Networking

Netgear missed top and bottom-line expectations for the second quarter, citing “a perfect storm of factors” that held back revenue and saw the networking company fall short of its operating margin goals. Second quarter 2021 non-GAAP net income per diluted share came to 66 cents on revenue of $308.8 million, an increase of 10.3 percent from the year prior. The company posted an operating margin of 7 percent. Analysts were expecting earnings per share of 71 cents on revenue of $314.84 million.”Worldwide supply chain constraints… such as component shortages, increased freight costs and transit times, and factory closures due to COVID-19, led to a perfect storm of factors that held back our revenue number and saw us fall short of our operating margin goals,” CEO and Chairman Patrick Lo said in a statement. “As we continue to navigate through this rapidly changing environment, our long-term thesis that premium WiFi will drive the growth of the consumer networking market and our service subscriber base remains intact. With vaccination rates rising and businesses reopening, work from anywhere and hybrid work models are here to stay.”In Q2, Netgear gained three points of market share in the US. consumer WiFi market, ending the quarter at 46 percent. In addition, the company added 33,000 subscribers in the quarter. Its goal is to reach 650,000 subscribers by the end of the year. The US consumer networking market grew 40 percent in the first half of 2021 over the same period in 2019 — 10 percent below Netgear’s expectations. Looking ahead to the second half of 2021, Netgear now expects the market growth to moderate further to approximately 20 percent above second half 2019 levels. “As such, we plan to proactively work with our channel partners to optimize their inventory levels in the third quarter,” CFO Bryan Murray said in a statement. 

Meanwhile, demand for Netgear’s SMB products rebounded in the second quarter as businesses reopened post-COVID. Despite supply constraints, SMB net revenue grew approximately 58 percent year-over-year.However, the company expects SMB to continue to be supply-bound and thus expects third quarter net revenue to be in the range of $285 million to $300 million. Netgear also announced the promotion of David Henry to President and General Manager of Connected Home Products and Services, as well as his appointment to the board of directors.

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While there are a number of messaging apps from which to choose, only a dozen or so have marketplace gravitas. The best-known and most-utilized are usually the ones that come with your smartphone: the Google, Samsung, and Apple Messages apps, the Facebook Messengers, and the Whatsapps of the world. Most people don’t even think about their messaging app — they take it for granted and simply check notifications regularly.But there are differences between them, and the most important ones involve security, because all messaging is speedy and virtually instantaneous. Is it possible for hackers to break into your connected device through a vulnerability in the messaging app? You bet it’s possible, and break-ins there are more common than you might think.For example, we’ve probably all received phony messages purportedly from a friend containing a link to a video (“I think you’re seen in this video … check this out!”). Woe to those who fall for this ruse. So security and encryption of messages is a serious consideration when it comes to messaging, which is far and away the favored method of communicating among Millennials, Gen Z folks, and younger.Below, we discuss only messaging apps that use (or can optionally use) end-to-end encryption (E2EE), a method of encrypting data that only allows the sender and receiver of the message to decrypt and read messages passed between them. More importantly, encryption prevents apps from storing copies of your messages on their servers.Please know that end-to-end encryption is not a security panacea that will protect you from surveillance. Even if you use a secure messaging app, an unsecured device can enable anyone to access your messages. The best way to protect your messaging apps is with a separate password or use of biometrics (face, fingerprint, iris) on your device.We’ve identified 10 of the most secure (and most utilized) messaging applications available. 

Supports RCS by default

Compatible operating systems: Android, WindowsPrice: Free (Google Messages currently comes with Android devices not made by Samsung)Security: Knox Security (Samsung); standard device security (Google)It’s easy to get Samsung Messages and Google Messages confused, because they populate Android phones used the world over. Samsung Messages, included only on Samsung phones, has an interface that might be a little easier to use. However, the main advantage of Google Messages is the availability of RCS (rich communication services) by default, no matter where you live or which carrier you use. You can have RCS with Samsung messages, but only if your carrier supports it. All Verizon plans, for example, will adopt Google Messages and support RCS by 2022.RCS is a next-generation SMS (short messaging service) protocol that upgrades standard text messaging. Features include payments, high-res photo/file sharing, location sharing, video calls, and others that are delivered to a device’s default messaging app. Knox’s E2EE security protocol, with its military-grade encryption, is a major advantage for users of Samsung Messages.Key features/attributesBy default, both Messages provide end-to-end encryption for all voice calls, video calls, and instant messages.Both Messages are built from open source code, which means security is vetted regularly by cybersecurity experts. This technology has been adopted by other messaging services, including WhatsApp and Skype.Google Messages shows one line of text preview, while Samsung Messages shows two lines.

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Best all-around bet

Compatible operating systems: Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOSPrice: FreeSignal is probably the best all-around bet when it comes to reach, security, and privacy-enabled features. However, it lacks the usership of the Messages and Messenger apps because it is not a pre-loaded default app inside phones. Formerly called RedPhone, Signal has become a favorite of the infosec community since its release seven years ago, but it also has grown in popularity among ordinary users. It still has nowhere near the same number of active users as those noted above, however.Key features/attributesBy default, Signal provides E2EE for all voice calls, video calls, and instant messages; it uses its own protocol.This technology is 100% open source, which means its security is vetted by cybersecurity experts and its technology has been adopted by other messaging services like WhatsApp and Skype.To verify that your conversation with another person is private, each Signal conversation has a unique device safety number to verify the security of your messages and calls with specific contacts. This is especially useful for preventing man-in-the-middle attacks — if a safety number changes more frequently than you’d expect for someone switching devices or reinstalling Signal, for instance, it may indicate that something is awry.Signal also allows you to secure the app with a password so you can protect your messages if they fall into the wrong hands. There is also an option to send self-destructing messages.

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Used only on Apple devices

Compatible operating systems: MacOS, iOSPrice: Free (on Apple devices)Apple Messages is used only on Apple devices, but it is exemplary when it comes to security features. In addition to offering end-to-end encryption between users, Apple Messages allows users to control how long the message stays up and how many times the recipient can view the message (although this feature is only available to those who have iOS 10 and above).Regardless of which Apple device you’re using, whether it’s iOS, watchOS, or iPadOS, your messages are end-to-end encrypted and cannot be accessed without a passcode. Users of Apple’s FaceTime can also rest easy knowing that their video calls are also E2EE-empowered.Key features/attributesMessages is only available on Apple devices, meaning any message you send via Messages to a non-Apple device will not be encrypted. One major security loophole is the option to back up your messages to iCloud. On the cloud, messages are encrypted by keys controlled by Apple, meaning that if your iCloud were ever hacked or subpoenaed, those messages could be revealed.Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that Apple “believe(s) that privacy is a fundamental human right,” and at least in its Messages and Facetime apps it appears to take this commitment seriously. Just avoid storing your messages on web-based platforms such as iCloud — toggle off messages in settings so they’re not stored on the cloud.

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Ownership by Facebook is worrisome

Compatible operating systems: Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, KaiOSPrice: FreeWhatsApp may be used by more people than many of the above apps, but its ownership by Facebook is worrisome. The founders of WhatsApp in 2009 originally intended it for people to publish status updates, similar to Facebook’s statuses. It was the messaging feature, however, that sold the app to Facebook, which bought it in 2014. WhatsApp is encrypted end-to-end, but its ownership continues to raise concerns about how it could be used in the future. Key features/attributesSecurity-wise, WhatsApp’s default E2EE enhances its privacy and security from malicious actors. Security issues have cropped up in the past, but if cybercriminals breached WhatsApp today, they couldn’t decrypt your conversations.It also has what may now be considered standard features, such as video calling, voice messaging, and file sharing.

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Similar in functionality to Whatsapp

Compatible operating systems: Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, KaiOSPrice: FreeFacebook Messenger is similar in functionality to Whatsapp, but again, with Facebook as the owner, users need to be aware of potential privacy issues. Facebook Messenger only connects with other Facebook Messenger users. Users of Facebook Messenger need to intentionally opt-in to its E2EE encryption if they want to better secure the app. Because it is automatically attached to every Facebook account, that means there are at least 2.3 billion apps out there — whether or not they’re being utilized.Key features/attributesSecurity-wise, Facebook Messenger’s default E2EE guards message privacy from malicious actors.If cybercriminals try to infiltrate Facebook Messenger today, they couldn’t decrypt your conversations. It also has standard features such as video calling, voice messaging, and file sharing.

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Useful for corresponding with people in other countries

Compatible operating systems: Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, HarmonyOSPrice: Free Viber is especially useful for corresponding with people in other countries, since it uses the internet for calls and messages. It’s a great tool for when you’re traveling abroad, or if you make a lot of international calls. Viber is also an excellent forum for simple chatting. While it has some limitations, it is user-friendly. Viber claims to have about 260 million monthly active users and is primarily positioned as a competitor to the less-secure Skype on mobile. It has enabled end-to-end encryption since 2016, so it’s been ahead of the pack for a while.Key features/attributesViber is very user-friendly.The app has E2EE on all its available platforms (Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android) and also color codes chats based on how secure they are: Gray indicates encrypted communication, green denotes an encrypted communication with a trusted contact, and red means the authentication key has an issue.Viber also supports self-destructing messages in its secret-chats feature.Viber only supports E2EE for one-on-one chats — group chats are not offered the same level of security as individual conversations.

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Free version of the Wickr app allows up to 10 users

Compatible operating systems: Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOSPrice: Free (optional: $25/month for an enterprise account)Started up by Silicon Valley-based privacy and security advocates in 2012, Wickr was one of the first messaging apps to adopt end-to-end encryption (E2EE). Messages are automatically encrypted, and the company undergoes regular security audits. Starting in 2017, Wickr went open source, which enables the worldwide open source community to help improve security.The free version of the Wickr app allows up to 10 users, and there are three paid tiers that charge up to $25 per month and have no user limit. Among its security attributes are screenshot detection, blocking third-party keyboards on iOS, and ensuring that any deleted files are unrecoverable.Key features/attributesWickr’s free and paid versions have excellent security features, such as self-destructing messages, content shredding, and an inability to take screenshots (on Android only).Wickr doesn’t have nearly as many users as Messenger and Messages, WhatsApp, and Signal, so you can be picky with whom you converse.The messages are also bound to both your account and your device, and the app won’t sync your messages across devices. That could amount to multiple separate conversations with your contacts — which makes it seems like they’ve made the app secure to a fault.

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Two layers of secure encryption

Compatible operating systems: Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOSPrice: FreeA key feature of Telegram is that it provides its users with two layers of secure encryption. Both private and group cloud chats support server-to-client encryption, while secret chats benefit from client-to-client encryption. In both instances, messages are encrypted. Telegram has recently gained popularity for organizing protests largely because it allows large chat groups of up to 10,000 members. This has in turn drawn the attention of state actors.Key features/attributesThe app gives you the option to encrypt messages, which you can enable as Secret Chats to encrypt them. When enabled, you can set messages to self-destruct across all your devices automatically or at a set time.If you don’t encrypt your chat, then your data is stored on Telegram’s servers, which puts the security of your messages at risk.Telegram also does not have E2EE by default — you’ll need to use its Secret Chats feature to enable it.

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Open-source and collaborative messaging app

Compatible OSes: Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOSPrice: Free (optional: $9.50/month for an enterprise account)Wire Personal is a secure open-source and collaborative messaging app that has both a free version and plenty of useful features: Fully encrypted video calls, secure file sharing, synced messages between devices, and others. Wire also offers a paid corporate subscription plan.Key features/attributesWire uses embedded E2EE, and it offers the same level of encryption for video calls. It is open source-based, and if you want the convenience, you can transfer your messages across any device into which you’re signed. It also has self-destructing messages, session verification to make sure you’re talking to the right person, and a password lock.

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What are some messaging apps that do not embed E2EE security by default?

TwitterSnapchat (has E2EE for photos and videos)InstagramGoogle HangoutsWeChatLine (opt-in E2EE)Skype (opt-in E2EE)Telegram (opt-in E2EE)

Does IM content qualify as a federal record?

The statutory definition of records (44 U.S.C. 3301) includes all machine-readable materials made or received by an agency of the US Government under federal law or in connection with the transaction of public business. Agencies that allow IM traffic on their networks must recognize that such content may be a federal record under that definition and must manage the records accordingly. The ephemeral nature of IM heightens the need for users to be aware that they may be creating records using this application, and to properly manage and preserve record content. Agency records management staff determine the record status of the IM content based on the overall records management policies and practices of their agency.

What are the current best practices for capturing IM content?

Nearly all IM client software has the ability to capture the content as either a plain text file or in a format native to that client. Generally, the location and maximum size of that file are determined by a configuration setting in the client. DoD 5015.2 certified applications have the ability to capture and manage records in any electronic format. Such formats include those files produced by the various IM clients.In addition, various IM management products have the ability to address the monitoring and management of IM content, either from those clients that are part of the agency’s enterprise or the various public clients. Generally, these products operate at the server level and should be able to capture IM sessions regardless of the configuration of the individual client.Determining which solution is appropriate for your agency involves collaboration among the program staff, the information technology (IT) staff, the records management staff, and NARA.

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Verizon reported better-than-expected second quarter earnings as it added 528,000 retail postpaid subscribers and saw gains from 5G adoption. The wireless giant reported non-GAAP second quarter earnings of $1.40 a share and $1.37 excluding extra items. Revenue for the second quarter checked in at $33.8 billion due to wireless sales gains. Wall Street was looking for second quarter revenue of $32.74 billion and non-GAAP earnings of $1.30 a share. Verizon also raised its outlook for the year and now projects adjusted earnings per share to be in the range of $5.25 to $5.35 with wireless service revenue growth of 3.5% to 4%. CEO Hans Vestberg said the company is expanding its 5G Home and 5G Ultra-Wideband deployments. ×vz-consumer-q2-2021.pngBy the numbers:Verizon saw consumer second quarter revenue grow 11.2% from a year ago and 6.7% from the second quarter of 2019.20% of Verizon customers now have 5G capable devices. In the second quarter, Verizon added 350,000 wireless retail postpaid net additions including 197,000 phone net additions. Verizon added 92,000 FioS Internet net additions in the second quarter. Verizon lost 62,000 video customers in the second quarter.Verizon’s SMB sales and enterprise businesses showed traction. Verizon Business added 178,000 wireless retail postpaid net additions with 78,000 phone net additions. The company added that Verizon Media revenue was $2.1 billion, up 50% from a year ago. Verizon is selling its media division.
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Verizon will be working with Google to bring the Rich Communications Service (RCS) standard to Android users in the US starting next year, joining T-Mobile and AT&T which both announced the switch earlier this year. Verizon announced the collaboration with Google on Tuesday and said the RCS standard provides “a more interactive and modern messaging experience right from Messages by Google.”According to a statement from Verizon, Messages by Google will be preloaded onto every Verizon Android device by next year. Google and Verizon said the switch will offer consumers “higher-quality photos and videos, chatting over Wi-Fi or data, knowing when your message is read, enjoying more dynamic and engaging group chats, and securely chatting with other Messages users in available one-on-one conversations with end-to-end encryption.”Ronan Dunne, executive vice president and CEO of Verizon Consumer Group, said that by working with Google, Verizon would be able to offer Android users “a robust messaging experience that allows them to engage with loved ones, brands and businesses in new and innovative ways.””Our customers depend on us to provide a reliable, advanced and simple messaging platform to stay in touch with the people that matter the most in their lives,” Dunne said.Google has spent years pushing the RCS standard as an update to SMS because it offers features similar to those seen in WhatsApp, Apple’s iMessage and Facebook Messenger. Apple has refused to use RCS and messages sent between Android phones and iPhones will continue to be SMS, making them less secure than messages sent between users on either platform. 

Dirk Schrader, vice president of security research at New Net Technologies, noted that using RCS as the underlying standard is interesting because it can be seen as a message to services like Whatsapp by offering the same features without sharing the user’s contacts. In a statement, Verizon explained that Messages will “work with Verizon’s network and RCS messaging service” and “Google will work with Verizon to provide a robust business-to-consumer messaging ecosystem using RCS.”Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google’s senior vice president of Platforms & Ecosystems, said the two companies have been working together on Android for years. The GSMA reports that more than 473 million monthly active users in 60 countries are using the RCS standard and Verizon said Android users will have a “more advanced messaging experience as they interact with each other and businesses on networks that support the RCS standard.”By the end of the year, those using Verizon’s Message+ app will also get full access to RCS capabilities including the ability to embed high-res pictures and videos, get real-time conversation notifications, and send animated GIFs.The RCS standard will also allow businesses and Verizon Android users to communicate more easily for things like product purchases, reservations and more. Setu Kulkarni, vice president of strategy at NTT Application Security, said that by making their end users available to brands and businesses, Verizon has taken on a new level of responsibility to keep its customers’ personal and private data on their phones secure from data breaches. “Since the app is backed by Google, there is certainly a greater degree of confidence that security measures are taken but let’s not forget that the state of cyber security is dynamic — and that no app is guaranteed to be breach free forever,” Kulkarni said. More

SD-WAN (software-defined wide-area networks) and SASE (secure-access service edge) are arguably the most transformative networking technologies in the past three decades. Nearly all network professionals with whom I work are either in the process of, or planning, an SD-WAN deployment. 

The reason interest is so high is that the architecture of an SD-WAN is optimized for cloud computing, while legacy WANs were designed for client-server computing. One can’t run a cloud-first company on a network that was built for a computing model that’s eventually going away. SASE modernizes security and enables businesses to secure their networks without having to deploy expensive hardware everywhere. As popular as SD-WANs and SASE are, it’s important to understand that they are not a panacea for networking problems. What SD-WANs do well is optimize the connectivity between branch offices and the cloud when multiple connections are used. For example, a business could use a combination of cable and 4G and then use SD-WAN to route traffic across the two connections, depending on which is currently performing better. This can be significantly less expensive than purchasing a corporate-grade networK (such as Ethernet) but still offer great performance. While this addresses many use cases, there are situations where two broadband connections are not available or are not cost-effective. This could be for home-based workers, small branch offices, or locations where telecom services are not available. In this case, the business would be faced with a tough decision: Choose the low-cost broadband connection but be faced with situations where the quality of service is low. This isn’t optimal, because applications such as video do not perform well under those circumstances. Influx of video conferences impacting older networksBecause we live in a world where we are on Webex, Zoom, and other video apps seemingly all day long, this choice could have a significant negative impact on worker productivity and customer experience. The other choice is to purchase a high-price network service to create a more predictable last-mile experience. Based on my assessment of Masergy’s Performance Edge, customers do not have to make that choice. The proprietary technology optimizes the performance of that last-mile connection and brings Ethernet-like performance over a single broadband connection. Technically, what the company is doing is applying a combination of WAN optimization techniques, such as forward error correction (FEC), acceleration, and advanced routing algorithms to accomplish this. Customers who use the Masergy Performance Edge service will realize the following benefits:Better performance. The service minimizes packet loss over public broadband for predictable application performance. This is something that’s unique to Masergy and was a previously unsolvable problem.Lower cost. Masergy estimates customers can save up to 70% in costs compared with private lines. This number seems reasonable, given the high cost of traditional telco services. There are some situations, such as rural areas, where I would expect the savings to be higher; Ethernet and other private services can be very expensive. Fewer outages. Performance Edge uses Masergy’s AIOps capabilities to automate problem resolution, which can find and resolve issues before they create outages. Fast to install. Unlike conventional telco services, which can often take months to deploy, Performance Edge can be turned up in days and can give existing circuits an immediate boost. Combines several functions to optimize the end-to-end network

One of the important aspects of this service is that it connects users to Masergy’s global software-defined network. If all the company was doing was providing last-mile optimization, the impact to the customer would be limited, because the middle mile is where problems often occur. Performance Edge ensures users that the last mile is performing, but then the traffic is carried over Masergy’s high-performance backbone, enabling the end-to-end network to be optimized. It’s this combination of Performance Edge, global backbone, SD-WAN, and SASE connectivity that makes Masergy unique, because the company can design a network that addresses all a customer’s needs, regardless of office size, where it is located, or what type of network connectivity is available. While not the best-known service provider, Masergy has been innovative over the years. The company is known to have one of the best-performing networks in the industry, and that’s because it was initially built to deliver Cisco Systems TelePresence services globally. That form of video never saw the hockey-stick growth curve that many industry people had expected, leaving Masergy with a high-performance network in an environment where best-effort services were good enough. The pandemic ushered in the era of video everywhere; Masergy has seen strong growth because businesses now understand that with video, good enough is not good enough. Masergy also was the first service provider with a commercial AIOps offering, enabling it to resolve outages faster than previous providers. More importantly, this functionality often remediates issues before they impact the business. Now the company is rolling out Performance Edge, which brings private circuit performance to broadband. More

If you’re looking to explore how IoT technology could benefit your business or home, and you like tinkering and app development, the Sensor Starter Kit from Norwegian company Disruptive Technologies could be the launchpad you need. For £579 ($649 in the US, €669 in Europe) you get five small sensors — they’re the size of Scrabble tiles — to measure temperature, touch, proximity, humidity and the presence of water; these talk wirelessly to a 4G/LTE Cloud Connector gateway, which uploads data to the DT Studio web app where you can create dashboards, configure notifications and integrate data streams with your own applications via webhooks or a full-blown REST API. It’s all remarkably straightforward. Disruptive Technologies’ Sensor Starter Kit costs £579, US$649 or €669.
Image: Disruptive Technologies
Sensors  The sensors — temperature, touch, proximity, water and humidity — are about the size of Scrabble tiles, and are designed to stick to flat surfaces.
Image: Disruptive Technologies  
The sensors are small tile-shaped devices, measuring 19mm by 19mm by 2.5mm and weighing 2g, with a protective film on the back that you peel off, allowing you to stick the sensor to a flat surface. They’re identified by name and a QR code printed on the front, but if these should wear off, you can identify them via touch (when connected to a Cloud Connector).  Disruptive Technologies’ sensors use a proprietary wireless connectivity protocol called SecureDataShot (SDS), which, the company says, is a better fit for high sensor density installations with high data collection frequencies in a limited area (an office building, for example) than the popular LoRa technology, which is more suitable for longer ranges, and lower sensor densities and data rates. In Europe, SecureDataShot uses the 868MHz ISM band, while the 915MHz band is used in the US. SDS provides end-to-end encryption and seamless roaming across Cloud Connector gateways. According to Disruptive Technologies “The SDS protocol is designed to allow up to one million sensors to operate in a small, geographical area”. You can identify any of the sensors and check they’re working by touching them and checking for a response in Studio.
Image: Charles McLellan / ZDNet
The sensors are durable and waterproof, with an IP68 rating, and have Wi-Fi-like range indoors (~25 metres) or, in ‘high power boost’ mode, up to a kilometre outdoors with no obstructions. The range is 300m in standard mode, which consumes less battery power. Battery life will vary depending on conditions, but is rated at up to 15 years in the default configuration, which makes a standard-mode radio transmission every 15 minutes.  The temperature sensor operates between -40 and 85°C but will deliver reduced performance outside the recommended -25 to 50°C range (longer recovery time and reduced range at low temperatures; reduced battery life at high temperatures). Also, the humidity sensor, which measures both temperature and relative humidity, has a standard-mode battery life of up to 10 years, rather than 15 years for the other four devices. Cloud Connector 

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The Cloud Connector — we had an EU 4G version in our review kit — measures 65mm wide by 130mm deep by 40mm thick and weighs 200g. It comes with a Power-over Ethernet (PoE) adapter, UK and EU plug attachments, an RJ-45 Ethernet cable and fasteners for wall mounting. This device relays data streams from the wireless sensors to the cloud-based DT Studio app via a 4G LTE or Ethernet connection. The Cloud Connector relays sensor data to the cloud-based Studio app over Ethernet (above left) or 4G LTE (above right).
Images: Charles McLellan / ZDNet & Disruptive Technologies
The Cloud Connector connects automatically to within-range sensors and its installed 4G LTE SIM roams between mobile networks to find the best connection to the cloud. If mobile coverage is poor where you live and/or work, you can use a wired Ethernet connection instead. I relied on Ethernet and my fibre-based home broadband during this review, as the mobile signal — in a rural area just 45 miles north of London — is poor on all four mobile networks. The Sensor Starter Kit comes with a year’s subscription for the mobile connection, which must subsequently be renewed at €24 per year via the DT Studio app.  DT Studio DT Studio is where you organise your sensors and Cloud Connectors, set up organisations and projects, manage access, and make external integrations. It’s a functional web app that, once you’ve set up your account, presents you with a default Inventory project containing all of your sensors. If you buy new sensors, which cost £49/$59/€59 or £59/$69/€75 each, they’ll show up here first. We were quickly able to set up simple projects, such as one to measure temperature and humidity at a first floor east-facing window — which reported some startlingly high temperatures during the recent UK heatwave. A DT Studio project measuring temperature and humidity.
Image: Charles McLellan / ZDNet
You can invite new project members to be administrators (who can move devices between projects and manage access), developers (who can edit devices and project settings) or users (who have view-only access). Notifications are also available — for example, we set up email alerts for various temperature levels, and for the presence of water in an area of the loft where we suspected a roof leak. Inviting new project members in DT Studio.
Image: Charles McLellan / ZDNet
Sensor data is stored in the DT cloud for 31 days, but if you want to forward your data to external services, in real time, you can use Data Connectors. These are similar to webhooks, but with an additional delivery guarantee, low latency and TLS encryption. The DT Studio app is built on Disruptive Technologies’ REST API, which, once you’ve set up a suitable service account, can also enable the same array of capabilities. You can interact with DT’s REST API and a range of endpoints using tooling such as cURL, Python API and Postman.  The Sensor Starter Kit isn’t exactly cheap at £579/$649/€669, and of course if you decide to install hundreds or thousands of sensors and multiple Cloud Connectors, you’ll soon run up a serious bill. That said, the SSK is easy to get to grips with, even for a non-developer, and should prove valuable in proofs-of-concept and pilot programmes where organisations are exploring how to optimise the layout and management of their premises.RECENT AND RELATED CONTENT The best computer science resources in 2021: Apps, sites, and more options Tesla full self-driving is not what most people call ‘full’ self-driving Samsung releases SmartThings Energy to manage energy use Developers are exhausted. Here’s what needs to change Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak voices support for right to repair Read more reviews More

Amazon Web Services has had its CCaaS (contact center as a service) offering, Amazon Connect, in general availability for a few years, but it doesn’t get a lot of visibility. Contact center-as-a-service is a software deployment model that enables companies to purchase only the IT they need for call centers and is operated by a vendor to reduce IT, integration, and support costs.Despite its time in the market, I still get questions from contact center professionals as to whether Connect is ready for prime time and whether AWS has any kind of competitive edge versus a field filled with traditional vendors. Recently, I moderated a customer panel of three Amazon Connect customers at the Customer Contact Week show highlighting the unique attributes of Connect that helped them navigate their businesses through the pandemic. Below is a summary of each of the case studies.Hilton Hotels There was perhaps no industry that the pandemic hit harder than the travel industry, and that was certainly no exception for Hilton. Becky Ploeger, Global Head of Reservations and Customer Care at Hilton, said that in the hotel chain’s 100 years of business, it had never seen anything like what they experienced during the pandemic, adding to the narrative that we were in uncharted territory. To help its customers, Hilton became the first hotel chain to offer free cancellations within 24 hours of check-in time, and this created an initial massive spike in calls because people were canceling reservations due to stay-at-home orders. Then, just as quickly, the call volume went almost to zero for an extended period. This created some interesting challenges for Hilton. The first is cost. With a traditional seat-based model–where the business pays per seat, per month, for an extended period of time–Hilton would have been forced to buy for the spike, that is, peak utilization and then significantly overpay during the stay-at-home period. AWS is the only vendor with a utilization-based model in which customers can provision as many users as they like and only pay per call; this saved Hilton a significant amount of money. Ploeger didn’t calculate exactly what the savings were, but she did say call volume dropped 90% from peak to the bottom of the valley. From her perspective, one of the best aspects of this is that the pricing is fully automated. She did mention that, with the other SaaS vendors Hilton uses, she had to go through lengthy negotiation periods to get them to help with pricing. With AWS, it’s fully automated and simple. Traeger Pellet Grills The challenge for Traeger Pellet Grills was getting better control over customer experience, which meant a change in contact center strategy. Prior to deploying Amazon Connect, Traeger outsourced 100% of contact center operations to a third party. The result was “zero control over customer experience” as described by Bryan Teggart, head of CX Operations and Analytics for Traeger. The company does about a million contacts with customers annually and was looking for a solution that was simple and enabled the organization to scale. Teggart said he didn’t have to deal with the “archaic user base licensing” that he had experienced with other vendors. After evaluating several solutions, Teggart said that Amazon Connect “ticked all of their boxes.” Another requirement was to integrate with the other AWS services the company uses–such as Kenesis, S3 and Redshift–and Connect already had those integrations. The fact that it played nicely with all of the other AWS services made it a “no-brainer” for the company, Teggart said. 

Since deployment, Traeger has started using Amazon Connect Wisdom, a machine learning-powered search capability to provide agents timely info based on call dialogue. “The ability for us to surface this knowledge content in real time, without the agents having to worry about what to search for, has been absolutely fantastic,” Teggart said. “Also, the AWS team has been nothing short of amazing in helping tune the algorithms from a suggestion perspective. Wisdom is saving our agents a significant amount of time from a call-handling perspective and getting the right answers quickly, which has improved our C-sat (customer satisfaction) scores.” One of the questions I’m always being asked by businesses is how accurate AI is in the contact center today, so I asked Teggert that question; he said after a short learning and tuning phase, Wisdom is about 90% to 95% accurate. State of Maryland During the pandemic, the state of Maryland–like most states–was facing the daunting task of slowing the spread of COVID-19, and the best way to do this was through contact tracing. However, none of the states were equipped with a contact center staffed to handle the massive number of inbound and outbound calls involved in contact tracing. This meant that Maryland had to create a virtual call center, staffed with 1,000 or more agents in just a few weeks. At the outset of the project, no one knew what peak call volumes would look like, so the ability of Amazon Connect to quickly scale both in number of seats and pricing was important. Lance Schine, Deputy Secretary for IT for the state of Maryland, described how in the first month alone the Amazon Connect-based contact center reached 20,000 people with thousands of them testing positive for COVID-19. The ability to stand up the contact center quickly enabled the state to reach these people faster, which ultimately helped slow the spread and save lives. Looking back over the past year, Schine told the audience the state of Maryland made millions of calls, reached more than 1 million people and, in his opinion, “was only doable because Amazon Connect could scale up so quickly.” He added that the state relied heavily on automation tools, reducing the need to have humans making every call. Another consideration, given the state of the pandemic, was the distributed nature of the call center. Schine said that “Connect allowed is to have a virtual call center where we had more than 1,000 people in over 1,000 different locations–including homes and apartments–scattered all over the country, acting as a single call center.”On a personal note, I can attest to this. One of my children, fresh out of college and with no contact center experience, was hired as a contact tracing agent in the state of Massachusetts, which also used Amazon Connect. With very little training, he was able to ramp up quickly and spent months handling inbound and outbound calls helping people navigate COVID-19.In summary …These are three very different types of call centers, but they do have a few things in common. The first is that, because of the ebbs and flows of contact center interactions, the legacy per user/per month pricing no longer worked. Also, the ability to scale up and down quickly was paramount to success, because no one knew what the landscape would look like month by month. Also, automation now plays a key role in contact center operations as businesses look to reduce call handling times and improve customer experience. Amazon Connect certainly isn’t a traditional contact center product, but the era of customer service we knew just a couple of years ago is gone and isn’t likely to come back any time soon. Because of the non-traditional approach, Hilton Hotels, Traeger Grills, and the state of Maryland are in an excellent position to adapt to the point pandemic future. They now have the capability of adapting to changing situations and to add new AI/ML capabilities to address the growth in digital channels while managing costs. More

South Korean telco KT on Thursday launched its 5G standalone (SA) service, becoming the first carrier in the country to offer mobile services wholly on 5G networks.Local carriers, which commercialised 5G back in 2019, had previously only offered 5G non-standalone (NSA) services so far, where 4G LTE and 5G networks are used together.KT claimed the use of 5G SA over 5G NSA would reduce latency and power consumption for smartphone users.The telco will offer a software update for its subscribers that will allow them to switch network settings from NSA to SA. KT’s 5G SA service will first be available on the Galaxy S20 series of smartphones, before it expands to the Galaxy S21 series later this year. The telco added it will continue to widen device support going forward.According to KT, the launch of 5G SA will also help with the development of multi-access edge computing, which will allow enterprises to offer more autonomous driving and smart factory services for other businesses.Compatriot telcos SK Telecom and LG Uplus, meanwhile, have said they are in no rush to roll out 5G SA services. They said it was still early days and more infrastructure around the service would need to be built for a clear advantage over 5G NSA.

SK Telecom said it trialled 5G SA at a factory run by chip-making affiliate SK Hynix in January, but it concluded the advantage provided over 5G NSA was minimal for the time being.South Korea is also yet to commercialise mmWave 5G services. Local telcos had previously said they planned to roll out mmWave in 2020, but that was before the pandemic. The South Korean government announced last month that it would allocate 28GHz and sub-6GHz spectrum in November to promote 5G-related services.  As KT prepares to roll out a 5G SA service, local telcos are currently in the midst of various class action lawsuits from consumers who have claimed they exaggerated the performances of their 5G services. A trial from one of these lawsuits against SK Telecom, lodged by 237 consumers, started earlier this month. The other lawsuit filed against all three carriers by over 500 consumers was filed last month.According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, as of April this year, there were 15.14 million 5G subscribers in South Korea.    Related coverage More