The steel sector seems to be on the road to recovery, with companies increasing prices across all products this month on the back of better demand and rising global prices. The steel price trajectory is moving higher due to a healthy recovery and ever-increasing demand from China. ImpTrax expects a further increase in the coming…
With the coronavirus pandemic and the steep correction in the equities markets earlier in the year, investors are flocking towards safe-haven assets such as Gold and Silver. The market is seeing precious metal demand at multi-year highs. With the coronavirus lockdowns spreading worldwide, the supply chain of precious metals has been severely impacted. Many mining…
Japanese steelmaker Tokyo Steel has resumed steel exports to China for the first time in 10 years. China has a huge demand for metal due to a flurry of infrastructure projects in the country. Chinese imports of steel materials in July tripled to 2.61 million tons from a year ago, pushing up their prices worldwide.…
Industry giants expect world copper production to fall by approximately 7% in 2020-2021. The anticipated fall in volumes is due to impacts from a reduction in workforce-related to COVID-19 restriction measures. Copper Prices Continue to rise, and prices extend rally driven by steady Chinese demand and supply disruptions. ImpTrax Forward Price Curve predicts the copper…
The cost of personal protective equipment is skyrocketing — more than 1,000% in some cases — as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Productivity is down across the world, and demand for PPE products has increased to the level never seen before. Spike in COVID19 cases is also keeping demand for PPE products extremely high levels. We…
Many people wonder whether there is a guaranteed formula for becoming a successful entrepreneur. The entrepreneurship journey is as unique as a thumbprint for any business person. Entrepreneur ideas and methodologies are always unique and idiosyncratic. However, their thinking and implementation strategies tend to be the same. In fact, recent research has shown that entrepreneurs…
Over the last decade, many organizations are progressively and expansively using agile processes for almost 30-80 percent of their development projects. They are creating productive agile teams, and breaking projects into short iterative development phases (sprints) enabling rapid minimal viable prototype designs and products. With agile, development projects execution cycles therefore no longer need to…
Just like a blueprint is used in construction, and a recipe is followed when preparing a meal, there are principles to follow for efficacious software development. These principles boil down to what is usually referred to as a software development methodology. A software development methodology is imperative as it contains procedures that lead to the…
Most people have heard about the Bitcoin. While it is exciting and interesting to talk about the Bitcoin, we are leaving that aside to concentrate on the technology that makes it work – blockchain. Blockchain technology not only underlies Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies, but its applications also extend far beyond the digital currencies. From food…
Imagine going to the doctor’s when you are not feeling well. And, instead of the doctor only asking you how you feel and then coming up with a diagnosis based on acquired medical knowledge, he/she does something more – enters your symptoms into a computer that retrieves the most recent and related medical research in…
As you’ve probably noticed, one of the recurring themes in my writing is establishing a business by delivering exceptional customer service. Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. No amount of marketing or advertising could do the trick without genuinely taking care of the customer’s need at a fair market price. However, your…
The New Year has already brought in a slew of software advancements, and it is obvious that tech moguls are already winning big. The Google App store just announced a monumental availability of 3.5 million apps, while iOS reports over $300 million in-app purchases and in-app sales as of New Years Day 2018. As we…
While the average local business may have a lot less self-generated data than big players such as Amazon or Google, it doesn’t mean that Big Data is completely off limits. In fact, there are a ton of ways that Big Data is better tailored for small business because they are typically agiler and have the…
Some of the world’s greatest technological advancements of the 21st century have not only altered the way that we live our lives but have also affected our healthcare approach. From wearable technology to CT scans, technology fuels medical education, training, and patient-driven solutions. Now we can add the very new and exciting concept of Augmented…
Over the past decade, the growing importance of big data and analytics has earned an attractive place among the general public. The term data science is no longer just a reference used by tech enthusiasts and computer geeks; it is now one of the most innovative and sexiest jobs of the 21st century. The shift…
Over the past decade, it has become conventional wisdom that dramatic advances in both artificial intelligence and robotics will work their way into society as we know it. As consumers, we already recognize the growing shift towards smart thermostats, smart security systems, and smart cars, in an emerging category known as the Internet of Things,…
If you have been anywhere near a news station or news outlet in the past month, then you’ve probably heard all of the hype surrounding net neutrality. Like many of us, you’re likely wondering just what this means for your day-to-day life, as well as the future of U.S. If you’re finding yourself a little…
If a large organization has a security breach it may end up dealing with a public relations nightmare. It will have to work hard to convince their customers that they’ve done what it takes to correct any problems caused by a security breach. It may even have to pay some customers out for any damage…
How would you feel if your personal information is exposed to the world? That’s exactly what 57 000 000 people woke up to recently. A story broke about Uber’s data breach that involved the leaking of customer information. And all of it was kept secret for almost a year. That means your information could be…
While the latest cybersecurity news has been flooded with stories of data breaches, unidentifiable hacker groups, ransomware attacks, leaked business data, sensitive voter records, and more, it’s easy to overlook some of the impressive and inherently good advancements we’ve made in 2017. This Thanksgiving I’d like to pause the negative news stories and take a…
Just when you started to think you knew everything there is to know about cyber safety; enter the botnets. These creatures are affecting individuals and businesses alike. For example, brands find themselves spending exorbitant amounts of money on digital ads served to fake audiences. Media specialists are debating the role of this technology in the…
The National Cyber Security Awareness Month began with a discovery of another vulnerability in our information technology ecosystem. The standard security protocol for Wi-Fi networks knows as WPA2 has a security flaw that has left almost all individual and business networks across the world vulnerable to hackers. Apart from the scale of the threat, what…
The hacking of Equifax and its consequences, as they become clearer, have wreaked havoc in the corporate world and as more information becomes available, the story once again appears to be one of negligence and procedural flaws. Because of the breach, crucial data including social security numbers, addresses, and credit card numbers among other personal…
Every once in a while the world wakes up to the news of yet another data breach of incredible proportion, providing a crude reminder that healthcare IT systems are not as secure as they should be. Some black hat hackers sell stolen data in bulk on the dark Web while others use a technique called credential…
Technology has brought us closer together than ever before as people across continents and oceans are using collaborative platforms to better work together, share expertise and solve the world’s problems. Social media spreads ideas. Microloan services share capital. And online marketplaces spread goods to previously unreachable markets. But there’s a backlash. Protectionist forces around the…
Technology is disruptive. Just about every month or so, a new startup raises millions and declares that it is spending some industry or another. Grocery deliveries, ride hailing services, autonomous cars, and trucks, legal advice on demand they’re all turning traditional markets upside down by changing the way we consume goods and services. Read between…
Grounded flights and stranded passengers: It’s finally time for airlines to band together to update their IT systems. The latest was just this past week as a power surge in one of British Airlines’ data centers caused the airline to cancel 75,000 flights over a busy three-day UK bank holiday weekend. The exact cost to…
Managed service providers (MSPs) are in high demand among organizations looking to improve the efficiency and dependability of their IT operations. A recent study states that the managed services market will grow to a staggering $193 billion by 2019 and to $230 billion by 2020. Why is this business model becoming hugely popular? Well, imagine…
Cyber-crimes are at an all-time high and will continue to rise in popularity for as long as organizations adopt a passive approach to online security. While some CEOs look at cyber security as a “back burner”, the hacking industry is evolving to the point where anyone can become a successful hacker. An aspiring cyber-criminal can…
We live in a rapidly-changing always-on digital world. Organizations around the globe are undergoing a rapid digital transformation, relying on data and automated processes to become customer experience focused businesses. However, this opportunity requires the right software infrastructure in place—one that is flexible and scalable and able to meet the dynamic challenges of the 21st…
While helping organizations shore up against potential cyber-attacks, I am surprised about how security teams still treat malware as a systemic issue rather the behavioral problem it has become. Yes, keeping your systems updated and behind a firewall is a necessity but so is educating your employees who are usually the weakest link in your…
Preparing for the day when the oil runs dry, United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched an ambitious innovation strategy with the aim of positioning the country as a global leader in emerging technology. The Persian Gulf state set up seven innovation centers in renewable energy, transport, education, health, high tech, water, and space—establishing a “stimulating environment…
Every business has a make or breaks moment. Markets change, new technology is developed, regulatory conditions evolve. At some point, a company must make a decision that will allow it to evolve and flourish or do nothing and flounder. Walmart, squeezed by nimble digital disruptors like Amazon, is at such a moment and must decide…
As you’ve probably noticed, one of the recurring themes in my writing is customer service. It often seems like, as the current business environment grows more competitive, there is a decreasing emphasis on service and client satisfaction. In the current digital era, where communication and transaction behavior often no longer require any face-to-face interaction, many businesses…
Let’s start with the good news: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), despite a very small dip from 2014-2015, human life expectancy in the U.S. is at 78.9 years, up 11.3% from 1970, when it was at 70.81. Contrast this to the life expectancy of a company. According to a recent study done by Yale Professor…
For the first 13 years of our company’s existence, all of our growth came from word of mouth referrals. And I still cling to the conviction that there is no stronger source of marketing. But in today’s competitive business landscape, it’s not enough on its own, and I know that creating an integrated marketing effort…
I’d like to think I have my life in proper perspective, and in my personal life, I am always careful to not let little things bother me. Business, on the other hand, is an entirely different story. Here, it’s imperative to never lose sight of the tiniest details, especially as you get closer and closer…
The familiar expression, “We are a victim of our own success” is all-too-often used in a clichéd manner, but in my company’s case, it bears truth. In September 2016, ImpTrax lost a major client. The reason: our work was transformative, and helped lead to the client’s acquisition. The situation also created an opportunity: The chance…
It started out simply enough, with an IT engagement that seemed very straightforward. In June 2004, RTech, a healthcare services company that provide revenue recognition solutions to hospitals, brought us on board. At the time, many of RTech’s processes were manual and outdated. Over the course of a 12-year engagement, ImpTrax was able to help…
A quick glance at Microsoft’s financials is awe-inspiring. The company’s 2016 Annual Report lists revenue at more than $85 billion (a down year, mind you), and a virtual war chest of over $113 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments. The deeper you dive, the better the story gets. That is until you look at recent…
