Innovation starts with you
The world is driven by constant innovation and creativity. Innovation challenge us to break conventional thoughts on how things were done before, by creating new products and better services that can be used in terms of customer touchpoints. With creative interactions in new platforms we increase productivity, empower the users and product features such as voice recognition, in order to save time.
Through innovation we can help people with diseases, reduce environmental impact or aesthetically creations. Improve the interface, conduct user research to create better usability and improve accessibility features.
We can change how people interact with the world
Covid-19 challenged us to change and find creative and innovative solutions to communicate with people, to stay active at home and to create faster and innovative scientific solutions.
Creativity and Innovation belong to our daily lives. The way we easily interact with a new app, new platform solution, new streaming program, new chats for conferences. We are creating innovative solutions to work from home and maintaining our life balance. Companies are challenged to change their mindset, and remote work brought all the benefits of that.
Did you know Netflix was a big revolution in video rental games?
In 1997 Netflix appears with innovative characteristics in its products and relative advantages like pay a monthly feed to receive mail-order DVD rentals in 2001 and some big companies that recuse to change the business statement to create a competitive offer closed (like Blockbuster). Nowadays you can watch Netflix streaming anywhere, on your phone, tablet, computer, without the internet.
Keeping ideas simple is the secret - Netflix example
Netflix took a simple concept and turned it into an even simpler one for the final users.
Innovation and creativity are in our soul, every day we can choose to do one thing differently than the usual and be creative in our own lives.
Last week we celebrated World Creativity and Innovation Day, so choose to be creative and innovate in everything you do.
Let's Change Lives through Innovation Together.
By Andreia Monteiro , Senior UX UI Consultant at InnoWave
Improving Healthcare’s efficiency and safety through IoT
Nowadays, considering the “new normal”, we’re definitely facing new challenges. Living a daily need to adapt to this new reality, where the adoption of IoT solutions has become essential, thus assuming a decisive role in several processes’ automation, throughout different areas of society.
Since the beginning of 2020, the world is struggling with a pandemic and our daily lives have not been the same. The operational limits of the health units are clearly under pressure, in some cases even near crash. The tasks are increasing every minute, in an ultra-demanding period in which the focus is saving lives and fighting against an invisible and lethal agent.
Generate Efficiency and Safety
Facing a pandemic state that so often is chaotic, it’s urgent for the common benefit, to optimize the operational processes, until then discreet or even manual, thus removing pressure from all human resources involved, freeing them out for other priority tasks, while generating efficiency and ensuring everyone's safety.
Access to real-time information on thousands of critical assets as well as state of the facilities and infrastructures of a hospital, offers us an essential holistic view, assuring high saving levels, considerable quality increases in processes, and a substantial improvement in the safety of Patients, Medical and Technical Staff.
Examples such as the real-time monitoring of the medicine's cold chain from transport to storage, the equipment status associated with the various laboratory processes, the environmental conditions and the differential pressure of the isolation rooms and cleanrooms, up to the realtime monitoring of the infrastructures for water, energy and medicinal gases supply , are clear and known use-cases where the adoption of IoT solutions developed specifically for those applications, are recognized as an important and decisive tool.
It is important to point out that, considering the pandemic context we are facing, the daily challenges of the equipment’ mobility and the need of an urgent re-qualification and fast conversion of spaces to receiving more patients, are additional reasons for the adoption of IoT solutions, as turnkey solutions that have already proven to be simple and quick to implement and, at the same time, maintain the level of compliance and reliability for the purpose for which they are intended.
Mobility and Real-Time Information
Mobility and real-time information are the corollary materialized in added value for the organizations that daily support their operation in IoT solutions such as ViGIE Healthcare IoT, where the collected data associated with artificial intelligence, provide Savings, Compliance, Safety and Efficiency.
IoT solutions thus assume, in such a difficult period for everyone, a decisive and recognized role, as an essential information vehicle and decision support tool.
by Paulo Neto , Pre Sales Manager at ViGIE by InnoWave
Second confinement: here we go again
2020 ended with renewed hope: the much-desired vaccine was approved. 2021 started promising with the news of the beginning of the vaccination process. We began to dream of returning to possible normality; being with friends, hugging our relatives again, enjoying the little things in life without fear.
Suddenly, cases grow up (more than 10,000 a day). The news is not encouraging, hospitals and healthcare professionals are at their limit. We start to see people close to us falling ill or passed away. We are haunted again by the same doubts and questions: will our economy survive? What about people's mental health? We do our math and realize that very challenging times await us. Here we are again.
The second confinement has arrived. Are we ready? We use the best weapons: books, courses, Netflix, slippers, hygienic tours. Without forgetting the greatest allies: mask and alcohol-gel. Welcome to the next level of Jumanji.
What are the main challenges for leaders?
We have already used up our creativity by inventing activities to keep our people motivated. We read articles, listen to motivational speeches. Unlike our grandparents, we have several tools (mostly free) that we could not live without: Teams, Zoom, Skype. We also have a huge number of ideas and online activities that we can work on as a team.
The crucial question remains: how to reach truly the people on the other side? How do we know they are present and involved?
We are fed up. That is the word - fed up. Tired of the little flexibility that confinement offers us. We feel that we live in repetition. Routines are healthy and offer structure, but little elasticity can make us claustrophobic.
How to innovate within four walls (even if you are lucky enough to have a garden)?
The person on the other side of the computer is not just a colleague. Much more than professionals, they are people like us. Parents, sons, husbands/wives. People with the same fears and weaknesses. The physical separation between home and work is no longer possible. The two live together in the same space and can sometimes collide. How many of us have that colleague who strives between meetings and taking care of the family? Or the one that is completely isolated, days and days, without talking to a person’s face to face. Which of the two has more courage? Different challenges require different types of courage. Let us not forget that we are distinct, but we share the same narrative.
If you are in a leadership position - do not try to do it alone. It is impossible. Do not try to be perfect and always have a super optimistic speech. Be honest and transparent with your team. Let them know that you also have the same weaknesses and that you need their strength and energy.
Tips & tricks
- Space and schedule
Basic rule: it is important to have the separation between workspace, meals and leisure. Respect borders.
Keep a schedule and respect it. One of the advantages of teleworking is flexibility but define the start and the end of your working day. It is possible that we do more hours because we feel that there are not many more interesting things to do afterward. But it is important to know how to “turn off the button”.
After work, do something you enjoy or just throw yourself on the couch and rest without feeling guilty.
Make it clear to your team that meetings and events are necessary, and everyone should be present. But give them the flexibility to set their own schedule. Trust them (they do not always need to have the Skype symbol in green to prove that they are doing their jobs).
- Team Building events
Each one is in his bubble. But we continue to work as a team. Most importantly, we remain a team. Creating activities is not enough. The key is to promote moments of sharing. It is possible to do it in a simple and natural way. After the first team sync of the day, invite them to turn on the cameras and drink coffee online. It is fifteen minutes before returning to work that allows you to breathe and gain energy to start the day.
We all have different knowledge and skills. Challenge each member to share it in sessions between 25-30 minutes (at lunch break, for example) with the rest of the team. It does not have to be a topic of the project. It may be something related to soft skills or personal interest. The goal is to bring something interesting and that people can apply daily.
Another interesting example could be the invitation to an online drink at the end of the day. Make it clear that it is not mandatory to attend, but that it would be a good opportunity to relax and connect. You do not need to have an agenda with a defined program or start asking questions in case of silence. Let it flow. Allow people to know each other and feel comfortable to talk about the most random topics. Promote an informal environment where jokes may arise. A joke at the right time can save the day. Good humor is as effective in stressful situations as alcohol-gel is for Covid.
It is important to feel that we belong and play an active role. As human beings, we need to feel that we are creating something together (project, product, team). Promote monthly brainstorming sessions in which the team participates proactively in improving processes, products and the team itself. Involve all members. Pull for their creativity and initiative. The simple task of preparing an organization chart (with fun photographs), with the description of each member (including personal interests) or a team calendar with vacations, birthdays and important project dates, promotes confidence and a sense of belonging.
Keywords: sharing and creating together.
Examples of team building and energizers activities:
https://museumhack.com/virtual-team-building-for-remote-teams/
https://teambuilding.com/blog/online-team-building-games
https://www.sessionlab.com/blog/online-energizers/
Example of a brainstorming tool:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/microsoft-whiteboard/9mspc6mp8fm4?activetab=pivot:overviewtab
Tip: if the team is more tired or unmotivated, you can start with an energizer in the morning. These can also be very useful if used as a break during very long meetings that require a lot of concentration.
- Peer review
It is a practice widely used in software development, but it can be applied in all areas, both technical and functional. In times of teleworking, this practice gains even more meaning as it promotes interaction and interdependence between colleagues. Encourages communication and constructive feedback, in addition to improving productivity and quality of deliveries.
- One on One
As important as the team relationship, is the one that each leader has individually. Invite him to a One on One session. Here the rule is: let him talk! Offer all the protagonist he deserves. Allow him to share what he is feeling about the project, team, but also how he feels personally and how you can help him. Even if you cannot offer an immediate solution or plan, being a good (and interested) listener makes all the difference.
There are no perfect tips or recipes. Each person is a person. Like most things, we learn from experience and mistakes. We are not going to wake up every day with extraordinary energy and a positive attitude that inspires the whole World. We live in uncertain and challenging times (it is almost as complicated to predict the duration of the confinement as planning a vacation in that dream place).
We will have ups and downs in our mood and concentration. Do not blame yourself, do not try to be a hero. We are not okay (and we will not be okay anytime soon). But we continue to walk. Life did not stop, it just changed. Respect your time and energy. Do not be afraid to stop if necessary. “The break is part of the song”.
By Catarina Rodrigues, Senior Business Analyst at InnoWave
Source : Dinheiro Vivo
IoT in Digital Transformation in Times of Pandemic
The current global scenario, caused by the pandemic, has confronted industries and companies with the need to accelerate their digital transformation plan, or even to completely reinvent the way they develop their business. Affected by successive periods of confinement, restrictions on operation and even by the closure of their facilities, they have to find alternative ways to maintain their activity, even in situations where human presence monitoring is not at all possible.
If, in the past, more efficient management of resources, processes or services was already a priority, then with the emergence of the pandemic and the economic difficulties that are expected from it, it has become even more crucial. The development of a strategic innovation plan, of investment in new technologies, which make companies more robust and resilient to possible new vacancies, is therefore at the top of the agenda. It is precisely digital transformation journey, and in particular in the adoption of IoT technologies, that many companies can be trained with a set of platforms, applications and systems, new methods and even new business models not only to face the pandemic but also to prepare for a post-pandemic market that is becoming more competitive and digital.
Industries whose characteristics are based on production, may rely on technological solutions such as Digital Twins, through the IoT, building digital models representative of their production processes, business flows, physical objects and even complex environments. Sensors allow you to collect data in a connected and integrated way, transmitting it to centralized platforms where they are aggregated and correlated. Actuators, which can be equipped with intelligence to carry out actions in an automated way, or which can be controlled remotely, perform operations on the ground without the need for human physical presence. Machine Learning and Analytics algorithm use data previously collected, processed and stored to build models that simulate scenarios which optimize the production process, predict possible failures before they occur and even allow to identify new perspectives on the same business. The key is on the correlation of production information with business indicators. This is the true added value from IoT.
Industries relying on distribution chains can also benefit from solutions such as Asset Tracking. Through sensors, these solutions can monitor in real-time the exact location of a certain good, monitor the conditions in which it is transported as well as to have a global view of the entire chain up to stock and inventory management.
A use case, where the relevance and criticality of these types of solutions are evident, is the vaccine distribution chain for Covid-19. During this process, the temperature in which vaccines must be maintained must be strictly controlled to guarantee quality and effectiveness. In addition to being critical to temperature monitoring and control, it is also vital to monitor whether the containers where they circulate, have enough energy to regulate it and act promptly if they do not. Platforms that aggregate different sources of information, allow a global view of the entire chain, efficient stock and inventory management, as well as a centralized and real-time view of the location of each container. In the case of millions of units and being as important and decisive, as this product is, without the IoT, everything would be more complex and time-consuming, with inevitable economic and quality losses, since this is a worldwide operation of high magnitude.
The set of cases and scenarios in which the IoT brings value goes beyond the optimization of production processes. With social distance and the avoidance of physical contact that this pandemic imposed, the way people buy has suffered a digital transformation. In addition to a huge increase in online commerce, smartphones and wearables equipped with contactless technology have become much more used to make payments without any kind of physical contact.
It is widely agreed that the pandemic has impacted and still impacts the way industries and companies operate. It is also a consensus that the way people live has abruptly changed the experience at the workplace and the way people interact with companies. This is a reality that is expected to last even after the pandemic is under control.
Whenever possible, remote work will be an option, and this will bring about the need for all company systems to be properly connected and remotely accessible in a secure manner. Even in situations where remote work is not feasible or when people gradually return to the workplace, the efficient use of facilities becomes relevant. Companies have to restructure the way people are willing and moving, to maximize social distance as much as possible. Again with IoT, it is possible to collect information on the use of common spaces, identify flows and patterns of displacement of people and with this information optimize the use of meeting rooms, dining areas, living areas, open spaces, among others. Monitoring air quality in these enclosed spaces has become crucial. Sensors arranged in the spaces can collect data that allow analyzing if they are being well ventilated. Machine Learning algorithms can predict in advance whether the maintenance of air conditioning systems should be triggered, such as changing air filters before they become saturated, in a preventive manner and without jeopardizing the health of employees.
In fact, in a few weeks, the pandemic forced companies to adapt at different levels, from the way they operate their business, to the way they manage their facilities and employees. I have the opinion that although light better days are coming (with the creation of the vaccine), the post-pandemic world will be significantly different from the old normal. The digital transformation and in particular the IoT was, is and will be a strong technological ally in this adaptation to the new world, with a very relevant role as an innovative and differentiating element, in what will be the most digital and competitive world that companies have ever known.
João Cruz, Head of Iot at InnoWave.
Source : Dinheiro Vivo
Portugal: Playing to Win or not to lose?
We are living a very important moment in our history, as it is probably one of the last opportunities to apply external investment to leap in terms of the country's development.
I would like to share my vision of some principles that I believe that should be followed, and they are often ignored.
We must have the ambition to be at the top, together with the best. If we try to be in the EU average, we will end at the bottom of the table.
We need to think globally but act specifically: each sector needs specific measures, and frequently the topics that are on the agenda are not relevant to the most competitive sectors with the most potential (eg, discussion about the minimum wage or labor protection issues). Instead of managing to win in the right sectors, we manage not to lose in the wrong sectors. We cannot lead to looking at the mirror and what has worked in the past. We must manage to look forward, investing on sectors that can give a better return regardless to investments that have already been made in the past. We cannot manage based on incentives, projects must have merit (without incentives).
I also want to share an opinion about one of the sectors that I believe to be fundamental to our future, the Technology and Information Systems sector. And no, I will not talk about lowering taxes - some factors have, actually, much more impact.
Firstly, the critical factor is the availability of talent. We must have more people entering technological or related areas, trained for the real needs of the labor market. We must have a short-term plan to double the number of vacancies in Polytechnics and Universities, and this must be a national goal, not a political battlefield. We must have a selective policy for fast and efficient Visa approval to import external talent. Portugal should be seen as a center of technological excellence. The world needs talent with quality, which it has, and with scale, which it does not have.
The ranking of students enrolled in Science, Mathematics and Informatics in the EU is in the 27th place, and is surprisingly led by Greece, but Finland, Ireland, Germany and Austria are also in the top places.
Portugal ranks in the 23rd place (data for 2018 / Pordata) .
We need a job market more flexible. We are in 2020, in a knowledge economy, and workers have almost total control of the work tools, and their knowledge does not need the central state to create meaningless rules for everything. Companies need agility and the ability to adapt quickly to their needs, and they have to work on a baseline of creative destruction: when it fails, it must fail fast, and when it goes well, it must be easy to accelerate fast. For this, it is necessary to have fewer rules and let the company-employee relationship work.
In the latest edition of the Global Competitiveness Report, from the World Economic Forum, and among 140 economies, Portugal was poorly placed in terms of flexibility in the job market, sub-ranking in this area 51 / general ranking 34, with some particularly bad indicators such as 121 in hiring and firing practices and 120 in internal mobility.
We must finish with unnecessary bureaucracy and lower context costs. We cannot want companies to export and then create obstacles when this happens. An example of this are the difficulties that are created in the return of VAT or the reports that are required by Banco de Portugal, obstacles created to penalize exactly who exports the most. Due to the state's lack of capacity to enforce rules for a prevaricating minority, we cannot create obstacles for all the others.
In the same study from the World Economic Forum mentioned above, Portugal is again very poorly placed in the indicator "weight of government regulation", being in 94th place.
I believe that we are living a unique moment, a moment to rethink measures and to manage specifically different strategic sectors. All political agents must understand and honor their place, leaving aside their ideological convictions and party disciplines, Portugal deserves much more and cannot wait longer!
Tiago Gonçalves, CEO at InnoWave
Source : Dinheiro Vivo
Cyber is hot!
We have Cyber Monday, cybersecurity month, and even Black Friday - that has become a major marketing and sales tool for cyber deals and cyber shopping.
But there are other cyber aspects that unless you are a cyber professional or a cyber geek, you will most likely not even heard of. Do you know what is an APT ?
And if we mention names such as Lazurus, Carbanak, Malsmoke, Magecart, Cerium, and many others., will you recognise them?
Well, an APT is an Advanced Persistent Threat Group.
Many APT groups receive direction and support from an established nation-state and try to steal data, disrupt operations, or destroy infrastructures. Major ATP groups are associated with China, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Russia, North Korea, and the USA.
Unlike most cyber criminals, APT attackers pursue their objectives over months or years. They adapt to cyber defences and frequently retarget the same victim.
The preferred sectors include government, defence, financial services, legal services, industrial, telecoms, consumer goods...Some groups use traditional espionage vectors, including social engineering, human intelligence, and infiltration to gain access to a physical location to enable network attacks. The purpose of these attacks is to install custom malicious software.
So, this is the organized crime side of cyber, not worried about a quick profit but focused on substantial gains, to finance and gather information to support many types of activities.
Cyber has changed our lives and routines, and organized crime is taking the lead by constantly adapting to fulfill their intents.
We as consumers, clients, businesses, and citizens need to know and become cyber smart!
Cold Chain COVID-19 Vaccines
More than that we ensure Online and Offline Monitoring
Online data with mobile access points installed at factory warehouses, distribution centers, and inside vehicles, allows 24/7 real-time monitoring of temperatures of the vaccine containers. The Sensors automatically transmits its data to the ViGIE Cloud platform whenever it is in range of the network, without any human intervention. Offline mode with automated data download is also available.
Our Solution highly accurate Cold Chain Monitoring
The temperature data loggers meet the most stringent class of the EU regulation for data loggers EN12830:2018 accuracy class 0.2. The measuring equipment also has been calibrated to assure very secure and reliable monitoring of the temperature-sensitive vaccines. A combination of the sensor with an external Pt100 probe provides records of ambient temperatures as well as the (ultralow) temperatures at the vaccines themselves, enabling you to calculate how long the container will stay inside the required limits in its current state.
It's simply disruptive
ViGIE by InnoWave Platform offers a single source of temperature records from production until consumption. Our user-friendly and sustainable online platform is validated and meets the regulatory requirements of FDA 21 CFR part 11.
For more information about ViGIE by InnoWave solutions get in touch.
Navigating the American Market
With the presidency of Donald Trump from 2016 to 2020, the United States of America is living a period of growing nationalism and isolationism.
With Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the recent presidential elections, the country’s internal policies are expected to undergo substantial changes that will bring about fluctuations to economic markets.
The expected political trend that lies ahead, provides for favorable conditions for job creation, investments in national industry, high technological development, and of course globalization and the introduction of players in the market.
According to Oxxford Information Technology, an information services company in Hagaman, New York, nearly two million American companies closed in 2020, mostly small businesses. This opens the door to a new wave of innovation and entrepreneurship since a market full of ideas needs companies to develop them.
The USA is one of the destinations most sought after by Portuguese companies with international growth strategies because of its large and thriving economy.
The strategic decision to invest in the US market should begin by considering the geographical location of where we want to invest. The USA is not one market, but 50 markets, each with its own rules. When choosing a location, you should look for a state that has favorable conditions for your business, namely taxes, rules, proximity to strategic customers, access to qualified labor, and business incentives. The size of the country requires frequent travel and therefore a location close to an airport with good domestic connections brings many advantages. At an early stage where there is no such thing as enough support, choose a location that minimizes the impact of timezone and distance with the parent company.
In addition to defining the location during the process of international business expansion, one should be aware that entering the US market requires a sizeable investment primarily due to the high cost of labor and services. It is important to manage expectations throughout the process since market penetration can be lengthy.
In the advent of a new administration there is some expectation that company expansions to the US will become easier however, it does not invalidate the need to keep these recommendations in mind.
It’s All about the people…
It is the people who make an organization, and in the process of expanding your business, it is crucial to put together a team of individuals that are fully aligned with the business growth strategy in the region and well-versed in the market offerings to be presented. A dynamic team staffed with local hires is fundamental in order to understand the US business culture, identify key industry players and enter into strategic relationships.
With the “reopening” of the American market to the world, a door is again open for international companies and talent.
An excellent ally for international expansion to the US is the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce supporting Portuguese companies through their local network and by organizing regular networking events.
The process of entering the US market is not easy, but with preparation, a dynamic team and focused market offerings, the probability of success increases significantly.
InnoWave, a technology services company based in Lisbon, began its expansion to the land of “Uncle Sam” in 2018, but has been developing solutions for North American customers from Portugal since 2012. On this journey, the company has faced difficulties and made mistakes that it has been able to overcome and use to learn and improve.
This article reflects the vision of a Portuguese professional who heads up the American subsidiary, closely following the reality show episodes taking place during President Trump’s time in office, hoping to provide some insight that will help those that are looking to embark on their “American dream”. The USA is and will continue to be the land of opportunities.
Marco Carreira, Managing Director of North America at InnoWave
Source : Dinheiro Vivo
Industry 4.0 : Project leads by Portuguese entities highlighted among Europe
The Zero Defects 4.0 project - which results from a consortium of six entities, including companies, universities, and research institutes - is nominated for the EIT Awards (European Institute of Innovation & Technology) 2020, in the Innovators category. The winners are announced on December 9th.
Maia, November 10, 2020 - The Zero Defects 4.0 project - which will allow, through advanced predictive analysis systems, to anticipate defects in the production of wood-based panels, reducing the waste of raw materials and the energy consumption associated with the processes -, is nominated for the EIT Awards (European Institute of Innovation & Technology) 2020, in the Innovators category, which recognizes the development of products and services with a significant impact for a sustainable future.
This nomination, which places it among the best European innovation projects, contributed to the fact that it is a cutting edge project in industry 4.0, applied to a sector typically perceived as traditional, and the fact that the results of the project are directly applied in a real industrial context.
Ana Machado Silva, Senior Project Manager at Sonae and project coordinator, explains: “The Zero Defects 4.0 collaborative project created a decision support system in the production of Sonae Arauco's wood-based panels. With this development, which incorporates cutting-edge artificial intelligence, it will be possible to predict the best combination of process parameters, which is expected to culminate in a reduction of defects, up to a level of zero defects. ” And she adds: “This nomination for the EIT award, in the Innovators category, is a recognition of the potential of this project in a European context of industrial innovation.”
By using data from the industrial process itself, Zero Defects 4.0 will not only reduce the incidence of non-compliance, increasing the quality of the panels produced but also achieve the highest possible efficiency, namely of resources, through the reduction of waste.
This collaborative and disruptive innovation in the industrial context is the result of the work of a consortium that combines the production experience and the industrial vision of Sonae Arauco with the research and data analysis capabilities applied to the industry at INESC TEC - Institute of Systems Engineering and Computers, Technology and Science, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto (FEUP) and Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation (LMS, University of Patras, Greece); with the experience in technology and innovation of InnoWave, a Portuguese technology-based company operating in several continents; and with Sonae's project management know-how.
Impact on business and the environment
The project now named will have a direct impact on reducing the waste of raw materials and the energy consumption associated with the processes. Currently, the non-conformities of wood-based panels, solutions for application in kitchens, furniture, floors, and interior decoration, lead to the waste of raw materials for the production of sub-optimal panels and constraints in the supply to increasingly demanding industrial customers.
The consortium estimates that Zero Defects 4.0 allows, in an initial phase of the project's start-up, a 10% reduction in quality non-conformities with a gradual increase, by automatic learning of the implemented models, until the final view of zero defects. In addition, the project will result in productivity gains, leveraged by a greater availability of the production line, resulting from the improvements generated by the data in the decision processes. “
The project started in January 2020 and will end later this year. As the validation is successful, now being implemented in the Sonae Arauco industrial unit in Oliveira do Hospital, the commercialization and implementation are scheduled for 2021.
Zero Defects 4.0, which involves an investment of more than € 500 thousand, is co-financed by EIT Manufacturing, one of the EIT's innovation communities, an entity created by the European Union that aims to foster technology and innovation initiatives in Europe.
Candidates will present and defend their projects on December 8th and the winners will be announced on the 9th of the same month.
About the EIT
What is the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)? The EIT reinforces Europe's innovation capacity, focusing on developing solutions to pressing global challenges and fostering entrepreneurial talent to promote sustainable growth and the creation of skilled jobs in Europe.
The EIT is a European Union body that forms an integral part of Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation. The Institute supports the development of pan-European partnerships (the so-called EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities), bringing together universities, research laboratories, and renowned companies.
EIT Manufacturing is one of eight EIT knowledge and innovation communities, the others being EIT Climate-KIC, EIT Digital, EIT Food, EIT Health, EIT InnoEnergy, EIT Raw Materials, and EIT Urban Mobility. EIT Manufacturing's main mission is to bring together European stakeholders, focused on factory production of innovation ecosystems that add unique value to European products, processes, and services and inspire the creation of globally competitive and sustainable factory production. EIT Manufacturing comprises more than 50 organizations (universities, research institutes, and companies), including, for example Volkswagen, Volvo, Darmstadt University of Technology, the French Commission for Alternative Energy and Atomic Energy (CEA), Siemens, the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Phillips, Procter & Gamble and Whirlpool Europe.
Discussing Cyber Security with Microsoft – InnoTalks Episode 2
Over time, the cybernetic element of crime infiltrates almost all areas of criminal activity and in all activities and geographies. These attacks are largely successful due to inadequate security measures or insufficient awareness of users.
In the last few months, effective cybersecurity took a huge leap from being important to being essential. The social effects of COVID 19 and the need imposed to many companies to send employees to work from home, with very little warning, demonstrate that many were not prepared or rushed to accomplish the seemingly impossible. Cybersecurity, so often overlooked, has become a priority. The old security perimeters are outdated with the new realities of mobility and teleworking.
In this second part of our InnoTalks Episode -Discussing Cybersecurity with Microsoft – we will deep dive into Microsoft's cybersecurity tools specifics.
We'll have an in-depth discussion of Azure Sentinel, Security Center, and the new Azure Defender, on how they can be integrated to provide a comprehensive security platform for both cloud and on-premises infrastructures.
We will also share some examples of specific attack types and how we can use these tools to both detect and mitigate them.
Stay tuned! Our New InnoTalks Episode is coming!
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Cybercrime is an evolution, not a revolution
This is how the recent report published by Europol describes the current scenario that evaluates organized crime in cyberspace in 2020 (IOCTA - Internet Organized Crime Threat Assessment).
Despite the trend that points to increasing sophistication of some criminals, most cyber attacks originate from social engineering, an evolution of the old "vicar's tale". Promises of lucrative investments, miraculous medicines, hot romances, payment complaints, or any other situation that may cause the user to react to an email, phone, SMS, or a message on social networks, are sources of daily attack.
Another example is ransomware, which is nothing more than holding hostage essential data as well as the computer systems that support most of the activity of any company.
Over time, the cybernetic element of crime infiltrates almost all areas of criminal activity and in all activities and geographies. These attacks are largely successful due to inadequate security measures or insufficient awareness of users.
All of these scenarios and ways of communicating are common and effective for obtaining information, accessing systems, and essentially significant profits.
Last week a well-known organized cybercrime group proudly published that its malware-related activity had earned $ 100 million in the last year and that it expected to reach $ 2 billion a year.
The global pandemic has enabled these cybercriminals to take advantage of our society when it is most fragile, both personally and in business.
The answer needs to be a revolution. Cybersecurity, so often overlooked, has become a priority. The old security perimeters are outdated with the new realities of mobility and teleworking. The focus has widened to such an extent that a small revolution needs to happen in each entity. People and organizations need to be alert and know how to deal with threats and companies need to look at their systems seriously and assertively. One-off measures, with questionable investments, proposed by inexperienced "professionals" are not enough.
It is necessary to understand the business, adequately assess weaknesses, and implement appropriate measures, both in terms of effectiveness and value.
Develop new applications and solutions thinking about security from the first step, and above all implement control mechanisms that allow raising awareness, limit, control, and alert access to critical information or systems.
The old strategies do not work, it is proven, the paradigm has to be changed. Zero trust, behavioral analysis, and artificial intelligence are some of the technologies that have to be leveraged to create types of defense, where identity is the perimeter and trust has to be won.
By Rui Carvalho, Head of Cyber Security at InnoWave
Source : Dinheiro Vivo - https://www.dinheirovivo.pt/opiniao/o-cibercrime-e-uma-evolucao-nao-uma-revolucao-12995301.html
Autonomy is Asynchronous
One of the most covered topics in recent months is how COVID pushed Remote Working as a Management trend. The comments on whether people should work in an office or from home are clearly an indicator that most of us are merely reacting to the current situation and not taking the opportunity to make a leap forward on how we perceive work and employment relations.
We should all be thinking about how we prepare our organizations for asynchronous work relations, which unlocks so much more productivity and autonomy, alongside the obvious benefits for ecosystems and general life in metropolitan areas.
Irrespective of all the articles, training and talks around purpose, autonomy and meaningful workplaces, we still prefer to have our teams available during working hours, if possible in the office. 9 to 5 is still king.
Future challenges in workforce planning in the IT sector will force companies to invest in distributive work relations, hiring talent anywhere and everywhere available, and giving individuals the opportunity to manage their energy in the best way possible to deliver results. This means, (truly) trust employees will do their best to perform and start focusing on delivery outputs instead of hours spent working in the office or at home. Although nothing of this is new, this represents huge challenges to management: from learning to let go to empowering people and to organize workflows in a more predictable way, including clear ethics around synchronism.
Trust doesn’t mean leaving employees on their one, without support. It actually means to empower them and give them the conditions and tools for them to thrive and be successful. It’s a long and hard road, but it pays off, in both satisfaction and productivity. Taking time to get to know people, coaching instead of micromanaging, setting clear expectations regarding delivery and communication, recognising mistakes as opportunities to learn, giving freedom to take smart risks and celebrate achievements, are all good tools to start nurturing meaningful and trustworthy relations. We have all seen it: When we trust and support people and teams, magic happens.
Nothing of this is new. But do we deliberately do it?
by Tiago Roxo, People & Culture Director at InnoWave
Darktrace and InnoWave Announce Cyber Security Partnership
Lisbon, September 29 – InnoWave has today announced a partnership with Darktrace, the world’s leading cyber AI company. This new partnership will empower InnoWave’s customers and community to detect and respond to in-progress attacks anywhere across their entire digital infrastructure with Darktrace’s cyber AI, including the Cloud, SaaS, corporate networks, IoT and industrial control systems.
Darktrace is reinventing enterprise security by taking a fundamentally different approach that leverages the principles of the human immune system to autonomously defend organizations from cyber-attacks, insider threats and AI warfare. As organizations reset the way they work, remote or decentralized work and digital transformation projects are shifting critical data from data centers to everywhere.
“From pure cloud environments to multi-cloud and SaaS applications, organisations are rapidly evolving their infrastructures to support a global remote workforce – but with this comes a significant change in cyber security,” commented Andrew Tsonchev, Director of Technology, Darktrace. “We are delighted about our collaboration with InnoWave to enable more forward-thinking organisations to defend against emerging threats across all critical parts of the digital business.”
"Our cyber security managed services gathered with our vast experience with the European market will allow us to be the master key to this partnership with Darktrace. Their self-learning AI solution and our expertise and managed service support, will guarantee a service of excellence to our clients , protecting them against threats to the cloud, email, IoT, networks and industrial systems” , says Tiago Gonçalves, InnoWave’s CEO.
About InnoWave
With 12 years of history and headquarters in Portugal, the InnoWave Group has become a global player of excellence, currently employing around 350 employees worldwide, with a solid presence in India, Europe and the Americas. InnoWave is today a reference in the creation of innovative solutions, which contributes to improving the quality of life of the world population.
About Darktrace
Darktrace is the world’s leading cyber AI company and the creator of Autonomous Response technology.
Its self-learning AI is modeled on the human immune system and used by over 3,500 organizations to protect against threats to the cloud, email, IoT, networks and industrial systems. This includes insider threat, industrial espionage, IoT compromises, zero-day malware, data loss, supply chain risk and long-term infrastructure vulnerabilities.
The company has over 1,200 employees, 44 offices and headquarters in San Francisco and Cambridge, UK. Every 3 seconds, Darktrace AI fights back against a cyber-threat, preventing it from causing damage.
InnoTalks : Discussing Cyber Security with Microsoft
Cyber security, over the last few years, became a popular subject and many companies came onboard on the new and exciting trend.
Many of these newcomers base their selling pitches on fear and the evidence of recent or significant cyber-attacks that damage reputation, image, and profits. The greatest the fear the better the possibility of landing lucrative projects, not always the most effective from a security point of view, but with well-defined objectives of visibility and profitability.
Although automated systems are a good complement to a proper security assessment, they are not capable of exploring vulnerabilities that may require lateral movement and privileged escalation techniques, among many others, that are often used by cybercriminals.
Cyber security is not about running a bunch of automated tests and plugging up the identified vulnerabilities. Cyber security, like most things in life, is about knowing what you are doing and applying available resources to the most effective mitigation and countermeasures on a regular or continuous base.
Cyber security is about people that can use the tools and understand the results and take the problem to the next level, the level where criminals operate. It is about understanding where the risk is, evaluating it and applying the proper measures to mitigate that risk, spending the necessary budget in the right places and the right amounts. Cyber security is also doing things right from the start, be it in software development or network infrastructure deployment.
This week we will be launching the first part of a two episodes podcast called "Discussing Cyber security with Microsoft". The first episode discusses some of cyber security basic concepts, like SOC, SIEM, SOAR, and why they're increasingly important in today's corporate environment. We'll then go through some of today's cyber security threats and why they're getting harder to stop. At the end of the podcast, Microsoft will share its vision and solutions to cyber security, focusing on governance, Azure Policy, Azure Defender and Sentinel.
For this podcast we will be counting with Gabriele Freitas as Moderator and Rui Carvalho, Pedro Amorim Sousa and Javier Soriano as speakers.
Gabriele Freitas, Innovation and Technology Leader at InnoWave, has a solid background of 10 years as a full-stack Software Developer/Solution Architect/Senior DevOps Engineer. Gabriele is responsible for overseeing the best patterns and practices during the Software Development lifecycle at all InnoWave solutions, with the clear goal to innovate, incorporating always emerging technologies and methodologies, and with a strong preference for all that is cloud.
Rui Carvalho is the head of the division and focuses largely on research and analysis. Rui has 25 years’ experience in team leading and management. He developed a career based on IT networks that quickly evolved into a specialized security and innovation manager. Rui has wide experience in several sectors, including telecommunications and banking, security of payment transactions and terminals, electronic fraud detection, investigation and prevention.
Pedro Sousa is a specialist in defense against cybersecurity threats. Pedro has more than 20 years of experience in engineering and cybersecurity. In 2015, after 15 years as a security engineer creating solutions in financial companies, he decided to focus entirely on cybersecurity, working with telecommunications and consulting companies to design and implement processes that detect, investigate and respond to cybersecurity threats and incidents.
Javier Soriano is a Senior Program Manager, Azure Sentinel at Microsoft. With 10 years of experience in enterprise software and hardware solutions, Javier has a successful background on customer facing and internal roles. He has worked in multiple IT areas, like Storage, Virtualization, Orchestration/Automation and Security. His current tole is Senior Program Manager within the Cloud + AI Security engineering team at Microsoft, helping customers and partners run their security operations on Azure.
In part 2 we'll deep dive into Microsoft's cyber security arsenal and how it helps address specific threats to a corporate environment.
Stay tuned!
InnoWave e EDP lançam app EDP ZERO para promover consciência ambiental e comportamentos sustentáveis
O Grupo Tecnológico InnoWave e a multinacional EDP juntaram-se para promover a consciência ambiental e comportamentos sustentáveis junto dos utilizadores EDP através da gamificação com o lançamento da app EDP ZERO.
Com o intuito de manter os clientes envolvidos através dos seus canais online, a EDP recorreu ao know-how da InnoWave, e através da gamificação tem como objetivo aumentar o envolvimento dos clientes, promovendo também a sua fidelidade.
A gamificação tem provado ser um poderoso agente motivador, permitindo que organizações e governos promovam comportamentos desejáveis nos seus funcionários e cidadãos, sendo as soluções InnoWave (InnGage, Citypoints e InnoPoints) um exemplo perfeito de como a gamificação está a promover mudança de comportamentos.
O principal objetivo desta parceria assenta no desenvolvimento de um motor de gamificação plug and play que fácil e rapidamente pudesse ser conectado aos canais online da EDP através da API InnoWave.
Com o motor de gamificação InnGage, a EDP poderá aumentar o envolvimento dos clientes motivando-os a acumular pontos, e consequentemente aumentando a interação e colaboração com o cliente.
A Solução InnoWave customizada para a EDP pretende que os utilizadores melhorem comportamentos em prol da descarbonização da sociedade podendo também fazer doações a instituições, participar em atividades coletivas e individuais, fazer parte de um ranking dos melhores utilizadores e no final possam ainda ganhar prémios ou beneficiar de experiências.
Sobre as Empresas
Com 12 anos de história e sede em Portugal, o Grupo InnoWave tornou-se um player global de excelência, empregando atualmente cerca de 350 colaboradores em todo o mundo, com uma sólida presença na Índia, Europa e Estados Unidos da América. A InnoWave é hoje uma referência na criação de soluções inovadoras, que contribuem para a melhoria da qualidade de vida da população mundial.
A multinacional EDP com mais de 40 anos de história, tem vindo a cimentar uma presença relevante no panorama energético mundial, com presença em 19 países, em 4 continentes. Conta com mais de 11.500 colaboradores e está presente em toda a cadeia de valor da eletricidade e na atividade de comercialização de gás. A EDP é a quarta produtora de energia eólica do mundo sendo quase 66% da energia que produz renovável.
InnoWave and EDP together promoting consciousness and sustainable behaviours through Gamification
The technological InnoWave Group and the multinational EDP joined to promote consciousness and sustainable behaviours within EDP users.
EDP wants to keep their clients engaged using their online channels, and the key to increasing clients engagement was through gamification. With this gamification platform, they are now able to promote loyalty and increase the usage of their Online Channels.
Gamification has proved to be a powerful motivator allowing organizations and governments to promote desirable behaviours in their employees and citizens, and InnoWave solutions ( InnGage, Citypoints and InnoPoints) are a perfect example of how Gamification is changing behaviours.
The main purpose of this partnership was to develop a plug & play gamification engine that can be easily and quickly connected to EDP online channels through our InnoWave’s API.
By motivating customers to collect points, it is possible to increase customer interaction and collaboration. Also, by promoting and recognizing participation in good actions, behaviours can be changed.
InnoWave’s Solution customized to EDP allows the users to give donations to institutions, participate in collective (activities with registration) and individual activities, be part of a ranking of the best users, and win raffles to exchange for prizes
About the companies
With 12 years of history and headquarters in Portugal, the InnoWave Group has become a global player of excellence, currently employing around 350 employees worldwide, with a solid presence in India, Europe and the Americas. InnoWave is today a reference in the creation of innovative solutions, which contribute to improving the quality of life of the world population
With more than 40 years of history, the multinational has cemented a relevant presence in the global energy panorama, with a presence in 19 countries, on 4 continents. The group EDP has more than 11,500 employees and is present in the entire electricity value chain and the gas commercialization activity. EDP is the fourth-largest producer of wind energy in the world with almost 66% of the energy it produces renewable.
Time to think about [Indoor] Air Quality
Everybody has heard about air quality and how it is clearly important to our health. However, do we know what it is and what it is measuring?
The COVID pandemic has changed our perception of public areas, especially indoor spaces. Given the importance of Indoor Air Quality we invited three experts to help everyone to better understand this topic in our InnoTalks Episode 2.
Kamlesh Pohekar, Co-Founder and Principal Architect of VEVRA, is an architect and urban designer in India. In his career so far he gained extensive and diversified experience in a wide range of projects. He is keen on making the use of latest knowledge to make building designs sustainable in long run. With 15 plus years of experience in field of architecture and urban design Kamlesh will help us to understand how the design & construction of a building has a direct correlation to indoor air quality.
Professor Doctor Filipe Caseiro Alves is a Portuguese Hospital Director and Radiologist, with more than 30 years of experience. Dr Alves will be sharing with us his daily precautions regarding the air quality inside the hospitals and how it affects the doctors and patients’ daily routines.
Finally, our in-house expert is Helder Fernandes, the Head of Product of ViGIE, an IoT company by InnoWave. Helder will explain the direct benefits of monitoring indoor air quality and how IoT sensors are changing people’s lives.
Let’s start by defining what is Air Quality and what are we measuring?
According to Helder Fernandes, it is critical that we measure the CO2 level, the temperature, relative humidity and the air renovation. Those are key factors that determine the quality of the air we are breathing.
Air quality is always of general concern, but since the COVID pandemic, people are more aware about its’ importance. Most of the population spends much of their time indoors, where rarely the parameters of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) are within the desirable levels.
With growing environmental concerns, technology has evolved in order to improve our living and working spaces.
The Green building concept emerges from this constant concern of having healthy facilities while reducing the negative impact in our planet. Natural light, air renovation have a direct influence on occupant’s health while energetic efficiency is crucial to sustainability.
The importance of having a sustainable construction with well isolated rooms applies to both public and private buildings.
When we talk about occupant’s health, for example, in hospitals, there are several critical variables that we must control. Improving the air quality in a room full of sick patients, can make a massive difference in the recovery process.
Another example is in schools, where poor air quality levels have a negative impact on students productivity and attention levels.
In Episode 2 of InnoTalks our guests explain the importance of air quality ,the real impact in our daily lives and what can we do to increase the quality of the air we breathe.
Stay tuned!
by Andreia Mitreiro, Marketing and Communication Coordinator at InnoWave
VEVRA and ViGIE together in the fight against COVID -19 in India
The Indian construction company VEVRA has joined forces with ViGIE, a specialist Healthcare IoT company of the InnoWave Group, to jointly fight the pandemic.
The VEVRA Pods project will help the Indian Health Sector address the lack of appropriate facilities to receive patients infected with COVID-19, which has a major impact on Indian hospitals. The project, which consists of a set of mobile isolation capsules has the aim of increasing capacity to treat infected patients while reducingthe strain on other hospital services.
VEVRA has IoT solutions at the heart of its operation, meaning synergies with ViGIE by InnoWave was a logical and clear solution to this crisis. The partnership will equip VEVRA Pods to be able to constantly monitor temperature, humidity, CO2, Ultraviolet Light, Differential Pressure (to keep the air inside the Pods to avoid contamination of adjacent areas) and air quality.
The ViGIE+ platform is used for collecting and visualising data from different sensors installed inside, and provide real-time alarms if environmental conditions change. This solution can be quickly & easily deployed in remote areas that are not easily accessible to hospital staff ,as well as outside of the main hospital buildings to avoid any risk of the virus spreading.
“The pods can be annexed to an existing hospital to avoid cross-contamination, as they have Presence of the Negative air pressure with HEPA filters. All variants of VEVRA pods allow natural light to enter. This helps in uplifting the mood of the patients and promotes faster recovery and their general well-being. Equipped with RO water purifier and a provision for oxygen supply, VEVRA Pods are a unique product that we are sure will make the difference fighting the pandemic", says Mahesh Krishnachari , VEVRA’s Director.
For ViGIE, “this project is highly linked to our mission as a company – to change people's lives through innovation. We are specialized in IoT monitoring systems in Europe and USA, and we are eager to embrace this project and expand in other regions, as we are already cooperating with US companies to supply ViGIE” explained Helder Fernandes, Head of Product at ViGIE by InnoWave.
About the companies
With 12 years of history and headquarters in Portugal, the InnoWave Group has become a global player of excellence, currently employing around 350 employees worldwide, with a solid presence in India. InnoWave is today a reference in the creation of innovative solutions, which contribute to improving the quality of life of the world population.
VEVRA is an Architecture, Engineering, and Construction firm based out of Bangalore. VEVRA has a team of 40 expectation Architects & Engineers and 100+ Construction team. The group is handling more than 50+ large/medium scale industrial and commercial projects across India.
Sem Filas, the app that helped more than 100.000 Portuguese people save time and stay safe
In April, at the beginning of Pandemic in Portugal, the Sem Filas app was launched to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, by reducing unnecessary exposure to other people in the street.
Developed by InnoWave, Sem Filas app allows anyone to see in real-time the waiting time in the queues of establishments in their vicinity. Based on community participation, the app assumes the involvement of its users through the sharing of information about the time they have been in a queue when going to an establishment, thus being able to inform the community and avoid clusters and unnecessary exposure.
This project had the support of several partners, including the Government, Altice, A-to-be, Arrow Electronics, CTT and Banco CTT, SIBS (with integration in MBWAY), Microsoft, Cascais Municipal Council and the companies of the InnoWave group, ViGIE and yubuy. All worked together to enhance the use of this app and improve the service provided to the population.
Altogether, Sem Filas had an impact on more than 100.000 Portuguese, helping them to decide the best time and place to go when shopping. Those same 100.000 Portuguese contributed and used the app in more than 25 thousand integrated stores.
Beyond stores and chemists, Sem Filas also helped to facilitate the beach season, having integrated 600 beaches with occupancy information.
With the return to the “new normal”, queues have reduced, the rules for the occupation of spaces changed and with these changes, the criticality reduced and use of the app reduced.
Consequently, it will no longer be available from July 31st.
This is a solution that comes under the motto of Changing Lives Through Innovation: at a time when the world needed to readjust InnoWave acted proactively together with partners, to respond to an urgent need.
With 12 years of history, and headquarters in Portugal, the InnoWave Group has become a global player of excellence, employing around 350 employees worldwide. InnoWave is today a reference in the creation of innovative solutions, which contribute to improving the quality of life of the world population.
Testing in Today's Telcos
Every news article you read in current times will tell you that the world has changed. What you once considered normal, is now not normal. Instead we must consider the "new normal".
Perhaps if a second wave of the virus is on its way - we are likely to have to adjust even further.
For now, with the help of some friends in the industry, we would like to consider what this "new normal" means to the Telco sector and testing more specifically.
It may not be an exaggeration, however logical research shows that the recovery of the global economy rests on the Telco ecosystem and how it assists in that recovery. After all, whether its essential services through to working from home or anything really that we need to stabilize the economy – connectivity and bandwidth will be key!
According to our very own telco expert Shailesh Gambhir, "one of the biggest challenges that lockdown would have brought, is traffic over networks shifting from business districts to residential districts with random spikes in peak times and massive increases in residential usage. How do Telco’s test for this level of stress?"
Not to mention an environment that was already ever changing. For a while now, content has been consumed across devices, across the home and at varying times – which meant testing how this would impact your broadband customers was already a huge challenge.
According to Dean Clark who is a highly experienced Test Manager in the telco space from the likes of Sky, Virgin Media and YouView – "this is massive positive if providers use it to understand how they would cope with the shift in usage and consider varied test environments. The stress put on networks will give them a good indication of what development and improvements are needed."
"With more people working from home, user trials for the product environment will become far more accurate as your typical household have varied set ups." Dean feels this is an area of testing that will take on a bigger role in terms of improving and developing new features/products.
Priyanka Sogani previously a senior automation manager at Sky looks back at how we would have coped with such challenges in the past – "Let us think if this crisis had happened some 10 years ago. Broadband speed in an average home was no better than 2MBps. We didn't have platforms like Zoom, Google Meet and MS teams. Our smartphones were nowhere near as powerful. Do I remember correctly that we had 2.5G back then? I can't even imagine how we would have survived a strict lockdown without online grocery orders, Zoom calls with family, online schooling, high quality Netflix streaming and our dear Alexa playing our favourite calming music!"
And what about tomorrow?
What is going to be important to consider in a world of Quad-Play, 5G, IoT and not only the connected home, but the connected world?
We asked this question to Dean and his response was…"The main question I want answered is, will there be a need for additional home networks with 5G ever increasing data plans which will only become more cost effective in time."
Priyanka added – "The telco industry has come very far in the last 10 years and this crisis will only accelerate the speed at which we develop and test new products. So, buckle up!"
Plenty to think about and this is only a snapshot. Soon we will share the full podcast on Testing in today’s Telco to listen to all of us discuss these and other topics in more detail. As Priyanka said – ‘buckle up!’ indeed!
Going Serverless - Achieve more, faster
How many of you had the painful need to navigate into the depths of hell ( called legacy solutions)?
You know, those solutions where you say "if it works, don’t mess with it", but then again, you actually need to go there and add some new features demanded by your costumer.
A few months ago, I had the pleasure to lead an engineering team with the purpose of doing pretty much that: messing up with a legacy cloud solution, which by the way serves around 2 million users on a daily-basis. This was not our first time messing up with a behemoth particularly like this one, as this is something that we as software engineers need to do occasionally, and let’s face it: It comes with the job. Only this time, it was quite different, it was sort of fun. Why? Because serverless.
Picture this
Your legacy solution is some sort of puzzle, all taped up, some missing pieces here and there (your dog/cat/iguana/Roomba ate some of them), but to your wonder, you can actually see that beautiful image of a swiss alps landscape, because you sort of finished the puzzle… only now, let’s say you want to turn that landscape into something even bigger, more shiny, with some clouds above those beautiful mountains.
What do you do? Do you tear the puzzle apart and start all over again? Or do you build around it? (this one was clearly rhetorical)
The fact is, we had a PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) cloud solution composed by several monoliths, Web APIs and some SQL databases. But we did not want to touch those, as they served as the complex core solution. Our approach consisted on adding new features to the core solution by creating new FaaS (Function-as-a-Service) components on the side, and around it. Why FaaS? Because its faster, cheaper, and very easy to maintain. No infrastructure headaches, no networking complexities around it, out-of-the-box IP whitelisting, as well as things advanced features such as easy CORS (Cross-Origin resource sharing) configuration, among many other cool features.
At the end of the day, we did not have those cold-sweat nightmares when needing to mess with the legacy solution, because that’s what FaaS offers to you: A quick way to create solutions, or to build around them, very oriented to small features that can be taken care off by these tiny components made for you to play with. Its freedom. It’s beautiful. And it’s here to stay.
Bottom line
Every single one of us IT professionals should start including their cloud computing strategy, considering FaaS/Serverless whenever possible. The advantages are tremendous.
Finally, it is important to not make the usual mistake of using something nice as this for every single problem you may find: FaaS makes sense a lot of times, but it won’t make sense or fit the bill for every challenge out there. Be wise, and above all, have fun (and thank the cloud providers who made this a reality for us!)
A more in-depth analysis about Serverless can be found in the following article by Gartner: https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/the-cios-guide-to-serverless-computing/
By Gabriele Freitas, Innovation Technology Manager at InnoWave
Why is productivity such a Big Deal?
Years ago, the expectations regarding delivery from an employee were very different from what we are experiencing now. If 20 years ago it was expected that in 1 day an employee delivered X now it is expected the delivery of X+Y. The work environment is getting more and more complex with many challenges that the previous working generations didn’t experience. Customers demand higher quality in a shorter period of time. Change happens at a faster pace than ever and we need to be constantly adapting to new realities. Probably we can blame technological evolution for causing these challenges but we also can use technology to help us solve them.
Now, we are facing a time where we had to adapt to new working conditions. A few months ago we started working from home and we needed to rapidly adapt to this change. While we have learned that we can produce high quality work, remotely, we also had to learn how to adjust our communication to almost exclusive virtual ways.
Studies say that the way we respond to complex situations depend on how we see them, as challenges or as threats. The different response will be determinate by our evaluation of the resources we have. A person who evaluates himself/herself as having the resources to respond to the situation will see it as something to overcome – a challenge -, otherwise someone that doesn’t do the same evaluation will see the situation as something to be afraid of - a threat.
This leaves me with the question: Are there any resources we can absorb to enhance our response to productivity demands?
We all know that planning is important for time management and achieving goals, and achieving goals with success is what we all want!
So, to make it easier, use a tool that will allow you to organize your agenda. Plan your day by defining the results you want to achieve, this way you don’t have to be constantly thinking about what you need to do, you can have all that systematize in one place to remind you of tasks to accomplish, meetings or other appointments, deadlines, or other important information. This is very useful to help clear your mind of things you will need to do and are continuously popping up in your mind – and they will be, because they are important and you don’t want to forget about them – and to allow you to be present and focused on what you are doing at the moment.
We really should do a good time management and a perfect way to do it is by making time for ourselves. If you overbook your calendar you will have less energy to spend on your daily responsibilities. Remember we need to take care of ourselves first in order to be productive in what we do. A simple way to guarantee that you can recharge energy is by taking some breaks during the working day and also by promoting a healthy work-life balance! Your off-working hours are really for you to rest and engage in other activity outside work.
We have talked about prioritizing and there are two things that you can ask yourself to check if you are doing it. One is: “What are you doing that you don’t need to do?”. If you are spending most of your time in things that you don’t really need to do, because they are not relevant, they don’t add value or don’t have an impact on what you need to deliver, then you are not using your time effectively. The other is: “What are you doing that others could do?”. Delegate! Simple, right? If you are involved in tasks that other people could be doing, analyse if it would not be beneficial to delegate those tasks. By doing it you will be training people, giving them new skills/knowledge and giving yourself time to focus on more demanding responsibilities.
Another way to make time is by automate processes/tasks by using technological resources. We have plenty of different systems these days that help us in our daily work. Look into your tasks and see if there are any tasks you do in a manually and/or repeatedly way that you could simplify and automate. Systems automation tends to help us saving time but also saving costs and reducing errors.
Last but not least, I just want to tell you to innovate. Think outside the box, do different things and think about how to solve problems in a creative way. Don’t limit yourself on how things have been done in the past, invest on searching new ways of doing things and question old habits.
I started this article talking about adaptation to complex situations while being productive; well I believe that innovation might actually be the answer to it.
By Melissa Nogueira, People & Culture Lead Consultant
Cybersecurity - a question of Trust and Skills
Cybersecurity, over the last few years, became a popular subject and many companies came on board of the new and exciting trend.
Many of these newcomers base their selling pitches on fear and the evidence of recent or significant cyber-attacks that damage reputation, image, and profits. The greatest the fear the better the possibility of landing lucrative projects, not always the most effective from a security point of view, but with well-defined objectives of visibility and profitability.
Like in any other field, there are good companies out there and others that sell themselves as cyber experts but all they do is run automated tests, that produce automated reports and identify generalized corrections. This one size fits all approach may seem adequate to some, but to real experts, they are far from effective.
Although automated systems are a good complement to a proper security assessment, they are not capable of exploring vulnerabilities that may require lateral movement and privileged escalation techniques, among many others, that are often used by cybercriminals.
Cybersecurity is not about running a bunch of automated tests and plugging up the identified vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity, like most things in life, is about knowing what you are doing and applying available resources to the most effective mitigation and countermeasures on a regular or continuous base.
Cybersecurity is about people that can use the tools and understand the results and take the problem to the next level, the level where criminals operate. It is about understanding where the risk is, evaluating it and applying the proper measures to mitigate that risk, spending the necessary budget in the right places and the right amounts. Cybersecurity is also doing things right from the start, be it in software development or network infrastructure deployment.
How many times have we come across companies that spend huge budgets on cybersecurity and claim to have good defenses but still have sensitive data on sale on the web? How many companies claim to be protected simply because the spent huge budgets of tools and equipment, but do not have the experts to understand the results and provide continuous improvements?
In the last few months, effective cybersecurity took a huge leap from being important to being essential. The social effects of COVID 19 and the need imposed to many companies to send employees to work from home, with very little warning, demonstrate that many were not prepared or rushed to accomplish the seemingly impossible.
Remote work became a reality in a very short period and infrastructures were prepared in a rush to deal with the needs and demands of a new reality.
Now, more than ever, good solid security skills are essential. Please make security a priority and evaluate carefully to whom you trust your company’s security, your business may depend on it.
By Rui Carvalho - Head of Cybersecurity at InnoWave
Unquestionable truth – The new normal post COVID
Sometimes, while innovating without a specific challenge as guide, I use a strategy that tends to be very powerful and produce very good results.
I write down on a whiteboard, 5 absolute and indubitable truths on a specific topic and then I write the opposite to find challenges that can be overcome.
Here are some examples:
Truth 1 - A good brainstorm is when we put everybody in the same room and start sharing and building on top of ideas;
Truth 2 - A smart office aims to enable facilities management teams to optimize consumption and the use of available space;
Truth 3 -Remote work is a good way to, from times to times, break the work routine of employees;
Truth 4 - When an employee gets sick, he stays at home;
Truth 5 - Team meetings and collaboration events are paramount for company culture and spirit.
Now would be the time to challenge this truths, COVID-19 did this for us 3 months ago, a pandemic event that was able to change this a so many other unshakable truths. Only innovation can deal with this.
Life will get back to normal, a new normal for sure, but a normal that will need new rules, new processes, new tools and new ways to work, engage with others and live.
The New Normal
Transforming the 5 items in new concepts, focused on what should be the new normal at work is my advice to companies to prepare for:
The new 1 – Use platforms state-of-the Art to enable innovation processes (it’s not only a good video call platform);
The new 2 – Transform smart offices from dashboards to be used by facility management teams into smart apps that can be used by all employees to retrieve information about usage and availability;
The new 3 – Enable platforms for tasks and collaboration management capable to support teams in multiple locations and environments;
The new 4 – Create or use contact tracing solutions in order to, in case of infection, track and inform all employees that had contact to check health conditions;
The new 5 – Use communication and digital and remote engagement to improve and disseminate culture through all employees. A company without a strong culture, is a company without a future.
All tough times in history had a huge impact on disrupting humankind skills and behaviors, we will get stronger as humans and as companies from this pandemic event too.
by Pedro Pinto, Head of Corporate Innovation
How to keep your mental balance away from a burnout
For more than 60 days we have been experiencing life as never before. Social distancing raises several issues that we should be aware of, and it is far too easy to blur the boundaries of work-life balance while working from home.
It’s likely you’ve heard of burnout – and you may have experienced it. Caused by chronic work stress, symptoms include emotional exhaustion, lack of energy, and loss of satisfaction with work. Burnout has been linked to a wide range of physical conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and muscle pain.
Work stress impacts our hormonal, metabolic, immune, and cardiovascular systems. If these bodily responses are triggered too frequently, or for too long, they fail to return to normal and may alter our body’s immune and inflammation responses. These changes may eventually cause other physical conditions.
Avoiding burnout entails recovering well from work, rather than focusing on being more productive or better at the work itself.
There are recommended ways to effectively tackle burnout:
• Rationalise your expectations. Know that while working from home it is difficult to produce the same quality and quantity as while in the office.
• Take short breaks. Include activities like meditation, reading, or cooking that don’t feel like chores.
• Adopt 30-minute recovery blocks, focusing on calming activities, especially after you log off for the day.
• Choose video chatting with friends and working out over watching TV shows.
The main message is for you to focus on defining routines that help you to separate your work time from your relaxation time, and above all keep loyal to your calendar. Otherwise, you will cross the boundaries all too easily.
Find time or space for yourself where you don’t engage in work-related or stressful activities. Work-life balance is about managing our time in a way that we keep feeling energetic and enthusiastic to face another day at work. Recovering from exhaustion can take place both during the workday (internal recovery) and outside of work (external recovery).
It’s about giving ourselves relief from stress by using short periods of time during work to reduce our body’s stress responses. This can include taking short breaks, doing breathing exercises, or switching tasks when you’re feeling mentally or physically exhausted. When you have a few minutes spare at work between tasks or meetings, relax rather than checking your emails and experiencing new stressors.
After work, dedicate time to the activities you enjoy. These might include watching TV, reading, or socialising (yes, we can still socialise virtually in self-isolation) – as long as these activities don’t encourage you to think (and stress) more about work.
Try something new, like a new hobby. Something that will challenge you in a different area from the one you are daily working.
The key to have a good work-life balance while working from home is choosing activities based on how they make you feel.
By Andreia Mitreiro , Marketing & Communication Coordinator
Chatbots - Next Generation, Uploaded
Chatbots are not new. We know about them and we are using them at least since the 90’s. And they are using us. Whether dialing for a service and being guided to a mysterious flow of numbers … press 2 for English, press 9 for French… or playing with a Tamagotchi or a Furby, machines early on started to have the capacity – mostly in very simple but smart way – to interact with users. The algorithms behind the conversation module usually followed a simple sequence: One action from the user and one reaction from the chatbot.
Let me explain my comment “they are using us”. At least two national elections were widely reported to have been influenced by chatbots via social media through the spread of news, articles, mentions, likes, comments, movements. The process behind it was the creation of multiple Facebook accounts (just to give a Social Network example) then using chatbots to post, reply and like to influence the sub-conscious and conscious minds of millions of people with a distorted or totally wrong vision of reality. During the election’s day, we were the bots on the queue to vote.
Nowadays, most of the chatbots that we commonly innteract with, can identify the intentions and key words from what we say (voice or text) and, based on that, can react, answer and perform actions. Relentlessly, 24×7 and in massively parallel mode. It’s hard to compete with that, I know.
Artificial Intelligence is having a huge impact on the evolution of chatbots and is playing the most relevant part in the transformation from IVR and Tamagotchi to smart chatbots capable to support you in multiple ways and channels. This is becoming even more exciting (or scary), with deep learning, computer vision, emotion API, multi-language translation and cognitive search. The next generation of chatbots, can understand you, see you, recognize the quality of the conversation being held, identify changes in your mood or your reactions as accurately as your mom. Finally, with that information in mind (memory), a chatbot can react. Or even better, can act.
Is this a threat? Like a hammer or nuclear power, the bigger risk is on how it is being used and the purpose behind.
This is the time before the new times (after COVID-19) and digital transformation is now in hypersonic mode. The next generation of chatbots, now being uploaded, can help us to decrease human interaction when not needed, can multiply to the infinite (virtually) the capacity to support and attend everybody, and can perform automated decisions based on a much bigger and clear reality perception.
Now, let’s get back to work. I am recruiting for a position to host our guests at the office reception. Our candidate can speak 5 different languages, has an outstanding memory and sensibility, and can be very kind and proficient. Her name is M.a.r.i.a.
by Pedro Pinto, Head of Corporate Innovation
ViGIE Solutions by InnoWave helps protecting important cultural assets
ViGIE Solutions by InnoWave took another step in the implementation of integrated solutions for continuous monitoring, developing an innovative project with the portuguese Navy Cultural Commission.
The project consists of the implementation of monitoring devices in three cultural units: Maritime Museum, the Central Maritime Library and the Calouste Gulbenkian Planetarium. This implementation is already guaranteeing the control of environmental conditions in closed spaces of these cultural places, monitoring indicators such as temperature and humidity. The main goal is to protect the important collection of works of art, which are unique pieces that require extremely strict preservation techniques.
The importance of monitoring
The tool developed by ViGIE Solutions for the Navy Cultural Commission includes sensors that transmit the monitored data in real time to a server, which automatically stores the information, making it available on an online platform and mobile app that can be accessed by the users anytime and anywhere.
The solution guarantees all monitoring and control needs by automatically collecting data from sensors and generating alerts (by email, message and app) if changes in parameters are recorded. In addition, different reports on the performance of facilities and equipment are generated.
The monitoring of spaces and equipment plays an extremely relevant role in ensuring the quality of cultural assets and is based on an important premise: the growing importance of data monitoring using Internet of Things (IoT) tools.
In today's reality, what cannot be measured, cannot be managed, resulting in inefficiency. Hence, traceability is one of the key factors resulting from monitoring. The real-time information provided by analysis tools, equipped with intelligent alarm and reporting, are nowadays essential for organizations that want to be efficient. The enormous added value of managing an organization, based on real information, which not only shows us the present but also gives us predictability of the future, is an enormous asset.
ViGIE: tailor-made IoT solutions specialist
ViGIE Solutions – Facilities and Equipment Surveillance and Management – is a company dedicated to the development of integrated continuous monitoring solutions, as well as facilities maintenance management.
The solutions are designed to be flexible, easy friendly and completely customizable. ViGIE main business areas are Healthcare, Pharmaceutical Production, Food Safety and Energy Monitoring.
With a 10-year know-how and more than 250 customers in countries such as Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom and Italy, ViGIE has a strong presence especially in the health area, with customers such as NHS (UK), Fundação Champalimaud, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário do Porto, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário Lisboa Norte and Hospital La Paz (Madrid).
Monitoring various indicators, the company's solutions have a wide range of practical applications, from Environmental Conditions in several areas up to applications in reproductive medicine, laboratories, blood storage, incubators, surgery and cleanrooms or pharmaceutical coldchain monitoring in Healthcare.
Sem Filas, the app that helps you to avoid unnecessary street exposure
In order to help in the global fight against Coronavirus and assist people who are self-isolating, InnoWave has developed an app called “Sem Filas".
Sem Filas allows you to know in real-time, the waiting time in the queues of local markets nearby. This app will enable you to avoid clusters and unnecessary exposure, by providing crowdsourced information. Users of the app share the information and help their community.
The main purpose is to reach as much people as possible helping them to keep safe and reduce the time of exposition.
This project has the support of the Government, Altice, Microsoft, SIBs, A to be, Arrow Electronics, Banco CTT and InnoWave group companies Vigie and yubuy.
Start helping now, and share the time you spend in a queue to the supermarket at http://www.semfilas.pt
UK lockdown an InnoWaver's perspective
It was a Monday, we were already working from home in the midst of a global pandemic. It seemed worse in other countries.
Here in the UK we were still moving around freely. Life had only been slightly adjusted.
However, that evening on the 23rd March, we went from slight adjustment to an unprecedented lockdown. The likes of which the UK had never seen before. Boris Johnson addressed the nation and told us we were in a state of ‘lockdown’
Week 1 as a UK InnoWaver in lockdown:
We had something to talk about. Everyone was living the same surreal life and whoever you were we had ‘common ground’. We have scheduled a daily team call every morning, it isn’t mandatory, and we do not have to speak about work. It’s just good to catch up. We set up drinks and a chat via Teams on a Friday. We were keeping it as normal as normal could be. Almost every client call began with the same subject. For some clients it led to jokes about how they will survive lockdown with their families. Away from work social distancing led to more socialising then ever. I spoke to members of my family on Zoom and Teams, people who had never heard of these tools pre lockdown. I spoke to my postman out of the window – just because it was another human being to interact with (of course, whilst observing proper distancing)
Week 2 as a UK InnoWaver in lockdown:
The reality of the situation begins to set in at this point. And you have to work a little harder than you did in week 1. Week 1 was like an extended period of working from home. Now its obvious this is going to last for a long time. It is time to shift your mind to this being the new normal. The situation outside is getting worse and the reality of companies falling into difficult times is setting in. Now is the time we really focus on who we say we are. Innovators and a company who want to change lives. So, we have embraced that in the UK. We have been in touch with our local community in the form of the shared office space we occupy. Just to say we are here to help and support. We are innovating our approach to succeed every day. We went from shock to positivity and defiance that this will not beat us.
We are talking and strategizing more than ever, and actually lockdown in separate locations has brought us together even more.
We still have morning catch ups; we still have our Friday drinks. I still had my weekend family quiz night (this was never a thing before!) Oh, and I finally did some gardening at the weekend!
Week 3 in lockdown has begun and we are ready for you!
Validair strengthens position through partnership with Vigie by InnoWave
Validair Monitoring Solutions reports a step-change in its support infrastructure for ViGIE monitoring solutions thanks to the recent acquisition by global digital transformation business InnoWave.
The progressive new owner of ViGIE is investing in the company’s pioneering cloud hosting platform and is set to deliver a renewed focus on the healthcare sector.
Under its new owner, ViGIE will accelerate a development programme for its acclaimed range of IoT sensors and devices that transmit real-time data to the ViGIE cloud platform. The cloud hosting model transforms remote monitoring and critical control across multiple parameters and locations. Refinements to the ViGIE platform and enhanced product ranges are supported by applications expertise and service delivery worldwide. In the UK, that supply and support will be delivered by Validair.
"We have been supplying and installing ViGIE systems across the UK for over four years," explains Validair MD Steve Wake. "We are delighted with the new organisational structure and confident that a renewed focus on the ViGIE platform and product portfolio by InnoWave will significantly strengthen the business."
Wake and his team at Validair expect InnoWave to transform ViGIE’s intelligent digital infrastructure. That, aligned with the fact that cloud-based digital service solutions for remote monitoring are being rapidly embraced countrywide, puts the Malvern-based company in the ideal position to contribute substantially to ViGIE’s growth.
"It fits remarkably well with our expanding expertise and resource base in monitoring technology and cleanrooms for the healthcare sector," says Wake. "We already have visibility of several exciting ViGIE developments, and we are looking forward to rolling out enhanced product solutions and innovative features to existing and new Validair customers," he adds.
Source : CleanRoom Technology
How to Setup Your Home Office
With the actual global health crisis, companies are increasingly requesting employees to work from home to isolate them from potentially catching or spreading COVID-19.
Working from home can be good but also a challenge. The idea of working from home in our pyjamas all day, taking lots of breaks… well given the current economic situation, it’s best to stay focused, productive, and always connected. Here are some tips to help you work effectively from home.
Choose your Workspace
If you already have a dedicated office space in your house, perfect but given how quickly the situation has unfolded, you may be rushing to find somewhere to set up your workspace.
First you will need a clear surface to your computer and other needed materials.
There must be plenty of leg room, and your thighs should not be squashed against the underside. Try your kitchen or dining table for example.
Make the space work for you. If it’s too bright for your computer screen, close the curtains. If you have distracting noise at home, you could use noise-cancelling headphones. Air-condition the room to regulate a comfortable temperature if necessary.
Use the right tech tools
Stay connected and in the loop by using chat and video conferencing programs such as Microsoft Teams, Skype or Facetime.
Video conferences can, unintentionally, be illuminating to workmates and clients when they are suddenly exposed to your home. Check out what is in the background if you are on a call. If it’s messy, or there are too many personal items visible, tidy up. Also be aware that microphones can pick up sounds such as dogs barking, so try to take calls in a quiet place.
It’s important to try and dress professionally while at home, especially if you are video conferencing with clients.
Make sure you are looking straight at the camera, not down to it or you will find yourself depressed at the shape and size of your chin.
Try to minimise the number of programs that use the internet while video conferencing, as this can result in a poor connection and irregular video, which is frustrating for everyone involved.
Pay attention to your ergonomics
Feeling great promotes motivation and efficiency, so if you are comfortable, you will get through your work more effectively.
When selecting a chair, you should pick one that enables you to sit and work at the right height.
Don’t be tempted to buy a multi-adjustable chair, cheap or expensive, just because it is labelled ‘ergonomic’. What matters is whether your set-up fits you, enabling comfortable, well-supported posture.
Your lower back should be well supported, your shoulders level, and your feet supported without under-thigh pressure.
Respect the Workspace
To ensure you have a supportive work environment, you’ll need to have a serious family discussion about respecting the workspace and your work goals both while you’re working and away from your desk.
- Establish work hours where everyone knows that you need quiet, uninterrupted time to focus.
- Create signs that can be put up to signal when you’re working and can’t be disturbed, when absolute quiet is needed and when you’re taking a break.
- Set up ground rules for issues that should be brought to your attention immediately and what will have to wait until you’re done with work.
When the lines between work and home are blurred quality time with the family can suffer, even if you see them more. Multitasking isn’t the solution, because then both work and family time aren’t given your full attention. Create a home office that allows you to be as productive as possible at your job so fewer hours are spent working.
Keep up your physical and mental health
Working from home can be lonely, but you don’t need to be isolated from your colleagues. They are going through the same thing, so keep up the good mood and keep it fun.
Give yourself a well-deserved break at each hour. Stretch, do a few push-ups, pet the dog/cat/bunny and drink water. It will refresh your mind and help you feel motivated.
Because People is What Matters the Most
As you know during the last days the Corona Virus was characterized as Pandemic. We believe that it is important to keep everyone updated on important information.
Our first priority is to ensure protection of our employees, consequently last Wednesday we took the decision to put the vast majority of our employees working from home. InnoWave has all the conditions (laptops, access to collaboration tools, mobile phone) to work remotely and we are strongly advising our people to stay at home and avoid public spaces, especially crowded areas. We have stopped all non-essential business travel, being that only in very exceptional cases travelling will be allowed.
We would like to thank our customers for the support and collaboration during this phase, this is a challenging situation but jointly we will overcome it. We will take important lessons for the future on the way we work and things we value, this is also an opportunity to learn!
We are also working with our partners and authorities to use our skills and technology in order to help populations staying safe, we have that responsibility as a company.#stayathome
InnoWave tackles cybersecurity with dedicated unit
InnoWave has decided to reinforce its commitment to digital security by creating a special unit dedicated strictly to cybersecurity, thus strengthening a department that already existed in the company. This essential unit complements InnoWave’s portfolio and is now part of the group’s integrated solutions to meet the needs of our many customers.
This launch comes at a time when technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G – innovations that make everything more connected (cars, houses, offices, appliances, sensors, etc.) – also bring new cyber risks.
In line with our mission, InnoWave’s focus is to help organizations worldwide to derive significant business value by using the IoT as a strategic part of their business, offering a unique opportunity to deliver innovative services using information from millions of connected devices.
True security lies in anticipation
A more technologically intensive business is also more exposed to attacks and other cyber risks. This does not mean that these risks cannot be identified and readily mitigated. For this to happen, companies must be prepared with predictive and transversal security policies and procedures that significantly reduce the associated risks; hence, the creation by InnoWave of a unit dedicated to cybersecurity.
The operating method of this new unit is to carry out a case-by-case risk analysis, based on the business objectives and risk of each company. In fact, this is a key differentiating factor of this new unit: its business-oriented focus, with a focus on Security as a Partner..
This essential risk assessment is intended to give a company an image of its current state of cyber resilience from which measures can be taken to reduce risks. Once the main risks are identified, permanent monitoring of the cybersecurity unit continuously searches for potential new threats.
True security lies in anticipation. While cyber risks are known, a company’s response to cybersecurity issues often happens at the worst moment: in the middle of an attack. In addition to the immediate costs resulting from a security breach, the long-term impact may be irreparable. Cyber risk, a complex and constantly evolving threat, is not static, and neither is the best way to combat it.
The new InnoWave cybersecurity team
InnoWave's new cybersecurity unit, whose motto is ‘Security as a partner’, is led by three specialists, each with his own area of competence.
Rui Carvalho is the head of the division and focuses largely on research and analysis. Rui has 25 years’ experience in team leading and management. He developed a career based on IT networks that quickly evolved into a specialized security and innovation manager. Rui has wide experience in several sectors, including telecommunications and banking, security of payment transactions and terminals, electronic fraud detection, investigation and prevention.
Pedro Sousa is a specialist in defence against cybersecurity threats. Pedro has more than 20 years of experience in engineering and cybersecurity. In 2015, after 15 years as a security engineer creating solutions in financial companies, he decided to focus entirely on cybersecurity, working with telecommunications and consulting companies to design and implement processes that detect, investigate and respond to cybersecurity threats and incidents.
Diogo Ferreira is the offensive specialist; he is dedicated to studying different threats to cybersecurity, testing the ever-changing forms of attack and discovering the vulnerabilities of current systems. Diogo started his career as a software engineer, where he participated in security-related projects like the design and implementation of a secure authentication schema for public systems. Working as a pen tester for a couple of years, he later became the lead pen tester in a multinational company.
InnoWave announces the renewal of CMMI-DEV Certification
Portuguese technology company reinforces commitment to improving product development.
InnoWave reaches maturity in the management of its processes - Capability Maturity Model Integration – Development (CMMI-DEV) certification
InnoWave, a Portuguese technology leader in the development of innovation and digital transformation solutions, announces the renewal of its Capability Maturity Model Integration – Development (CMMI-DEV) certification, a model that assesses the level of maturity of a company's processes with the aim of guiding it towards the best development of its products.
‘With the growth of our activity in the international markets, especially in the United States, a market that is expected to hold 50% of the total business in the coming years, we recognize the importance of this certification as a way to differentiate ourselves from the other players through the international recognition of our organizational maturity’, says Tiago Gonçalves, CEO of InnoWave.
He adds, ‘The CMMI-DEV model allows the company to adopt the best process management practices, which not only facilitate the pursuit of strategic business objectives, guarantee customer satisfaction and reinforce our commitment to innovation, but also guide us to improve the quality of products and reduce their cost and production time’.
The technology is currently classified as CMMI-DEV level 3. According to the CMMI Institute, the organization responsible for this certification process, this level of maturity indicates that the company has a well-defined process pattern that allows it to effectively guide the development of its products.
A few words about InnoWave:
With 12 years of existence and headquarters in Portugal, InnoWave has become a global player adhering to high standards of excellence, with around 350 employees worldwide, being around 80% in Portugal. With offices in Portugal, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United States of America and India, it has more than 100 global customers in more than 20 countries around the globe, from New Zealand to Iceland. InnoWave has set benchmark today in creating innovative, life-changing solutions.
InnoWave recognized as one of the best companies to work for in Portugal
InnoWave has been recognized as one of the best companies to work for in Portugal, in a ranking put together by EXAME magazine, Everis consulting firm and AESE Business School. This eight-time distinction is a celebration of our resolve in nurturing national talent and boosting teams through training.
Innovation, empowerment and creativity. These are the building blocks of InnoWave’s DNA that allow us to pursue, every day, our mission of changing lives through innovation.
1Changing lives in your neighbourhood, your city and across the world, but starting right here, in our core, at InnoWave’s workplace. Success is always a plural narrative and the innovative DNA of our company empowers our teams to excel and develop disruptive technologies.
This distinction of being a top employer shows that we are in the right track regarding our team strategy and workplace environment. Since the founding of our company, 11 years ago, in Lisbon, we knew that innovation doesn’t appear out of thin air. It is an output of hard work and highly talented people. Our growth as a tech leader attests that innovating at home is the first step towards successful products and solutions in the market.
From company lunches to the world (bringing innovation to the world stage)
Being recognised, year after year, as one of the best companies to work for sparks a frequent question: how did you do it and how can I replicate it in my own company? Unfortunately, there is no right and scalable formula to workplace wellbeing and teams’ motivation. Each company has their own path to follow to achieve excellence. At InnoWave, we match our DNA to our company’s culture in order to foster creativity and entice disruptive innovation.
Brainstorming, for instance, is one of our most common practices. If you visit our offices, you will probably see us engaging in passionate talks about our projects and concepts. Exchange of ideas at lunchtime and informal meetings are frequent and empower us to go further.
Our gamification platform InnGage is a great example of how a suggestion in one informal meeting was developed as a product. The same happened with our meeting room management and marking system that is now widely used outside InnoWave’s offices.
The innovation circle – from informal brainstorming to product development and go-to-market – is the front stage of internal processes focused on our team’s empowerment and capacity building. Training has always been a very strong bet (with a tracked history of almost 4000 hours of training), but it is becoming even more crucial, as new and more ambitious challenges arise for InnoWave.
Showcasing Portuguese talent
Earlier this year, InnoWave has presented a new internal reorganization and a new three-axis development strategy (2019-2022): strengthening the presence in the United States, continuing the acquisitions strategy and expanding the product area to 25% of all revenues. In terms of global results, InnoWave goal is to achieve a six-fold growth in four years.
Team preparation is critical to our strategy and to successfully meet our business goals. Therefore, in addition to the usual technical training, we are now investing in an offer more focused on business and sales.
Besides Portugal and US, InnoWave’s innovative solutions are now present in the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands and India. It is our global technological footprint that allows us to showcase Portuguese talent and skills. More than just acquiring international clients, we are exporting Portuguese technology and highlighting the incomparable skills and creativity of our people. Today, InnoWave sells 65% of its cross-border solutions and our perspective is that, over the next year, that percentage will rise to 80% thanks to the expected growth in the US market.
With a workforce of 335 exceptional people, we have no doubts that our future will continue to be innovative and bright. More than being pleased for the recognition as a top Portuguese employee, we are proud of our people, their talents and their urge to innovate every day. Our role is simple: to provide the best workplace conditions for them to thrive.
The wave of innovation that makes the future happen now
Apps that give prizes for good behavior, computer controlled pigs' environment , pizza bought through television. It could be science fiction, but it's the reality of InnoWave, created to change our lives.
A computer-controlled production of pigs 300 km away. A chip that lets you know the status of a batch of gas bottles or beer kegs. Robots who understand the current language and are able to perceive the humour of their human interlocutor and act according to their state of mind to solve real-life issues (InnTeract). Boxes that interact with who has the command in hand, either to order a pizza or to do get an insurance. It is not science fiction in a futuristic setting described by someone with a fertile imagination. It is the present, here simplified, for InnoWave.
Born from equal doses of Tiago Mendes Gonçalves' creative spirit, talent, and inventiveness, the company he founded, a decade ago, has the business and purpose underlined in the slogan "Change Lives through Innovation". Like that, its slogan in English, as if this house wasn't facing the outside - only six months after opening doors, and already with reference work done for the Belgacom, in Brussels, where it debuted despite being based in Lisbon, the company won the first contract on Portuguese soil.
Today, the business extends to customers in 18 countries. In Brazil, for example, the IoT area has been hired by an airline traffic signalling company to install control sensors on the lamps at the top of buildings to ensure they are working - a production of 20,000 per month, controlled from the office, which reports periodically and warns if there are problems. For Ambev, they made a pilot with 500 devices that control the state of beer barrels and report anomalies over wi-fi (if there were falls, temperature changes, improper openings, etc.). The solution, created in the Netherlands, is already being exported to Belgium and China.
Following a guiding line to become a leader in innovation and digital transformation, InnoWave has more than doubled its results in the last three years, exceeding the 17 million euro billing threshold - 65% obtained outside Portugal. What, moreover, has been in the DNA of the company since its foundation, in the midst of the international financial crisis. "The export of services and sophisticated software solutions to mature and competitive markets, with the dimension in which they want to play, has always been a priority" for Tiago Mendes Gonçalves. "The dream of creating a technological multinational based in Portugal is now a reality because from the first moment we have exported more than we sell here."
Building the future is an assumed ambition and the company has been able to take relevant steps along this path, according to the entrepreneur, in the quiet and blunt tone that we have learned to associate with the creator. Whoever listen to him explaining every gadget or software product that leaves the headquarters of José Malhoa to the world, almost believes that it is a simple thing. The truth is that the world that has been building here and in the other five countries where InnoWave already has offices - the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United States of America and the United Arab Emirates - have a direct link to their mentor's head. A reality now imagined, thought out, developed and fulfilled by the team that Tiago has been building in his image, and that already has 350 people.
Talent and motivation
This identity, the spirit of belonging, is a trait that is considered fundamental to the success of the company, being, therefore, essential maintaining the interaction between teams from different geographies. "It is essential, given our geographical expansion, to make sure that everyone breathes DNA, so we promote exchanges, visits and sharing between different offices."
Graduated in Electronic and Systems Engineering in the Técnico, with an MBA in Nova and a postgraduate degree in the Catholic in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Tiago Mendes Gonçalves married with 20 years and has three children. Already close to the 50, it maintains the strong creative vein that has fed, since young, his all type inventions. While permanently looking for new challenges, it recognises, however, that today its role is more for management. And this function does not displease him, especially as far as talent is concerned.
What makes InnoWave concrete? In a simple way, it identifies needs before problems arise, imagine and make solutions that make life easier reality and solve the challenges that your clients present to you. Behind the scenes, where the work is done and perfected, there is talent bubbling between programs of artificial intelligence, machine learning, Iot, technology and digital innovation. The result is a line of solutions such as YuBuy, a television commercial platform already presents in Nos, Meo and Vodafone that allows you to shop using only the four arrows and the OK of the box command. With up to 30 associated stores, this solution allows you to safely and seated on the sofa from home, buy pet food to insurance or researching models, simulating and marking test drives from Kia to Porsche. Using geolocation, the connection to the nearest store is assured for deliveries and payment made in integration with the credit card or MBWay. Revenues are tripartite between the store, the operator and YuBuy - and the deal is far from secondary. "Last year we sold more than a million pizzas, which makes our store the largest in the country in sales." And this is just the tip of the iceberg for software with incredible potential - and for which InnoWave already is testing new applications, particularly in the area of interactive advertising.
For every challenge, a solution
"A lot of what we have built here is born from the challenges that are being introduced by client companies," explains the entrepreneur. This is the case of a solution currently being tested in some convenience stores that allow the customer to pick up the products they need, pay and leave without going to the cashier - through a 360 ° barcode reading system, the sum is made in real time, as you add products to the basket and pay through MBWay or a similar system. A solution that can also be used to measure stocks in the warehouse or know when items need to be replenished in the exhibitors, for example. This is also the case with InnLink workspace optimisation solutions through a room booking and headcount program to better leverage common spaces and meetings. Or an x-ray system that detects and signals anomalies, based on a process optimised by machine learning, created by a team of UTAD veterinarians.
It was also in the offices of InnoWave that a real-life kind of FarmVille was born, developed and continually improved to allow remote control of all the factors and variants of a farm and to maximise production with maximum comfort and well-being for animals. Everything is measured and data analysed in distance, from room temperature to humidity, from opening windows to food, from health to animal growth, weighing all factors and learning and correcting for the best results. The project developed for pig production even led to a change of slogan: "The motto, 'changing people's lives through innovation' was outdated because we were also improving lives for animals."
All solutions have remarkable technological development levels, but for the InnoWave team that is not the most relevant part. "What matters is to create good solutions, to be challenged; we are always on the lookout for "tummy aches". That's what makes sense: working where you can bring change to improve people's lives. "One of the best examples of this is the app created in partnership with the Cascais Chamber of Commerce, distinguished among 400 nominees from 180 countries at the World Summit Awards. Part of the company's gamification business, InnGage, CityPoints Cascais awards good behaviour from the people of Cascais, awarding them points for actions that involve them in improving the municipality (such as voting in the Participatory Budget, volunteering or using public transportation); points that translate into entries in museums and events, books, cafes, etc.
The solution has been replicated in other environments to create team engagement and encourage good examples.
In any area, InnoWave has a well-designed goal: to continue to lead in all areas, from artificial intelligence to mobility, to automation to the IoT. And for Tiago Mendes Gonçalves there are no closed doors or limits to creativity to make the future happen already.
Article by Dinheiro Vivo
InnoWave recognized as 2019 Microsoft Country Partner of the Year for Portugal
Lisbon, June 6, 2019 — InnoWave today proudly announced it has won the 2019 Microsoft Country Partner of the Year Award for Portugal.The company was honored among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology.
Tiago Gonçalves, CEO da InnoWave, said: “Awards were presented in several categories, with winners chosen from a set of more than 2,900 entrants from 115 countries worldwide. InnoWave was recognized for providing outstanding solutions and services, as well as representing excellent subsidiary engagement in Portugal”.
The Microsoft Country Partner of the Year Awards honor partners at the country level that have demonstrated business excellence in delivering Microsoft solutions to multiple customers over the past year. This award recognizes InnoWave as succeeding in effective engagement with its local Microsoft office while showcasing innovation and business impact, driving customer satisfaction, and winning new customers.
“We are honored to recognize InnoWave of Portugal as a Microsoft Country Partner of the Year,” said Gavriella Schuster, corporate vice president, One Commercial Partner, Microsoft Corp. “InnoWave has distinguished itself as an exemplary partner, demonstrating remarkable expertise and innovation to help customers achieve more.”
The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered exceptional Microsoft-based solutions over the past year.
Blockchain: building trust in the digital world
We have become quite familiar with the term "currency of the future" in the world of technology, finance and business. However, its meaning varies according to the context. Some people use the term "currency of the future" to talk about electronic transactions. Others refer to trust as the most valuable currency of the digital era. But one thing seems certain: Blockchain technology will be at its core (and operating behind the scenes).
The history of this technology comes together with the one of Bitcoin, since Blockchain emerges exactly as a technological platform for the functioning of this (and other) crypto-coins. However, its potential goes way further. Blockchain is considered a true paradigm shift, also impacting the offline world. Following the trend, 61% of global digital giants are already investing in this technology.
The impact and attractiveness of Blockchain lies precisely in the way it is developed: its technology code combines the best of the Internet (eliminating distance, digital connections and peer-to-peer relationships) with encryption security. And so the expectation is that Blockchain will revolutionise the way transactions are done around the world (money, assets or even confidential information), overcoming the crisis of confidence of the digital age.
In order to clearly understand what may change in your company - and in your private life - with this new technological paradigm, it is crucial to go to the heart of the question: How does Blockchain work? And why is it revolutionising electronic transactions and trust?
What is Blockchain and how does it work?
Also called "trust protocol", Blockchain is a decentralised technology that is based on a simple premise: once registered in the network, any transaction can no longer be modified or manipulated (ensuring data integrity). It is therefore a breath of fresh air in an era of fake news, where digital information is always viewed with suspicion, because it can be easily tampered with.
At its core, Blockchain is a digital ledger, a sort of virtual transaction logging system (such as a book of cash receipts and withdrawals kept by an accountant). These transactions can be money movements (as in the case of crypto-coins), but also of goods (allowing to trace the origin of a product along a supply chain) or information (with potential, for example, to serve as a basis for a digital identity system that dispenses physical documents). Each network user has access to an individual and identical copy of the transactions.
Blockchain's code has been developed in such a way that registered transactions can be made directly among network users in a peer-to-peer model (no need for intermediaries to verify transactions). This is because any attempt to change the information already accepted and stored in Blockchain is immediately noticeable by all users of a Blockchain.
In a simple way, Blockchain needs three essential elements to work:
- Information Blocks - where transaction data are collected, recorded and organised (once a transaction has been validated in the "virtual transaction book", it can never be erased or tampered with);
- Blockchain members (peers, who may or may not be anonymous) - these are the users who add new data (transactions) to the network, through the consensus of all other peers (decentralised verification of information);
- Blockchains - as each block of information is entered into the network, it "occupies" its place in a sequential chain (marked with a unique timestamp). Any attempt to modify the information of a block already registered causes incompatibilities along the entire chain of blocks following - easily detectable.
Cryptography and security: overcoming the crisis of confidence of the digital age
We are witnessing a crisis of global trust. The digital age has brought unprecedented mistrust regarding online information and the security of our data, but spills out of the network, with negative consequences for the business world as well.
The transparency and security with which Blockchain transactions are handled help to remove fears of information vulnerability in the digital world - by boosting confidence and by reconfiguring the way transactions are viewed by the various parties. Cross-block security in the Blockchain chain is based on cryptography and algorithms: each block of information receives a unique combination of random characters. In chaining, encryption of a new block is always part of the combination of the previous block, ensuring a secure connection of the chain.
Any transaction in Blockchain, whether between private parties (eg a ticket sale), between organisations (selling products between an industrial producer and a supermarket chain, for example) or within government (sensitive taxpayer information access to digital public services, for example) is built on a basis of transparency, security, peer-to-peer verification, traceability, immutability and confidentiality of information.
A disruptive change in business
Blockchain presents concrete advantages over other more conventional technologies:
- Enables faster transactions;
- Less cost (eliminates the need for an intermediary);
- Less risk of fraud, cyber-attacks;
- Greater transparency;
- Increased confidence.
This is a clear business opportunity that goes way beyond Bitcoin: it allows companies to revolutionise the way they transact information, how they track goods, and how they manage digital identities. All this with greater confidence in business, public administration and the people around us. The potential exists and is demonstrated in many applications, it remains to know how technology will develop and meet expectations.
To prepare for the realisation of this potential, there is now a race to invest in this area. Fintech's industry has concentrated many of these investments, but it is not the only one. According to the Deloitte Global Blockchain Survey 2018, 25% of Blockchain executives work effectively in financial services, while another 18% are in the technology / telecommunications / media sector, while 14% are linked to consumer goods and industry.
Overall, 64 percent of these leaders say their companies will invest more than $ 1 million in Blockchain (with 16 percent planning to invest more than $ 10 million). These are important numbers that illustrate the appeal of this technology. The Global Blockchain Survey also reflects Blockchain's importance in digital trust. 84% of respondents believe that a Blockchain-based solution is safer than systems built by conventional technologies.
In what areas can Blockchain be applied?
The application of Blockchain extends to different sectors, covering all areas where transactions of goods or information are necessary. For instance:
- Industry (eg real-time tracking of goods and auctions for supply contracts);
- Retail (eg purchase of tickets and digital rewards);
- Insurance (eg, complaints management and fraud detection);
- Banking and financial markets (eg global payments and trade finance);
- Government (eg digital ID, land registry or social benefits tracking);
- Health (eg personalised medicine, drug tracking).
InnoWave and Blockchain
In line with our mission, InnoWave is constantly focused on new products and technologies that bring value to businesses and leverage their digital transformation. We see Blockchain as a technology capable of changing the business paradigm by reconfiguring trust in digital media. For this vision to become more and more a reality, we work closely with partners like Microsoft to develop business opportunities in the Blockchain area.
Products like the Azure Blockchain Workplace (which simplify the adoption of this technology in companies from networks and infrastructures already created) can be key contributions for the technological value of Blockchain to be embraced by more entities.
For now, the technology is still taking its first steps, and it will be necessary to develop greater transaction capacity for Blockchain to become truly attractive. At the same time, it will also be necessary to make progress in its legal regulation. All this will be done in time, with the dizzying pace that the digital age has already accustomed us.
We believe that, in a few years and in retrospect, these years of development of Blockchain technology will be looked at with another recognition. The same recognition with which we look, for example, at the time when Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, in a garage in Silicon Valley, believed that the personal computer was going to change the world and laid the foundations of Apple.
Today, we are seeing, from the stateroom, the initial stages of a new era in technological trust and in transactions between individuals and organisations. Companies that first embrace Blockchain will benefit from a competitive and disruptive advantage in their business, with more transparent relationships with their customers. And above all, with confidence.
Adam Eld promoted to Northern Europe Sales Director at InnoWave
Lisbon, 1st March, 2019
Aligned with InnoWave’s new geographic market segmentation - Southern Europe, Northern Europe, the Americas, Middle-East and Africa - We are thrilled to announce the promotion of Adam Eld from UK Managing Director to Northern Europe Sales Director.
Nik Crowley, Regional Director said, “We’re thrilled to announce the appointment of Adam Eld to the position of Sales Director – Northern Europe. As we align to our new corporate strategy, we want to drive dynamic growth across the Northern Region. With the proven capability of our current UK Managing Director, Adam Eld, we believe that with his promotion, we have the right person to expand our brand and grow both our revenue and market share”
During his three years with InnoWave, Adam has ran our UK subsidiary and controlled sales, marketing, operations, commercial strategy and account management.
Tiago Gonçalves, InnoWave’s CEO added, “We hired Adam three years ago to lead our operation in the UK, being fully responsible for our local presence. In this short period of time Adam has built the UK into InnoWave’s leading international office in terms of revenue growth, profitability, sales operations and customer presence. Adam embodies our strategy of selling solutions that change lives through innovation and this promotion marks a very natural progression of his career within InnoWave”
As the Northern Europe Sales Director, Adam will now be more focussed on leading a team of business development managers across the UK and other key countries in the Northern territory – namely Belgium and the Netherlands, where we have offices already established. Adam is also building a regional Sales Enablement team as an extension to our Group Marketing Function in Lisbon to bring a number of new initiates by way of demand generation and marketing efforts to the Northern Region.
Adam added, “I’m delighted to be the new Sales Director for Northern Europe and I am looking forward to the challenge of further developing InnoWave’s European presence. We have some very exciting times ahead and with some of the best technical delivery teams in Portugal at our disposal, I am confident that we will work together to open up new opportunities and to fulfil our huge potential.”
Please feel free to contact InnoWave for more information,
InnoWave
InnoWave at Building the Future by Microsoft
Digital transformation disrupts sectors and organisations all over the world, as technology and business are progressively integrating a common road. The movement is real, and it is here to change the world. But how can the Portuguese business sector prepare itself to shape a successful digital future? The answer was at the heart of Building the Future, a major tech event powered by Microsoft where InnoWave was present.
The Microsoft event brought to Lisbon (29-30 January) the main stakeholders from the business and tech scenes: companies, startups, incubators, investors, researchers and students. Over 100 speakers and 60 sessions filled the agenda during the two-day event, with themes ranging from Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing to Security.
The stage was shared by worldwide leaders and tech innovators who are creating new possibilities for businesses within the digital transformation, like Gerd Leonhard (The Futures Agency), Jim Stolze (Singularity University) and Rohit Bhargava (Georgetown University). Building the Future is integrated in Microsoft’s national initiative Ativar Portugal (Activate Portugal).
Shaping a successful digital story for Portugal
The purpose of the event was clear: to empower national players in activating the country and help building a more competitive Portuguese business future. Thus, a perfect arena to showcase InnoWave vision, in which technology improves lives and societies.
Being part of Building the Future allowed us to emphasise technological trends and products. We were able to present our innovative solutions – InnGage, InnLink and yubuy – at the event’s intelligent area. Moreover, it was a valuable occasion to address Applications built in Blockchain, the main theme of a presentation held by InnoWave’s CTO Pedro Pinto and our Head of Technology Gabriele Freitas.
From a strategic point of view, our attendance was an exceptional opportunity to network with the most relevant Portuguese players, as well as an acknowledgment of our value in shaping the Portuguese digital transformation. The presence of InnoWave in Building the Future was clearly aligned with our new strategy for the next four years: to LEAD.
Artificial Intelligence in our daily lives (part II)
We started this conversation talking about how artificial intelligence is actually already part of our daily lives, and we don’t even notice it most of the time! One of the most perfect examples is the way smarthomes are bringing it closer to us, especially in the case of virtual assistants like Siri, Cortana, Google Assistant and Alexa.
AI is actually here to help us, but for that to work, we must see it as a way to make our daily routines more practical, productive and functional. Let's look at some more examples where we’re already using artificial intelligence in our daily lives.S
Smart Cars, drones, social media and streaming services
One of the best examples of AI technology is how much smart car and drone manufacturers are investing in the business and the progress that this has been made in this arena.
Today there are companies like Tesla using fully automatic cars, but there also so many examples of semi-automatic and intelligent cars that we could build a whole fleet of them – and other examples will come are sure to be developed in the near future. Of course Telsa is the name that stands out when talking about how AI is impacting our daily life as drivers. For example, all cars are connected, so anything a car learns is automatically shared across all other electric Teslas. This means that if one Tesla car encounters some sort of new road blockage or hazard, all the Tesla cars will know how to manoeuvre through that obstacle as soon as their system is updated.
We’re also watching companies like Amazon who are investing quite considerably in drone delivery programs, so it’s no surprise that they will become a reality much sooner than we would expect. Despite the Prime Air service not being a reality today as foreseen five years ago, it’s still a commitment from Amazon’s CEO and founder Jeff Bezos to have drones delivering packages across America. Another company in the same page is Walmart, which has recently filed a patent for a blockchain-based system that would allow delivery drones located only a few feet from each other to exchange information.
Last but not least, let’s think for a minute about how services like social media feeds from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube and many others, Spotify Discover Weekly and even Netflix shows us exactly the info and suggestions that match our likes and interests. And this is no mere coincidence, of course.
As far as social media is concerned, most of our decisions are indeed being impacted by AI. From the feeds we see in our timelines to the notifications we receive from all the apps we have installed in our mobile devices and everything in between – all is curated by AI. It grasps our behaviour, web searches, interactions and everything else we do online and then tailors the experience for us in an extremely personalised way.
The exact same thing applies to music and media streaming services we use on a daily basis. Be it Spotify, Netflix or YouTube, AI is always shuffling up and dealing us the cards we have mostly played before. And as intrusive as this may sound, it’s actually a great thing because it gives us access to choices we would probably never have the chance. With the assistance of AI, we are broadening our portfolio of likes with new content influenced by our existing likes.
AI is here: Let's make the most of it!
At InnoWave, we believe that artificial intelligence is at the heart of evolution and that’s why we often bring it to the main stage. We see AI as a powerful way to help to make a better future. We can provide you with a comprehensive approach based on a set of solutions that can deliver a full implementation of artificial intelligence answers based on your exact needs. And we can do it with an innovative approach to overcome challenges.
At InnoWave, we believe that AI is here to make our jobs more efficient and our lives easier!
Artificial Intelligence in our daily lives
Artificial intelligence in our daily lives impacts how we use our smartphones, drive our cars, use social networks and streaming services, and even shop online.
When we talk about artificial intelligence we immediately tend to picture in our minds highly complex robotic and automated systems that have some sort of electronic brain in command. However, it can also be something much more down to earth and closer to our eyes than we might think at first glance. Artificial intelligence is actually already part of our daily lives and we don’t even notice it most of the time!
Artificial intelligence can affect the way we use our smartphones, drive our cars, use social networks and streaming services, and even shop online… there are actually a vast number of different cases where AI is present in our daily lives and even interferes with the decisions we make every day. This happens in such a way and to such an extent that the whole tech world is discussing the consequences of artificial intelligence, in particular the role AI is going to play in shaping our future.
There are of course several parties in this important debate and some of the positions taken can be perhaps extreme, using a dramatic speech tone or even sometimes a prophetic one. Anyway, we need to find the right balance and come to understand that we shouldn’t be alarmed by the presence of artificial intelligence in our lives. As much as a machine may help us choose, ultimately it is we human beings who have the last word and the power to think and decide for ourselves.
Artificial intelligence is here to help us and nothing less. We need to understand it as a way to make our daily routines more practical, productive, and functional. Let's look at some examples where we’re already using it in our daily lives.
Siri, Cortana, Alexa. Do these names sound familiar?
If you use a modern smartphone or computer then you have one of these digital relatives who is always there for you. Siri works on Apple devices, Cortana is the virtual assistant created by Microsoft for Windows and other Microsoft and third party platforms, and Alexa is the one with which you can interact when using the Amazon Echo smart speaker or other devices with which this virtual assistant works. As for Google, the company opted out of using a warmer name with a human touch and chose something plain and simple for its virtual assistant: Google Assistant.
How is AI connected with these virtual assistants? It is there from the moment you say, “Hey” and the assistant is called to action. What can a virtual assistant do for you aside from basic things like controlling music or settings? It can help you send a text message, set reminders, turn on battery saver, and instantly look up e-mails only by voice command.In case this doesn’t seem like much for you, it can also help you check your flight status, make a dinner reservation, check when your movie starts, and find a coffee stop along your route. Still not enough? Just ask it to check basic facts, solve mathematical problems, make conversation, or even tell jokes and be surprised…
More interestingly, these virtual assistants will actually learn from you. Whenever you speak their name and raise a query, the system registers, understands, and improves the result so that it can provide you with more meaningful information that better suits your particular needs – each and every time you need it.
Stay tuned to find out more about AI!
We know you’re feeling pretty enthusiastic and curious about AI already! Will you like to know more about how AI affects our daily lives? Don’t miss the second and last parts where in we’ll be taking about smart cars, drones, social media, and streaming services.
At InnoWave, we believe that AI is here to make our jobs more efficient and our lives easier!
The digital workplace: the road to higher productivity
The digital revolution has impacted on more than just companies’ information and communication technology (ICT) departments; it has also changed people. This is why a digital workplace strategy must involve the entire organisation, from human resources to directors. Today’s workers are increasingly demanding, more informed and better at multitasking and multiplatforms. They prefer mobility, transparency, collaborative environments, streamlined tasks and digital tools, and value a work–life balance.
The new digital workplace concept suits both parties, as companies achieve gains in productivity and efficiency and employees enjoy a more streamlined, enriching work experience. To put it more simply, a digital workplace involves a number of practices and technologies that enable people to work together from anywhere in the building, at any time and on any device. It enables new, more effective ways of working and raises employee engagement and agility. How? Because it is an always-connected environment that provides instant access to everything employees need to get work done. Nonetheless, this technological cocktail will never succeed without social and cultural change in companies, especially those that believe in a more traditional, layered, closed way of working.
The advantages of the digital workplace make themselves felt in different spheres of the business ecosystem.
- For companies, the digital transformation of the workplace and traditional resources results in higher productivity, innovation, communication and involvement on the part of employees. A more digital office breaks down the physical barriers, favours creative, collaborative work and eliminates limitations on devices and connections. It not only offers employees more flexibility but also greater job satisfaction. A more satisfied employee is motivated, a team player and actively contributes to the business’s growth and success. If the digital workplace concept has been properly instilled in a company, it is more able to attract and keep talent.
For this to happen, companies must develop a strategy and adopt solutions that allows them to create a working environment built on smart controls, smart management, sustainability, optimization, communication, interaction, the right tools and services.
The digital workplace also enables companies to exploit platforms’ potential to the full, especially mobile ones. In-house mobility facilitates and streamlines work, improves quality of service and offers substantial competitive gains in the market. Here, employees find all of the information and processes they need to work successfully. They can share their knowledge quickly and with ease, and acquire help and information from colleagues.
Mobility on premises also fosters the creation of new management models focusing on virtual and dynamic environments. Generally speaking, thanks to its positive impact on people, the digital workplace eventually leads to strategic changes in processes, routines, models and workflows, and makes companies simpler, more effective and more efficient.
- For employees, the digital workplace means a more positive work experience that theoretically places a greater value on their contribution to the growth and development of the business. The definition of a digital office involves a profound change in the traditional work model. The days of cubicle farms and compartmentalized solitude are simply gone, but an open space isn’t necessarily a good thing if it’s use in a random way. The office must be utilized more as a hub for people to physically come together to interact with each other or bounce ideas off one another.
The members of the so-called digital native generation that is now joining the workforce do not like an inflexible, unchallenging work environment that is closed to new ideas and has no room for growth. They want to work in a place that brings people together. These employees want to use multiplatforms and their own personal devices to get the job done. Regardless where they are in the building – the meeting room, their work desk, the hallway, the showroom, etc - the laptop, tablet and mobile phone are seen and used as work tools. They have a global vision of the future, regard technology as a basic necessity and are more daring and impatient. When combined with digital workplace tools, this immediatism fosters constant improvements and more effective work, which in turn creates a massive competitive advantage for companies.
But this digital office is not just for millennials. Employees born in the analogue age who are keeping up with the whole digital revolution realise the advantages of the digital workplace better than anyone. They too want to get their hands on these digital tools that enable them to enhance their skills, improve their quality of life and, without a doubt, enjoy more flexibility in their work. In fact, the workplace today is one of the main factors in decisions for jobseekers or anyone wanting to attract and retain talent.
- For customers, a state-of-the-art workspace that uses new technologies generates more flexible, helpful teams. In other words, they are closer to the customer. Digital tools also ensure better quality of service and faster, simpler, more effective support mechanisms. Multiple platforms facilitate communication and speed up response times. They simplify the whole company–customer relationship, regardless of location.
The digital workplace brings with it the concept of a modern workspace. Here, factors such as ergonomics, happiness, wellbeing and career progression go hand in hand with mobility and countless technological solutions that facilitate employees’ everyday tasks and enable organisations to improve their productivity, creativity and, of course, success rates. These are essential factors that help companies competing on a global scale to make their mark. If these workspaces are to constitute a real competitive advantage, they have to be set up successfully throughout the company.
The company also has to address the needs and limitations of employees in different age groups and with different skills, ambitions, expectations and abilities. It has to ensure that they have tools that meet its business needs and help improve its teams’ standard of work, continuously measure the return on its strategy, and identify and deal with weak points.
The best way of guaranteeing that a business is the ideal digital workplace is by finding a partner specialising in creating perfect workplaces where the company and its employees, tools and technologies get together. InnLink by InnoWave is about delivering a seamless employee and visitor journey in an integrated digital workplace. How? By connecting the building to users and to an A.I engine that enables smarter decisions and interactions. This helps customers balance all the necessary technological changes with concerns for comfort, health and wellbeing in a cost- and energy-efficient environment.
The new generation of employees is not attracted exclusively by a workplace’s design or comfort. If the space does not have working conditions that foster their success and professional growth, then it is out of the running. A partner with the right know-how and references in the field can guarantee the expected return for all members of the business ecosystem.
Innspire 2018: What your future can be with AI?
Innspire 2018 will bring new insights on how to harness the full potential of AI and robotics for human advancement while addressing critical issues that need urgent consensus in this momentum of rapidly evolving technologies.
How is AI changing the way we live? How are we teaching machines? How can humans and robots work together to shape the future?
Being part of this challenging era, at InnoWave we want you and ourselves to debate and discover what this future can be.
That’s why we've chosen Artificial Intelligence as the talking point for “Innspire”2018, which takes place on November 29th evening, at the EDP Auditorium (Lisbon, Portugal).
AI Solutions and impacts
From 6 to 7 pm, Alexandre Pinho (Microsoft) will focus “AI for Mankind”, followed by Miguel Rodrigues (Vodafone), talking about “AI Consumer’. The first panel on ‘AI Solutions’, until 7:30, will bring together Ricardo Tomé (Media Capital), Marco Espinheira (Cascais City Hall) and Miguel Paixão (Business Setting).
Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant and Cortana will join us
After the coffee break, Bots will join us to discuss “Hey Assistant, how smart are you ?” featuring guest robots Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant and Cortana, challenging humans to reflect on how people teach machines. After this original panel Mário Guerreiro (EDP) will focus “AI for Enterprise”
Is there an answer for the big question?
Our last speaker Nadim Habib (Nova School of Business and Economics) will address the most distressing but relevant interrogation of the evening “Will AI kill us all?”
Don’t miss this chance to learn more about the use of robotics applied to humanity, consumption, solutions and companies. Check for more information about the event and book your seat for this 4thedition of Innspire on Blue Ticket.
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InnoWave at IBC to showcase InnSpect QoS, InnSpect ONE and unveil InnSpect AI…
Many of the 57,000 visitors going to IBC travel to the RAI in Amsterdam in search of innovative solutions that will open new opportunities and benefits in their chosen sectors. We will be there, not only presenting two major developments in our cloud-based testing solution but also presenting what we’ve been working on behind closed doors – the highly anticipated InnSpect AI.
InnSpect QoS focus audio and image quality
With the growing popularity of video and streaming applications, InnSpect QoS “breaks sound and image barriers” and can validate the “bit and byte” quality on video streaming content. A new set of algorithms have been designed to test and validate image and sound, helping to improve video streaming quality.
InnSpect QoS is especially aimed at content and streaming providers, and with the Quality of Experience (QoE) features, it is possible to cover the two large automation sectors, from general navigation or correct loading to audio and picture excellence.
InnSpect ONE: the portable device
InnSpect ONE is a portable device that allows clients and TV Operators to measure the quality and stability of a Television service.
As InnSpect ONE is a similar size to that of a Set-Top-Box, it can be taken anywhere and even placed at a customer’s house to track and benchmark the service they receive. Additionally, it allows our client’s test teams to have their personal device to design new test cases or, when needed, to execute tests on demand.
InnSpect ONE is almost ready to launch, so for the first time IBC visitors will be able to see in loco how the test automation solution works in live demos.
InnSpect AI: machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms
The development and integration of artificial intelligence algorithms in test automation tools is not yet introduced to the market but InnoWave are close to making the first step!
InnSpect AI will be able to automatically map the complete user interface of an application and discover multiple navigation paths to identify and cover all the different areas of a system.
The new ability will allow test plans and automation scripts to be created and maintained, reducing the resources needed to do this. InnSpect AI will have a substantial impact on software costs and time to market, with competitive benefits for developers and better experiences to end clients.
Simplifying test batteries while covering all the possible test scenarios is critical to software validation, so we are strongly committed with InnSpect AI. It’s development and completion are expected to be ready by the end of the year and we, at InnoWave, can’t wait!
IBC: the great Tech and Media melting pot
IBC Show will soon turn Amsterdam in the world knowledge hub for Global Media, Entertainment and Technology communities.
During six days - from 14 to 18 September – the RAI Convention Centre is expect to connect about 1700 exhibitors and 400 speakers with more than 57,000 visitors, mostly high-ranking executives, looking for groundbreaking insight in industries such as mobile, cloud, VR/AR, software, hardware, broadcasting, analytics, content and OTT solutions, among many other trend sectors that are growingly merging.
But six days are not enough to keep up with everything that matters, including:
- the ‘IBC Big Screen’, featuring the very latest in cinema projection and sound installation, bringing up the best about innovation in storytelling;
- the ‘IBC Future Zone’ which brings together the latest ideas and technologies from industry and academia around VR, AR, MXR;
- the ‘IBC Launch Pad’ where emerging companies with ground-breaking technology will exhibit their innovations;
- the ‘IBC Content Everywhere’ with new developments in online TV and video;
- the fifteen exhibition halls that bring together InnoWave, Adobe, Amazon, Cisco, Facebook, Huawei, Google, Microsoft, Sony, Sigma and Vimeo to name just a few.
IBC could stand for Innovative, Breakthrough, Cutting-edge solutions
What began as an International Broadcasting Convention (that is what IBC stands for) turned out to be one the most interesting and influential experience for everyone who seek out for ‘Innovative, Breakthrough, Cutting-edge’ technologic and creative solutions.
As part of this hub, InnoWave, represented by InnSpect, will be there, discovering and sharing new paths in artificial intelligence, internet of things, software testing and many others hot topics which are core to our activity and we consider a corner stone to pursue our mission: change lives through innovation.
During IBC 2018 we are highlighting our latest improvements in our automated cloud-based testing solution InnSpect, presenting how it allows to jump between devices in real time using the same test script and to perform cross-device validations, enabling to automate complex E2E scenarios:
- Set-Top-Boxes (STB): Infrared and Radio Frequency STB’s, Media Streamers;
- Mobile – Android and iOS devices supported;
- Web – Chrome, Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers support;
- Services: SOAP and REST automation for Web API calls validation.
This cross-device test automation framework focused on quality of experience is our way to address this great Tech and Media melting pot, a show in which a huge part of visitors ( and even exhibitors) can boost their businesses by using our flexible test and validation tool, available anytime, anywhere.
yubuy takes T-Commerce to a new stage
yubuy is a T-Commerce solution and by providing audiences with an interactive and personalized shopping experience is taking T-Commerce to a new stage. The same can be said regarding the opportunities it opens for companies and brands which can boost their sales in this new competitive arena.
Born from the merging of TV sales and E-Commerce, T-Commerce is a rising solution for online shopping via TV: consumers are comfortably at their couches and their remote is all they need to order from a shopping channel. yubuy is one of the few solutions with strong track-record on the area.
About eight years passed since InnoWave’s launched the first yubuy version and since inception it was able to run in every household with a smart TV or set-top box (STB) to allow fast, secure and reliable transactions.
Its integration with TV operators enabled a better buying experience - no application to install, no register need, paying details sent to mobile phone, automatic shipment after payment, etc. – and the same integration with partner companies and brands assured different sales platforms with products and services continually update.
yubuy opens a new competitive and effective sales channel
Today, yubuy provides this offer but is also allowing targeted advertising to enter directly in the television contents. This smart interactive sales innovation means that while watching a wine show or a motor show on their screens, viewers can directly buy a particular wine or car with a few commands on their remotes.
This way, yubuy is opening a new interactive and effective sales arena:
- Simple: sellers can user their traditional TV ads an insert call to action contents. It is yubuy team who establishes the agreements with TV channels to insert these simple short call to action.
- Contextualized: by merging content, advertising and sale, Interactive T-Commerce is much more effective than regular techniques of product placement, television sales or even than advertorial approaches.
- Targeted: sellers are able to choose channels and specialized programs related to what they are selling and in which viewers are really interested, targeting audiences by content preferences to a most effective cost per contact.
- Measurable: with the direct outcome being a sale, companies and brands can know how cost-efficient their call to action is. They can know exactly what their cost per purchaser is, which is not possible with traditional TV advertising, and they can know as well who bought their product or service as in an online ad campaign or e-commerce platform.
- Proactive approach: Contrary to what happens in an e-commerce platform, where consumers need to search for an item, yubuy makes a proactive approach to potential buyers and (when used in the right context) makes it in a timing they are predisposed to the message.
T-Commerce: the case of Portugal
Being a small country (and a small market) Portugal was one of the T-Commerce pioneers, with Vodafone opening a dedicated channel in 2012 in a partnership with InnoWave T-Commerce solution.
Nowadays, yubuy is available on the three TV companies operating in Portugal Vodafone, NOS and MEO, with no other device needed than the TV box and the remote control. It offers a substantial set of active brands, from food to cars and sports shops. Food, for instance, accounts for about 1 million US Dollars in monthly sales, with pizza brands ( Telepizza and Pizza Hut) on sales top.
Some other T-Commerce experiences were made - like the one by H&M in its interactive ad broadcasted during 2014 SuperBall commercial break, inviting viewers to buy the same underwear David Beckhem was using -, but none was so advanced and structured as yubuy. In H&M case, it was a usual ad with an interactive layer only available for Samsung Smart TV users.
By the way, Samsung is other yubuy partner, with T-Commerce available for Samsung smart TV Portuguese owners since 2017, the same year yubuy was rewarded with a World Summit Award.
InnoWave is the portuguese Data and AI Microsoft's partner of the year
This year InnoWave won the award to be Microsoft’s Data and AI partner! Our team received this at Microsoft’s event - Inspire in Las Vegas. We are incredibly proud to accept it, showcasing our hard-work and commitment.
Inspire is an international event dedicated to Microsoft partners and brings together 17,000 global companies that work daily with Microsoft, all of which compete for awards in 34 global categories. The finalists are selected from three thousand nominations from 115 countries using Microsoft technologies.
Read here the full article from Business Leak ( PT version).
Artificial Intelligence: The moment is now!
Artificial Intelligence surrounds the consumer market - when we buy on Amazon or eBay, Big Data is empowering AI to predict needs and make personalized recommendations as never before. When we choose a song or a movie in Spotify or Netflix, AI is suggesting new options we might like based on our past preferences and even on preferences from people with the same profile than us. When we go to hospital AI is also used to help perform clinical diagnoses.
Artificial Intelligence is present in phones, cars, homes, stores, cities – surrounding us with hundreds of AI-powered services and devices that are changing lives and businesses. However, when we ask consumers if they use AI in their lives, the percentage of positive answers is much lower than the actual usage cases.
Most of the time people use AI unconsciously, expecting personalized recommendations and enhanced user experiences. For users, it should be second nature, making it an huge opportunity for companies.
Artificial but smart
Today’s AI status was unthinkable a few years ago as it is only achievable when the experience provided by AI interfaces doesn’t feel “artificial”.
We believe thatwe have already achieved this at InnoWave– a stage in which everybody can feel comfortable talking or buying from our AI engines. These engines can:
- give smart recommendations, based on historic knowledge and other cognitive features;
- put a vast amount of knowledge at a user’s service;
- have a fun approach;
- identify user moods and act according with that.
Machine learning and cloud computing
Through machine learning and cloud computing, InnoWave has developed InnTeract,a platform that supports multiple bots with distinct abilities – from sales to support and client care, allowing companies to improve customer experience while addressing their business needs and goals.
By using this customized chatbot management system, communication with users and customers has no limitation. Companies can always be connected 24/7, anywhere in the world maintaining a multi-channel, multi-language and multi-mood dialog.
The quality of conversation score (QoC) is continually updated, boosting interaction capabilities to a level in which bots can immediately chose the best approach to each situation. And by monitoring the usage and KPIs regarding interaction, we are confirming that it is possible to deliver “automated” but smart conversations.
With state-of-the-art AI interface, our system can change the way companies develop their business in almost every industry by enabling them to do it in a global, ever-evolving world:
- More Productivity, by enabling automation and process implementation;
- More Reach, by connecting customers anytime and anywhere, on any platform or device; and by connecting to a larger base of potential customers;
- Improved consumer experience, by creating knowledge and context with reduced need for human assistance;
- Engage reinforcement, by interact with the so called “smart conversation”.
If an AI algorithm can check hundreds of radiology images per day learning to identify signs of cancer, physicians will have more time to give to patients. If AI can recommend the right products to the right people, companies will have more time to develop new products, generating more sales.
It is with these service offerings that we believe we change lives through innovation
Gamification: put your company on top with InnGage
What is Gamification?
Gamification is more than just a buzzword these days as more and more non-gaming businesses have started to adopt it. It is a billion-dollar industry that drives positive emotions in people who desire to achieve and be rewarded.
Highlighting the above, coupling human behaviour with gaming will bring a positive change to an organisation.
How does it work for Marketing and HR?
Gamification is being used by companies from almost every industry. Companies such as Nike and Starbucks put in strategic marketing and gaming programmes to enhance engagement, loyalty and sales.
Human resources also find these tools useful with many case studies of gamification addressing engagement levels, talent attraction and retention. Here, at InnoWave, InnoPoints is the program developed to increase employee satisfaction and reinforce the company as one of the best places to work.
Can it work in Education?
There are many corporate training programs which have been largely successful, like the one Deloitte implemented - Deloitte Leadership Academy (DLA), with increasing levels of participation and engagement.
Education is, however, one of the industries which most successful when implementing gamification learning techniques. It encourages longer focus from students and environments where pupils are motivated to experiment as they learn to solve problems.
New York City-based Institute of Play with Quest to Learn, a fully gamified school, and Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, that gamified a master’s level course on cloud computing, are just two examples of this.
Could the Government use this to engage people?
The scope of gamification does not end within companies, brands, schools and universities. The increased focus on citizen engagement and the possibilities provided by a digital society make gamification a powerful tool for citizenship: it can change behaviours for better.
It will give the government an effective means to involve people to reach goals that otherwise might take too long or even remain as unmet. Putting gamification in the mix with rewards will encourage people to be more actively involved in their neighbourhood, making things such as recycling correctly rewarding.
CityPoints, implemented in Cascais – a coastal village near the Portuguese capital - is a case study of a city gamified program that encourages and rewards sustainable behaviour, inducing participants to take an active role in transforming their own community into a better place to live.
The program is based on a mobile app that allows people to perform a list of pre-defined activities in areas such as environment, social responsibility and green mobility. They can collect points that they exchange for online vouchers to use in a network of local partners, including museums, events and sports free entrances and discounts in services and products. The app also allows the sharing of points and vouchers with other users, increasing interaction and collaboration.
Awarded at the World Summit 2017, CityPoints is just one of the ways InnoWave can empower city councils, government organisations, companies, brands and universities. And we do it by using artificial intelligence, smart and simple interactions and cloud platform, with complete tailor-made solutions, fully integrated with client platforms.
We believe gamification is changing behaviours for the better. That is why, at InnoWave, we created InnGage solutions, enabling your business to stand out from the crowd.
What inspires us?
Picture the scene; July 11th 2016, Stade de France. 22 seconds after the 108th minute of play, much to the surprise of onlooking fans, one of the footballers brings the gruelling game to a close by scoring the winning goal. Seconds later millions erupted into triumphant cheers, whilst many millions more were left in bitter disappointment.
By why, you might ask, was his success so unexpected? Unfortunately, as a player with a history of failures, the support behind him was underwhelming. So where did this moment of strength, will and belief come from? How did he innovate and become an inspiration for so many in one simple moment?
When we innovate, we dare to say to ourselves ‘why not?’; and it is from this moment, this small spark of light, that the process of creative thinking is transformed. Not only individuals, but many companies and businesses search incessantly for a way to create this moment.
We already know that not all innovation processes are successful, and of course not all creative moments are transformed into innovation. If you do the math, we can see that a lot of inspiration must be generated before it translates into success.
InnoWave recently conducted a survey across our teams, spanning various profiles, ages, and competencies, focused toward the question ‘what inspires you?’ More than 80% or respondents pointed to facts, people, or positive memories; something that makes them smile. This result raises the question however, are we confusing motivation with inspiration?
Consider dictionary definitions of the two terms:
Inspiration: Stimulus; creative ability of artists, writers, authors or other professionals: the creator never loses his inspiration. Lighting; idea sudden and momentary, usually great.
Motivation: The act or effect of motivating, of arousing interest in something: the praise served as motivation to improve.
It seems that when asked to think about what inspires us, we naturally look to the past and moments of motivation, rather than moments of inspiration.
In my opinion however, the best way to find our moment of inspiration is to dive deep, to hurt, to distress; to experience what many often call "stomach ache". If we look back, the great innovations and leaps of mankind were the result of man's will to achieve more, to go further, to fly higher. This is our innate desire: to want more, to break the barriers that bind us to the present. Challenge yourselves in your enterprises. Challenge your people and your minds, to search around you, or within you, for this stomach ache, this anguish of wanting more. I am sure you will find fertile ground to test the spark, to plant the seed, to innovate. The World needs us, we need us, we have the tools, we have the motivation.
This is the treasure map to find inspiration and to transform it. The moment is today. Each of us plays a part in the creation of our future.
InnoWave acquires WinTrust
InnoWave strengthens world leadership ambition with the acquisition of WinTrust.
InnoWave, a Portuguese technology company with international presence, just acquired 80% of the – also Portuguese – WinTrust: a company that specializes in providing Quality Assurance services to Software and Cloud/DevOps area.
With this merge, The Innowave Group now has 300 workers and a wide set of companies that specialize in different but complementary business areas, with WinTrust now being the company that provides both the Quality Assurance services and Test Automation products. All 50 members of the current WinTrust team, including the managers, will remain on the company and move to InnoWave’s headquarters, in Lisbon.
This acquisition strengthens InnoWave‘s worldwide player status, “with the ambition to lead the global market in innovation and digital transformation”, has said by Tiago Gonçalves, InnoWave’s CEO.
InnoWave has been betting on strong organic growth and acquisitions strategy and, following that, “WinTrust integration on the Group will reinforce the expansion process, by strengthening our global delivery ability and widening our presence into new locations in Europe. Beyond these advantages, the acquisition also allows greater scale effects, specialization and focus, providing ways for the digital transformation of both companies and society itself to happen in a stronger and faster pace”, concluded the InnoWave’s CEO.
WinTrust is a Portuguese company that was founded in 2006, that has active projects in the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland and Sweden. It is a software consulting and certifying company that adds experience to the application of Quality Assurance Services best practices. WinTrust cares about all software quality related aspects, with a stronger focus software testing, Clouds/DevOps, Continuous Testing, Project Management and Functional Analysis.
Accordingly to Filipe Nuno Carlos, WinTrust’s Managing Partner “this integration on the InnoWave Group will bring us opportunities to grow to new geographies and a stronger and more integrated service and products offer”.
“One of the key aspects of this happening directly derives from the fact that InnoWave’s Group culture being 100% in line with WinTrust, in terms of values and service excellence”, concluded Filipe Nuno Carlos.
With 10 years of existence and headquarters in Portugal, the InnoWave Group has turned into a global player, now employing around 300 people worldwide. With offices in Portugal, United Kingdom, Belgium, The Netherlands, United States of America and United Arab Emirates, has customers in 18 countries around the globe, and is a reference life-changing innovative solutions.
The Group now features youbuy®, a company that specializes in TV Commerce; Thought Creator that provides IoT (Internet of Things) services; and now WinTrust, specialized in Quality Assurance Services for the areas of software and Cloud/DevOps.
InnoWave presents new identity
Celebrating 10 years in Portugal, InnoWave presents a new identity and image, carefully designed to strengthen and standardize its positioning in the market. The Portuguese technologic consultancy aims to evolve to a global brand.
Read here the full article from Marketeer
Citizenship and Digital Transformation
Go-Digital
The digital age has revolutionized the way in which companies work; you can buy almost anything on line, payments are now electronic, and every device is on course to have a digital footprint – if they don’t already! With this in mind, it seems only natural that as the technology at our disposal has developed, we as humans have begun to form a digital identity and our use of cloud technology alters our day-to-day experiences.
The gaming revolution
The continued digital evolution has also enabled those of all ages, beliefs and backgrounds to connect on a global scale in increasingly interactive real-time experiences; take for example the recent phenomenon of Pokémon Go. The ability for technology to bring so many people together creating shared goals and objectives, and transforming behaviours and habits, as well as establishing a profitable business, is astonishing.
The evolution of lifestyle
We can also see a significant increase in the concern with establishing a better lifestyle from people of all ages; from introducing more sporting activity into our routines, to a healthier diet, we are all adapting our habits to accommodate a better standard of living.
These changes in habit are evidently of importance, and advances in technology now mean that we can be better supported in maintaining our commitments to achieve our goals, overcome setbacks and encourage our strength of will.
The challenge of citizenship
Understanding that each of us individually continues to pursue new challenges, create new personal habits, and transform our lifestyles in accordance with technological advances, the community around us develops too.
Imagine a world, a country, or even a city where an application challenges every citizen to engage in practicing acts of citizenship, just as Pokémon Go has ignited camaraderie and friendly competition. Imagine an application that encourages habits that promote greater social awareness, using the digital world to promote, challenge and reward acts of citizenship. Before long everyone will want to be the best in your street, or see your street become the best in your city, or maybe even push for your city to become the best in your country for example.
Through effectively using the advances in technology, our desires to better ourselves, and the accessibility we now have to these new digital platforms, we have the opportunity to leverage change and promote the spirit of citizenship for a better world.
Simple, isn't it?
By our CTO Pedro Pinto