With this news, IBM Consulting, in collaboration with Microsoft, will focus on helping clients to implement and scale Azure OpenAI Service. The new IBM Consulting Azure OpenAI Service offering, which is available on Azure Marketplace, is a fully managed AI service that allows developers and data scientists to apply powerful large language models, including their GPT and Codex series. It aims to help businesses define an adoption strategy and an initial set of specific and value-add generative AI use cases.

In addition to the new offering, IBM and Microsoft have been collaborating around AI, leveraging IBM Consulting skills and Azure OpenAI Service to create potential solutions and address specific use cases, including:

• Procurement and source to pay: Together the companies are offering a solution that combines Microsoft Power Platform and Azure OpenAI Service to help businesses automate the highly manual and fragmented sourcing and procurement process as well as drive new insights about their supply chain. The solution is designed to improve operational efficiency, save time, and generate new actionable insights for users.
• Summarization and content generation: Financial institutions and banks are exploring how generative AI can accelerate the development of personalized content for their customers through summarization. For example, IBM Consulting and Microsoft worked on a use case in a hackathon with Julius Baer Group to efficiently process and summarize financial reports while automatically creating an audio version of the report.
• Streamline healthcare processes: IBM Consulting is leveraging Azure OpenAI Service to offer a solution that is designed to automatically ingest and analyze complex medical records and policy documents to help automate the prior authorization process. In addition, it is built to provide nurses and doctors with a virtual assistant to help collect information from patient records. The solution aims to help decrease the time needed to process prior authorization requests, reducing administrative burdens and improving the clinician experience.
• Enterprise search and knowledge base: For many organizations the information employees need to do their jobs is dispersed and siloed. Working together, IBM Consulting and Microsoft helped Wintershall Dea implement a knowledge extraction tool designed for information retrieval within vast knowledge bases. By integrating OCR and Microsoft Azure OpenAI, a user-friendly tool is created that eliminates the need for manual browsing, allowing users to effortlessly search for valuable insights.

“Businesses are looking for responsible ways to adopt and integrate multi-model generative AI solutions that augment the work their teams are doing in areas such as creative content and code creation, content summarization and search,” said Francesco Brenna, Global VP & Senior Partner, Microsoft Practice at IBM Consulting. “Our work with Microsoft is another example of IBM’s open ecosystem model designed to bring value to clients while helping them responsibly build and scale generative AI across their businesses.”

As part of the new solution, enterprise customers will also have access to IBM Consulting experts, including 21,000 data, AI and experience consultants, who can help them effectively implement generative AI models to advance their business transformation.

An open ecosystem approach to AI
IBM Consulting takes an open and collaborative approach to plan, build, implement and operate generative AI solutions that embrace multiple models on multiple clouds from industry leaders. An open ecosystem approach helps clients define the right models and the right architecture to deliver the desired outcomes. As part of this open approach, IBM Consulting works with clients across industries to assess their generative AI readiness, define the right strategies for their business and help them implement and responsibly govern generative AI in production.

Getting to enterprise AI at scale requires a human-centric, principled approach, and IBM Consulting helps clients establish guardrails that align with the organization’s values and standards, mitigates bias and manages data security, lineage and provenance.

Proven work, expertise and partnership momentum
To help clients prepare data to fuel their generative AI models, select IBM AI technology is currently available on the Azure Marketplace and can be deployed on Azure. Together we’re enabling clients to accelerate the impact of generative AI using their trusted data.

This work builds on recent momentum with IBM and Microsoft to help clients transform their businesses. IBM Consulting, which has a dedicated global practice focused on Azure Data and AI, has focused on training its consultants, who now have over 40,000 Azure certifications. Additionally, IBM Consulting brings expertise and capabilities to help Microsoft clients through its acquisition of Neudesic, which specializes primarily in Microsoft Azure.

IBM Consulting and Neudesic together were also recognized with Microsoft’s 2023 Partner of the Year Award in 13 categories. IBM Consulting is this year’s U.S. Partner of the Year Winner for GSI Growth Champion, which distinguishes IBM as the partner that’s demonstrated the most significant growth – a partner that best offers solutions aligned with Microsoft’s in driving digital innovation and cloud transformation for our joint customers in the U.S.

“Together, Microsoft and IBM are collaborating to deliver innovative solutions, that will help customers responsibly accelerate deployment of generative AI,” said Dinis Couto, GM Global Partner Solutions, Microsoft. “As a leader in the delivery of generative AI and data solutions, we believe that partners like IBM are critical to enabling customers successful use of generative AI to advance business transformation.”

IBM Consulting’s AI Capabilities
IBM Consulting recently announced its Center of Excellence for generative AI, which includes more than 1,000 consultants with specialized generative AI expertise ready to help accelerate its clients’ business transformations with enterprise-grade AI, including technology from Microsoft, IBM and other ecosystem partners.

The Center of Excellence stands alongside IBM Consulting’s existing global AI and Automation practice and leverages proven methods like the IBM Garage for Generative AI, where IBM consultants apply a comprehensive, collaborative method to help clients fast-track innovation in the emerging category of foundation models for generative AI. That includes rapid use case ideation and prioritization, an open, multi-model approach to selecting architectures and training, as well as fine tuning and scaling models to unique business needs.

IBM Consulting accelerates business transformation for our clients through hybrid cloud and AI technologies, leveraging our open ecosystem of partners. With deep industry expertise spanning strategy, experience design, technology, and operations, we have become the trusted partner to many of the world’s most innovative and valuable companies, helping modernize and secure their most complex systems. Our 160,000 consultants embrace an open way of working and apply our proven co-creation method, IBM Garage, to scale ideas into outcomes.

Learn more about our partnership with Microsoft here.

Find out more about how Julius Baer and Wintershall Dea are using AI here and here.

Statements regarding IBM’s future direction and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice and represent goals and objectives only.

About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs, and gain the competitive edge in their industries. More than 4,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

Source: IBM

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced that it has released an update for its “Try Galaxy” app, allowing non-Android smartphone¹ users to test drive the intuitive One UI 5.1.1 and explore features from the new Galaxy Z Flip5 and Z Fold5. To fully showcase the benefits of the Galaxy Z Fold5’s immersive screen, the updated Try Galaxy app also offers a new feature that uses two connected phones to simulate the foldable experience.

Introducing the Galaxy Z Flip5 and Z Fold5
After downloading the Try Galaxy app, users can learn from helpful tutorials and explore the apps and widgets as if experienced on a Galaxy phone’s home screen. They can also sample other innovative and unique functions available through Samsung Galaxy. In particular, the newly enhanced app highlights key features of the Galaxy Z Flip5, Z Fold5 and One UI 5.1.1:

• FlexCam Experience: Users can explore the Galaxy Z Flip5 and Z Fold5’s FlexCam mode. Through the app, users can experience how these foldable devices unlock new capabilities by capturing memorable moments in a variety of creative angles. With the biggest cover screen in the Galaxy Z Flip series, Galaxy Z Flip5 also enables quick and easy-to-check selfie experiences.
• Immersive Screen and Seamless Multitasking: Users can connect two devices to create one connected screen, which simulates Galaxy Z Fold5’s robust, big-screen experience. Through video demonstrations, users can view video content on an immersive full screen. They can also experience powerful productivity through enhanced drag and drop features, enabling seamless multitasking when moving content between screens. 
• Connected Ecosystem: Users can learn what the Galaxy ecosystem has to offer, including Quick Share between near and far away devices, Samsung Health’s body composition data when paired with a Galaxy Watch and the many other exciting possibilities on offer with Galaxy devices. All of this is showcased through the seamless One UI 5.1.1.

Availability 
The Try Galaxy app has been downloaded more than seven million times since its launch in 2022. To reach more non-Galaxy users worldwide, Try Galaxy now supports 20 languages, having added Korean, Czech, Hungarian, Latin American Spanish and Russian². The application is available for download through a simple QR code scan.

To explore the many benefits of switching to Galaxy, visit www.trygalaxy.com.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. 
Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at news.samsung.com.

¹ “Try Galaxy” app operates only with Safari on iOS devices launched on and after September 16, 2016.
² The app has supported Arabic, Chinese(CN/TW), English, French(FR/CA), German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Vietnamese, and now offers 5 more languages including Czech, Hungarian, Korean, Latin American Spanish, and Russian. 

Source: Samsung

Experts from the University of Nottingham’s School of Computer Science have been awarded almost £700,000 funding from EPSRC to lead a project to enhance understanding of SMEs’ cyber security support needs and their ability to address them.

The research aims to establish pilot Cyber Security Communities of Support (CyCOS), bringing together SMEs and advisory sources for practical help and support.  The UK Cyber Security Breaches Survey indicates that half of small and a third of micro businesses experienced breaches or attacks in the last year. Whilst they do seek external guidance in relation to cyber security, they do so via a huge range of sources, and often find themselves overwhelmed with information and unable to understand the advice.

The research team includes Dr Maria Bada from Queen Mary University of London and Dr Jason Nurse from the University of Kent and is led by Steven Furnell, Professor of Cyber Security at the University of Nottingham.

Businesses know there is a need to protect themselves from cyber attacks, but knowing just how to do this and where to go for trusted help can be a minefield. We want to make the process of accessing help easier and more targeted. Our research will improve understanding of SME needs and the perspective of those that they turn to for support. We will then use these insights as a foundation for the design and evaluation of a new and more accessible model for support with the Communities of Support pilots.

Steven Furnell, Professor of Cyber Security at the University of Nottingham

The research will investigate the support needs of small businesses, to establish their current understanding and confidence around cyber security, and their awareness and perceptions of available support. The investigation will seek to determine the scenarios in which cyber security advice is sought (e.g. during product evaluation, at point of purchase, in response to threats and incidents), and whether it is deemed effective.

The project will also analyse support routes available to these businesses, focusing on the coverage and consistency of advice, as well as the confidence and capacity of those providing it.

Research findings will be used to establish three pilot CyCOS which will include the creation of an online Support Broker, enabling the SMEs to identify support needs and contact advisory sources positioned to help them (which, as the community develops and grows in experience, may include peer support from other SMEs). The project offers upskilling opportunities for advisors and interested SMEs, via foundational cyber security certification to increase their related knowledge and capability.

The research is supported by strong industry collaboration, with partners including the Home Office, (ISC)2, IASME, the Chartered Institute of Information Security, the Centre for the New Midlands, and three regional Cyber Resilience Centres.

Professor Furnell adds: “This project is an exciting opportunity to plug a gap that exists in cyber security for SME’s. We hope that if successful the CyCOS model could be rolled out nationally and become a vital tool in the fight against cyber attacks.”

Source: University of Nottingham

Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) showcased the exciting momentum of the all-new Adobe Express, announcing the general availability for desktop web. The latest version of the AI-first, all-in-one content creation app with Firefly beta generative AI capabilities is revolutionizing creative expression, making it fast, easy and fun for users of all skill levels to design and share standout content.

The groundbreaking innovations in Express bring the power and precision of Adobe’s popular photo, design, video, document and generative AI tools into a new AI-first, all-in-one editor, making tasks like creating stunning social video content, touching up images, importing, editing and decorating PDFs and laying out amazing designs, fast and easy.

Express is being used by millions of users globally—spanning all skill levels—to create captivating social content, compelling videos, visually stunning PDFs, digital cards and flyers, engaging book reports and resumes, and much more. Available globally and with Firefly generative AI now supporting prompts in 100+ languages, it’s even easier for Express users to generate high-quality images, create stunning text effects, streamline workflows and improve productivity in their language of choice, all within Express. These new AI-driven features are available now on desktop web, with plans to bring the latest version of Express to mobile soon.

“With groundbreaking innovations and generative AI at the core of Express, we’re empowering an ever-expanding user base with an AI-first, all-in-one tool that makes content creation fast, easy and fun,” said Govind Balakrishnan, senior vice president, Adobe Express and Digital Media Services at Adobe. “The all-new Express is revolutionizing how people turn ideas into stunning content and we’re just getting started with exciting innovations across image creation, design, video, audio, PDFs and more still to come.”

Express for Creative Cloud Members

Whether you’re a student, creative professional, communicator, small business or enterprise, Express is right for you. Creative Cloud memberships include the full paid version of Express Premium. CC members can easily access, edit and work with creative assets from Photoshop and Illustrator directly, or add linked files into Express that always stay in sync across apps. Users can also import and enhance PDFs quickly and easily in Express, adding eye-catching text, images, backgrounds, brand logos and more to uplevel any document. Express enables users to collaborate in real-time, and quickly create content for social media or concept approval, all while empowering teams to stay on brand.

Express in Enterprises

For enterprises, Express bridges workflows between creative professionals and marketers through integrations into Creative Cloud applications as well as Experience Manager, Adobe’s world-class CMS solution in Adobe Experience Cloud. Seamless integrations democratize creativity beyond design teams, and enable organizations to create, collaborate and deliver content velocity at scale. With Express and Firefly for Enterprise, any employee across an organization can generate beautiful, ready-to-share content.

“Adobe Express has empowered our creatives to focus on high-impact, high-value work while equipping other teams with a powerful but easy-to-use design tool. We can bypass repetitive, manual tasks and save time without compromising our brand or creative output,” said Bridget Esposito, vice president and group creative director at Prudential Financial.

“Ensuring that our brand is represented correctly and coherently in the digital world is paramount, and a task that is distributed across many of our global teams. With Adobe Express, we’re creating outstanding and brand uniform content in a way that’s scalable,” said Christina Lehnert, digital brand experience manager at Carl Zeiss AG.

Creativity for All

Small and medium business owners, solopreneurs, social media influencers, students and more can now easily plan, schedule, preview and publish standout content, all from one place. More than 56M students and educators around the world already have access to Express to collaborate in real-time to create stunning digital portfolios, shared projects, flyers, flashcards, animated videos and more.

Latest Innovations in Express

• New all-in-one editor gives users the ability to make high-impact design elements, engaging videos and images, stunning PDFs, animation and standout content ready for Instagram, TikTok and other social channels and platforms.
• Firefly integrated into Express makes it possible to quickly generate custom images and text effects from text prompts in over 100 languages and designed to be safe for commercial use.
• Deep workflows with Creative Cloud apps allow users to easily access, edit and work with creative assets from Photoshop and Illustrator directly within Express, or add linked files that always stay in sync across apps.
• New video, multiple page templates and design elements bring even more inspiration to the largest collection of beautiful, high-quality content, now with nearly 200 million assets including video and design templates, royalty-free Adobe Stock images, video and audio assets, almost 22,000 fonts, plus more icons, backgrounds and shapes.
• PDF support in the new all-in-one editor makes it even easier to import, edit and enhance documents to create visually stunning PDFs.
• More AI-power helps creators to take the guesswork out of design, and quickly find the perfect addition to content or get personalized template recommendations that fit unique styles, to create social media posts, videos, posters, flyers and more.
• Quick actions like remove background in images and videos, animate a character using just audio, convert to GIF and edit PDFs, makes it even easier to create standout content quickly and simply.
• Real-time co-editing and seamless review and commenting capabilities add speed to the creation process.
• Animations like Fade In, Pop, Flicker, Bungee bring text, photos, videos and assets to life in a new way. With Animate from Audio, powered by Adobe Character Animator, watch characters come to life with lips and gestures syncing to recorded dialogue.

Availability

Users can access Express for desktop for free with plans to bring the latest version of Express to mobile soon. For existing Creative Cloud members, the Express Premium plan is included. The Express and Firefly enterprise offering is now available.

Source: Adobe

Samsung is bringing select features from the latest One UI to previous generations of devices¹ through a new update. This landmark release is part of the company’s ongoing mission to enhance the Galaxy ecosystem to help maximize users’ mobile productivity and entertainment experiences. The update will help bring the leading innovations launched on the Galaxy Z Fold5, Z Flip5, Tab S9 series and Watch6 series to more users around the world.

In order to provide a more seamless and enhanced device experience to users, the One UI 5.1.1 software update will come to Galaxy Z Fold4 and Z Flip4 devices starting this month, with Z Fold3, Z Flip3, Z Fold2 and Z Flip devices receiving the update sequentially. Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+, Tab S8 Ultra, Tab S7, Tab S7+, Tab S7 FE, Tab S6 Lite, Tab A8, Tab A7 Lite, Tab Active 3 and Tab Active 4 Pro users are also set to enjoy several new user-centric features as part of the One UI 5.1.1 update. In addition, Galaxy Watch5, Watch5 Pro, Watch4, and Watch4 Classic users will experience key updates from the One UI 5 Watch update.

Read on to learn more about how these latest updates are set to deliver a whole new level of innovation and productivity direct to your fingertips.

Open Up New Ways to Interact With Your Device

One UI 5.1.1 helps Galaxy Z Flip4 and Z Fold4 users enjoy their favorite media and content easier than ever with Flex Mode², thanks to a range of enhanced features and functionalities.

This upgrade now makes it simpler for you to show or hide your Flex Mode Panel. When folding your phone in Flex Mode², the panel’s icon will float up the screen, allowing you easy access. Enjoy a more personalized Flex Mode Panel experience by simply dragging and dropping the icon on the toolbar. This customizable panel provides users with easy access to features such as Multi Window3, touchpad, screen capture and more.

With the new update, the media play bar button – complete with a 10-second fast forward and rewind and features access – is showcased in one convenient place when the Flex Mode Panel activates. You can also press down for easier scrubbing through your media’s progress bar. When you’re enjoying a movie in Flex Mode², you can make the most of your favorite content by rewinding or fast-forwarding with just a single tap with your personalized Flex Mode Panel Tool Bar. Or, you can open a new Multi Window³ to reply to a message or browse for reviews online, all without interrupting your viewing.

Do More At Once For More Versatile Device Experiences

The multitasking experience for foldables and tablets is set to improve. While enjoying a video using your Galaxy Z Fold4, Z Flip4 or Tab S8, you can easily open Samsung Internet in a pop-up window to search for something, all while your content still plays. When you’re done browsing, the window can be easily dragged to the edge of the screen, where it will now snap seamlessly into place. If you want to access Samsung Internet again, simply tap the pop-up to open the window to its previous location.

Intuitively switch from the pop-up window to Multi Window³ by pressing and holding the handle at the top of the pop-up window. The new update supports more effortless launch and control of your screen, allowing you to seamlessly switch to split view and easily control your screen through a simple long-press of the pop-up view handle.

Two-handed drag and drop⁴ is now supported on your foldable and tablet’s main screen, allowing you to open your desired app with one hand and then use the other to drag a file, app icon or other item into your target folder or location. This update makes it even quicker to seamlessly share multiple photos from your Gallery with a friend via a messaging app.

With the latest update, Galaxy Z Fold4 and Tab S8 users can unlock next-level productivity for both work and play thanks to innovative additions to the Taskbar⁵. Now, the Taskbar⁵ enables lightning-fast task switching with access to up to four recent apps.

Take Your Wellness Journey To The Next Level And Express Yourself With Galaxy Watch⁶

The One UI 5 Watch update is bringing more personalized wellness features⁷ designed to help you achieve a healthier you, as well as more customizable style options that are able to match perfectly with your lifestyle, to the Galaxy Watch5 and Watch4 series.

With the upgraded sleep management feature⁸, users are able to better understand their personal sleep patterns through a more intuitive UI with detailed analysis of Sleep Score Factors⁹, Sleep Consistency and Sleep Animal Symbols¹⁰. Users can also access Sleep Coaching¹⁰ right from their wrist, empowering them to track their progress more conveniently and stay motivated throughout the day.

Furthermore, maintaining a sleep-friendly environment is important for a restful night of sleep. When it’s time for bed, your Galaxy Watch can help set the optimal sleep environment by automatically adjusting the settings of connected home devices¹¹. In addition, when Sleep Mode is turned on, the invisible LED infrared sensor on the watch activates to minimize even the smallest of distractions.

The One UI 5 Watch update empowers you to enjoy personalized fitness tools that allow you to set your own fitness goals – and to achieve them. The Personalized Heart Rate zone feature analyzes your physical capabilities¹² and establishes five optimal running intensity levels, and in addition to the existing more than 100 existing workout trackers, you can now record your runs on the track with Track Run and even build and track your own workout routine with the Custom Workout feature. For Galaxy Watch5 Pro users, even more enhanced GPX features¹³ are available, with users now able to explore and conquer new routes more conveniently through the GPX File Database¹⁴. In addition, you can easily search and download various GPX route files around your location. The Route Workout feature has expanded to support running and walking as well as hiking and cycling.

Galaxy Watch users are set to experience even more enhanced health monitoring thanks to the Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification (IHRN)¹⁵ feature. IHRN is now available to these Galaxy Watch5 and Watch4 series users¹⁶, providing them with more comprehensive heart health insights.

What’s more, Galaxy Watch5 and Watch4 users have access to an even greater selection of stylish and informative watch faces¹⁷ able to perfectly match their style and goals. Coming this fall, Galaxy Watch Active2 and Galaxy Watch3 users, too, will be able to enjoy some of these new watch faces – Stretched time and Perpetual – in order to express themselves with style.

Enhanced Galaxy Ecosystem Experience¹⁸

The latest One UI update is optimizing smartphone camera control for users. With the addition of a dedicated quick access button on your Galaxy Watch, you can more easily remote control your paired Galaxy Z Flip4’s camera directly from your wrist to seamlessly switch camera modes and even zoom in or out.

¹ The term ‘previous generations of devices’ refers to those models released prior to the release of Galaxy Z Fold5, Z Flip5, Tab S9 and Watch6 series. The One UI update is supported on the following generation devices as follows: Galaxy Z Fold: Z Fold4, Z Fold3 and Z Fold2 models. Galaxy Z Flip: Z Flip4, Z Flip3 and Z Flip. Galaxy Tab: Tab S8, Tab S8+, Tab S8 Ultra, Tab S7, Tab S7+, Tab S7 FE, Tab S6 Lite, Tab A8, Tab A7 Lite, Tab Active 3 and Tab Active 4 Pro. Galaxy Watch: Watch5, Watch5 Pro, Watch4, and Watch4 Classic. The software update will come first to Galaxy Z Fold4, Z Flip4, Tab S8 series and Watch5 series first and then will become available sequentially to previous generations.

² Flex Mode is supported at angles between 75° and 115°.

³ Certain applications may not support Multi Window or App Pair.

⁴ Certain applications may not support two-handed drag and drop.

⁵ Taskbar feature supported on the main screen only.

⁶ Feature availability and support may vary by market, carrier and model.

⁷ Intended for general wellness and fitness purposes only. Not intended for use in the detection, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring or management of any medical condition or disease. Any health-related information accessed through the device and/or its applications should not be treated as medical advice. Users should seek any medical advice from a physician. Certain features may vary by market, carrier or the paired device.

⁸ Sleep features are intended for general wellness and fitness purposes only. The measurements are for your personal reference only. Please consult a medical professional for advice.

⁹ Displayed on a paired smartphone.

¹⁰ Requires sleep data of at least 7 days, including 2 days off.

¹¹ Available on smart devices that are registered to SmartThings. Requires the latest version of Samsung Clock and SmartThings mobile apps.

¹² In order to update the ranges of each heart rate zone for running based on cardiopulmonary capabilities, the user is required to run outdoors for more than 10 minutes at a constant speed of 4km/h or faster.​​​​​​​

¹³ GPS function requires internet connection. Can be used on LTE models without paired smartphone. Non-LTE models require Bluetooth connection to their paired smartphone.

¹⁴ The features are supported via the Samsung Health mobile app.

¹⁵ Availability of Irregular heart rhythm notification (IHRN) feature may vary by country or region due to restrictions in obtaining approval as a software medical device. Only works on watches and smartphones purchased in the countries where service is currently available. Not intended to provide notification on every episode or irregular rhythm suggestive of AFib and absence of notification is not intended to indicate no disease process is present. Not intended for users with other known arrhythmias or users under 22 years old. Users should not interpret or take clinical action based on the predictions made without consultation of a qualified healthcare professional. Supported via the Samsung Health Monitor app.

¹⁶ The IHRN feature update on Galaxy Watch5 and Watch4 series starts from Korea and the U.S. and will be progressively expanded to other markets.

¹⁷ Availability may vary by market or model.

¹⁸ Availability may vary by market, model and connected devices.

Source: Samsung

“Lenovo is the leading provider of omniverse and OVX in the cloud and on prem,” said Kirk Skaugen, President of Lenovo Infrastructure Solutions Group. “With the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR675 V3 powered by the new NVIDIA L40S GPU, Lenovo is further extending our omniverse leadership into generative AI, helping businesses implement next generation AI, immersive metaverse simulations, and cognitive decisions at scale.”

The new NVIDIA L40S GPU is a powerful, universal data center GPU designed to deliver breakthrough multi-workload acceleration for AI inference and training, graphics, and video applications. The versatile capabilities of the L40S GPU make it the premier platform for accelerating AI workloads with  NVIDIA AI Enterprise, an enterprise-grade, end-to-end software platform for generative AI, and powering industrial digitalization with the NVIDIA Omniverse platform.

“Combining the power of Lenovo and NVIDIA technologies will elevate generative AI and industrial digitalization to the next level,” said Bob Pette, vice president of professional visualization at NVIDIA. “Creative and professional teams can tap into the new L40S GPUs to accelerate their workloads and revolutionize how they interact with the world.”

The L40S delivers breakthrough multi-workload acceleration for large language model (LLM) inference and retraining, graphics, and video applications. As the premier platform for multi-modal generative AI, the L40S GPU provides end-to-end acceleration to power the next generation of AI-enabled audio, speech, 2D, video, and 3D applications. The L40S will also be a key component for the next generation of NVIDIA Omniverse OVX 3.0 platforms delivering the highest fidelity and most accurate digital twins.

Lenovo is well positioned for supporting the L40S with many servers in the line-up optimized for the new GPUs. As fully simulated digital replicas of entire buildings, factories, distribution centers, retail stores or cities, digital twins are combined with generative AI to improve business processes and design outcomes. Lenovo is extending its collaboration with NVIDIA on its NVIDIA OVX system from building and operating virtual worlds to generative AI, delivering powerful performance for AI workloads in the data center.

The ThinkSystem SR675 V3, the leading platform supporting the OVX architecture, features up to eight NVIDIA L40S GPUs to maximize performance and deliver the most advanced ray tracing with NVIDIA RTX-accelerated graphics and AI capabilities in a robust and scalable platform, allowing customers to explore and unlock the full potential of generative AI. The Lenovo ThinkSystem SR675 V3 is the most versatile, accelerated computing platform on the market with three server configurations in one, including support for NVIDIA HGX A100 4-GPU systems with NVIDIA NVLink technology and Lenovo Neptune hybrid liquid cooling, as well as 4- or 8-GPU configurations, featuring NVIDIA L40S, NVIDIA H100 PCIe 80GB or NVIDIA H100 NVL 94GB servers in a compact 3U footprint.

Together, these advancements serve to simplify the rollout of AI, making it accessible to organizations of all sizes and enable transformative intelligence across all industries. This builds on Lenovo’s major investments in AI solutions and infrastructure and implementation of the technology across both offerings and operations.

Source: Lenovo

This will also support IBM’s strategy of offering both third-party and its own AI models. Currently in watsonx.ai, AI builders can leverage models from IBM and the Hugging Face community, which are pre-trained to support a range of Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks including question answering, content generation and summarization, text classification and extraction.

The future availability of Llama 2 in watsonx.ai will be another milestone on IBM’s generative AI roadmap and is expected to be followed by the coming releases of its AI Tuning Studio, additional AI models in watsonx.ai, and FactSheets in watsonx.governance.

IBM is committed to keeping trust and security principles at the forefront as it continues to roll out its generative AI capabilities. For instance, when users run the Llama 2 model through the prompt lab in watsonx.ai, they can toggle on the AI guardrails function to help automatically remove harmful language from the input prompt text as well as the output generated by the model. Meta also provides an account of their fine-tuning methodology used in their large language models.

Furthermore, IBM Consulting has the expertise of 21,000 data, AI and automation consultants in addition to its Center of Excellence for Generative AI comprised of more than 1,000 consultants with specialized generative AI expertise. These experts can work with clients to help tune and operationalize models for targeted use cases aligned to their specific business requirements.

IBM, like Meta, is a supporter of open innovation. There is value in engaging a robust and diverse community of AI builders and researchers to test, share feedback and collaborate on these technologies to drive further innovation. We are excited to see what these innovators will build with Llama 2 and other models on the watsonx platform.

Statements regarding IBM’s future direction and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice, and represent goals and objectives only.

AI builders can explore watsonx.ai via the free trial: https://www.ibm.com/products/watsonx-ai

Source: IBM

However, implementing new software is only half the battle won. To harness the full potential of legal billing software and maximize its benefits, investing in comprehensive training for your staff is crucial. By empowering your team with the proper knowledge and skills, you can pave the way for a seamless billing workflow that minimizes errors, boosts productivity, and ultimately elevates client satisfaction.

In this blog, we will explore a range of invaluable tips and best practices to effectively train your staff on using legal billing software. From understanding essential features to navigating complex billing scenarios, we will equip your team with the expertise they need to harness the software’s capabilities fully.

What Is Legal Billing Software? 

Legal billing software is a specialized software designed to streamline and automate the billing and invoicing processes within law firms and legal practices. It is a powerful tool that enables lawyers, attorneys, and legal professionals to efficiently track their billable hours, expenses, and client matters, leading to accurate and transparent invoicing for the services rendered.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Effective Legal Billing Software Training

Setting your law firm up for billing success begins with comprehensive staff training on using legal billing software. Empower your team with these essential steps to efficiently navigate the software’s functionalities, deliver accurate invoices, and optimize client interactions.

Step 1: Comprehensive Software Familiarization

To ensure the success of your staff training, start by thoroughly understanding the legal billing software yourself. Familiarize yourself with all its features and functionalities, such as time tracking, invoicing, expense management, and reporting. Take the time to explore each aspect of the software and test its capabilities. This in-depth knowledge will equip you to answer any questions your staff may have during the training process and provide valuable insights into how the software can best serve your law firm’s specific needs.

Step 2: Tailored Training Sessions

Recognize that your staff members have diverse skill sets and varying levels of technological familiarity. Customize your training sessions to accommodate different learning styles and individual needs. Consider conducting small group sessions or one-on-one training to provide personalized attention. Creating a comfortable and conducive learning environment will encourage active participation and a greater willingness to ask questions or seek clarification.

Step 3: Hands-On Practice

Encourage hands-on practice during the training sessions. Give your staff access to the legal billing software and guide them through various billing scenarios. By actively engaging with the software and performing tasks, your team will gain practical experience and the confidence to use it efficiently in their daily responsibilities.

Step 4: Real-Life Billing Simulations

Prepare your staff for real-life client interactions by incorporating role-playing exercises and billing simulations. Create scenarios that mimic actual billing situations, such as drafting invoices, tracking billable hours, and responding to client inquiries. Through these simulations, your team can practice problem-solving and decision-making in a safe environment, enhancing their understanding of the billing process and building their competence.

Step 5: Emphasize Compliance and Ethics

Compliance with ethical billing practices and guidelines is paramount in the legal industry. During training, stress the significance of adhering to ethical standards, maintaining transparency in billing, and upholding the integrity of financial transactions. Teach your staff to accurately document time entries, expenses, and other relevant information to ensure accurate and reliable billing records.

Step 6: Utilize Support Resources

Supply your staff with comprehensive support resources like user manuals, video tutorials, and FAQs. These materials will serve as valuable references beyond the training sessions, helping your team members revisit concepts, troubleshoot issues independently, and reinforce their understanding of the software’s functionalities. This ongoing support will foster confidence and self-reliance among your staff when using the software.

Step 7: Ongoing Guidance and Feedback

Training should be a collaborative event; offer continuous guidance and support as your staff implements the legal billing software daily. Create an atmosphere of open communication to get the best out of your employees where staff feel comfortable seeking assistance and providing feedback. Regularly check in with your team, addressing any challenges they may encounter and offering constructive feedback to help them improve their proficiency.

Step 8: Monitor Progress and Recognize Achievements

Consistently monitor your staff’s progress with the legal billing software and recognize their achievements. Implement periodic evaluations or assessments to gauge their competence and identify areas for improvement. Celebrate milestones and acknowledge their efforts, fostering a positive and motivating work environment that encourages continuous growth and learning.

Final Thoughts 

Training your staff effectively using legal billing software is an invaluable investment in your firm’s success. Equipped with the right skills and knowledge, your team can streamline billing processes, deliver accurate invoices, and strengthen client relationships. By following our step-by-step guide, you can ensure that your staff can utilize the legal billing software, ultimately contributing to enhanced efficiency, increased client satisfaction, and a thriving law practice. As your team masters the art of legal billing software, your firm will remain at the forefront of the legal industry, delivering exceptional services and reinforcing its reputation as a reliable and efficient legal partner.

“As more of our stakeholders interact with brands through digital channels, and more brands continue to crowd digital spaces, the Infosys tune will serve as an auditory reinforcement of our unique brand identity. It will also help deepen the emotional connection our stakeholders have with Infosys by cueing in the promise of opportunity creation that is integral to our brand purpose,” said Sumit Virmani, EVP and Global Chief Marketing Officer, Infosys. “We aspire for the sound of Infosys to signal and be recognized as the sound of opportunity for all our stakeholders, across markets,” he added.

As a means to mark the debut of their sonic identity, Infosys activated a digital metaphor to demonstrate how the sound of Infosys can signal the sound of opportunity. The company has extended an invitation to all its stakeholders to unlock opportunities by engaging with its sonic brand here. Response, from the audience, will trigger transformative digital learning experiences for underprivileged students and graduate jobseekers in India.

For over 4 decades, brand Infosys has sought to truly live its purpose. Infosys has been recognized in BrandZ’s prestigious Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands list, ranked at #66. Infosys is also ranked among the top three most valuable IT services brands globally by Brand Finance, with a growth of 84 per cent in its brand value since 2020, as per Brand Finance Global 500 2023 report.

Source: Infosys

However, according to a 2016 survey, businesses lose $1.8 billion per year in potential revenue due to outdated technology. As older devices tend to run slower and need more frequent repairs, the costs begin to add up. Additionally, they are more prone to cyberattacks from hackers due to their lack of security updates.

Here is a list of common pieces of technology and how often they should be refreshed to avoid potentially losing money for your business.

Computer Hardware

According to Intel, small businesses should refresh their computer selection at least every five years. Desktop computers tend to last longer than laptops, whose portability can come with a trade-off in durability.

The study shows that, on average, the average five-year-old computer requires $662 per year in maintenance costs and can reduce employee productivity by 29%, which also reduces a company’s potential revenue.

Phones

On the mobile side, new devices are recommended every two to three years, which is also (probably not coincidentally) the average length of a cell phone contract. As cell phones age, they not only begin to slow down but they lose the ability to be updated to the latest software, which can make certain features or apps inaccessible.

A business phone service like VOIP or a traditional landline can last a bit longer, usually between five and seven years. Many businesses hold onto them for longer, which results in reduced functionality. Newer phones can handle text messages, for example, whereas most older models can’t, which can be an additional avenue for customers to reach your business.

Tablets

Tablet computers like the Apple iPad or the Samsung Galaxy Tab are also a staple of many businesses that are subject to reduced speeds and app incompatibility as time goes forward. Similar to laptops and cell phones, new tablets should be purchased either every three or four years or every other generation.

This is usually the amount of time before older software begins to sunset and these tablets cannot officially support the newest version of the device firmware, which will hamper their usefulness on the software side. For hardware, the newest devices will feature upgraded hardware and new features that older devices won’t support. This can also harm your business by possibly allowing competitors to receive an edge.

External Hard Drives

In addition to computers, many businesses should employ external hard drives as backups. If a computer is damaged or critical client files are accidentally deleted, having a backup on an external or network drive can solve most problems quickly and easily.

External, backup, and network drives should be replaced once every three years or so. The average lifespan for such a drive is roughly four years, but it’s better to replace it a few months early than a few months too late. Even the smallest amount of data loss can be potentially devastating to a business and could result in the loss of a customer or client.

How Old is My Device?

Ideally, a business should keep all invoices for its technology purchases, which will help ensure that devices are replaced promptly. However, that unfortunately isn’t always the case. Thankfully, there are a few other ways to determine a device’s age and ensure that it isn’t still being used towards the end of its lifecycle.

Every device will have a serial number, typically on the back or bottom of the device or within the “About This Device” settings on the software side. The manufacturer’s website should have a serial number lookup function that will give the approximate age of the device. Failing this, the item’s model number will reveal the exact date the product line was released, which can also be useful in determining age.

Summary and Conclusion

To avoid losing potential revenue and having to pay high maintenance costs for obsolete devices, it’s a good business practice to make sure that all devices are replaced within a few years of purchase. Doing so will actually save money in the long run and help make sure that your business can remain competitive against your rivals and increase employee happiness and productivity.