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Many supply chain organizations are exploring the potential of more automated and intelligent technologies right now, Zebra included. With ever-changing production goals and tighter order fulfillment timelines, manufacturers need easy-to-use solutions that help elevate quality and drive production performance. Warehouse and distribution center operators are looking for ways to streamline the returns process. And retailers are constantly seeking tools that take the burden of increased fulfillment demands off workers, without compromising the quality of the customer experience.

That’s why there’s growing buzz around technologies such as machine vision and computer vision.

But despite their similar-sounding names, these technologies have two very different purposes which, at times, do converge. There are also technologies, such as fixed industrial scanners, that can work in tandem with machine vision and computer vision solutions to bring more breadth, depth and speed to operational visibility and industrial automation. So, we’ve asked Donato Montanari, Vice President and General Manager of Zebra’s Machine Vision business, to break down the terminology and uses cases in the latest installment of our “Ask the Expert” series:

Your Edge Blog Team: Can you start by explaining the differences between machine vision and computer vision?

Donato: It might be easiest to start with the similarities. Machine vision and computer vision are both intelligence-based systems used for image capture, processing, and analysis. In enterprise and industrial environments, their shared value lies in their ability to improve quality control and process control by catching both isolated issues and patterns that a human might miss for whatever reason. For example, both machine vision and computer vision systems are trained to look for discrepancies within some component of an operation. When issues are identified, the systems will notify key stakeholders and then help them decide what steps to take to avoid incurring significant inventory, financial or customer losses.

However, the speed and level at which this intelligence is gathered, distributed and applied is one of the most distinguishing factors between the two types of technologies.

Machine vision is often used on a production line in a manufacturing facility to look for visual inconsistencies in a label, package or even item design that could lead to returns, noncompliance penalties, and other costly consequences. Many use a pass/fail alert structure to help inspectors quickly decide whether items are cleared to continue down the line or should be removed without having to consult with others first. Machine vision systems also tend to be self-contained, meaning the image capture and analysis occur right there on the line – data doesn’t have to be sent to a back-office system for processing.

Computer vision, on the other hand, is often used as a back-end processing platform for image capture technologies used on the front lines, such as intelligent automation solutions, bioptic scanners, and even mobile computers. Advanced algorithms are used to help decision makers see what’s happening within their operations and fully understand why it’s happening. Though computer vision still elicits fast decision making and action, there tends to be a little bit longer lead time between the two given the depth and breadth of data being processed through the system. Computer vision is typically a far more comprehensive analysis tool than machine vision, which is much more comparative at a single factor level (i.e., the text on the item’s warning label is supposed to be red but the machine vision camera indicates that it’s purple.)

In fact, machine vision systems tend to be designed to support very specific industrial automation applications due to their unique line of sight capabilities – and limitations. Computer vision algorithms, on the other hand, can be used more broadly to support qualitative analysis needs. That’s why you’re more likely to see machine vision or some derivative – such as fixed industrial scanning – in manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution environments, and computer vision in retail or healthcare.

Your Edge Blog Team: So, is machine vision essentially a camera solution?

Donato: Yes and no. Machine vision relies on highly specialized camera technology to reconcile an item or label’s current visual state with what it should look like per the standards guide. However, when someone talks about machine vision, it’s unlikely he or she is referring exclusively to the camera component. “Machine vision” is actually a cohesive set of technologies and methodologies that are used for the automatic, imaging-based inspection and tracking of work-in-progress items and finished goods from a process control and quality control perspective.

For example, an automotive supplier might use machine vision to improve the speed and accuracy of visual inspections as items move down the line in a discrete manufacturing environment where quality control is critical. The machine vision system – meaning the smart cameras or sensors – positioned either overhead or in line with the conveyor belt can learn to recognize when a part is mislabeled or there is a discrepancy in the design when compared to the blueprints. After capturing a snapshot, an intelligent analysis will occur on the spot to verify the quality of what’s being produced and prepped for shipment. If multiple anomalies are identified by the machine vision system, that could be indicative of a larger process issue that the manufacturer may not have otherwise recognized until after parts were shipped to – and returned by – the customer.

Your Edge Blog Team: Can machine vision cameras be used to track and trace items, then?

Donato: Fixed industrial scanning solutions are utilized more for the track and trace of parts or finished goods as they move down a production, picking, packing or shipping line, whereas machine vision is used most often for the visual inspection of such items for quality control or process control purposes. However, fixed industrial scanners – at least the ones Zebra offers – can be used for machine vision with a fairly simple software reconfiguration.

Your Edge Blog Team: Can you clarify what you mean by track and trace in this case?

Donato: Fixed industrial scanners are typically used to read the barcodes on items moving along conveyor belts or order fulfillment lines in distribution centers and warehouses and provide a status update to logistics managers or possibly even customers. In addition to verifying that an item has passed by a checkpoint, which is the tracking component, these scanners might be set up to verify the accuracy of product or package labels, automatically confirm that all items in an order have been picked and passed along for packing, or even facilitate shipment routing. Fixed industrial scanners can also be used to verify returned items and help expedite the reshelving process. If configured for machine vision, these scanners could even be used to identify items that aren’t acceptable for return per quality standards defined in the system.

At the end of the day, logistics managers and quality control teams just want a good tool to help decode items coming down the line more quickly than is possible today. Any technology that can help eliminate the quality issues and fulfillment errors that cost them time, money and – in some cases – customers is also much appreciated.

Your Edge Blog Team: Is that why Zebra decided to develop a new lineup of fixed industrial scanning and machine vision solutions?

Donato:That is certainly a key driver. Customers are always motivating us to innovate, and we’re proactively exploring ways in which technology can be better designed and utilized to address their pain points.  Zebra has a strong heritage in data capture, proven success with track and trace solutions, and a number of high-performing inspection technologies within our existing portfolio. Even more than that, we understand what is required technologically speaking to get data to the right place at the right time​ to maximize its value.

While 88% of manufacturers say they are capturing data about their assets and operations, only 18% believe they are fully equipped to deliver on the Internet of Things (IoT) and connect that data to their business systems to improve operations. Many warehouse and distribution center operators share the same frustration and challenge. So, Zebra has worked diligently to deliver solutions that help automate the collection, analysis and application of all kinds of data in a simple way.

Fixed industrial scanning and machine vision solutions, which are natural extensions of our existing portfolio, fill a gap in customers’ needs that can’t be addressed as effectively by the other automation solutions. And they’re both key to improving productivity and efficiency and mitigating quality issues that could challenge an organization’s ability to meet demand.

Your Edge Blog Team: Fixed industrial scanners and machine vision have been around for a while, though. Why did Zebra feel now was the right time to enter this category?

Donato:We’re continuously monitoring the market and, more specifically, the performance of all technologies our customers utilize across their operations. As you noted, these aren’tnew technologies. The math and science behind machine vision actually dates back to the 1930s. However, customers and partners have repeatedly told us in recent years that most machine vision solutions are complex and hard to use. Setting up and managing industrial automation inside a manufacturing plant, for example, is often slow and difficult due to the reliance on multiple devices with different software and old, antiquated user interfaces. Many vendors also require customers to use different software for fixed industrial scanners and machine vision cameras, which makes it all hard to figure out, navigate and costly. That runs counter to the core principles of scalability, longevity and compatibility that we apply across all portfolios, especially our mobility, scanning, and automation platforms.

That’s why we decided to design our fixed industrial scanning and machine vision solutions to run on the very same software platform, which we call Zebra Aurora™. This ecosystem approach gives customers a toolset that can immediately improve their ability to track and trace items throughout their automation processes with trusted decode performance. And, at the same time, it provides them with a logical upgrade path that helps them access more features and unlock value as needed without the complexity typical for these types of solutions. The extreme flexibility, versatility and scalability of both the hardware and shared software platform gives customers a natural stepping stone from fixed industrial scanning to machine vision.

This type of innovation takes time. However, many of our customers and partners are excited that we did take the time to engineer these new solutions. They provide a level of simplicity not found with other fixed industrial scanning and machine vision systems from an implementation, handling and management perspective. These new solutions are very easy to learn and run.

Your Edge Blog Team: So, Zebra’s fixed industrial scanning and machine vision systems both leverage Aurora?

Donato: Yes, there is one software platform powering the entire product family. In fact, three out of the four scanning devices in this new portfolio can be used for either fixed industrial scanning or machine vision. So, customers don’t have to rip and replace hardware every time they want to expand or add on applications. They can easily configure the devices for either fixed industrial scanning or machine vision – or repurpose for either use case – using the same Zebra Aurora software​ platform. This drastically reduces the time and training required to onboard new applications, as well. Once operators learn how to use the hardware and software, it’s easy to transition that knowledge and skill set to new use cases. The commands on the devices and overall system structure aren’t changing. Plus, you don’t actually have to be a machine vision expert to use our system, like you do with many others. It has a very intuitive user interface, and the software platform streamlines the vision inspection process in a way not matched by any other offering on the market to date.

Your Edge Blog Team: What has the feedback been from customers thus far?

Donato: Those who had the opportunity to see the solutions under NDA are very excited about the ability to transform a fixed industrial scanner into a comprehensive machine vision solution as needed to meet evolving operational, market and compliance requirements. The highly fragmented and complex nature of industrial automation, in general, has turned off manufacturers and supply chain organizations from technologies that – if designed and executed the right way – could really have a positive impact on their businesses. We’re confident that our solutions are addressing a decades-old pain point for our customers and the broader market.

Originally posted here!

The Chicago tech market is growing rapidly and we want to learn about our community’s data maturity. Aptitive is conducting the 2021 Data and Analytics Survey to understand how your organization and others like you are managing data and using analytics to achieve your goals.

The survey should take no more than 5 minutes to complete, and your answers are completely confidential. However, if you want to be entered to win one of three YETI coolers, make sure to provide your contact information at the end of the survey.

You’re Frozen Again  

It happened again. Your computer froze at the worst time possible. You may be asking yourself, “Why does my computer keep freezing?” The truth is there are several reasons why your computer may be freezing up. Below we have listed some of the most common reasons why your computer is freezing up and what you can do to fix it. Let’s get started! 

You Have Too Many Programs Open 

The number of programs you have running will affect the processing speed of your computer. If you have too many programs running, your computer will likely be moving at a sluggish pace.  

Overheating  

Why does my computer keep freezing? It may be due to your device overheating. If you allow your computer to overheat for too long, you may even risk damaging the integrated circuit of your system processor. 

A Faulty RAM 

Constantly asking yourself “why does my computer keep freezing?” It could be an issue with your RAM. Frequent computer freezing is a sign that you may have insufficient RAM. Upgrading your RAM or reinstalling your operating system could fix your problem. 

External Device Issues  

Whether it be a USB, mouse, or keyboard any external device with issues can be causing your computer to freeze. To uncover which device is causing your computer to freeze, you will have to use the process of elimination. 

Computer Viruses  

So, why does my computer keep freezing? Sadly, it could be due to a virus on your device. Be sure your security measures are up-to-date and perform an antivirus scan to detect any viruses plaguing your system. 

If a virus was found on your computer, back up all necessary files to an external hard drive, update your OS, and shut it down. This can prevent further damage to your – or if the device in question is a work computer, your company’s – files. If you’re unsure about the extent to which your device has been compromised, it’s time to contact an IT Professional.   

BIOS Settings 

Did you know that altering BIOS settings could put your system in freeze mode? To check, reset the BIOS to default, and this should fix the issue. 

Buffering WiFi

Part of your problem may be that you do not have enough megabits (Mbps) in your wireless plan. The more devices and people you have using the WiFi in your home, the more megabits you will need. Things like video calls, streaming, and gaming all eat up a lot of Mbps. Talk to your provider to make sure you are operating with enough power for your own needs. 

Final Thoughts

Computer issues can be frustrating, so never hesitate to reach out for professional help when you are unsure how to fix something. With technology, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Originally posted here

When you attend college right out of high school, it’s all about getting good grades, graduating, and moving into the work world.

Justin Stull, talent acquisition manager for CSC Corptax® and hiring manager for CSC TCI®, is taking a different path and still ending up where he wants to be. He’s earning a degree from Oklahoma State University online—while working full-time.

Justin took community college classes after high school and landed a job doing route sales for Nestlé ice cream products. He got into recruiting when a friend told him about a position at a staffing agency, where he was able to use his relationship-building and strong interpersonal skills. After about four years there, Justin learned about a technical recruiting job at CSC Corptax that aligned with his interest in technology.

Happily, he scored an interview. He wasn’t sure about going into corporate tax at first, without experience in that area. “I’m glad I did because the interview was awesome. I got to meet with some of the team and felt an immediate fit. It’s been a great choice.”

Justin chose Oklahoma State because it’s considered one of the top online human resources programs, and it’s relatively affordable. He’s majoring in business management with a minor in human resources management. Justin’s online curriculum includes classes in organizational development, talent development, and business data analytics. After he completes three more classes during summer session, he gets his degree in July. “The classes give me ideas on how to do things more effectively at CSC Corptax,” he says. “We talk about interacting with people while recruiting and finding the right audience for your message. I’ve learned a lot about building compelling messaging and job descriptions.”

CSC Corptax’s education assistance program allows full-time employees with at least six months of continuous employment to take classes, provided the courses directly relate to the employee’s current work assignments. The company reimburses 100% of tuition with a $5,250 annual maximum. Employees must provide documentation and maintain a B average.

CSC Corptax has grown rapidly since Justin joined the company. In his five-plus years there, he estimates he’s onboarded at least 200 new people. “I started as a senior technical recruiter. Now I’m a talent acquisition manager and more involved in budget conversations, working on recruitment marketing, and shaping our brand presence and HR-related social media posts. These are things I’ve wanted to do for years.”

Justin plans on working with an intern soon, which will give him some hands-on management experience and the opportunity to coach and mentor. “Kelly Bentley, our Director of Human Resources, has been fantastic about giving me more opportunities,” he says. “I’m continually going in a direction I want to go and getting to work in different areas of recruitment, which I really enjoy.”

Justin loves having a job that gives him the flexibility to balance what matters, along with interesting work that keeps him learning. “There’s always something new going on, and it’s fast-paced,” he says.

He tells job candidates that CSC Corptax is a perfect landing spot for people looking for challenging work and the opportunity to advance their careers. “We look for people who can help us make an impact with new ideas that will fuel our continued success,” Justin says. “We look for employees who will disrupt the status quo and push us to new levels. If you bring that type of mentality to the job here, you’re going to be successful.”

CSC Corptax has employment opportunities throughout the Chicago area and beyond, including remote roles in software development, project management, DevOps, digital and product marketing, and tax analysis. For more information, visit corptax.com/careers.

For months, we’ve been inundated with TV commercials, digital ads and media headlines touting 5G as the “next big thing” in wireless technology. Industry trade show conversations have centered on the technology’s potential, carriers have been offering deals on consumer 5G devices, and companies of all sizes have been clamoring to know what this means for them – especially if they just migrated from 3G to 4G. Making this even more confusing, we’re being hit with a never-ending wave of techno-jargon like “mmWave,” “Sub-6”, and “Mass MIMO.” There’s even more chatter about “private networks” using 4G or 5G and leveraging a new frequency band called Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) operable under both licensed and unlicensed models.  If things weren’t complex enough, on the wireless LAN side, there’s a new Wi-Fi standard, called “Wi-Fi 6.” It has barely penetrated the market and there’s already a follow-on called Wi-Fi 6E.

We are certainly living in interesting times!

Enterprise customers must be prepared to make some challenging, strategic technology decisions, as each new wireless technology promises speed, capacity and/or convenience benefits. However, not all of these technologies may benefit your organization – and those that do may not offer the immediate return on investment (ROI) you’re expecting. That’s why we asked Zebra engineering fellow Bruce Willins to provide clarity on the current wireless inflection and how it will impact your enterprise mobility strategy in the coming months. Our goal with this conversation and others we’ll have in the coming months with top mobility experts is to help customers make intelligent, informed decisions that best suit their respective needs.

Keep reading below to learn which of these new technologies warrant closer attention right now, and possibly a near-term investment, by both small businesses and large enterprises. 

Your Edge Blog Team: What is 5G, fundamentally speaking? 

Bruce: I’m often asked “what is 5G technology?” to which there is no answer since 5G is not any one single technology. It introduces an array of new technologies, such as mass-MIMO spatial diversity at the physical radio network layer and network slicing in the back-end infrastructure. So, even though one “G” beyond 4G doesn’t sound like much, 5G represents a major step in the evolution of cellular technology.

However, it is important to understand that 5G “performance” can vary based on frequency band.  5G spectrum is divided into three different bands. The low and mid bands are Sub-6 GHz. In contrast, the high band operates at millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies, which are >24GHz. The lower bands are well suited to extended coverage and range and can more readily propagate through and around physical structures. But they have limited bandwidth/data rates. In contrast, mmWave – some carriers refer to this as ultrawideband – supports very high data rates and enables very small antenna structures which are used to create antenna arrays. But it does not readily extend coverage through walls or other physical structures. So, there’s a bit of a tradeoff: some will enjoy more widespread wireless coverage while others may be able to send and receive more data in limited geographical areas.  

Once fully rolled out, 5G has the potential to deliver speeds equivalent to wired Internet (somewhere between 10 to 100 times faster than 4G LTE), reduce end-to-end latency, and enable new deployment models. Depending on its wireless infrastructure, solution design and application, an organization might find 5G is able to provide enough bandwidth to support 100 times the number of devices 4G LTE can today. 

But, it’s critical to understand, the transition from 4G to 5G is not going to be as cut and dry as the transition from 3G to 4G. It could take up to 15 years for us to fully realize the 5G benefits I just described.  

Your Edge Blog Team: Why is that? Isn’t 5G here already? We hear a lot of ads in the consumer market boasting about these speed and bandwidth gains today. Are those asterisked? 

Bruce: Though it’s true that many consumers have 5G coverage now, they probably aren’t seeing all the benefits of 5G yet. It’s going to take a long time for full 5G capabilities to become pervasive. Early 5G networks on low frequency bands will not have adequate bandwidth to provide very high data rates. Initial 5G “Non-Stand Alone” networks will be partially constrained by legacy 4G infrastructure. The transition from 4G to 5G isn’t going to be an instantaneous rip and replace situation.

Your Edge Blog Team: How do you know if your 5G service is sub6 or mmWave? 

Bruce: Don’t expect to see any noticeable physical differences in the exterior of the mobile device.  Though mmWave requires multiple antenna arrays distributed throughout the device, these are generally within the enclosure. Now, if you have an mmWave device and are operating on a mmWave link, you might feel the device getting warm, as current mmWave silicon solutions consume a considerable amount of battery power. Thus, the best way to tell is to simply look at the device specifications. On this note, do realize that 5G mmWav-enabled devices will operate in lower 5G bands and 4G. So, one shouldn’t assume that a 5G device can only operate with mmWave coverage. 

Your Edge Blog Team: Will businesses that invest in 5G devices today benefit immediately?

Bruce: There’s no easy answer to this question. When we sit down with our customers to talk about 5G, the first thing we ask is if they have a use case that demands 5G. The next thing we want to understand is if they will be operating in a geographic area that has 5G coverage, and if so, what type of 5G coverage is currently available.

For the near future, customers need to realize that devices will be in and out of 5G coverage.  A parcel delivery person in an urban environment may have 5G mmWave, but as he or she drives away from high population density areas, the signal will likely fall back to 5G Su6 and 4G. Thus, writing an application that relies on mmWave performance may not be prudent. The majority of our customers should consider applications that execute well when operating in the lowest-common-denominator of performance, which will remain 4G for several more years.  

Furthermore, low bandwidth data applications in relatively uncongested areas may operate fine under existing 4G. In fact, 4G performance may actually increase as devices shifting to 5G offload these networks. 

But if you’re looking at 5G because you’re planning to rollout more augmented reality (AR) applications, for example, then it may be worth spending the money now on a 5G-enabled, enterprise-grade handheld mobile computer or tablet. AR applications, which are used to provide “next best step” guidance to workers in warehouses, factories, retail stores and other high-tempo environments, require seamless connectivity and low latency between the host mobile computer, the heads-up display and other wearables, such as ring scanners. In this case, a lot of data is being captured, shared, processed and redistributed between the operational edge and back-end systems. There’s also a constant, real-time video feed that must be maintained. 5G’s ability to provide a high-speed, low latency experience within a semi-confined area could prove very beneficial. 

However, if you have those types of applications in play today, and you don’t plan to introduce applications that require 5G performance into your workflows anytime soon, then you’re going to be fully covered with 4G devices for the foreseeable future. By the time you’re ready to replace those 4G devices, 5G networks should be up and running at full mmWave speed, which means you’ll start to see the benefits of a 5G radio in the handheld mobile computer or tablet.  

Your Edge Blog Team: Are there other enterprise applications that would benefit from 5G?

Bruce: Anyone trying to serve a densely populated area where a lot of devices are going to be simultaneously trying to stream video and other data – such as on college campuses, in apartment buildings, and at football stadiums – will see more immediate benefits from 5G. Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and even some healthcare technology solutions will likely need the speeds and/or capacity offered by 5G to reach their full potential. 5G will also be critical to machine-to machine communications and many Industry 4.0 applications, such as robotic arms and autonomous vehicles.   

But from a mobility perspective, with the exception of niche applications, we’re going to see the enterprise adoption rate lag consumer adoption. This is primarily because the enterprise use cases are still evolving, and coverage is still not yet ubiquitous enough to justify the additional cost of 5G and the power or battery impact of mmWave. 

Your Edge Blog Team: What about Wi-Fi 6?  What is it?

Bruce: Wi-Fi 6 is the next generation of Wi-Fi technology. The Wi-Fi Alliance has changed its naming nomenclature so you might know Wi-Fi 6 as 802.11ax. It’s beyond the scope of this discussion to go through all the Wi-Fi 6 features, but a few notable benefits include increased capacity, increased network density, provisions that enable more control of latency and bandwidth provisioning, and support for lower power IoT devices. 

Wi-Fi 6 devices will operate in legacy Wi-Fi infrastructure and, similarly, legacy Wi-Fi devices will operate in a Wi-Fi 6 infrastructure. Wi-Fi 6 devices are increasingly coming to market and will proliferate in 2021. And, if you are wondering if you can get to Wi-Fi 6 via a firmware upgrade, the answer is generally no. 

Your Edge Blog Team: What about Wi-Fi 6E?

Bruce: Wi-Fi 6E is essentially the turbo version of Wi-Fi 6. Past Wi-Fi networks operated in 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Wi-Fi 6E adds a third band: 6GHz. The 6GHz band offers more than twice (1200 MHz) the total available bandwidth – read as capacity – than the 2.4 and 5GHz bands together. Thus, it has the potential to add significant capacity to customer Wi-Fi networks. 

However, operating at higher frequencies does present a tradeoff. Higher frequency signals have more loss when penetrating physical barriers like walls. Expect range to diminish when using 6GHz vs. 2.4GHz, excluding other factors like spatial diversity. Thus, you may only achieve full added capacity of Wi-Fi 6E when closer in proximity to the access point. Depending on access point locations and density, organizations might want to consider changing their network designs to take full advantage of Wi-Fi 6E. 

A question often asked is whether Wi-Fi 6E is a firmware upgrade from Wi-Fi 6. The answer is generally no. The radio frequency (RF) hardware in the access point must be specifically designed to support 6GHz.  

Your Edge Blog Team: Does Wi-Fi 6 offer a strong value proposition for businesses in its current state? 

Bruce: Wi-Fi 6 is a different story than 5G. Enterprise customers have expressed a number of compelling use cases for Wi-Fi 6 and, as they upgrade older access point infrastructure, they are also upgrading to Wi-Fi 6 enabled devices. As the infrastructure transitions, customers buying long-service-life enterprise devices want to make sure they can take full advantage of Wi-Fi 6 capabilities.

A number of large retail enterprise customers have expressed the need to equip all workers with a mobile device, which they understand will stress their existing Wi-Fi networks. Hence the need for Wi-Fi 6. Customers are increasingly seeing the need for a converged, voice-data Wi-Fi solution, which is also driving the need for Wi-Fi 6.  More and more customers are also streaming video over their Wi-Fi networks, such as training videos. They’re also starting to increase the number of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and cross reality (XR) devices as well as Wi-Fi IoT devices. These all need Wi-Fi 6. Finally, in contrast to a cellular solution, enterprise customers have complete control over where, when, and how to rollout a Wi-Fi 6 upgrade, which increases its value proposition automatically. 

Your Edge Blog Team: Is there a rule of thumb on which Wi-Fi 6 flavor is the better starting point?

Bruce: Again, it’s really going to depend on the use case. I strongly recommend that any organization considering an upgrade to either Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E sit down and have an honest conversation with a trusted technology partner about its current needs and anticipated growth plans, both from a workflow and technology utilization perspective.Right now, we’re working with several customers to evaluate the ROI potential for all of these emerging wireless technology platforms in the context of their current operating states and growth ambitions.In several cases, they’re coming to us with a plan to go all-in on Wi-Fi 6, but we realize over the course of a discovery session that they really need Wi-Fi 6E to achieve their goals. When that happens, we start to weigh all options: should they jump right into Wi-Fi 6E? Should it be an incremental upgrade over the next 3-5 years?Will they ever really need Wi-Fi 6E based on their industry and projected technology innovation? In some cases, customers will never need the turbo version, just like they don’t need premium features on their mobile computers today.  

Your Edge Blog Team: You weren’t kidding when you said the transition to these next-gen technologies weren’t going to be a simple switchover.

Bruce: Unfortunately, not. As technology becomes more prolific, connectivity requirements are no longer as simple as saying we need cellular, Wi-Fi or both. There’s a lot to think about to ensure the solutions work as they must to maximize worker productivity and overall operational output. And, of course, we must always keep thinking in the back of our mind about the future adequacy of technology upgrades. Remember the classical Bill Gates’ line: “640K ought to be enough for anybody.”  Today, we have mobile devices with four orders of magnitude more memory than this, so perhaps 640K isn’t enough. 

Your Edge Blog Team:  There’s been a lot of buzz about private networks, is that something that customers should be considering?  

Bruce: Private networks have been around for quite some time. In simplistic terms, as the name implies, a private network is generally isolated with only gated access to any public network(s).  It leverages WAN protocols (e.g. 4G or 5G) and cellular devices. It also offers enterprise customers data isolation/protection and self-managed, dedicated resource availability, meaning it’s not shared with the general public.

The interest in private networks in the U.S. has grown tremendously with the introduction of CBRS, which is the buzz you’re referring to.  CBRS represents a swatch of spectrum in the 3.5GHz band and can operate in either licensed spectrum or “lightly” licensed spectrum. This means that an enterprise customer without a spectrum license can install a CBRS base station – or stations – and own and operate a CBRS network. One advantage of this scenario is coverage with minimal infrastructure. A single CBRS base station can cover as much area as 10 Wi-Fi access points. For example, a customer looking to cover a campus with a minimal amount of network infrastructure devices might choose to go CBRS. Since CBRS networks are based on cellular protocols and technologies, they inherit many of those technologies’ benefits, such as protocols that provide more deterministic latency for voice communications. Though the example just cited is for an outdoor application, we have seen interest from customers looking to provide indoor coverage in large open spaces.   

Your Edge Blog Team: It sounds like CBRS offers a lot of benefits to a lot of different types of organizations. 

Bruce: You’re absolutely right. Everyone from retailers and hospitality providers to healthcare organizations and transportation companies could probably benefit from CBRS in some way.  With that said, customers that already have a Wi-Fi network and are looking to extend coverage using CBRS must be able to manage two disparate networks.

Your Edge Blog Team: Is there a scenario in which an organization would benefit from cutting the cord, so to speak? Could someone use CBRS to completely replace traditional cellular service or Wi-Fi infrastructure?

Bruce: There are some situations in which CBRS and other private LTE network technologies will be used to completely replace traditional cellular and Wi-Fi solutions. However, I think we’ll see CBRS layered in more as a supplemental solution when someone needs to boost coverage or bandwidth capacity in a very targeted application. For example, a big box retailer isn’t going to necessarily rip and replace its entire Wi-Fi architecture with CBRS. But it might add CBRS to the mix to provide better coverage in its parking lots. An organization that needs to facilitate conversations about sensitive data may also opt to add CBRS on top of existing wireless infrastructure. A good example would be a hospital where doctors are conducting telehealth appointments and want to ensure patient conversations are kept private. 

Your Edge Blog Team: It doesn’t sound like there’s a single best roadmap that organizations should follow to transition to these next-generation wireless technologies, then. 

Bruce: There really isn’t. That’s why it’s so important to first define every application that needs wireless connectivity in some capacity. Then you can sit down with your technology partner to think about how much speed and bandwidth is needed to support those applications in a current state and the anticipated future state. You also have to figure out your tolerance level with regards to latency and reliability. How big of a deal will it be if a signal drops for a split second or doesn’t reach to the furthest edge of your operation? 

You’ll also need to think about how many devices – and how many different types of devices – you need to support. Will a single LTE network be sufficient or will it serve you best to utilize cellular, Wi-Fi and CBRS at once? Can you consolidate from Wi-Fi and CBRS down to just CBRS? Can you afford to wait for 5G to mature more in the enterprise space as long as you upgrade to Wi-Fi 6E right now? And can you afford to upgrade twice in a two-year period if you opt to start with Wi-Fi 6 and progress to Wi-Fi 6E later? 

This certainly isn’t an exhaustive list of considerations, but it is a baseline of what organizations need to think about before spending any money on new wireless technology. It’s our job at Zebra, and it’s the job of our channel partners, to help organizations ask the right questions and then find the right answers specific to each customer’s operating environment. Though today’s wireless ecosystem is more complex than ever, it gives us more flexibility than we’ve ever had to build the right technology solutions for our customers based on their very specific needs. Plus, with the wide variety of flavors now available, businesses no longer have to settle for subpar wireless technology performance or struggle to scale certain applications. We’re going to be able to be very innovative from here on out. The sky’s no longer the limit. 

Originally posted here.

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“Hi team, let’s all chat about something I’ve noticed.”

This is the voice and mindset of a steady yet transparent Software Tester ready to suggest an important amendment to the team’s process.

We (Quality Assurance) might be perceived by some as disrupting the process of “code to production” much like the “Farm-to-Table” concept when pointing out any issues during planning and execution. Software or Quality inspectors, if you will, must dissect (no pun intended) the code prior to reaching our consumers and debone the process to ensure all requirements – or in Agile terms, “user stories” – are met. An easy feat? Not at all. A necessary one? Yes! It is our eye for all things misaligned that is crucial to the quality of a product, even if that means incorporating a few extra steps with a side of constructive feedback.

Like many of you, I like to eat – and eat well. There is a very structured process to getting the food we love to our tables. However, if we want our food to maintain the highest standards, to be in season, organic and local, a farm-to-table process is best. Companies delivering software and wanting their customers highest approval will find that the adoption of Agile along with a strong QA is best. Like Farm-to-Table, the Agile process ensures all work is completed in-season (within a sprint). Who enforces or oversees this process within an Agile team? The answer to that question is the team. There are key roles we won’t define today, but the Quality Assurance Tester should always find themselves in process observation mode while testing. The tester should be empowered to let the team know when protocol has been broken or if adjustments are needed. An Olenick Quality Assurance Tester can be a very hybrid and all-consuming role. We are not only involved in the technical process, but we are well aware of every step necessary to achieving a successful end state. Let’s take a look at how two very different systems share similar operating behaviors in a quest for a very high-quality product:

Farm-to-Table and Agile Process Parallels

Raising the Animal or Harvesting Produce: Restaurants adopting true Farm-to-Table must find themselves working in-season with local farms. The relationship between farmers and chefs become very close as they work together. This could also mean menus may change regularly based on nature.

– vs –

User Stories (Requirements) and Team Dynamic: Organizations with teams delivering complex time sensitive software within an Agile process will find themselves working within an iteration or sprint: an agreed upon length of time to get the work completed. Teams composed of strong QA Engineers, Developers, Scrum Masters, and Requirements Gatherers will find themselves in a much closer relationship with the users much like the farmers and chefs. Due to this process and similar to the ever-changing menus, requirements could get updated or adjusted based on conversations or further research.

– and –

Picking the Produce and Processing the Meat: Produce must be handled with care, the less bruises the better quality. Also, time matters when preserving the nutrients of produce after it’s been harvested. This all takes place before it is packaged, boxed, and shipped to restaurants and stores. Meat must be processed and graded using a certain system in order to be classified as farm-to-table. The USDA certifies certain beef cuts and poultry grades.

– vs –

Development and Testing: Not exactly the same system but…sort of. Developers must remove or make changes to configurations in the database and implement code according to the standards laid out by the user stories. In this case, I like to think of the Tester as the USDA – strolling in with plastic gloves (or not, I personally would wear gloves) inspecting the very delicate work of the Engineer. The Tester would run every query related to the Developer’s configuration changes in the backend and analyze the actual results from processes performed in the newly implemented UI. It is at this time the Tester will grade what has been produced before it is distributed – or shall I say – deployed to production.

Farm-to-Table and the Agile process could be viewed as “trends”, “buzzwords,” or a “movement” which many organizations deem unnecessary. The reality is that Farm-to-Table was created because there was a need. People decided that food grown within their community with minimal transportation maintains more nutrition than processed food transported from afar. The Agile methodology was created to eliminate time to market by releasing smaller more pertinent changes to the customer which made expectations clear, a more stable product, and saved the company money. Prior to Agile, organizations worked on extensive software development projects that would fail to complete on time causing a huge hit to the budget. Both processes were created to fulfill a need and heighten the user experience by producing a product that leaves the customers feeling secure.

Every highly valued method demands an inspector to keep the process honest and product optimized. Olenick Quality Assurance Testers are the USDA for organizations looking to maintain or improve their software delivery process. Our QA Testers are multifaceted and equipped to protect the integrity of the software project. Olenick Quality Assurance Testers will uphold the standards of Agile, get involved in requirements early in the process, promote sustainability, and locate and find solutions for gaps in the process – all while making sure users receive a product of the highest quality within season.

This blog was originally posted here.