Page 3,499«..1020..3,4983,4993,5003,501..3,5103,520..»

Adopt Cloud fast to beat pandemic blues: Indian tech honchos – Outlook India

Adopt Cloud fast to beat pandemic blues: Indian tech honchos

New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) The Covid-19 lockdown forced enterprises in India to shift their operations overnight to immediately accommodate a remote workforce. During four months of working remotely, they faced unprecedented challenges in how to manage their business continuity in light of the burdens placed on capacity, productivity and security.

The pandemic, however, has accelerated the adoption of digital tools and organisations are strengthening capabilities to invent newer models of engagement and business touchpoints, in order to continue to meet immediate needs and to transform future possibilities into realities.

According to Sandip Patel, General Manager, IBM India/South Asia, new business models and opportunities are emerging to address needs of this digital age and ones that must be agile, cost efficient and built on a foundation of trust, powered by technologies like Cloud and AI.

"What is truly defining is the emergence of ''Network economy''. This pandemic has taught us new ways of how we conduct our business, how we work and interact with people and how we connect with the larger community, our customers, our business partners. Virtual networks are fast becoming the enabler of work in these times," Patel told IANS.

In a bid to help enterprises maintain business continuity and stay on the path of digital transformation in these tough Covid-19 times, Oracle last week announced the opening of its second Cloud region (after Mumbai) in Hyderabad.

"The Covid-19 and ensuing lockdowns have disrupted several businesses in India. We are already helping our customers increase efficacy across workloads in these lockdown times. The Hyderabad Cloud region will help a large number of Indian organisations realise their digital transformation dreams," Shailender Kumar, Regional Managing Director, Oracle India, told IANS.

"The second Cloud region will help scores of Indian firms adjust to the new normal," he added.

According to an IDC report that came out last month, as a result of the spread of the pandemic, 64 per cent of the organisations in India are expected to increase demand for cloud computing while 56 per cent for cloud software to support the new normal.

The need to work remotely is bolstering the demand for SaaS-based collaborative apps, to ensure on and off-site presence at all the times and zero-disruption to business. This will also increase the need for remote support services both human professional services and of the cloud software especially security/identity.

"As industries move away from infrastructure of ownership, pay-per-use models are likely to see an accelerated demand. Public cloud services will be among the few technologies that are positively impacted by the Covid-19," said Rishu Sharma, Principal Analyst, Cloud and Artificial Intelligence, IDC India.

According to Patel, even before the pandemic, the adoption of cloud has been a central feature in developing new, digitally-driven business models.

"However, some organisations are still struggling with harnessing the full capabilities of their Cloud environments. It is estimated that 50 per cent of enterprises will have moved to ''write once, run anywhere'' hybrid and multicloud environments by 2023," he noted.

According to Karan Bajwa, Managing Director, Google Cloud India, as Covid-19 runs its course, Google Cloud is working hard to deliver technology and business solutions to help millions of people stay connected.

"We believe today more than ever, we need to collaborate and innovate and build new features to make our tools helpful, secure and safe," Bajwa said last month.

In March, Google Cloud announced plans to expand its presence in India by launching a cloud region in Delhi, adding to its Mumbai region that was opened in 2017.

While the true impact of Covid-19 will be seen in the coming quarters, Cloud has already been a saviour for several Indian organizations during the Covid-19 crisis.

(Nishant Arora can be reached at nishant.a@ians.in)

--IANS

na/

Visit link:
Adopt Cloud fast to beat pandemic blues: Indian tech honchos - Outlook India

Read More..

Cloud Computing for Business Operations Market to Witness Robust Expansion throughout the Forecast Period 2020-2025: Top Key Players Amazon Web…

The Cloud Computing for Business Operations Market has witnessed continuous growth in the past few years and is projected to grow even further during the forecast period (2020-2025). The assessment provides a 360 view and insights, outlining the key outcomes of the industry. These insights help the business decision-makers to formulate better business plans and make informed decisions for improved profitability. In addition, the study helps venture or private players in understanding the companies more precisely to make better-informed decisions. Some of the prominent key players covered in the Cloud Computing for Business Operations market are Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud, Red Hat, SAP Cloud Platform, Kamatera, VMware, Oracle Cloud, Salesforce Cloud, Cisco Systems, Verizon Cloud, HPE Cloud, ServiceNow, Alibaba Cloud, DigitalOcean, CenturyLink, Workday, CloudSigma, Adobe Cloud

Whats keeping Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud, Red Hat, SAP Cloud Platform, Kamatera, VMware, Oracle Cloud, Salesforce Cloud, Cisco Systems, Verizon Cloud, HPE Cloud, ServiceNow, Alibaba Cloud, DigitalOcean, CenturyLink, Workday, CloudSigma, Adobe Cloud Ahead in the Market? Benchmark yourself with strategic steps and conclusions recently published by Ample Market Research

Request a Sample Copy of the Report For COVID-19 Impact Analysis onCloud Computing for Business Operations Market @ https://www.amplemarketreports.com/sample-request/global-cloud-computing-for-business-operations-market-1485556.html

The report also presents the market competitive landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the major vendor/key players in the market:Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud, Red Hat, SAP Cloud Platform, Kamatera, VMware, Oracle Cloud, Salesforce Cloud, Cisco Systems, Verizon Cloud, HPE Cloud, ServiceNow, Alibaba Cloud, DigitalOcean, CenturyLink, Workday, CloudSigma, Adobe Cloud

On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share, and growth rate of each type, primarily split into: Infrastructure as a Service IaaS, Platform as a Service PaaS, Software as a Service SaaS, Recovery as a Service RaaS

On the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, including :Private Cloud, Hybrid Cloud

Geographically, the following regions together with the listed national markets are fully investigated: North America Country (United States, Canada), South America, Asia Country (China, Japan, India, Korea), Europe Country (Germany, UK, France, Italy), Other Country (Middle East, Africa, GCC)

For Consumer-Centric Market, Survey Analysis can be included as part of customization which considers demographic factors such as Age, Gender, Occupation, Income Level or Education while gathering data. (if applicable)

Consumer Traits (If Applicable)

Buying patterns (e.g. comfort & convenience, economical, pride)

Buying behavior (e.g. seasonal, usage rate)

Lifestyle (e.g. health-conscious, family orientated, community active)

Expectations (e.g. service, quality, risk, influence)

The Cloud Computing for Business Operations Market study covers current status, % share, future patterns, development rate, SWOT examination, sales channels, to anticipate growth scenarios for years 2020-2025. It aims to recommend analysis of the market with regards to growth trends, prospects, and players contribution to market development. The report size market by 5 major regions, known as, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (includes Asia & Oceania separately), Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Latin America.

If you need any specific requirement Ask to our Expert @ https://www.amplemarketreports.com/enquiry-before-buy/global-cloud-computing-for-business-operations-market-1485556.html

The Cloud Computing for Business Operations market factors described in this report are:-Key Strategic Developments in Cloud Computing for Business Operations Market: The research includes the key strategic activities such as R&D plans, M&A completed, agreements, new launches, collaborations, partnerships & (JV) Joint ventures, and regional growth of the key competitors operating in the market at a global and regional scale.

Key Market Features in Cloud Computing for Business Operations Market: The report highlights Cloud Computing for Business Operations market features, including revenue, weighted average regional price, capacity utilization rate, production rate, gross margins, consumption, import & export, supply & demand, cost bench-marking, market share, CAGR, and gross margin.

Analytical Market Highlights & ApproachThe Cloud Computing for Business Operations Market report provides the rigorously studied and evaluated data of the top industry players and their scope in the market by means of several analytical tools. The analytical tools such as Porters five forces analysis, feasibility study, SWOT analysis, and ROI analysis have been practiced reviewing the growth of the key players operating in the market.

Table of Contents :Cloud Computing for Business Operations Market Study Coverage: It includes major manufacturers, emerging players growth story, major business segments of Cloud Computing for Business Operations market, years considered, and research objectives. Additionally, segmentation on the basis of the type of product, application, and technology.

Cloud Computing for Business Operations Market Executive Summary: It gives a summary of overall studies, growth rate, available market, competitive landscape, market drivers, trends, and issues, and macroscopic indicators.Cloud Computing for Business Operations Market Production by Region Cloud Computing for Business Operations Market Profile of Manufacturers-players are studied on the basis of SWOT, their products, production, value, financials, and other vital factors.

For Access Complete Report Description, TOC, Table of Figure, Chart, etc. please click here @ https://www.amplemarketreports.com/report/global-cloud-computing-for-business-operations-market-1485556.html

Key Points Covered in Cloud Computing for Business Operations Market Report: Cloud Computing for Business Operations Overview, Definition and Classification Market drivers and barriers

Cloud Computing for Business Operations Market Competition by Manufacturers

Impact Analysis of COVID-19 on Cloud Computing for Business Operations Market

Cloud Computing for Business Operations Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2019-2025)

Cloud Computing for Business Operations Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2019-2025)

Cloud Computing for Business Operations Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type {Infrastructure as a Service IaaS, Platform as a Service PaaS, Software as a Service SaaS, Recovery as a Service RaaS}

Cloud Computing for Business Operations Market Analysis by Application {Private Cloud, Hybrid Cloud}

Cloud Computing for Business Operations Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis Cloud Computing for Business Operations Manufacturing Cost Analysis, Industrial/Supply Chain Analysis, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers, Marketing Strategy by Key Manufacturers/Players, Connected Distributors/TradersStandardization, Regulatory and collaborative initiatives, Industry road map and value chain Market Effect Factors Analysis

Buy the PDF Report @ https://www.amplemarketreports.com/buy-report.html?report=1485556&format=1

Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report versions like North America, Europe or Southeast Asia or Just Eastern Asia.

About Author

Ample Market Research provides comprehensive market research services and solutions across various industry verticals and helps businesses perform exceptionally well. Our end goal is to provide quality market research and consulting services to customers and add maximum value to businesses worldwide. We desire to deliver reports that have the perfect concoction of useful data. Our mission is to capture every aspect of the market and offer businesses a document that makes solid grounds for crucial decision making.

Contact Address:

William James

Media & Marketing Manager

Address: 3680 Wilshire Blvd, Ste P04 1387 Los Angeles, CA 90010

Call: +1 (530) 868 6979

Email: [emailprotected]

https://www.amplemarketreports.com

Visit link:
Cloud Computing for Business Operations Market to Witness Robust Expansion throughout the Forecast Period 2020-2025: Top Key Players Amazon Web...

Read More..

Concerned on Parts of Tech Sector, But Sees Continued Growth Tied to Two Megatrends: Fidelity – FX Empire

The recent recovery in stock markets has been at odds with economists maintaining a gloomier global economic outlook. The rally is largely driven by the optimism of economic recovery and a much stronger recovery in the technology sector.

The S&P 500 information technology sector has returned about 10% in 2020, including reinvested dividends. Although during the tech bubble of 1990s the sector has never booked over 14% of the S&P 500s earnings, its profit contribution surged to more than 20% of S&P 500 net income in recent years.

It is likely that technology will play a significant role across different countries and cultures in future, generating better returns in the long run for these tech companies.

I remain concerned about the impact of recession on parts of the tech sector, but I see continued growth driven by 2 megatrends: the shift to digital experiences and the shift to cloud computing, wrote Nidhi Gupta, information technology sector leader and portfolio manager of Fidelity Select Technology Portfolio.

Gupta said she believes in companies that are moving traditional offline experiences online, and firms that are helping these companies to make better business decisions with their data, Fidelity added.

Socialising online and doing some of the things, like watching a movie and shopping with friends, virtually is a long-term megatrend that is expected to remain for years, regardless of global economic conditions amid the COVID-19 crisis. Thats why companies like Netflix, Facebook, Amazon.com, and Latin American e-commerce provider MercadoLibre are favoured.

A related megatrend is that digital businesses with this treasure trove of data are increasingly looking to cloud computing to draw data-driven insights to improve their businesses. This is happening, via cloud services being offered at all levels of the information technology stackinfrastructure, platform, and software, the American multinational financial services corporation added.

Many companies are shedding their hardware and becoming software-led in every way, Gupta adds. Companies that provide the cloud services to help their customers make better business decisions, which include HubSpot, Microsoft, Salesforce.com, Elastic, and MongoDB all overweighted fund positions as of May 31.

According to Tipranks analyst consensus by sector, 148 technology stocks out of 595 were rated Strong Buy, 306 were rated Moderate Buy, 122 were rated Hold, 19 were rated Moderate Sell while none were rated Strong Sell.

See the rest here:
Concerned on Parts of Tech Sector, But Sees Continued Growth Tied to Two Megatrends: Fidelity - FX Empire

Read More..

Here’s My Top Stock to Buy in July – Motley Fool

Investing money in the stock market every month is an excellent way to grow wealthy over time. The key, of course, is knowing which stocks to buy -- and when.

To help you in this regard, here's my best stock to buy right now. This elite business offers investors an incredible wealth-building combination of powerful competitive advantages, enormous growth opportunities, and visionary leadership.

Here's where to invest your money today. Image source: Getty Images.

Few businesses are as competitively dominant as Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN). The e-commerce colossus commands the lion's share of the online retail market in the U.S. and many other parts of the world. Along with its army of third-party merchants, Amazon provides a wider selection of goods, lower prices, and faster shipping than just about any other retailer. Moreover, its massive global distribution system, best-in-class fulfillment technology, and strong brand recognition form a wide competitive moat around its business that helps to insulate its profits from its rivals.

Amazon is also the global leader in the massive and fast-growing cloud computing market. Despite fierce competition from the likes of Microsoft, Alphabet's Google, and Alibaba, Amazon Web Services commands a 33% share of the $100 billion cloud infrastructure market, according to Statista. That's more than its three closest competitors combined.

Image source: Statista.

Yet as dominant as Amazon is today, it still has tremendous room for expansion. As an example, e-commerce sales, despite years of torrid growth, still represent only about 12% of total retail sales in the U.S.

Image source: Statista.

Moreover, the global online retail market will grow to more than $6.5 trillion by 2023, up from $3.5 trillion in 2019.

Meanwhile, the worldwide public cloud services market is set to exceed $350 billion by 2022, up from less than $200 billion in 2018, according to Gartner, with infrastructure services enjoying some of the fastest growth within the industry.

Combined with enormous opportunities in advertising, healthcare, and logistics, these growth drivers should continue to fuel Amazon's expansion in the years ahead.

Helming this juggernaut is Jeff Bezos, who's arguably the greatest business leader of our generation. Bezos excels at identifying long-term trends and growth opportunities. He's also relentless in his pursuit of them. He's constantly driving Amazon to enter new markets, develop innovative technologies, and -- most importantly -- find ways to create even more value for its customers. In the process, he helps Amazon's stock ascend to ever greater heights.

If you buy shares of Amazon today, you can rest easy with the knowledge that you're investing beside Bezos himself; he owns shares worth roughly $160 billion. His massive stock holdings help to align his interests with yours and those of other long-term shareholders.

For all of these reasons, Amazon's stock is still -- even after its incredible gains -- an outstanding investment today, and it will likely remain a great stock to own for many years to come.

Link:
Here's My Top Stock to Buy in July - Motley Fool

Read More..

3 Stocks to Buy in the Market That Could Mint the World’s First Trillionaire – Motley Fool

Mark Cuban knows a thing or two about what businesses are likely to succeed. He made billions of dollars from the sale of Broadcast.com, a company he co-founded and led. Cuban owns the Dallas Mavericks, the ninth-most-valuable NBA team. He's also a "shark" on the popular ABC TV show Shark Tank. The gig has resulted in Cuban investing in dozens of small companies.

There's one area that Mark Cuban thinks will be especially successful. He even predicts that this market will mint the world's first trillionaire. Cuban stated in a 2017 interview that "the world's first trillionaires are going to come from somebody who masters AI [artificial intelligence] and all its derivatives and applies it in ways we never thought of."

You might not be one of the trillionaires that Cuban believes are on the way. However, you can still make a lot of money by investing in AI. Here are three great AI stocks you can buy right now.

Image source: Getty Images.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is best-known for its popular apps and websites, including Google Search and YouTube. But the company ranks as one of the top leaders in AI on several fronts.

Google Cloud is one of Alphabet's fastest-growing businesses. The cloud-hosting unit offers an AI platform that enables customers to quickly develop powerful AI applications. Consulting firm McKinsey projects that companies that incorporate AI could double their cash flow over the next decade. Google Cloud's AI platform should help many of them achieve that goal.

Self-driving car technology business Waymo could be a sleeping giant for Alphabet. A recent capital raise pegged Waymo's value at around $30 billion. The business could be worth a lot more than that in the not-too-distant future. Waymo is establishing partnerships to expand the use of its self-driving technology in ride-hailing and delivery businesses. These moves should enable the unit to grow more rapidly than it could on its own.

But the Alphabet unit that's perhaps most likely to fulfill Mark Cuban's vision of AI being applied "in ways we've never thought of" is DeepMind. Alphabet acquired the AI company in 2014. DeepMind has developed AI applications that are helping scientists better understand proteins -- which could lead to the discovery of treatments for genetic diseases. Its technology can identify over 50 eye diseases as accurately as experts. DeepMind's AI systems have also helped reduce Google's data center energy costs by around 30%.

AI applications require tremendous processing power.NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) has delivered that power for several years with its graphics processing units (GPUs) that were originally developed for high-end gaming apps.

NVIDIA's technology is used by all of the major cloud computing providers, including Google Cloud and industry leader Amazon Web Services. The company recently introduced new software that should cement its position at the center of the cloud AI universe -- Merlin for building predictive personal assistants and Jarvis for building conversational AI apps.

The acquisition of Mellanox earlier this year puts NVIDIA in an even stronger position in meeting the AI needs of its cloud data center customers. Bundling Mellanox's high-speed networking technology with its own GPUs should provide the processing speed that organizations need to run their AI applications on the cloud.

NVIDIA also has great expectations for the self-driving car market. The company rolled out its first AI products for self-driving cars in 2016. By 2025, NVIDIA estimates that the total addressable market for its autonomous vehicle solutions will reach $25 billion.

Livongo Health (NASDAQ:LVGO) might be the most surprising stock on the list. It's not nearly as well-known as Alphabet and NVIDIA. But Livongo is doing just what Mark Cuban described by applying AI in new ways.

The company provides a digital health management platform for chronic conditions. It first focused on diabetes but has since expanded into other chronic conditions including hypertension and behavioral health issues.

AI is at the heart of Livongo's platform. Livongo's AI engine processes data from connected devices such as glucometers and third parties such as labs. It then provides personalized "health nudges" to encourage individuals to take actions that lead to better health outcomes and lower costs.

Alphabet already claims a $1 trillion market cap. NVIDIA is worth more than $230 billion. But Livongo Health's market cap is still only around $7 billion. With an addressable U.S. market of nearly $47 billion in diabetes and hypertension management, this AI-powered stock should be a huge winner over the long run.

The rest is here:
3 Stocks to Buy in the Market That Could Mint the World's First Trillionaire - Motley Fool

Read More..

Amazon Web Services joins hands with SpringPeople to close the cloud computing skill gaps – CRN.in

To address the need for skilled cloud professionals, SpringPeople, an enterprise IT training company, has joined hands with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to deliver their Training courses through its various role-based IT certification programs. AWS Training courses, delivered by SpringPeople, will give professionals the opportunity to learn best practices in cloud computing and receive live feedback from an expert instructor. Training will prepare learners to take AWS Certification exams, which validate their technical skills and expertise with an industry-recognized certification.

As an Amazon Training partner, SpringPeople will offer certified cloud training to its clients including Infosys, Wipro, TCS, IBM, HP, CISCO and many more.

The cloud skills shortage that the industry is striving to solve is referenced in studies and surveys. As per a recent survey by OpsRamp, 90 per cent of IT managers reported a lack of cloud skills. This is also supported through the findings of multiple job portals which advertise over 14,000 jobs in the cloud domain each month. Yet another study by the London School of Economics found that the dearth of skilled cloud professionals has the potential to cost enterprises over USD 250 million per year.

Elaborating on this, Ravi Kaklasaria, Founder & CEO, SpringPeople, said, Today we see an increase in the number of organizations that are migrating to the cloud. This has caused a parallel increase in the demand for candidates fluent in cloud technologies. Unfortunately, the majority of organizations do not have a cloud-savvy workforce to address their needs. We hope to address this by working with AWS and thus, enabling our clients to take advantage of the innovations that are made possible by cloud computing.

If you have an interesting article / experience / case study to share, please get in touch with us at editors@expresscomputeronline.com

Continued here:
Amazon Web Services joins hands with SpringPeople to close the cloud computing skill gaps - CRN.in

Read More..

Cloud Computing in Healthcare Market: Analysis of Installation Type and End-user, Market performance and key opportunities, Forecasts (2020 2025) -…

Global Cloud Computing in Healthcare market 2020-2025 Report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The market analysis is provided for the international markets including trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status. Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures are also analyzed.

Get sample copy of Cloud Computing in Healthcare Market report @ https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/1091

Cloud Computing in Healthcare Market Report also provides extensive research on the top key players in this market and detailed insights into their competitiveness. Key business strategies such as acquisitions and acquisitions, collaborations and contracts adopted by top key players are also recognized and analyzed in the report. For each Industry, the report recognizes competitors, product types, applications and specifications, prices, Trends and gross margins. The study analyzes the market in terms of revenue across all the major markets.

Top Leading Key Players are:

McKesson Corporation, Allscripts, NextGen Healthcare, Epic Systems Corporation, Healthcare Management System, eClinicalWorks, CPSI, Computer Sciences Corporation, and many more.

Read complete report with TOC at: https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/industry-reports/cloud-computing-in-healthcare-market

The report also sheds light on the Cloud Computing in Healthcare market segmentation analysis which enfolds detailed evaluation of crucial market segments such as types, applications and major active regions. Each segment is profoundly studied in the report considering its profitability, global demand and growth potential. Additionally, critical restraints and market limitations are also highlighted in the report. The report also illuminates the global Cloud Computing in Healthcare industry environment covering various engaging factors.

Global Cloud Computing in Healthcare market is segmented based by type, application and region.

Based on Type, the market has been segmented into:

by End Use (Hospitals, Diagnostics and Imaging Centres, Ambulatory Centres, and Others)

The Cloud Computing in Healthcare market report provides a detailed breakdown of the market region-wise and categorizes it at various levels. Regional segment analysis displaying regional production volume, consumption volume, revenue, and growth rate from 2020-2025 covers: North Americas, APAC, Europe, Middle East & Africa. Each of these regions is analysed on basis of market findings across major countries in these regions for a macro-level understanding of the market.

This research report also presents some significant practical oriented case studies which help to understand the subject matter clearly. The Cloud Computing in Healthcare market research report has been prepared through industry analysis techniques and presented in a professional manner by including effective info-graphics whenever necessary. It helps to gain stability in the businesses as well as to make the rapid developments to achieve a notable remark in the global Cloud Computing in Healthcare market space.

Do You Have Any Query Or Specific Requirement? Ask to Our Industry Expert @ https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/1091

About Us :

Adroit Market Research is an India-based business analytics and consulting company. Our target audience is a wide range of corporations, manufacturing companies, product/technology development institutions and industry associations that require understanding of a markets size, key trends, participants and future outlook of an industry. We intend to become our clients knowledge partner and provide them with valuable market insights to help create opportunities that increase their revenues. We follow a code Explore, Learn and Transform. At our core, we are curious people who love to identify and understand industry patterns, create an insightful study around our findings and churn out money-making roadmaps.

Contact Us :

Ryan JohnsonAccount Manager Global3131 McKinney Ave Ste 600, Dallas,TX 75204, U.S.APhone No.: USA: +1 972-362 -8199 / +91 9665341414

More here:
Cloud Computing in Healthcare Market: Analysis of Installation Type and End-user, Market performance and key opportunities, Forecasts (2020 2025) -...

Read More..

Micron Helps Power a New Wave of High-End Computing Amidst the COVID-19 Crisis – Motley Fool

When Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) last provided a quarterly update at the end of March, question marks abounded. The memory chipmaker was showing signs that the cyclical slump it's been stuck in for over a year was coming to an end, but the global crisis brought on by COVID-19 put that recovery at risk.

It turns out just the opposite happened. Q3 fiscal 2020 results (the three months ended May 28, 2020) handily topped management's guidance, and Micron is back in growth mode again. With cloud computing, 5G wireless network buildout, and a new generation of gaming consoles and personal computing devices on the way, Micron sees sunnier days ahead.

Image source: Getty Images.

Micron's Q3 results were dramatic. Management had called for revenue of $4.6 billion to $5.2 billion, and adjusted earnings per share of $0.40 to $0.70 a few months ago. The actual numbers ended up being far higher as the company was able to keep production flowing amid heightened demand for memory chips.

Metric

Three Months Ended

Feb. 27, 2020

Three Months Ended

Feb. 28, 2019

Change

Revenue

$5.44 billion

$4.79 billion

14%

Adjusted gross profit margin

33.2%

39.3%

(6.1 pp)

Adjusted operating expenses

$823 million

$774 million

6%

Adjusted earnings per share

$0.82

$1.05

(22%)

Pp = percentage point. Data source: Micron Technology.

Though the bottom line remains under pressure on a year-over-year basis due to gross margin on product sold, the decline is easing. Micron has been able to keep expenses in check the last few months, largely thanks to a big cut in capital spent on its manufacturing processes. In fact, CEO Sanjay Mehrota said capital expenses on equipment were down 40% in the quarter compared to last year, although that figure is expected to rebound going forward as Micron gears up production for new tech (more on that in a moment).

Nevertheless, it's a notable accomplishment. Unlike in times past when demand for digital memory has taken a breather, Micron has remained in solidly profitable territory throughout this latest downturn. In addition to operating margin beginning to turn a corner and tick up again, free cash flow (revenue minus cash operating and capital expenses -- basically what's left over and gets added to or subtracted from the balance sheet) was $101 million, compared to $63 million last quarter.

Data by YCharts.

On the earnings call, Mehrota added that the pandemic has forced organizations across the globe to evolve quickly.

Technology solutions are rapidly helping society adapt and manage the temporary and permanent changes stemming from this pandemic. Clearly, certain trends that would have taken two to four years to develop have been accelerated into months. It is easy to see how these changes will drive higher consumption of memory and storage in the long term. The faster pace of digital transformation in the economy is here to stay.

Specifically, cloud computing has gotten a shot in the arm. Memory semiconductor sales for data centers were up double-digit percentages from just a quarter ago to help deal with the extra usage and storage capacity in recent months, brought about by increased demand for e-commerce, work-from-home technology, video streaming, and other cloud-based services. And while consumer devices -- especially smartphones and autos -- are weighing down the results overall, enterprise-level equipment demand has also surged as businesses get up-to-date with shelter-in-place orders.

Looking forward, 5G network development remains a work in progress, and a first wave of phones with 5G-enabling chips is expected to create a rebound for that beleaguered industry in the year ahead. And Sony's (NYSE:SNE) Playstation 5 and Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Xbox Series X, releasing this holiday season, should also be positives for Micron's consumer end-market.

Micron certainly isn't firing on all cylinders again, but the current business environment has clearly pulled the company out of a rut. The outlook for revenue in fiscal Q4 is $6.0 billion plus or minus $250 million (up 23% from a year ago at the midpoint), and adjusted earnings per share are expected to be $1.05, plus or minus $0.10 (up 88% at the midpoint).

As always, Micron's cyclical manufacturing business will remain a very up-and-down affair. But given the surging demand at the moment, this semiconductor stock remains a buy in my book.

Originally posted here:
Micron Helps Power a New Wave of High-End Computing Amidst the COVID-19 Crisis - Motley Fool

Read More..

Here’s Why 2020 Belongs To Microsoft – Seeking Alpha

When the acronym FANG was created and later extended to FAANG, tech investing was dominated by mobile, advertising (led by mobile), over-the-top streaming and e-commerce. Today, tech stock investors would be remiss to not have cloud in their tech portfolio as the category has proven to be secular and insulated from economic drawdowns.

Microsoft is a central hub to the cloud trend with nearly every segment of its revenue driven by cloud except PCs/Surface and gaming, although gaming too will shift toward cloud. With Microsoft being nearly a pure play in cloud computing while boasting a $1.5 trillion market cap, the talking heads in media may need to find a new acronym.

Ive covered the sheer supply of cloud software companies potentially weighing on returns in the coming months as the market begins to sort the winners from the losers this year. There are likely to be cutbacks across all budgets and these COVID-19 cutbacks did not show up yet in the first quarter due to the limited, two-week exposure in March before companies started reporting (this lack of exposure in Q1 may seem obvious but the market has certainly not priced this in).

Meanwhile, Microsoft stands to benefit regardless of which cloud software companies pull ahead. Hundreds of cloud software companies crowd the public and private markets yet they all funnel into cloud infrastructure. This is the common denominator.

Satya Nadella made a bold statement in the last earnings call that the company had seen two years worth of digital transformation in two months. He cited a surge in demand from the structural changes due to companies quickly reorganizing.

The coronavirus shutdowns accelerated cloud usage from current customers yet the most important impact is that it forced slow-to-adopt companies and industries to migrate to the cloud overnight. These slower-moving companies are more likely to adopt a hybrid cloud strategy which is where Microsoft excels over the competitors.

My original thesis when I began covering Microsoft nearly two years ago was that the company would rival AWS due to its focus on hybrid cloud. Historically, Microsoft was built around on-premise and the company is well situated to assist in a more conservative slow migration, especially for enterprises with significant intellectual property or unique security concerns. According to a 2018 survey, the top reasons for using hybrid cloud include controlling where important data is stored, at 71%, and using cloud for backup and disaster recovery, at 69%.

Hybrid cloud allows for scenarios where customers can keep their most sensitive data on their own servers while sending workloads to the private or public cloud that gain an advantage from mining data more efficiently and require improved accuracy and productivity. Azures strength in hybrid computing has made it the main player in the industry with the product being used by 95% of Fortune 500 companies.

Microsofts Windows operating system has run on servers for decades, and it was a natural extension to offer Azure Cloud to run on-premise. Specifically, the companys presence in traditional on-premise deployments of server and SQL databases have propelled Azure forward as an obvious choice for public and hybrid cloud deployments. This is due to being the path of least resistance for on-premise to Azure.

This prompted my prediction that Microsoft would beat Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) in a contract for the Department of Defense and I believe Microsoft will win yet again from the coronavirus shutdowns for the same reason.

Azures strength in offering both on-premise and cloud in a hybrid solution has prompted Amazon to chase Microsoft with recent efforts to improve its hybrid strategy. According to a Goldman Sachs survey pre COVID-19, the majority of executives preferred Microsoft Azure over AWS. The survey is done bi-annually and Microsoft has been ticking upward in the results since 2017. With that said, AWS is capturing an estimated 200% more revenue than Microsoft on cloud infrastructure at $9 billion for AWS compared to $4.33 billion on Azure (per analysts).

Notably, the Goldman Sachs survey may not have taken into account that outside of the Fortune 500, AWS has a loyal startup and SMB following, and also is popular with agile enterprises that scale quickly, like Netflix and Facebook. Often times, these companies look outside Microsofts walled garden.

For comparison purposes, some of Microsofts offerings are cheaper than AWS while having a larger global data center footprint. In the most recent earnings report, Microsoft stated it had more data center regions than any other cloud provider. New center regions announced in this quarter are Spain and Mexico. It plans to invest $1.1 billion over five years in Mexico. In Spain it plans to open Azure regions and also expand its Telefonica relationship. This is especially helpful as compliance regulations require local data storage.

The story of the year may very well be cloud productivity apps. Microsoft Teams, though not exactly a verb, has been seeing rapid growth among Office 365 users. According to the recent earnings report, Microsoft Teams has increased 70 percent quarter-over-quarter to 75 million daily active users. This is up from 44 million daily active users in March. Perhaps even more impressive, Microsoft saw 200 million meeting participants in a single day in April.

This isnt to say that Microsoft Teams will wipe out competitors outside the Office software ecosystem but its certainly going to help the company protect its turf. Zoom Video (NASDAQ:ZM) is likely to hold more mindshare as consumers also can enjoy HD video and office workers can share video links seamlessly outside of Microsofts enterprise walled garden. Slack (NYSE:WORK) is likely to lead on innovation as a developer and programmer favorite. After all, AWS is still in the lead over Azure and these customers will want a Microsoft alternative.

For the Fortune 500 and the 250 million who dont mind Microsofts walled garden then Microsoft Teams offers valuable collaboration features, such as sending files within the apps, and holding video or audio calls. As of now, 20 organizations with more than 100,000 employees use Teams with Accenture being the first company to surpass 500,000 users.

Beyond enterprise companies, Microsoft Teams also is seeing inroads into education and healthcare from the coronavirus shutdown. According to the fiscal Q3 earnings call, more than 183,000 educational institutions rely on Teams with an emphasis on global education, including the United Arab Emirates, which has more than 350,000 students using Teams, and Italy, which moved over 80,000 students to Teams in just three days.

The healthcare industry has 34 million users on Teams, including in New York and in the UK. Microsoft also launched its first industry-specific cloud offering that allows organizations to work horizontally across apps, like Dynamic 365 and Azure IoT, for virtual visits, chatbot assessments, and remote health monitoring.

The CDC and various healthcare systems are using the Microsoft Health Bot Service to build and deploy AI-powered virtual assistants that reduce the workload on emergency services. As of early April, about 1,200 instances of COVID-19 bots had serviced 18 million individual users and served 160 million messages.

Microsoft also expanded Teams recently with the Booking app, which allows healthcare providers to schedule, manage and conduct provider-to-patient virtual visits with Teams. Depending on the size of the organization, this could be a competitor to Teladoc (NYSE:TDOC).

Microsoft has many inroads into cloud and is nearly omnipresent in this category. There's a halo effect that allows for upgrades into premium products and increased renewals. When it comes to industry-specific data needs, such as health care, Microsoft also will be a strong competitor for its experience in strict compliance across data-driven environments. I believe Microsofts biggest strength will take center stage this year, which is massaging the more conservative enterprises to adopt cloud with hybrid architectures. Teams, as well, could not be in a better position to strengthen the walled fortress.

My weekly PDF reports are 10-20 page deep dives on individual stocks.In the past year, my free analysis predicted Rokus meteoric rise, Ubers IPO flop, Zooms IPO success, Googles revenue miss, and more. My paid service has done much more.

Last quarter, we predicted many Q3 earnings beats, including Alibaba's surge from $160, a small cap that gained 20% in one day, Alteryx pullback (to the dollar) and extensive coverage on 5G for 2020 gains.

Knox Ridley, technical analyst, helps guide entries and exits.

Give your tech portfolio an edge.

Learn more.

Disclosure: I am/we are long MSFT.

Additional disclosure: Im also an investor in both Zoom Video and Slack and recommend these stocks to my premium service.

See the rest here:
Here's Why 2020 Belongs To Microsoft - Seeking Alpha

Read More..

Improving Internal Operations – RFID Journal

Jul 05, 2020The construction industry is all about getting things done in the most tangible way. From laying a simple foundation for a new house to erecting architectural marvels that seem to challenge the laws of physics, every day on a construction site ends with visible, measurable progress toward a defined goal.

But who defines that goal? Who decides what needs to be done, when, and by whom? Who makes sure equipment and consumables are at the site when needed, and are then returned promptly when used? Who crunches numbers to make sure costs are in line? That "who" is the collectiveand often unheraldedinternal operations staff. They are the back office, yard and warehouse teams who plan, manage, monitor and analyze every project from start to finish. Without them, no project could even be undertaken, much less successfully completed.

Yet too many construction companies fail to take full advantage of the talented staff who keep things running smoothly and profitably. As a result, global construction sector labor-productivity growth averaged 1 percent a year during the past two decades, compared with 2.8 percent for the total world economy and 3.6 percent for manufacturing. Less than 25 percent of construction firms matched the productivity growth achieved in the overall economies in which they work throughout the past decade, according to a McKinsey analysis.

Part of this shortfall can probably be explained by the nature of the construction industry. Historically, the industry grew up from tradespeople who knew how to buildand build wellbut were not educated about business or process. They relied on antiquated spreadsheets and back-of-the-envelope methods and were reluctant to adopt new technologies like cloud computing, RFID tracking, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and interconnectivity, at the expense of their companies' bottom lines.

Fortunately, that attitude is changing dramatically. The new generation of construction operators have a voracious appetite for technologywe talk to very few younger operators who are technology-averseand they not only grasp the fundamentals of operating an efficient business but are educated in business management and know the importance of their internal operations team in making the business maximally profitable. They understand that a connected business is a profitable business. To this new generation of construction industry leaders looking to optimize their internal operations, I suggest a four-step process:

Supply Chain AnalysisThe supply chain is more than just buying an item from a vendor. It's also the internal movement of equipment and consumables to worksites. So look at everything that moves, whether procuring from outside vendors or in-house transfers, and make sure that no step or item is omitted. Consider the whole loop from needing something to acquiring it and then deploying it. In construction, sometimes it can take two weeks to get an item back from the field; this process should be measured in minutes or hours, not in days.

Cost ReviewConstruction companies need to know the true costs for their projects so they can pass that expense on to their customer in the next billing cycle. This includes the cost of the tools used and that of moving them to the site and back. They need to develop solid processes that are supported by interconnected, accurate job cost and billing systems for each team that update in real time. Interconnectivity makes all teams more cost-effective because they're collaborating in the moment.

Data AnalyticsWith interconnectivity, a management team has instantaneous, comprehensive and accurate information to make vital decisions and improve performance in the field and in the back office. If you want to push your thinking, ask yourself, "What piece of data do I need to change my business?" Without reliable performance data, a company is flying blind.

New Technology AdoptionNew technologies relevant to the construction industry are growing rapidly, and they are changing how quickly companies can rise to the top. Look at all the new technologies that can support internal operations, as well as warehouse, yard and worksite operations. Every aspect of a construction company needs to be interconnected, and well-established technologies like cloud-based software and BLE resource location monitoring systems are essential to managing the overwhelmingly complex and time-consuming details involved in construction projects.

The overall idea is to connect internal operations so they contribute maximum efficiency in the field, resulting in increased profitability. As an example, oil field service company Saulsbury has done an amazing job of streamlining its internal operations using interconnected technology. In its warehouse, the company has large monitors showing what equipment is in the field, what is being delivered and what is being returned. All necessary information is displayed in real time on those status boards so staff members know exactly what is going on everywhere in the field, the warehouse, the yard and the entire supply chainas well as the instantaneous cost implications of every data point.

So by improving performance in the back office, you'll improve performance in the field. When all aspects of a company work within a single cloud-based system that is fast and accurate, you can reduce waiting times and phone calls, warehouse and yard operations can keep up with the speed of the project, and all processes can be streamlined so every request is fulfilled quickly and accurately.

As a construction industry veteran of more than 30 years, Don Kafka, the CEO of ToolWatch and a construction executive thought leader, has a lot to say when it comes to educating construction companies about the importance of internal operations to their overall productivity and profitability. Denver-based ToolWatch is a technology firm that provides tool and equipment systems to track and manage resources throughout an entire construction organization. For more information, visit toolwatch.com or call 1-800-676-4034.

Go here to read the rest:
Improving Internal Operations - RFID Journal

Read More..