<p>Cloud has been one of the most revolutionary discoveries for a while now. Everyone is talking about how migrating your business to the cloud is the only way to ensure a digital future for the business. On paper, it may seem an ideal solution compared to having a data center. But things are not always that simple. Simply, just switching your data to the cloud does not mean that every problem will be solved by itself. Cloud computing has many advantages. But there are a few things to know if you are thinking of switching to the cloud.</p><p>We are going to talk about seven reasons why shifting to the cloud could be a very bad idea for you in this article.</p><h3 id="security-hazards">Security Hazards</h3><p>When you are using a cloud-based system, you are entrusting the security of your data to a third party. It's like sharing your secrets with someone and expecting them to not break your trust. Now, this depends on how good is the person at keeping secrets. Similarly, in the case of clouds, the best provider will always use the latest encryption techniques to ensure the safety of the client?s data. However, such a reliable system also fails sometimes. We have all witnessed such things happening in the past. One of the examples of this lack of security is when images of celebrities get leaked from Apple?s iCloud. You risk having all of your vital information damaged, lost, or stolen if you hire an inexperienced provider.</p><p>Common risks involved are data loss/theft, data leakage, account hijacking, technology vulnerabilities, etc.</p><h3 id="applications">Applications</h3><p>Cloud storage is taking off, and the majority of the applications that were already in the market were not designed with the feature of the cloud in mind. Even if these applications have been virtualized, this does not imply that they are ready for the cloud or can provide the same level of service as before.</p><p>Productive pieces of software, say like Photoshop, are not designed to run on the cloud and thus have limited functionalities over the cloud. Also, such heavy software programs if used on the cloud deals with a lot of ups and downs of data. Thus, if you have a slow internet connection and your productivity will decrease.</p><h3 id="internet-issues">Internet Issues</h3><p>When working on a cloud, you access the server and then do your work. There may be times when the cloud server is down. This is will lead to zero productivity in your business. Cloud often faces reliability issues, and even the best vendors experience it once in a while. So if you are thinking of switching to the cloud, you may want to think of a backup plan for days when the server is down.</p><p>A strong, capable network will be required to use the cloud. Businesses must ensure that they have the bandwidth and capacity to manage increased server demands. Otherwise, operating your program and accessing documents, as well as other online services such as internet browsing and video streaming, will bog down the entire system.</p><h3 id="lifetime-costs">Lifetime Costs</h3><p>People believe cloud storage to be cheaper, which is not completely correct. It's like buying and renting a house. Renting a house is obviously cheaper than buying one. But only for the start, as time passes, and you pay the recurring rent, you realize you could have just bought the house. Similarly, the cloud may seem cheaper because you don't have to spend money on building your own data center, but in the long run, it will cost you more. Those recurring cloud charges, which are increasing as the providers provide new features and stability. A reliable one will cost you more. Also, do not forget the high-speed internet, which will be needed to efficiently utilize the cloud. So, the recurring Cloud and internet bills will be more than building your own data center.</p><h3 id="lack-of-support">Lack of Support</h3><p>Lack of support from your provider is something that you might often face, as a cloud user. Some do have good customer support, but others could just leave into the cold. Again, a cloud that has good customer support will charge you more than someone with bad customer support. You cannot risk choosing a cheaper provider. Imagine that tomorrow is a big day for your business, and then your server does not respond. You cannot do anything about it. That?s the worst part about the cloud. Nothing is under your control. You would just have to sit back and wait for the provider to fix it.</p><h3 id="limited-control">Limited Control</h3><p>Whichever cloud provider you choose will own and manage the cloud environment for you. You being the customer will have minimal control. You will have control only over the applications and the services operated on the cloud. You will not be able to access anything on the server end. Say, for example: updating or managing the firmware.</p><h3 id="choosing-the-right-vendor">Choosing the Right Vendor</h3><p>This will have a great impact on the quality of your cloud experience. The right vendor will have overall good cloud service, such as - good cloud server, meaning less server downtime. Also, excellent phone customer support. Now, I am emphasizing the word ?phone? because most of the providers do not provide support over the phone for basic packages. Also, the provider shouldn?t have a reputation for leaking customer data. There are many more points to consider before picking up a vendor.</p><p>Remember, all the above issues are directly related to the vendor. Some of which the vendor has no control over. And for some, they charge extra. But your experience will greatly depend on the provider you choose.</p><h3 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h3><p>The biggest setback of the cloud is you never know what problem you are going to face. If it's just the server or hackers playing with your data. Hackers have always been there, and they are not going anywhere. With the cloud still an emerging technology, new advances will be made, and new loopholes will keep on appearing. Keep in mind that cloud computing is not something all bad. It has a lot of advantages too, but not everything is meant for everyone. One needs to go through the positives and negatives before choosing the right option for their business. No one should believe that just switching to the cloud will give their business a boost, there are many things that should be considered before choosing cloud or going with non-cloud.</p>

Bhumika Dutta

Premium reporting on technology, startups, VC funding, and software from Techfastly tagged with Business. Read about trends and strategies for Business.

Business

Why Moving To The Cloud is a Bad Idea?

<p><strong>Introduction: Convergence of Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence</strong></p><p>If you are a technology enthusiast or have a vague idea of what?s going in the world of technology, then you must be familiar with the popularity of artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT). There is no doubt that these two are individually powerful entities that have not only shaken the industries with their capabilities but have been performing as technological boons ever since. But what happens when these two technologies are clubbed together and become an exciting collaboration named Artificial Intelligence of things (AIoT)?</p><p>Speaking of what AIoT is, it is a new generation process of converging the source of intelligence received from artificial intelligence and making inter-device connections with the help of the internet of things. It is paving its way to being one of the most popular technical solutions for data analytics and processing. It is in the nature of IoT to aggregate things, particularly devices, producing huge amounts of data. When AI comes into the mix, the data-hungry algorithms of AI churn the data and process it throughout, making the analysis and action parts of it highly efficient. Now that we have a basic idea of AIoT, it is time for us to know its benefits.<br></p><h3 id="benefits-of-aiot">Benefits of AIoT</h3><p>All the praise of AIoT would make no sense if you do not have a clear vision of its benefits. So, we have listed out the major benefits of AIoT:<br></p><p><strong><strong><strong>Increase in Efficiency:</strong></strong></strong></p><p>There is a saying, ?Time is Money,? and these are the two factors that can drastically increase or decrease your efficiency. The employers of any company need to use their employee?s time as effectively and efficiently as possible. This will not only yield positive outcomes but also result in increased revenue. This is possible with the help of AIoT. Let us discuss some examples to prove this point. Preventive maintenance is a benefit of AIoT, which helps the maintenance team to recognize parts of any machinery that is not working correctly or even predict malfunction in advance. This saves the expenditure of replacing the entire machine and keeps the activities running smoothly, hence increasing efficiency.<br></p><p><strong><strong><strong>Increase in Safety:</strong></strong></strong></p><p>Safety is a very important factor while running any business, as any small mishap due to careless behaviour can lead to huge losses. AIoT helps to boost safety in several ways. One example of this could be employing computer vision to monitor personnel on a production floor or using virtual or augmented reality in dangerous circumstances. This application of artificial vision can be used to get real-time alerts of drivers while driving any vehicle. It provides alerts to prevent accidents in cases like the driver falling asleep behind the wheel.<br></p><p><strong><strong><strong>Better Customer </strong></strong>E<strong><strong>xperience:</strong></strong></strong></p><p>It is very important for companies to look for ways to improve their customer service in any customer-centric business, and AIoT could be of great help in this area. For example, in any shopping mall or store, there are surveillance cameras used to understand their customers' shopping patterns and other information like which aisle is getting more sales and which is not getting any customer visits. This way, they can plan accordingly and make the shopping experience more personalized for their targeted customers.<br></p><p><strong><strong><strong>Smart Business </strong></strong>D<strong><strong>ecisions:</strong></strong></strong></p><p>IoT devices collect huge amounts of data every day, making it difficult for personnel to differentiate between important and unimportant information. AI-based algorithms are used to remove trash data and utilize any business strategy in order to organize this unstructured data into a meaningful chunk of data. Chief technology officers (CTOs) and other decision-makers may now make sound business decisions based on the important insights gleaned from this data.</p><h3 id="uses-of-aiot-in-various-sectors">Uses of AIoT in Various Sectors:</h3><p>AIoT is used in many sectors in real life. Let us learn about a few of them.</p><p><strong><strong><strong>Healthcare Devices:</strong></strong></strong></p><p>Many companies are coming with smartwatches that monitor the users' heart health, activities, blood pressure, etc. These are created with the concept of AIoT. These have revolutionized the healthcare industry and made people more aware of their health. IoT facilitates the connection of many device kinds; on the other hand, AI turns the collected data into insights that can play an essential part in making users healthier.<br></p><p><strong><strong><strong>Fleet Management:</strong></strong></strong></p><p>Fleet vehicles are clusters of motor vehicles owned or leased by the Government or any private company. AIoT is used for the tracking, management, and maintenance of fleet vehicles. This set of use cases was created by combining GPS, additional sensors, and an AI system. An example of this is autonomous vehicles, which utilize sonars, radars, cameras, and GPS to collect data on driving conditions and then use AI to make choices based on IoT's data.<br></p><p><strong><strong><strong>Use of Drones:</strong></strong></strong></p><p>Drones are trendy devices used worldwide for many purposes. When used to monitor vast regions, drones may assist in monitoring traffic in real-time and make changes in the flow of traffic. AI may be used to evaluate data and then make choices on reducing traffic congestion by adjusting speed limits and traffic light timing - all without the need for human intervention. Drones are also used to deliver products to consumers, usually in the eCommerce and food delivery sectors. There are other fields that are ready for exploration for the use of drones as well.</p><p><strong><strong><strong>Smart Homes:</strong></strong></strong></p><p>It is no longer a fantasy to have houses that understand their owners and respond to their commands. With the help of AIoT, people are able to build smart homes with electronic devices that work with just one voice command. Infused with voice assistants and artificial intelligence that understands the user's behaviour and acts accordingly, like switching off lights after the user moves out of the room or automatically switching on electronic devices when required. Between 2020 and 2025, the AIoT-driven, smart home industry is expected to achieve a $246 billion valuation at a CAGR of more than 25%.</p><h3 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h3><p>So, it is fitting to say that the combination of artificial intelligence and IoT has been revolutionizing many industries and has proven itself beneficial till now. Engineers and scientists are still working on AIoT to make improve it further and make it more convenient for the users. AIoT is a one-time investment that yields lifelong benefits.</p>

Premium reporting on technology, startups, VC funding, and software from Techfastly tagged with AI. Read about themes, trends and strategies for AI.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT)

<p>Any technology enthusiast must have heard about <strong>Quantum Computing</strong> by now since it has caused a massive upheaval in the technological area and has had a significant influence on numerous industries. For those who are unfamiliar with quantum computing, it is a branch of computing that creates technologies based on the concepts of quantum theory. <strong>Quantum theory</strong> is a fascinating field of study and research because it deals with the behaviour and energy of materials at the atomic and subatomic levels. Incorporating quantum physics into computing has resulted in one of the most exciting disciplines of research to date.</p><p>A <strong>quantum network</strong> is an essential and powerful tool of quantum computing, as it connects with quantum data stored in the form of individual photons. Quantum networks, by utilizing the intrinsic power of quantum states, might allow innovative approaches such as: physics-based unhackable security, more powerful quantum computers that can accomplish jobs that would normally take years, and networks of entangled quantum sensors.</p><p>The idea of <strong>quantum entanglement</strong> emerges from this. The initial function of a quantum network is to spread entanglement, but first, we must define the term. As we all know, 'bits' hold classical or non-quantum data. <strong>Qubits</strong> are a comparable probabilistic quantity of quantum data. When two qubits connect, their probability distributions interweave, and they become reliant on one another?this aids in comprehending the measurement of one qubit by examining another in the relationship. Entanglement refers to this type of relationship or association, and a quantum network is used to distribute entanglement across the globe through different processes.</p><p>But what is the objective behind this distribution? Entanglement gives the users the advantage of using the correlations to innovate new applications that were otherwise not possible with classical data, thus allowing global Entanglement as a Service (EaaS).</p><h3 id="how-does-eaas-work">How Does EaaS Work? </h3><p>EaaS, or Entanglement as a Service, is a cutting-edge technology that connects users of quantum networks with entangled qubits (quantum bits) over vast distances via quantum repeater networks. Quantum networks will enable new services, ranging from ultra-secure communication to high-performance computing (HPC). We will talk about quantum repeaters in a bit.</p><p>EaaS is completely dependent on the internet, and even though it works on a simple concept, it might be a little hard for the users to grasp. To understand EaaS better, let us look at the process behind any applications of the internet. The internet's core service is just transmitting data from point A to point B. Because the internet allows computers to connect with one another, data is transferred in the form of bits. The internet has divided communications into packets that are made up of bits. Packet switching enables the internet to handle huge amounts of data.</p><p>So, what is the process that the quantum internet follows to provide its fundamental service? As discussed earlier, quantum entanglement provides correlations between qubits that can be used for many purposes. For basic communication, teleportation or transportation of qubits can be done. In addition, entanglement can be used for applications that are not possible through today's internet. Quantum networks can use entanglement to enable an encrypted connection in which information is conveyed using entangled qubits without ever needing to transmit it over a potentially hazardous network. Furthermore, entanglement may be used to build even bigger quantum computers via distributed quantum computing.</p><h3 id="role-of-eaas">Role of EaaS</h3><p>A quantum networking company called Aliro Quantum is advancing its efforts to develop quantum EaaS. As Jim Ricotta, the CEO of Aliro, said,</p><p><strong>"<em>If you entangle two photons and someone makes a change to photon A, another person can observe that change at photon B, because they've been entangled; it's the law of physics. But it's invisible to the naked eye."</em></strong></p><p>Quantum networks work by entangling photons with data, which may then be encoded and sent through the same ground-based telecom fibre that is already in use. Entanglement enables the safe transportation of qubits, which carry quantum information. Thousands of such entangled photon pairs must be produced each second in order to yield significant information. The bandwidth of these connected photons is comparable to that of a regular network. We are still in the early stages of quantum computing, and in the future, unfathomable applications will be created on quantum networks.</p><h3 id="what-is-quantum-internet">What is Quantum Internet?</h3><p>In the above discussion of EaaS, there have been many mentions of Quantum Internet. The quantum internet is a network that will allow quantum devices to exchange data in an environment that uses the strange principles of quantum physics. In principle, this would provide the quantum internet with new powers that are currently difficult to achieve with web apps. Qubits may be transmitted over a network of physically isolated quantum devices with the assistance of quantum internet.</p><p>This all might seem similar to standard internet; then why do we need quantum internet? Transmitting qubits over a quantum channel rather than a conventional one basically implies exploiting particle behaviour at its lowest scale ? so-called "quantum states." Interestingly, qubits cannot be utilized to convey data that we are accustomed to, such as emails and WhatsApp messages. However, qubits' unusual nature is opening up tremendous potential in other, more specialized applications.</p><h3 id="what-are-quantum-repeaters">What are Quantum Repeaters?</h3><p>Now that we grasp the significance of quantum internet in sending quantum data over great distances, we must learn about quantum repeaters, which serve as the key to unlocking the services of the quantum internet. The work of the standard repeaters is to measure the signal coming in from one side, copy it, and retransmit it to the other side at a greater power level. As a result, the quantum internet can safely transport data across very vast distances. But this cannot be done for quantum information, as quantum information cannot be copied due to the no-cloning theorem.</p><p>We cannot evaluate quantum states as they travel from point A to point B without destroying them. Although this gives some of the incredible benefits of quantum communications, such as ultra-secure communication, it also implies that we can't utilize the same notion from conventional repeaters to avoid loss in quantum channels. To avoid this loss, we use quantum repeaters.</p><p>To deal with the problem of loss, quantum repeaters employ a totally different technique than conventional repeaters. The central concept is based on the entanglement switching approach. The fundamental objective of quantum networks is to disperse entanglement across network members. Entanglement distribution enables a wide range of applications, including the transmission of qubits. Entanglement switching is a smart solution to the problem of loss that does not violate the no-cloning theorem.</p><h3 id="final-words">Final Words</h3><p>Although there are currently no commercially manufactured quantum computers, quantum computing is widely utilized since it is far more powerful than normal computing and is employed by large corporations such as IBM, Rigetti, Toshiba, IonQ, and many more for Big Data analysis or simulations. Although complicated, quantum computing is extremely safe for transactions and many times quicker than conventional computation. At the 2019 IBM Summit, Google's quantum computer, Sycamore, did a computation that was 158 times quicker than the world's fastest computer. However, quantum computers are extremely costly to create and are not available to everyone. Hopefully, as the field advances, it will be freely accessible to individuals at a fraction of the present cost.</p>

Quantum Computing

Quantum Entanglement: A New Era of Particle Interaction

<p>Drones, one of the most fascinating and useful devices that technology could provide us. In technical terms, drones are known as <strong>Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)</strong> and have experienced a lot of growth since their first emergence in 2007. Drones primarily gained popularity amongst photographers as they could take photos and videos from the sky and enabled people to get aerial views while standing on the ground. Soon they were used for collecting data for understanding weather patterns or crime scenes. </p><p>As artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and availability of low drones grow, it is more critical than ever to ensure continual communication and efficiency. The capacity of a drone to fly beyond the pilot's visual range and travel longer distances without human interference is also important. Although all these conditions were being fulfilled, a significant breakthrough that has been overlooked is the integration of this rapidly evolving drone technology with AI and autonomous developments, as well as 5G and long-range Wi-Fi connection.  Qualcomm has come up with the world?s first 5G and AI-enabled drone platform named ?Qualcomm Flight RB5 5G Platform?. If you are new to the concept of 5G and Artificial Intelligence, let us learn more about them. </p><h3 id="5g-in-drone-development">5G in Drone Development</h3><p>According to a blog post on the website of Modal AI, which collaborated with Qualcomm on the Flight RB5 5G platform, </p><blockquote><strong><em>?5G is a game-changer for autonomous drones.?</em></strong></blockquote><p>Networks like 4G LTE and 5G allow safe, dependable autonomous drone operation outside the visual line of sight, thanks to wide-area, high-speed, secure wireless network coverage from major wireless service providers available virtually wherever a drone may travel. 5G is not just the present and future of connectivity; it also allows for large-scale drone deployment for mission-critical drone use cases such as search and rescue operations, air traffic control, and 360-degree virtual reality film capture. Drones with artificial intelligence (AI) have enhanced perceptual skills and can provide data in real-time, which is critical when seconds count. The capacity to know what's going on and when, whether a drone is dropping medical supplies or delivering food or gifts, may be lifesaving. 5G-enabled drones are now used for COVID tests to limit the amount of human contact.</p><p>Major corporations are increasing their investments in 5G and autonomous drones. Uber Eats, Amazon, and UPS have all invested in autonomous drone fleets. Uber Eats have successfully used AI-powered drones for food delivery in 2019 in a highly urban setup with tall buildings creating challenges. Verizon, AT&amp;T, and T-Mobile are all marketing their own private 5G networks, which are being tested for drone compatibility. Drones driven by artificial intelligence and equipped with cellular connectivity are also used by the US military. The Defense Innovation Unit of the Department of Defense (DoD) is successfully executing U.S. Army operations that will save lives utilizing AI-enabled drones with 4G LTE technology.</p><h3 id="applications-of-ai-enabled-drones">Applications of AI-enabled Drones<br></h3><p>A 5G AI-enabled drone can perform the following tasks:</p><blockquote>Perform security surveillance in a smart city.</blockquote><blockquote>Area mapping for urban planning.</blockquote><blockquote>Acting fast as an emergency response.</blockquote><blockquote>In farming and agriculture, crop monitoring and soil evaluation are essential.</blockquote><blockquote>Scanning of the terrain and placement of construction equipment</blockquote><blockquote>Inspection of the structure and the subterranean environment</blockquote><blockquote>Face recognition and human tracking</blockquote><blockquote>Detecting danger and keeping an eye on security in dangerous situations</blockquote><blockquote>Warehouse inventory management</blockquote><blockquote>Food and supplies are delivered.</blockquote><blockquote>Military and defense personnel are responsible for border patrol, security surveillance, storm tracking, food supply, and safety inspection.</blockquote><p>As seen, drones have many applications. Drones are wonderful in disaster management and ensuring public safety as well. Deep learning algorithms combined with LIDAR/FLIR cameras provide accurate heat intensity, wind speed, and susceptible regions analytics. Surveillance footage may also be transmitted immediately to the firemen and management authorities for real-time monitoring and short reaction times, thanks to fast, dependable 5G connectivity.</p><h3 id="building-a-5g-drone">Building A 5G Drone<br></h3><p>One might want to build a drone for any project. For that, one must have the following things:</p><blockquote>For flying outside visual line of sight, 4G LTE and/or 5G cellular technologies are required.</blockquote><blockquote>For security and multi-device networking, a virtual private network (VPN) is needed.</blockquote><blockquote>A.I. for movement and vision capabilities, such as Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) to orient the drone to its ever-changing environment, and deep learning object identification and integrated depth sensing to design mission routes and ease obstacle avoidance.</blockquote><blockquote>For estimating device location, use visual-inertial odometry (VIO).</blockquote><blockquote>For simpler development, flexible software architecture is used.</blockquote><blockquote>Multiple image sensors are supported for 4K video capture, streaming, and computer vision processing all at the same time.</blockquote><blockquote>A lightweight, cost-effective, plug-and-play system with a large computational capacity on a single printed circuit board (PCB).</blockquote><p>To comply with the National Defense Authorization Act of 2020, military drone makers must employ components produced outside of China, preferably in the United States. According to the Act, the Department of Defense cannot use or renew a contract for a foreign-made UAS that was manufactured in, uses equipment such as cameras or flight controllers developed in, or uses a ground control system developed in, or uses a network or data storage administered by China or an entity domiciled in China. This regulation provides dependable benefits such as quality control, safety, documentation, faster development timeframes, state-of-the-art innovation, and trustworthy support, in addition to promoting American-made technology.</p><h3 id="endnote">EndNote</h3><p>Artificial Intelligence is a very important tool in the field of technology. When combined with a 5G network, it acts as a boon for drone development. Engineers who are looking ahead rely on these developments to enhance drone capabilities and expand use cases on a daily basis, making them smarter, safer, and more capable. Many companies like Qualcomm and Modal AI are continuously working in designing and manufacturing AI-powered modules that communicate with other devices with the help of 5G cellular networks.</p>

5G and AI for Advanced Drone Development

<h3 id="introduction">Introduction</h3><p>Artificial Intelligence has progressed to the point that practically every industry is using it for better business and access to new technology. In every industry, there is constant competition between companies, and one of the most important factors in staying ahead of the competition is understanding the current state of the industry, keeping an eye on the positions of the closest competitors, and keeping track of the changing consumer terrain as a whole. Marketing Intelligence is one such technology that can help any business accelerate its customer services and provide a better customer experience, ultimately resulting in the growth of the company. Let us start by understanding what Marketing Intelligence is. </p><h3 id="what-is-marketing-intelligence">What is Marketing Intelligence?</h3><p>Marketing intelligence is information that is useful to a company's marketing operations. After the data has been collected, it may be evaluated to properly and effectively guide the campaign decision-making process. Marketing Intelligence is used by marketers in accomplishing several marketing goals along with higher-level activities like consumer trends, the competitor?s behavior, product analysis, and many more.</p><p>Any business needs to understand the customer?s behavior to make the service more customer-centric. This is an essential activity as consumers play a huge role in the growth of any company. Brands may use AI and other marketing intelligence to provide instant customer support, which can help them increase conversions and create loyalty. Customers are significantly more inclined to connect with a company that answers fast, even if it costs more or comes with additional restrictions, such as limited variety or location.</p><p>All other marketing techniques will fall on deaf ears if the client experience is poor. Marketers may understand what the audience expects and how to improve the buyer's journey by using marketing intelligence to better capture the customer's route to purchase. Happy consumers contribute to increased market saturation and provide companies the potential to develop and create a reputation in their sector, in addition to improved sales and word-of-mouth referrals. Marketers are concentrating on the end first by continuously reviewing customer experience data, which helps them to work backward to decide what may be enhanced or incorporated for a better user reality.</p><h3 id="types-of-marketing-intelligence-in-customer-analytics">Types of Marketing Intelligence in Customer Analytics</h3><p>There are several types of marketing intelligence techniques used by marketers to increase consumer traction. We have discussed some of them below:</p><h3 id="artificial-intelligence">Artificial Intelligence</h3><p>Artificial Intelligence plays a huge role in increasing customer interaction and creating a better impression. Chatbots are an excellent illustration of how AI marketing is assisting marketers in responding to more consumers faster, allowing them to devote more time and resources to directly assisting clients with complex requirements. This does not make the experience overwhelming for customers who are just looking for ways to return any product and get a refund, for example. Companies are able to help more sensitive consumers by utilizing AI to free up human customer care resources at a time when having a tailored encounter with another human is critical to long-term retention and referrals.</p><h3 id="unified-marketing-measurements">Unified Marketing Measurements</h3><p>The data that is collected with the help of AI leads to many higher-level data regarding consumer behavior that must be analyzed by the firm for a better customer experience. Unified Marketing Measurements (UMM) gathers and normalizes data from many devices, campaigns, and touchpoints to examine individual interactions as well as high-level patterns to show how these factors combined affect the buyer's journey. Hence, it is a great way to get insights into the marketing performance through one analytics datapoint. Marketers may use UMM to communicate progress and outcomes to the leadership team. More importantly, UMM enables marketers to evaluate cross-campaign data, identify actionable insights and next steps, and continue to meet or exceed business objectives.</p><h3 id="real-time-insights">Real-Time Insights</h3><p>One of the best advantages of technology over traditional methods is the gain of real-time insights. Predicting a client's behaviour or response to a certain action made via customer service or during the engagement process is what timely insights are all about. One of the most common uses of right-time data in marketing is to course-correct campaigns based on how customers react to or engage with advertisements. Marketing teams will need marketing analytics tools that can process data from campaigns as they are being conducted to do this. Live data acquired through social media is also included in real-time insights. Understanding what a target audience is saying through social listening and brand reputation monitoring may help marketers understand their requirements and respond appropriately.</p><h3 id="use-of-marketing-intelligence-in-customer-experience">Use of Marketing Intelligence in Customer Experience</h3><p>As discussed earlier, customer analytics is very important for any business, and it increases customer retention and loyalty. A large part of this is due to the fact that customer analytics and data can be utilized to customize the customer's experience, increasing the probability that they will not only buy again but that they will purchase in the first place.</p><p>If one has prior experience of online shopping in big eCommerce settings like Amazon, they would realize that they get product recommendations from the site on the basis of their search history. This helps in personalizing their feed and showing them products they are actually interested in, instead of irrelevant marketing.</p><p>When it comes to online experiences, customers have significantly raised their expectations. They anticipate a degree of personalization to break through the clutter of firms vying for their time, attention, and money. This is why marketers must understand more about their consumers using various marketing intelligence tools in order to tailor e-audience experiences.</p><h3 id="endnote">EndNote</h3><p>In this market filled with consumer goods, it is very easy for any company to get overshadowed by its competitors. Hence, it is very important for businesses to understand the significance of Marketing Intelligence and implement them in real life. This way, not only will they gain a certain amount of trust and loyalty from their customer base, but will also experience faster growth and better profit. </p><p>According to an article by Mckinsey &amp; Co., A superior experience powered by marketing intelligence has become one of many businesses' most prized sales and marketing tactics. When it comes to their company's performance, those questioned prefer the use of customer analytics above digital marketing, channel management, and advertising management.</p>

Marketing Intelligence in Enhancing Customer Experience

Metaverse may be a benefit to any company's digital marketing, as more than half of advertising revenue has been spent online in recent years.

How Metaverse is Changing The Marketing Landscape?

<p>The word Metaverse, if segregated, has two terms in it- 'Meta' meaning beyond, and '<em>Verse</em>' meaning universe. The Metaverse, as hinted by its name, is a virtual world on the internet that contains a variety of experiences, settings, and beings. It is the conjugation of virtual reality, augmented reality, and the internet. The Metaverse is evolving at a breakneck pace because of virtual reality technologies and tools.</p><p><em>Neil Stephenson</em>, an American science fiction novelist, coined the phrase in his 1992 novel "<em>Snow Crash</em>". Today, Mark Zuckerberg's fantasy world, Meta, has a completely different notion. It's an open-source network that allows users to connect freely, engage, and explore in an unrestricted environment.</p><p>While mirroring our reality, Metaverse is free of earthly constraints and acts as an open platform for digital communication, information sharing, and creativity development. It's no wonder that this unique concept has gotten so much interest; in 2021, nearly 85 million people will have used AR or VR at least once a month.</p><h2 id="marketing-with-metaverse">Marketing with Metaverse</h2><p>For years, marketers and organizations alike have been waiting for the AR/VR sectors to take off. The marketing game will evolve substantially as we continue to adapt to new ways of marketing to clients through the usage of augmented, virtual, and mixed realities. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, made headlines when he announced his new startup, Meta. The new brand was created to bring people and contemporary technology together in new and intriguing ways.</p><p>Marketers that use the new metaverses in the future will be able to connect with their consumers in innovative yet centralized ways, radically altering the digital marketing landscape in the process. If we look at Facebook, it is centralized. So, it probably will never be completely decentralized. But it is also important to learn that to serve as valuable marketing tools; metaverses do not have to be decentralized.</p><p><strong><em>Here is how the 'Meta' metaverse helps improve digital marketing:</em></strong></p><p>The Meta Metaverse was created to make it simple for people to interact with one another, find like-minded groups, and expand their digital enterprises. It entails a shared virtual area in which digital avatars represent users. The Metaverse's worlds continue to develop and evolve as a result of users' activities and interactions. This implies that there is no genuine 'end' to the Metaverse. It continues to expand as more users join.</p><p>It is essential for marketing firms and their workers to remember that Meta's Metaverse and other virtual environments are digital environments. Consumers can get information, make purchases, and spend money at these venues. Businesses that want to make use of this technology must establish relevant, interesting, and long-term positions in the Metaverse. They will effectively reach their target audiences if they do this.</p><p>Metaverse may be a benefit to any company's digital marketing, as more than half of advertising revenue has been spent online in recent years. The Metaverse has the potential to transform marketing in a range of industries, and some of those companies are already lining up to get a foothold in this new digital territory.</p><p>Looking at the case of the fashion giant Gucci. Gucci has a paid collaboration with the popular game platform Roblox, which is a virtual reality powerhouse. Roblox's community, which has over 43 million daily active users and counting, provided the ideal setting for Gucci to test out its latest experiment in fashion digital marketing, allowing users to dress their avatars in collectible and limited-edition Gucci handbags, sunglasses, and hats for a fraction of the real-world price. Items were buried and set in a virtual Gucci Garden, emulating the real-life Gucci Garden shows in Florence and other major cities around the world. Gucci was introduced to Roblox's primary market, players aged 9 to 15, and the world of luxury products was opened out to a wider audience.</p><p>Other brands have performed similar experiments as well. Other businesses and companies have entered the Metaverse through immersive digital advertising, opting to develop entire worlds dedicated to their brands to increase brand awareness and engagement.</p><p>Some companies and organizations have experimented with inserting adverts in gaming settings that measure exposure in real-time across mobile, console, and virtual reality platforms like Roblox. While these advertisements resemble real-world advertisements, they are perfectly integrated into the gameplay; thus billboard advertisements or branded clothes might appear in-game exactly as they would in real life.</p><p>More crucially, this allows marketers to test measures such as how long users hold virtual items in their peripheral vision, how much space those things take up in users' peripheral vision, and where users glance when seeing adverts.</p><h2 id="key-features-of-metaverse-that-make-it-a-marketing-asset">Key Features of Metaverse That Make It A Marketing Asset</h2><p>The Metaverse has many distinctive and novel qualities that make it a valuable resource for marketers.</p><h3 id="it-operates-in-real-time">It operates in real-time:</h3><p>It exists and functions in real-time, with a chronology that is comparable to that of the real world. With B2B SaaS software, marketers can easily contact target consumers at the correct moment.</p><h3 id="it-is-always-active">It is always active:</h3><p>Even if a user exits the Metaverse, it remains operational. Whether or not users are present, the virtual worlds that exist within it continue to exist endlessly.</p><h3 id="it-is-self-contained">It is self-contained:</h3><p>The Metaverse is a self-contained realm where users may buy, sell, create, invest, study, play, and own. Users can also get praise and acknowledgment for their contributions to the Metaverse's expansion.</p><h3 id="it-allows-user-generated-material">It allows user-generated material:</h3><p>Users of the Metaverse can produce and share material that other users will like. This is comparable to the notion of user-generated content in social media marketing, which has shown to be an effective strategy to increase brand exposure in digital environments.</p><h2 id="bottom-line-is-metaverse-the-future-of-marketing">Bottom Line: Is Metaverse The Future of Marketing?</h2><p>In the field of digital marketing, metaverse marketing is the next stage. The emergence of the Metaverse might also signal significant changes in search engine optimization. Brands will need to adapt to 3D media to tell their brand story gradually. Marketers will need to keep up with quickly changing technical advancements to keep their strategies relevant.</p>

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