SigmaWay Blog

People are actively looking for ways to increase their online privacy and security. So here are five tools to increase that will help you achieve the same.

1. Privacy Badger: It blocks all the tricky ads. It can be used as an extra level of security over common ad block sites.

 2. HTTPS Everywhere: This makes browsing more secure by encrypting communications provided that the sites you are opening have these additional capabilities.

3. Ublock Origin: It's a free and open source extension.

4. Purify Blocker: this application is made for iOS helps in browsing websites without ads and tracking. It will also lower the data usage and will improve speed.

5. Tor: It's a service that can encrypt web traffic and sends it across a series of relays to help maintain anonymity. It can be downloaded on laptop for Windows, Mac or Linux.

Read the full article here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ygrauer/2015/10/13/five-tools-privacy-security/#5804444e537c

Business Plan is a systematic evaluation of the business goals, the reasons behind attaining them and tailoring a plan to reach up to them. The reason for the failure of many businesses is that they don't start with a business plan. It is essential as it helps in realizing the vision of next 2 to 5 years. So the start- up can always keep a check whether they are proceeding in the right direction. Must haves of a business plan are: Business Overview, Market Analysis, Marketing Strategy, and Financial Information. Before you start writing your business plan, you should honestly evaluate yourself and decide if your business idea has a good chance of success. Write down about how you intend to make money, what will be your business model. Start with your company description. A thorough description of the business environment and analysis of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats supports its marketing strategy. Financial information, gives the details of how the company will run the finances in the upcoming years. Read more at:  :  http://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/four-major-types-information-presented-business-plan-9328.html

The term "Artificial intelligence" (AI) was first introduced by the John McCarthy for the study of intelligence which is carried out using a computer. AI is becoming reality and both fear and faith are also increasing day by day. Even many movies like the terminator, ROBOT, RA-One are based on AI and machine taking control. Similarly, the world famous physicist Stephen Hawking shows his fear on the growth of AI and IoT by saying that the full development of AI could "spell the end of the human race". It is expected that by 2020, about 80% of adults will own a smartphone. It is also changing the way people relate to one another and their surroundings. There are apps for most of things that you can think of, like fitness apps, cooking apps and much more. Today AI and IoT are allowing people to do more things on their phones and off them too. Read more at: http://www.notchcommunications.co.uk/blog/2015/03/the-dawn-of-artificial-intelligence-and-the-internet-of-things

Contextual Integration refers in identifying meaningful relationships between different information types. This gives a multi-dimensional view of the data rather than a single access point. The best approach is to analyze these volumes of data from different perspectives. The traditional way is to follow a fragmented approach. The web teams, marketing and sales team will look at the different statistics offered by data. This lengthens the time to take decisions and also introduces inaccuracy. The need is to look at data from many angles to create a multi- dimensional profile of the customer. Then predictive analytics can assess and lead to intelligent messaging. Machine Learning is also helping to improve these predictive analytics algorithms by checking it on the real time data. Read more about it in the article written by Dominik Dahlem (Senior Data Scientist at Boxever) at: http://data-informed.com/contextual-integration-secret-weapon-predictive-analytics/

Retargeting is a form of online advertising that focuses on display ads to the visitors after they have left your website. It is a cookie based technology. It has proved to be of benefit to B2B businesses, according to the statistics. Retargeting can be done in three ways.

 1. Pixel-Based Retargeting: The marketer places JavaScript code on his website which drops a cookie on a visitor's browser.

2. List- Based Retargeting: The marketer prepares a list of contacts from email marketing campaigns or for some other source. It then serves them with a specially targeted ads on the Social Networking platforms.

3. Search Retargeting: Search retargeting targets user audiences based on previous keyword searches, they have conducted on search engines such as Google, Yahoo & Bing.

There are many tools available in the market that can be used to design the strategy for retargeting. Read more about it in the article written by Jessy Smulski (a valued contributor to Business 2 Community) at: http://www.business2community.com/b2b-marketing/tips-retargeting-b2b-leads-beginners-guide-01441414

The smart span filtering algorithms of the internet service providers make it difficult to reach the user's inbox with advertisements. So to take benefit of the email marketing, you need to keep few things in mind. One needs to integrate a HTML button in your email that is coded as Call to Action (CTA). These make the emails responsive. HTML buttons help in building and engaging traffic. A well designed HTML email reinforces your brand even in the email. The HTML button is visible before the images get loaded. According to a report, the majority of the online purchasing begins from the mobiles. So the emails should be very responsive for these devices. The three components needed for this are: Right breakpoints, Larger Text on Mobile Devices, CTA buttons. Read more about it on: http://blog.marketo.com/2015/12/3-email-marketing-must-haves-to-conquer-the-inbox.html

Mention database and what all things will come to your mind? Data management, storage, tables, RDBMS… But this trend is changing. The reason for the change is big data. Data has become so big that conventional methods and tools are not enough to manage this data. So what to do? We need some database technologies which can deal with big data. Hadoop is the most popular technology which can tackle big data. It is a data-centric platform which is highly scalable and used to run applications in parallel. Another alternative to RDBMS is the use of NoSQL platforms like MongoDB. Read the full article here: http://www.infoworld.com/article/3003647/database/how-big-data-is-changing-the-database-landscape-for-good.html

Start-up and entrepreneurship is not only regarding ideas you have, it also regarding the execution of that idea. Great ideas without execution and follow-through stand nowhere even if you have a good idea. The important things one need to do, if one wants to achieve success with your ideas are:

1. Be confident.

2. Accept risk.

3. Define your purpose.

4. Create a plan.

5. Assemble a like-minded team.

6. Constantly build momentum.

7. Anticipate obstacles.

8. Establish a professional/personal balance.

9. Set micro-goals.

10. Be patient.

To read in detail, follow the article by Jonathan Long (Founder and CEO, Market Domination Media) at: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/269869

90% of the world's data has been generated over the last two years, according to the reports. With this increasing amount of data it is necessary for the organizations to upgrade the data centres. In order to cope up with the emerging technologies, data modernization is very important. Those still stuck to the old ways are at a loss. Data Oganization done in a proper way gives way to crucial insights. This doesn't mean only adding more servers, but finding a solution that takes care of economic conditions, technical aspects, people and the processes involved. Cloud based platforms are of great help and with increased automation of technology, data centers can reduce the repetition of the mundane tasks. Read more at: http://www.information-age.com/technology/data-centre-and-it-infrastructure/123460849/why-all-industries-should-consider-modernising-their-data-centres

Failures in the functioning of equipment are inevitable in any kind of industry. The repair and recovery time often leads to big financial losses each year. But we have machine learning and predictive analytics as a solution. The machine learning models are trained to learn the ideal functioning of the machinery. Then this functioning is compared with how the machines are working at present. So if even a minor change occurs somewhere, it doesn't go unnoticed. Then, with the help of predictive analytics the loss that can take place in the near future is predicted. This adds to the huge advantage of the firms. Learn more about this in the article written by Mike Reed (manager of analytical services for Avantis PRiSM software) at: http://www.intelligentutility.com/article/16/02/saving-money-and-man-hours-machine-learning

Machine Learning is getting easier and accessible because of the computing power becoming affordable. Moreover, big enterprises are making their algorithm open source. This is because data is the food. More data an algorithm gets, the better it becomes. But from step 1, making algorithms, feeding data in humans play a significant role. Sometimes there are outliers which the algorithms cannot interpret. Here human intervention is necessary. They manually check such pieces. But when these are fed into algorithms, they make them robust by identifying outliers. Thus, human intervention is both necessary for accuracy and training. Read more at: http://insidebigdata.com/2016/01/11/human-in-the-loop-is-the-future-of-machine-learning/

The support for Windows server 2003 has been ceased so a shift to windows server 2012 is required. It is not only necessity, but good investment of time and finance as well. There are three main steps which are required to keep in mind to avoid any pitfalls in journey -

1.       Review and evaluate equipment: Servers running 2003 should be able to run 2012 but only if the hardware was already legacy equipped at the time of server 2003 installation. Details need to be considered in depth.

2.       Check current server and hosting environment: Apart from calculating financial benefits of the shift, one must also reassess hosting environment to determine how much server population should remain in house.

3.       Plan for migrations of workloads: The major advantage of upgrading is ability to access the enhanced features present on windows server 2012 which will help one on enabling migration, consolidation and improvement of overall server operation

Read more at: http://www.itworld.com/native?prx_t=6gACAyjwFAPUsMA

This is the era of e-commerce. Everything you desire is just a click away. People can shop, read reviews, compare prices of the products and take better-informed decisions sitting in their homes. Sounds like online shopping is a blessing. But then why retailers like Disney, Under Armour and Nike have said that they don’t focus on online sales anymore? Today, retailers are focused on creating a friendly customer experience that crosses channel borders. Leading brands understand that they need to be leaders in both online and offline means. The changes in marketing trend are due to things like artificial intelligence, 3D printing and advance analytics. Merging the two modes is the solution. So to attract more and more customers, we need their engagement in both online and offline modes which will eventually result in better sales. Read more here: http://www.computerworld.com/article/3024262/retail-it/for-retailers-e-commerce-alone-wont-make-the-sale.html

Email Marketing is good for business. It is a tool continuously being used for connecting with the customers. Emails are sent comprising of newsletters, best deals, new products, etc. A few ways to enrich your email marketing are written here. Though not everyone opens the newsletter, but still it is important to give a detailed view to the customer of what you deal with. Order follow - ups gives a sense of satisfaction to the customers. Thus making long lasting bonds. It is important to approach the potential customers who aren't aware of your products. They might be in need, but due to lack of information they are inactive. A good conversion rate is observed in this category. The essence of businesses lies in their approach towards their customers. So it becomes a responsibility to bring the customers lost. Moreover, lucrative deals, coupons, discounts work quickly. Read more about it on: https://econsultancy.com/blog/67403-ecommerce-email-marketing-benchmarks-for-2016/

Most businesses need a combination of multiple marketing techniques to exhaust the full potential and make it more productive. Though internet usage is increasing each day, but offline marketing channels still involve lots of customers. Best marketing strategies merge both offline and online marketing. This might seem a difficult task, but machine learning models make it easier. These lessons from the data field which channel, in what way, and at what time will be most effective for the particular set of customers. This is called intelligent messaging. Thus leading to maximize success of marketing. A significant increase in the success rate has been observed in the marketing strategies using these techniques. Learn more about it in the article written by Brendan O'Kane (managing director and chief executive officer of OtherLevels) at: http://www.itproportal.com/2016/01/04/intelligent-messaging-big-data-machine-learning-a-powerful-combination-for-multi-channel-marks/

Despite the many differences in application, most people agree on that the disruptive innovation are: 1. Cheaper 2. More accessible and 3. use a business model with structural cost advantages. Due to the presence of these characteristics in disruption, it's difficult for an existing business to respond to competition. To read more above disruptive innovation follow: https://hbr.org/2016/01/how-big-data-is-changing-disruptive-innovation

There is a big gap between what attackers do and what preventions defenders do to prevent it. The general idea is to build bigger and better blacklists for all the threats known or calculated using better threat intelligence.  We always hunt for easy ways, trying to seek out automation of security infrastructure. But these won't' suffice. The reason is because all the defenses are static and accessible to all. All it takes a hacker is to write a script to bypass these security measures. So a possible solution might be RITA, which stands for Real Intelligence Threat Analysis. Its SANS's free new framework that will help in hunting attackers by extending the traditional signature analysis. Read more at: http://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities---threats/introducing-rita-for-real-intelligence-threat-analysis/a/d-id/1323244

The evolution of Machine Learning (ML) is affected by the approach of the tech giants towards it. Open Source Platforms and the data sources also have an important impact on the ML models. Tech giants have realized the importance of ML, and this is becoming the new normal for them. They are now focusing on providing ML models as a Service. These are built for the common usage, not just for the data scientists. Most of the softwares being used for ML are open sources, thus affecting the market of other softwares making sources. Tools like Apache Spark are going to dominate the market. Read more about it on: http://www.infoworld.com/article/3017251/data-science/what-machine-learning-will-gain-in-2016.html

Machine Learning (ML) will have a big impact on economics as it helps in taking properly calculated decisions. The ML methods can be modified to make them fit for using in econometrics. These reduce the risk to failure. Data is the key to success for this. Based on the previous records, a model can be trained. Economists are being increasingly interested in technology. ML can help in clarifying the real situation from what is being assumed. Many technical firms are hiring economists. The mix of proper proportion of technology with the knowledge of economists will definitely lead to great results. Read more at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/01/27/what-will-the-impact-of-machine-learning-be-on-economics/#5bccf597ad5e

In the Healthcare industry, what we really need? Better healthcare results to improve our lives. Healthcare industry generally takes decision using data- like case histories. Well the good news is, now we have lots and lots of data. This is the era of big data, where millions of bytes of data are generated every second. And the bad news is we can't keep up with this fast rate of generation of data. Big data is unstructured which makes it difficult to hunt down relevant helpful information. Using data science with health care we can predict epidemics, advance cures and can provide better, safer and more pleasant experience for patients. Read full article here - http://www.cio.com/article/3001216/analytics/4-big-reasons-why-healthcare-needs-data-science.html