Category Archives: Automation

Konecranes and Fluidmesh Networks announce that they have joined forces and successfully carried out proof-of-concept testing of fully wireless communication for the Konecranes Automated RTG system. This breakthrough allows container terminal operators to roll out remote control and automation to RTGs in the container yard without running fiber or cable spools, with substantial savings in cost and time.

Port and container terminal operators have been embracing automation to increase productivity and give better working conditions to their employees. Many of the newest and largest container terminals have been adopting some level of automation and support for remote operations: from ship-to-shore cranes, to horizontal transport, to automated stacking cranes. However, this has not been the case for RTGs, which are widely used in container terminals around the world. Much of the worlds RTG fleet is diesel-powered, and there have been limited options for automating RTGs given the fact that running cables to them is costly and often unpractical. Konecranes and Fluidmesh have been working closely to solve the connectivity challenge, creating a new opportunity for container terminal operators.

The automation solution for RTGs comes as part of the Konecranes ARTG 2.0 system update, which was in development for over two years with thousands of hours of field testing. Fluidmesh MPLS-based wireless technology has been used to guarantee low latency and high throughput to the RTGs for control and live-video data. The system has been designed to operate on licensed as well as unlicensed frequencies around the world, providing north of 99.95% uptime in real working conditions.

We are thrilled to have been given the opportunity to work with a leader like Konecranes and contribute to a system that helps container terminal operators around the world to embrace automation and drive the productivity of their RTGs, comments Cosimo Malesci, Fluidmesh Co-Founder and EVP Sales and Marketing. Our wireless MPLS-based technology has been proven in many vehicle automation systems around the world where 802.11 WiFi or LTE havent been able to deliver. Our focus on seamless roaming, extremely low latency and high throughput wireless networks to drive productivity, safety, and security continues to pay off. We are truly honored to have been able to deliver such performance to the container terminal space.

We have been impressed by Fluidmesh Wireless MPLS technology since day one, comments Sampo Pihkala, Chief System Engineer ARTG at Konecranes. We have been testing many different wireless technologies for crane operations over the last decade and the throughput and reliability delivered by Fluidmesh is unparalleled. Being able to work with a company that truly understands the requirements and challenges in the OT and port automation space has helped us to bring a truly innovative solution to the market in record time.

This cooperation with Fluidmesh is part of Konecranes path to port automation, where container terminals improve productivity and safety in manageable steps. From smart features up to full automation, the path can include supervised operation and remote operation to smoothly introduce the power of automation. The path to port automation applies to all container handling equipment brands. Full automation can be the final goal but it doesnt have to be. Flexibility is the key.Source: Konecranes

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Konecranes and Fluidmesh join forces to deliver world-first 100% wireless Automated Rubber Tired Gantry (ARTG) crane system - Hellenic Shipping News...

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Billtrust, the leader in B2B order-to-cash solutions, was named the winner of a Bronze Stevie Award in The 18th Annual American Business Awards FinTech category for its automated, configurable online Credit Application, a powerful recognition of the product's impact on credit and collections teams.

Billtrust introduced a new, redesigned Credit Application in November 2019, offering enterprise and mid-market companies more time-saving automation, flexibility and faster approvals. Responding to demand for faster customer onboarding and increased automation, Credit Application eliminates time-consuming manual processes by automating and accelerating the entire credit application process, allowing customers to begin placing orders faster.

"Despite the toughest business conditions in memory, American organizations continue to demonstrate their commitment to innovation, creativity and bottom-line results," said Stevie Awards president Maggie Gallagher. "This year's Stevie-winning nominations are full of inspiring stories of persistence, ingenuity, resourcefulness and compassion. We celebrate all of their stories and look forward to showcasing them during our virtual awards ceremony on August 5."

"We are thrilled that Billtrust's Credit Application has been recognized and awarded a Bronze Stevie from The American Business Awards," said Derek Bluestone, Executive Vice President, Product Strategy. "Every great business journey begins with customer onboarding, and Billtrust Credit Application offers A/R teams unparalleled support by helping them leave inflexible PDFs, unseen credit applications and slow validations behind to create a better customer experience and seamless integration with Billtrust's complete order-to-cash solution."

One Stevie Award judge commented, "The financial industry needs a lot of new innovation like this. Most processes are long, cumbersome and tedious. Great idea!"

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word meaning "crowned," the awards will be virtually presented to winners during a live event on Wednesday, August 5. More than 3,600 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories. More than 230 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year's Stevie Award winners.

Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2020 Stevie winners are available at http://www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

About Billtrust

Billtrustaccelerates cash flow by automating credit decisioning and monitoring, invoice delivery, payment capture, cash application, and collections. Billtrust customers improve operational efficiency across the credit-to-cash spectrum via a flexible and integrated cloud-based solution set. Finance executives and A/R specialists love and recommend Billtrust for the remarkable cost savings, ease-of-use, process efficiency, and improved customer satisfaction rates. For more information, visit Billtrust.com.

About the Stevie Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.

SOURCE Billtrust

http://www.billtrust.com

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Billtrust Wins Bronze Stevie Award for Advances in Their Innovative Automated Credit Application - PRNewswire

Global Medical Automation Technologies Market 2020 by Company, Type and Application, Forecast to 2025 is one of the fastest developing elements which states that the market has observed continuous development in the past decade and is predictable to reach new levels of evolution during the estimated period 2020 to 2025. The report defines global Medical Automation Technologies market scope and product overview, covering key parameters such as product innovation, market strategies of the key players, market share, revenue generation, latest research and development, and market expert views. In this research, the most important competitors are listed coupled with investigation and discussion of significant industry trends, market volume, market share estimates and profiles of the leading industry players, competitive landscape details, and forecasts.

NOTE: Our analysts monitoring the situation across the globe explains that the market will generate remunerative prospects for producers post COVID-19 crisis. The report aims to provide an additional illustration of the latest scenario, economic slowdown, and COVID-19 impact on the overall industry.

DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORT: https://www.researchstore.biz/sample-request/36782

About The Global Medical Automation Technologies Market:

The report throws light on dynamic categories in the industry which contains types, applications, business procedures, and end-users. The report derives details about consumption trends, revenue anticipations, sales volume, and development rate. The global Medical Automation Technologies market report properly shows the quickest, as well as the slowest market segments. Top regions of the world and countries are analyzed with their regional development status, volume, size, market value, and price data. Each section allows players to perceive the adjustments they need to do business and improve their operations.

The report includes the forecasts, breakdown, and discussion of important market trends, size, market share estimates and profiles of the leading companies: Medtronic , Swisslog , GE Healthcare , Siemens Healthineers , Stryker , Tecan Group

Split by product type, with production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided into: edical Robotics, Computer-Assisted Surgical Devices, etc.

Split by application, this report focuses on consumption, market share, and growth rate in each application and can be divided into: ospitals, Clinics, Others, etc.

The geographic division relies on: North America (United States, Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Australia), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia), Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)

Key Data Points Covered By Report:

The qualitative research data on global Medical Automation Technologies market covers fundamental strategic developments of the market, key market features, including revenue, production rate, capacity utilization rate, price, gross, production, consumption, supply/demand, import/export, cost, market share, CAGR (%), and gross margin. Besides, the report consists of an analysis of Porters Five Forces and PESTLE for greater distinct comparisons and different important research.

ACCESS FULL REPORT: https://www.researchstore.biz/report/global-medical-automation-technologies-market-36782

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1 Market Overview: The section contains the global Medical Automation Technologies market introduction, market analysis by type and application, and regions, market outlook, market dynamics including market opportunities, risk, and driving force.

Chapter 2 Manufacturers Profiles: The report covers the business overview, type and applications, sales, price, revenue, gross margin, and market share

Chapter 3, Global market competition by the manufacturer is assessed with market sales, revenue, market share

Chapter 4, Global market analysis by regions is provided along with sales, revenue and market share by regions including North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East, and Africa, North America

Chapter 5, North America is assessed with sales, revenue, market share, and growth rate

Chapter 6, Europe is assessed with sales, revenue, market share, and growth rate

Chapter 7 Asia-Pacific is assessed with sales, revenue, market share, and growth rate

Chapter 8, South America is assessed with sales, revenue, market share, and growth rate

Chapter 9, The Middle East and Africa is assessed with sales, revenue, market share, and growth rate

Chapter 10, The section shows the global market segment by type with sales market share, price and growth rate

Chapter 11, The section shows the global market segment by application with sales market share, price and growth rate

Chapter 12, Market forecast (2020-2025) is given by type, application, and regions with sales, revenue and growth rate

Chapter 13, Sales channel, distributors, traders, and dealers are covered. The section also describes direct marketing, indirect marketing, marketing channel, and future trend

Chapter 14, The report gives research findings and conclusion

Chapter 15, It presents Appendix, Methodology, Data Source

Customization of the Report:This report can be customized to meet the clients requirements. Please connect with our sales team ([emailprotected]), who will ensure that you get a report that suits your needs. You can also get in touch with our executives on +1-201-465-4211 to share your research requirements.

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Researchstore.biz is a fully dedicated global market research agency providing thorough quantitative and qualitative analysis of extensive market research.Our corporate is identified by recognition and enthusiasm for what it offers, which unites its staff across the world.We are desired market researchers proving a reliable source of extensive market analysis on which readers can rely on. Our research team consist of some of the best market researchers, sector and analysis executives in the nation, because of which Researchstore.biz is considered as one of the most vigorous market research enterprises. Researchstore.biz finds perfect solutions according to the requirements of research with considerations of content and methods. Unique and out of the box technologies, techniques and solutions are implemented all through the research reports.

Contact UsMark StoneHead of Business DevelopmentPhone: +1-201-465-4211Email: [emailprotected]Web: http://www.researchstore.biz

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Global Medical Automation Technologies Market 2020 Future Analysis, Revenue and Forecast with COVID-19 After Effects - Cole of Duty

DURHAM, N.C., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In a newly released study from T3 Sixty, one of the industry's leading management consultancy and research companies, data reveals that real estate firms who provided the Adwerx Listing Ad Automation Platform to their agents saw a 35% improvement in productivity versus their peers, measured by their year-over-year listing volume increase. In addition, top producers already taking home at least 51 listings per year gained an additional ten listings. The data looked at over 30,000 agents from various firms and compared the listing performance of those who received Adwerx Automated Listing Ads to those who did not. The results were analyzed over a two year period and were highly statistically significant.

"Based on our analysis of their listing data, Adwerx's services are effective in helping agents, especially top agents, grow their business," said Travis Saxton, SVP, Technology Consulting at T3 Sixty. "An improvement of over one third in year-over-year listing count certainly suggests that Adwerx plays a role in agents improving their listing count performance."

Adwerx has been trusted to power automated, localized, and personalized digital display advertising for real estate agents, loan officers, insurance brokers, and wealth managers since 2013. The company has experienced tremendous growth since implementing its Automation Platform in late 2017 with over 150 enterprises and over 200,000 producers receiving automated digital advertising through Adwerx, including 25% of the Swanepoel Mega 1000 firms. In 2019 alone Adwerx automated online property ads for over 14% of all listings in the United States.

"We've been told repeatedly by our brokerage clients that our service helps their agents win more listings," said Adwerx CEO Jed Carlson. "In our own survey of top brokerage firms using listing ad automation, 87% of brokers said that the program helped to recruit and retain agents, while 94% believed the program positively impacted the firm's business, and was a good advertising investment. Now, thanks to the work from T3 Sixty, we have quantified the impact this service has on the brokerages who utilize it."

To learn more about how Adwerx can help firms improve their agents' productivity, visit enterprise.adwerx.com.

To view the results of T3 Sixty's study, visit enterprise.adwerx.com/t3sixtyanalysis.

About AdwerxUsed by over 25% of the top brokerage firms and over 15% of the top mortgage originators in the U.S., Adwerx delivers personalized, omnichannel brand marketing and automation at enterprise scale. Deliver customized ads programmatically across streaming TV, popular websites, Facebook and Instagram, and mobile apps. Drive growth through digital marketing automation that increases brand visibility, boosts productivityby 35 percent and reduces turnoverby 42 percent.

Adwerx works across the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Learn more about Brilliantly Simple Digital Advertising at adwerx.com.

NAR members receive15% additional impressionson Adwerx campaigns, which can be combined with other eligible discounts. This exclusive benefit is available through the National Association of REALTORS' REALTOR Benefits Program.

About T3 Sixty

Exclusively serving the residential real estate brokerage industry, T3 Sixty provides management consulting and counseling to real estate C-level executives, organized real estate leaders, broker-owners and leaders of high-performance teams to help them grow their businesses. T3 Sixty also offers in-depth research, information and best practices with its hallmark Swanepoel Trends Report, an annual analysis of the biggest trends impacting the industry, and the Real Estate Almanac, a comprehensive examination of the U.S.'s largest brokerages, franchises, networks, associations, MLSs and technology providers. More at t360.com.

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Study: Listing Agents Who Received Adwerx Automated Advertising From Their Broker Saw 35% Lift in Year-over-year Productivity Compared to Peers -...

BETHESDA, Md., May 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --There is clear progress being made in automation and integration, with many organizations ramping up investments on projects that are geared toward enabling staff to work smarter and more efficiently. This is according to the results of the SANS 2020 Automation and Integration Survey, which will be presented by SANS Institute in two webcasts on May 19 and May 20.

"It's been said many times that people are the most valuable asset to an organization," says SANS analyst and security operations expert Don Murdoch. "The 2020 A&I survey results show that organizations are making strategic investments that will improve day-to-day operations in order to maximize staff, support staff working smarter, and improve both security operations and incident response. Automation is expected to bolster all around improvements for both people and processes in most cases, not used as a method to reduce head count."

The 2020 survey results show a substantial uptick in adoption of dedicated automation solutions, with an 11.8% increase in tool adoption in the past year. This data point is even more significant when coupled with the fact that survey respondents reported increased funding levels of 3% to 10% above 2019 levels.

Higher emphasis is being placed on implementing projects that improve security operations. Projects such as improving incident response (IR) command, managing IR, and cyber threat integration top the list of priorities, with 27% to 30% of survey respondents either currently implementing or planning to implement such projects within the next year.

"There is a learning curve," cautions Murdoch, "and a definite need for organizations to make sure that they apply automation and integration to work activities that improve day-to-day processes. In analyzing the survey results, it's clear that organizations are applying automation and integration to many project areas that will maximize overall security spend."

Webcasts Details

Full results of the SANS 2020 Automation and Integration Survey will be shared during a webcast on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. EDT (17:00 UTC), sponsored by CloudPassage, Devo, DomainTools, Siemplify, Swimlane, and ThreatConnect, and hosted by SANS Institute. Register to attend the webcast at https://www.sans.org/webcasts/112640

Get additional perspective on the survey results in a second webcast on Wednesday, May 20 at 1:00 p.m. EDT (17:00 UTC), in which representatives from CloudPassage, DomainTools, and ThreatConnect will join a panel discussion to dive deeper into the results with survey author Don Murdoch and survey advisor Barbara Filkins. Register to attend this webcast at https://www.sans.org/webcasts/112645

Those who register for either webcast will be among the first to receive the associated whitepaper written by Don Murdoch, SANS analyst, instructor, and security operations expert.

About SANS InstituteThe SANS Institute was established in 1989 as a cooperative research and education organization. SANS is the most trusted and, by far, the largest provider of cyber security training and certification to professionals at governments and commercial institutions world-wide. Renowned SANS instructors teach over 60 different courses at more than 200 live cyber security trainingevents as well as online. GIAC, an affiliate of the SANS Institute, validates a practitioner's qualifications via over 35 hands-on, technical certifications in cyber security. The SANS Technology Institute, a regionally accredited independent subsidiary, offers master's degrees in cyber security. SANS offers a myriad of free resources to the InfoSec community including consensus projects, research reports, and newsletters; it also operates the Internet's early warning system--the Internet Storm Center. At the heart of SANS are the many security practitioners, representing varied global organizations from corporations to universities, working together to help the entire information security community. (https://www.sans.org)

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SANS 2020 Automation and Integration Survey Shows Investment on the Rise - Herald-Mail Media

With the possible exception of blockchain, can you think of a technology with a more turbulent ride on the hype cycle than Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?

Given our Corona-predicaments, our obligation to wade through the RPA hype has jumped through the roof. Remote work and emergency conditions have pressed the need for all types of robots and workflow automation.

But my lingering question is: what are the exact use cases - and what are the pitfalls? Coincidentally, I just experienced another rarity: an incisive PR pitch, this one from Nintex:

More businesses are looking to bring RPA into their business processes, but where do they start? Enterprises are in the dark about how to integrate bots into their existing processes, and those that go into the buying process with tech tunnel vision will meet roadblocks.

My RPA biases:

RPA use cases are popping out:

However, not all of these implementations are going swimmingly. The Horses for Sources team recently critiqued a problematic implementation by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

EnterChris Ellis of Nintex, who agreed to wade through my my RPA skepticicm. Nintex pitches itself as"The market leader in end-to-end process management and workflow automation. Easily manage, automate, and optimize your processes with no code."

That's a pretty smooth pitch - perhaps too smooth for this grouch - but what about project realities? So I asked Ellis, who is Nintex's Manager, Tech Evangelism, APAC region, What are the biggest mistakes enterprises make when implementing RPA? Ellis responded:

Project scoping is a frequent problem. So is incorporating the human element. Ellis:

Businesses underestimate the time it takes to implement, and I don't just mean from a 'creating the bots' point of view, but also training the bot to handle exceptions when it comes to changes in underlying applications or sites, popups, errors and sanitizing data.

Customer example? Ellis says pushing data into a "single source of truth' is a popular use case:

I'm seeing a trend in RPA's ability to collate information across many disparate and disjointed data sources from local folders to cloud storage to email, and bringing the information into a single source of truth.

How about a remote work RPA scenario?

Invoice sanitization seems to be a hot topic for this particular example. We saw one Australian council replace a manual folder, email, scan and print solution with RPA and OCR, before passing invoices on for a 'four eyes' review process.

The need to replace the existing manual process was accelerated due to the remote work requirement, as printing invoices meant they stay in an in-tray for internal mail, something which is now obsolete as everyone works remotely.

Another example was provoked by Excel hell remote work urgency:

I was approached last week by a large mining company to verify if RPA would be a fit for part of their onboarding process where there is a break in the automation chain to allocate a security pass to the employee. The door pass register is held in Excel, so it required a manual update for each new user. We're able to leverage the Nintex Gateway to automate this task, calling a Nintex RPA bot to replace the human-centric 'to-do' task in workflow.

When you run into "sprinkle this tech on everything" marketing over-saturation, I like to ask the reverse. So what is RPA not a fit for right now?

This goes back to my first point about underestimating the time to implement where a target system is dynamic and changes. Sometimes those changes can be so wholesale and granular it's almost a requirement to rewire the entire bot. The more moving parts in a system, application or data source, the harder it's going to be to continuously learn the changes for that bot.

Ellis thinks that issue can be solved by integrating a digital process automation workflow tool, which essentially merges a "human-centric review-and-approval overlay" with RPA.

RPA tech is mature enough now: you don't get to blame the tech if your project goes south. But even a valid RPA use case can prove problematic in execution. As the Horses for Sources team wrote in SBA: Please stop spanking bots:

It's too easy to say RPA failed. It's more complicated than that. Really RPA was a blunt instrument here for its speed to solution and ability to swiftly process loan applications and it worked remarkably well. Too well. It swiftly overwhelmed SBA's E-Tran system which was doomed to be overwhelmed anyway by these unprecedented volumes in a short period of time. But RPA exacerbated it and potentially gave access advantage to automation-savvy firms...

Automation always lives in an ecosystem with upstream and downstream impacts and these were not adequately addressed.

I don't know about you, but I find this type of sensible project talk encouraging. I worry about the phrase "Robotic Process Automation," as I think it somehow implies that there is some type of advanced machine intelligence going on with these projects. The vast majority of the intelligence in today's "intelligent process automation" is being provided by the humans that design proper RPA scenarios.

And here, I think we're all still on a learning curve. Example: I don't care for the type of chatbot on the Nintex home page, which forces human visitors who want to interact to choose between a set of brand-defined, limited responses. As a result, I get annoyed by another "dumb" bot, and the company doesn't get to find out a journalist was on their page, and what that journalist was looking for.

If an RPA firm is still working this out, I'd say we have a long way to go. But in the meantime, helping quarantine-challenged businesses with process automation is about as worthy a business project as I can think of.

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Robotic process automation rides the Coronavirus hype cycle - but where exactly are the use cases? - Diginomica

STAMFORD, Conn., May 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm, today announced it has expanded its automation ecosystem by forming a global partnership with NICE, a leading provider of attended automation solutions.

The partnership with NICE further extends ISGs capabilities into cognitive automation by leveraging such NICE products as NEVA (NICE Employee Virtual Attendant), NICE Reading Robots and Automation Finder. ISG partners with the worlds leading automation software companies to bring the benefits of business process automation to ISG clients.

An ISG Insights study, Enterprise Automation Capability Improves, but RPA Wall Still Looms, found the automation technology landscape continues to expand, with enterprises of all sizes and geographies working to accelerate their automation programs, though only 7 percent have reached ISGs highest level of maturity Bot 3.0 with automation in multiple functions across the enterprise.

Our partnership with NICE, a leader in automated solutions for contact centers and back office functions, expands our ecosystem and range of offerings to help our enterprise clients rapidly scale their automation programs, said Chip Wagner, CEO of ISG Automation. By forming strategic partnerships with such expert solutions providers as NICE, we can help our clients benefit from the cost savings, reduced cycle time, improved data accuracy, reduced time to market and improved customer experience that come with successful automation programs.

Todays customers dictate how they want to interact with brands, and customer loyalty is highly dependent on the quality, speed and relevancy of experiences delivered, Barry Cooper, president, NICE Enterprise Group, said. "Via this partnership, ISG's enterprise clients can access the full benefits of NEVA, the world's first employee-focused virtual attendant, and take their workforce engagement and customer service to the next level. Our cutting-edge automation discovery and development solutions are also available to them, all within a single platform. We are proud to partner with ISG, one of the top automation advisory and enablement firms.

As companies advance their automation capability, their goals focus on increased productivity, data accuracy and customer experience, rather than cost savings, Wagner noted. The market-leading capabilities of NICE will help support our clients progress towards the contact center of the future, which lies in personalized services and empowered agents, he said. To transform the customer experience and deliver world-class service and engagement, enterprises must adopt the right tools, business models and technologies, including automation and advanced analytics, to enhance human interaction.

ISG is a market leader in automation and digital business solutions. The firms ISG Automation business helps clients navigate the myriad challenges, risks and opportunities of automation, from software selection to building their bot workforce to leveraging the technology to transform and improve business outcomes.

ISG Automations portfolio of services includes automation assessments and strategy, proof-of-concept deployments, implementation and integration of software bots, establishment of Centers of Excellence to scale automation across the enterprise, training and organizational change management and ongoing training, technical support and managed services.

About NICE

NICE (Nasdaq: NICE) is the worlds leading provider of both cloud and on-premises enterprise software solutions that empower organizations to make smarter decisions based on advanced analytics of structured and unstructured data. NICE helps organizations of all sizes deliver better customer service, ensure compliance, combat fraud and safeguard citizens. Over 25,000 organizations in more than 150 countries, including over 85 of the Fortune 100 companies, are using NICE solutions. http://www.nice.com.

About ISG

ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 700 clients, including more than 75 of the world's top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countriesa global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industrys most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit http://www.isg-one.com.

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ISG Forms Automation Partnership with NICE Nasdaq:III - GlobeNewswire

May 4, 2020

By Jeffrey Burt

CyberPeak Solutions is adding Respond Softwares Respond Analyst automated security software to its portfolio of managed security operation services, boosting its capabilities for quickly analyzing security alerts and data.

The Lowdown: The two companies on Monday announced a service and reseller partnership after CyberPeak gave Respond Analyst a tryout that saw it able to monitor and investigate more than 104,000 events over a few hours from a customers intrusion prevention system (IPS) and web gateway.

The Details: The addition of Respond Analyst enables CyberPeak to help customers get the most out of their existing security tools. The managed security service provider (MSSP) can use the tool which leverages robotic decision automation (RDA) capabilities to analyze in near real time the massive amounts of security-related data that flows through a range of sensors, including IPS and intrusion detection systems (IDS), web gateways, endpoint protection platforms (EPPs), and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions.

The Impact: Enterprises and SMBs facing increasingly complex cyberthreats are turning to MSSPs to help them manage the challenge. According to a study earlier this year by Response and the Ponemon Institute, enterprises spend an average of $2.86 million every year on their on-premises security operations centers and $4.44 million if they outsource it to an MSSP. Of those that outsourced their SOCs, 58% said their MSSP was ineffective. Response officials said adding greater automation to monitoring and decision-making can improve that effectiveness.

Background: The MSSP space is expected to continue to grow. A MarketsandMarkets report is forecasting the global managed security service market to expand from $24 million in 2018 to more than $47.6 million by 2023.

The Buzz: The Respond Analyst delivers the 247 cybersecurity monitoring and investigation that MSSPs need to confidently support the corrective and preventative services their customers expect, said Mike Armistead, co-founder and CEO of Respond Software. As a next-generation MSSP, CyberPeak leverages our intelligent automation for new efficiencies and better results to set a new benchmark for speed, consistency, and scale in cybersecurity monitoring. This opens up a strong competitive advantage for CyberPeak as they deliver upon their promise to the businesses they serve.

CyberPeak sees tremendous opportunity to help customers in the adoption of RDA to weed out the noise and better protect the network, CyberPeak founder and CEO Travis Abrams said. Adding the Respond Analyst into our managed service offering will bring powerful economies of speed, scalability, and intelligence to financial service operators that increasingly expect rapid and measurable return on their technology investments. Early indicators have proven that we are equipped to build and showcase truly comprehensive, consistent, and reliable cybersecurity monitoring with the Respond Analyst and the future is bright.

Related Links: CHANNELNOMICS: Turning an MSP Into an MSSP

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CyberPeak Adds Automation to Managed Security Services - Channelnomics

As technology has progressed, automation has been successfully introduced into several areas of healthcare practice, such as surgery and data processing, providing a range of benefits from greater efficiency to cost-saving opportunities. However, one area in which automation is not currently being utilized to its fullest potential is with the compounding and preparation of medications, particularly hazardous drugs (HDs).

Working with such drugs often chemotherapy medications without the correct protective measures has been shown to increase the risk of healthcare workers developing a range of negative health outcomes, from infertility and birth defects to some forms of cancer. Personal protective equipment (PPE) such as protective clothes and goggles are used, and recent years have seen the introduction of Closed System Transfer Devices (CSTDs) for manual drug compounding, preparation, and administration. However, these are currently not being used at all in automated compounding systems.

If HDs are compounded in automated systems using standard syringes, the entire compounding environment can become contaminated by drug vapors, aerosols and droplets escaping from these syringes, putting healthcare workers at considerable risk of HD exposure, and acting counterproductively against one of the potential benefits of automation namely, increased safety.

The origins of drug compounding robots

Offering an extra layer of protection previously lacking, the first CSTDs successfully reduced HD exposure, and within a decade became a core component in HD handling, recommended by leading organizations including the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The natural next step in increasing safety and efficiency was to create a compounding robot. However, the original concepts were flawed from the outset.

Conceptionally, compounding robots should act as a CSTD in reducing environmental contamination. Yet, while the original robots were created to improve accuracy and reduce errors, they were not designed to prevent leakage. This led to drugs contaminating the IV bags, membranes of vials and connectors and to the escape of vapors, contaminating the compounding environment within the robot that must be regularly accessed by healthcare workers and support staff for cleaning and maintenance. The result was that the final products, usually an IV bag or syringe, were also contaminated.

Isolators, which utilize a pass-through box or cabinet to (theoretically) maintain complete separation from the outside environment, encounter a similar issue if a CSTD is not used. This is because the final products are not shielded from drug leaks and vapors that may escape while inside the isolator, resulting in contaminated IV bags being removed from within the isolator and spread around the facility.

There are other significant issues associated with compounding robots in their current state, such as inefficiencies of time and wastage. A lack of uniformity in vial sizes and shapes slows down the entire process as the robot has to locate the needle space and gauge the depth of each vial it grabs with its mechanical arm. Additionally, the varying shapes of vials can mean that the robot is unable to remove the entire contents of medication, losing significant amounts of costly medication in the process. These points may seem insignificant but are of paramount importance, as each treatment can cost tens of thousands of dollars and are patient-specific, not for general mass use.

Why the inclusion of completely closed systems is essential for robotic systems

For robotic systems to be viable options for compounding hazardous drugs, they need to be fully closed. Therefore, the safety measures recommended when humans are manually compounding HDs must also be integrated into automated systems. In particular, integrating CSTDs within the robot for the compounding process would provide health workers handling the products a higher level of protection than is currently offered.

Other advantages of CSTD-enabled robots will follow, such as increased compounding efficiency as all vials become uniform with vial adaptors on each bottle, allowing the robots to grab any vial, regardless of size, via the adaptor piece. Additionally, automated systems incorporating CSTDs, if designed with efficiency in mind, can offer higher throughput because not tiring as humans do, they can safely maintain a high rate of compounding for prolonged periods.

Closed automated compounding systems can also be used to protect both patients and healthcare workers operating elastomeric pumps or cassettes which are used for infusing medication, ranging from antibiotics to chemotherapy drugs. Robots can prepare these doses and inject drugs directly into the pumps within a fully closed system, avoiding all human contact with the drugs until necessary.

Conclusion

Compounding safety standards have increased in recent years, after much research and education and as governing bodies have championed the use of better and more rigorous safety equipment such as CSTDs. The next step for compounding will be the common use of automation, which must include CSTDs as a central part of the compounding process. This should be used in tandem with current protective principles for manual compounding to guarantee that healthcare workers and patients alike are kept safe, while simultaneously increasing productivity and lowering overall cost.

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The Time is Ripe for an Alternative to Automated Hazardous Drug Compounding - Medical Device and Diagnostics Industry

In its latest survey report into the state of business automation, leading management consultancy Bain & Company has forecast that the scaling of projects will double over the coming two years.

With millions of people currently stood down from work across the world and mass ongoing unemployment likely on the cards, the long-term economic impact of the global coronavirus pandemic is still far from clear. Numerous commentators have suggested far-reaching business and social consequences stemming from the sudden outbreak, includingMcKinsey & Company boss Kevin Sneader, who previously shared his belief that nothing would be the same.

Now McKinsey competitor Bain & Company has added to the chorus of concern for the worlds working class by predicting a doubling of automation activities among companies over the next two years. The strategy and management consultancy came to this conclusion after conducting a survey of 800 executives worldwide, many who have had no other choice but to turn to automation to keep business running throughout the crisis due to social distancing mandates.

The ongoing crisis forced companies to move their operations remote within a matter of days, underscoring a greater need than ever for automation technology to help maintain business continuity, said Bains global Automation Center of Excellence leader Michael Heric. As companies adapt to new routines and prepare for a pending downturn, automation solutions that might have been years away a few months ago, are suddenly right around the corner.

But the firm warns that strategically redesigning the roles most immediately impacted by automation will be key. This fresh tilt toward automation is of course an acceleration rather than emerging trend. Dating back two years ago Bain was already predicting that automation of business processes could eliminate up to a quarter of current jobs by the end of this decade, while McKinsey has stated that half of all current jobs are automatable with existing technologies.

According to Bains most recent research, compiled in the report Intelligent Automation: Getting Employees to Embrace the Bots, companies report cost savings of approximately 20 percent over the past two years through the implementation of automation. Close to half however (45 percent) state that their automation projects have not delivered the expected savings, with major barriers including competing business priorities, insufficient resources, and lack of skill.

As per the report, some business functions such as customer service, IT, finance and accounting, human resources, real estate and facilities management have higher, multiple automation potential than other areas like legal which require more targeted opportunities, but Bain is clear on one point; companies lacking a rigorous automation agenda risk falling behind while those which address execution barriers will get a ready break on their competition.

Based on its analysis of the survey responses and experience in the field, Bain forwards three key principles for companies executing their automation plans; ground automation in corporate strategy and customer experience, rather than setting up a standalone exercise; spend as much time, if not more, on what follows implementation; and treat automation as a major change to be actively managed from the start, including demonstrating the advantage to employees.

Automation, when executed properly, can free up space in the budget for more high-impact, strategic work, improve the customer experience, and allow up-skilled employees to take on more ambitious roles, concluded Heric. This requires a clear-eyed self-appraisal of the entire organisation, understanding and clearing implementation hurdles, and aligning closely with your teams about the positive impact this will have on their day-to-day activities.

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Bain predicts business automation activity to double over the next two years - Consultancy.asia