To the Edge and Beyond

The experience economy that drives omnichannel for today’s retail consumers enables them to bridge both the virtual and physical through a combination of seamless online and in-store shopping. Impero Software’s Toke Tangkjaer and Intel’s Brian Teuscher spoke with Bobby Brill on the managed devices and cloud ecosystem that support these innovations and how Impero and Intel’s solutions work to make it a flawless experience for the consumer. 

It really is a unique experience for each individual,” said Brian Teuscher. “Some customers want to walk into the store; others want to do it all online. And over the past few years, we’ve seen this change, and it’s not just in retail clothing stores. People want to experience these transactions in their own personal way.”

The challenge Toke Tangkjaer sees from an IT perspective to make this experience economy a reality, is melding the offline with the online world to provide that seamless checkout process. “The opportunity for a consumer to walk any store, and have a seamless checkout, whether that’s through an iPad, a clerk coming up and offering a quick checkout via a tablet, or it’s a self-service checkout, ultimately comes down to what it offers and what it adds in terms of complexity for an IT ecosystem. And that is more and more devices that need to be supported and maintained.”

Creating these retail experiences means more devices need to enter the equation. That backend means more security and adherence to regulations, and the devices must be operational. “That’s why device management becomes so critical,” said Teuscher. “Because in many cases, they are trying to build an experience around utilizing these devices. The device isn’t the experience, but using them provides the experience users want.”

As the ability grows for devices to deliver unique experiences, from virtual reality to other augmented retail solutions, the requirement that these devices are operational and functional also grows. If the solution doesn’t work, it isn’t a solution. The bottom line for all these devices is security and manageability. Teuscher added, “What are the security permissions you have on there? How have you created these walls from a security perspective to ensure only the people that should have access to certain things have access to it?” The number of devices is not the critical issue; managing and securing those devices is.

Learn more about managed device and cloud ecosystem solutions by connecting with Toke Tangkjaer and Brian Teuscher on LinkedIn or visit:

Impero Software 

Intel Retail Solutions 

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Smart displays in malls and retail stores offer a variety of information to guide consumer decision-making and behavior. But are today’s brick & mortar retail establishments taking full advantage of all the technological capabilities smart displays offer? meldCX’s Luke Foad and Intel IoT Group’s Stevan Dragas offer some insights and smart display trends retailers need to pay attention to if they want to be leaders in their space.

"From Intel's side, we've been focused on providing platforms, technologies, products, and solution services to an ecosystem developing solutions to the end customers across a broad range of industries," says Dragas. "So, our platforms are always maintaining three things: security, connectivity, and manageability. And we have the ecosystem that scales and utilizes those platforms, those services, that Intel helps develop for them to provide exact solutions to end-users."

meldCX is one of those solutions providers that Intel partners with to make today's advanced Smart Displays a reality. "From the consumer's perspective, we want to craft store experiences where all the content we're seeing is relevant," says Foad. "Whereas from a retail perspective, we want to maximize the opportunity in store." Any information retailers can learn about shopping behavior through the smart display process can help focus efforts on better retention and increased basket sales.

With all the camera and smart display technology available in retail environments, can too much technology be bad? Are consumers and retailers concerned with privacy? Dragas said privacy is top of mind when Intel develops its solutions. "Whenever we talk about screens and intelligent screens, there is a clear determination between detection, detecting the audience, detecting the age group, detecting the environment, versus recognizing. There is no recognition without consumers, without people opting in."

A customer could opt-in through a brand’s loyalty program. Once opted in, smart display technology solutions deployed in self-check-in terminals can utilize advertising on the screen. These displays can also connect to one-to-one advertising that the brand or retailer drives through the app on a smartphone device.

Ultimately, smart display technology’s driving mantra is better customer experience. The more accurate the demographic targeting is, the better the results for customers and retailers alike. Dragas notes retail customers meldCX work with see an uptick in purchasing and customer satisfaction using such technology solutions.

Learn more about retail and hospitality technology solutions by connecting with Luke Foad and Steven Dragas on LinkedIn or visit:

Intel Retail Solutions

meldCX

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Today’s consumers want new and easier ways to shop and travel. The challenges are therefore building innovative technology platforms that can help retailers and OEMs develop solutions to make user experiences easier. Inefi Technologies’ Leonard Gilbert-Wines and Intel IoT Group’s Stevan Dragas share how they’re helping lead the charge with technology that is cutting wait times for the retail and hospitality industries and improving customer experiences.

Gilbert-Wines says it’s all about reducing friction and expanding choices, “Whether you’re going to a traditional point-of-sale cash register or using self-checkout, or even applications on your own devices to transact, we are heavily invested in bringing new products to market for our partners and solution providers.”

The pandemic’s challenges include labor shortages and bringing skilled personnel back into hospitality. This means technology must play an essential role through self-service and order points.

Another issue compounding wait times is software & hardware related. Dragas notes the varying speeds at which markets move, “Some software companies with the operating systems are pretty much end of life support for some of the equipment in retail…what’s needed is technologies that provide safe, manageable use of those assets over a longer period. Inefi is a perfect example where some of those services on Intel’s platform are being used.”

Gilbert-Wines agrees, “You don’t just refresh the hardware; it’s software, certification, and protocols. There’s a lot that needs to be covered. When you have that in place from a retailer, you want that in place for as long as possible to maximize the investment. So, we as an organization ensure that we put forward processes and architecture that can deliver on that promise.”

Inefi utilizes Intel IoT platforms which provide a lifecycle up to ten years or longer.

So, what’s the driving force behind the need for such rapid technological advancements? It all comes down to changing habits of consumers. In a post-pandemic world, what people want most is frictionless experiences. With retail shrinkage rising before the pandemic and growing more over the past few years, even a tiny percentage equals billions of dollars. Every small fraction that frictionless service offerings can recapture is a win.

Learn more about retail and hospitality technology solutions by connecting with Steven Dragas and Leonard Gilbert-Wines on LinkedIn or visit:

Intel Retail Solutions

Intel Hospitality Solutions

Inefi

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Industrial segments such as manufacturing, energy, oil and gas, supply chain, and logistics – and the facilities that support these markets – are undergoing a technological evolution. To support such rapid advancements, connectivity is the central nervous system enabling timely information flow. Chris Lucero and Mukund Shenoy, two subject matter experts in the Intel Internet of Things Group Industrial Solutions Division , spoke to Michelle Dawn Mooney about exciting happenings around industrial connectivity.

Given the complexities of the industrial setting, it’s critical to provide state-of-the-art connectivity solutions. According to Lucero, trends in industrial connectivity include exponential data growth, increases in mobile devices, scalability through software-defined networks, cloud adoption, and greater needs for cybersecurity.

Lucero says of data growth, “Everyone is turning to their operational data to improve yield, reduce defects, and optimize productivity,” he explains.

With compute and communications needs becoming increasingly intertwined in industrial settings, there is a need for smarter, autonomously functioning machines and devices to enable the Factory of the Future. Shenoy explains that, as workloads get more complex, new compute models are evolving, and Edge Compute is one of them that supports the distributed computing model. In other words, software system components are shared across multiple computers but run as one system to improve performance and efficiency. “An agile factory needs flexibility in process and equipment layout, and this calls for wireless connectivity,” says Shenoy. “So, the advancement of both compute and connectivity, together, are enabling new ways by which we can reimagine how a factory can work in the future."

So, how is Intel defining and refining its role in the industrial connectivity space? By driving end-to-end connectivity from IoT devices up to the cloud. “We’re creating wireless modules for Wi-Fi 6 and beyond, ethernet controllers for wired modalities, and edge servers and networks to receive the mix of wired, cellular, and Wi-Fi signals,” Lucero explains. “We’re also working with critical infrastructure software to make connectivity, data, analytics, and controls easy to deploy and support.”

One thing is sure: if there is an industrial connectivity problem a customer needs to solve, Intel is ready to work on a solution.

Learn more about industrial connectivity at the edge by connecting with Chris Lucero and Mukund Shenoy on LinkedIn or by visiting www.intel.com/industrial and www.intel.com/connectivity.

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The face of retail banking is changing rapidly as the industry works to facilitate customer engagement while reducing the costs associated with building and operating traditional bank branches. One approach is the micro-branch – a fully functional bank branch that has been dramatically reduced in size. Micro-branches are cost-effective and enable banks to adapt to the evolving needs and expectations of their customers. In this episode, To the Edge and Beyond spoke with Devakumar Rajagopalan, Banking Segment Marketing Manager for The Intel Internet of Things Group, and Srikrishna “Kris” Sharma, Financial Services Industry Leader with Canonical, about the innovative technologies and deployment strategies that are making micro-branches a reality.

“Retail banking faces a more complex environment than perhaps ever before,” Sharma said. “Driven by COVID, the social and economic landscape has been radically reshaped while customer needs and expectations continue to dynamically evolve. Banks need to ask themselves the fundamental question about their physical outlets. Are they points of sale or service centers?”

Devakumar agrees, noting that micro-branches require a specific kind of infrastructure – what he calls “technology building blocks” – in order to succeed. Two of those building blocks are edge computing and the use of micro-clouds. “Although banking institutions have a long history of edge computing, the ability to reduce the costs associated with operating edge sites (micro-branches) will be key to developing holistic solutions,” says Sharma. “What’re needed are micro-clouds – small clusters of compute notes with local storage that allow branches to create repeated deployments at the edge.”

Intel and Canonical have been collaborating on a variety of smart technologies designed to not only deliver all of the functionality customers have come to expect from a full-sized bank, but the personal interaction they desire as well. “Micro-branches merge digital and physical experiences,” Devakumar said. “They offer contactless, anytime banking along with highly immersive interactions with avatars on dynamic screens. These screens collect and transform data into actionable items, making banking both practical and engaging.”

To learn more about banking security solutions, connect with Srikrishna Sharma and Devakumar Rajagopalan on LinkedIn.

You can also visit the financial services pages offered by Intel and Canonical listed below.

Intel: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/financial-services-it/financial-services-overview.html

Canonical: https://canonical.com/

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Rapid and ongoing advances in digital technologies have made agile adaptation the norm in industrial manufacturing. However, disruptions caused by the pandemic have forced leaders to look at infrastructure issues to plan for future disruptions. In this episode of “To the Edge and Beyond,” host James Kent talks with Irene Petrick, Senior Director of Industrial Innovation, and Faith McCreary, Senior Principal Engineer and Senior Researcher and Strategist for Industrial Innovation, both at Intel, about the challenges leaders face and what it will take to survive and thrive in the “new normal.”

“COVID has been an amplifier for pre-existing issues such as access to digital data, worker safety, poor information quality, and unexpected data variances,” says McCreary. “Fortunately, industry leaders are starting to see that infrastructure is an important enabler that can help them deal with those issues.”

Petrick agrees, adding “The lesson they’ve learned is that they need to be better prepared. There are no quick fixes. Disruptions can come from anywhere and will continue.”

Petrick and McCreary expect remote work, resource fragility, worker safety, and global supply chain issues to make the need for changes to infrastructure very clear. “Our work suggests that the infrastructure piece is a critical problem,” says Petrick. “Machines give off an incredible amount of data. But not all of it is relevant. We have to figure out what data matters, how often to collect it, and how to process it at the edge so that we’re only capturing the most important aspects.”

Labor shortages further increase infrastructure problems. “Employers used to feel that automation would replace workers. But the concern now is they don't have enough workers so they must automate,” Petrick says. “Companies are having to scramble to attract, keep, and figure out how to equip workers with AI and automation solutions that augment their ability to do their jobs,”

“There are just not enough digitally savvy workers to go around,” adds McCreary, “and that’s not going to change anytime soon. What makes it more complicated is that it’s not enough for a worker to have digital skills. They also need an understanding of manufacturing. Leaders need what we call ‘double-deep’ workers with both manufacturing and technology skills.”

According to Petrick and McCreary, the solution lies in creating an ecosystem of collaborators. “It’s like making a patchwork quilt,” says McCreary, “and everyone is looking to Intel to bring the pieces together – to play the role of matchmaker. We’re spending a lot of time developing standards to help the ecosystem partners play well together in the sandbox.”

“It’s a great time for technology companies,” says Petrick, “because it gives us problems that digital technologies can solve very well.”

Connect with Irene Petrick and Faith McCreary on LinkedIn.

To learn more about the latest in Industrial IoT and digital transformation visit: www.intel.com/industrial

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Fueled by increases in ecommerce and the number of devices that require electricity, the demand for reliable, renewable, and sustainable sources of electricity is increasing worldwide. In this episode of “To the Edge and Beyond,” Intel’s Adam Berniger and Prithpal Khajuria join Justin Honore to discuss the challenges facing energy producers and how Intel, working with public and private partners, is creating an ecosystem of solutions to meet those challenges.

“Current energy grids are static,” says Khajuria. “In order to make use of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and water, they must become dynamic - meaning flexible and responsive to fluctuations in demand. The way to accomplish this is by injecting intelligent, data-driven technologies into the system.”

Adman Berniger, whose job involves blending innovation and analytics to develop effective solutions for Intel customers, agrees. “The need to modernize is pressing. By making use of technologies that enable us to store, predict, and shift energy to where it is needed at any given time, we can take advantage of the variable resources that are coming on board,” says Berniger.

When Khajuria and Berniger talk about intelligent, data-driven power grids, they are referring to three things:

Bringing compute power to the edge so that data can be collected, analyzed, and used to make informed decisions about when and where energy is used;

Creating more multi-functional devices capable of virtualization; and

Connecting unconnected devices and data sets so that information and energy can be shared.

“The good news is that most of the technologies required for modernization have been around on the IT side for several decades,” says Berniger. “Intel is collaborating with both the public and private sectors to take advantage of proven technologies and establish best practices.”

Creating this ecosystem of partners is enabling energy producers to modernize their own infrastructures and resulting in innovative solution sets that might not otherwise have emerged. “Intel brought the whole ecosystem together,” Khajuria adds. “We’ve worked with hardware manufacturers to build rugged servers, software developers to build programs for those servers, and OEMs to bring their appliances to the edge.”

“This is really an exciting time to be working in the power industry,” says Berniger. “Industrial edge compute is finally coming of age.”

Connect with Adam Berniger and Prithpal Khujaria on LinkedIn.

To learn more about Intel’s Smart Energy IoT solutions visit: Intel.com/Energy

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Industry 4.0 – What is it, and how can manufacturers make it a reality in their operations? In this episode of To the Edge and Beyond, host Daniel Litwin talks with Hector Martinez, an industrial automation expert at Intel, about manufacturing challenges fueling the push towards Industry 4.0 and the technologies that are making Industry 4.0 possible.

The need for Industry 4.0 solutions is a result of many factors including supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and rapidly changing customer demands. Adopting 4.0 solutions involves combining new technologies with legacy applications and allocating more power to edge computing, which can lower costs, improve resilience, and increase productivity. “Slowly but surely,” says Martinez, “manufacturers are realizing that incorporating the latest automation technologies will allow them to capitalize on all the data that gets generated during operations. Having this data will increase ease of use, reduce risk, and allow them to create more capable interfaces, algorithms, and models.”

The switch to Industry 4.0 raises challenging questions. How do manufacturers:

According to Martinez, successful implementation of Industry 4.0 solutions depends on evaluating each manufacturer’s needs and selecting a high-performing processor designed to excel at the edge. “The differentiator for this technology will be how flexible and easy it is to adopt and whether or not manufacturers can make efficient use of legacy applications and devices by incorporating edge solutions such as AI, digital twins, and robots,” says Martinez.

“When you’re in manufacturing, continuous improvement is part of the job, but the good news is that Industry 4.0 is within reach for most manufacturers.”

To continue the conversation with Hector Martinez, connect with him on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Intel’s industrial automation solutions, visit:

www.intel.com/iot

www.intel.com/industrial

www.intel.com/processors

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The banking industry is facing challenges on two major fronts – the increased demand for self-service banking options that eliminate in-person transactions and the need for ATMs and self-service kiosks that can connect to and interact with remote mobile devices. Both challenges have accelerated the development of customized ATM interfaces – designed to increase engagement and build customer loyalty - and focused the attention of Intel and its partners on finding new and better ways to manage, repair, and make ATMs accessible and secure. According to Pandey and Sahoo, there are several issues with current approaches to remote device management that Intel has been working to address.

First, there is no centralized management tool. Administrators have been forced to use a wide range of content management tools (CMTs) to accomplish a variety of tasks. As a result, they spend most of their time managing the tools that manage the different devices. This is expensive, cumbersome, and leads to compatibility issues.

Second, there is no way to provide dynamic support – no way to troubleshoot issues remotely on the fly in realreal-time time and no way to remotely schedule when devices power on and off.

Third, the capabilities of the device management systems at the bios (basic input output system) level limit what can be done remotely, making it almost impossible to meet the strict compliance standards banks operate under.

The solutions to these challenges and limitations lie with two Intel technologies developed specifically to address the performance, security, manageability, and stability issues and with Intel’s ongoing collaborations with partners like 42Gears.

• The Intel VPro Platform: A business-class platform built to enhance performance, security, manageability, and stability.
• Intel AMT: Allows administrators to control Intel VPro devices from anywhere.

“Intel’s AMT offers remote management above and beyond what most solutions can offer,” says Sahoo. “It allows VPro devices to be accessed below the operating system – what we call, ‘Out of Band Management,’ which means you don’t have to depend on the operating system to provide access to devices.”

Moving forward, Pandey and a Sahoo are confident that Intel’s collaborations with ecosystem partners will solve any problems encountered as remote banking management continues to grow and evolve, allowing ATMs and self-service kiosks to become much more than cash dispensers. “It’s collaborations between Intel and companies like 42Gears that will help solve the major issues plaguing the end point management industry and provide great opportunities for a lot of our banking customers,” says Pandey.

To learn more, connect with Santosh Kumar Pandey and Swapnil Sahoo on LinkedIn.

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