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Instead of blindly applying the same managed firewall solution to every customer regardless of their needs, it’s important for an MSSP to leverage their experience to create a customized firewall configuration that provides optimal protection with minimal disruption for your company’s workflows.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month just passed, the team here at Compuquip Cybersecurity thought it would be a good idea to put together a list of tips to help other organizations improve their cybersecurity awareness. While improving security awareness really should be a year-round effort, the fact that October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month makes a great excuse to focus on the subject.

Cyber threats are simply too prevalent—and their potential impacts too severe—for any organization to ignore. Having a strong cybersecurity-aware culture can do wonders to blunt cyber risks because it helps ensure that every employee understands and follows basic best practices for cybersecurity.

With this in mind, here are a few cybersecurity awareness tips organizations of all sizes and industries can benefit from:

Set Up a Formal Cybersecurity Training Program

One of the most direct ways to increase cybersecurity awareness in any organization is to create a formal training program centered on cybersecurity practices. When an organization has a formal cybersecurity training program, there is little room for doubt that security awareness is an important issue to the larger organization—not to mention that the employees have been made aware of what they should and should not do.

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the Tree Map below illustrates the impact of the Top 10 Telecom Industry Trends. The internet of things (IoT) devices and sensors, connectivity solutions including next-generation WiFi and Bluetooth, as well the promise of 5G networks and technology dominate the top 10 telecom trends. Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms influence data analytics and offer various opportunities for automation in the telecom sector. The penetration of smartphones and reliable internet generates large volumes of high-resolution content. Telecom startups develop network solutions to manage and optimize speed and latency to further enable the growth of high-quality image and video content. In addition to these major telecom trends, the industry also sees the development of cloud and edge technologies for enabling smart industrial processes as well as solutions to improve human-to-machine and machine-to-machine communications. Get in touch with us to find relevant startups that impact your specific business.

The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights the global distribution of the 3.519 exemplary startups & scaleups that we analyzed for this research. Created through the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, the Heat Map reveals that the US is home to most of these companies while we also observe increased activity in Europe as well Asia, particularly in India & Singapore.

Below, you get to meet 20 out of these 3.519 promising startups & scaleups as well as the solutions they develop. These 20 startups were hand-picked based on criteria such as founding year, location, funding raised, and more. Depending on your specific needs, your top picks might look entirely different.

IoT devices and sensors influence almost all industries of the technology economy. It improves people’s quality of life, allows businesses to increase their profits, and improves management. IoT is also beneficial for governments looking to decrease their information technology (IT)-related expenses. Interconnection between devices, sensors, infrastructure, and computing elements further enables new ways for management. For example, decentralized operations, condition-based monitoring, and predictive maintenance ensure efficient communications between various IoT devices. In this way, IoT automates production processes and allows the implementation of Industry 4.0 concepts in the telecom sector.

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There is increased flexibility in consumer demand. Due to this unpredictability, there is a need for media houses to deal with the spikes and surges in viewership in real-time. The characteristics of cloud computing are perfect to meet the level of scalability and flexibility required to meet requirements in a cost-effective manner. 

Continuous expansion of content 

To stay relevant in the competitive content creation world, the media and entertainment industry are constantly creating new content, producing new content, and distributing content as well. Without the implementation of cloud computing application, it would be impossible to manage, store, and deliver such a huge quantity of content. Delivery of content in a cost-effective manner is possible through the Cloud. Using hybrid or multi-cloud deployments can provide a great deal of flexibility, thus allowing the workload to be shifted seamlessly across private and public infrastructures.

The new age media and entertainment industry can benefit from cloud computing to contain storage costs to help in balancing the rising costs in various other areas. Shifting from a CAPEX model to an OPEX Cloud Model allows companies to reduce their sunk costs in delivery technologies, storage, and infrastructure. There are different tiers of cloud storage. 

Minimal delays/downtime 

In terms of user experience and advertiser expectations, a high streaming performance with minimal delays and downtime is essential. A delay in streaming can cost thousands of dollars to the media companies. With the help of cloud computing application, there are various opportunities and architectures that support high-performance SLAs, such as multi-Cloud, hybrid deployments, and multi-region. 

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Several elements are set to impact growth in the future of the telecommunication industry and will require Telcos to innovate their service offerings, change their business models, and move towards being more flexible, agile, and connected. These elements include the impact of 5G technology on bandwidth, reliability, and high-speed connectivity, growing demand for value-added managed services, the value of IoT, enhanced customer service, and a need for end-to-end solutions. These elements are not only providing growth opportunities but are some of the biggest challenges Telcos will need to navigate with regards to the future of the telecommunication industry.

Technology advances and trends making an impact on the future of the telecommunication industry

Digital transformation and the introduction of new technology is rife, providing a significant opportunity for Telcos to expand on their service offerings and solutions to add greater value to both enterprise customers and consumers. Innovative technology, if used and harnessed correctly, can help Telcos differentiate themselves in the market, reduce customer churn, and enhance productivity. This will require Telcos to think outside of the current connectivity box and innovate. Some of the technology and trends set to impact the future of the telecommunication industry

5G is the 5th generation of mobile wireless communications technology and will account for 20% of global connections according to GSMA. Operators and carriers across the globe are supporting the shift towards 5G with an expected investment of around $1.1 trillion in mobile CAPEX between 2020 and 2025. This technology is set to change the way many businesses operate as it allows for faster connectivity, low-latency, enhances bandwidth, and connectivity speed.

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In the last few years, the customer service domain has experienced an awakening with the rising awareness of the benefits of delivering a good customer experience. Companies have invested in their customer service function to differentiate and personalize their brand and improve overall operational efficiency. COVID-19 has resulted in a further increase in demand for service, with a January 2021 survey indicating that 65% of U.S. consumers required assistance during the pandemic.

As 2021 gets underway, new technologies to improve customer service are emerging, that help businesses boost their service levels while still keeping a firm eye on their bottom line to ensure business continuity in a challenging economic environment. 

AR has emerged as an innovative customer service tool that allows brands an almost unlimited opportunity to interact with consumers on their mobile devices. AR creates a new digital experience that transforms the customer journey into a connected and immersive visual interactive experience, providing value that goes way beyond simple novelty. For example, using a smartphone, customers can access the product’s knowledge base with FAQs, instruction manuals, and training material displayed in an AR overlay. AR has been especially beneficial in the technical support domain, eliminating the back-and-forth so common in agent-customer interactions during technical support calls.

Blockchain technology is a digital ledger in which transactions made in bitcoin or another cryptocurrency are recorded chronologically and publicly. While blockchain has yet to be fully validated, the hype around it is at its peak. In customer service, blockchain is currently being analyzed for its ability to reinvigorate customer loyalty programs. With its cost efficiencies, frictionless digital systems, secure and near-real time transactions, brands are utilizing blockchain to offer the added value that would drive a competitive advantage. 

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Prominent operators are already emphasizing on customer service performance and quality. They meticulously monitor and address the possible deterioration in customer experience (such as dropped calls and low video or audio quality) by leveraging Quality of Experience (QoE) features in the network, Operational and Business Support Systems (OSS/BSS), and devices.

However, most operators need to put in extra efforts to express they care about customers’ perceptions. One instance would be a system to inevitably compensate customers for poor experiences before they complain, turning potential dissatisfaction into a delight. Operators could also innovate their business model to sell a customer-specific QoE instead of data volume and bandwidth.

Customers expect to adjust the services they purchase in a flexible and personalized manner. Enabling customers to align their product or service should come without standard tariffs or increased out-of-bundle costs. By linking unit prices per service for all (not just new) customers, operators could minimize customers’ reconnections, saving on Subscriber Acquisition Cost (SAC). To limit the Average base Revenue Per Unit (ARPU) dilution in this situation, operators require an upsell strategy as a countervailing measure. An example would be to modify all sliders for present customers to keep them on the same ARPU, then let them pick “pay less” or “get more.”

Customers who think they have been mistreated are prone to quitting. Taking care of such “hygiene” factors reduces customer churn. Things like making equal offers for existing and new customers, eradicating small print, and sticking by the service promises are a given. Advanced experiences might include cash-back warranties or a one-click “try before you buy” offers.

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Accessibility is an opportunity to provide advanced and personalized customer experiences based on seamless omnichannel customer interaction and engagement. Operators who want to delight today’s customers need to start by making swapping between channels hassle-free. The whole interaction history must be available at every touchpoint. For instance, an in-store sales rep can see what a call center agent has promised. Interaction continuity is mandatory. For instance, enabling a customer to talk to the same agent after a dropped call to a hotline. An enhanced omnichannel experience means seamless swapping and smart channel integration. For instance, leveraging interactive voice response (IVR) in a mobile app when customers are incapable of resolving issues and proactive follow-up when promised response times are exceeded. The information must flow seamlessly, between the physical and digital world, for instance, by enabling customers to scan a QR code on a device or printed communication.

Prominent operators are already emphasizing on customer service performance and quality. They meticulously monitor and address the possible deterioration in customer experience (such as dropped calls and low video or audio quality) by leveraging Quality of Experience (QoE) features in the network, Operational and Business Support Systems (OSS/BSS), and devices.

However, most operators need to put in extra efforts to express they care about customers’ perceptions. One instance would be a system to inevitably compensate customers for poor experiences before they complain, turning potential dissatisfaction into a delight. Operators could also innovate their business model to sell a customer-specific QoE instead of data volume and bandwidth.Customers expect to adjust the services they purchase in a flexible and personalized manner. Enabling customers to align their product or service should come without standard tariffs or increased out-of-bundle costs.

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Until now, edge computing was only building up use-cases. In 2021 and beyond, novel business models will come up that power the deployment of the edge in production. Organizations will find new ways to leverage the enhanced computing power and storage available closer to where the data is being generated and will appreciate the network saving achieved by not having to transmit data continuously between the cloud and the devices on the frontlines.  

Today, the telecom industry has become an enormous data repository with access to uber-sensitive customer data. They are also the platforms upon which digital lives revolve so that any service outage or loss of data can trigger significant inconvenience for the end-users and a large-scale disruption of business operations across industries. These aspects make telcos lucrative targets for cybercriminals looking to tamper with data and networks at scale. 

With strict policies like EU-GDPR now in action, telcos – whether in India or abroad – can’t afford to regard cybersecurity as anything less than a critical function. With data security becoming a vital business mandate, a large-scale shift within the telecom industry is predicted towards a security-led method. 

In the coming years, we will witness players prop up their defenses against direct threats, like distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, along with indirect vulnerabilities like data breaches and internal leaks. The IT frameworks facilitating telecom networks will become more robust. There is also the probability of telcos pushing cybersecurity solutions as part of their service offerings to assure better threat defense for their consumers. 

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In the 5G IoT ecosystem, the amounts of data generated by IoT devices and M2M communications will increase exponentially. Therefore, real-time processing of data streams based on big data platforms will be integral for automated decision-making. Such processing is normally executed at the edge and only then sent to the cloud to improve data quality and security

from February to September 2020, DDoS grew by half and was on average 98% higher than it was during the same period a year earlier. Furthermore, around 50 million DDoS attacks happened globally within a 12-month period.high-volume 50 Gpbs + attacks became a pressing issue for businesses lacking adequate protection.59% of the total number of attacks were multi-vector incidents, which organizations are too weak to fight against.the most long-lasting DDoS attack was 5,698 minutes. This equals to 4 days of non-stop attacking. Notably, the key issue with DDoS incidents for the telecom sector is a ripple effect an attack of such magnitude can cause.How Telcos Can Protect Against DDoS AttacksSet up robust Access control lists (ACL) – your first line of defense. Note, however, that ACL has a scaling issue. A rapid increase of temporary ACLs, built to resist a large-scale attack, can have a major performance impact on different router hardware and software, making the overall management rather challenging. Thus, it’s best to write several scripts for automatic router configuration and ACL management.Implement black hole scrubbing – a variation of the block hole filtering technique. In this case, the traffic is redirected to a different physical interface – a scrubbing center – that can weed out the good traffic from the malicious one. A number of software vendors offer such solutions.Real-time DDoS monitoring is a must. The best-of-breed tools are now powered with machine learning functionality, meaning their detection accuracy progressively increases over time.

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Improving Truck Load Utilization Through Continuous Moves

The transportation sector often suffers from poor capacity management, which results in drivers driving empty miles on one of the legs. This, in turn, leads to driver inefficiency, higher handling costs, congestion, and fuel usage, to name a few. Through continuous moves, the empty miles can be eliminated as the same vehicle can be assigned a load to transfer on their return leg.

Successful implementation of this aspect has been showcased by the Blume Global platform through their Street Turns feature. This feature leverages AI to optimize the truck’s capacity usage, thus ensuring efficient use of driver hours of service and reduction of fuel consumption and deadhead distance.

simple process, where the truck is pretty much empty for the return journey from B to A and A to C. However, using AI tools, historical data gathered for various loads can be utilized to generate leads of potential loads in areas near drop-off locations, and carriers can be assigned loads, which are often managed by brokerage services that act on behalf of interested shippers. This will lead to improved truck utilization as the empty mile in is optimized to B to C only.

We can evaluate carriers’ performance based on linear factors like on-time arrival, cost/unit weight, time to ship, etc. This is a very generic method of allocation of load to the shipper. The efficient method is to schedule a shipper based on the load type, cost, and available time factors. This is fathomable and feasible if we develop a continuous DataOps pipeline with an artificial intelligence model enabled on it. ML algorithms such as Gradient Boosting or Random Forest can train the model over the training set of the historical data. To reduce bias, the results can be aggregated from several iterative output models. The outcome is a list of carriers ranked in the order of their f1-score. It was observed that among all the features or factors dialed in, quantity distribution, weight distribution, total distance, and geographical locations tend to stand out as decisive features over time.

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