Futurum Tech Webcast

On this episode of The AI Moment, we discuss a generative AI case study– Amazon Pharmacy.

Gen AI has overrun the planet in concept, but the fact is the practical use of generative AI is nascent. Amazon's Pharmacy case study is an important one that reveals lessons enterprises should learn and a blueprint they should follow in their journeys to unlocking the value of generative AI.

On this episode of Futurum Live! From ISE 2024, The Futurum Group's Craig Durr talks with Mark Ewing, Product Management Director at Google Workspace, focusing on the innovative strides Google is making with Duet AI and Meet Hardware to revolutionize video conferencing and collaboration solutions.

Their discussion covers:

• The transformative impact of Duet AI on meeting experiences, streamlining note-taking, and breaking down language barriers.

• The integration of AI in conference rooms through Meet Hardware, ensuring inclusivity and effectiveness regardless of the meeting location.

• The introduction of dynamic layouts and tiles in Google Meet, creating visually appealing and contextually aware meeting views.

• Expansion strategies of Google Workspace, highlighting new partnerships and product introductions, like Google Meet on Logitech Android appliances and collaborations with whiteboard providers.

On this episode of Futurum Live! From ISE 2024, The Futurum Group's Craig Durr talks with Brit Frandsen, Director Portfolio Management at EPOS, about the transformative impact of high-quality audio solutions in modern hybrid work environments. They delve into EPOS's latest BrainAdapt technology and introduce the recently announced IMPACT 700 and 800 series headsets designed to enhance cognitive function and workplace productivity.

Their discussion covers:

• The critical role of advanced audio solutions in the evolving open and hybrid office spaces.
• How poor audio quality affects productivity and the cognitive load of professionals.
• EPOS's BrainAdapt technology and its benefits validated by the Centre for Applied Audiology Research.
• The launch of EPOS's IMPACT 700 and 800 series headsets and their contribution to workplace efficiency and compatibility with various platforms.

On this episode of Futurum Live! From ISE 2024, The Futurum Group's Craig Durr talks with Olly Henderson, Head of Portfolio and Commercialization at Jabra, about the launch of Jabra+ for next-generation meeting room and video device management, trends in hybrid working, and the introduction of AI-powered features in Jabra's PanaCast video solutions to enhance productivity and collaboration in the workplace.

Their discussion covers:

• The unveiling of Jabra+, a unified platform that simplifies the management of Jabra's PanaCast video solutions and caters to the needs of IT administrators by providing a secure, intuitive, and comprehensive device management experience.

• Insights into the evolving landscape of hybrid working, highlighting the increased reliance on video conferencing and the challenges it presents for IT managers, as well as the growing demand for technologies that facilitate productive and inclusive meetings.

• The introduction of new AI-driven features in Jabra's PanaCast 50, including Intelligent Meeting Space and Microsoft Intelligent Speaker, designed to enhance meeting efficiency and ensure a focused and distraction-free environment.

• The immediate availability of these innovative features and their live demonstration at Jabra's booth at ISE, emphasizing their potential to improve collaboration and productivity in the hybrid workplace significantly.

On this episode of Futurum Live! From ISE 2024, The Futurum Group's Craig Durr talks with Jose Rivas, Vice President of Global Sales at Shure Incorporated, about Shure's commitment to innovation and customer-centric solutions in the AV industry. They discuss Shure's new Global Sales Structure, groundbreaking product launches including the MXW neXt 2 and MXA901, and the company's forward-thinking approach towards integrating AI into their product line to meet the evolving needs of the market.

Their discussion covers:

• The transformative impact of Shure's new Global Sales Structure in enhancing customer connectivity.

• Introduction and features of Shure's latest product launches, including the MXW neXt 2 and MXA901, and a sneak peek into Shure Cloud.

• The significance of Shure's partnership with the Q-SYS Technology Partner Program and how it aligns with their vision for the future.

• Shure's strategic incorporation of AI in product development to set new standards in ease of use, installation, and software advancement in the AV industry.

In this episode of Enterprising Insights, Futurum Group Enterprise Applications Research Director Keith Kirkpatrick explores Cisco's 2024 Data Privacy Survey, and focuses on the divergent perspectives on data privacy between organizational privacy respondents and consumers. He specifically focuses on the elements that engender trust around consumer data, the steps taken by organizations regarding their use of AI, areas of concern around generative AI, and the controls that are being put into place around generative AI.

Finally, he will close out the show with the "Rant or Rave" segment, where Kirkpatrick picks one item in the market, and champions or criticizes it.

On this episode of the Experience Unveiled I am joined by Beekeeper CEO Cristian Grossmann to discuss how to best support frontline workers as well as some new frontline-focused research recently published by Beekeeper.

Our discussion covers:

• An overview of Beekeeper and how it fits into the employee experience technology ecosystem

• The idea of disconnection with frontline workers and the ramifications this can have. We also chat about the perception disconnect between workers and managers

• What is causing stress for frontline workers and their managers

• The solutions and strategies that companies should be looking at to help support a better frontline employee experience

• Data as a driver to understanding a frontline workforce and prioritizing action

• Research findings from the Frontline Pulse Report 2024

In this episode of Infrastructure Matters, hosts Camberley Bates, Steven Dickens and Krista Macomber are joined by Paul Nashawaty, Practice Leader, to discuss cybersecurity research, IBM earnings and the recent acquisition of VMware by Broadcom.

The conversation covers:

• Recent research fielded by The Futurum Group, in collaboration with Commvault, showed increasing collaboration between IT and Security teams, as well as the growing issue of data and data protection fragmentation

• IBM financial earnings

• VMware's acquisition by Broadcom

An Assessment of Key 5G-IoT Innovation Developments Including DTaaS' Growing Readiness, Multi-G Progress, and Wind River's Role in NTT DOCOMO vRAN Launch.

In this episode of The 5G Factor, our series that focuses on all things 5G, the IoT, and the ecosystem as a whole, I look at the top 5G innovations and what's going on that caught my eye in the lead up to MWC24. Key innovation developments include DTaaS making strides in China that indicate readiness for 5G deployments on a global scale, the Multi-G initiative's major industry support from key 5G value chain players such as Cohere, Intel, Juniper, VMware, and Mavenir, including top-tier operators Vodafone, Bell, and Telstra, and Wind River's pivotal role in the launch of NTT DOCOMO's first vRAN commercial service.

My analytical review spotlighted:

DTaaS Ready for 5G Prime Time. Digital Twins as a service (or DTaaS) is emerging as a technology that can drive ecosystem-wide 5G innovation, since it can eliminate the need for users to deploy a local digital twin network system, thereby reducing system overhead and maintenance costs in 5G-related R&D. DTaaS built-in benefits include usability, sharing, flexibility, stability, security, and cost-effectiveness that can accelerate wireless network technologies and application innovation such as greater network self-intelligence, service quality improvement, and energy efficiency enhancements. In a Q4 2023 white paper, ZTE proposed a double closed-loop DTaaS architecture, including physical networks, digital twin networks and use cases. Double closed-loop refers to the twin closed-loop and the virtual reality closed-loop during the operation of the network. I examine why DTaaS can power 5G innovation in 2024 as it has already found its application in several regions of China, including port and high-speed railway use cases that use the technology to enhance network planning efficiency and cost optimization.

Cohere, Intel, Juniper, VMware, and Mavenir Fire up Multi-G Initiative. In Q2 2023, Cohere Technologies, Intel, Juniper Networks, Mavenir and VMware embarked on a collaboration to develop the industry's first framework for a multi-generational (Multi-G), software-based Open RAN architecture. The Multi-G initiative would define frameworks, interfaces, interoperability testing, and evaluation criteria that would provide the interfaces to support full coexistence of 4G, 5G, and future waveforms. Intel's FlexRAN platform is used by most current vRAN deployments; Mavenir has a strong presence in providing open RAN equipment and software; and Juniper Networks and VMware are both contributing their work with RIC development. Cohere's contribution is through its Universal Spectrum Multiplier software that can be integrated by RAN vendors or as an app into a telco cloud platform. I review why I see the initiative can ensure network programmable all the way from layer one to the highest layers of the mobile architecture. Plus, why it's a positive indicator that major operators such as Vodafone, Bell, and Telstra are already on-board to help advance performance and capacity benefits for all existing cellular networks as well as assisting the publication of the critical E2 interfaces into the relevant O-RAN Alliance and TIP Working Groups.

Wind River Studio Cloud Platform. Wind River delivers software for mission-critical intelligent systems, including Wind River Studio which is being used by NTT DOCOMO for its 5G virtualized network, which started commercial deployment in Japan during Q3 2023. For the launch of NTT DOCOMO's first vRAN commercial service, Wind River Studio Cloud Platform was integrated with Fujitsu's vCU and vDU along with the latest NVIDIA-converged accelerator. I assess how Studio Cloud Platform provides a fully cloud-native, Kubernetes- and container-based architecture, based on open-source software, for the development, deployment, operations, and servicing of NTT DOCOMO's distributed edge networks at scale.

On this episode of The AI Moment, we discuss two emerging Gen AI trends: Microsoft Copilot's AI revenue potential and LLM research. We also celebrate our latest Adults In the Generative AI Rumpus Room.

The discussion covers:

• With the most used enterprise software and operating system in the world, Microsoft placed a significant bet on AI with the introduction of Copilot to enterprise users in September 2023. Now Microsoft has unleashed Copilot, making it available to nearly every 365 user. What will the impact be? Is Microsoft poised to generate material revenues from AI in 2024?

• LLMs are evolving at lightning speed, in part due to a copious amount of academic research and what it means for the market.

• More Adults in the Generative AI Rumpus Room: Non-profit Fairly Trained, Google Research.