M2M Solution for Digital Signage in Boston Metro
M2M and digital signage…not often thought as a M2M deployment, signage is changing. Of course, there are thousands of signage deployments, from video walls at the shopping malls to corporate communications. But, signage has evolved – just think about the billboards on the side of the highway or the video wall in Times Square. And, using a M2M platform means it’s manageable and profitable.
Take, for example, the Titan Outdoor displays deployed installed in the subway platforms by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. With an average of 1.3 million riders per day, Titan can drive revenue with advertising while providing riders with and important real-time transit content. The ruggedized high-brightness display enclosures, made by Vertigo Digital Displays, contain an array of internal sensors measuring everything from fan speed to ambient light temperature to vandalism. All of this is for naught without the Esprida M2M platform. To ensure 24/7/365 operation in a harsh environment, Titan relies on Esprida to manage the entire system, covering everything from 4g connectivity to temperature to the content management system playing ads.
Using the Esprida self-healing features, Titan now automates technical fixes that it would normally have done with an on-site technician, resulting in significant cost-savings, increased uptime, and more ad impressions…the bottom line is that Titan can provide virtually uninterrupted advertising content, increasing its topline revenue, and by using the Esprida cloud, at a nominal annual fee.
With signage installations proliferating, a proven M2M platform to manage connected endpoints will help drive greater profitability and operational uptime.
Boston Metro Displays Powered by Esprida LiveControl
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Michigan leverages M2M to expand
Esprida pioneered the M2M revolution. Once again, one of its long-time clients is using Esprida LiveControl to expand its offering. The State of Michigan announced it is adding its DMV self-service terminals to Meijer stores across Michigan for vehicle license registration and renewal services. Leveraging the device management capabilities brought by Esprida, the State is using retail outlets to reduce waiting times at branches for vehicle license plate services.
Traditionally these kiosks were available at only Secretary of State Offices. Under the new program kiosks at Meijers will provide everyday easy access and convenience to the public. The machines will accept major credit cards so the public can renew their license plate tabs while grocery shopping!. And the State can confidently deploy knowing Esprida LiveControl is managing the devices.
To read the article, please click here
Esprida LiveControl powered kiosk for vehicle registration services at Meijer, Michigan
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Anila Jobanputra, President & Founder Esprida; Featured in Connected World Magazine ‘Salutes the Women of M2M’
In the latest Apr/ May 2013 issue of Connected World Magazine’s ‘Women of M2M’, it has featured Anila Jobanputra; President & Founder of Esprida Corporation as one of the most successful female leaders involved in technology. Connected World magazine announced its inaugural list of females involved in technology, in order to be recognized for its annual list for Women of M2M. A ceremony was held to honour these women at Joe’s Seafood and Prime Steak in Chicago, Ill.
Connected World is the business and technology publication that provides the intelligence industry titans need and the guidance consumers crave. The article talks about the critical role women are playing in driving the global economy with technology innovations. Out of actual 47% of the women in workplace today, only 25% represent technology industry. These females represent their true spirit, vision and determination towards the growth of M2M technology. All these women have shown tremendous success in driving innovation forward.
To read the profiles of the 2013 Women of M2M, please click here for the March/April issue.
To read the article, Women of M2M, please click here.
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Reasons your Business should be considering M2M technologies
We’ve all heard the term M2M by now, and often referred to interchangeably with the term “Internet of Things” which refers to connecting everything – people, objects, machines – to the Internet and is only the tipping point for what’s to come, as we are just starting to get a glimpse of the potential of today’s M2M applications.
So you may be asking yourself – is all this hype surrounding M2M really all its cracked up to be? Well let’s break down some of the reasons why your business should be considering M2M technologies:
1: Simplify and Enhance user Interaction
With M2M technology businesses can bridge the information gap between their clients and customers. Just imagine how quickly and easily it would be to interact with patients in a waiting room. Information about a company, promotions, or even news events could be filtered through a digital display or device. Patients could check in using their device and receive real-time updates on wait times, facilitating staff communication etc.
2: Improved Efficiencies and Transactions
M2M provides businesses with the opportunity to transfer all of their data via M2M. Wouldn’t it be great if data such as credit card, personal data, and company information could be exchanged and approved through a simple connection? This will inevitably become reality with M2M technologies, by making transactions more efficient than ever!
3: Increase Productivity
Efficiency and productivity is important in any organization. M2M enables employees to work faster and more efficiently. By reducing manual user intervention, managers can focus on more important aspects of their business. The increase in productivity also extends beyond an organization’s employees. Networks and devices that operate the business will also become more and more efficient as well.
4: Automation, Automation, and did I mention Automation?
Automation plays an integral role in improving efficiency in many industries. Many small businesses can utilize M2M technologies to enhance the level of automation that include embedded systems and software which have the ability to track, diagnose, and manage such things as inventory levels, device statuses, and even generate detail reports. Just image now much easier life would be for business if they never had to manually order inventory again.
5: Better data collection
M2M improves the task of data collection like no other system. With technologies such as NFC (Near Field Technology), Bluetooth, and other communication protocols, businesses will be able to easily collect client/customer information on site, on the go, or remotely. In the retail industry, with inventory or device tracking, businesses are able to automate the collection and analysis of sales, and delivering precise information pertaining to which products sell best and when they sell.
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Are Businesses Doing Enough to Protect their Networks?
Whether you’re a business owner, an IT manager, or executive, one of the main issues constantly being identified as a cause for concern has always been security. Business networks are constantly exposed to hackers, viruses, password attacks, and various other cyber crimes. Therefore, it is important that businesses take steps towards ensuring that their networks are protected.
As more companies begin to shift focus towards networks to operating their business, the need for remote management will become increasingly important. The threat of network intrusions and downtime can prove to be detrimental to businesses both short term and in the long run, costing companies thousands (if not millions) of dollars in revenue and jeopardizing productivity along the way. Below is a list of several ways remote management can help protect your business network:
Remote Management Can Proactively Diagnose & Resolve Problems. Remote management allows businesses to automatically detect problems before they arise. Some remote management software will even allow administers to repair problems remotely.
Remote Management Can Help Reduce Downtime. Remote Management software such as Esprida LiveControl™ provide automatic alert capabilities which enable IT staff to be immediately notified of problems before it becomes a critical issue. Remote management monitors activity 24/7, allowing any issues to be proactively resolved with minimal latency, thus reducing downtime.
Remote Management Can Help Improve Network Performance. Remote management can help administrators consolidate threats, reports, and security monitoring through a single web-based interface. This will dramatically reduce IT administration time and free up time for other tasks.
Remote Management Can Generate Security Reports on Demand. Remote management software encompasses the ability to generate device and network reports on demand – enabling administrators to manage both their networks and devices without hiring outside consultants.
Remote Management Can Help Improve Asset and Inventory Management
By implementing an asset and inventory management program, businesses can gain greater control and efficiencies with their hardware and software assets. This type of solution will allow a business to manage their specific assets, track their location to ensure the assets are not missing or stolen and, ensure upgrades and system deployments run effectively.
The harsh reality is network outages do happen, however by implementing remote management tools, businesses are able to take steps towards minimizing the likelihood of these outages and provide the IT support necessary to oversee their networks and drastically reducing unwanted downtime.
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What’s on the Horizon for M2M in 2013?
M2M is poised to continue its growth in the immediate future as predicted by many analysts. The growth of M2M is projected to equal, if not surpass the record numbers in 2012, and the trend is expected to carry over into 2013. Among the many vertical M2M applications, both healthcare and payment processing segments will continue to carry the momentum from 2012.
The adoption of these 2 segments is anticipated to grow at a rapid pace over the next year. The Healthcare industry is starting to understand the true value of potential of connected devices and the profound impact that it has on improving both the economics and quality of care for patient monitoring; some of which include areas related to: diabetes, blood pressure, heart function and other vital signs.
On the other hand, payment processing has seen a spike in the number of users, and has now reached a level of acceptance. Consumers are finally beginning to see the value in adopting electronic processing tools which extends beyond the traditional channels such as restaurants, taxis, and parking meters etc. and has now branched out into wireless cash registers.
As a result it is highly probable that hardware and connectivity costs will continue to decrease, which will have a trickling impact on the number of new entrants entering the market, ranging from small business-focused applications to high level M2M solutions.
Another trend to keep an eye out for this year is global connectivity. This has been something that has flown under the radar in the past few years, and up until last year, was just a talking point. However, that will no longer be the case, as enterprise M2M begins to emerge, the demand for global connectivity will become increasing essential for businesses looking to benefit from the M2M revolution on a global scale.
There are of course several barriers that may derail the possibility of a single security information management (SIM) solution for global connectivity to become attainable, with the main setbacks being the complexity of roaming relationships amongst various international carriers.
Whether or not these predictions do indeed come to fruition or not, one thing is for certain, the foreseeable future of M2M looks promising and is poised to evolve and shape the way we do business. There is no denying the fact that the M2M sector will continue to rapidly grow, however it still remains to be seen as to whether or not operators will have the capacity to manage all of these connected devices. Nevertheless, 2013 looks to be a promising year for the M2M industry.
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Aligning Remote Management with Business Goals
In this day in age when customer retention is at the forefront of business success, everything a company does should revolve around its customers. Whether it is vision, goals, marketing strategy, or advertising – essentially everything you can imagine. Why is this important? Its simple, customers are the driving forces behind a business’ success or failure, and heavily dictate profit margins. Everything else is simply a means to appeasing these people. Discrediting the value of customers would be a vital mistake.
If there’s one thing the information age has taught us it’s that content and customers are king. Therefore it is important that businesses take their customers seriously. One could even argue that a large portion of a company’s marketing strategy should be dedicated to a little thing called customer care. Regardless of a company’s budget, it’s always wise to consider investing a serious amount of time and resources into customer care. Even if you are on a low budget, you might want to invest a serious amount of time to customer care. The notion of satisfying the consumer would have been farfetched back in the day, as many firms had a tendency of operating in their best interest; however those days are quickly evaporating.
Back then businesses underestimated the value of their customers, and took them for granted, which might have worked (due in large part to market demographics). But now the tide has shifted very vividly. Customers nowadays want to be involved with the companies they make purchases from, which trigger buying decisions typically made under those merits. Social media has opened the floodgates for customers and companies to engage and interact with one another. Take Facebook and Twitter for instance. Both of these services allow people to make passing comments about experiences they have had when dealing with firms, which in turn are read by hundreds and thousands of people. Anything negative could potentially look very bad for business, resulting in reduced profit margins. This is a prime example of how influential customers can really be. Now that we have established the value of customers, let’s turn our attention to customer care.
Most would associate customer care to answering phone calls, responding to emails and putting up an FAQ page. However, it goes beyond that. In addition, more companies are starting to implement remote management software. It may not sound like much; however, having PC remote access could actually
Remote access enables companies to resolve issues such as software malfunction, installation issues or even incompatibility issues for their customers. Basically, this means taking all the guess work out and allowing the technician to diagnose and resolve any problems remotely.
PC Remote access allows technicians to access your device, and work on solving an issue remotely from a centralized location. The end result? Faster resolution times, happier customers, which potentially translates into more business. How much would it mean to you if your business had thousand of satisfied buyers raving about your company and all of the positive experiences they have had with you? I thought so.
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M-Health a Catalyst in M2M Emergence
Over the last several years, The M2M segment has seen its share of exponential growth in the number of mobile connected, Machine-to-Machine (M2M), and embedded devices. The growing trend is expected to carry over into 2014, where analysts anticipate the number of deployed M2M devices is expected to reach an estimated 412 million globally (Juniper Research).
With the recent widespread influx in mobile and M2M connected devices, there are many vertical markets that have attributed to the global emergence of M2M solutions. As the market continues to grow, more and more enterprise markets are exploring M2M verticals such as utility metering, mobile-connected buildings, consumer and commercial telemetric, and retail banking. All of these verticals will experience growth in both numbers and services revenues.
However, perhaps the most intriguing vertical to keep an eye on is the healthcare market which has gained traction and is poised for significant growth in service revenue. Many experts predict that the Healthcare market will receive the most attention. There has already been a breakthrough in the healthcare sector with the development of health, wellness, and medical apps for smart phones.
The potential of these iPhone and smart device apps are astonishing, as they harness the power and capability of replacing custom, built-units. M2M devices such as heart monitors will soon be designed specifically for M2M, while apps will be developed to link to the equipment. For instance, a ct scanner can be attached to an iPhone as an ancillary device connecting to the iPhone and an accompanying healthcare App contained on the iPhone.
To date, the device market has been saturated by hundreds of small players and competing standards. Moving forward however, the market is expected to be large, by necessity. In the next 20 years, the number of people between the age of 60 and 80 will require an enormous amount of health care. One way that they are addressing costs is through monitoring patients at home. M2M is one way to do this, starting with the Wifi networks, followed by short-range networks and eventually cellular networks.
As the number of connected devices continues to grow, the healthcare sector will see its fair share of growth in M-Health deployments, however the adoption will not happen as quickly as many predict. M-Health technology is still in its infancy stage and there is still a lot of preliminary requirements testing and evaluation that needs to be conducted before health organizations integrate M-Health applications into their regular practice, given the important nature of healthcare.
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Six Ways to Reduce Your Service and Support Costs
In today’s economic climate, service and support organizations are under constant pressure to improve their financial performance. They must increase margins without sacrificing customer satisfaction, meet the needs of a growing customer base without adding headcount, and support increasingly complicated products with cheaper, less skilled resources. Leveraging Remote endpoint device management presents several opportunities for organizations to operate more efficiently and cost effectively:
Diagnose problems remotely
Once a technician has received a service call, they can use a Remote endpoint device management system to directly access diagnostic parameters and log files as well as live and historic operational information about the troubled device. Even if the device is offline, the expert can capture data about what the device was doing at the time of failure or compare snapshots of the device state at selected times, and use this data to diagnose problems without user intervention. If the device is online, the expert can take over the device using remote desktop, run diagnostics, or restart applications.
Reduce on-site travel with remote repair
Utilizing remote endpoint device management allows experts to remotely repair, adjust, or administer devices without the hassle of on-site visits. If the problem is determined to be a user error, they can monitor how the operator is using the device and offer training or advice on how to use it more efficiently. When a problem is indentified that can be fixed remotely, adjustments to system parameters, manage files, download software fixes on demand, or proactively update software across a whole range of devices. Proactive fault notification, remote problem diagnosis, and remote repair features are just some of the value added benefits that translate into quantifiable returns on investment.
Utilize service resources more effectively
Young service staff place challenges on older experts within the service team to maintain and distribute expertise across the service base. Remote endpoint device management provides a new approach because monitoring, diagnosis, and repair can be done from anywhere in the world, companies can intelligently utilize service experts located world-wide, putting the best people on the right job, while reducing time and travel expenses. Experts can troubleshoot and resolve problems from their desktops, using a standard Web browser, and collaborate with each other and with on-site support personnel or device operators.
Reduce software distribution costs and installation errors
Manual software distribution costs often involve manual distribution of software (CD, DVD, or USB Keys) and manual follow up by the service team to track, manage incompatibilities, and provide support -Remote management provides a new alternative. A prime example is Esprida LiveControl which provides remote software management capabilities that enables individual devices or whole device populations to be updated without costly software duplication and shipping using a secure mechanism. Esprida’s LiveControl solution is able to maintain in-depth information on each device configuration, so specific software releases can be correctly mapped to a given device installation, avoiding customer errors. This reduces distribution costs and helps reduce costly call center calls from customers struggling with upgrade procedures or using obsolete software.
Improving Customer Satisfaction
Implementing remote management solutions can provide companies with a competitive advantage, allowing them to focus on and fulfill customer expectations and, as a result, retain and grow existing customers, acquire new customers, and build customer loyalty. Remote management addresses the key business requirements of device customers today—minimal downtime, minimal interruption from the service provider, and minimal involvement on their end. They want manufacturers and service providers to anticipate problems, anticipate their needs, and take care of them—quickly and proactively. Simply put, they want manufacturers and service providers to make them happy and keep them happy—and if these desires are not fulfilled, they will simply find another that will.
Minimize downtime and maximize device performance
Remote management allows users to continuously monitor their device parameters to detect problems before they cause downtime. For example if disk space on a connected device is nearing its full capacity or in the event that an application is freezing abnormally, indicating a replacement may be required. With automatic notifications, from a customer standpoint, the onus is placed on the technician to ensure that prompt recourse is taken to rectify any potential problems that may arise.
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Redefining Service and Support with Remote Management
As a great man once said, “The times they are a changin” This statement could not be more accurate in depicting the world we live in today. We live in a communication age where information is easily accessible and can be transmitted instantly through connected devices. Gone are the days where news feeds and reports are broadcasted over regular television. Other forms of media have staked their claim in defining how information is displayed and communicated. Nowadays, breaking news feeds are available in full video on YouTube rather than the morning news.
People expect businesses to be connected to the internet, to the cloud, to your suppliers, across all divisions etc. When IT uptime of 99.999% is average, device downtime is no longer tolerated. Customers demand fast, effective, even proactive service and support. In many industries, customers expect everyone else to take on more responsibility for the routine operation and performance of the systems that they have sold or leased to them—the same applies to third-party systems.
Within many companies, service and support organizations need to deploy costly global service personnel to support a global customer base. They are charged with delivering improved productivity to support continually increasing numbers of products and locations with the same sized staff. They are under pressure to reduce costs, while meeting higher expectations. Many companies in various industries are successfully achieving these goals through a new generation of high-value, on-demand remote management software solutions.
Remote Network Management enables:
-Product manufacturers to provide a new generation of high-value remote services
-Service companies’ tools to become proactive and increase efficiency and provides operators and location owners’ ways to reduce costs and measure performance in real time.
Businesses can maximize the value of the products they sell through services that increase uptime, streamline operations, and reduce cost of ownership. Companies benefit from increased revenue through product differentiation and higher value service contracts—all delivered at lower cost through remote management.