Mediaboss Marketing

Australian small and medium sized businesses are being offered free access to software to help them work remotely, with some of the worlds biggest technology companies banding together to do their bit in the COVID-19 war effort.

Peak tech industry body the Australian Information Industry Association has created a new Australian Business Continuity online resource centre , which is aimed at helping small businesses, government departments, students, and other employees to remain connected and productive following office closures.

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said working remotely is foreign to many businesses but is now essential.Joel Carret

Free offers available via the site include remote working and teleconferencing software like Telstra Virtual Meeting Room, Googles G Suite Hangout meetings, ServiceNow software to let organisations send alerts to their workers, Ciscos Webex virtual meetings, Facebooks Workplace Advanced product for government agencies and emergency services, Microsofts Office 365 E1 and Teams products, Adobes collaboration and video conferencing product as well as its Creative Cloud for students home learning, Salesforces patient and health relationship platforms and SAPs Ariba Discover marketplace for connecting buyers and sellers online .

AIIA would like to thank the companies who have already signed on for their support in assisting Australian businesses, schools, students, governments and workplaces for contributing to this online resource in what is proving to be a challenging time for all businesses, AIIA CEO Ron Gauci said.

As we saw from the innovation technology industrys response through the bushfires, once again, AIIA and its members have come together quickly to make available these amazing productivity platforms during this difficult time for our country.

In a statement from Communications Minister Paul Fletcher and Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews, the government said the new site would give organisations clear and targeted information to support them using alternative work arrangements and new technologies during the current period.

Working remotely is foreign to many businesses but is now essential as they practice social distancing and I encourage all businesses to explore the new hub and see how it could help them make it to the other side of this outbreak, Minister Andrews said.

See original here:
Tech sector bands together to offer small businesses free software - The Australian Financial Review

IBMs Summit is the most powerful supercomputer in the world and is in the fight to help researchers ... [+] run calculations on the COVID-19 virus

COVID-19 has affected every part of the tech industry. From the manufacturing of products and the use of services to the way company employees work. Thank God we have these companies because they have done a tremendous job of coming together to fight this epidemic. We hear a lot in the news of COVID-19s impact on the world and what we need to do to prevent it from spreading. Now, I want to point out how some tech companies have impacted the crisis and what they have done to prevent it from spreading.

There are two ways companies can work on damage control in this epidemic. The first involves fighting COVID-19 by providing resources to help with the vaccine, getting information to the general public about ways to prevent the spread, and donating money to hospitals for resources. The second is by providing a cushion for the economy so that when companies and people recover from the social distancing, people have jobs to get back to, families can recover, and companies can bounce back.

Apples 10M masks

Apple has donated $15 million towards the global COVID-19 response as well as efforts to lower the economic effect.It is also matching its employee donations two-to-one on a national and international level. Apple has donated 10 million masks to the medical community in the US. Like Microsoft started, Apple is continuing to pay all its hourly workers even though they cant go to work. This includes people all its offices and retail store, which have been closed until March 27th.

Amazon 100K new jobs

Many people have lost their jobs, and others are relying on Amazon for supplies during our nationwide house arrest. Amazon is opening 100,000 new jobs to support those extra deliveries and provide a source of income for those who may have lost their jobs because of the crisis. Amazon is also increasing the pay of its employees by $2 per hour from their hourly pay of $15 per hour. It also goes without saying, Amazon has been consulting with health and safety officials to ensure the safety of its employees and its goods.

AWS Diagnostic Development Initiative

Amazon Web Services has launched its AWS Diagnostic Development Initiative. This initiative is to support customers who are putting forth efforts to fight the virus and to promote better collaboration between organizations that are working in a similar fashion. AWSs focus is on diagnostics. Accurate detection and testing of the virus accelerates treatment and containment of the virus and ultimately shorten the crisis. AWS is committing an initial investment of $20 million towards diagnostic research and development of COVID-19.

Cisco $225M commitment

Cisco is committing $225 million to the various COVID-19 efforts. $8 million is in cash, and $210 million is in products and resources that focus on healthcare, education, government efforts, and technology. Cisco is also encouraging its 77,000 employees to give what they can by launching an employee matching gift campaign for $4 million in total giving. Cisco is providing funding and technology solutions for government agencies and businesses. Webex and Security are some of Ciscos free software solutions with Security reaching over 2.2 million people online. I wrote an article on how Webex Is helping many people transition to working from home that you can find here. The Cisco Foundation also launched a campaign to allocate $5 million in grants towards nonprofits who have been helping their communities over the past months, globally.

Google DeepMind contribution to AlphaFold

Google is working with the US government on developing a website dedicated specifically to education and resources on COVID-19 nationwide. Information on COVID-19 is continually being broadcasted on Google products like Google Search Engine, Maps, and YouTube. It has had an incredible impact on getting information out with millions of viewers within the first 24 hours. Google is also taking misinformation off its sources, including strict policies for advertisements, video, and other media.

As a leading provider of WFH services, Google is giving Google Meets premium features for free until July 1st of this year and has created multiple resources for distance learning and those who are new to WFH.

Google has also contributed to advancing health research and science by contributing its DeepMind to the latest version of AlphaFold system. AlphaFold is a part of DeepMinds AI solutions. The goal for the AlphaFold system is to release structure predictions of proteins related to SARS-CoV-2, the virus related to COVID-19. Googles hope is to contribute to the scientific communitys understanding of how the virus functions. Verily, Alphabets health technology solutions company, is developing a body-worn temperature patch that communicates with a phone app to detect a fever to catch an early diagnosis of the flu or COVID-19.

This is a rendering of one of AlphaFolds protein structure predictions of the virus SARS-CoV-2. ... [+] Protein structure predictions of SARS-CoV-2 may lead to the further understanding of COVID-19

Honeywell N95 masks

Honeywell is partnering with the US government to expand its manufacturing operations to produce N95 face masks. N95 masks protect the wearer from breathing in airborne particles. Not only will there be more masks, Honeywell says the expansion will create 500 more jobs in Smithfield, Rhode Island.

HP Inc. 3D printing resources

HP is partnering with its digital manufacturing community to provide 3D printing resources around the globe. Hand-Free Door Opener, Mask Adjuster, Face Shields, Field Ventilator, and FFP3 Face Masks are a few of the parts HP is working to validate and produce. These parts can help doctors and nurses who must face contamination of COVID-19 making safety health resources widely available. These part designs are being validated by HP as hospital-grade equipment. Anybody with a 3D printer can use these designs, and 3D manufacturers and production partners with HP are currently stepping up to fulfill these orders.

HPE Aruba medical ship

HPEs unique way of helping comes from its networking and solutions company Aruba. Aruba assisted one of its customers by installing its network on a ferry to become a medical ship to those affected by COVID-19 in the Liguria region. Arubas partners were Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV), the ferry company, and Airheads Volunteer Corps, which is an opt-in registry that provides engineering resources, in this case, a temporary hospital on a ferry. Aruba is providing resources like these to pop-up clinics, temporary hospitals in the US, UK, and EU. It is donating 5,000 secure networking kits worth approximately $50 million USD.

Aruba employee Stefano Venturi drove two hours each day in Italy to install Aruba on the medical ... [+] ship

IBM HPC Consortium and White House Office of Science

IBM is in collaboration with the White House Office of Science and Technology and many others to help launch the COVID-19 High-Performance Computing Consortium. The COVID-19 HPC Consortium brings computing power from companies like IBM to scientists and researches so they can run large calculations in epidemiology, bioinformatics, and molecular modeling. These calculations are a critical component to finding a compound to combat the virus. Under traditional computing platforms, these calculations would take months to complete where, at that time, it would be too late. Apart from IBMs charitable computing power is its Power9-based Summit supercomputer, which has enabled researchers to recommend the 77 small-molecule drug compounds to be experimentally tested. You can read more about IBMs Summit supercomputer and its contributions to fighting COVID-19 here.

Other Consortium industry partners include Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Microsoft, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

Intel and IBG Genomics and hospital robots

Intel is very proud of its Pandemic Leadership team, which has been established for more than 15 years. It is using its AI and high-performance computing to partner with Lenovo and IBG Genomics to accelerate the analysis of genomic characteristics of COVID-19. Intel has deployed platform-based robots in China hospitals to separate doctors and nurses from the virus by transporting equipment and supplies. Intel has also recognized that many people are working from home and doing school virtually. Intel is working alongside its customers and partners to provide virtual learning solutions to students and teachers.

Microsoft first to commit to paying out of work hourly workers

Microsoft is the first large tech company to commit to keeping paying hourly workers. Since Microsoft has joined other companies in asking employees to work from home, those hourly workers who cant work from home are still getting paid. Microsoft is committed to keeping those who are reliant on its WFH and virtual learning solutions connected.

Microsoft also is helping the CDC quickly asses symptoms and risk factors for people with possible symptoms and provide information for the best course of action. Microsoft is using its Healthcare Bot Service, which is powered by Microsoft Azure to help with these assessments.

NVIDIA free 90 day Parabricks license

NVIDIA with Parabricks to providing a 90-day license for any researcher who wants to join in fighting COVID-19. Parabricks is a software toolkit that uses the computational power of GPUs towards genomic analysis. Researchers are using genomic analysis of the COVID-19 as well as people afflicted with the virus to understand better the virus and those who are most affected. NVIDIA Parabricks is about 35-50 times faster than traditional methods of genome sequencing. That difference is a matter of hours rather than days. One of the first cloud service providers to partner with NVIDIA on this is Oracle. Oracle will provide GPUs through its cloud infrastructure.

NVIDIA's Parabrick scales linearly based on the number of GPUs it has in its pipeline. The more GPUs ... [+] the more efficient and effective the pipeline

NVIDIA has also voiced its support for Folding@Home by calling out all gamers to donate their unused GPU computing power. Folding@Home takes unused GPU power and uses it to create simulations so that researchers can map the proteins of COVID-19.

T-Mobile Connect

T-Mobile, launched its lowest price 5G smartphone plan. For $15 a month plus tax, the plan includes unlimited talk and text and 2Gb of high-speed data. $15 a month is half the price of T-Mobiles lowest ever smartphone plan. A more expensive $25 plan includes 5GB of high-speed data instead of 2GB. T-Mobiles initiative for this phone plan is to keep people connected in a time where COVID-19 has put many people in financial stress. T-Mobile is also giving T-Mobile and Metro customers unlimited smartphone data for the next two months, including non-unlimited legacy plans, and an additional 20Gb of smartphone mobile hotspot to plans with Hotspot data.

Wrapping up

It is incredible to see tech companies be so quick to come to the aid of our researchers, businesses, and education systems. If there ever were an Avengers Squad, I would say they have assembled. They have reacted to this crisis in some incredible ways, and ways that have yet to be mentioned.

If there is any silver lining during this crisis it is that even though we are humans, we can come together for the common good of humanity.

Note: Moor Insights & Strategy co-op Jacob Freyman contributed to this article.

Disclosure: Moor Insights & Strategy, like all research and analyst firms, provides or has provided paid research, analysis, advising, or consulting to many high-tech companies in the industry, including Amazon.com, Advanced Micro Devices,Apstra,ARM Holdings, Aruba Networks, AWS, A-10 Strategies,Bitfusion,Cisco Systems, Dell, DellEMC, Dell Technologies, Diablo Technologies, Digital Optics,Dreamchain, Echelon, Ericsson, Foxconn, Frame, Fujitsu, Gen Z Consortium, Glue Networks, GlobalFoundries,Google,HPInc., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HuaweiTechnologies,IBM, Intel, Interdigital, Jabil Circuit, Konica Minolta, Lattice Semiconductor, Lenovo, Linux Foundation, MACOM (Applied Micro),MapBox,Mavenir, Mesosphere,Microsoft,National Instruments, NetApp, NOKIA, Nortek,NVIDIA, ON Semiconductor, ONUG, OpenStack Foundation, Panasas,Peraso, Pixelworks, Plume Design,Portworx, Pure Storage,Qualcomm, Rackspace, Rambus,RayvoltE-Bikes, Red Hat, Samsung Electronics, Silver Peak, SONY,Springpath, Sprint, Stratus Technologies, Symantec, Synaptics, Syniverse,TensTorrent,TobiiTechnology, Twitter, Unity Technologies, Verizon Communications,Vidyo, Wave Computing,Wellsmith, Xilinx, Zebra, which may be cited in this article.

Here is the original post:
The Most Outrageously Awesome Ways Tech Companies Are Helping In Times Of The Covid-19 Crisis - Forbes

25.03.20

VuWall is looking to partner with people on the front line of the fight against Covid-19 with a free visualisation tool to manage the huge amount of information theyre presented with.

Paul Vander Plaetse, CEO at VuWall, said: "In this time of crisis, coordination teams within municipalities, newsrooms, and healthcare facilities are actively monitoring the Covid-19 pandemic and managing response efforts. These decision-makers need to access all kinds of information in order to make fast decisions and share information with their colleagues and in some cases, the public.

We hope that by offering our VuWall2 for no cost as a way to create a temporary emergency video wall control centre, we can aid key organisations in managing this influx of data and help keep people informed. We want to assist as many organisations as possible, which is why we will be offering first come, first served setup and support."

VuWall2 software grants access to and integrates visual information from many different sources on one screen, including web pages, computers on the network, IP cameras, local applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), as well as collaboration and video conferencing tools (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, etc.).

It can be set up on a PC or as a make-shift videowall with up to four displays. Operators can arrange the content sources in any configuration they need for better visualisation and run a ticker for emergency messaging. In addition, they can quickly create various layouts, save them, and recall them as the situation changes.

VuWall says it takes about an hour to set up a video wall by installing VuWall2 on the PC driving the display(s), which can then be controlled from any computer on the network.

Read the original here:
VuWall offers free software to teams battling Covid-19 - InAVate

In a time of great uncertainty for most of us, it has been nice to see such an outpouring of support from our favorite music manufacturers. About a week ago, companies likeKorg, IK Multimedia, and many others began offering products for free over the coming months. Whereas others such as Arturia, offered some of its higher-priced items at a massive discount. Now, it seems Avid is next to join the ranks, and is offering free 90-day licenses to current active, professional users. These licenses will be available for Media Composer, Pro Tools, and Sibelius.

Since the news began to break of the COVID-19 virus arrival to the U.S., many who use Avid software began applying pressure to the company for a response in action. Understandably so, as many who work in the entertainment industry regularly were now left without a regular work option for several weeks, at minimum. In a response, Avid states to assist our community in adjusting their workflows to accommodate COVID-19 virus precautions, Avid will make a limited number of temporary licensesavailable to qualified media enterprise and educational institutions at no charge.

From this, we gather that although Avid is offering these free licenses, there are some ground rules and limits to who can access them. First, to qualify, users must already be active users of that software, with active work that must be completed. In other words, if you want a license for Media Composer, and the last time you used it on an active license was several months ago, you likely will not qualify for this freebie. Additionally, professional educators who use these Avid programs will also qualify for this license offer from Avid.

Regardless of qualifications, this is a nice move from Avid in response to the global pandemic. It effectively encourages those to stay home, and to keep working on projects, alleviating all worry, at least for three months, about paying for software with limited work schedules.

See original here:
Avid Responds To COVID-19 With Limited Free Software Licenses - All Things Gear

The Associated Press

Boeing is working to fix a newly discovered problem with software powering up on the 737 Max, adding to the list of tasks the aircraft maker faces to get the grounded plane back in the air.

Boeing said Friday it has told the Federal Aviation Administration about the issue.

We are making necessary updates and working with the FAA on submission of this change, and keeping our customers and suppliers informed, Boeing said in a statement. Our highest priority is ensuring the 737 MAX is safe and meets all regulatory requirements before it returns to service.

A person with knowledge of the situation said the issue concerns software that verifies whether monitors tracking key systems on the plane are working properly.

The monitor check is supposed to happen automatically when the plane or system is powered up, but during a recent review, one of the monitors didnt start up correctly, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a detail that was not announced publicly.

The issue was discovered during a technical review that normally happens near the end of the software-development process, a sign that Boeing could be close to finishing changes designed to get the plane back in the air.

Boeing is rewriting software that played a role in crashes five months apart in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people and led regulators to ground the plane worldwide in March 2019.

Boeing still must finish the software package, conduct one or more demonstration flights with FAA experts on board, and bring in airline pilots to test the changes it is making.

Separately on Friday, Fitch Ratings downgraded Boeings debt rating. It cited uncertainty about when the Max will fly again, the challenge of catching up on deliveries that were halted last April, rising debt, and risks posed by fines, lawsuits and a damaged reputation.

Boeing Co. shares fell $7.85, or 2.4%, to close at $324.15.

Moodys Investors Service, which cut Boeing ratings on Dec. 18, signaled this week that another downgrade is possible because of a likely long and costly fight to regain confidence even if the Max returns to service relatively soon.

The Chicago-based company and new CEO David Calhoun are scheduled to report fourth-quarter financial results on Jan. 29. Some analysts, such as Ken Herbert of Canaccord Genuity, expect Boeing to announce a substantial new charge against earnings for the Max crisis.

Now is the time for new CEO Calhoun to get as much bad news out as possible and to provide the company with some additional buffer heading into 2020, Herbert wrote in a note to clients.

Boeing took a $5.6 billion charge in last years second quarter and has disclosed billions more in higher production costs because of the Max.

The grounding has caused Boeing to halt production of the plane, prompted investigations by the Justice Department and Congress, led to lawsuits by the families of passengers in the two crashes, and caused the firing of former CEO Dennis Muilenburg.

The release of internal communications has further damaged Boeings reputation, revealing that test pilots and other key employees had raised safety concerns about the Max. At least two said they wouldnt put their own families on the plane.

Read the original here:
Boeing is working on a new software issue on the 737 Max - Mankato Free Press