Data for IoT, CMS Upgrade, Microsoft, Intranets and More
If there is a week in the tech world that could ever be thought of as slow, it’s the last week of December, when most are enjoying the holidays. We were here however, churning out four stories on a range of topics, read on for a summary of each:
451 Research: 71% Enterprises Gathering Data for IoT
IoT is in an interesting position, its past its hype phase to be an established technology with 71% of 
enterprises gathering data for IoT initiatives, as stated in 451 Research’s survey entitled Internet of Things (IoT) Organizational Dynamics, yet the capacity and utilization of this data, is still an open book.
Recently I came across a shocking statistic, that less than 1% of data is ever analyzed, and I am sure I’m not the only one to read that and think, what an opportunity! But, not so fast. As Venus describes, there are many unanswered questions standing in the way of that data hitting the open road, with security, analysis and ROI topping the list.
Conversely, Venus also addresses why enterprises should venture to solve these impediments, so they can capitalize on the emerging IoT technologies that will come available. The reward is outweighing the work however, with many large organizations investing a great many resources into IoT with no sign of slowing down, so we will undoubtedly see this technology evolve even further in the coming year.
Read the full article here.
CMS Upgrade from a Client’s Perspective
Having already covered a CMS Upgrade with well-known industry analyst Mark Grannan of Forrester Research, and implementation expert Heather MacFayden of Falcon-Software, I wanted to get a perspective from the client-side, so I reached out to Corina Ursu, Creative Director at Regency Fireplace Products, to hear about her recent experience with a CMS upgrade, facilitated by Falcon-Software.
Regency Fireplace Products is a global leader in the design, manufacturing and marketing of hearth products. Having started in Vancouver, Canada in 1979, it is still headquartered there and supplies over 2000 retailers throughout the world.
The first step for Regency, was to upgrade their current CMS, Kentico 7, to the most up to date version available at the time, Kentico 9. Due to some significant changes and improvements to Kentico’s API in version 8, some extra care was taken when moving through the version sequence to ensure Regency wouldn’t experience a negative impact to the function of their business due to this change.
Addressed in the article is the impact the choice of integration partner can have, how to prepare for an upgrade and what is recommended if you’re still having a tough time making such monumental decisions with your CMS, and in-effect, the efficiency of your business.
Read the full article here.
Why Could Microsoft be the First Trillion-Dollar Company?
Amazon and Microsoft, have both been predicted as the first company to reach the trillion-dollar mark, and 
while Amazon may have been a shoe-in for a period of time, the tides are turning in Microsoft’s favor, and our mid-week article, explains why.
Analyst Michael Markowski of Equities.com, named by Fortune as one of its “top 50 greatest investors”, points to Microsoft’s acquisition of LinkedIn as one of the main reasons they’ll reach the milestone first. I will leave it Venus to go in-depth on this, but upon reading it I wondered if this is a spin-off benefit so to speak, for Microsoft acquiring the popular social network for professionals, or if it was known and simply a shimmer of the Satya Nadella touch, which we have seen so much of since he took the helm of Microsoft in 2014.
This specific acquisition, while being one of Microsoft’s largest to date, has stuck out to many for more than just its monumental nature. Few can forget the role of Salesforce in the media frenzy surrounding the deal, the character of each CEO that has been shown through this transition but for me, I am most curious to see how far the symbiotic relationship between these organizations will take them.
Read the full article here.
Tales from the Other Side of the Intranet
To end the week, our contributor Rachel Butts gave us some of her insight on intranets, and how to ensure they are used to their full capacity. A majority of Rachel’s career has been in corporate communication, so her understanding of intranets from the management side is deep but, in recently taking on a new position, she has experienced intranets from the other side and shares her new-found perspective.
Knowing both sides of the employee journey so well, she highlights what is key to engagement, communication, and culture but most importantly, how intranets should not be hands off. They should be updated and maintained as the organization grows, remaining relevant, impactful, yet simple and easy to use.
Read the full article here.
As the year comes to a close, I am looking back on the events, articles and interviews of 2016, with so much excitement for what 2017 will bring us and what we will create along the way.
Laura Myers
A digital business, marketing and social media enthusiast, Laura thrives on asking unique, insightful questions to ignite conversation. At an event or remotely, she enjoys any opportunity to connect with like-minded people in the industry.