In 2020, businesses likely to shift blockchain focus to integration, interoperability
As the hype around blockchain cools and enterprises continue to cut their tech teeth on the distributed ledger, non-technical challenges and interoperability hurdles are emerging. Ismagilov / Getty Images After several years of proofs of concept testing, followed by pilot programs, enterprises deploying blockchain should turn their focus toward integrating the distributed ledger technology (DLT) with legacy data systems and making sure they can communicate with other external blockchains. That advice is part of Forrester Research’s 2020 Predictions, which highlight several upcoming…
20 Slack tips, tricks and hacks for power users
Slack is a powerful collaboration tool in its own right, which means it also has a lot of hidden ways of doing things. Here’s how to get the most from it from users who know it best. Slack / Mudassir Ali (CC0) Slack users tend to be passionate about the popular collaboration tool. “Slack has changed the way we communicate internally,” says Rob Shapiro, senior director of product strategy for Muck Rack, a digital PR and journalism platform. Slack’s easier access to shared…
What is a data analyst? A key role for data-driven business decisions
Data analysts help organizations understand the current state of the business by interpreting a wide range of data. Thinkstock What is a data analyst? Data analysts work with data to help their organizations make better business decisions. Using techniques from a range of disciplines, including computer programming, mathematics, and statistics, data analysts draw conclusions from data to describe, predict, and improve business performance. They form the core of any analytics team and tend to be generalists versed in the methods…
Top 10 file-sharing options: Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, OneDrive and more
Most file-sharing services have evolved into full-blown collaboration platforms. We look at 10 online services ranging from basic to enterprise-level. File-sharing options In 2004, if you tried to share a large file, you had two options. 1: Use a file-sharing service like YouSendIt, which was brand new at the time. Or 2: Copy the file to a disc and hand (or mail) it to the recipient, a practice known not so affectionately as ‘sneakernet.’ Today, as far as file sharing…
Top 10 BI data visualization tools
Visual analytics is the core of business intelligence. Here are the tools you need to see through the data. Today’s top stories 8 technologies that will disrupt… 7 secrets of high-performing IT teams The rise of the chief digital officer 6 data analytics success stories: An… 20 ways to kill your IT career (without… There is golden knowledge in the sea of data that businesses are swimming in. Being able to fish out the business intelligence you need —…
7 Quick Base tips and tricks
Quick Base is a powerful low-code tool that lets business users create their own applications. These seven tricks will illuminate some of the paths to building successful enterprise apps and workflows. Damircudic /Quick Base The low-code/no-code development platform Quick Base lets so-called citizen developers create applications and workflows for their teams and departments without needing the intervention of IT. Based on the structure of a database, as its name implies, the platform relies on fields, records, and reports to create,…
How to staff the hybrid cloud
IT leaders share their advice for getting network and infrastructure teams ready for hybrid cloud environments. The IT team at Perkins+Will used to support a sprawling SAN environment for its complex commercial-building renderings. When the Chicago-based architecture firm – which has 2,500 employees in 30 locations around the world – outgrew its SAN environment, Perkins+Willchose to migrate away from on-premises data centers and edge devices to a cloud-based storage system. Suddenly CIO Murali Selvaraj faced a difficult challenge: How to restructure the firm’s 50-person…
