Q&A with Tom O'Regan, CEO at Madison Logic

MEDIA 7 | November 28, 2019

Ed Breault, Chief Marketing Officer at Aprimo is a marketer with over 18 years of industry experience. At Aprimo, Ed is responsible for the global brand and growth which includes all Paid/Owned/Earned media, Brand Experience, Product Marketing, Industry Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Strategic Communications, Content Marketing, Analyst Relations, Alliance Marketing, Public Relations, Events, Demand Generation and Account-Based Marketing. MEDIA 7: What’s your superpower? ED BREAULT: I would say it’s applying the full spectrum of art and science that is required in marketing today. Not just left or right brained, but whole-brained strategy. Being human yet data-driven and really understanding numbers and (the right) metrics to make connections to business drivers. Add storytelling to that, so I can effectively communicate to my team, the CEO and CFO as well as my Board of Directors on those metrics, and connecting all that we are doing in marketing to the mission of the business. Then quickly shifting gears to the art and creative aspects of marketing that are required to engage an audience and tell great commercial stories that take complex concepts and craft them in a way that is interesting for people to pay attention to. I have to be the ultimate point of truth for the brand. M7: At Aprimo, how have marketing leadership roles and responsibilities evolved over the past few years? EB: There are so many dimensions needed by marketing leaders today. There are several elements driving this evolution, it’s the new experience battlefront that is emerging and also marketers themselves driving changes. From a market perspective, there is a clear appetite for disruption and consumers are wanting more experiential elements to their buying experience and interactions with brands. Take a few direct to consumer disruptions like trialing products in-home, purchasing directly from a brand or even wanting to ensure that the producer’s trade practices are in line with the buyer’s or even a regulator’s for that matter. Then we want to try before we buy, and we emotionally care about the supply chain of products. Do we TRUST this brand to do business with them? Behind all of this is a story that needs to be told, and it is those marketers who know their audience well and make connections that will win the commercial game. Back to the marketer, there are so many diverse backgrounds that marketers bring now and I’m really intrigued by those who have unconventional backgrounds because they contribute something uniquely new to the field. I love hearing about the marketer’s journey.

Read More

Media 7 | April 22, 2020

Cameron Worth, CEO & Founder of SharpEnd leads the company’s mission to help brands move closer than ever to consumers by connecting packaging, retail and experiential activity. He is a regular speaker and writer on how to build brands in a connected world. He has spoken at Cannes, the Festival of Marketing, LuxePack Monaco and New York, Ad:Week Europe and New York, DMA, the Connected Consumer Conference, Mobile World Congress and the IoT World Forum. MEDIA 7: How did the idea of “the agency of things” come to your mind? CAMERON WORTH: SharpEnd was created in 2015 as the world’s first Internet of Things focused agency, so there is a slight play on words when we say we’re the Agency of Things. I think the idea of giving things their own agency is an interesting concept, and the strapline fits our capabilities on multiple levels. M7: In what way does technology drive the association of SharpEnd with global brands? What approaches are followed to enable sustainability? CW: Our simple proposition is to help build brands in a connected world, and to do that you must always start with identified consumer needs or pain points and look at technology as just an enabler to deliver an appropriate solution (when appropriate).  Take the issue of sustainability, which is often a pain point for brands that grapple with issues such as how we can reward sustainable behaviour change. One of our approaches to this could be to look at communicating the recycling credentials of the different products. Whilst the consumer can engage with a product as part of a wider consumer experience, the same technology could also house content that could tell you whether the product is recyclable, which type of bin it goes in etc. SharpEnd’s work with Unilever is a case in point. We built a digital product that incentivised recycling through gamification but also served to educate through informing people how and where to recycle in a clear fashion. All users had to do was simply scan their packaging to have all this information at their disposal.

Read More

MEDIA 7 | January 9, 2020

Sangram Vajre, Co-Founder & Chief Evangelist at Terminus is also an author and host of the podcast FlipmyFunnel. He is one of the leading minds in B2B marketing. MEDIA 7: What are you passionate about? SANGRAM VAJRE: Three things: Lead professionally. Grow personally. Love family. M7: Terminus has been recognized as one of Georgia’s 40 fastest-growing companies by ACG Atlanta. What factors contribute to this pace? SV: One of our core values is #OneTeam – which means we think and act as one team and know that if we treat our team right, they will treat our customers amazing. There are no great companies, only great people that make those companies.

Read More

Enterprise Iot

Intel | September 20, 2023

Intel is turning software into a new revenue-generating business division, based primarily on the AI obsession. Intel is the first to bring a true AI accelerator to a PC with Meteor Lake. Intel Xeon processors of the fifth generation will also debut on December 14. Next year, the Sierra Forest E-core processor will be available with 288 cores. Intel has revealed plans to launch an AI PC, set to be released on December 14, featuring Intel Core Ultra processors with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU). The new processors, codenamed Meteor Lake, will include Intel's NPU for AI acceleration and local inference on the PC, representing an inflection point in client processing. The move is part of Intel's effort to compete with Nvidia and expand its presence in the AI space across various compute needs. CEO of Intel, Pat Gelsinger, noted ‘AI Everywhere' in a keynote address, surprising some who haven't been paying attention with a December 14 launch date for the AI PC running Intel Core Ultra processors with a comparatively new acronym, NPU, for Neural Processing Unit. In July, he first described the upcoming AI PC era. The AI PC is expected to launch worldwide, with Acer already planning to unveil a laptop powered by the Core Ultra processor. Intel's AI PC represents a significant development, as it brings a true AI accelerator to a PC. This allows for generative AI tasks to be performed locally, faster, and with higher levels of privacy and security. The AI PC is expected to play a crucial role in supporting AI workloads on local devices, such as PCs, mobile devices, and edge devices. Analyst at J. Gold Associates, Jack Gold, stated, The significance of AI on a PC is not to be overlooked, this is a big deal. Intel is the first to bring a true AI accelerator to a PC with Meteor Lake. Microsoft is even adding capabilities in next-gen Windows to access the NPU. [Source: Fierce Electronics] Local processing power becomes crucial as AI workloads increasingly run on local devices. This shift reduces the need to transfer data to the cloud, improving efficiency and reducing latency. It aims to leverage AI to transform the PC experience, emphasizing the synergy between cloud and PC. This will allow for personal productivity and creativity enhancements. Intel's Core Ultra processors will include Fovoros packaging, combining the NPU, Intel 4 process technology, and graphics capabilities with Intel Arc graphics.

Read More

Devices

GlobeNewswire | September 27, 2023

With the step-function increase in data collected and transmitted from cloud-connected edge nodes, Improved Inter Integrated Circuit® (I3C®) is rapidly becoming a more sustainable solution for interfacing sensors with a high data rate and will help expand capabilities in next-generation devices. Leading the way in I3C integration, Microchip Technology (Nasdaq: MCHP) has released its PIC18-Q20 family of microcontrollers (MCUs), the industry’s first low pin count MCUs with up to two I3C peripherals and Multi-Voltage I/O (MVIO). Available in 14- and 20- pin packages as small as 3 x 3 mm, the PIC18-Q20 MCUs are a compact solution for real-time control, touch sensing and connectivity applications. The MCUs offer configurable peripherals, advanced communication interfaces and easy connection across multiple voltage domains without external components. With I3C functionality, flexible peripherals and the ability to operate on three independent voltage domains, PIC18-Q20 MCUs are well suited to be used in conjunction with a primary MCU in a larger overall system. This family of MCUs can perform tasks such as processing sensor data, handling low latency interrupts and system status reporting that the main MCU cannot perform as efficiently. While the Central Processing Unit (CPU) runs at a different voltage domain, the I3C peripheral operates from 1.0 to 3.6V. These low-power, small form factor MCUs can be used in a wide range of space-sensitive applications and markets including automotive, industrial control, computing, consumer, IoT and medical. “One of the main barriers to large-scale IoT adoption is the cost of implementing an edge node. With the PIC18-Q20 family of MCUs, Microchip is helping to break down that barrier,” said Greg Robinson, corporate vice president of Microchip’s 8-bit MCU business unit. “By introducing the industry’s first low pin count MCU with I3C we are enabling flexible, cost-effective scaling of IoT applications and embracing the new standard communications interface.” As the market shifts to demand higher performance solutions with lower power and smaller size, I3C helps designers and software developers address these potentially challenging requirements. Compared to I2C, I3C offers higher communication rates and lower power consumption, all while maintaining backward compatibility with legacy systems. The I3C and MVIO functionality, combined with Microchip’s configurable Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs), allow for lower system costs, reduced design complexity and a reduction in board space by replacing external level shifters with on-chip multiple voltage domains. To learn more about Microchip’s portfolio of PIC® MCUs, visit the website and keep up with the latest company news by following Microchip on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Development Tools The PIC18-Q20 MCU family is supported by Microchip’s full development ecosystem of hardware and software tools, including its MPLAB® X and MPLAB Xpress Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) and MPLAB Code Configurator (MCC) Microchip’s development environment is straightforward and makes it easier to implement and generate code, allowing for a reduction in overall development time and reduced financial investment. Developers can get a quick start in evaluating I3C and MVIO capabilities on the PIC18-Q20 using Microchip’s PIC18F16Q20 Curiosity Nano Evaluation Kit—a compact, cost-effective development board for rapid prototyping.

Read More

Industrial IoT

Skylo Technologies | September 25, 2023

emnify, a leader in cloud-native IoT connectivity solutions, and Skylo, a global software-defined non-terrestrial network (NTN) operator, have unveiled an industry-first convergence of satellite and cellular IoT connectivity from a single emnify SIM. This collaboration, in partnership with module manufacturer Murata, expands the IoT connectivity landscape to include space, reducing operational costs and complexities. This innovative IoT connectivity solution is aimed at global IoT deployments, including remote and previously inaccessible areas. This collaboration addresses the growing demand for global, reliable, and cost-effective IoT connectivity solutions that can operate in remote regions and improve the monitoring and tracking of assets. Vice President Corporate Technology and Innovation at Murata, Mehul Udani, said, It’s critical that IoT customers have reliable, cost-effective, integrated hardware solutions to take advantage of innovations in IoT connectivity. Murata’s cellular and NTN radio modules, together provide a breakthrough in offering converged connectivity around the globe. [Source: Business Wire] emnify and Skylo have introduced converged satellite and cellular IoT connectivity from a single SIM. The solution reduces operational costs and complexities, expanding IoT's reach to various use cases. Partnerships with Murata and the integration of NTN satellite services offer reliable and global IoT connectivity. Emnify and Skylo are leveraging the SuperNetwork with Skylo’s NTN satellite connectivity to enable transformative IoT use cases. These include remote monitoring systems, which allow reliable monitoring of resources in remote areas, and asset tracking, which provides continuous data for equipment location and telemetry. This innovative solution merges satellite and cellular connectivity, extending tracking capabilities to previously unreachable locations. Emnify and Skylo are offering an evaluation program for customers to test the SuperNetwork's capabilities, and they will host a roundtable at Mobile World Congress to discuss the potential of this converged IoT connectivity. Frank Stoecker, CEO and founder of emnify, stated that their collaboration with Skylo underscores their commitment to expanding the SuperNetwork and creating new opportunities and open new markets for IoT businesses everywhere. The addition of satellite connectivity exemplifies the power of the SuperNetwork to go beyond the traditional networks and provide dedicated connectivity with worldwide reach. About Skylo Technologies Skylo Technologies is an NTN service provider facilitating direct connectivity for smartphones and IoT cellular devices through satellite infrastructure. The management and service for these satellite-connected devices are administered through Skylo's commercial NTN vRAN, featuring a cloud-native base station and core adhering to 3GPP standards. Skylo's primary focus revolves around enabling connected services for individuals in outdoor settings and connected workflows for machinery in various industries, including agriculture, maritime, logistics, mining, and more.

Read More