SigmaWay Blog

Teaching profession is facing lower job satisfaction, unclear idea related to a particular subject. Inaccurate teaching processes are generating slack in the education industry. To manage such issues we can use big data as used in famous movie "Moneyball". It can predict the future outcome by using simple statistics and work according to forecasted outcome. Proper mining could help us to find undervalued personnel with higher potential to attain a high success rate. So in educational context we can segregate major characteristics. These attributes can be:

1. High level of optimism, enthusiasm, sense of humor

2. High standard of expectation from their students

3. Continual self-evaluation

4. Self-criticizing, understanding and updating.

These attributes can be well observed if a bigger pool of educators is created and their continual behavioral attributes are analyzed. In this way future prospective educator’s list can be predicted and deploy them in proper institutional scenarios.

To read, follow: : http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/brown-center-chalkboard/posts/2016/02/03-teacher-moneyball-big-data-analytics-murray

It seems that the long winter of AI has come to an end and this field is enjoying the unstoppable progress in the spring stage. But the only way AI becomes more powerful is by getting fed with a tremendous amount of data. More the data, better the efficiency of the AI algorithms. Seeing the helpful uses of such AI based applications the users happily allow the access to any kind of data. In the coming times, there will be applications which would demand access to every kind of data you generate. And the truth is we will willingly submit our data. Because bigger the data sets are, smarter the AI. The major reason for feeding the AI algorithms is that is improving and helping the human life. Read more about it in the article written by Mike Elgan (author of  technology and tech culture) at: http://www.computerworld.com/article/3035595/emerging-technology/artificial-intelligence-needs-your-data-all-of-it.html

To get the raw data, processed through the Artificial Intelligence models, the data has to be uploaded on a cloud. But there are privacy issues or time wastage in uploading data on cloud and retrieving back. Internet connection is a must. So to eradicate these problems, researchers have developed a chip that could bring AI to the hardware like smart phones, sensors or other mobile devices. These have very large neural networks, which can process data then and there. This means without having access to Wi-Fi or other connections, users can get meaningful insights rather than just the raw collected data. This technology will be of great help in the field of Internet of Things. To know more, follow: http://electronicdesign.com/iot/artificial-intelligence-gets-its-head-out-cloud

Big data analytics can analyze the past behavioral data of humans. It is highly correlated to future outcomes.  The most important task is to understand how much emotional extent can be predicted accurately. By analyzing critical reasoning and judgmental decision, there will be higher chances to predict more efficient human behavior. Social media plays an important part by providing more sensitive data having higher emotional quotient. Search dynamics also help to predict future trends. Therefore, combining big data, transaction data and social data along with shopping behavioral data opens a new horizon which enables marketers to influence human behaviors and perceptions. To read, follow: : http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesinsights/2016/02/02/has-big-data-taken-the-human-out-of-human-behavior/#2280493b170c 

Social media is becoming the key factor in globalization. To sustain in this environment, corporates should follow the 4 C's of social media which are as follows-:

1. CONTENT: It demands fresh and original thoughts which create uniqueness and attracts people to like and share.

2. CONTEXT-:  Context is the direction to your content which explain where and how to carry your idea in social media

3. CONSISTENCY -: Consistency is key to everything in social media. It’s essential to be consistent.

4. CONNECTION -: Social media is all about building connections which if not done properly rise to fame won’t last long.

To know more, please read the article by Calvin Wayman (Founder of ThePeriscopePro.com and contributor at The Huffington Post) -:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-four-cs-of-social-med_b_9283708.html?section=india

These days, faster diagnostic and machine learning on large sets of data promise a real-time understanding of health. Predictive analytics help to decrease costs, and helps in preventive disease management. Precision medicine is an approach to treatment and prevention considering individual variability in genes, environment and lifestyle for each person and also classify people precisely, based on susceptibility, microbiology and/or prognosis, at a considerably higher resolution. Health data analysis provides useful perspectives to predict the future. Precision medicine makes true predictive analytics possible. Prediction requires precision, but it does not require precision alone. Predictability comes from a wide and narrow gap which requires a data sets with high-accuracy. For more read : http://hitconsultant.net/2016/02/22/31535/

Cyber securities are becoming a concern even for small enterprises today. Enterprises are investing a lot of money to resolve this issue. Here are three themes that can affect banks, small business and the economy-: 1. Tackling Evolving Cyber Security Risks - Small businesses are the most credulous target for the cyber attackers. They should keep data private, check the bank account regularly, develop enforceable security policies & protocols, and participate in action plans so that employees know what to do at the time of the rift. 2. Prioritizing Small Business Growth in a Post-Crisis Era -  Small business needs to raise their interest rates as expected the Federal Reserve increased rates by 25 basis points on Dec16 for more competition & structure plans to secure funding for future growth.
3. Continuing to Play by the Rules -  The regulatory environment will have to keep expanding its range. Growth comes the unavoidable growing points, as banks, and business deals with high regulated, low interest rate for more competition, more partnership and more technology.
To know more, please read the article by Frank Sorrentino (contributor in Forbes): http://www.forbes.com/sites/franksorrentino/2016/01/12/cyber-security-small-business-and-the-2015-trends-that-will-matter-more-in-2016/#761765904708

Sporting events are increasingly depending on cloud computing. From cloud based mobile apps, followers can enhance their experience, ascertain the future value of trading an individual player and find out an athlete's momentum in real time by using predictive analytics. The cloud has revolutionized professional broadcasting by eliminating the risk of upfront IT investment, cutting off enormous resources needed to deploy traditional data centers. To know more, please read the article by Ben Rossi ( Content writer at Information Age )-:  http://www.information-age.com/technology/cloud-and-virtualisation/123460174/why-future-sports-cloud

Effective data analysis is learned overtime. It takes time, patience and effort. Here are few tips which can help to make the journey of learning smoother.

·         Use simple analysis terms and methods rather than complex algorithms. If your customer and engineers are not able to understand your analysis then all the effort goes in vain.

·         Look for multiple data sources. 

·         Use familiar tools rather than new tools. We should stay updated with the newest technology in market but avoid abundant use of fancy new tools which are difficult to understand. Stick to classics.

·          Provide your insights with the indicators.

·         Clean your data.  Structure it properly. Look for the center, unusual features, spread, and shape of the data. 

·         It is important to move in the right direction rather than spending too much time on definitive answer.

·          Value how actually software works rather than how you understand or think software works.

Read the full article here:  http://dataconomy.com/7-habits-of-highly-effective-data-analysis/

Artificial Intelligence is used to generate intelligent behaviors in gaming, to simulate the human behavior. But to make the experience more natural it is required that the artificial intelligence based players in the game must imitate the human behavior. That means they also must be prone to errors and mistakes. This is the real challenge in gaming for AI. AI models remember the patterns, so this avoids repetition of mistakes. Humans can lie very easily at every step. This is a complex phenomenon for the AI models. So this is what computer engineers are working on to make games with AI appear more natural. Read more at: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2078134-cleverness-isnt-everything-for-a-gaming-artificial-intelligence/

Earlier, organizations need to analyze the impact of external factors on the basis of performance. They used old statistical modelling tools and took months of data collection and analysis and guessed the external factor which had more impact on the business. These models became outdated as soon as they were developed as external data were constantly changing. During the economic crisis, companies did not understand the economy. But, nowadays, as consumer behavior and other useful data sets have become more available, businesses can address challenges and opportunities by improving bottom line profits and helps to generate higher revenue by following correlation of real time data model.  For more read the article written by Rich Wagner (President and CEO of Prevedere) at : http://www.informationweek.com/big-data/transforming-an-antiquated-business-intelligence-process-/a/d-id/1324197

Big data analytics plays an important role in supply chain management. 97% of supply chain executives have reported how big data analytics helped them to grow their business and only 17% of any particular industry have implemented this process. This process generates higher visibility and deeper insight to the customer behaviour and demand supply scenario. It also helps to discover and manage supplier relationships more effectively. Big data help to understand customer needs and make a 360 degree analysis regarding marketing channel, segmentation and acceptability. Predictability helps to create more efficient supply chain progress (increased ~10%). It identifies supply chain risk by considering the previous demand, supply scenario almost accurately. Supply Chain Traceability and recalls are data-intensive and highly correlated to supply chain risk. The ability to quickly meet customer fulfilment is an important driver. It helps in competitive advantage across all industries which can be achieved by big data analysis.

To read, follow: http://www.computerworld.com/article/3035144/data-center/overcoming-5-major-supply-chain-challenges-with-big-data-analytics.html

Fashion week was initiated for designer to preview next season's clothes to editors and influencers but now it is being superseded by social media. With apps and Livestream shows, fashion industry has switched to digital platforms and collections are now more public. Showcasing fashion shows live on Instagram and Snapchat promotes the see-now-buy-now approach. To know more, please read the article by David Yi (Writer at Mashable India) -: http://mashable.com/2016/02/20/social-media-killing-fashion-week/#H1GhDT65qZq1

Employee's degrading productivity is an issue which is faced by many companies. You can't just fire your employees and hire another as it will cost you extra. Here are few interesting ways that can help you achieve the same: 

·         Reduce the level of strictness in office: Stop hovering over employees and monitoring them so closely that it becomes uncomfortable for them. Give them some space

·         Gamification: Design the tasks in the form of games where you present rewards on milestones. Humans being competitive in nature will work more efficiently with this framework

·         Monitor progress: They are many tools present in the market which can effectively track down the progress of your employees. Show them the results. Encourage them if they are lacking somewhere

·         Communicate with your employees: An effective communication can help tremendously in increasing the productivity of your employees. It can make them feel safe and it helps in creating a family-like environment.

Read the complete article here at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/marketing-strategies/4-interesting-ways-of-increasing-your-employees-productivity-71428

Nowadays, medical sensors and data analytics are used to boost medical devices. Devices can forecast unfavorable outcomes before they occur. After analyzing large data sets, researchers can identify small changes in patient behaviors. Combining with data analytics, implantable medical sensors will allow monitoring patient health. Utilizing predictive analytics, smart sensors identify unfavorable changes in data which helps to detect medical crises very fast. Data analytics is used to influence smart devices that provide guidance to patients. These devices receive inputs from their sensor data. Predictive analytics help to make unique medicines. Smart devices use data to predict how an individual patient will respond to specific courses of action. Data analytics also help manufacturers to go beyond the general results of clinical trials to better interpret the value their devices for specific groups of patients. Read more about this article written by Battelle : http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/big-data-difference-predictive-analytics

Data analytics are the most essential part of any organization these days and requires efficient personnel having a greater skill set in data science. But, there is not enough parity between demand and supply. According to a recent study, it was found that there is demand for computer programmers with a background in data analytics, but out of the 332,000 computer programmers in America, only 4% had the necessary skill sets. So to bridge the gap, the online training method can be a helpful process and is flexible and this in turn enhances productivity. This is a continuous process of development and helps to figure out new talent within the organization. But all these processes can only be possible if colleges and universities encourage their student to learn data science and master in those skillet.

To read, follow:  :  http://www.cio.com/article/3033887/careers-staffing/can-online-training-bridge-the-big-data-skills-gap.html

Customer Relation Management is a combination of technology and collection of database of sales contact. This combination can be positively used to make a marketing strategy. This can be used to create awareness among the different departments of the organization, regarding the important actions that a customer has taken. Automated alerts can be sent notifying the important actions relevant to a team. Consistent messaging is required at times to stay in touch with the customer. This can be either with regard to feedback. Thus helping in getting insights of the customer. These practices help in understanding your customers in a better way. This improves your customer loyalty, hence resulting to improved engagement. Read more in the article written by Bruce Swann (Senior Product Marketing Manager for Adobe Campaign) at: http://blogs.adobe.com/digitalmarketing/digital-marketing/5-ways-crm-data-benefits-your-marketing-strategy/

Optimization of CRM is highly correlated to the social media presence of a company. Customers frequently generate queries via social media. So there are some steps that can be followed to create a position in the customer's mind by establishing good connections between social media and CRM.

1. Right platform should be chosen.

2. Must have a dedicated human resource to handle the social media activity and patch them up with marketing team who handles CRM.

3. Instead of putting one liner FAQs, try to personally resolve critical issues in time.

4. If you have a different presence in multiple social media, then deploy time understanding the importance

5. Start listening your customers’ point of view about you and react proactively.

6. When you are segmenting your customer, you should be prepared for queries. Centralize them and solve them in real time

7. Reward your customer by discount offers, free e-books and promo offers.

To read, follow: https://www.cmscritic.com/10-steps-to-social-crm-success/

Earlier, the function of human resources is associated with the person who handled employee paperwork and personnel files. But today, the role of HR has become a much more important and dynamic. Some companies even refer to HR's activities as human capital management (HCM) to reflect the strategic and leadership-oriented nature of the department. It was also found that HR experts shared their insights for companies who are looking to provide the best Human Capital management for their workforce. Few things that HCM takes care of: -1) Look beyond recruiting and onboarding. 2) Learn the best way to manage each employee. 3) Invest in the right technology. 4) Take a positive, but transparent approach to communication. 5) Continue to change with the times. To read more about HCM, follow the article by Nicole Fallon(Assistant Editor at Business News Daily) at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8145-human-capital-management.html

Augmented reality or AR is the ability to insert and overlay digital data & virtual information and now it is being used for archaeological work and research. AR allows students, research scholars and professional to access the artifacts and collections with accurate details and measurement. It also helps to preserve the artifacts since they have the constraint of physical contact. To know more, please read the article by Jennifer Shin (Writer at Augment) -: http://www.augment.com/blog/visualizing-the-past-pioneering-technology-in-archaeology/