Intel Inside

By Audrey Plonk on March 11, 2016

the Board of Directors the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), approved the multistakeholder community’s proposal for transitioning oversight of the Internet’s addressing system from the US government to the global multistakeholder community. The Board approval followed approvals from ICANN’s chartering organizations. I want to congratulate the community for their tireless efforts in developing this proposal. The ICANN Board has sent the proposal to the National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) for their review and approval. These milestones are not only critical for the transition itself but a further endorsement of global multistakeholder Internet governance.

The proposal is comprised of two separate, but related, plans. The first part of the plan describes how the three communities of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) – Names, Numbers and Protocol Parameters – will operate and interface with ICANN directly. The second part of the plan includes an extensive set of reforms to ICANN’s governance structure to enhance the organization’s accountability to the global community. Intel has been deeply engaged in the development of the overall transition plan and we believe it meets the criteria outlined by NTIA in their announcement in 2014.

by GuestPost in Intel Health & Life Sciences on Mar 24, 2016 11:14:00 AM : by Charlotte Rasmussen  

Designed to help NGS scientists keep their sequencing pipelines running smoothly even at capacity — all while saving money and producing better results — our solution provides whole genome analysis for as little as $22 per genome. It meets the computational and analysis demands of Illumina’s HiSeq X Ten, but Intel’s 32-node offering can save researchers up to $1.3 million in total ownership costs compared to the 85-node cluster recommended by the vendor for a BWA+GATK variant calling pipeline.

Here’s a quick look at what makes our solution different:

Built-in analysis tools: The system uses Biomedical Genomics Server solution.

Scalability: Designed to scale on-demand for computing, networking, and storage, the cluster allows labs to manage capacity easily and cost-effectively.

Proven accuracy: While efficiency and cost-effectiveness is an important factor for NGS data analysis, accuracy in both variant calling and interpretation for the solution is proven to be among the best.

User friendly: The solution masks the complexity of cluster computing with the easy-to-use Biomedical Genomics Workbench.

Fast connection to data: We used a high-speed interconnect system based on Intel True Scale Fabric to link the compute nodes and centralized storage, providing up to 40 Gbps of bandwidth per port.

By Gregory Bryant on March 14, 2016

Starting today Open Labs, with support from Linkin Park, Intel, and Lenovo will launch a 12-month contest that will spotlight creative music enthusiasts, giving them the chance to win, like Zayed, a mentoring session in studio with the band.  Submitters—unsigned artists who create an original track for the contest—can upload their compilations to the Stagelight Monthly Music Contest II website, contest.openlabs.com.*

Each month focuses on a different music genre, therefore, any artist, regardless of style, can participate and win. Every month one first-place winner and one second-place winner will be announced. At the end of the contest—out of the monthly first-place winners—one grand prize winner will be chosen. The grand prize winner will spend the day in the studio with Linkin Park. They will also receive a technology package featuring a high-end Intel® Core™ i7 processor based Lenovo desktop system and enough gear to attain the ultimate studio experience in their own home.

A generation ago, a contest like this was impossible to conceive. But technology has made this the golden age for independent musical artists who want to innovate. Desktop PCs have never been more powerful and creative tools for music innovation. They offer the performance, storage and screen size needed for mixing multiple (sometimes dozens or even hundreds) of audio tracks. Intel is forging new frontiers in music, and, as a result deepening its connection to music technology as a whole.

Working with Linkin Park and getting to know the band has been an incredible experience. They love technology and have an amazing following among artists, gamers, and technophiles. What I’ve learned from our friends and partners at Linkin Park and Open Labs is that the power of creativity, combined with current technology—fast processors and great software—is overwhelming. This power will unleash the potential of current and future musicians and hit makers.

Posted by guest.writer in The Data Stack on Mar 14, 2016 11:04:07 AM

Scalability in today’s data center is increasingly achieved with horizontal, scale-out solutions, employing large quantities of servers. The usage model of scale-out infrastructure is drastically different than that of traditional enterprise data centers. Redfish, an open industry standard released in 2015, was designed to provide a new approach for simple, modern and secure management of scalable platform hardware and enable next-generation datacenter infrastructures.

Five leading companies in datacenter solutions – Dell, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel, Microsoft and VMware – are contributing to industry standard leadership efforts by extending the capabilities of Redfish. This work will support a Software Defined Infrastructure (SDI) where orchestration software can automate provisioning and configuration in multi-vendor and open source environments to meet application and operational policies.

Submitted by ylian-saint-hilaire (Intel) on March 8, 2016

Mesh Commander 0.1.6 was just released. This is the latest version of our next generation Intel® AMT software that is entirely built using web based technologies. In this version we made many more bug fixes but more importantly, we added Agent Presence support so that Intel AMT can now track and take actions based on applications running in the operating system. This is our first pass at Agent Presence support, so there is more features to be added moving forward. Still, this allows users of Web Commander to get stared with it.

Agent Presence allows an administrator to setup watchdogs (GUID’s) in Intel® AMT that will be tracked. When OS applications signal watchdogs at regular intervals, it indicates to Intel AMT that they are alive and working. When an application stops signaling, Intel® AMT can log and take actions based on state transitions. For this first version, we only support logging watchdog transitions, but more to come in the future.

By Jason Hoffman on February 17, 2015

This year’s CES 2015 has come and gone. If you were lucky enough to be there and see the amazing Intel booth, you probably heard a lot about user experience, or “UX” for short. That’s because Intel is searching for ways to improve the user experience. We’ve shown in the past a little Intel technology can go a long way toward taking something from “it kind of works” to it becoming a reliable, consistent, and usable solution. We decided to take a close look at it to find out how to make it the experience everyone wants. After a lot of research what we found is that there are really three main areas where the user experience is failing us, and each can be summed up with a single word:

Cables They’re everywhere. You need cables to connect your devices, cables to charge them, and cables to power them. If you have a laptop and you want to connect it to an external monitor you need a cable for that. If you want to add things like printers, hubs, and storage devices, you need cables for those. All of these cables add up to this jumbled mess that we have to take with us wherever we go.

Our research, again and again, has told us that the number one complaint from users was that they had too many cables. At home cables are an ugly nuisance…an inconvenience. On the go they’re even more of a problem. If you think needing to pack multiple chargers, network, and video cables is annoying, just think about how much of a problem it is when you forget to pack them. And even when you remember the cables, they can still be a hassle.

Think about the last time you stayed in a hotel. Now think about your experience when it came to plugging in and charging your devices. Odds are it could have been a whole lot better. Did you need more power outlets? Longer cables? An extra charger? How many cables did you have to pack for your trip? How much better would your trip have been without them?

Cables are clearly a problem when it comes to the user experience. So what are we doing about it? Intel has created a new vision we call “No Wires”. The goal of the vision is to eliminate all wires from the computing experience. We’re doing this through several different technologies:

We’ve already eliminated network wires through Centrino Wifi. You no longer need to plug in for a fast, reliable network connection.

We’re removing the cables for external monitors through our WiDi and WiDi Pro technologies. Connecting to a TV or monitor can now be as simple as clicking the mouse.

And finally, we’re eliminating power cables and charging adapters through the use of magnetic resonance wireless charging based on the A4WP standard. Instead of searching for an outlet and plugging in a cable to charge your device, or to power your laptop, you simply…set it down.

Passwords Passwords are, unfortunately, a necessary part of our lives. We use them as a lock to our digital world. But because we have so many devices, and so many online accounts and applications, our passwords can quickly become unmanageable. If we make them simple enough to memorize, they aren’t secure. If we make them complicated enough to be secure, they’re too hard to memorize or type into your mobile phone.

At Intel, we believe there needs to be an easier, safer way. Which is why we built True Key™ by Intel Security; with True Key™, YOU are the password. Unlock your apps and websites with things that are unique to you – like your facial features, a fingerprint or a device you own – making it easier for you to log in and stay in control of your online security, without the hassle of all your passwords.

You’re in control of your online security and you can add multiple layers of protection to your True Key™ profile. The more you add, the stronger your profile becomes. The True Key™ application also takes your current passwords and makes them stronger with its password generator, remembers them, and instantly logs you in to your websites and apps – so you don’t have to. You can sync True Key on all your phones, tablets and computers, so you’ll have access to your information wherever you go.

Joe W., March 4, 2016 

If you have yet to read through the previous steps we have outlined, please do so. There is quite a bit of valuable information to help make your project go smoothly.  In our final step in the process, Scaling to Production, we are going to look at what it truly takes to put a product on the market. You may have thought our previous steps were intricate, it can be equally so in going to market.

Scaling to Production can mean many things to many people. For some, it is about entering into a manufacturing process.  Others will see it as the steps necessary to build the product for eventual release. And some will see the process revolve around the intricacies of building an individual product.

While it can sound all quite similar, there is much to consider at this stage of the project.  Questions such as is it mass producible? Would people buy it? Do the features fulfill the solution within the market? Does the product function as planned?

Keys to Scaling

Below is a list of key aspects in regards to scaling up your prototype to a production level. While this list is not exhaustive, it is meant to make you think of the aspects that surround going into production.

Batch production

Materials availability

Manufacturing equipment

Quality control

Warehousing

Production environment

Support environment

Regulatory considerations

Product performance

Packaging

As you can see, this list is the tip of the iceberg in regards to the steps for going into production.  If you have expectations of large production runs, it may be a great time to find a consultant or specialist that understands how to bring a product to market with a focus on the final stages.

The beauty of the Intel® IoT platform is that it can scale to any project size simply and easily.  Intel maintains a Foundry group that supports manufacturers and their need for processors. Fulfilling large orders and customization are their specialties. The support that Intel provides makes all of their IoT technologies readily accessible.

In the last couple of years, the market has seen an influx of products from small companies with even smaller budgets.  These startups specialize in going quickly to market and maximizing resources. Look to this type of startup model to help your project along.

Product Release

There are some considerations to consider in regards to how to accomplish a product release. Previously we mentioned regulatory impact.  If your product works on a network, as most IoT devices do, you may need to look at meeting specific regulations and certify that aspect.  Also, meeting regulations one time doesn’t necessarily allow for a worldwide release.  There are times where you will struggle to be legal in a few select areas.

Product releases come in many shapes and sizes. Some phone releases, for instance, may need over 1 million devices ready to ship. Likewise, if your product is very specific to monitor and modify specialty equipment, it may not make sense to make a million of them, when there is just 10,000 machines to modify.

Product releases involve an audience of sorts. You may have a public and a corporate audience for instance. You may choose to perform a limited release to a select few corporations and wait for their implementation. This allows you to use the release as a test bed.  

Economies of Scale

A key in evaluating how production and product release will occur revolves around economies of scale.  Effectively, what are the cost advantages based on scale of production, size, output, and other factors that influence price and quantity made.

Performing a study to best estimate economies of scale is quite important. This can help you make decisions and build a road map in how to complete your project. Again, a specialist could be contacted for this portion, that will provide to you an accurate analysis of how to be efficient, and what elements will be necessary to do so.

Outsourcing

The dreaded word – outsourcing doesn’t necessarily have to be negative in this regards. Your group or company may not have the expertise or the capital necessary to enter into production.  Outsourcing production to a specialist is a valid solution.  That specialist may be domestic or foreign. Most importantly, a well written contract will ensure that the use of a specialty production resource works to your liking and parameters.

Perhaps it goes without saying, but outsourcing offers distinct advantages. From facilities costs, to overhead, to assembly and fixtures having an outside company perform these functions for you offers many advantages. From freeing resources, to delivering specifics within your product plan, having an outside company perform these duties is invaluable.

While we worked out a number of ideas and best practices in this blog article, there is much more to consider. Never rule out the use of outside consultants and specialty fulfillment companies to help your group achieve their goals. The effective use of your resources is more important now than it ever has been.

High Density Modular Test allows for cost saving in production

The Intel® IoT developer kit adds increased support

Posted by Raejeanne Skillern in The Data Stack on Feb 24, 2016 2:52:00 PM

The rise of the digital services economy demands a new generation of data center infrastructure, one that is software-defined and provides data center-wide resource pooling for efficiency. This next-generation architecture must be ready for the data rates of 5G networks and an ever-larger flood of bits and bytes from billions of connected devices and the Internet of Things.

This isn’t just talk of the future. This is a look at what is here today in the form of next-generation data center solutions that are in the spotlight this week at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016 in Barcelona.

In one of these solutions, Ericsson used the MWC event to showcase a new strategic partnership with Quanta Computer to scale the design, development, and manufacturing of an expanded, next-generation Ericsson Hyperscale Datacenter System 8000.

This Ericsson solution is based on a software-defined architecture that leverages key Intel technologies for the next-generation data center, including alignment to the Intel® Rack Scale Architecture and Open Compute Project (OCP) specifications. Ericsson plans to offer the forward-looking solution in both existing form factors and an OCP form factor, with all designs and component alternatives managed via a common software control plane.

To further accelerate the development of the Hyperscale Datacenter System 8000 solution and open architectures for hyperscale data centers, Ericsson has joined the Open Compute Project as a platinum-level member. The company is focusing its OCP efforts on hardware design for scale-out data center solutions that will drive the adoption of the Intel Rack Scale Architecture with open form factors.

This is a very powerful mix—best practices from the Open Compute Project and Intel® Rack Scale Architecture coupled with software-defined infrastructure to deliver advanced automation capabilities for the next-generation cloud data center. Put it all together and you’re poised to help companies capitalize on the opportunities brought by lightning-fast 5G networks and billions of connected devices.

Want to make this story even better? In another MWC announcement, Ericsson unveiled its plans to extend its cloud transformation services and infrastructure portfolio to leverage Amazon Web Services. Under a new global alliance, Ericsson and AWS will work together to accelerate cloud transformation for communication service providers by driving the convergence of mobile infrastructure and cloud.

Posted by YASHESH SHROFF in IT Peer Network on Feb 25, 2016 12:30:00 PM

One of the hottest business trends I’m happy to be in the thick of is the explosion of accelerator programs that help bigger companies mentor and encourage startups into something great. The need is huge, especially in the rapidly expanding IoT space. I’ve noticed that startups often host the most fascinating risk-takers and visionaries, and their energy and enthusiasm is easy to catch. They dream up disruptive products left and right, but often lack the resources to push their great ideas through the pipeline to actual products. Intel’s IoT Accelerator program helps to bridge that gap, and the results are already starting to show.

The gap is vast. A recent white paper entitled “Startups—The New Kings on the IoT Block” looks at trends in bringing new technology products to market. Co-written by Intel and Startup Bootcamp, the report highlights Intel’s growing collaboration efforts, especially with our European partners. Read it - you’ll follow a trio of startups we helped get to market, and gain insights into what the data says about future trends.

The IoT space could grow from 2 billion objects in 2006 to a projected 20 billion by 2020. Gartner has predicted that by 2017, 50% of IoT solutions will come from startups. About 44% of the startups reported working on a solution where the main platform is mobile, while 28% reported working on a hardware product, and 27% on a desktop solution. The average team size for the 100 startup companies reviewed was 5.4 members, of which just over 60% were engineers. And to show how new all this growth is, 40% of the companies had been working on their solution for just 6-12 months.

That’s a lot of new energy. But getting all those products and services to market won’t be easy. Findings from Intel® Labs, Intel research in UX (user experience), and notable workshops such as at the University of Salzberg all stress the importance of smoothing the path to market for new startups in order for the industry to realize its full potential.

By Guest Blogger on February 23, 2016

We highlighted the importance of edge based data management when addressing rapidly escalating remote and distributed data challenges. In this installment, we will distill key criteria to consider when evaluating an edge data management platform.

Criteria 1, Service level. Design and features that enable management of conflicting service levels and associated workloads is the most important criteria to evaluate for edge data management solutions. Edge data management systems must be connected to operational systems for data ingestion, which will invariably convey a critical service level requirement. At the same time, evolving data hungry application demands will bring a much broader connectivity surface to the edge ecosystem. Brokering this highly-secure and reliable data capture (control plane) service with a relatively wide-open “IT data broker” (data plane) requirement is an enormous challenge in an edge platform footprint. Highly secure, reliable, and able to deliver data to any application at any service level on-demand.

Criteria 2, Extensibility. Edge environments are characterized by limited resources and challenged by next-generation digital solutions with relatively unlimited demand. Edge data services must be portable across host devices (“nodes” at the edge), efficient enough for low power rugged systems, and span multiple generations of hardware as field-installed systems often have long deployment windows. This implies a separation between device and software that traditionally has not existed across industrial embedded ecosystems.

Additionally, data access and delivery protocols must conform to a myriad of user application requirements. This also implies OTA delivery of updates and upgrades to ensure long-term compatibility with rapidly evolving end-use applications.

Finally, reliable standards-based API interfaces should provide for rapid development and/or integration between edge nodes and applications that cover applications as diverse as mobile phones and IT managed enterprise information systems.

Criteria 3, Data Fidelity. As with any information based strategy, digital management of smart grid resources will require consistently high quality data.

Local data capture systems must be able to successfully balance high frequency data input (write) with highly variable end-use (read). Failure to efficiently manage resources and guarantee bandwidth for sensor input can result in lost data and/or inaccuracies in timestamp values. This can be a significant challenge when considering environment constraints forced on edge devices as noted in criteria 2.

Data capture should be lossless at the edge. Consider this question, “If machine data capture is limited to current-best operating model, how will data be mined to develop next generation operating models?” Legacy control systems were not designed for high fidelity data capture and dynamic access. In fact, a case can be made that control plane access and management should be kept independent from broader data access demands (see criteria 1 regarding service levels).

A practical rule: Demand for high quality, empirical data capture cannot jeopardize service levels and security requirements for legacy operational technologies and control systems.

By Navin Shenoy on March 31, 2015

We’re thrilled that Microsoft today announced its newest addition to the Surface family, the Surface 3, powered by the recently announced Intel® AtomTM x7 processor, the highest performing Intel Atom processor currently available.

Surface 3 powered by the Intel Atom x7 processor

The Intel Atom x7 processor packs powerful performance into a thin, light and affordable device, enabling a quick and responsive experience, designed to maximize efficiency with long battery life. People will notice the improvements we’ve made to the graphics – it’s two times faster than our previous Atom processors. That means consumers will enjoy stunning visuals and snappy performance on their Surface 3 devices.

The Intel Atom processor supports full Windows Desktop, both today on Windows 8.1 and later on Windows 10, so people will be able to run all their favorite Windows applications

The Surface 3 4G-LTE-ready version is based on the Intel® XMMTM 7260 modem.  The Surface 3 (4G LTE) offers even more mobility as people can jump online where there may not be Wi-Fi, making it the perfect device for mobile professionals or people who love constant connectivity.

By Blake Dournaee on September 29, 2015

SDP is nascent but beginning to get coverage from the likes of Gartner. If you are new to it, the concept is similar to an on-demand, point-to-point application level VPN.

Posted by MICHAEL TAYLOR in IT Peer Network on Feb 12, 2016 11:43:00 AM

Earlier this year technology and retail companies descended on New York City for the National Retail Federation Conf. (NRF).  This is where hospitality and retail organizations around the globe gather to learn about the next big thing in their industries, share best practices and identify ideas for taking advantage of technology to drive better business decisions, create business opportunities and capture efficiencies as they face rapidly changing customer dynamics. Hospitality and retail organizations constantly face fierce competition and who can capitalize on changes in customer behavior to capture profit opportunities is critical.

Caesars Entertainment is recognized as one of the world’s most geographically diverse casino entertainment operator.  However, what may be surprising is to learn that Caesar’s customers are spending the majority of their personal income on non-gaming entertainment, lodging and dining experiences.  The change in customer demographics & spending patterns was a significant change to Caesars Entertainment original business model.  Such changes or inflection points can be transformative for the business.  But, only if the organization recognizes the opportunity.

In the entertainment and hospitality segment there are no shortage of competing options for consumer’s entertainment budget.  How did Caesar Entertainment respond?  Their core business and brand were synonymous with elegant, high-end gaming experiences. This business model relied on a relational database – which means “known and structured data” about a customer, entered into and stored for later engagement. This served Caesars Entertainment for many years.

However, as the customer’s buying patterns changed, from gaming to entertainment; from buffet to fine dining; from basic room to a luxury accommodations – so did Caesars business model and competitive differentiation.  They realized in order distinguish their organization from the pack was paramount and in order to do so, Caesars’ needed to know more about their customers.  It became clear in order to better engage their customer, their interests and ultimately their willingness to spend, required a new approach.