Embracing open standards was the key to Intel’s dominance in the PC and server platforms years ago. And now, it appears, Nvidia is following in Intel’s footsteps in the machine learning and AI industry with its Volta architecture.

A NetworkWorld article calls out the similarities this way: “Intel won its dominance in PC and server platforms by working on open standards for interfacing with other comment makers, such as memory and hard drives, and publishing reference specifications to guide systems makers such as Dell, Lenovo, and many smaller manufacturers to design systems optimized for price and performance for PC and server use cases. Looking at the Volta Architecture white paper, this is exactly Nvidia’s approach but a different use case: neural networks.” The article then goes into further details around the definition of neural networks and their use within the machine learning and AI realms.

Using open standards will encourage the development of use cases that are not siloed. Currently, use cases are “often open source and available to an enterprise, but they may not apply to an enterprise’s use case. Enterprise machine learning experts and data scientists will have to start from scratch with research and iterate to build new high-accuracy models.”

Through the principles of open standards, market-driven standards can be developed that are global and open. They will enable standards that will drive innovation for the benefit of humanity.

With the continued growth in AI and machine learning, these types of borderless standards are critical to continue that growth for the benefit of all. With that idea in mind, Nvidia can likely see the same level of industry leadership Intel has enjoyed.

What are your thoughts on Nvidia and the use of open standards in AI and machine learning?

The post Can Nvidia’s use of Open Standards Save the Service Business? appeared first on OpenStand.

When it comes to what will most impact the Internet in the next five to seven years, the answers, according to a recent report, will be Artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and cyber threats. The report author, The Internet Society (ISOC), a nonprofit focused on the open development, evolution and use of the internet and an OpenStand Affirming Partner, predicts a mix of promise and uncertainty as we move toward the digital future, and makes recommendations for safeguarding the internet for the next generation.

The 2017 Global Internet Report pulled out six specific drivers in these influencers but is careful to point out how interconnected they all are.

1. The Internet and the Physical World (meaning the IoT)
2. Artificial Intelligences
3. Cyber Threats
4. The Internet Economy
5. Networks, Standards & Interoperability
6. The Role of Government

Each of these areas is explained in further detail in an article in The Journal. One of the most interesting parts of the report revolves around the report’s recommendations. They include:

• Put users’ interests first with respect to their own data;
• Act now to close digital divides
• Take a collaborative approach to security;
• Build strong, secure, resilient networks;
• Address the need for online social norms; and
• Empower people to shape their own future.

In looking at the phrasing and intent of each of these recommendations, these recommendations are all very similar to our own Modern Paradigm for Standards.

Sally Wentworth, vice president of global policy for the Internet Society, said in a statement about the report, “Our extensive research clearly shows that just as when the Internet Society was founded 25 years ago, people believe that the internet’s core values still remain valid — that it must be global, open, secure and used for the benefit of people everywhere in the world.” The full report can be found on the Internet Society site.

Do you agree with the report’s findings? Let us know! Leave your thoughts or questions in the comments below.

The post What Will Shape the Internet in the Years to Come? appeared first on OpenStand.

Earlier this fall, British multinational telecommunications company Vodafone made the decision to join the Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP) Project as a Platinum member. By joining this effort, Vodafone lends the software-based effort increased legitimacy by offering its perspective as a major global service provider that deploys SDN and NFV across a wide network of customers.

The new addition of the London headquartered company adds continued momentum and growth to the ONAP Project as well as increases recognition for the real value of open networking. This action further underscores the service provider’s dedication to a continued commitment to open standards and open source.

In a press release, Arpit Joshipura, general manager of The Linux Foundation, stated: “With Vodafone and so many other global telecom companies investing in ONAP so early on, the project is incredibly well-positioned to swiftly deliver a common platform for rapidly designing, implementing and managing differentiated services.”

Vodafone joins 17 other global service providers and technology leaders that are platinum ONAP members, including Amdocs, AT&T, Bell, China Mobile, China Telecom, Cisco, Ericsson, GigaSpaces, Huawei, IBM, Intel, Jio, Nokia, Orange, Tech Mahindra, VMware and ZTE.

This also serves as yet another example of industry movement towards open standards. From telecommunications to manufacturing – as more and more industries are seeing the benefits of open standards, true momentum in technology can occur.

If you’re curious to learn more about our perspective on open standards, check out our infographics.

The post Vodafone Validates Open Standards Commitment By Joining ONAP Project appeared first on OpenStand.

When it comes to the Internet of Things (IoT), there is no more prevalent concern than security. And that concern holds water. According to Gartner Research, there are an estimated 8.4 billion IoT devices in use and the company expects that number to exceed 20 billion by the year 2020. With those sorts of numbers, security should stay at the forefront.

But, as pointed out in a recent article from Nextgov, the industry lacks universal cybersecurity standards for the internet-connected devices it creates. Some lawmakers believe that by “adopting cybersecurity standards for the internet-connected devices it purchases, the federal government can drive the tech industry into building safer and better-protected products for the internet of things.”

The federal government in the United States holds an incredible amount of influence in addressing this cybersecurity disparity. They believe the root cause is a lack of incentive to spend time and resources on safe products with a high level of security. Considering they are one of the bigger customers in this space, their opinion brings weight. As such, there is legislation in the Senate that would require IoT devices to meet a number of basic cyber hygiene and security standards before federal agencies can purchase them. The hope is that this legislation will push IoT development companies to ensure their product security is up to snuff to win those federal contracts.

According to Nextgov, in a meeting to discuss what these guidelines should look like, “Witnesses stressed device patching as one of the most important aspects of IoT cybersecurity. Many devices on the market lack the basic capability to have software and systems updated to close any exploitable security holes, said Ray O’Farrell, chief technology officer at VMware. A simple patching requirement would’ve completely eliminated the WannaCry malware attack that crippled hundreds of thousands of computers around the world, he noted.”

While there is no way to secure every device from every attack, being able to catch the majority of problems and having the ability to catch and fix them as they arise is an obviously critical step.

Regular readers of this blog know that we’ve touted time and again (link to IoT security blogs) the need for top-level security with IoT devices. And we believe the best way to find that security it through standards developed in an open and transparent forum – particularly if it abides by the Modern Standards Paradigm.

How do you feel about the government’s involvement in IoT device security? Will it help or hinder the cause? Leave your thoughts below!

The post What is the Federal Government’s role in IoT Security? appeared first on OpenStand.

What keeps internet experts up at night when it comes to security and privacy fears for the internet and its future impact on civilization? Well, the short answers include a catastrophic worldwide cyber-attack, the emergence of an IoT-enabled surveillance state, and the weakening of encryption.

These were the answers given by internet experts when polled about the new 2017 Global Internet Report, a work published by the nonprofit Internet Society (ISOC) that is “the culmination of an 18-month research project aimed at predicting what factors will most influence the internet’s evolution in the next five-to-seven years, and the impact of such changes.” To get an accurate interpretation of the landscape, the report data consisted of surveys of 3,000 ISOC members, professionals and partners in 160 countries.

The ISOC, a leading open standards advocacy group for internet technologies and OpenStand partner, wanted to get as accurate a look as possible into what the future holds for the internet and how we use it. An article from SC Media summed up the findings of the report this way:

“According to the study, stakeholders worldwide still believe that the internet’s benefits will continue to outweigh the risks in the coming years, transforming lives through the efficient delivery of critical services and revolutionizing industries across multiple sectors. But they also sense that the threat is growing, especially as businesses create new attack vectors by relying on a growing number of interconnected data sources.”

The report indicated that, in order to prevent these cybersecurity attacks, governments may look to scale back freedoms in the online world and seek to limit global internet connectivity in an attempt to maintain safety.

To combat that sort of situation, the report calls for “new accountability, incentive, and liability models to increase cyber-security readiness and reduce vulnerabilities but also to ensure end-user security.” The ISOC proposes to accomplish this through worldwide, multi-stakeholder collaboration to address these threats, as opposed to fragmented, unilateral efforts.

As it turns out, experts are keenly aware that there are more than a few things that go bump in the night out there in the internet world. But the way to shine a light and demolish those fears isn’t through retreating into separate corners, but rather open and transparent collaboration and cooperation.

What do you think about the latest report? Do you agree with the findings?

The post Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Internet? appeared first on OpenStand.

In the latest move towards a more open digital world, ACCESS and DTVKit have announced a collaboration that will offer open standards-based solutions. According to both organizations, this partnership will work to reduce development time by providing a pre-integrated Chromium browser and DVB components for HbbTV and HTML5 connected applications.

According to the press announcement, “Open standards are part of the ACCESS DNA, and we are excited to be partnering with DTVKit to extend the options for our browser customers’ connected entertainment platforms,” said Dr. Neale Foster, Managing Director and COO at ACCESS Europe. “Working alongside the DTVkit community enables DVB functionality to be more quickly integrated into connected entertainment devices enabling operators to focus on the areas that differentiate their products, such as compelling HTML5 based UIs, whole-home media redistribution and applications leveraging standards such as HbbTV.”

DTVKit is an independent not-for-profit-organization supported by members who provide subscription fees and expert software engineers to accelerate software development for the Digital Television market. ACCESS Europe is a provider of software solutions for connected TVs, set-top boxes in the connected home, cloud solutions, mobile phones, smartphones, tablets and automotive, digital publishing and networking markets.

These two powerhouse organizations understood that in order to continue to thrive in an ever more globally connected world, they had to provide better security and enhanced flexibility – something open standards can provide. As more and more industries see the benefits of open and transparent standards development framework, the better both the internet and its connected devices can work together.

If you are interested advocating for the OpenStand principles, display a site badge or infographic on your website.

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The sheer number of devices in today’s world create a unique challenge in terms of bandwidth. The increase of computers and mobile devices requires a solution that can manage that level of bandwidth efficiently and effectively. Enter software-defined networking.

Software-defined networking (SDN) is one of the most innovative technologies designed for network control and automation. As this technology moves forward, so does the need for standards to manage its potential and ensure security.

Backing up just a bit, SDN, as defined by an article from CIO Review means:

SDN technology is a unique approach to computer networking in which a network administrator can leverage a set of software tools to programmatically initialize, control, change and manage network behavior dynamically utilizing the open interfaces in the network. With an SDN application, network administrators can improve and change the methods in which network devices such as Routers, Switches and other components handle data packets. The application provides complete control of the network policies and rules with a centralized control panel.

The general consensus is that implementing SDN using open standards, or vendor neutral standards, allow those applications to work to seamlessly with and simplify the network design. In addition, the device is “independent on multiple, vendor-specific device and protocols.”

While SDN has immense potential, there are still challenges to overcome to survive in the modern cyber environment. To meet those challenges, a user-driven organization was developed known as the Open Network Foundation. The organization “promotes implementation of SDN through open standards where such standards are important for the networking industry to move ahead.”

One of the major initiatives of the group is to develop “various open standards, as well as vendor-neutral standards, for the communications interface defined between the control and forwarding layers of an SDN architecture.”

As more and more technological innovations develop to help navigate the complex world of the Internet and connected devices, the need for open standards to encourage that development in an appropriate way becomes clearer.

Belief in the necessity of open standards, and the mission of organizations like OpenStand, means a lot to those working daily to raise awareness about the need for open standards. You can advocate for open standards, as well, by joining our growing community of OpenStand Advocates. Also, check out our very own work surrounding 5G standards here.

The post Open Standards and the World of SDN appeared first on OpenStand.

Earlier this summer, Oracle, an American multinational computer technology company, made an announcement regarding the future of Java Enterprise Edition. They are considering moving Java EE technologies to an open-source foundation.

In a blog post, the technology giant stated that the move, “may be the right next step, in order to adopt more agile processes, implement more flexible licensing, and change the governance process.”

This decision is rooted in the fact that “Java EE is a hugely successful set of open standards for developing enterprise applications, but some Java EE enthusiasts and analysts have suggested it hasn’t kept up with developers’ preferences for lightweight frameworks, or with architectural trends.”

Oracle will continue to support Java EE implementations and any future implementations of Java EE 8. In addition, future evolution of Java EE technologies will also have the company’s participation. As the blog post also stated, “we believe a more open process, that is not dependent on a single vendor as platform lead, will encourage greater participation and innovation, and will be in best interests of the community.”

A recent article discussing the move pointed out those in the Java EE community had a growing concern that the Oracle was failing to properly care for the frame work. As such, they began suggesting the technology move away from Oracle to a foundation.

One of the most critical components of this argument are the increasing awareness of how important open source foundations is to the advancement of the technology as well as the public.

Open standards and open source, while different, still work towards similar goals of cooperation and empowerment across the Internet. As readers of this blog know, OpenStand Advocate at CISCO, David Ward, pointed out, “new Open Source Consortiums (OSS) are being started daily to expedite innovation, it’s important to acknowledge that the cycle time of an OSS and a Standards Development Organization (SDO) are fundamentally different.” But they can work to complement each other. moves like this one by Oracle are going to only serve to further the overall cause.

What do you think about this move by Oracle? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Oracle Making Moves Towards Open Source For Jave EE appeared first on OpenStand.

Another industry leader has used her voice to speak in favor of interoperability and open standards. This time, we hear from Diane Gongaware, vice president of U.S. public sector services at Cisco.

Recently, the executive at the technology giant spoke out about the massive amount of data that government agencies collect, protect, analyze and refine, particularly with the continued growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) transformation agencies: “Agencies must have a network that is ready for this new data age and be open to incorporating the new IoT data.”

In her article published earlier this summer in FedTech, Gongaware stated that government agencies should establish an information technology network that will work to “help them analyze and derive insights from large data workloads as a result of the adoption of internet-connected devices.” She then added that, “the network foundation must include interoperability and open standards so that multivendor solutions can work together and scale.”

Governments are increasingly relying on the data they collect to inform critical decisions for their citizens. Whether those are made from the battlefield or the boardroom, better data analytics can help these agencies make those decisions faster and with more data. Gongaware outlines three ways agencies across the world can do just that.

1. Create a Network that Provides Data Insight and Pervasive Security: Agencies should ensure the investments they make take advantage of these technologies and provide a roadmap for future growth.

2. Collaborate and Establish Governance Across the Community: City leaders need to understand not only where that data comes from, but also how to share it and create governance across agencies and the business community.

3. Work with Partners to Fill Talent Gaps: Whether through leveraging existing relationships or creating new ones, working with the IT industry can help fill existing talent gaps.

The overarching theme of Gongaware’s article is a focused energy on creating a collaborative IT culture and partnership. Open standards like those shaped by adherence to our five guiding principles create a culture of open sharing of information, allowing agencies to “choose network partners that meet agencies’ needs today and have the breadth to provide industry best practices and an innovation roadmap moving forward.”

While industry may move quicker than government in terms of technology, that doesn’t mean they can’t collaborate and partner in impactful ways to move forward intra- and interagency collaboration and governance.

If you agree with the principles of openness, transparency, accessibility, and market-driven standards adoption, we hope you’ll consider becoming an OpenStand Advocate. You can help spread the word by displaying a site badge or infographic on your website.

The post Can Open Standards Allow Feds to Get More From Their Data? appeared first on OpenStand.

Regular readers of this blog are certainly no stranger to the Internet of Things (IoT), where it’s going, and the potential standards-related issues that it will face in the future. And, it seems, those in the United States government are also acknowledging the critical need for standards in this area.

Homes are becoming increasingly “smarter” with the advent of new IoT devices. IoT devices can be anything from HVAC systems that change based on the time of day to a refrigerator that tells you when you’re low on milk – and where milk is on sale. While the concept of these types of intelligent devices that not only talk to the internet but also to each other sounds amazing, there are also new vulnerabilities that arise with the technology.

By allowing the internet into our lives through more than just computers and cell phones, we are also allowing more risk. And that’s where some members of the US Congress are stepping in. According to a recent article in Forbes:

“The question of cybersecurity on the internet of things is too huge an issue to address all at once. Senators working across two different parties are now working together to focus public attention on one of the most important aspects of this situation. It is the question of establishing proper security standards for the sale of IoT devices meant for use by government agencies. Senators Cory Gardner, Steve Daines, Mark Warner and Ron Wyden have sponsored a new legislation known as The Internet of Things Cybersecurity Act of 2017, which, among other things, aims to establish realistic standards with respect to security in connected devices sold to the federal government.”

This activity serves to even further underscore the need for established standards in this space to protect both innovation and security of the end user. These standards should, in our opinion, be shaped by adherence to the principles of the Modern Paradigm for Standards.

While the bill isn’t a cure-all to fix the issues of cyber security in IoT, it does, as the article says, go only so far as any legislation can go in the matter of security. “Security in the cyberworld is an ever-evolving term, one that requires constant and dedicated research impossible to be captured in pen and paper. The legislation in concern is not much of a safeguard in itself, but it is important inasmuch as it serves to bear evidence to the government’s growing concern for cybersecurity in the wake of an exceedingly large number of cyberattacks.”

What are your thoughts on this new legislative effort?

The post Security in the IoT – Is it time for the government to get involved? appeared first on OpenStand.