Articles by Jack M.Germain

The Linux Foundation on Tuesday announced the Open Voice Network, an open source association dedicated to advancing open standards that support the adoption of AI-enabled voice assistance systems Organizations are beginning to develop, design, and manage their own voice assistant systems that are independent of today's general-purpose voice platfor...

Amazon continues to face intensified scrutiny from antitrust lawsuits to allegations of inhumane working conditions. Yet despite criticism, consumers continue to feed the massive digital marketplace that allegedly is filled with shady practices. According to e-commerce veteran and Amazon entrepreneur Jason Boyce, the time is now for consumers to wake up to the cost of convenience...

Consumers will spend more money shopping online this summer in response to ads they see on social media if vendors offer deals. Shoppers are also more receptive to chat commerce, a potential new trend Smartly.io, a social advertising automation platform for creative and performance marketers on April 29 announced new research underscoring the role ...

Podcasts provide advertisers with microtargeted pitches that engage listeners more effectively than other outlets, observed Maury Rogow, CEO and creative director of Hollywood's Rip Media Group in an exclusive interview with the E-Commerce Times Most podcast listeners are educated, have disposable income, and are open to hearing advertising. Microt...

MakuluLinux is an ever-changing family of Linux desktops built on its own base around several heavily modified desktop environments. Core, the latest release, is an evolutionary redesign well worth trying Most distribution maintainers focus on annual or semi-annual operating system upgrades that update core system files and sometimes add different ...

Artificial intelligence may well be the Holy Grail solution for more effective shopping optimization for merchants. AI comes in many forms and different options. Clearly, one size does not fit all marketing needs One up-and-coming solution takes a more low-key approach to using AI for retailers. Fast Simon unveiled a new JavaScript (JS) software de...

The economic implications of Covid-19 have been devastating for many sectors and individuals. As we head into the summer of 2021 anticipating that most places in the U.S. will be fully open for business, many industries are looking at what the post-Covid recovery will mean for them. For sales professionals, the comeback might certainly bring a windfall but also presents challenges...

Cyberattacks in the first half of 2021 have escalated globally to affect virtually every industry. Earlier this year TechNewsWorld spoke with cybersecurity experts about the expanding threat landscape, imminent threats, and what can be done to counter the ongoing offensives against the IT systems of companies, organizations, and government agencies...

E-commerce merchants are literally at the mercy of the digital checkout systems tied to their web stores. For retailers, what happens on the other side of the "pay" button is critical to avoiding denied approvals Online sellers cannot survive without a strong checkout page. Meanwhile, the payment system that runs much of the online transactions is ...

Organizations, regardless of industry, must do a better job maintaining open source components given their critical nature in software, according to this year's risk analysis report by cybersecurity firm Synopsys Open-source software is now the foundation for the vast majority of applications across all industries. However, many of those industries...

Most businesses today that want an app have an app. But having one is not the entire process. The app maker and the business behind the mobile application still need to get it to actually work effectively. Because more people are using apps, many businesses are focusing on the bells and whistles to help them stand out -- instead of designing the a...

Amazon and Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) on Wednesday announced a definitive merger agreement for Amazon to acquire MGM for $8.45 billion. Completion of this transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions MGM primarily made feature films and TV shows since it turned on its studio cameras in 1924. Now, MGM will com...

Establishing a customer experience (CX) program's ROI is one of the greatest challenges that CX practitioners and the organizations they serve face in the modern experience landscape Across all businesses, the entire C-suite leadership team is looking to validate an experience management program by asking one question: what is the financial impact ...

That old adage about crime never pays could not be more false, at least when it comes to modern-day cybercriminals. For those bad actors using ransomware as their weapon, crime is paying more than ever Cybersecurity company Emisoft estimates that the true global cost of ransomware, including business interruption and ransom payments in 2020, was a...

The Linux operating system is many things to many users. It is not a one-size-must-fit-all computing platform like Microsoft and Apple provide A prime example of Linux's wide range of functionalities is easily found in Garuda Linux. Not typically available in mainstream distributions, its large assortment of desktop offerings will challenge your co...

IT experts at the hacked Colonial Pipeline did a good job in mitigating the May 7 cyberattack and successfully stopped it when discovered by shutting down the network. But the attack was mostly invisible in the weeks-long initial stages, according to a briefing NTT Security executives conducted Tuesday "It's very difficult to say what they could ha...

New research by a threat detection and response firm shows that the most common threats to corporate networks remain consistent throughout all companies -- no matter their size Vectra AI on Wednesday released its 2021 Q2 Spotlight Report, "Vision and Visibility: Top 10 Threat Detections for Microsoft Azure AD and Office 365." These top threat detec...

Mobile phishing exposure doubled among financial services and insurance organizations between 2019 and 2020. Cyberattackers are deliberately targeting phones, tablets, and Chromebooks to increase their odds of finding a vulnerable entry point A single successful phishing or mobile ransomware attack can give attackers access to proprietary market re...

Efforts by several internet industry groups are focusing on new measures to fix inherent security weaknesses with the rapidly expanded use of internet of things (IoT) devices for enterprises and consumers Supply chain security company Finite State on April 27 announced a partnership with application security solutions Veracode to offer comprehensiv...

If you are looking to expand your sales territory and have not yet put Latin America on your bill of lading, you're missing a golden opportunity. Latin America offers the fastest-growing regional e-commerce marketplace in the world You do not think so? Well, think again. Last year, the total retail e-commerce sales to the LATAM region grew 36.7 per...