Softech September 2016

September 2016

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Real Impact Enhancing audience experience through VR

Amazon ‘Dashes’ the Hopes of UK Supermarkets The launch of Amazon’s ‘Internet of Things’ Dash service could steal 20% of UK supermarket online sales

Plus: Natwest Offer Android Pay to Customers - The Polaroid Snap Touch and all the Latest News and Deals from the Soft Tech Industry Soft Tech INTL / September 2016

Welcome to the September edition of Softech Magazine In the news this month, we discover the software which is affecting the housing and property industry – including a new property service online which promises to sell your home in 90 days.

There are many software innovations which are breaking new ground in the retail industry. Zapper has launched an in-app loyalty card to allow diners around the world the opportunity to earn rewards with every payment, without the use of their cards. In addition, we look at other payment services, including Amazon’s Dash service, NatWest’s Android Pay and BrightHouse’s SMS and mobile based payment.

Also, we examine the software and technology products and services which includes the positives and negatives of drone technology. Alongside this, we showcase all the important deals and acquisitions in the software market.

We hope you enjoy this issue.

Matt Lewis, Editor Phone: +44 (0) 203 725 6842 Email: matthew.lewis@ai-globalmedia.com Website: www.softech-intl.com

Contents 4. News RETAIL 8. Completely Cardless 10. Adopting an Omnichannel Strategy Can Help Small Retailers Compete Effectively Against Their Larger Rivals, Advises Anagram Systems 12. Amazon ‘Dashes’ The Hopes of UK Supermarkets 14. Brighthouse Makes Sure The Customer Comes First With New SMS and Mobile-Based Payments 16. Natwest Offer Android Pay to Customers SOFTWARE PRODUCTS 18. Mcdermott International Uses Allocate Software to Manage Global Talent Around The World 20. Real Impact: Enhancing Audience Experience Through VR 22. Roadvert Helps Councils Unlock Fresh Revenue Streams 24. Severalnines and Wooservers Bring Clustercontrol to Web Hosting 26. TRACKR Launches Find my Phone Skill on Amazon Alexa Enabled Devices 28. Velocloud Cloud-Delivered Sd-Wan Solution TECH 30. Growth In Commercial Drones To Bring Multiple Benefits but Also new Risks, Allianz Warns 32. Reactive Technologies Secures Its Biggest Funding Round yet From Renewables Investor Octopus Capital 34. The Harvey Practice Makes the Switch to a new Digital Workstyle 36. The Polaroid Snap Touch 38. Frost & Sullivan Applauds Zimperium’s Mobile-Specific Threat Detection Technology, The Z9 Engine 40. Deals

Soft Tech INTL / September 2016

NEWS

1ST TOUCH 360 CUSTOMER PORTAL HELPS DRIVE BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION AT NEW CHARTER GROUP A 360° Tenant Portal system from leading social housing technology innovator 1st Touch is enabling New Charter Group, one of the North West’s largest housing providers to transform its mobile workforce processes and customer support strategy.

New Charter Group is a social landlord based in Tameside, Greater Manchester with 19,500 homes in Tameside, Oldham and Nottingham and a turnover of £100 million. In seeking to optimise both efficiency and customer service levels, the Group recently undertook a review of their IT estate focusing on people, processes and technology. Amongst the areas of investment were mobile workforce systems and online customer self-service.

access to our services through our new online customer hub, thereby reducing ‘transactional’ demand. There are also benefits for us as an organisation, as our Customer Insight and Business Intelligence will now drive our decision-making and actions. The combined result will be a significant boost in both efficiency and customer service levels. All in all, 1st Touch has delivered the system we required and we look forward to enjoying the potentially huge rewards that this exciting new solution offers.”

The required system needed to be an automated digital solution that placed customers at its heart, empowering them where possible to self-help through a self-service functionality, allowing them to make payments, request repairs, report anti-social behaviour and carry out a host of other useful tasks. It also needed to be ‘right first time’ and ultimately be enterprise wide; allowing all staff, field workers and management to have a single-view of all key data, when visiting customers. The new system delivers a single-view of all key data both for field operatives through their handheld devices and to tenants through an online portal based customer hub.

For his part 1st Touch CEO Greg Johns welcomed Yvonne’s comments adding, “You cannot fail to be impressed by the professionalism of New Charter Group’s change strategy or the scale of the investment they have made in transforming mobile working and customer access to services. Nor can one underestimate the positive impact that this level of automation will have on their customers. The fact that customers can now resolve their own issues online through the customer hub, or have them automated by front line staff using their handhelds, is a major step forwards. The immediacy and thoroughness of this type of automation will be incredibly well received by customers and operationally this can certainly be held up as an excellent example of best-practice.”

New Charter Group chose 1st Touch’s widely acclaimed 360° Tenant Portal as it had class-leading usability for both field operatives and customers. It also incorporates a revolutionary Automatic Appointments system called iAppoint. This is a doorstep appointments system, which simplifies appointment scheduling through enabling live tenant interaction. This empowers tenants to schedule their own confirmed appointments with multiple departments, either online 24/7 via the customer hub or through field operatives using their handheld devices whilst visiting.

Web address: www.1sttouch.com

Commenting on the new solution, New Charter Group’s Business Transformation Change Manager Yvonne Campbell said, “A significant increase in customer access and the introduction of class-leading mobile workforce technology are the primary drivers behind introducing 1st Touch 360°.

“Once we have fully rolled 1st Touch out, colleagues will have the digital ‘single-view’ technology they need to provide the best possible customer experience wherever they are. Our customers will have easy 24/7 digital

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VIAVI INTRODUCES INTERFERENCE ADVISOR

NEVER LOSE YOUR LUGGAGE IN THE AIRPORT AGAIN

Efficient interference handling will be essential to optimising customer experience as network connections grow exponentially.

Ground-breaking technologies to be on show at IoT Solutions World Congress in Barcelona

Viavi Solutions has announced the availability of InterferenceAdvisor™, an automated interference hunting solution which can dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes to locate mobile network interference sources. What typically could take several days or weeks can now take just hours.

As mobile communications proliferate, increasingly crowded airwaves lead to radio signal interference that adversely affects customer experience, and trying to identify interference sources is like finding a needle in a haystack. Technology evolution, including network densification and the Internet of Things, will exponentially grow the number of network connections, further exacerbating the problem. Viavi developed InterferenceAdvisor to enable mobile network operators to anticipate and respond to these challenges, helping to optimise customer experience while managing cost.

InterferenceAdvisor, a fully automated interference location solution with directions and navigation, offers one of the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) among leading competitors. It features a light-weight, portable Omni antenna; an automated interference area indication and navigation guide; voice prompts to direct the cell technician to the suspected interference location; full spectrum control; and display for detailed interference signal monitoring – all managed from a Wi-Fi enabled Android tablet. It also includes built-in accessories to minimise the cabling requirement.

“As networks become denser, interference will increase,” commented Monica Paolini, President and Founder, Senza Fili Consulting. “Densification is fundamental for service providers to support traffic loads in high-density locations such as shopping centres, transport hubs and other public areas. In many cases, service providers use small cells and Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) that share spectrum channels with macro cells. In these environments, interference may negatively impact the customer experience unless operators move to mitigate interference aggressively.”

InterferenceAdvisor is easy to set up and allows one engineer to quickly and easily locate interference sources, even in an urban environment. The limited resource requirement, reduced time, and minimal training all contribute to the low TCO. “By our estimates, seventy-one per cent of mobile network operators now have a regular problem with interference,” said Kevin Oliver, Viavi’s Vice President and General Manager, Converged Instruments and Virtual Test. “Mobile users near the interference source experience degraded call success rates, increased dropped calls, decreased battery life, poor voice quality, and reduced data throughput. We’re pleased to offer the industry a cost-effective, easy-to-use solution for detecting, locating, and eliminating these sources of RF interference.”

Intelligent solutions to reduce noise in cities, improve water management systems and better manage the process of baggage handling at airports will be demonstrated at the IoT Solutions World Congress, which takes place in Barcelona on 25-27 October.

The Testbed Area - the only dedicated area for real-world demonstrations of industrial IoT technologies at any conference - will contain ten experimental platforms designed to implement new solutions and test them in real-life operating conditions.

The testbeds explore untried technologies or combinations of existing ones with the aim of creating ground-breaking products or techniques with the capacity to generate new international standards. The practical applications on show at the IoT Solutions World Congress will be coordinated and supervised by the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC).

The Smart Airline Baggage Management Testbed will show how General Electric, Oracle, Infosys and M2MI have created a solution to reduce baggage losses and damage in airports. The testbed merges various Internet of Things systems to localise and connect the handling, transport and management of baggage in airports. The goal is to reduce the figure of 23 million lost suitcases every year and cut the huge cost of compensation involved.

The Lisbon municipality of Odivelas, along with Fisonic and Fiware, will be presenting a continuous real-time noise monitoring system that identifies the noisiest locations and times of the day, emitting an alarm if it identifies the sound of weapons or traffic accidents and creating interactive ‘sound maps’ which can be used to implement policies that improve the standard of living in cities.

Telefónica will be presenting a project it is currently undertaking in Seville with Fiware which makes real-time measurements of the water quality in the city’s ornamental fountains, including chlorine and pH levels, temperature, pumping speed and even wind speed in order to either increase or reduce the height of the water jets accordingly, amongst other technical parameters. This system offers the chance to improve municipal services, increase operating efficiency and act with much more quickly compared to conventional manual controls.

The Internet of Things Solutions World Congress (IoTSWC) takes place in Barcelona between 25-27 October and will see more than 160 exhibitors, 200 keynote speakers and in excess of 8,000 visitors.

The conference will bring together the world’s leading authorities and influencers in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and will see a number of keynote addresses, panel debates and discussions covering six key topic areas - Manufacturing, Healthcare, Energy & Utilities, Transportation & Logistics, Innovation & Technology and Business Transformation - will take place at IoTSWC. Speakers include Derek O’Halloran (Head of IT, World Economic Forum); Michael Raynor (Director, Monitor Deloitte); and Sam George (Director, Azure IoT, Microsoft), as well as dozens of industry leaders and decision-makers from businesses, academic institutions and think-tanks from around the world.

Soft Tech INTL / September 2016

NEWS

NEW ONLINE PROPERTY SERVICE PROMISES TO SELL YOUR HOME IN 90 DAYS OR GIVE YOU THE CASH Third of sales fall through causing chain-buyers to miss out on their dream home.

British ‘proptech’ (property technology) start-up, Nested has launched a new service that promises to sell a house within 90 days, or lend the seller the money for their next house purchase interest-free. This follows a recent report from Which?, which shows that three in ten property sales now fall through, most often related to the property chain, with one in five failed deals (21%) caused by buyers unable to sell their own home.

“Today a third of agreed offers fall through, something we are seeing more of with increased uncertainty post-Brexit.

Many sellers find themselves forced to start again, often losing the house of their dreams further down the chain as a result. Some resort to moving into rented accommodation in order to move on time for a new job or the start of the new school year, and end up paying for two properties. Nested makes sellers chain-free from day one, removing months of uncertainty and putting them in the strongest position to make their next purchase.”

Widely regarded as one of the most stressful experiences in life, selling a house beats having a child and changing jobs, and comes second only to going through a divorce.

The Nested service aims to take the stress and time out of the process and helps sellers escape the property chain by offering them certainty over their property sale from day one – without having to compromise on the sale price.

Using smart valuation technology and process management, Nested provides sellers with a property valuation within minutes and guarantees a minimum price from day one, promising to sell the house within 90 days or give them the money. Thanks to its valuation algorithm and unique processes, the company is able to guarantee the customer fair market value, unlike traditional home buying companies in the distressed house sale industry, which was widely criticised in a recent OFT (Office of Fair Trading) report.

The Nested service will be available initially in London.

Properties sold using Nested are guaranteed from day one and sellers will have the funds for their next purchase in 90 days, whether it is sold or not, putting them in the best possible position to purchase their next property. For example, if they have found their dream property and are about to lose out to a cash buyer.

Nested charges a minimum fee of 1.8%, and if they can sell for more than the guarantee, they give the majority (80%) of any upside to the homeowner, whether the property is sold before or after 90 days. Nested retains the other 20%, meaning their incentives are fully aligned with the homeowner to sell for the maximum amount possible.

Set up earlier this year by the founder of GoCardless, Matt Robinson, CEO, former Songkick CTO, Phil Cowans, and ex-McKinsey consultant and trained architect, James Turford, the team has already raised GBP 3m from leading investors.

Available now to property owners in London with houses worth less than GBP 1,000,000, the service allows homeowners to enter their details online where the Nested tool provides an instant valuation at www.nested.com.

Matt Robinson, CEO of Nested explains, “The whole property chain and selling process is broken, with sellers complaining about slow lawyers, endless phones calls, untrustworthy estate agents, and of course, being let down by the buyer at the last minute. With so much time and effort wasted on the sales process, we set out to solve the problems that trap sellers in a lengthy sales chain and with no guarantee of a sale at the end of it.

Web address: www.nested.com

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COMPLETELY CARDLESS Zapper Launches Game Changing In-App Loyalty Cards.

Zapper, the fast growing consumer marketing and insight platform enabled by mobile payments, has been disrupting the global hospitality industry for the last 18 months.

Now, as Zapper launches its in-app loyalty card to automatically earn rewards with every payment, diners around the world are able ditch their cards completely.

Go Burrito, a popular and rapidly expanding burrito bar in Lancaster has even launched a ‘fast lane’ accepting only Zapper payments, to help increase footfall and staff efficiency. Owner James Short said “We’re really excited to launch Zapper’s new in-app loyalty scheme whereby our customers can gain digital stamps every time they purchase a burrito in either of our venues encouraging repeat transactions. With a simpler and automated process, customers are seamlessly rewarded and we can check the status of each card in the Zapper portal to avoid any confusion and discrepancies.”

Zapper users already love the ability to settle their bill in seconds, automatically redeem vouchers and leave instant feedback on their dining experience. However, many still find their wallet laden with loyalty cards and expired paper vouchers. With an increasingly competitive market space, it’s critical for businesses to go the extra mile to reward and retain their customers. More than two in five (46%) consumers said they would be more likely to pay for things using their smartphone if they were offered rewards, reported in Mintel Consumer Attitudes towards Mobile Payments UK 2016 report.

Successful operations recognise customers are increasingly tech-savvy when it comes to hunting down offers and rewards with RetailMeNot finding nearly one third of consumers use their smartphone to search for deals before dining out. As such, targeted offers and personalisation are an essential way to encourage repeat visits, create habit and reward customers for their time and spend in your venue. Zapper’s seamless new upgrade to its all-in-one marketing platform makes this very simple for UK businesses using its solution.

all of our sites in Birmingham and London to encourage customers to keep visiting the restaurants and paying with Zapper. Best payment option on the market” The growth in smartphone use has driven significant changes in customer behaviour and presents a huge opportunity to businesses. Findings from the 2016 Bond Loyalty Report with VISA shows 57% of their members would like to engage with loyalty programs via mobile phone and 3C’s revealed 60% of consumers make more monthly visits/purchases because of a mobile enabled loyalty programme. Zapper gives businesses a smart way to automatically understand their customers and reward loyalty to encourage future spend through in-app rewards, messaging, push notifications and beacon technology.

Gerry Hooper, CEO Zapper UK, says, “We’ve seen an incredible uptake in the first week of introducing the digital loyalty card with 10% of our restaurant partners launching their own loyalty rewards scheme within the Zapper app.

This is such a simple and seamless process for both the user and the venue with more than 8% of our UK users already opted in to a loyalty card. We are really excited about this feature as a simple way to encourage repeat visits and habitual use of mobile payments.”

Due to its simplicity, Zapper is gaining momentum, going from strength-to-strength in 10 countries and thousands of different businesses. Easily adapted to any payment environment, it seamlessly provides industries such as Hospitality, Retail, Bill Payments and Transport with an ideal all-in-one platform to understand and reward loyal customers, encouraging re-use and sharing amongst peers.

The Zapper app is free to download for Android, iOS and Windows Phone platforms. For more information about Zapper please visit: www.zapper.com

Combined with Z-Beacon location-based technology and a simple direct messaging platform, businesses such as Rodizio Rico are benefiting from new, smarter ways to engage with customers. Alex Severi, General Manager at Rodizio Rico comments “Zapper is fantastic, it has made our life easier when taking payments, splitting the bill etc. It really is so simple. We have had a great response offering in-app vouchers and also love the new loyalty functionality. We already have it up and running in

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ADOPTING AN OMNICHANNEL STRATEGY CAN HELP SMALL RETAILERS COMPETE EFFECTIVELY AGAINST THEIR LARGER RIVALS, ADVISES ANAGRAM SYSTEMS Integrating online and offline sales channels is key to growing sales and improving customer satisfaction levels.

Anagram Systems, a leading developer of business management software has advised that in order to compete effectively against larger businesses, small and medium sized retailers need to adopt an omnichannel strategy which unites online and offline sales.

Recent advancements in technology and the accessibility of sites such as eBay and Amazon, however, have made it easier and more affordable for small retailers to implement the systems that underpin a successful omnichannel strategy.

As increasing numbers of people combine online research for products and services with calls and visits to a shop or branch, an omnichannel approach ensures that customers can make decisions and purchases via the retail channel that is most convenient for them.

Business management applications like Encore from Anagram Systems centralise all business data within a single system, helping improve the flow of accurate, up to date customer data between different users. This is key to minimising the mistakes that are common in businesses which use multiple software systems and ensuring all orders and customers enquiries are recorded and managed accurately and quickly.

Andrew Morgan, Managing Director, Anagram Systems comments, “In the last two years, we’ve seen a leap in the number of retailers which are adopting an omnichannel approach and are growing sales and customer satisfaction levels as a direct result.”

“Businesses which cater for the fact that people now shop in different ways, moving between online and offline retail channels before making a decision, are providing the gold-standard shopping experience that consumers and business buyers now expect as standard and take for granted.”

Recent research has revealed that eight out of ten consumers now user a computer, smartphone, tablet or in-store technology such as a searchable electronic catalogue while shopping and researching products and services ahead of a purchase.

Business with plans to adopt an omnichannel strategy must therefore think carefully about their existing IT infrastructure and the technology required to engage with customers who access different channels using a range devices including desktop PCs, laptops, smartphones and tablets.

Encore also provides real-time integration with a businesses’ website, enabling business users to manage sales, stock and customer information. Centralising this information within a single system is key to providing joined up customer services; an essential pre-requisite of every successful omnichannel strategy deployment.

Morgan concludes, “The good news for small retailers is that they are often more agile than their larger competitors and can make changes to internal processes and introduce new technology in a short space of time. This agility combined with more affordable business management systems like Encore means small businesses are able to implement an omnichannel strategy very quickly.

As a result, they are able to grow their market share and compete against much larger business.”

Anagram Systems is a market-leading Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software provider with more than 30 years’ experience of developing integrated front and back office systems for SMEs in the UK and USA. The company supports more than 2,000 companies worldwide.

Until recently business owners considering the adoption of an omnichannel strategy faced a number of obstacles. This included investment in website shopping cart functionality, front-end and back-end systems required to capture sales and customer information, and crucially, enabling personnel in different departments work more closely together.

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AMAZON ‘DASHES’ THE HOPES OF UK SUPERMARKETS The launch of Amazon’s ‘Internet of Things’ Dash service could steal 20% of UK supermarket online sales, says e-commerce delivery expert ParcelHero.

Amazon is continuing its assault on the UK grocery market with the launch of its Dash service for UK Prime members. While some industry experts are predicting it will capture just 3% of the grocery market for Amazon, e-tail delivery specialists ParcelHero believe the launch of Dash could capture Amazon a 20% share of the online market by 2020 – and could even spell doom for one supermarket chain.

ParcelHero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks MILT says, “Dash is an ultra-convenient device. With the simple push of a button – or even by speaking to the gizmo for some versions – it will reorder your washing powder or your coffee or one of 40 products at launch.

It’s great news for busy people as it takes care of routine shopping chores automatically; but it’s very bad news for supermarkets as it ties consumers into Amazon for even more products.

“It’s perhaps not recognised as much as it should be; but Tesco is now the second largest online UK retailer with online sales of £2.9 billion; Asda is the sixth largest with sales of £1.2bn, followed hard by Sainsbury’s with similar figures; and Ocado is 9th with £1.1bn. These are significant sums; but we believe Amazon is about to take a serious bite out of this income. If Amazon can take a 20% slice of that online grocery market pie it’s going to leave at least one lower margin supermarket chain struggling longer term, as shoppers desert the high street.”

As ground-breaking as the launch of the Amazon Dash one-hour delivery service is in the UK, it also paves the way for an even more interconnected service called Dash

Replenishment. This takes the technology a step further: devices such as dishwashers and printers automatically ordering new supplies of tablets or ink cartridges without their owner needing to do anything, not even press a button.

David reveals, “As traditional supermarkets sales slump – Asda was down 7.5% in the last three months due to declining store sales – many grocery retailers have been carefully building their online sales to offset the decline in brick and mortar stores. But now they are going to pay the price of not being able to offer easy consumer convenience; as our kitchen appliances take over the weekly shop. Amazon Prime members already spend more than twice as much as non-members with the online giant; and now it looks likely that that loyalty will also be transferred to the weekly groceries.”

David continues, “Amazon has spent millions in the last three years developing its delivery service in the UK bypassing slower traditional delivery services such as the Royal Mail - and now we see why. Amazon is looking to conquer the grocery market just as it has already transformed books, electronics, toys and clothes sales.

Amazon dwarfs the UK e-commerce market with sales of £4.4bn; now it’s set to make inroads into the supermarket’s online profits.

“We revealed in our recent industry report Amazon’s Prime Ambition that Amazon aims to become the pipeline through which everything we buy flows. By putting the choice in the hands of our fridges and washing machines; it’s just moved a step further”, David concludes.

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BRIGHTHOUSE MAKES SURE THE CUSTOMER COMES FIRST WITH NEW SMS AND MOBILE-BASED PAYMENTS • 25% of the customers in the target group switched to using this form of SMS payment in under two months.

• This increased to 65% uptake after six months, with no drop-off Fast-growing customer engagement leader VoiceSage has just announced that BrightHouse, the UK’s leading rent-to-own retailer, has introduced a new self-service mobile payments system to help customers make payments promptly and conveniently.

BrightHouse has built this proactive customer service using the VoiceSage Visual Pay mobile payments solution in combination with personalised automated SMS in order to make it as convenient as possible for customers to make frequent and easy payments.

Customers are reminded an imminent payment is due by proactive reminders, letting them do the rest via an SMS with a bespoke web link, pre-filled out with their individual, customer-specific details (e.g. name, payment amount, due date).

As a result, making a payment couldn’t be simpler as customers fill in their debit card details, allowing them to pay at a time that is convenient for them, and in a wholly secure way.

The simplicity and power of the Visual Pay service, linked to a standard but personal medium like SMS, supports the core BrightHouse value of giving customers total flexibility and control over their relationship with the company.

Within eight weeks of deployment, no less than one in four in the BrightHouse target group for the service had switched to using mobile payments. “That shift exceeded our expectations,” said Alasdair Skeoch, BrightHouse Head of Credit Operations, who adds that ease of use is consistently cited as the biggest single attraction of the new system.

“There is always a chance with doing something different and new that customers may not warm to it, but in this instance, that didn’t happen: ‘easy way to pay,’ ‘idiot proof’ and ‘simple’ were standout elements of the positive feedback we received from our customers. It’s fair to say that we and our customers love it.

“Innovation is at the heart of what we do, which is why we partner with the best. VoiceSage enables BrightHouse to take our customer engagement to the next level – and having the best solution provider has been crucial in ensuring we always get the most from its chosen technology.”

Commenting on the project, VoiceSage’s Sales and Marketing Director Steve Robertson noted, “BrightHouse’s use of great proactive customer engagement solutions is a powerful role model for other retailers and credit organisations looking to deliver excellent customer service in a cost-efficient but competitive way.”

An important element of the project was speed to market, as BrightHouse needed to be up and running quickly and not a huge IT project. Through VoiceSage’s managed service and use of agile development techniques, the whole BrightHouse mobile payments solution was up and running in under six weeks.

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NATWEST OFFER ANDROID PAY TO CUSTOMERS Account holders of NatWest Bank can now pay for their goods and services easily and securely using Android Pay NatWest has announced that its customers in England and Wales can now use Android Pay across the UK’s 400,000 contactless payment terminals to buy goods and services in pubs, shops and restaurants.

This follows on from the launch of Apple Pay last year for NatWest customers and means that Android phone users will now be able to safely, swiftly and securely make a payment by waving their mobile over a contactless payment terminal. This saves customers from having to use cash for small payments or to use their card every time they want to make a payment.

It will be Visa Debit card holders that will be the first NatWest customers to be able to use Android Pay, with other types of card following later this year. It is estimated that around one million NatWest customers use an Android phone.

Customers at NatWest are increasingly using their mobile phone to do their banking – with some 3.3 million people regularly logging in and using the app. In fact, in just the last month, £3.8bn payments and transfers were made using the NatWest app or £19.8bn since the start of the year.

Commenting Simon McNamara, NatWest, Chief Administrative Officer said, “Android Pay is a great way for our customers when out and about shopping to quickly, easily and securely make a purchase with just a tap of their mobile. It will save many of our customers from having to carry cash around to make small purchases and will often remove the need to use a card. It’s just another way in which we’re helping to make banking with us simpler and more convenient.”

Away from shops, customers can also use Android Pay to make ‘in-app purchases’ so that they don’t need to fill out their full card details every time they want to buy something directly through their mobile, but can simply use Android Pay to verify a purchase.

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MCDERMOTT INTERNATIONAL USES ALLOCATE SOFTWARE TO MANAGE GLOBAL TALENT AROUND THE WORLD Centralized, real-time intelligence enables Houston-based engineering company to capitalize on new opportunities in fast-growth, competitive offshore market Allocate Software, a provider of offshore and maritime workforce management software, announced McDermott International Inc. successfully deployed the company’s Offshore Suite, creating a central skills matrix that harnesses the talents of its global workforce to implement some of the world’s most complex engineering projects.

Since using Allocate software, McDermott introduced global scheduling, enhanced visibility of the organization’s skills and training requirements, increased cross-functional collaboration and realised significant time savings through automation.

McDermott was looking to replace its in-house system including various databases, spreadsheets and paper files with a faster, more agile way of consolidating all crew and training information in one place. McDermott selected Allocate’s OffshoreSuite solution, which is specifically designed to help organizations simplify the task of finding, deploying and managing appropriately skilled staff in the challenging offshore environment.

Andrew Leys, Vice President, Human Resources at McDermott International Inc. commented, “Since introducing Offshore Suite, we have successfully scheduled 7,075 people across 11 primary vessels, a number of support vessels and 4 marine bases. Now we can quickly look up any crew member around the world, see their work history, where they are working and assign them to a project or new role based on their skills and experience.”

staff can combine scheduling and training information and attach and store scanned documents to save hours of time. What is more, Allocate is also a valuable customer service tool. Project managers can view and print training and travel documents both on and offshore, which is advantageous when it comes to managing a client’s specific requirements.

As part of next steps, McDermott plans to create reliable data analytics reports to give managers high-level insight into crucial areas such as crew mobilisations and manning requirements for different projects.

Crispin Jessop, offshore workforce management specialist, Defence and Maritime Allocate Software concluded, “Allocate helps to manage a truly global workforce in often harsh working environments. We pride ourselves on our hard-earned reputation for excellent customer care and technical support. Offshore engineering companies face the challenge of managing thousands of staff working on complex projects often in dangerous circumstances and rely on our technology to confidently deploy the right people to the right place at the right time. In such a highly competitive market it is essential to maintain the safety of staff whilst delivering successful projects.”

Offshore Suite is easy to use and offers easy access to pertinent staff information, Allocate has increased collaboration and improved ways of working between complementary departments such as Crewing Logistics, HR and the Quality, Health, Safety, Environment and Security (QHSES). From one single, integrated platform,

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REAL IMPACT: ENHANCING AUDIENCE EXPERIENCE THROUGH VR Laura Newman-Cardwell, Output Group With the hunger for Virtual Reality increasing, we’re seeing more and more opportunities to explore this exciting new frontier. But as the platform becomes more popular, what separates work with real impact from ‘VR for VR’s sake’?

Here, we look at the summer’s best events and the different ways they create magic for their audience.

Enhancing a broader experience Here at Output Group, our Oculus Rift headsets have barely cooled from our Brancott Estate ‘Virtual Vines’ activation at Camp Bestival, and we’re straight in to our next VR experience with Havana Club rum.

The much-anticipated ‘Casa Havana’ is a pop-up experiential space that transports guests to an authentic Cuban paladar, capturing the essence of this unique and fascinating country. Taking over a whole Soho townhouse, the Cuban-inspired drinks, food, music, theatre and set design plunge visitors into a local man’s story, enhanced by the tastes and smells of Havana.

Here, we have a brand that truly values the power of creating a human experience, combining technology and storytelling to enhance a bigger brand idea of providing the ultimate escape. Allowing guests to fully immerse in the brand’s heritage builds a deeper connection, showing the provenance and history behind Havana Club’s production and values. The VR journey accompanies authentic Cuban cuisine, street art designed by local artists and traditional music, providing a focus to a broader experience.

Transporting to another time or place There’s something exciting about breathing new life into historic artefacts, otherwise confined to dusty display cabinets. VR can do that, so the culture and heritage space is one we’re watching with interest. The British Museum did exactly this last year, creating a an experience that allowed visitors to explore a traditional Anglo Saxon roundhouse and interact with VR versions of objects they could then see in real life in the museum.

In a similar vein, David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef experience is currently running at the Natural History museum. Visitors can explore the corals and wildlife, while Sir David’s voiceover guides them through this beautiful and endangered landscape. In this instance, VR immerses guests in a world they would never otherwise see,

educating the audience about the challenges it faces, and hopefully inspiring young minds to make a difference themselves.

Bringing your audience closer Also in our diaries for September is a trip to the Southbank Centre for the Philharmonia Orchestra’s ‘Digital Takeover’. The Universe of Sound installation will feature a VR experience created by Inition.

With this 3D audio experience, viewers will be given bespoke binaural microphones, allowing them to focus in on specific musicians or sections of the orchestra. They’ll be able to hear layers of sound and sense the details of a classical performance only usually known to the players themselves. This style of VR allows members of the public to be transported beyond the front row, creating a truly personalised performance.

Pushing the boundaries Björk has spent over two decades pushing the boundaries of sound, art and technology, and returns to London in September with her immersive virtual reality exhibition, Björk Digital. Coinciding with a special performance at the Royal Albert Hall, the exhibition runs for almost two months, continuing the artist’s fascination with digital art and emerging technologies.

Just as the Philharmonia experience explores intimacy, this is a fascinating study into how VR and performance can come together to create compelling and unique experiences. The exciting thing about projects like this (and artists like Björk) is they’re prepared to take risks. It’ll be interesting to see what people make of it.

VR is undoubtedly the buzzword of the moment, with everyone from our favourite brands, bands and even museums experimenting with this exciting new platform.

There will be dozens of experiences that fail to hit the mark, using the technology for the sake of using it. By enhancing broader experiences, transporting people to another time or place, bringing audiences closer and pushing the boundaries, we’ll see some gems that really move the genre forward, creating real impact that can only be achieved through virtual reality.

Laura Newman-Cardwell is a Creative Producer at Allez!

Studio, part of Output Group

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ROADVERT HELPS COUNCILS UNLOCK FRESH REVENUE STREAMS

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Roadvert delivers highly targeted on-vehicle advertising campaigns for a fraction of the cost of mailshots

Roadvert Limited has launched a revolutionary new tool to help local authorities judge how much revenue they can unlock by carrying third-party advertisements on their vehicle fleets. The company behind Spedian™, a unique system of reusable vehicle graphics, has spent five years and hundreds of thousands of pounds developing the system, which is an industry first.

Using data collected from the most reputable sources in the UK, the online calculator enables councils to predict the audience profile for vehicles operating in a specified geographic area. If, for instance, a potential advertiser wanted to reach 30-40 year olds, the council can demonstrate how long an on-vehicle campaign should run in a particular area in order to maximise reach. For the first time ever it gives councils a way of measuring the worth of the advertising space on their vehicles – making it a tool that is set to transform the marketplace by enticing more councils to take part.

The predictive tool is the brainchild of Roadvert’s CEO Lawrence Craig, said: “Many councils are sitting on a valuable asset – in terms of the advertising potential of their vehicle fleet – which may not have been fully realised in the past. Our system will help them unlock that value.

“It’s a very exciting development which Roadvert has worked towards for a long time. This breakthrough enables councils to show potential customers just how cost-effective on-vehicle advertising is when compared to the more traditional direct mail campaigns.

“A direct mail shot to 342,000 households, for example, will cost more than £31,000 if delivered on its own, but will be read properly by only 23 per cent of the people who receive it. Most leaflets are thrown away within days. For a fraction of that cost advertisers can get their message across on vehicles that are seen by a wide cross-section of the public, however up until now it has been difficult to demonstrate the full potential. No longer!

“I believe our online ‘value your vehicle’ system will be particularly attractive to local authorities who are looking to cut costs and generate revenue in these times of austerity. It will allow them to demonstrate to potential customers just how many people their advertisement will reach – segmented by location nationally, regionally or by local authority in the UK, and by age profile.”

The online calculator uses an interactive map which is linked to banks of data about the age profile of the people who are likely to be using the roads in that particular location at different times of the day.

campaign, it will reveal what percentage of the target audience is likely to be reached. All of that is vital information for advertisers.

Roadvert can now offer both the predictive audience software – which it will license to customers – coupled with the Spedian™ ultra-fast application of reusable vehicle graphics that cause no damage to a vehicle’s body paintwork when removed.

Together, it is an unparalleled package that allows councils to maximise the earning potential of their fleets.

The predictive software enables councils to offer carefully targeted advertising programmes while the Spedian™ system enables advertisers to change their key messages frequently to maximise impact. The result is highly focused, highly flexible, access to an underused advertising channel.

Mr Craig, who has a career spanning over 35 years in heading up and owning advertising and marketing organisations, has a pedigree in delivering solutions for multinational companies, and masterminded the online tool because he spotted a gap in the market. He said: “I have built campaigns and made clients a lot of money and I know that to value something you have to be able to measure it. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a house, a yacht or an advertising medium – it needs to be measured.

“So I built this predictive tool to enable buyers of advertising in this market to quantify what they were buying, and thus for the first time give it a value.”

Roadvert is renowned for leading the industry. Spedian™ has been hailed as the world’s most advanced vehicle graphics system and the company recently launched the world’s lightest truck frame system which is more than 20 times lighter than other systems on the market.

Spedian SuperLite System weighs only 340g for a 3.5m box van, compared to the 19kg that other systems come in at. It is the only patented and tested ‘invisible’ vehicle graphics frame system available with no bolts, rivets, screws or aluminium or plastic frame required to fix the advertising panel to the vehicle. Like the original Spedian™ system, it can be applied swiftly to a vehicle and leaves no damage to the vehicle substrate when removed. Campaigns can be regularly changed and panels can be stored to be used again.

Spedian provides signage across the UK, Europe and USA and counts Coca Cola and McDonalds among its customers.

Potential advertisers can be shown a variety of scenarios. For example, if they want to reach over 50s living in Hertfordshire, and have the budget to hire advertising space on six vans, it will tell them how long the campaign has to be before they reach a set percentage of that target audience, say 95%. Equally, it can show how many vehicles will be needed if the campaign is time-limited.

Alternatively, for a fixed number of vehicles and length of

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SEVERALNINES AND WOOSERVERS BRING CLUSTERCONTROL TO WEB HOSTING New partnership helps start-ups challenge Google, Amazon and Microsoft Severalnines, the provider of database automation and management software for open source databases, has announced its latest partnership with WooServers.

WooServers is a web hosting platform, used by 5,500 businesses, such as WhiteSharkMedia and SwiftServe to host their websites and applications.

WooServers will make available, in this partnership with Severalnines, a managed service that includes comprehensive infrastructure automation and management of MySQL-based database clusters. The service is available on WooServers data centres, as well as on Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. The main target group is online businesses who rely on solid IT infrastructure, but wish to avoid the operational heavy lifting of managing high availability databases across data centres, or even across different cloud providers.

The Severalnines and WooServers’ partnership began in August 2015. WooServers felt there was a gap in the market for providing managed database services across different cloud providers. A large portion of their own clients were using more than one cloud provider to take advantage of features offered by one provider over another. However, without a distributed database infrastructure, it is hard to be cloud agnostic. Ultimately, where the data is, determines where the service or application resides.

And the larger the data, the harder it is to move.

Businesses can now quickly be up and running with a distributed database across the cloud services of their choice, knowing the service is managed by hosting and database experts. It is powered by MySQL clusters, with ClusterControl to automate deployment, and operational tasks such as configuration, topology changes, patching, backups, and failure recovery.

means you could even bring the data in-house and run on your own infrastructure.”

Vinay Joosery, Severalnines CEO, said, “Operational management of databases is not something you’d want your developers to spend too much time on, which makes a managed service a very logical choice. However, yielding too much control over your data to any single cloud vendor is scary. WooServers provides a service that allows businesses to benefit from cloud economics, while keeping control over their data.”

One customer who is relying on this partnership is digital advertising services provider Plexiads. After its launch in 2015, investing in IT development was a priority for Plexiads, to ensure they can compete with Google Adsense by delivering the highest quality service to its customers all over the world, especially in Africa and the Middle East.

A highly available database that is resistant to outages, is vital to keep customers’ advertising running and capitalise on every revenue opportunity.

Abdelkhalek Baou, Co-CEO and Founder of Plexiads, said, “Our products challenge web giants such as Google Adsense and Adwords, and it’s important to us to keep customers satisfied in a market which is worth $60 billion. Data is a critical part of our business, and we were looking for a partner to help us build and manage a state of the art data tier for our applications. We have been very happy with WooServers and Severalnines, and feel confident we will be able to expand the infrastructure as the business grows.”

Aleksey Krasnov, co-founder of WooServers, said, “Cloud providers are trying hard to differentiate from each other, and a hyper-competitive market is good news for clients.

There is very little in terms of cross-cloud compatibility, especially for database services. Being tied to a particular service may not be optimal in the long run, because if the costs escalate and you want to move to a more cost-effective vendor, you’re in for a big surprise. We provide choice and flexibility to our clients, and our service is cloud agnostic. Since we’re using ClusterControl, it

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TRACKR LAUNCHES FIND MY PHONE SKILL ON AMAZON ALEXA ENABLED DEVICES New TrackR Find My Phone skill for Amazon Alexa is the first and only “find my phone” skill on the platform TrackR is an Alexa Fund recipient—The Alexa Fund is named for the cloud-based voice service that powers Amazon Echo, and provides up to $100 million in investments to fuel voice technology innovation from developers, manufacturers and start-ups of all sizes.

TrackR has announced a new integration with Alexa, the cloud-based voice service behind the Amazon Echo speaker, which allows customers to locate a misplaced phone by simply saying, “Alexa, ask TrackR to find my phone.” This is the first and only “find my phone” skill available on Alexa enabled devices.

With this integration, not only can Alexa perform tasks like reading the news, reporting the weather and providing sports scores, but now Alexa can also locate any phone with the TrackR app. Customers can enable the TrackR skill within the Alexa app or by saying, “Alexa, enable the TrackR skill.” Then, to locate a phone, TrackR users can say, “Alexa, ask TrackR to find my phone,” and Alexa will ring it loudly – even if it is on silent mode.

“Nearly half of all mobile phone users misplace their phone at least once a week. With the new TrackR skill for Amazon Alexa, customers can now say, ‘Alexa, ask TrackR to find my phone’ and get an immediate answer, rather than ‘Honey, where’s my phone?’ followed by five minutes of frantic searching,” said Christian Johan Smith,

president and co-founder of TrackR. “Our integration with Amazon Alexa and the Alexa Fund is the next phase in building a comprehensive platform that remembers where your items are so you don’t have to, a concept that we believe is instrumental to the success of the consumer inventory management space.”

Amazon released the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) last year as a quick and simple toolkit for developers to create new voice-driven skills and capabilities for Alexa. Using ASK, TrackR developed an entirely new skill for customers designed to provide voice-enabled location services for mobile devices.

“We’re excited to add TrackR to the Alexa service, creating yet another category within the 2,000+ Alexa skills already available,” said Rob Pulciani, director, Amazon Alexa. “Now our busy Alexa customers have an additional skill to help them get out the door, and on with their day that much easier – losing your phone between the couch cushions is officially a problem of the past with the new TrackR skill and hands-free convenience of Alexa.”

TrackR bravo is available through the Amazon Launchpad program for start-ups at www.amazon.com/launchpad.

The complete line of TrackR devices is available at www.

TheTrackR.com.

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FROST & SULLIVAN LAUDS VELOCLOUD CLOUD-DELIVERED SD-WAN SOLUTION THAT SUPPORTS BOTH ON-PREMISE PRIVATE DEPLOYMENTS AND PUBLIC CLOUD SAAS ACCESS VeloCloud’s key value proposition is its extensive multi-tenant cloud footprint and the dynamic multipath technology, which optimizes real-time traffic over best effort networks.

Based on its recent analysis of the software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) solutions market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes VeloCloud with the 2016 North American Product Leadership Award for Product Leadership. VeloCloud sets itself apart with an unmatched, full-fledged, cloud-based SD-WAN solution that delivers a broad set of integrated capabilities as a virtual network function instead of the traditional hardware-centric model. Its full set of services includes network overlay control, dynamic path selection, application performance, application access control, secure network segmentation, and network and application visibility. The cloud-based software model helps the company make these services available through a pay-as-you-go subscription model.

VeloCloud Cloud-Delivered SD-WAN consists of VeloCloud Edge devices that are deployed at branch and data centre sites in physical or virtual form factors. It facilitates real-time monitoring of traffic paths to ensure that issues related to availability and reliability are sensed before they affect users, moving traffic to a different path if needed. This reduces the reliance on multiprotocol label switching (MPLS)-only links.

“VeloCloud Dynamic Multipath Optimization technology steers traffic over the most optimal path, when multiple private or Internet links are present, on a per-packet basis by continuously monitoring private, public, and hybrid connections,” said Frost & Sullivan Industry Director Roopa Honnachari. “VeloCloud Cloud-Delivered SD-WAN comprises edge devices and optional software-based gateways that allow the company to provide remediation services on these links for both on premise and cloud applications.”

VeloCloud Gateways, which are co-resident with controllers, are deployed at top-tier co-location and Internet as a Service (IaaS) locations around the world. The software multi-tenant gateways provide cloud-delivered services, performance, reliability, and secure optimized paths from all branches to other branches, data centres, and IaaS and cloud applications.

Its VeloCloud Orchestrator aids centralized configuration, business policy definition, real-time monitoring, analytics, and one-click provisioning of virtual services.

VeloCloud offers quality of service (QoS) all through the network, ensuring that last-mile links are never over-subscribed and that high-priority applications receive the

highest level of end-to-end performance. It employs a combination of technologies including forward error correction (FEC), packet replication, dynamic jitter buffering, and proprietary algorithms to minimize packet loss and jitter on Internet and private links. Compared with competing solutions, VeloCloud’s solution boasts superior performance improvement in terms of mean opinion scores (MOS) for packet loss and jitter during voice performance testing, and enables optimal real-time performance for IOT applications.

VeloCloud has enjoyed significant success among enterprises and managed service providers, and has more than 280 paying customers. Its cloud-based architecture is popular with managed services providers, as they can integrate its solution into their own core network to offer higher application performance, faster deployment times, and reduced bandwidth costs to their customers.

“The SD-WAN CPE dramatically lowers the time required to add new branch sites, as the CPE is a plug-and-play device that can be configured without oversight by on-site network personnel. The zero-touch provisioning feature enables the device to automatically connect to the controller and self-configure,” Honnachari said. “New branch locations can deploy SD-WAN equipment and start with readily available wireless long-term evolution (LTE) service, while waiting for a network service provider’s wired services.”

Frost & Sullivan believes that SD-WANs give enterprises the much-needed control mechanism to deploy, run, and manage WANs that help improve operational efficiency and decrease total cost of ownership, presenting VeloCloud with impressive growth opportunities.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has developed a product with innovative features and functionality, gaining rapid acceptance in the market. The award recognizes the quality of the solution and the customer value enhancements it enables.

Frost & Sullivan’s Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for outstanding achievement in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research.

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GROWTH IN COMMERCIAL DRONES TO BRING MULTIPLE BENEFITS BUT ALSO NEW RISKS, ALLIANZ WARNS • Numbers of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to surge as they become smaller and cheaper • Innovative technology can accomplish menial or dangerous tasks but also raises safety concerns such as risk of collision, a terrorist attack or cyber incident • Systematic registration of UAS and robust education and training of operators necessary to ensure safe skies, as reports of near-misses increase • New risk environment to spur growth in fast-developing “drone insurance” market, which could be worth $1bn in the next decade

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Whether used commercially for industrial inspections, aerial photography, border patrol, emergency deliveries and crop surveys or recreationally by millions, drones or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have the potential to become a multi-billion-dollar business and deliver problem-solving technologies across numerous industries.

However, more drones in the skies also raise a number of new safety concerns, ranging from collisions and crashes to cyber-attacks and terrorism. To ensure safe UAS operations, systematic registration of unmanned aircraft and robust education and training of operators is necessary, according to a new report from aviation insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS): Rise of the Drones: Managing the Unique Risks Associated with Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

“There have already been enough incidents and near-misses to date involving UAS to generate concern that the likelihood of collisions and other loss events will grow as numbers multiply,” says James Van Meter, an Aviation Practice Leader at AGCS. As drones are becoming smaller, cheaper and easier to use – and regulatory change, particularly in the US, lowers barriers to entry - growth prospects are surging. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) forecasts that by the end of 2016 in the US over 600,000 UAS will be deployed for commercial use alone – three times the number of registered manned aircraft. In addition, 1.9 million UAS are expected to be in recreational use. Globally, the UAS market is forecast to reach 4.7 million units, or higher, by 2020 with the market for commercial application of UAS technology estimated to soar from $2bn to $127bn.

Made for menial or dangerous tasks “UAS in commercial use will increase greatly in the next decade because they are effective at carrying out menial or dangerous tasks,” explains Thomas Kriesmann, Senior Underwriter General Aviation, AGCS. Work accidents such as employees falling off the roof on building inspections and workers compensation losses are expected to decrease as a result. UAS also have the potential to both solve problems and save costs in future across a number of other industries, throughout the developing world and in disaster relief situations. Emerging uses include delivering blood and vaccines to remote locations in Africa, fighting grass fires, pest control and even delivering pizza and coffee.

Insurers are also increasingly utilizing UAS to make risk assessment of construction or infrastructure projects easier and safer. Claims handling can also be made quicker and more effective by using drones to survey loss damage after major catastrophes. For example, when parts of Tianjin, China, were rendered inaccessible after major explosions last year, high resolution images taken by UAS after the blasts where compared with previous photographs to determine how many vehicles had been destroyed. Allianz even supports a pilot-to-business marketplace, FairFleet, which links pilots with businesses in need of UAS, offering insurance coverage and claims settlement services.

have increased five-fold over the past year in the US; while there have been a number of near-miss incidents around the world including in China, Dubai, and the UK. Loss of control can result from a system failure or if the UAS flies beyond signal range. AGCS sees a major risk in loss of control from frequency interferences and other factors. A pilot losing control of a UAS during a building inspection could result in a total liability easily in excess of $5 million, if the UAS crashed into a truck or shop, for example. Even a small UAS could cause as much as $10 million in damage alone when hitting an engine of an airplane. An emerging peril is the potential terrorist threat from UAS targeting critical infrastructure such as (nuclear) power stations or live events. Other scenarios include hackers taking control during a flight, causing a crash, or hacking the radio signal and transmitting valuable recorded data from the aircraft from another control station (“spoofing”). There are also many public concerns over UAS around privacy issues.

Improving UAS safety: need for training and registration A primary concern is the lack of consistent standards or regulations for the safe operation of UAS around the globe. “In many locations, there are few or no pilot training and maintenance standards,” explains Van Meter. “In addition to regulation, education will continue to be key to ensuring safe UAS operations.” Training has a crucial role to play in reducing the risk of an incident occurring, with novice control a major cause of loss activity. Training should include meteorology, emergency instructions, air traffic law, including flight rules over buildings, system maintenance, flight time calculation and on-board camera image use.

In many locations around the world no registration of UAS is mandatory, effectively affording the user anonymity in the event of a loss incident. “However, in future, identification of both UAS and operator will be essential to maintain proper liability in general,” says Kriesmann. “Introduction of car registration-style schemes will be needed sooner or later.”

“Drone insurance” for multiple exposures Insurance can protect both operators and the public from risk of mid-air collision, as well as physical or property damage or injury to others. Manufacturers, owners and operators of UAS, as well as businesses that sell and service UAS, are exposed. So--called drone insurance is a fast-growing area of the insurance industry and different coverages are available, depending on the type of use.

“Whether you run a coffee shop or a truck delivery business you need insurance to run your business. Drones are no different,” Van Meter explains. “Commercial operators of UAS will require at least $1 million of insurance coverage to protect against risk exposures.” Assuming growth projections for the commercial industry materialize there is potential for the drone insurance market to be worth $500m+ by the end of 2020 in the US. Globally, its value could approach $1bn.

Mid-air collisions and loss of control core safety concerns However, new risks and the potential for misuse of UAS technology need to be considered, too. UAS raise two priority safety concerns: mid-air collisions and the loss of control. A mid-air collision could happen if the pilot cannot see and avoid manned aircraft in time, especially those that normally fly below 500 feet, such as helicopters, agricultural aircraft and aircraft landing or taking-off. Reports of UAS sightings from pilots, citizens and law enforcement

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REACTIVE TECHNOLOGIES SECURES ITS BIGGEST FUNDING ROUND YET FROM RENEWABLES INVESTOR OCTOPUS CAPITAL

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• Octopus Capital recognises significant market potential for Reactive Technologies’ unique smart grid and demand side response (DSR) solution • Flexible, highly scalable technology enables new business models for commercial energy users, network operators and distributed power generators

Reactive Technologies, a leading UK-based smart grid and demand-side response (DSR) company, has announced the successful conclusion of its latest funding round. Reactive chose to accept an offer from Octopus Capital Limited (Octopus) having received expressions of interest from other leading investors.

In making its investment, Octopus recognises the unique value in Reactive’s patented technology portfolio, the quality of its executives and engineering team and Reactive’s appeal to electricity generators, users and network operators who are seeking new solutions to balance their power grids. Octopus manages a distributed energy generation portfolio worth c.£1.8bn. Octopus is the only company in the UK that brings together managed generation assets, a digital energy supply business and cutting edge technology enabling smarter energy management.

Chris Hulatt, Co-founder of Octopus commented, “At Octopus, we look to invest in areas where we can really make a difference. Reactive Technologies is at the heart of changing the way energy is managed and addresses some of the energy sector’s biggest challenges. Our investment represents a strategic decision for Octopus, supporting our existing assets and building on our position as one of the UK’s largest investors in the renewable energy sector. We look forward to working closely with the Reactive Technologies team to support our shared focus on a smarter solution to energy generation and supply.”

Market opportunities The increasing use of decentralised renewable energy is disrupting the nature of today’s power grids. Intermittent renewable sources reduce grid stability – operators need a much more dynamic approach to balance supply and demand today, which will require investment in transformational technologies.

In the UK alone, National Grid currently spends £1 billion per year on balancing services, a figure that is expected to increase significantly in coming years. As well as requiring increased investment, these unprecedented changes in the industry present an opportunity for both operators and consumers. Estimates1 suggest that by adopting ‘smart power’ solutions, UK consumers could save £8 billion annually by 2030, while helping the country to meet its carbon targets. While these figures apply to the UK, the same structural changes are affecting energy markets across the world, which offers Reactive substantial growth potential.

vision and Octopus has a clear commitment to drive change in the UK energy market – especially for the benefit of consumers. We are at the start of a new era – the ‘internet of energy’, and it will fundamentally change the way we manage energy.”

Volker Beckers, Chairman, Reactive Technologies, added: “This investment represents another major milestone for our company. Our ambition and technology is transforming energy systems from carbon-intensive, centralised generation towards smart, clean and agile systems that have software engineering and digital communications at their core. We are confident that both government and key industry stakeholders will see there are next generation solutions available now, driving new jobs, cutting costs and creating a leadership position for the UK.” Dr Jens Madrian, Chief Financial and Commercial Officer, Reactive Technologies said “This investment will enable us to increase our commitment to the UK and continue our international expansion, develop our technology solutions and commercial activities to deliver real scale and opportunity in the energy industry. To that end we are actively recruiting into our teams now.”

Scalable technology provides unique business benefits Stabilising today’s power grids requires fast, sophisticated and robust communication technologies. Reactive’s innovative approach to cloud-based demand side response, power management, frequency response and remote control and measurement of grid-connected assets enable industrial and commercial energy users, network operators and distributed power generators to mitigate cost and operational risks.

By enabling energy control that can handle sub-second responses up to multi-hour energy shifts, Reactive’s platform enables its customers to take advantage of the broadest range of revenue opportunities on offer. The scalability of the technology allows customers to aggregate thousands of assets under one platform – including power generators, energy consuming equipment and storage, from large-scale industrial customers to deployment in residential markets.

“Octopus has the presence and scale to help us to deliver on our potential,” said Marc Borrett, co-founder and Chief Executive, Reactive Technologies. “We are delighted to have them on board. We share a common

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THE HARVEY PRACTICE MAKES THE SWITCH TO A NEW DIGITAL WORKSTYLE The Harvey Practice has recently appointed leading digital dictation provider Lexacom. They have already seen what a difference using Lexacom 3 has made to their day, foremost bringing a more efficient way of working for the team.

create patient referrals and create other documents on a daily basis, the team can be confident in the knowledge that using Lexacom 3 ensures that patient records, which are extracted from SystmOne, remain secure during the documents creation process.

The Harvey Practice was recommended by other GP Practices in their area who already use Lexacom 3, to look into using the advanced digital dictation software as an alternative to their existing tape system.

“Lexacom 3 is an excellent product and we are very pleased that we made the decision to start using it. The software has a made a real difference to the way we work; we are now running a much more efficient practice.

We are generating documents much more quickly, our work is lot more accurate and we have more time to focus on other work.

Kirstie Cobb, Practice Secretary from The Harvey Practice explains, “We were using a tape system and the equipment was constantly failing. And workloads were growing due to the amount of time that was being spent on mending the equipment. I decided to see what the other local practices used to support their document creation work and Lexacom 3 was consistently recommended to us”.

The Harvey Practice signed up to Lexacom 3 as soon as they’d seen a demo of the software. “We knew there and then that the solution would be ideal for our Practice as it offered the option to share our work across different sites, which was a priority for us”.

The Dorset based practice uses SystmOne to retrieve their patient data. This clinical system integrates with Lexacom 3 and has been a welcome service for the team. With three secretaries and eleven GPs needing to

“We see the potential for us to take the option of integrating other Lexacom products and services with the software over the coming months as and when we need it. The flexibility of this is really going to help when we need to ease any workload pressures that may occur.

We were recommended to use Lexacom and we will be recommending other GP Practices to do the same”.

Dr Andrew Whiteley, Managing Director at commented, “We are delighted to be working with The Harvey Practice.

Having the ability for their team to use Lexacom 3 across more than one site is just one of the benefits of using this software and allows The Harvey Practice to be much more efficient with their working day. It’s just one of the benefits that using Lexacom 3 for document creation will provide”.

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THE POLAROID SNAP TOUCH At Photokina 2016, Polaroid announced the global release of the much anticipated Polaroid Snap Touch instant digital camera.

The Polaroid Snap Touch is now available for pre-order at www.polaroidsnapcamera.com.

Instant photography has been at the heart of the Polaroid brand for nearly 80 years, and today it is reimagined with the Polaroid Snap Touch instant digital camera. With the Polaroid Snap Touch, Polaroid is able to offer the traditional instant photography experience it’s known for with new features specifically aimed at today’s digital user. The Polaroid Snap Touch follows in the footsteps of the highly successful first generation Polaroid Snap. The new model is now available for pre-order with several new features that makes sharing even easier and more fun than before.

The Polaroid Snap Touch instant digital camera is now available for pre-order.

“As the original pioneers of instant photography, we at Polaroid have been dedicated to bringing products to market which fit our brand DNA of instant gratification, sharing, and fun throughout our history,” said Scott W. Hardy, President and CEO of Polaroid. “Today, we’re focused on designing products which meet the needs of modern consumers, but still trigger the emotional response of our legacy Polaroid cameras. There’s no better example of this than the Polaroid Snap. The instant digital camera boasts a fun and exciting design that’s unlike anything else on the market, and we’re incredibly excited to debut its successor, the Polaroid Snap Touch, at Photokina 2016.”

Snap, Print and Share Taking the Polaroid Snap to the next level, the new Polaroid Snap Touch incorporates a wide range of updated features for an enhanced instant experience. Updates include the addition of a 3.5” LCD touchscreen for framing shots and navigating the camera’s menu, a new and improved 13 megapixel CMOS sensor for higher-quality images as well as 1080p full HD video recording capability. All images and video are stored on a micro SD card (up to 128GB) to allow for sharing later.

Integrated within the Polaroid Snap Touch is a printer which uses ZINK® Zero Ink Printing Technology. This gives consumers the ability to capture and instantly print full-color, 2x3” photographs, all at a significantly lower cost than traditional instant film prints. Of course the new Polaroid Snap Touch is ideal for today’s selfie shooters thanks to a self-timer and the addition of a fun selfie mirror that ensures the user is framed perfectly in the shot. Additionally, the instant digital camera offers three color modes—black and white, color, and vintage sepia—with the option to print with or without the iconic Polaroid Classic Border Logo.

Bluetooth Enabled for Even More Versatility Thanks to Bluetooth connectivity and integration with the

Polaroid Print App, users are no longer limited to just printing photos captured by the camera itself. Using Bluetooth and the app, users can now pair the Polaroid Snap Touch with other devices such as smartphones and tablets to transform the device into an instant photoprinter. The app, available free for iOS and Android, will also give users the ability to edit and enhance images saved on other mobile devices using a number of creative filters, digital stickers, effects and controls, and then print via the Polaroid Snap Touch. Exploring the Polaroid Print App allows users to unlock trophies and other fun hidden features. No matter what device their images are taken with, they’ll be able to share the fun with their own creative flair.

The Polaroid Snap Touch was designed in partnership with renowned design firm, Ammunition, the studio that was also behind the Polaroid Zip instant photoprinter and Polaroid Cube and Polaroid Cube lifestyle action cameras.

With the Polaroid Snapfamily of instant digital cameras, Ammunition created a sense of continuity between classic Polaroid cameras and currentPolaroid products. Led by industrial designer Robert Brunner, Ammunition is the design studio behind award-winning consumer brands including Adobe, Beats by Dre, Square, Lyft, and Williams-Sonoma.

ZINK Zero Ink® Printing Also debuting at Photokina is the Polaroid rainbow border 2x3” premium ZINK Paper®. The camera’s ZINK-enabled printer uses heat to activate and colorize cyan, yellow and magenta dye crystals embedded in the paper. The result is full-color, high quality, long-lasting and smudge-proof images without ink cartridges, ribbons or toner. The latest version of ZINK Paper features five fun, brightly colored borders reminiscent of the familiar white Polaroid Classic Border Logo the brand is famous for. The colored border will automatically appear around the image after a photo is printed. In addition to the new Polaroid Snap Touch, thePolaroid rainbow border 2x3” premium ZINK Paper is compatible with the first generation Polaroid Snap and Polaroid Zip instant photoprinter.

ZINK 2x3” photos print in just under a minute so consumers can instantly share the photo with their friends and family. Additionally, ZINK Paper is adhesive backed so the photo can be used as a sticker as well.

Offered by C A Global, an authorized Polaroid licensee, the Polaroid Snap Touch instant digital camera is now available for pre-order at www.polaroidsnapcamera.com for $179.99.

The Polaroid rainbow border 2x3” premium ZINK paper is currently available for purchase at www.polaroidsnapcamera.com with an MSRP of $12.99 for a 20-pack. To learn more about Polaroid, please visit polaroid.com.

Soft Tech INTL / September 2016

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TECHNOLOGY

FROST & SULLIVAN APPLAUDS ZIMPERIUM’S MOBILE-SPECIFIC THREAT DETECTION TECHNOLOGY, THE Z9 ENGINE Based on its recent analysis of the machine learning-based mobile threat detection technology market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Zimperium with the 2016 North America Award for Technology Innovation. Zimperium has emerged an early innovator in the space with its z9 engine, which has demonstrated a unique ability to integrate a best-in-class behavioural analytics engine with a mobile threat detection management solution.

Most companies in the mobile security space attempt to modify their desktop security solutions to suit mobile devices, which can result in latency and software unresponsiveness. Zimperium’s z9 engine, however, is specially developed for the mobile environment to address distinct issues with iOS and Android mobile devices. This groundup approach eliminates compatibility challenges and enables the solution to run smoothly.

The z9 engine is installed directly onto the mobile device, removing the need to transfer data to the enterprise cloud for analysis while simultaneously reducing battery usage and improving the responsiveness of the security solution.

This approach eliminates the need for Internet connectivity for device security.

“The z9 detection engine incorporates advanced machine learning algorithms that ensure dynamic and accurate real-time identification of malicious attacks on mobile devices, regardless of the entry point,” said Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Swapnadeep Nayak. “Unlike competing solutions that only monitor the installed applications, the z9 engine provides a comprehensive view of the device and all the applications installed in it. It analyses even slight changes in the mobile operating system’s statistics, CPU, and memory utilization and uses all of its resources to identify the type and reason for attack. “ The incorporation of a behavioural analytics threat detection engine makes z9 immune to evasion techniques, such as polymorphic malware that constantly changes codes. The advanced technology of the z9 engine makes it highly scalable; it even expands feature sets through its own learning rather than depending on a predefined database. The technology is designed to offer multi-tenant support that can handle additional mobile devices to meet the growing demands of an enterprise.

The z9 technology is delivered through Zimperium’s Mobile Threat Protection solution, which detects threats across networks, devices, and applications through a single suite. The suite includes zIAP, which enables self-protecting mobile applications, zIPS, providing on-device threat protection and z3A, which brings advanced app analysis.

One of the strongest adoption drivers of the z9 engine is the “bring your own device” trend (BYO) since it privately detects threats. Zimperium’s technology also allows software developers to easily integrate mobile security features into their Internet of Things application environment instead of designing security features from scratch.

Looking ahead, the z9 engine could also find applications in threat detection for smart homes and smart cars.

“The z9 engine’s low cost of ownership, simple operation, and easy integration capabilities have greatly boosted the company’s growth,” Nayak said. “Its technology has earned wide application scope, covering the financial, telecommunications, IT, robotics, pharmaceutical, media, logistics, and transportation industries.”

Frost & Sullivan is pleased to honour Zimperium for its ability to stay ahead of the competition and its potential for revenue growth with its leading-edge z9 engine.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated uniqueness in developing and leveraging new technologies, which significantly impacts both functionality and customer value. The award lauds the high research and development spending towards innovation, its relevance to the industry, and the positive impact on brand perception.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

Soft Tech INTL / September 2016

Deals ARKADIN ACQUIRES APPLICABLE TO ENABLE LARGE ENTERPRISES TO LEVERAGE THE POWER OF UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS AS A SERVICE

OCADO ‘CUCKOLDED’ AS AMAZON GETS FRESH WITH MORRISONS As Ocado’s partner, Morrisons, climbs into bed with Amazon, the international delivery expert Fastlane International asks where Ocado should look next to boost margins.

Expertise in UC, voice services, global networking, data security and change management positions Arkadin as a global force in deploying Cloud Microsoft UC services for large enterprises

A 13.6% rise in quarterly sales seems good news for Ocado shareholders and confirmation of the growing demand for online groceries; especially as Asda supermarket sales in comparison fell by an eye-watering 7.5 per cent in the three months to June 30. But delivery experts Fastlane International say Ocado has good reason to warn of pressure on its profit margins, after Ocado’s partner Morrisons jumped into bed with Amazon.

Arkadin, an NTT Communications company, and one of the largest and fastest growing providers of Unified Communications and Collaboration services, announced today the acquisition of Applicable Ltd., a leading provider of Cloud Unified Communications and enterprise voice services with offices in Bristol (UK), Brisbane (AUS) and Houston (USA).

Applicable’s 12-year track record of success in building, implementing and managing cloud-based Microsoft Lync and Skype for Business for large enterprises will enable Arkadin to expand its global reach and bring the value of Unified Communications services to large and global companies. Applicable’s expert team already hosts more than 330,000 UC users through its ‘ISO/IEC 27001:2013’ certified global private cloud platform.

Fastlane’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks MILT says, “Ocado is the only ‘supermarket’ without brick and mortar stores: it is reliant on home deliveries, and the margins on these deliveries are tight enough to squeeze the pips from its Easy Peeler oranges. Ocado seemed to have the answer by forming a relationship with Morrisons to supply the technology and delivery network for the store; something it’s been doing since 2014. But Morrisons has proved to be something of a fickle partner; and has now also embarked on a relationship with Amazon: which is delivering Morrisons food.”

“The acquisition of Applicable is an important milestone for Arkadin to enable all businesses, from SMBs to the largest enterprises, to harness the full power of Unified Communications for greater workplace productivity,” said Olivier de Puymorin, Chairman and CEO of Arkadin International. “Our highly complementary portfolios and service strategies, coupled with shared cultural values and an aggressive vision for growth, present a huge opportunity for our global customers and partners to have the benefits of a private and fully managed cloud-based UC solution.”

Earlier this year Amazon was seen to be the solution to Ocado’s problems, with many analysts predicting a link-up between the two, in what seemed a marriage made in heaven. But today it is Morrisons who are building the closest relationship with Amazon. This might seem like sleeping with the enemy; as Amazon is expanding its Fresh one-hour food deliveries rapidly; but Morrisons think it’s worth the risk and has just announced the introduction of 100s of Amazon lockers in its stores.

While Applicable will continue to run its operations independently, the two companies will collaborate on product development and long-term strategic planning. With this acquisition, Arkadin strengthens its portfolio of UC solutions available to the Large Enterprise market by combining global UC & Telephony services supported by local presence. This offer supplements the existing portfolio centred on Arkadin Total Connect, a multi-tenant Microsoft Skype for Business hosted service. This service provides a fully integrated UC ecosystem with voice-enabled Office 365, audio/web/video conferencing and contact centre.

David explains, “This leaves Ocado something of a cuckold.

Post the Morrisons-Amazon hook up, Ocado had to renegotiate its relationship with Morrisons. Ocado has lost half the amount Morrisons were paying for Ocado’s R&D and its 25% cut in future online Morrisons profits. It’s by no means a divorce; but neither is it what Ocado would have signed up for in the pre-nup. And it’s not the first time Ocado has suffered a break-up: it was originally wedded to Waitrose; but Waitrose eventually launched its own online delivery service; though Ocado still delivers Waitrose branded products as well.”

According to Thomas Valantin, Arkadin’s Chief Commercial Officer, “Arkadin and Applicable have been cooperating for some time and we have already demonstrated the value of our combined strengths in fostering voice-enabled Skype for Business solutions for large enterprises and for providing high quality experience and driving user adoption.”

In the meantime, it looks as if it will be Morrisons that benefit from the growth of Amazon’s Ocado-rivalling Fresh service.

David observes, “It’s an open question whether this is a clever move from Morrisons, or whether it is spending a lot of effort feeding a cuckoo in its nest. Only time will tell on that.”

“We are thrilled to be joining Arkadin and are certain it will benefit all stakeholders, including our talented workforces and current and future customers,” said Applicable Managing Director, Alan Baldwin. “Our combined resources and shared passion for enabling organisations to collaborate, will successfully deliver integrated Microsoft UC services that meet the essential quality of experience requirements of enterprise customers. Arkadin’s global telephony and local approach to service, together with Applicable’s expertise, offer customers a complete UC service.”

David concludes, “If I were a Ocado shareholder, looking at the impact Amazon has on any market it moves into, from books to toys to electricals; I’d be hoping Ocado keeps its mind open to any approach from Amazon in the future. It’s the relationship Ocado really needs.”

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QUIPTEL PLANS TO DELIVER SIGNIFICANT SCALE, SCOPE AND REACH IN THE BURGEONING OTT MARKET THROUGH FALCON ACQUISITIONS Quiptel Hong Kong Limited, the video streaming technology company, is pleased to announce it has agreed terms to be acquired by Falcon Acquisitions Plc (LSE: FAL), the LSE listed investment company which is strategically focused on the over-the-top (“OTT”) market.

Sandip Sarda, Chief Executive Officer of Quiptel HK Ltd, said: “We are delighted to have agreed terms with Falcon Acquisitions at this exciting stage in our growth; the global OTT market has exploded in recent years, and we find that our vision and experience strongly resonates with the strategic objectives of Falcon. We now look forward to working with Gert Rieder and his team to build a truly innovative global OTT broadcast platform business.”

Gert Rieder, Falcon’s Executive Chairman, said: “Securing a foundation investment that enables us to build a scalable business in the rapidly growing OTT market has remained our primary focus. With its dynamic video streamlining technology and foothold in the Asian OTT market, we are delighted to be acquiring Quiptel, which has demonstrated its potential to generate considerable value in a market that is transforming the way we access media content. In due course we intend to re-apply for admission to the Official List and the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange”.

Established in 2008 in Hong Kong, Quiptel has invested significantly in research and development with successful deployments around the world. Quiptel has also achieved multiple patents for its advanced intelligent Adaptive Transfer Rate™ (ATR™) technology and is now a leader of the dynamic and fast growing OTT streaming sector.

TRANSDIGM TO ACQUIRE YOUNG & FRANKLIN INC. AND TACTAIR FLUID CONTROLS INC. TransDigm Group Incorporated has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Young & Franklin Inc. (“Young & Franklin”) and its subsidiaries, including Tactair Fluid Controls Inc. (“Tactair” and collectively with Young & Franklin, the “Company”).

The Company manufactures proprietary, highly engineered valves and actuators. Revenues are anticipated to be about $75 million for the fiscal year ending December 2016 with aftermarket comprising approximately 70% of the revenue. Nearly 100% of the revenues are from proprietary products and about 70% of the revenue is aerospace related. The balance is sold to the industrial gas turbine market. The Company is located in Liverpool, New York.

Major platforms include Embraer’s E2, Phenom 300 and Legacy 450/500 programs; Bombardier’s Challenger and Global programs; Mitsubishi MRJ; Lockheed C130J; Bell UH1; and various GE, Solar and other industrial turbine applications.

W. Nicholas Howley, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of TransDigm, stated, “Both Tactair and Young & Franklin are long standing manufacturers of proprietary products with established positions, strong aftermarket content and an outstanding reputation based on product excellence. The highly engineered products will allow us to expand our content on a number of substantial platforms. The Company fits well with our consistent product and acquisition strategy. As with all TransDigm acquisitions, we see opportunities for significant value creation.”

The acquisition, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016.

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Soft Tech INTL / September 2016

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