Category Archives: Technology

After a couple of years away from the full in-person conference experience, the team at Hanzo was so excited to be back at Legalweek earlier this month. It was wonderful to feel that things are beginning to return to some semblance of normal. As always, we left inspired by new ideas, new conversations, and new connections.

I was heartened to hearboth in presentations and among colleagues at networking sessionssome of the conversations weve been having here at Hanzo for quite some time. One recurring theme from Legalweek concerned the challenges of ediscovery with modern collaboration data. A number of sessions discussed the burgeoning use of collaboration applications and the ediscovery challenges and risks that follow.

Im glad to see this growing recognition that the collaboration data generated by applications like Slack, Jira, Trello, Miro, and more are vital to resolving litigation matters and determining the facts in investigations. That awareness is causing more companies to grapple with questions about managing the data that their collaboration tools generate. And there are a lot of questions!

Here are the highlights of some of the conversations I heard at Legalweek.

Several factors have driven the recent rise in collaboration data. First, of course, there was the widespread shift to remote work for knowledge workers worldwide and the accompanying need for workers to have communication tools that enabled ongoing connection despite physical separation. Technological advancements in recent yearspredating the pandemichave also spurred the expansion of tools, and in doing so fundamentally changed how and where we communicate in the business setting. Its no longer just email or messaging platforms, as communication capabilities become integrated into ticketing systems, project management tools, HR systems, and practically every new SaaS application within the enterprise. The capabilities of those tools, and their interconnections, also continue to expand, creating new challenges for information management.

At the same time, litigants have recognized that these emerging tools may generate discoverable data. Moreover, organizations have realized that these applications often contain data that can help them get to the bottom of their investigatory inquiries, and, in doing so, help mitigate risk.

Of course, just because data might be relevant or helpful doesnt mean its readily accessible or straightforward. How do organizations identify, preserve, collect, and produce collaboration data for ediscovery or investigations? How do we define a custodian, when entire teams may have access to a document or communication channel? How can legal professionals determine a fair and reasonable scope of discovery when traditional ESI protocols no longer apply?

When discrete tools like email were the primary data source for ediscovery, we negotiated scope first in terms of data sources, custodians, and date ranges. So, to begin with, we might preserve or collect Johns mailbox with emails from January 2020 to May 2020. Wed refine that scope in terms of topics, themes, and perhaps keywords. Now were not looking at all of Johns emails for five months; were only looking at his emails within that time window that contains a keyword or relates to a topic.

Defining scope was relatively easy because an email message generally includes all of the information needed to determine its relevance and importance (and the content is static once sent!) Ediscovery teams can see who an email is from, whom its addressed to, what it relates to, and how the conversation unfolds over time.

With collaboration tools, though, messages are no longer self-contained conversations. How, then, do we search through that data for important information? Scoping collaboration data is a Goldilocks problem that presents issues on both sides.

First, theres how to scope an inquiry that captures enough data when an individual chat message or comment contains only a tiny sliver of related information. The message itself doesnt tell you everything about who was involved in a conversation, how the conversation began, or how many topicsnever mind what topicsthat conversation encompassed.

Context, as weve said many times, is crucial. Within Slack, we often solve that problem by considering the direct hit messages that include keywords or key concepts and a set number of messages or a defined amount of time before and after those direct hits.

But context is only one side of the coin. Its equally easy to create an overbroad scope with collaboration data because collaboration apps generate so much differing data. A Slack conversation could include links to an Outlook calendar event, a Google document, a Helpdesk ticket, or a Miro project board. Those linked pieces of information are referred to as modern attachmentsand they pose some of the trickiest questions for defining scope.

The judges debate that kicked off the last day of Legalweek discussed the problem of modern attachments head-on. In the same way, we are starting the debate over modern attachments email, are links to integrated data sources embedded within a chat message also relevant to the scope of a matter? To answer that question, ediscovery teams need to access each attachment to determine what it is and what its about. Is there a way to automate that process? Or does identifying relevance mean clicking through each link one at a time?

Theres another question thats hidden a layer deeper: that of versioning. Say youre looking at an Asana project related to an investigatory inquiry or an ediscovery matter. That project references and links to a document stored in a document repository like Google Drive. But is the version you see today, while youre evaluating the issue, the same version that existed then when it was initially linked? If not, how do you find that version?

Its a compelling question, to be sure, and one that the legal industry hasnt found a complete answer for yet.

One parting thought: despite the complexities of collaboration data, organizations must determine the scope of an inquiry based on the relevance and importance of data, not on their technical ability to find, search, or export that data. In other words, you should be able to confidently manage whatever collaboration data your organization has that would help to resolve an issue, rather than restricting your inquiry to traditional data sources because you dont know how to access or manipulate a particular data source.

I loved hearing these questions and conversations at Legalweek. Theyre exactly the types of questions that Hanzo has been askingand answeringfor years.

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How Is Ediscovery Technology Rising to the Challenge of Collaboration Data? Reflections on Legalweek 2022 - JD Supra

NEW YORK, March 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Passengers in New York City will soon be able to use their Uber app to e-hail a yellow taxicab as a result of a first-in-the-nation deal announced today between Uber and taxi technology system provider Creative Mobile Technologies (CMT). Yellow taxi drivers on the CMT platform, which includes the taxi app Arro, will gain access to Uber's massive customer base, yielding a higher volume of trips and expanded revenue opportunities.

"New York City is back!," said Ron Sherman, Chairman of Creative Mobile Technologies and a pioneer in the taxi industry. "As businesses bring their employees back, as tourists flock to New York City again and as New Yorkers start going out and replenishing our local economy after a devastating pandemic, yellow taxis and Uber are bringing the best our industries have to offer to help this city get back on its feet."

"This is a real win for drivers no longer do they have to worry about finding a fare during off peak times or getting a street hail back to Manhattan when in the outerboroughs," said Guy Peterson, Director of Business Development for Uber. "And this is a real win for riders who will now have access to thousands of yellow taxis in the Uber app."

The synergy between CMT and Uber began in 2021 when the taxi technology company began doing business with Uber's out-of-home advertising company, Uber OOH. CMT, which operates a full-service garage, is currently servicing a 3,500 vehicle taxitop contract for Uber OOH. CMT installs Uber's digital taxitops for which Uber sells advertising. This first-of-its-kind relationship between CMT and Uber grew into an expanded business relationship which paved the way for the taxi industry and Uber to rethink their rivalry and instead focus on shared goals for New Yorkers.

The Uber-CMT deal will start in beta this spring and roll out to the general public this summer. Anyone with the Uber app will have access to thousands of yellow taxis that operate on the CMT/Arro platform, greatly enhancing their transportation choices. Taxi drivers will see Uber-originated fares on their driver monitors which they already use to service e-hails from the Arro taxi app. The deal was designed by CMT and Uber to be a seamless experience for both the passenger and driver.

"We are especially grateful to the Taxi and Limousine Commission for smartly creating the E-hail and Flex-Fare programs which recognized the changing face of the rideshare, for-hire-vehicle and taxi industries a few years ago," said Mr. Sherman. "We look forward to a new and more prosperous chapter where passengers and drivers are empowered with choice and which will lead to a sustainable future for all our industries."

About Creative Mobile Technologies (CMT) and Arro:Creative Mobile Technologies was founded in 2005 by leaders in the yellow medallion taxicab industry with a mission to provide technology and services that make taxi operations more efficient, modern and profitable. The company expanded its footprint from its home base in New York City to over 130 cities throughout North America and in the United Kingdom. CMT and its strategic partners offers driver, passenger and media solutions, including credit card services, content and advertising, data services and e-hailing through its app Arro.

Media Contacts:Michael Woloz for CMT and Arro212-437-7373

SOURCE Creative Mobile Technologies (CMT)

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Once Rivals, Now Partners: Taxi Technology Company Creative Mobile Technologies Joins Forces With Uber in Groundbreaking Deal That Will Give Yellow...

Transformers isnt just the title of a blockbuster franchise. Its also a spot-on description of the innovative team members at Nike.

As we all know, the world of technology is a part of an ever-evolving continuum. Lorry Perkins is one of the transformative team members driving the ongoing change that occurs in technology. And although shes only been the Senior Director of the Technology Transformation Office for two years, her impact is substantial to those on the Global Technology team.

The core of Perkins work is giving Nike the tools to think about how it responds to the different waves of tech as well as learning how the company can upscale employees throughout global technology.

I prioritize career growth by ensuring [people] always have resources to connect them back to growth and stretch opportunities, Perkins explained.

As an advocate for career development among BIPOC team members, Perkins leverages Nikes resources to promote and encourage learning and networking. Part of this work is developing plans that help create proper access to decision-making tables. Evidenced by her commitment to employee growth and development, collaborative leadership resonates with her the most.

We all win as a team, Perkins said. It doesnt matter what position you play or when you play. We all come together and leave together.

For Perkins, Nikes community partnership, cultural impact and diversity initiatives are paramount to her work. Nikes influence is ubiquitous in Black culture from the popularity of the Jordan brand to the classic style of Air Force Ones and Perkins wants those behind her to know theres space for people of color at Nike and in the world of tech.

Black peoples authentic contributions to society are valuable, and the world needs to recognize that more. Perkins is using her platform to help make that possible, and she has no plans to stop reaching back and pulling people forward.

To learn more about Perkins and her work with Nike, check out her video here.

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Careers In Tech: Nike's Senior Director Of Technology Transformation Is Charting The Path Ahead - AfroTech

CloudMedx processes a million records in 24 hours, taking on a $265 billion waste in the healthcare system.

PALO ALTO, Calif., March 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CloudMedx, the healthcare technology company featured everywhere from Newsweek to Nasdaq, has achieved a milestone that will transform one of the biggest challenges facing hospitals nationwide. Its back-office data automation tool has proven able to process one million healthcare records in less than 24 hours. It would usually take hundreds of people weeks of work to achieve the same result.

Much of this work is mundane and repetitive, requiring data extraction, cleaning and submission. Currently, hospitals have to commit many hours of staff time in back offices to handle this documentation. Furthermore, highly trained and qualified staff such as nurses and doctors have to spend countless hours contributing to this work as well. The many value-based contracts their hospitals have (MIPS, MACRA, HEDIS, etc.) require documentation, as do state and federal requirements for reporting, reimbursement and metrics tracking. These include Covid-related reporting needed to meet state and federal requirements.

All this work is currently a part of what has been called the "great healthcare bloat." McKinsey estimates that administrative simplification could save the healthcare system $265 billion a year.

"With unique algorithms, our tool applies artificial intelligence, data analytics and natural language processing to one of the most onerous parts of running a hospital," says CloudMedx CEO Tashfeen Suleman. "After working closely with stakeholders across the healthcare industry including hospital administrators, we recognized the pressing need for a back-office solution. At a time when hospitals are overwhelmed, this technology will free them of a tremendous and unnecessary burden."

The tool extracts key information from electronic medical records (EMRs) and displays it in a final format ready for review and submission. In many cases, the submission process can be taken over by the CloudMedx team as well, using automation that further relieves the burden on health systems.

Part of the CloudMedx Financial Explorer, a cost analytics and financial reporting tool, the technology can operate around the clock with no human involvement. It arrives as numerous fields face a worker shortage amid a tight labor market and the "Great Resignation." The healthcare industry is no exception. Low staffing can dramatically slow down crucial back-office work, and automation is a vital part of the solution. With the CloudMedx tool in place, people can serve other roles in hospital operations.

The technology also delivers unprecedented speed to the completion of reports and forms for hospitals to receive payments and reimbursements from insurance providers. Facilities that implement the tool will be able to receive funds more quickly than ever, boosting the bottom line.

Changing work lives of doctors and nurses

In addition to its work revolutionizing the back office, CloudMedx has been working to transform the front office as well, where doctors, nurses, and other healthcare technicians have been facing tremendous frustration, exhaustion, and burnout during the Covid-19 pandemic -- and leaving in droves.

MIT Sloan Management Review has published Suleman's thought leadership on this. See The Nursing Shortage Shows Why Industries Must Choose Tech Carefully.

More than half of Americans are now feeling the effects of healthcare worker shortages directly, according to a recent poll. The problem shows no sign of letting up. A study led by the American Medical Association finds that one-in-five doctors and two-in-five nurses say they plan to leave their current practice within two years, and a third of doctors and nurses plan to reduce their clinical work in the next 12 months. This burden also leaves existing workers -- particularly in overcrowded hospitals -- especially fatigued and therefore prone to making mistakes.

New solutions from CloudMedx help free these healthcare workers from tasks that can be automated, such as front-office documentation, allowing them to spend more of their time caring directly for patients. One CloudMedx tool prioritizes patients by combining the most up-to-date information, so nurses don't have to spend their time constantly piecing through data and charts to determine which patients are in most dire need.

The CloudMedx Explorer tools focusing on SDOH (social determinants of health) and Chronic Conditions provide unprecedented detail about populations in need, down to the county level, enabling healthcare leaders to develop new ways to serve patients and communities. And the CloudMedx Covid Command Center has become a hub for leaders across the healthcare industry. See all this and more at cloudmedxhealth.com/solutions.

It's all part of a mission to turn vast amounts of information into critical insights that empower patients, providers, and payers. CloudMedx is committed to improving, simplifying, and increasing access to quality healthcare for everyone.

About CloudMedx: CloudMedx Inc. is transforming healthcare delivery using Artificial Intelligence, giving patients, providers and payers the information they need to ensure the best care, optimize outcomes, and save money. The company's data platform collects and organizes vast amounts of information from public and proprietary sources, including clinical, social, and economic insights. With powerful data visualizations, predictive analytics, interoperable tools and a suite of application services, CloudMedx provides unified patient records, unprecedented understandings of health data in various populations, and automated workflows, yielding superior outcomes. Based in Palo Alto, California, CloudMedx is deployed at some of the largest provider and payer organizations in the country, working with their existing technology to pioneer a new era in which lack of information never gets in the way of patient care or operational excellence.

SOURCE CloudMedx

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Hospital Back-Office Automation Technology Achieves Weeks of Work for Hundreds of People in One Day - PR Newswire

Max Schachter {Safe Schools for Alex}

By Kevin Deutsch

Safe Schools For Alex, a nonprofit formed by Max Schachter, whose son Alex was murdered during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, was awarded a nearly $2 million grant from the federal government to develop an enhanced school safety dashboard for Floridas public K-12 schools.

Along with the University of Florida, Schachters 501(c)(3) was awarded $1,998,585 by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs to fund a pilot program for the new dashboard.

SafeSchools for Alex is extremely excited to partner with the University of Floridaand the Florida Department of Education to create the first real-time public SchoolSafety Dashboard toassistparents,schools,legislators, and law enforcementin their efforts to reduce violence and exclusionarydiscipline in all K-12 schools statewide, Max Schachter said in a written announcement Thursday. We hope this pilot programbecomes a model for how data can be used to makeschools safer across the United States.

Chris Curran, who directs the Education Policy Research Center at the University of Florida, is collaborating with Schachters nonprofit on the project.

The opportunity to collaborate on expanding the work Safe Schools for Alex has begun while leveraging the robust school safety data collected in Florida provides unprecedented opportunities to use data to inform how and where we target supports to ensure safe schools, Curran said.

Following several high-profile school shootings in recent years, including the attack that killed 17 people at MSD on Feb. 14, 2018, policymakers and educators have sought new ways to protect students in school. The new dashboard program aims to further protect kids from violent acts.

In partnership with the Florida Department of Educations Office of Safe Schools, the newly funded initiative will work to build on Safe Schools for Alexs existing school safety dashboards to enhance the user experience, incorporate more frequent updates of data, glean actionable insights from analysis of the data and support school personnel on the use of the dashboard, according to the announcement.

According to the announcement, work on the enhanced school safety data dashboard project will begin in the coming months and continue through 2024.

Send your news to Parklands #1 News Source,Parkland Talk.

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Max Schachter's Non-Profit Awarded $2 Million To Develop School Safety Technology Parkland Talk - Parkland Talk

DUBLIN, March 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Washing Machine Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global washing machine market exhibited stable growth during 2015-2020. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to grow at a CAGR of 3.5% during 2021-2026. Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic on different end use sectors. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.

A washing machine is an electronic appliance used for laundry of clothes and fabrics. It operates by spinning the fabrics at high speed and generating centrifugal force to remove dirt with water from the fibers. It is commonly available in fully automatic, semi-automatic and top- and front-load variants. The fully automatic machines have pre-programmed functions and can wash, dry and rinse the clothes automatically. The semi-automatic variants usually have a twin-tub system for washing and drying the fabrics separately. The components of the washing machine, such as tub, tub guards, balance rings and pumps, are manufactured using sheet steel and plastic with zinc or porcelain coatings for corrosion resistance and longer operational life.

The global washing machine market is primarily being driven by the widespread adoption of online laundry services among the masses. With the changing lifestyle patterns and increasingly hectic schedules of the working population, there is a shifting consumer preference towards on-demand laundry and dry-cleaning services that offer doorstep pick-up and delivery facilities for enhanced convenience for the consumer.

Moreover, the widespread adoption of fully automatic washing machines across both residential and commercial sectors is providing a thrust to the market growth. These machines aid in reducing the manual labor and are highly convenient to use and space-saving. Additionally, various technological advancements, such as the integration of smartphone applications with the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for real-time alerts and remote access of the machine, are acting as other growth-inducing factors.

Product manufacturers are also developing energy-efficient variants with minimal carbon footprint and maintenance requirements. Other factors, including significant growth in the fashion and apparel industries, especially in the developing economies, along with the increasing expenditure capacities of the consumers, are anticipated to drive the market toward growth.

Competitive Landscape:

The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined along with the profiles of the key players being AB Electrolux, Alliance Laundry Systems LLC, Godrej Group, Haier Group Corporation, IFB Industries Limited, LG Electronics Inc., MIRC Electronics Limited, Panasonic Corporation, Robert Bosch GmbH, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Toshiba Corporation and Whirlpool Corporation.

Key Questions Answered in This Report:

Key Topics Covered:

1 Preface

2 Scope and Methodology

3 Executive Summary

4 Introduction4.1 Overview4.2 Key Industry Trends

5 Global Washing Machine Market5.1 Market Overview5.2 Market Performance5.3 Impact of COVID-195.4 Market Forecast

6 Market Breakup by Product6.1 Fully Automatic6.1.1 Market Trends6.1.2 Key Segments6.1.2.1 Front Load6.1.2.2 Top Load6.1.3 Market Forecast6.2 Semi-Automatic6.2.1 Market Trends6.2.2 Market Forecast6.3 Dryers6.3.1 Market Trends6.3.2 Market Forecast

7 Market Breakup by Technology7.1 Smart Connected7.1.1 Market Trends7.1.2 Market Forecast7.2 Conventional7.2.1 Market Trends7.2.2 Market Forecast

8 Market Breakup by Capacity8.1 Below 6 kg8.1.1 Market Trends8.1.2 Market Forecast8.2 6.1 to 8 kg8.2.1 Market Trends8.2.2 Market Forecast8.3 Above 8 kg8.3.1 Market Trends8.3.2 Market Forecast

9 Market Breakup by Application9.1 Healthcare9.1.1 Market Trends9.1.2 Market Forecast9.2 Hospitality9.2.1 Market Trends9.2.2 Market Forecast9.3 Others9.3.1 Market Trends9.3.2 Market Forecast

10 Market Breakup by End Use10.1 Commercial10.1.1 Market Trends10.1.2 Market Forecast10.2 Residential10.2.1 Market Trends10.2.2 Market Forecast

11 Market Breakup by Region

12 SWOT Analysis

13 Value Chain Analysis

14 Porters Five Forces Analysis

15 Price Analysis

16 Competitive Landscape16.1 Market Structure16.2 Key Players16.3 Profiles of Key Players16.3.1 AB Electrolux16.3.1.1 Company Overview16.3.1.2 Product Portfolio16.3.1.3 Financials16.3.1.4 SWOT Analysis16.3.2 Alliance Laundry Systems LLC16.3.2.1 Company Overview16.3.2.2 Product Portfolio16.3.3 Godrej Group16.3.3.1 Company Overview16.3.3.2 Product Portfolio16.3.4 Haier Group Corporation16.3.4.1 Company Overview16.3.4.2 Product Portfolio16.3.4.3 Financials16.3.5 IFB Industries Limited16.3.5.1 Company Overview16.3.5.2 Product Portfolio16.3.5.3 Financials16.3.6 LG Electronics Inc.16.3.6.1 Company Overview16.3.6.2 Product Portfolio16.3.6.3 Financials16.3.6.4 SWOT Analysis16.3.7 MIRC Electronics Limited16.3.7.1 Company Overview16.3.7.2 Product Portfolio16.3.7.3 Financials16.3.8 Panasonic Corporation16.3.8.1 Company Overview16.3.8.2 Product Portfolio16.3.8.3 Financials16.3.8.4 SWOT Analysis16.3.9 Robert Bosch GmbH16.3.9.1 Company Overview16.3.9.2 Product Portfolio16.3.10 Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.16.3.10.1 Company Overview16.3.10.2 Product Portfolio16.3.10.3 Financials16.3.10.4 SWOT Analysis16.3.11 Toshiba Corporation16.3.11.1 Company Overview16.3.11.2 Product Portfolio16.3.11.3 Financials16.3.11.4 SWOT Analysis16.3.12 Whirlpool Corporation16.3.12.1 Company Overview16.3.12.2 Product Portfolio16.3.12.3 Financials16.3.12.4 SWOT Analysis

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/64wlnv

Media Contact:

Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [emailprotected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

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Insights on the Washing Machine Global Market to 2026 - by Product, Technology, Capacity, Application, End-use and Region - PR Newswire

Thousands of small businesses get registered in India every month, but very few of them survive beyond a few months or years. There are many things that businesses need to do to succeed such as raise funding, get co-founders from different backgrounds, and create a profitable business model. But there are certain things without which no business can succeed, and they arepaying your employees on time and staying compliant with laws. And HR technology has a big role to play in these areas.

So, lets look at the 5 ways how HR technology helps in these areas and increases the chances of success of small businesses:

KEEPS BUSINESS COMPLIANT WITH LAWS

There are too many laws in India, and they are very complex. It is not at all easy to comply with them unless you hire dedicated compliance professionals such as chartered accountants or legal agencies. Unfortunately, small businesses cant afford them and thats why the most small businesses are not fully compliant with laws and a lot of them end up paying penalties because of that.

HR Technology is of great help to small businesses here.

The modern HR apps not only suggest the applicable compliance such as PF, PT, or ESI, based on the team size, location, and industry of small businesses, but they also automatically calculate them, make deductions, file reports, and pay the relevant compliance on the due dates. Some of them even offer a compliance guarantee and if anything is missed, the apps pay the penalty.

So, small business owners need not worry about the ever-changing laws. The HR apps keep small businesses 100% compliant with laws and therefore, they greatly increase the chances of success of small businesses.

HELPS IN ATTRACTING AND RETAINING TOP TALENT

Employees work for money and just a few errors in employees salaries or late payments are enough to make employees quit small businesses, and there can be nothing worse than your top performers leaving your business.

HR tech helps small business owners in avoiding such mistakes. Salary payments apps automatically calculate 100% accurate salary by considering various aspects of payroll such as time & attendance, overtime, reimbursements, expenses, income tax, etc., and transfer the salary to employees bank accounts on due dates. So, the employees always get paid on time without any errors.

Also, unlike old times, businesses no longer need to waste time in writing cheques, visiting a bank branch, or paying their employees one by one. Salary payment apps handle the payments seamlessly to all employees with just the tap of a few buttons. HR Tech also helps companies in rolling out employee-friendly payroll policies such as flexible benefits plans, which can help employees in saving taxes and taking home more salary and that helps in attracting and retaining talent.

PREVENTS FRAUDS

Financial frauds can break any businessno matter big or smallswiftly and decisively.

Small businesses need to collate data from multiple data providers from within and outside the organization , and they use error-prone spreadsheets to manage their data, mistakes are inevitable, and the consequences can be especially catastrophic. The HR technology guards small businesses against unauthorized data manipulation and fraud through suitable access control measures. It also helps in version control and in tracking changes. Additionally, with data storage options on the cloud, the risk of data loss is also eliminated.

INCREASE IN PRODUCTIVITY OF EMPLOYEES AND BUSINESS OWNERS

Small business owners generally get tons of queries from their employees. E.g.how many leaves do they have, how much income tax would be deducted from this months salary, when can they get their last months payslip, and many more. All such queries result in waste of time as well as frustration due to delay of information both business owners and the employees. HR tech completely solves this problem by providing on-demand access to employees.

HR tools provide self-service apps for employees, and employees get access to all the information that they need with the tap of a button. They can view their payslips, check their income tax deductions, apply for leaves and expense claims, or view their attendance records right on their smartphones. Employees no longer need to wait to get the information that they want, and business owners no longer get the frequent queries from employees.

This saves a ton of time for both employees and business owners.

MAKES IT EASY TO SCALE BUSINESS

Using spreadsheets for managing hr, or payroll department puts small businesses at a disadvantage because of lost productivity arising from the lack of integration and digitization.

By automating the gathering, organizing, storage, and processing of employee data, HR tech makes it easy to handle growth in the organizations size.

It eases working with multiple teams spread across multiple locations, and also provides the flexibility for the business to stay updated with evolving trends and changing compliance requirements.

Views expressed above are the author's own.

END OF ARTICLE

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5 ways how HR technology is proving to be a key differentiator in the success of small businesses - Times of India

Written by Sam Kapreilian Feb 28, 2022 | FEDSCOOP

Sam Kapreilian is a principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP and currently serves as the Operate Marketplace Leader for its government and public services (GPS) business. He has more than 25 years experience helping large-scale organizations across the public and private sector transform their business and IT operations.

Its not surprising that the expectations citizens have for digital government are placing some serious demands on federal agencies to modernize and secure their systems. Pick any of your favorite online retailers, and that is the experience constituents expect when they interact with agencies online and through mobile applications.

Today, federal agencies try but many still struggle to respond in the timely and user-friendly way that people expect as the norm. Legacy systems and the technical debt they acquire over time can handcuff organizations from executing new, bolder investment strategies.

In 2009, the federal government spent only two-thirds of its IT budget on maintaining its systems and related processes. By 2019, the number had risen to four-fifths. Only 20% of federal spending at that point went for new software packages; the rest went to keeping legacy systems going. The implication is clear: government is struggling to maintain legacy systems, let alone keep up with the rapid pace of new technology. Additionally, agencies may find themselves constrained by the expertise they have rather than the technology expertise they need.

Managed services (outsourcing) contracts represent a sizeable portion of any agencys budget, however many of these contracts were typically written 3-10 years ago and, as a result, they fall short on todays needs for innovation, modernization, high-end skills and customer-centricity. Agencies must resist the temptation to reissue their existing contracts with only minor tweaks and, instead, think boldly and thoughtfully to incorporate the needs and expectations of customers and legislative bodies.

This is easier said than done, as most organizations have difficulty in first unifying their vision of the future and second aligning that vision with the operating and financial realities of today. This, combined with short-staffed procurement teams and difficult-to-pin-down subject matter experts, results in many agencies sticking with the status quo.

Keeping pace with IT skills needs

The traditional approach to managed services contracts has often sought to fill empty seats or augment agency IT staffs at a lower price. In other cases, agencies seek to outsource with hopes to modernize and innovate, but all too often they fall short. Agencies can shortchange themselves if they focus on like-for-like staffing needs of today, instead of laying out a more holistic view of their modernization goals and their future needs with clear metrics and milestones, and the IT expertise they will need to get there.

The war for talent is on. Top tech and commercial firms are vying for the same scarce skills that government so desperately needs. One challenge we hear often from Deloittes federal clients stems from the complicated hiring and recruiting processes they must follow, and compensation models that dont always align with marketplace realities. Thus, it becomes difficult to fill critical talent gaps in todays hyper-competitive job market.

As agencies look to modernize, they must also think about operating differently. For example, under the vision of the FDA deputy CFO, Sahra Torres-Rivera, the FDA wanted to adopt robotic process automation (RPA) and other intelligent automation to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and customer service. Deloitte supported the FDA in creating automations that provided insights on actions needed to pay invoices; increased compliance and reporting of interagency, travel approval and spend; and increased awareness of FDAs user fees policies and procedures.

The automations that Deloitte developed for the FDA Office of Finance are saving over 12,000 hours of manual labor annually, freeing up already resource-strained employees to work on higher-value activities and allowing employees to develop quicker insights when validating and analyzing results. The agency also still requires people to work with the automations, providing training and processes to assist.

Organizations often underestimate the importance of creating new team structures and developing new metrics and reporting. Many commercial organizations are investing heavily in new automations and tools and the team structures and metrics to support them. Many government organizations need to catch up.

That, in part, is what prompted Deloitte GPS to develop its Operate organization, which approaches managed and outsourced services through the lens of mission outcomes via modernized systems and processes. We work with our clients to help them achieve their innovation goals and to help them become digital enterprises; all while maintaining the expectations of their constituents. We are especially mindful of the pace and readiness of many agencies to change, as well as the financial/budgetary realities they face. We bring all this together to help government agencies become digital enterprises, aspiring to mirror their commercial counterparts. We understand how to keep business operations stable as we help agencies infuse a variety of technologies including cloud, machine learning, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity to better serve their customers.

Taking a more holistic approach

The pressure is mounting to modernize business and IT operations and meet customer service expectations in line with standards set by commercial enterprises. Government agencies legacy systems and processes werent designed with the agility to handle increased network traffic and surges in customer demand especially at the levels witnessed during the pandemic nor do they provide the user experience constituents have come to expect in the year 2021.

Deloitte starts with a deep understanding of an agencys mission and objectives to help it think about newer, more advanced approaches in the way it operates. Agencies need to rely on a trusted adviser to help navigate the multitude of technology options today, while determining the appropriate pace and phasing to keep the mission on track while transforming. In doing so, they increase the likelihood of positive outcomes, including lower overall operating costs, and improved customer satisfaction. Taking this broad view translates into providing agencies faster access to next generation capabilities.

A broad view is critical; however, a tactical execution plan is equally important. Agencies should prioritize and focus on:

Writing modern RFPs and contracts to meet current needs and expectations

When Deloittes GPS Operate leaders talk with our clients about how they write contract renewals and requests for proposals, they stress the importance of shifting focus from filling chairs with bodies to driving lower costs and increasing innovation. This is accomplished through modernizing their systems and processes to meet the expectations of todays customers, service members, and constituents. Many of the leading practices we see include:

Ultimately, it is important that agency leaders think differently about how they work with a managed services provider so that they can access the most modern solutions, tap into the latest innovations, acquire critical talent, and begin to lower their overall IT operations costs. All of this should be under the specter of an unrepenting focus on mission and customer satisfaction.

Learn more about how Deloittes GPS Operate can help your organization innovate with pace and purpose to advance your mission impact.

Link:

Escape the technology debt trap by infusing innovation into managed services contracts - FedScoop

For a second year, John Deere has released a sustainability report to highlight its milestones so far and state its goals for the future.

Deere CEO John May explains the company has launched its approach called Leap Ambitions to align business goals and sustainability goals. This is after the company reorganized with its Smart Industrial strategy which brought its business sectors closer to its customers.

Quite frankly, introducing this amount of change during such a dynamic period, it felt risky at times. But I've come through it convinced more today than ever it was absolutely necessary to position our company, for the opportunity ahead of us, and energize our team to achieve new levels of performance, May said during the companys quarterly results call in February 2022.

The strategy is propelling the business to reach the sweet spot when sustainability, productivity, and profitability overlap for its business and the business of its customers.

For its production ag and precision ag business, John Deere is targeting measurable gains in how it can use technology to reach those sustainability goals.

Than Hartsock, Director, Corn & Soybean Production Systems at John Deere, says, As we continue to bring technology based solutions to producers what's exciting about our part of the industryproduction agriculture and precision agricultureis there such strong alignment between the profitability of a farm and the sustainability of that farm as well. Theres overlap for the intersection of it's good for the farm, it's good for the good for the environment, and ultimately it's more profitable for the farmer at the end of the day.

Hartsock outlines three ways John Deere thinks of sustainability in relation to its products:

In one year, the company increased the connected machines in its network by 100,000. And it upped engaged acres by 80 million.

By 2026, the company wants to add another 185 million engaged acres.

To bring more effective technology to customers faster, in the past two years John Deere aligned its technology under one central Chief Technology Officer.

John Deere says it will make investments in four technologies to strengthen its capabilities in:

Tangible technologies include the full autonomous 8R and chisel plow pairing introduced in January 2022, and the forthcoming See & Spray Ultimate, which will provide in-season precision herbicide applications reducing the amount applied by more than two-thirds and saving more than $30 per acre and more than 2,300 gallons of contact herbicides per year. Also, at the beginning of 2022, John Deere announced its investment to become the majority owner of Krisel Electrican Austrian battery company focused on high-density, rechargeable power units.

John Deere will work to introduce new technologies as well as innovations that can be enabled on its existing equipment. Hartsock gives examples of machines being outfitted from the factory for technologies as well as performance upgrade packages such as are currently available for planters and sprayers.For dramatic adoption of precision ag solutions, it starts with value for the customer. And if that's not there, that we don't invest in it, and we don't have a product to sell, he says.

With more embedded technologies delivering value to customers, John Deere is starting to shifts its business model stating the goal of having 10% of revenues by 2030 be recurring revenueor subscription based. Company officials say this aligns its business with the value customers realize in use of the equipment. And they give autonomy as an example.

We've been working on autonomy for the last few years and always knew always knew it would offer significant customer value, May said. The response we got from our dealers and our customers was even greater than we imagined. The need for autonomy is here today. The demand for the solution is real.

When I look ahead. I see a long and exciting runway of opportunity, Hartsock says. In the last year and a half we've made a double down commitment on the opportunity to bring technology and digital solutions integrated with the machines and the implements that do the work every pass across the field.

He says we are on the cusp of managing every crop at the plant level and layering that with every pass every crop production cycle, the opportunity is growing, but time is imminent.

Every season that we miss, in having the next generation See & Spray solution or the next generation automation or even the acres still today that maybe don't get the full benefit from section control or Exact Emerge, I would get these technologies to the acres as quickly as I possibly could, he says.

Hartsock says farmers can expect to see four things from John Deere in the next year and beyond.

We will continue to work to ultimately create solutions for farmers that make outcomes previously not possible, he says. With the problems we are trying to solve and the digital connectivity we are looking to provide, we are confident how valuable they can be to farmers on nearly every acre that gets farmed.

Read more from the original source:

John Deere Paves Its Sustainability Journey With Technology - Agweb Powered by Farm Journal

Role of Technology in Swimming: The Good and Bad

By Josie Wise, Swimming World Intern

Touchpads, meet management software, heart rate monitoring, underwater cameras all are technological advancements that have been brought to swimming. As with anything in the world, swimming has not remained a stagnant sport in terms of how it operates. It seems like every year, theres a new piece of equipment to be bought or a new gadget to install in your pool area. Some, if not most, of these advancements have made huge impacts on the sport. We tend to go through life without noticing them, but what if we stopped to consider the role technology plays in swimming?

There are volunteers behind the blocks at almost every swim meet with two backup stopwatches ready to go in case the touchpads are faulty. A common game that these timers like to play to pass the time at long meets is seeing which watch can get closest to the touchpads time. What the timers are doing in these cases is exemplifying the main purpose of touchpads: the elimination of human error.

Touchpads were a revolutionary addition to swimming. Its very difficult to imagine what swimming would be like without them. Timing would be a nightmare, with constant disputes over biased timers or incorrect numbers. Records wouldnt be measured to the hundredth of a second, at least not with complete accuracy. Olympic medals would be constant controversies. Look at the famous race between Michael Phelps and Milorad Cavic in the 100 butterfly at the 2008 Olympics. Chaos would have ensued if that finish had been determined by the average of a few stopwatches.

In races, a swimmer has nothing but their training to boost them through the water. However, in practice, its a different story. Equipment like paddles, fins, snorkels, kickboards, and pull buoys are the big five, the originals, the backbone of training equipment. As we learn more about the science behind swimming, new equipment gets added to that list. Tempo trainers, parachutes, resistance bands, and power racks are examples of slightly more uncommon items that assist swimmers in training.

Even though these arent all exciting electronic advancements, this equipment comes from new research and information on how to make us go faster and falls into the category of technology. At one point, goggles were a technology that swimmers didnt even use in competitive swimming until the 1970s.

On the other side of the technology world, we have advancements that dont turn out to be a good thing. One instance of this could be performance-enhancing drugs. Forms of doping have been around since as early as the times of the Ancient Greeks. As science progressed, so did the information on how to artificially enhance sports performance, which led to an unfortunate rise in usage.

Another troublesome technology upgrade came in the form of the super-suit, also nicknamed technological doping. These competition suits were designed in collaboration with NASA and led to a staggering amount of world records being broken in 2009 and 2010. Because these records had a direct correlation to the suits, regulations had to be established, and these suits were ultimately banned.

Most of the time, we can positively impact our swimming performance and experience with technology. However, there are cases where we take it a little too far. In these cases, we need to monitor what is allowed and draw the line when unjust advantages are at stake.

All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.

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Role of Technology in Swimming: The Good and Bad - Swimming World Magazine