All posts by afoellmi@yahoo.com

Kroger’s smart shelves ditch the paper, drop the lights, and delight the shoppers

Successful digital transformation initiatives are all about efficiency, customization, and complementing human ingenuity. They also strive to create more sustainable businesses, and their impact usually has disruptive, long-lasting effects that cascade across multiple industries, especially those in which processes were hard to update because of technological limitations.

In the supermarket industry, for example, paper price tags, coupons, and pamphlets with weekly offers were the norm for decades. Because of this, the shopping experience was pretty much the same—until now.

In this article, you’ll gain insights into Kroger’s Enhanced Display for Grocery Environment (EDGE) and how it leverages Microsoft Azure and IoT sensors to create a unique, personalized shopping experience for consumers—all while saving more than 1.7 billion kilowatt hours since its implementation.

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Three important information security predictions for 2020

As digital transformation evolves with each passing year, so too does the information security landscape. For organizations that leverage cloud technology, this means staying updated on new ways to prevent and counter cybersecurity threats while relying on trustworthy sources of information for insights into future potential security developments and circumstances.

In this article, you’ll learn about three critical cybersecurity predictions for 2020, the impact each may have on the digital business landscape, and how your business can act to avoid being affected.

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3 reasons to invest in Microsoft Azure AI

Digital transformation enabled businesses to obtain data from places they never thought possible and to monitor every aspect of customer interactions to gain a holistic view of their customers. Companies soon realized, though, that an overabundance of unstructured data was not only wasteful, but could also become counter-productive, and that some automation was needed to identify the data that could be acted upon to generate real value. However, as the influx of data grew more and more massive, it became clear that more advanced methods of automation were needed to keep up with the scale of commercial IoT and digital operations. Enter artificial intelligence.

In this infographic, you’ll learn why capitalizing on AI has become crucial for today’s leading enterprises, and how investing in Microsoft Azure AI can help you create a smarter, faster-growing business.

View: 3 reasons to invest in Microsoft Azure AI

Take advantage of three emerging technologies driving change in retail

Now, more than ever, consumers expect convenience when it comes to buying products and obtaining services. For retail businesses, this means accurately predicting what customers want before they even set foot in the store, and delivering it in a way that requires the least amount of effort on their part. Thankfully, digital has empowered retail stores with innovative tools that can deliver relevant offers while creating memorable experiences that generate great customer reviews.

In this infographic, you’ll learn about three emerging technologies available within Microsoft Dynamics 365 that are driving the evolution of retail experiences.

View: Take advantage of three emerging technologies driving change in retail

6 risks and opportunities of the intelligent, connected cloud

No technology is a hundred percent failproof, and as businesses get more and more digitalized, they’re also unwillingly increasing the risk of someone stealing their data or compromising their credibility. Therefore, before taking their business to the cloud, organizations must carefully choose the platforms that ensure the safety and compliance of their data while enabling them to seize the opportunities available to them.

In this infographic, you’ll catch a glimpse of both sides of cloud technology: on one hand, the immense opportunities it provides in terms of innovation and mobility; and on the other, the risks that businesses must be aware of to safeguard the continuity of their operations in the digital world.

View: 6 risks and opportunities of the intelligent, connected cloud

Lizo | Transformation in the oil & gas industry: data analysis and visualization


Data. There’s a lot of it, and it’s everywhere. Azure cloud services helps organizations manage all aspects of their volumes of data. Here is an example of how a company in the oil and gas industry could utilize Azure Cosmos DB for data acquisition and Power BI for rich analytics with real-time insights. Through partnering with Microsoft, a company like Lizo would be able to actualize their vision of next-generation data analysis and visualization. Watch this and look for additional Lizo videos to demonstrate the capabilities and power of Azure!

Harness the power of affordable, clean, and sustainable energy. Learn more about Microsoft Azure.

Digital hasn’t only made things more comfortable for us, it’s also made them better for those without access to basic health or basic services around the world. One example of this is, by creating an interconnected world, we gain a better understanding of how technology can be used to control our natural resources more efficiently and accessibly. While these use cases may be employed in the First World to make existing services self-sustainable and cleaner, in more remote parts of the globe they can be used to create new services that make life better for everyone.

Subscribe now to learn more about how you can utilize Microsoft Azure to make your clean energy solutions a reality.

View: Harness the power of affordable, clean, and sustainable energy. Learn more about Microsoft Azure.

Use digital transformation to deliver outstanding retail experiences. Learn more about Microsoft Strategic Retail Solutions.

It’s no secret that modern consumers are unforgiving. But then again, never before have businesses been armed with so many options for creating exceptional experiences, and becoming more efficient organizations.

Digital transformation has become the great equalizer between large and small to medium-sized retailers, and thanks to tools like Microsoft Dynamics 365, turning revenue-increasing initiatives into reality is easier than ever.

Subscribe now to learn more about the digitalization of retail and how you can get started re-envisioning your business with Microsoft.

View: Use digital transformation to deliver outstanding retail experiences. Learn more about Microsoft Strategic Retail Solutions.

Drive security and compliance across the entirety of your business. Learn more about Microsoft 365.

Regardless of the nature of your organization, keeping your data secure and ensuring compliance are two of the most demanding priorities. After all, what good is creativity, efficiency, and talent if they can get easily stolen, copied, or shut down because of outdated technology?

The good news is that even though these requirements are as crucial as they’ve ever been, never before have businesses been vested with so many alternatives to customize the way they do business. In fact, the cloud has allowed organizations to shift their manpower from security and compliance to increasing productivity and innovation.

Subscribe now to learn about digital transformation success stories and how you can ensure your business remains secure and compliant with Microsoft.

View: Drive security and compliance across the entirety of your business. Learn more about Microsoft 365.

SunCulture success story: Remove labor to let water flow


“Work smarter, not harder” has become the motto of the digital age. Yet in some parts of the world where modern technology is not accessible, hard, manual labor is the only choice people have to get things done.

For example, in parts of Africa where running water is not available, farmers like Monica must manually extract water from a well and distribute it amongst her family, crops, and animals. This isn’t just exhausting but also extremely inefficient, and can lead to small yields for such an extensive level of effort. To make matters worse, seasonal changes greatly impact the amount of water available, making life for people like Monica that much harder.

So, how can you leverage the power of modern technology to help these farmers produce more food and secure a better future? Watch this video to learn how SunCulture is using solar energy to bring hope and prosperity to Monica and more farmers like her in Kenya.