Amazon SNS Now Offers Dedicated Short Codes

Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS) now offers dedicated short codes (5-, 6- digit phone numbers) in the US. If you are delivering notifications to telephone numbers in the US, you can now use a specific, customer-assigned SMS short code to send large marketing campaigns, Application-to-Person (A2P) messages like order updates and appointment reminders, and two-factor authentication text messages.
Quelle: aws.amazon.com

Amazon Elastic File System (Amazon EFS) Now Supports NVSv4 Lock Upgrading and Downgrading

Amazon Elastic File System (Amazon EFS) now supports NFS version 4 lock upgrading and downgrading functionality. This new capability extends support in Amazon EFS for the NFSv4.1 and NFSv4.0 protocols by allowing you to run applications that upgrade a read lock atomically to a write lock and downgrade a write lock atomically to a read lock. One example is SQLite, a popular library that’s embedded into many applications and programming language tools like Python and PHP.
Quelle: aws.amazon.com

SharePoint Server 2016 in Azure infrastructure services

To take advantage of SharePoint’s collaboration features, Microsoft recommends SharePoint Online in Office 365. If that is not the best option for you right now, you should use SharePoint Server 2016. However, building a SharePoint Server 2016 farm in Microsoft Azure infrastructure services requires additional planning considerations and deployment steps.

For a defined path from evaluation to successful deployment, see SharePoint Server 2016 in Microsoft Azure. This new content set reduces the time it takes for you to design and deploy dev/test, staging, production, or disaster recovery SharePoint Server 2016 farms in Azure.

There are step-by-step instructions for two prescriptive dev/test environments:

1. A single-server farm running in Azure for demonstration, evaluation, or application testing.

2. An intranet farm running in Azure to experiment with client access and administration in a simulated Azure IaaS hybrid configuration.

When you are ready to begin planning the Azure environment for your SharePoint Server 2016 farm, see Designing a SharePoint Server 2016 farm in Azure. A table-based, step-by-step approach assures that you are collecting the right set of interrelated settings for the networking, storage, and compute elements of Azure infrastructure services.

When you are ready to deploy, see Deploying SharePoint Server 2016 with SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability Groups in Azure to build out this high availability configuration:

A table-based, phased approach assures that you are creating the Azure infrastructure with the correct settings, which you can adapt or expand for your business needs.

To assist you in creating the Azure infrastructure and configuring the servers of the high availability SharePoint Server 2016 farm, use the SharePoint Server 2016 High Availability Farm in Azure Deployment Kit, a ZIP file in the TechNet Gallery that contains:

Microsoft Visio and Microsoft PowerPoint files with the figures for the two dev/test environments and the high-availability deployment

All the PowerShell command blocks to create and configure the high availability SharePoint Server 2016 farm in Azure

A Microsoft Excel configuration workbook that generates the PowerShell commands to create the SharePoint Server 2016 high availability farm in Azure, based on your custom settings

Quelle: Azure

InterConnect Inside Scoop: video games, cars and beer

Do you have a friend who always has tickets to see your favorite football team? Or who always seems to have the inside scoop on the best bands coming into town? Well, I may not have gotten you tickets this year, but for those planning on going to InterConnect, I would love to share my insider perspective on demos where you will have a blast.
If you’re like me, you have a short attention span. You don’t want to sit through sessions that don’t peak your interest, and you enjoy breaks from all the hard work. And InterConnect can be daunting. Celebrity guests, renowned engineers, executive speakers, more than 2,000 training sessions and over $8,000 in education—it’s a lot. But along with all these serious business opportunities, there are also plenty of chances to have a good time. As your friend in the know, I would love to share the inside scoop with three of my favorite demos.
1: Watson picks your beer
Do you love beer but struggle to find something that fits your taste? It’s time to do away with trial and error. At this demo, you will share a few of your preferences with IBMers, and Watson will customize a perfect flight of three beers based on your tastes. An IoT device will use machine learning and algorithms to give you a fascinating personal beer profile. Compare your tastes with friends and enjoy beer chosen just for you. Welcome to the future of craft beer.
2: Video games and cognitive intelligence
We professionals in the tech industry have something of a reputation for loving video games. While no hobby is for everyone, lots of us geeks will no doubt lose it when they hear that artificial intelligence and StarCraft will be featured at the same demo.
IBM will bring in professional e-sports gamers to compete for an audience with screens showing the game from every angle. Comfy lounge seating and standing areas will allow fans to watch, cheer and socialize during the game. iPads on stands will display data analytics in real-time. You will have a chance to see how your gaming skills and reflexes compare to the pros. It’s a great way to unwind after a long day of networking and professional training.
3. The future of cars
Do you ever wonder what the future of driving will look like? Come see how cognitive capabilities from IBM can help automakers change the game. Enjoy a cool interactive demo and get a chance to chat with the experts.
These demos are by no means the only way to have a good time at the conference. In my last blog, I shared that improv legend and future Hamilton star Wayne Brady will be speaking. Comedians, cars, beer and video games—this going to be a lot of fun. Make sure to register today.
If you want to chat more about InterConnect, continue the conversation by leaving a comment, connecting with me on LinkedIn or following @IBMCloud on Twitter. I look forward to hearing from you.
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Quelle: Thoughts on Cloud

Cloud-based receipt management enhances mobile banking

How many times have you looked at your bank statement, noticed a line item like “WITHDRAW / POS 0217 2013 975246 MARSHALLS ” and racked your brain trying to figure out what you bought?
You likely had to dig through your wallet for the paper receipt (if you even kept it) or rummage through your inbox for the electronic copy – but no longer.
Now, when banks incorporate the receipt management capabilities of Sensibill into their mobile apps, customers can see purchase details and more in the palms of their hands. Sensibill integrates with banks’ existing mobile apps and web interfaces for an easier way to keep track of purchases, expenses and budgeting.
How Sensibill works
When a customer takes a picture of a receipt with a smartphone, the picture is sent to the Sensibill service based in the IBM Cloud. Sensibill then extracts the data and creates an enhanced receipt; a smart receipt.
Sensibill’s smart receipt system can remind you about return and warranty information, as well as pull information about the merchant, including a contact number and address.
Sensibill uses a proprietary algorithm to process any receipt with a high level of accuracy. Since there are approximately 150 data points on receipts, Sensibill counts on an R&D team of experts whose single mission is to extract receipt data and classify it.
Machine learning: An essential component
The R&D team specializes in machine learning techniques – deep learning, specifically – to read and understand receipts. This means identifying items, the categories items belong to, the merchant, the total and so on.
The idea is that as the machine continues to “learn” and become more complex, it will be able to recognize the item “Levi’s 501 jeans”, and categorize it as clothing or men’s apparel. Understanding the true identity of an item means that the machine can provide deeper, enriched insights.
Proprietary technology and advanced algorithms enable Sensibill to take full advantage of machines to perform work at a scale that is just not possible for humans.
Sensibill’s “machine” can also learn to understand historical and habitual purchases. With that information, users can track spending and budget, or banks can use it to present customers with appropriate advice or offers.
Anticipating needs
As the Sensibill system continues to learn and add layers to its hierarchical neural network, it will be able to discern increasingly complex information based on customers purchase data. Beyond identifying items, it will understand the meanings attached to common spending patterns until can perform basic inductive reasoning.
Ultimately, the Sensibill system will be able to predict a customer’s needs in real time based on changes in behavior, then alert customers to offers they need and want, maybe before they even know they need or want them. This capability will augment bank services profoundly.
How banks benefit
Sensibill developed its solution to work with banks concerned about fintechs disrupting the industry and eroding their customer bases. The solution has been built from the ground, with security in mind, and offers a robust experience.
Banks often do not employ subject matter expertise outside their core offerings, so rather than try to build something like this on their own, they can partner with Sensibill. Incorporating the receipt management solution into its service greatly improves a bank’s ability to serve and retain customers.
Sensibill credits its ability to work well with banks to its receipt management solution running on IBM Cloud. Banks trust IBM and its solid expertise in the financial services industry.
Read about other IBM clients who built their success on the IBM Cloud here.
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Quelle: Thoughts on Cloud