New Research, Meetup focus on Problem Solving: The Right Data for the Right Question

February 21, 2018, by Michael O'Neil

Fifteen Canadian analytics practitioners met last month to develop their response to the question, "what's more important to the success of an analytics initiative, having the right data or asking the right question?" Their answers have helped InsightaaS to articulate new guidance, which has been presented in a second report on the Vision2Value agenda, defined by the V2V steering committee late last year.

Highlights of the report include: linking the domain question and the data science question, analytics maturity, and understanding what questions data can, and cannot, actually answer. For more insights, click here.

Taming the Blockchain or/ Blockchain for the good

February 20, 2018 by Mary Allen

Blockchain is capturing the imagination of tech practitioners and non-tech enthusiasts, who are keen to test the get rich quick potential of crypto-currencies. But wildly fluctuating values, and the collapse of several currencies have led regulators to investigate, and to consider how crypto platforms must be treated like other financial assets in order to protect investors.

At the same time, Blockchain is being used in an increasingly wide range of use cases. One of these - Indeco - has leveraged Ethereum’s Blockchain technology and a shared model of ownership to deliver crypto backed by solar energy installs, battery storage, microgrids, sensors and controllers, and the supporting compute and demand response systems needed to build smarter, less energy-intense generation. Best of all, Indeco has launched with the blessing of SEC regulators - to see how check out the InsightaaS interview with the company founder.

Growing financial inclusion

January 29, 2018 by Lynn Greiner

Africa's economy is poised to hit US $3 trillion by 2030, but there's a large segment of the population that is left out of mainstream activity due to poor access to credit and other financial instruments. At its Nairobi, Kenya-based Labs for Financial Inclusion, Mastercard is trying to change that with a variety of solutions, such as a mobile marketplace app that connects farmers with selling agents and customers.

Recently, the company has focused on the plight of the micro-merchants, with pilots like the Kionect digital ordering and Mastercard QR payment systems. To learn more about how these mobile payment solutions work to secure, and support small businesses, click here.

Where’s Waldo? – finding the data in distributed storage

February 5, 2018 by Don Sheppard

Viewed historically as a "necessary evil," storage is taking on new weight as the technologies that enable digital transformation focus on what, where, when and why data is stored. AI, IoT, cloud, Blockchain and cloud are driving a rethinking of storage, or at least its application in centralized, on-premise data repositories.

Distributed storage is becoming the new norm as devices, ranging from the smallest sensor to the cloud appliance/or service, taken together are generating massive - zettabytes - amounts of data. But what advantages does distributed storage provide, and who's minding the store? Click here for a deep dive into new approaches, and new technologies - DNA storage anyone?