SOFTWARE AND TOOLS
UserTesting | March 28, 2022
UserTesting (NYSE: USER), a leader in video-based human insight, today released new test templates for the UserTesting Human Insight Platform that enable companies to see first-hand how people experience the Internet of Things (IoT) and other connected devices. As more devices become linked via the Internet and cloud computing and the expectations of customers change, there is a heightened need for companies to understand how people interact with and react to these connected devices and new experiences.
As the number of IoT devices increases, forecasted to nearly triple from 8.74 billion in 2020 to more than 25.4 billion IoT devices in 2030, companies are innovating the means in which they interact with their customers – from VR headsets and self-driving cars, to wearable devices and smart home assistants and appliances. The increase in connected devices in both business and consumer worlds presents more opportunities for brands to engage with customers. Companies can gain a great deal of value through learning how their customers utilize and benefit from connected devices, and UserTesting’s new templates help companies provide greater experiences for their customers.
UserTesting’s connected device templates provide companies a competitive advantage by giving them access to a more complete picture of their customers’ expectations in their use of connected devices. For example, a large commercial airline has been using UserTesting to develop a new voice assistant feature with insights gathered around travelers’ information needs. Understanding needs, frustrations, assumptions and more is crucial to building a best-in-class device experience and the ability to elevate the connected experience to a new level. The latest templates feature pre-built sample questions that organizations can use as-is or customize to fit their exact testing requirements.
Digital transformation is accelerating, more consumers are connected via their devices, and companies want to know how to meet customer expectations in ways they couldn’t have anticipated. Research by the McKinsey Global Institute shows the Internet of Things has the potential to grow in value between $5.5 trillion to $12.6 trillion by 2030. Companies mastering the Internet of Things early have a decided advantage in opening new markets and meeting customer demands.”
Janelle Estes, Chief Insights Officer of UserTesting.
Companies that struggle to capture the value of IoT can turn to the templates to gain rapid user feedback using UserTesting’s technology to better understand how digitally connected devices perform. UserTesting provides video recordings of actual interactions of customers who have opted in to share their perspectives and experiences as they execute a pre-built series of tasks and instructions online.
The new connected device templates add to the more than 100 pre-built testing templates available on the UserTesting Human Insight Platform.
About UserTesting
UserTesting has fundamentally changed the way organizations get insights from customers with fast, opt-in feedback and experience capture technology. The UserTesting Human Insight Platform taps into our global network of real people and generates video-based recorded experiences, so anyone in an organization can directly ask questions, hear what users say, see what they mean, and understand what it’s actually like to be a customer. Unlike approaches that track user behavior then try to infer what that behavior means, UserTesting reduces guesswork and brings customer experience data to life with human insight. UserTesting has more than 2,300 customers, including more than half of the world’s top 100 most valuable brands according to Forbes.
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DEVICES
Telit | January 27, 2022
Telit, a global enabler of the Internet of Things (IoT), today announced the WE310G4 module, which enables device vendors to add dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0 connectivity quickly and cost-effectively to their products. Based on Realtek Ameba system on chip (SoC), the WE310G4 is ideal for a wide variety of embedded devices, including smart lighting, home appliances, medical wearables, smart city sensors, aftermarket telematics and industrial robots.
The Telit WE310G4 is ideal for vendors that have limited Wi-Fi or BLE expertise, as well as those with extensive RF experience that want to reduce time to market for new products. The module is IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth certified, and complies with all Wi-Fi Alliance and Bluetooth SIG-v5 requirements, eliminating the time and expense of testing and certification.
The WE310G4 provides device vendors with a low-cost, high-speed serial-to-Wi-Fi/BLE connection to an embedded design built on an 8/16/32-bit microcontroller. Furthermore, the module can be implemented as a host-less solution offering up to 456 Kb of SRAM dedicated to customer application development. With marketing samples available in February 2022, the module includes a comprehensive package of features and capabilities:
Integrated, dual-core SoC, a high-performance application processor (running on ARM Cortex-M33) and a low-power MCU (ARM Cortex-M23) for Wi-Fi and BLE.
Support for a wide range of peripherals: SDIO, SPI, UART, ADC, PWM, GPIO, I2S, I2C and USB.
Low power consumption to maximize battery life.
Industrial grade temperature range (-40 °C to +85 °C).
Self-contained with full Wi-Fi, BLE and TCP/ IP networking stacks.
A complete suite of advanced security features including Secured Boot, TrustZone for Cortex-M, WPA3 personal and enterprise security modes, as well as upper-layer security protocols such as TLS-1.3/SSL and HTTPS.
Serial-to-Wi-Fi hosted implementation.
Telit IoT AppZone IDE for host-less application development.
Pin-to-pin compatible with the Telit WE310F5 (single-band module), enabling rapid migration of existing hardware and software to the WE310G4.
Available with (WE310G4-I) and without (WE310G4-P) antenna.
"Ultra-low power consumption, small size, and high security are critical for modules integrating with the global IoT ecosystem. While the IoT market offers a wide range of small modules, none compares to Telit's WE310G4 when it comes to quickly and cost-effectively adding dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity into their customer products. Combined with Realtek Ameba SoC, the WE310G4 is the perfect solution for home, medical, and industrial IoT applications."
Yee-Wei Huang, Realtek's Vice President and Spokesman
"The new Telit WE310G4 module gives vendors a fast, easy way to add Wi-Fi or BLE to their products — even if they have little or no in-house RF expertise," said Manish Watwani, Chief Marketing and Product Officer, Telit. "It's ideal for vendors that want to develop wearables, IoT sensors and other products with enterprise-grade security, long battery life and other market-differentiating features, and then have them in customers' hands before competitors do."
About Telit
Telit simplifies onboarding of connected 'things' with a portfolio of enterprise-grade wireless communication and positioning modules; cellular MVNO connectivity plans and management services; edge and cloud software; and data orchestration, IoT and Industrial IoT platforms. With over two decades of pioneering IoT innovation experience, Telit delivers award-winning, secure, integrated IoT solutions for many of the world's largest enterprises, OEMs, system integrators and service providers, so they can connect and manage IoT at any scale.
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SECURITY
Cloudastructure | January 21, 2022
Cloudastructure, the award-winning cloud video surveillance provider, has signed a Letter of Intent to purchase rapidly growing IoT cybersecurity company IPG. The terms of the deal are undisclosed.The acquisition would add an important new layer of cybersecurity to Cloudastructure’s expanding physical and cybersecurity platform and a key offering for enterprise customers as they embrace new IoT technologies.
The plethora of IoT devices tells the story. According to a Forrester report, “State of Enterprise IoT Security in North America: Unmanaged and Unsecured”:
67% of enterprises have experienced an IoT security incident
84% of security professionals believe IoT devices are more vulnerable than computers
93% of enterprises are planning to increase their spending on security for IoT and unmanaged devices
Routinely installed IoT devices include: video surveillance, access control, fire and life safety, utilities, conveyance, HVAC and building management.
IPG’s cybersecurity tool GearBox is a “plug-and-play” tool which inventories devices, performs risk analysis, compliance testing and rogue device detection. This combined with readily accessible normalized data alleviates the level of risk introduced by IoT installations. The IPG team will be joining Cloudastructure, including Steve Kiss, CEO, as General Manager, IoT Security.
“The acquisition of IPG means Cloudastructure enterprise customers can enjoy not only a vastly higher degree of cybersecurity than they can with other cloud video surveillance providers, but opt for a robust IoT risk management posture throughout their organization.”
Cloudastructure CEO Rick Bentley
IPG CEO Steve Kiss commented, “We couldn’t be more pleased joining Cloudastructure, a cloud-based video surveillance provider that views cybersecurity as critically as we do.”
Subject to satisfactory completion of customary due diligence and the signing of a definitive agreement, the closing of the deal will be announced on a mutually agreeable date.
About Cloudastructure
Headquartered in Miami, Florida, with R&D in Silicon Valley, California, Cloudastructure’s award-winning surveillance video management system is designed and supported by world-class technical resources drawn from five continents. The platform’s unique architecture enables AI and computer vision for scalable, flexible, cost-effective security and eliminates the resource-intensive management and data risks of on-premises solutions. Cloudastructure enables a unified view of multiple sites for motion, facial recognition/detection, anomaly detection, object counting, LPR, advanced analytics, and compliance and delivers up to a 75% lower total cost of ownership than other systems.
About Infrastructure Proving Grounds
Infrastructure Proving Grounds (IPG) produces the award-winning GearBox IoT security tool. GearBox combines a durable appliance with simple execution to allow industrial operators the insight they need to secure their infrastructure. GearBox provides cybersecurity and performance metrics to some of the nation's most critical infrastructure including utilities, commercial buildings, healthcare and transportation. IPG received the “Most Fundable Company” award from Pepperdine University in 2019, are contributors to the NIST IoT 800-53 security standard and an Intel IoT Solutions Provider.
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ENTERPRISE IOT
SafetyCulture | June 13, 2022
Global workplace operations company, SafetyCulture, has announced a USD $2.1M investment into data and IoT software company, Inauro. This investment continues SafetyCulture's support of emerging technologies which enhance frontline processes.
Launched in 2020, Inauro was created to realize the value of IoT technology across industrial applications and improve everyday operations. IoT devices produce a vast amount of data but are typically siloed depending on their function. By linking data from sensors, devices and other digital systems used within an organization, Inauro provides teams with a single source of data, streamlining workflows and enabling faster decision making.
Inauro has built a customer base spanning agriculture, manufacturing and construction, and its flagship PerspioTM platform has been recognized by global award bodies, including an IoT Global Award for Big Data and Analytics.
"The IoT market is thriving globally, but most IoT solutions are built to solve a specific problem which creates data silos across organizations. We want to solve this challenge and enable businesses to make the most of their IoT technology. At its most simple, we want to make sure the right information is available to the right person in real-time. That's when we'll unlock streamlined operations and create efficiencies,"
Inauro co-founder and co-CEO Craig Kesby
SafetyCulture CEO and Founder, Luke Anear said, "Today, SafetyCulture collects data from 800 million workplace checks a year, a lot of which are conducted manually. Inauro will help us to automate many of the equipment checks for our customers. We're constantly pushing to find new ways to innovate and automate processes so tasks can be done to higher standards, jobs become safer and teams can concentrate on the most meaningful work. Inauro will be a key partner as we continue to raise the bar for frontline teams."
Anear continued, "It's always great to help drive forward businesses with similar goals to ours. Through this investment, not only will Inauro be free to expand into new markets, but SafetyCulture customers will also reap the benefits of taking their digitization efforts to the next level."
SafetyCulture is a global operations platform empowering teams to drive workplace improvements. SafetyCulture acquired microlearning business EdApp in 2020, led a USD $6 million Series A funding round for Unleash Live in 2021, and acquired lone worker safety app SHEQSY in early 2022.
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