The 5 Biggest Technology Trends In 2021 Everyone Must Get Ready For Now
In recent years we have seen the emergence of robots in the care and assisted
living sectors, and these will become increasingly important, particularly
when it comes to interacting with members of society who are most vulnerable
to infection, such as the elderly. Rather than entirely replacing the human
interaction with caregivers that is so important to many, we can expect
robotic devices to be used to provide new channels of communication, such as
access to 24/7 in-home help, as well as to simply provide companionship at
times when it may not be safe to be sending nursing staff into homes.
Additionally, companies finding themselves with premises that, while empty,
still require maintenance and upkeep, will turn to robotics providers for
services such as cleaning and security. This activity has already led to
soaring stock prices for enterprises involved in supplying robots. Drones will
be used to deliver vital medicine and, equipped with computer vision
algorithms, used to monitor footfall in public areas in order to identify
places where there is an increased risk of viral transmission.
New BlindSide attack uses speculative execution to bypass ASLR
Speculative execution is a performance-boosting feature of modern processors.
During speculative execution, a CPU runs operations in advance and in parallel
with the main computational thread. When the main CPU thread reaches certain
points, speculative execution allows it to pick an already-computed value and
move on to the next task, a process that results in faster computational
operations. All the values computed during speculative execution are
discarded, with no impact on the operating system. Academics say that this
very same process that can greatly speed up CPUs can also "[amplify] the
severity of common software vulnerabilities such as memory corruption errors
by introducing speculative probing." Effectively, BlindSide takes a
vulnerability in a software app and exploits it over and over in the
speculative execution domain, repeatedly probing the memory until the attacker
bypasses ASLR. Since this attack takes place inside the realm of speculative
execution, all failed probes and crashes don't impact the CPU or its stability
as they take place and are suppressed and then discarded.
Five things businesses need to think about when implementing AI
The phrase “first time right” rarely applies to implementing AI, and that is
especially true in making predictions and forecasts. Achieving an acceptable
level of accuracy could take a number of iterations and continuous course
corrections. Failure, then, must happen fast in order to learn what to
correct. Since the stakes are high and there is always a risk of failure, it
is also important to start with a smaller problem or a subsection of a large
problem. This helps to reduce the risk associated with the cost of failure.
There is no shame in dropping an idea and rethinking the approach. In fact,
that willingness to rethink is vital. If the viability of a solution is in
doubt, persisting with it – and, by so doing, wasting time and money – is
never the right way to go. It is always advisable to change course or, in some
cases, drop the idea altogether and pick a new one. Once a smaller problem is
resolved and the business can see its value – and associated ROI – the
solution can be scaled up to solve a bigger problem. ... IT and AI projects
are inherently different. IT projects proceed with a clear idea and a set
target for the desired output from day one. AI, by contrast, is mostly used in
the quest to understand the unknown. It is therefore impossible to know what
the output will be ahead of time.
Edge computing: The next generation of innovation
Edge computing may be relatively new on the scene, but it’s already having a
transformational impact. In “4 essential edge-computing use cases,” Network
World’s Ann Bednarz unpacks four examples that highlight the immediate,
practical benefits of edge computing, beginning with an activity about as
old-school as it gets: freight train inspection. Automation via digital
cameras and onsite image processing not only vastly reduces inspection time
and cost, but also helps improve safety by enabling problems to be identified
faster. Bednarz goes on to pinpoint edge computing benefits in the hotel,
retail, and mining industries. CIO contributing editor Stacy Collett trains
her sights on the gulf between IT and those in OT (operational technology) who
concern themselves with core, industry-specific systems – and how best to
bridge that gap. Her article “Edge computing’s epic turf war” illustrates that
improving communication between IT and OT, and in some cases forming hybrid
IT/OT groups, can eliminate redundancies and spark creative new initiatives.
One frequent objection on the OT side of the house is that IoT and edge
computing expose industrial systems to unprecedented risk of malicious
attack.
5 SMART goals for a QA analyst
Software testers need a basic knowledge of these programming language staples
for continued career growth. Successful execution of manual tests and
automated scripts is helpful, but testing activities only go so far. It's even
more important to know the conditions under which data enters into one of the
programming structures, and what must happen for that data to exit it. Let's
start with if-then-else logic. In this structure, if is whether a condition
exists. If it does exist, then execute the then function. Otherwise, execute
the else function (or do nothing). The if-then-else structure works well when
a condition is true or false. A case structure might be appropriate, when a
condition falls into one slot in a range of possibilities. A case structure
expands on if-then-else by providing multiple functions to execute if certain
conditions exist. For example, an if-then-else structure might check if a
number falls in a range between 2-10 and, if it does, then the number is
multiplied by five. If the number is not in that range, it will fall into the
else condition, and is not multiplied at all. A case structure specifies what
to do when a number falls into one of many ranges. In this example, when a
number is between 2-10, it falls into Case A and is multiplied by five.
Q&A on the Book The Art of Leadership
Given leadership is a career restart, there are daily mistakes. The one I see
the most with engineering leaders (but I suspect it applies to all leaders) is
the tendency to regress when the stakes are highest. It’s when a new manager
thinks he or she is helping during crunch time by helping finish the feature,
fixing bugs, or otherwise regressing to their prior role because they think
they are helping. Let’s catalog the reasons they aren’t helping: They’ve put
the team in a situation where they appear to be unable to complete the
necessary work. Bad planning; They’re doing the work their team should
do, so they’re sending unintentional signals to the team that they don’t
believe the team can do the work. Bad signal.; They’re not giving the team the
chance to rise to the occasion. To figure out a creative means to complete the
work. This might be impossible because of bad planning, but assume it’s not.
What does the team think when the leader keeps saving the day by fixing bugs?
It’s a safety net, sure, but it’s a net that isn’t allowing others to grow.
Leaders often rationalize this behavior as “I want to remain technical.” I
want engineering leaders to be deeply technical, too.
What A Remote Workforce Means For Innovation
Though managers might periodically have doubts about remote workers’
productivity, it’s vital for companies to create a culture of trusting their
employees to complete their work and continue innovating even when they’re
off-site, Strawmyer added. As personnel continue to work from home, companies
might need to reevaluate how they assess productivity. After all, spending a
lot of time in the office isn’t an effective productivity indicator. Employees
in the office environment are just as, if not more, capable of wasting time,
Strawmyer said. In the beginning of the pandemic, workers were focused on
getting used to their remote workflow. But now that they are adjusting to the
current working conditions, Bang anticipates that more innovation will follow.
Depending on their unique situation, removing a lengthy commute or wrapping up
other projects has freed some employees up to focus on long-term ideas, he
added. However, while working from home does free up time, there’s a big
difference between transitioning to remote work under normal circumstances and
shifting to remote work during a pandemic, Strawmyer acknowledged.
5 Best Techniques for Automated Testing
To obtain better results through automated testing, testing must be started
earlier and ran frequently as required. The sooner QA team get engaged in the
project life cycle, the better you test, the more glitches and anomalies you
find. Automated unit tests can be executed on first day and then the tester
can progressively build their automated test suite. On the flip side,
detection of bugs on early phase is cost lesser to fix than those identified
later in deployment or production. Hence, with the shift left movement,
proficient testers and software developers are now empowered to create and run
tests. The significant automated testing tools allow users to carry out
functional user interface tests for desktop and web apps easily using
preferred IDEs. ... Automation can’t replace manual testers. Automation
tests represent executing some tests more frequently. The expert tester has to
start few by attempting the smoke tests first and afterward cover the build
acceptance testing. After that they can move onto recurrent performed tests,
then onto the time taking tests. Besides this, QA tester has to ensure every
test they automate, should saves time for a manual tester to concentrate on
other vital things.
Is low-code/ no-code the dark horse in enterprise technology for a Covid-19 afflicted world?
Tthe adoption of low-code by enterprises is still in its infancy on account of
a host of issues which range from technology complexity, vendor lock-in, or
maybe even a basic lack of understanding of how low-code functions. “Scaling
automation is a typical problem and many companies could have invested in
licenses not knowing how to leverage its potential. Secondly, enterprise
automation can seem very complex if you’re not using the right tools and
technologies,” Persistent’s Dixit said. “To ensure the success of any project,
execution requires the right mix of domain, tech and skilled consultants,” he
added. LeapLearner’s Ranjan sees a lack of integration using APIs as a
hindrance. “This limits the ability to create applications and systems which
can solve complex problems and are AI enabled. Hopefully as the low-code/
no-code eco system grows, this will change,” he said. But some low-code
platform startups, such as Bengaluru based Mate Labs, are working towards
creating a low-code environment that would be able to address these
challenges.
How to approach Agile team organization
Forming a productive Agile team requires a significant commitment of
individual energy, time and concentration from each member. When Agile teams
first come together, they go through what psychologist Bruce Tuckman termed
the stages of forming, storming, norming and performing. At first, everyone
must figure out the team dynamics. After a team forms, it establishes
hierarchies of decision-making and leadership. Everyone finds their place and
function within the team. This process takes time, as team members find their
niche within the group's overall normal. In the normalizing phase, the team
functions smoothly, with less arguing or trying to rise above the others. The
group becomes a team rather than a collection of co-workers. When a team
stabilizes, it's a sign that members learned how to optimize their skills
within working relationships. The most successful Agile teams develop bonds
that allow them to be productive and interact on a personal, genuine level.
When project managers switch out team members, team development starts all
over again. When a stable team is disrupted, it must go through the forming,
storming, norming, performing process all over again.
Quote for the day:
"Leadership is an opportunity to serve. It is not a trumpet call to self-importance." -- J. Donald Walters
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