personalization for customers. Moreover, these retailers’ adoption of technology has grown rapidly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. While AI transformation sometimes brings thoughts of robots or large machines interacting with customers that is not the reality in the retail space.  AI and automation adoption has been more subtle but still successful.   Retail Operations Going Digital While many retail businesses already had online offerings, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the rate at which retailers moved online by about five years, according to one study. The report forecasts a 20 percent growth in e-commerce this year all due to the global pandemic. Other statistics from the beginning of this year saw retail e-commerce numbers rise over 30 percent between the first and second quarters and nearly 45 percent over the previous year. It is obvious that retailers have been going digital at a rapid pace. For retailers looking to move operations online, the key is looking for omnichannel opportunities. This means expanding online offerings to include alternatives like buy online and pick up in-store (BOPIS) and ship from store services. A report by McKinsey found that customers’ demands for these types of services will grow. Fifty-six percent of customers indicated their intention to use BOPIS post-pandemic. The introduction of AI into retail operations brought customers more personalized online shopping experiences that used predictive analytics and suggested purchases. These tools will continue to be a major focus for those in the retail industry as retail businesses find their new normal. McKinsey suggests that retail businesses focus more on digital offers than they previously have. Some of the ways that retailers can do this include acquisition and driving traffic online through digital marketing efforts. Other considerations are to build branded apps and ensure web pages are optimized for digital shopping.   The Addition of AI in E-commerce Among the biggest impact that AI has had on retail operations are personalization and predictive analytics. This includes customer tools like visual search, customized emails, and purchase suggestions. With AI many brands have been able to improve their conversion rates, boost their sales, and build customer loyalty. Personalization in retail has moved beyond just adding in a customer’s name to a generic email. By using AI capability, businesses are able to customize email offers and content that will appeal specifically to different customers. That means that brands may be sending out many different email offers to their customers rather than a general promotional offer for everyone. This marketing technique can help build customer loyalty and improve sales by offering people items or services they are more likely to buy. Predictive analytics in retail operations has also become one of the industry’s most valuable tools.  This AI tool is able to gather information and identify patterns. From there, it is used to forecast upcoming trends. With these predictions, marketers are better able to keep up with changing customer demands, which positions their retail operations to be more successful. Some of the data gathered for analytics purposes come from various sources such as smartphone apps, retailers’ websites, customer loyalty programs, point-of-sale systems, and social media. Putting all this data together can help build an accurate customer profile. This can help the company personalize offers to customers or be used to upsell or cross-sell items.   Extending Machine Learning Machine learning is a valuable tool for retail operations as it can be used to build models that define how to automate and optimize tasks. It can also be a powerful asset when it comes to risk assessment and predictive tasks. One of the biggest benefits of machine learning is that it is able to improve over time. Forecasting using machine learning vs traditional predictive processes can provide an advantage for retailers as machine learning has more advanced algorithms and can plow through lots of information quickly. Here are some of the ways that machine learning is beneficial to retail operations: Chatbots – Many customers begin interacting with brands through one of the omnichannels. This often takes them to the brand’s website where a chatbot can enhance customer communication. Chatbots are able to answer common questions, recommend products or solutions, and collect valuable information from consumers. These AI-powered tools have the capability to learn from past data and interactions. This can make them more powerful over time. Pricing – Developing a pricing strategy is easier with AI. Retailers are able to analyze the different advantages of different pricing models before deciding on the best pricing model. Prices can also be adjusted from season to season or changing customer demand all by using AI algorithms. For example, Amazon has used AI to bring a higher level of sophistication to its retail operations online. The e-commerce giant has an algorithm that can understand the opportune time to reduce the price of items so as to attract customers. It is also capable of increasing prices when customer demand is higher, thus, maximizing profits for sellers. Flexibility – By employing machine learning in retail operations, businesses will be better equipped to weather changes either locally, regionally, or even globally. Using machine learning capabilities alongside predictive analytics will help retailers stay flexible in a changing marketplace. Inventory – COVID-19 presented a unique challenge to e-commerce businesses as many ran out of in-demand items and were unable to re-stock quickly enough. Machine learning and predictive tools can help retailers prevent this in the future by refining their inventory and in-stock levels. Fraud detection – Machine learning is able to reduce credit card fraud when it comes to online shopping. It is also capable of reducing customer fraud through coupons or discounts by tracking behavior from a specific IP address. AI and machine learning will continue to play a large role when it comes to improving retail operations online. The e-commerce industry has the tools at hand […]

COVID-19 has disrupted many industries and IT outsourcing is no exception. Before the global pandemic, outsourcing IT needs was becoming a reliable way that companies could save money while building a strong team of professionals. Statistics reveal that the global market for outsourcing services is $92.5 billion. One of the big drivers for organizations that are currently reconsidering their IT options, particularly IT outsourcing, is the cost involved with their current software solutions. This has caused many leaders to consider outsourcing opportunities. There are several IT services that can be outsourced and depending on the needs of your business, IT outsourcing can save time, money, and effort. It can also allow you the opportunity to benefit from IT experts located anywhere in the world. However, during this period of rapid change and adaption that has been spurred by COVID-19, it is important to understand the outsourcing opportunities, capabilities, and limitations. To get the most from your outsourcing providers, it is important to know what can be achieved and what cannot. It is also essential to understand what responsibilities your company will have with third-party solutions so you can adequately prepare to meet those responsibilities.   Current State of IT Outsourcing A recent survey found that one-third of small organizations are outsourcing some of their business processes. The majority of tasks that are outsourced include accounting, IT services, and digital marketing. While there can be many different reasons that organizations outsource their business processes, some of the most common reasons relate to cost and time, such as: Efficiency Flexibility Access expertise Increase available resources Free employees up for other tasks Moreover, in the past few years, organizations have come to realize that outsourcing IT services allow them to access top-quality talent and expertise from around the world. This transition has been sped along by the rapid changes that companies have had to make in light of the global pandemic.   Consumption-Based Pricing Outsourcing your IT needs to save money means you’ll need to consider what pricing model is being used. For IT outsourcing, the most common models have been fixed-priced or consumption-based (also known as time-and-material pricing) for projects. These have been the most beneficial way to pay for outsourcing projects as it allows your organization to budget for IT outsourcing costs more clearly. In addition, corporations are more comfortable paying for outsourcing results or consumption rather than contractor hours. It is easier to understand the costs of the project if the consumption-pricing model is used. It is also important to remember that lower costs have been one of the main reasons that corporations opt to outsource their business and IT process needs. Yet, one trend that has emerged is that organizations are moving more towards IT outsourcing to access professional, quality work and contractor expertise.  That is, they are willing to pay more for high-quality work and experienced professionals. By working on a fixed-price or consumption-based pricing, outsourcing your IT needs can become more focused on the value that it offers for your organization.   Cybersecurity Focus Keeping business data and information safe has been a concern for organizations for a long time. However, since COVID, things have gotten worse. Statistics show that cyber-attacks have increased by 400 percent. These include a variety of different methods that hackers use to gain access to your system and your information including: Malware Ransomware Viruses Data distortion Phishing attacks If your organization collects and stores any type of sensitive or private data, keeping it secure and compliant with government regulations is essential. But it has gotten more challenging. Companies that have been forced to transition to remote workplaces can substantially reduce the security of corporate networks. It happens because more employees are accessing the company network and company documents from remote locations. This creates a riskier security structure for organizations and some additional challenges to keeping the data secure. Most cybercriminals understand these weaknesses and have switched away from targeting individuals and are focusing more on corporations and governments, according to Interpol. With a higher rate of cyber-attacks, outsourcing cybersecurity is an efficient and effective way of securing company data and information. By outsourcing your cybersecurity needs, you can also gain access to industry experts and real-time monitoring that might otherwise be too costly. There are a number of tasks around cybersecurity that can be successfully outsourced including security enhancement, cybersecurity management, and penetration testing.   Cloud IT Outsourcing Switching to the cloud offers several benefits for companies, including Less expensive Easier remote access Scalability Opportunity to use high-quality software and platforms The cloud industry is expected to grow to over $360 billion in the next couple of years, according to Gartner. The company’s VP of research noted that part of the growth will be due to the success the cloud had during the COVID pandemic. “Cloud ultimately delivered exactly what it was supposed to,” Sid Nag said. “It responded to increased demand and catered to customers’ preference of elastic, pay-as-you-go consumption models.” Essentially, the global pandemic saw widespread increase in cloud usage among businesses around the world. The fact that the cloud was able to meet this demand and provide users with reliable and affordable services has strengthened consumer confidence in cloud options. Yet, migrating to the cloud can be a big undertaking for any size company. IT outsourcing is one of the most feasible and practical solutions to this challenge.   Responsibility Sharing While it may seem counterintuitive to outsource leadership or executive roles, it is becoming a trend. Corporations are starting to understand that they can achieve growth and other business goals by looking externally. Smaller companies are also seeing the advantages of hiring an experienced part-time leader rather than hire a full-time executive with less experience. However, to fully reap the benefits of outsourcing executive roles, you’ll need to partner with an IT professional that is capable of sharing the responsibility of core business services. IT outsourcing has been predicted to grow throughout the COVID-19 recovery and into […]