Test-driven on Austin’s public streets last October by a blind man, self-driving cars are becoming reality. The new company Waymo (the name stands for a new way forward in mobility) purchased a physical warehouse in Chandler and has been testing its cars on the streets of Chandler, Ahwatukee and Tempe since April. Previously known as the Google self-driving car project, it has … [More]
Protect Against the Top Three Financial Scams in Arizona
The typical business loses 5 percent of its annual revenue to fraud, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Financial statement fraud causes the greatest median loss, with an average of $975,000 per scheme. As a financial institution concerned with protecting our customers from scams, we bring experience in identifying scams and preventing being taken in … [More]
Address the Risk of Data Breach
More than 90 percent of data breaches worldwide involve small and medium-sized business organizations. Data breaches result in increased global economic debt — and the reality is, hackers attack anyone, with few to no exceptions. The governing body of the payment card industry (PCI) is the Standards Security Council that includes the major card brands, who addressed card … [More]
Personalized Systems Enhance Fire Safety
Technology has advanced the fire alarm industry from blaring horn strobes to intelligent voice communication. The trend is to provide more information and give directions, replacing the traditional “make a lot of noise and flash some lights to drive everybody away from the fire,” says David Burns, production manager with Siemens, a multifaceted engineering company. A key … [More]
AC in e-Commerce
“E-commerce dominates our buying patterns now,” says Erik Bryan, founder and owner of newACunit.com, observing that Amazon has changed the way people buy. “People want simplicity and affordability, and want what they want now. Bringing air conditioning to that platform was only a matter of when.” Buying air conditioning units over the Internet has already been happening — … [More]
Tee Time Mobile-ized
Folla Media LLC, a Scottsdale-based holding company of leading golf brands, has launched Golfpay, a golf reservation app that offers golfers a new way to book their tee times. The Web-based app is the first in the world to allow golfers to pay and check-in from their phone, creating a time-saving, hassle-free experience that is quickly becoming the norm in other … [More]
On-Demand Access for Homebuying
Real estate company Opendoor has launched an app for iPhone and Android that gives homebuyers instant access to hundreds of homes for sale in the Phoenix area. With a few taps, buyers can find homes that match their criteria, view home details, and instantly take the next step of visiting homes on their schedule. Opendoor has seen more than 60 percent of its home visits … [More]
The Costly Truth about Cloud Divorce
When it comes to storing data in “The Cloud,” most business executives sign with a provider, never thinking about divorce. But what happens when you want to leave or move to another provider? What are the risks associated with that split, and how costly can it be? While cloud divorce may seem fairly new, it’s been happening for several years — sometimes because a provider … [More]
UAT Reinstates a Virtual Reality Degree
The world of Virtual Reality has been around for decades, and the University of Advancing Technology was the first university in the nation to offer a fully accredited degree for it. While the initial VR degree offering, created in 1991, may have been a bit before its time, the Virtual Reality bachelor’s degree is back at UAT and available to students this 2016 fall … [More]
Camelback Corridor Attracts San Francisco Tech Company
Technology company Zenreach has opened its first major office outside of its San Francisco headquarters at Biltmore Center on the northwest corner of 24th Street and Camelback Road. “This makes a major win for Phoenix and the Biltmore Center property,” says Ryan Timpani, Vice President with Colliers International in Greater Phoenix, which represented property owner ViaWest … [More]
What Employers Need to Know about the ‘Dark Web’
Have you heard of the “Dark Web”? While you might not consider yourself a “techie” person, it is crucial to keep abreast of what employees might be doing on their work computers. And this includes accessing the Dark Web. It might sound like a mythical creation from a sci-fi movie, but it is actually an easily accessible portion of the Internet that is untraceable and often used … [More]
Tech for Film
Sneaky Big Studios Opened last month in North Scottsdale and encompassing more than 15,000 square feet, Sneaky Big Studios is one of the largest, most technologically advanced production facilities in the Southwest. “We can cut records, make movies, shoot television shows, make commercials and even produce live events from anywhere in the country,” says Bob Parsons of the … [More]
STEM Under the Hood
Cars today have upward of 200 computer modules, and, adding to the complexity of repairing these vehicles, the technology used varies with the different manufacturers. The hybrid technology of Tesla and Nissan, for instance, uses different operating systems, different processes and different energy management systems. Noting the need for trained individuals who understand how … [More]
Phoenix Sited as Second Global Headquarters
Kudelski Group, a global leader in digital content distribution and security and in access control security solutions, has selected Phoenix for its second global headquarters. The Group will retain its corporate headquarters in Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland, which will also continue to serve as the company’s center of excellence for security technology research, … [More]
A Shorter ‘Last Mile’ in Distribution
Progistics Distribution, a leading “last mile” distribution and logistics company, has launched eDEMAND, a Web app that enables Progistics Distribution to tap into its network of over 700 professional drivers, connecting them via their mobile devices to enable communication between businesses, drivers and brokers. eDEMAND, powered by Progistics, provides an interface that … [More]
Hybrid Cloud: A Good Business Choice?
Over the past decade, with the diffusion of virtualization technology, the cloud computing industry has seen exponential growth. This trend continues as cloud services are able to offer more of the solutions that are important to business operations, while enterprise customers continue to discover and realize the incredible value in consuming their computing demands as a … [More]
Rising Concern over Ransomware
There is a growing volume of ransomware victims despite increased efforts to prevent it, according to a recent survey by KnowBe4, a popular security awareness training and integrated phishing platform. The study, which surveyed 1,138 companies across a variety of industries, compares levels of concern over ransomware from 2014 to 2016. There was a huge jump in companies hit … [More]
Microsoft Audits – Why Be Prepared?
Businesses have to be accurate and diligent when it comes to accounting and tracking the revenue that flows through the organization, how it is used, assets purchased and profits made, for submittal to the IRS every year. If they don’t and the IRS decides to perform an audit, it can be expensive, painful and, in some cases, bring forth criminal challenges. Just like tracking … [More]
