Tietoviikko reports that Finland (my home country) is the world’s best IT country according to World Economic Forum study The Global Information Technology Report 2013. According to the study, Finland is the world’s number one country when it comes to the economy’s ability to use information technology to competitiveness and prosperity. Finland has toppled Sweden from the top spot in a ranking of economies that are best placed to benefit from new information and communication technologies (ICTs). The question still remains how this result was got because there are many things in Finland ICT that are are far from very good, so are other countries just much lousier on those aspects?
At the core of the report, the Networked Readiness Index (NRI) measures the preparedness of an economy to use ICT to boost competitiveness and well-being. In this edition, Finland (1st), Singapore (2nd) and Sweden (3rd) continue to lead the NRI, with the Netherlands (4th), Norway (5th), Switzerland (6th), the United Kingdom (7th), Denmark (8th), the United States (9th) and Taiwan, China (10th) completing the top 10.
Global Information Technology Report 2013 has a nice map that visualizes the network readiness of different countries.
3,458 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
In last one and a half years, Finland has already sold three security companies to abroad: First Stonesoft sold to United States, Blancco to UK and last Tuesday Ubisecure to Japan (GMO GlobalSign).
Ubisecure, Stonesoft and Blancco’s stores prove that Finland is a security excellence. I’m sorry only that the Finnish know-how seems more interesting by corporate buyers than international clients.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/uutisia/tietoturvafirma+ubisecuren+unelma+toteutui/a1016624
mlodszywyglad says:
I quite like reading a post that can make people think.
Also, thank you for permitting me to comment!
Tomi Engdahl says:
Game industry association: Rovio firing people is not the gaming industry downturn
Headquartered in Espoo, Finland , Rovio announced on Thursday that cooperation negotiations, which threatens to decline of 130 jobs.
Rovio, the operation has shrunk because of the company’s business has not increased in line with the objectives.
The gaming industry employs about 2,500 people, and has grown strongly in recent years. There are about 220 gaming companies in Finland now. After 2011 there has been started about 150 game companies. Therefore, most of the gaming industry companies are small startups that employ a few people, and turnover is low. In the game development is normal that the need for workers can vary greatly from the development and release phases.
Finland’s largest gaming company currently has a turnover calculated as the Super Cell , whose turnover last year was EUR 672 million.
Rovio is different from the general area of the game that the company has increased its workforce by very quickly. Rovio is no longer even a simple game company, but its business activities have come to animations and movies, toys, and other commercial products, which are sold in the Angry Birds brand.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/uutisia/pelialan+yhdistys+rovion+potkut+eivat+ole+pelialan+taantuma/a1016739
Tomi Engdahl says:
Yesterday held FinnBuild Awards Award Ceremony was awarded companies in many series. Tekes, the series’ built environment growth company, “the choice was kind of Oulu, new kinds of locks developmental iLOQ
- ILOQ has brought to market utilizing ICT unique locking system. The system is suitable for a wide range of areas, such as housing companies, operating in real estate, hospitals, and industry, says the award handed a growth company Vice President Reijo Kangas Tekes.
iLOQ net sales increased last year by 68 per cent. The company developed an electromechanical lock system draws its energy from inserting of the key and does not need external power. All keys and locks are externally identical, but each is programmed to your own encrypted digital ID.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1866:oululainen-alylukko-palkittiin&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
This mega-trend promoted in Finland 300 million: Tekes is launching three of € 100 million programs for digitality
Digital technology is one of the mega trends of recent years. It emphasizes the importance of Finnish companies renew their business models and seek growth in international markets.
Programs, funding a total of 300 million euro, of which Tekes invests 150 million and the rest of the companies participating in the programs.
Industrial Internet Programme will encourage businesses to create new digital services and new types of business model.
5thGear program aims to keep the Finnish wireless technology know-how at the top, to pilot the new network infrastructure and attract foreign investment.
Health bits program in Finland wants to create a digital health merger in which to grow internationally successful firms.
The same issue was also touched by Tekes has been terminated pk.net campaign, of which small and medium-sized Finnish companies received assistance in business renewal using information technology and the Internet.
Source: http://summa.talentum.fi/article/tv/ict-hankkeet/96144
Tomi Engdahl says:
Next year, all the e-learning material in one place?
If the Local Government Tieran current plans and schedules are be engaging, have access to the teachers in January to apply for various publishers, educational materials and tasks from one directory service.
Tiera Local Government is preparing its own contribution to the electrification of school education. If Tieran current plans and schedules are be engaging, have access to the teachers in January to apply for various publishers, educational materials and tasks from one directory service.
“Materials may browse the Year category and the basis of keywords. Teachers can also share their own produced material, “explains Tieran Procurement Director Timo Martelius.
Today, teachers are often forced to use a number of publishers of content services, which require each of their accounts to log in with. Tieran service content are available from a single login.
Learning platform is also a connection in 2016 published the new curriculum criteria.
Of Education and the Ministry of Culture is at the same time preparing Pilviväylä (Cloud Passage), which is suspected of being overlapped project Tieran learning platform with. Martelius stresses that Tiera is one of the partners involved in Pilviväylä and that the projects have different objectives.
Source: http://summa.talentum.fi/article/tv/null/96203
Tomi Engdahl says:
Startup struck a bonanza: Sales increased a hundred-fold
The quality of sleep sensors to measure Bedditin ordered hundreds of thousands of songs. Beddit can be reached in October 1500 over the foundation of the shop in North America.
Finnish startup Beddit is an eight-year long-term, and many turns in the ointment contained after work reaped a bonanza.
The company produces less than slipping into a sheet of sensors that measure the quality of sleep on, inter alia through a sleeping person’s breathing, heart rate, snoring and movement. In the morning, a sleeper can be viewed älykännykkäsovelluksesta, how well is really slept and how he could improve sleep quality.
So far, consumers have been delivered 10000 sensor. The company’s throughout the rest of the production has already been sold. Sensors to be delivered this year, hundreds of thousands of songs, and sales have increased a hundred fold in millions of euros from the previous year.
Bedditin history is special in that the company had already been a big success on the brink, but the financial crisis brought down the project. At that time, Beddit sensoriaan developed for hospital use.
- In 2008, we were so long that we were doing a licensing agreement in a large American patient bed with the manufacturer. Then came the financial crisis and the project crashed, the technology leader Joonas Paalasmaa says.
Source: http://www.yrittajat.fi/fi-FI/uutisarkisto/a/etusivun-uutiset/startup-iski-kultasuoneen-myynti-kasvoi-satakertaiseksi
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kaleva: Mediatek already hired dozens of people in Oulu
Taiwanese MediaTek is the newspaper Kaleva According to the information already hired 30 people in Oulu. The company is expected to double the number of employees soon.
The company designs and distributes integrated circuits such as smartphones and tablets.
It does not tell the public for their actions yet.
MediaTek operates across Asia and the United States. Europe, the company has offices in Sweden, Denmark and the United Kingdom.
Sources:
http://www.tivi.fi/uutisia/kaleva+mediatek+palkannut+oulussa+jo+kymmenia/a1017024
http://www.kaleva.fi/uutiset/talous/taiwanilaisjatti-tallustelee-ouluun/677349/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finnish motorists will soon get open data congestion information
Soon there will be more detailed congestion and disruption information, the basis of which it is hoped generated new transport facilities.
New traffic disruptions and congestion information is based on motorists anonymous data being collected by the mobile operator Sonera to provide Transport Agency for.
Agency says it will use its anonymous travel time information including traffic of information, statistics, and transport systems, planning, and traffic disruption and congestion monitoring.
The service covers about 5 000 kilometers of Finnish major roads and highways.
Location is calculated for mobile phones and base stations
Business Development Jouni Sinton telecom operator Sonera says that the information collected in mobile phones based on motion. The network goes down, the phone will be the base of a single cell inside, stays inside and moves to the next. Estimate the speed of generated cell size and the transition time difference.
Curiously, the method is more accurate than the existing system, which is based on the characterization of license plates, especially in the winter because the recording has been uncertain.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/uutisia/suomalaiset+autoilijat+saavat+pian+avointa+dataa+ruuhkista/a1017116
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rovio’s two errors
The gaming company Rovio responded to the bad news to wake reaction silence. The reaction indicates growth in the sector pain more than anything else. The gaming company Rovio announced that cooperation negotiations that result in a maximum of 130 people allowed to leave. The company was recognized incorrectly assessed their growth and will have to lay off people.
Many noticed this. Part of the fear to discover the “new Nokia” dive. Some damage with joy when the “real work-avoidant hoodie hippies” bubble burst.
Regardless of the point of view of the matter was interested. Angry Birds world and the unique success of Rovio had come to public attention. And the company customized its success in a rare manner.
Inexperience, fear
and misunderstandings?
Silence, there are three possible explanations. The first is the lack of experience, and falling into a new situation. Young game industry has until now been the upswing, and the bad news not just have to tell me. As such, the standard economic news turned into a crisis This news, when the public does not even attempt to manage.
Another explanation is fear. People are afraid for their jobs, as the majority of the game factors do not have the added protection of trade unions. At the stake of approximately 800 employees
Traditional trade union models fit poorly startup sector, and not rise during the period needed at all.
The third reason silence may be that the game makers are silent for fear of being misunderstood. Media treats the game industry in general as part of the IT industry to recognize its special character. The gaming industry is a hit with business, and if there is no hits, then you can not sustain their employees. Hit Business is business risk.
One of the most influential games industry believes that it is now seen as just the beginning. Finnish game industry is extremely fragmented, so bankruptcies, acquisitions, mergers and death is coming for more.
The factors are many, but only a small part of the start-ups and can not succeed.
Game industry mainly concentrates on the essential question is whether the Finnish studios shoppers are Finnish and American firms.
Game industry becoming the focus has been part of the development of the sector. It does not mean that the area of the bubble. It says only that the industry matures as a business. Hits is born or is born, irrespective of this.
Source: http://www.digitoday.fi/mielipide/2014/10/03/rovion-kaksi-virhetta/201413750/66?rss=6
Tomi Engdahl says:
The head opened: private company is now able to evaluate the safety of authorities
Kpmg IT Certification has passed the Communications Regulatory Authority Kyberturvallisuuskes test. It has been given limited recognition function in the information security assessment bodies in accordance with the Act on the assessment body.
The company can now make a formal national security auditing Katakri-criteria with the state government and the security guard manual-based criteria with information security assessments.
Such approvals will become increasingly important as next summer from the state administration authorities may use their information systems, information security evaluation of only the Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority or an approved evaluation facility services.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/kaikki_uutiset/paa+avattu+yksityinen+firma+voi+nyt+arvioida+viranomaisten+turvallisuutta/a1017489
Tomi Engdahl says:
Shyness Is Damaging Finland’s Economy
http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-finlands-marketing-problem-has-turned-into-an-economic-problem-2014-10
Finland being the world’s best kept secret — having excellent products and talented people, but being a bit too shy to communicate these facts to the rest of the world.
Since that time, my friends in Finland tell me that the economy has moved south. Nokia’s decline and subsequent sale of its handset business to Microsoft has had a more serious negative impact on Finland’s economy than many originally thought. As reported in the UK edition of Wired Magazine, “By 2000, Nokia accounted for a mindboggling 4 per cent of Finnish GDP, 70 per cent of Helsinki’s stock exchange market capital, 43 per cent of corporate R&D, 21 per cent of total exports and 14 per cent of corporate tax revenues.”
Even successes from Neste (oil refining), Wärtsilä (power systems), Kone (maker of elevators and escalators), Rovio (creator of Angry Birds — which has just announced its own layoffs), and many others have not been enough to counteract the negative impact Nokia’s decline has had on the Finnish economy. So what should Finland do?
Tomi Engdahl says:
The digital revolution is a challenge for the marketing
Corporate marketing is investing heavily with digital technology. More than three out of four marketing executives believe analytics, as well as digital and mobile technologies to change the corporate marketing significantly in the next five years.
E-mail marketing, online advertising and search engine optimization efficiency has increased significantly year. Email Marketing’s growth rate was 14 percentage points. Instead, telemarketing role and effectiveness have decreased from the previous year up to 23 per cent, says Accenture’s data sheet.
Marketing managers are investing in digital and mobile technologies – aim to improve the customer experience
Accenture’s new global survey shows that 78 percent of executives believe marketing analytics, digital and mobile technologies to fundamentally alter the business marketing over the next five years. An equal number of respondents (79%) believe that their company is transforming for five years, fully functioning digital company. More than 33 per cent of corporate marketing believes in the corresponding digital investments to take more than 75 per cent of marketing budgets over the next five years.
“While marketing managers take digital technologies and channels of their own, they can help their businesses to take advantage of digital opportunities more widely and to protect themselves from digital threats,”
Other findings of the survey:
Mobile channels valuation is determined by age group. Seven out of ten children under 50 years of age marketing the corresponding mobile channels as important to keep existing and potential customers, reaching out, while the 51-year-olds and parents feel this way less than half.
The respondents consider the customer interface-workers and customers spread by oral information still very important marketing channels. However, email marketing, online advertising and search engine optimization of efficiency growth in the 2012 survey year was significant, e-mail marketing with regard to 14 percentage points. Telemarketing role and effectiveness dropped sharply, meaning up to 23 per cent from the previous year.
Every fourth name in digital marketing integration, the biggest obstacle to the right of lack of technology or tools.
Sources:
http://www.tivi.fi/uutisia/yritysmarkkinointi+digimurroksessa+ndash+unohda+puhelinmyynti/a1017604
https://www.sttinfo.fi/release?releaseId=18354100
Tomi Engdahl says:
In Finland, streaming is more popular than download
As many as 72 percent of the Finnish considers television programs streamed and music streaming 66 per cent of Finnish, says Samsung’s commissioned Techonomic Index consumer research.
Finnish consumes 40 per cent of streaming your music once a week, and the audiovisual content 45 per cent. Most popular streaming is with young adults, but more than a fifth of 55-year-olds used a streaming weekly in their media consumption. Almost half of the Finnish population aged 18-24 thrives more than an hour a day on streamed TV and video content.
The study shows that streaming was more popular than downloading in the Nordic countries. Finnish 14 percent reported a consuming on a daily streaming of audiovisual content while the content uploaded every day looking at six per cent. In Sweden, the corresponding figures were streaming into the 9 per cent and 4 per cent of the downloaded content.
While the Finnish population aged 45-55 over streaming services were used daily by 12 per cent, so the Swedes made only six per cent.
Swedes took advantage of streaming music with 59 per cent and 66 per cent of Finnish. TV and video content streamed held 72 per cent of Finnish and 61 per cent of Swedes. The Finns, however, also downloaded music, TV and video content more than the Swedes.
Streaming services are increasingly being used with smart TV. They can stream content, including grandstands, in a grid, HBO, YouTube, Spotify and Netflix streaming services, in addition to Samsung’s Smart TVs were recently on YLE Areena applications.
Source: http://www.hifimaailma.fi/uutiset/suomessa-suoratoisto-lataamista-suositumpaa/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finland is the only country in the world, where drinking coffee is guaranteed by law
Coffee is an essential part of everyday life, including the workplace. It ingestion is taken care of even acts up. Finns Drinking coffee at work is self-evident, but Finland is in fact the only country in the world where the workplace is regarded as a coffee break, says recently publishes book Kahvi – suuri suomalainen intohimo (coffee – a large Finnish passion).
The book opens widely Finnish coffee culture. Coffee is the most important thing for Finns in the morning, the following before noon coffee, followed by lunch crowned with yet another cup of. Book to determine the large-scale consumers of coffee to which it takes about five cups a day. Only one cup a day, or fully without coffee is a bit detractors, only 10 per cent of Finnish, the book explains. But it’s not just the coffee, but the majority of drinking it with others.
Source: http://www.iltalehti.fi/ruoka/2014100718726758_ru.shtml
Tomi Engdahl says:
World domination part deux: America
Reaktor has been actively delivering projects to the United States of America for over a year now. A couple of months back, we felt it would be the time to set up a more permanent base in the US.
So far all the projects – current and past – have been done mostly in our Helsinki offices, with visits to the US when needed. After opening our Tokyo office a bit over a half a year ago, it was time to make a mark on the US soil too.
Source: http://reaktor.fi/blog/world-domination-part-deux-america/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia director urges 5G-work
The fifth generation mobile phone networks promise a lot of Finnish companies. Large and small Finnish software areas, it is a good place to find a grace period of application and service development, says Nokia Networks, Country Manager Finland Antti Uitto the technology industry websites written in the blog.
Uitto believes that revolutionize society clearly 5G 4G more. – Data rates continue to increase and response times, it is obvious. It is quite possible that the 5G in the era of networks, the base station will intensify significantly reducing the size of the cells. At the same time number of base stations is growing strongly., Uitto says.
He also raises the future Internet of Things. – Interpersonal used by smartphones and tablets, in addition to end user device capabilities and cheap radio network sensors hidden in almost any physical objects, such as household appliances and other devices
Finnish companies now have to be awake and get to work in order to 5G will bring business opportunities do not go over.
Finland built a fast pace almost nationwide 4G / LTE networks. User experience is the 4G / LTE’s higher data transfer speeds and shorter response times thanks to the 3G experience better, but not 4G yet really revolutionized society. Social media can upload photos and updates, videos can be viewed, and people can call 4G has it in 3G even with.
We believe that the 5G revolutionize society much more. 5G production market, pre-commercial versions of the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020, and in subsequent years it spreads the wider world.
Cloud technologies accelerate this development, the mobile phone network in the middle of the frame and center networks. In the future, operators will drive all of the body or the central network features on its own private cloud platforms, the same place where all the operator’s customer applications and services running.
G and operators of private cloud era has to ask:
Could the car to drive without a driver?
Could I control all the home appliances to the mobile phone over the network?
Could I watch a HD movie to a large or small screen anytime and anywhere?
Could I experience the augmented reality (augmented reality), and provide useful information about the environment of the tablet anywhere?
Could the elderly and people with reduced mobility to be a robot outfits that will help them to move if their forces are not sufficient?
Could my car navigation to continuously calculate the fastest or the best path to the correct real-time traffic situation?
Could the hospital environment to locate all the equipment one meter and use them remotely? That’s what nurses would have time to talk with patients more.
Finnish technology industry would be now a good time to start having more power out of the 4G / LTE technology, whether it be widely used in consumer or business applications or sector-specific solutions, and position themselves 5G era.
Sources:
http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1882:nokia-johtaja-patistaa-5g-tyohon&catid=13&Itemid=101
http://teknologiateollisuus.fi/fi/ajankohtaista/toimitusjohtajablogi/ohjelmoitava-maailma
Tomi Engdahl says:
Healthcare IT project is late – no one is punished
Most of the public health care is delayed for a national patient record system deployment time limit. Patient data archive was supposed to be used in public health in the beginning of September.
Organizations, fewer than one in three is a health and well-being now maintained by the schedule performance in the introduction of the deadline. More than two-thirds to the archive at a later date, the last only in April next year.
Social Welfare and the Ministry of Health is aware of the fact that the Act mentioned in the schedule to introduce not true. The Ministry of Law has been decided to be flexibly interpreted: municipalities and hospital districts have been given absolution, as long as they are at least the beginning of September deadline begun the transition to the archive users.
“It would be desirable was that everyone would be technically joined by 02/09/2014.”
He pointed out that the road map, the end of this year joined a number of organizations, however, covers about 90 per cent of the Finnish population.
Most headaches cause a new way to record patient data, which needs to be trained. In practice, health-care workers to patients to record information in the future in the more coordinated format.
Source: http://summa.talentum.fi/article/tv/uutiset/97331
Tomi Engdahl says:
ICT-related jobs, the offshoring lead to a trade union Pro, Finnish unemployment, but also a security risk.
“It occurs when confidential tele-id-metainfo- and other interface information is processed outside of Finland, Estonia and Poland, for example, the lsecurity under the local legislation,”
Among other things, TeliaSonera, Elisa and DNA have transferred their workforce to lower-cost countries, such as Estonia.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/uutisia/quotoperaattoreiden+toimet+tietoturvariskiquot/a1018150
Tomi Engdahl says:
Valtori appealed to Tieto on information security
Valtori is sent to Tieto during the year a number of complaints in relation to this security level. According to Tivi information, knowledge workers are used, among other things Valtori supplied server management services for the common user IDs, even though this is expressly forbidden in the agreement with the company.
For shared use user names that were due to knowledge has not been able to, among other things, to find out who the employees were accidentally deleted from a particular user group access to the server. The company has not been able to break down the mandate, which is why the user group was removed.
The Agency has reclamations have been concerned that the information has been maintained by the customer services in the Czech Ostrava point be working. Valtori is, however, required that certain of its servers may be maintained only in Finnish workers.
Tieto does not want to comment on the complaints received in more detail.
Source: http://summa.talentum.fi/article/tv/uutiset/97793
Tomi Engdahl says:
Stubb accused Apple severe in the exam: “Nokia killed iPhone, iPad killed the paper”
The Prime Minister Alexander Stubb (National Coalition Party) occurred in the UK by the BBC’s HARDtalk program, a strict exam.
Stubb interviewed in the BBC’s Stephen Sackur tenttasi rigorous way of treating his interviewee with a quick kick of a number of different themes. The first step was threshed the economic crisis and what you can do to Stubb’s recovery.
- We should stop talking about the fact that we (the politicians), we create growth, Stubb said.
The Prime Minister says the growth will come from entrepreneurs and the people doing the basic work that politicians in growth can create the frames, but they can not create growth itself.
The poor performance of the competitiveness of speaking, the Prime Minister admitted the errors made by Nokia and the whole forest industry decadence. The culprits, he agreed to mention.
- The iPad killed the paper and the iPhone killed Nokia, he noted calmly.
Source: http://www.iltalehti.fi/uutiset/2014100918731112_uu.shtml
Tomi Engdahl says:
Western and Inland Finland AVI, organized by the readiness of the training data networks incapacitating cyber attacks started on Tuesday. Fictional scenario in training:
- A number of computer networks has been hacked, and do not post links to work, or they work poorly
- Information systems have also affected the water supply (automated control systems)
- Electricity distribution problems and suspected jamming of networks have cause problems to telecom networks: caused problems to access assistance in accident situations.
The two-day emergency exercise aims to identify the different actors in the critical practices and systems as well as their vulnerability. Regional State Administrative Agency brings as part of the training situation awareness and practices in their own operations incident on the actual municipalities targeted after exercise.
Source: http://www.aamulehti.fi/Pirkanmaa/1194931580099/artikkeli/valmiusharjoitusta+pohjustettiin+dramaattisella+uutislahetyksella+nain+siina+kerrottiin.html?utm_source=leiki&utm_medium=iltalehti&utm_campaign=kontekstuaalinen
Tomi Engdahl says:
AAA’s taken the credit rating agency listed the Finnish economy problems
1. Graying nation: Aging of the population
2. The declining demand abroad: downturn in the Euro area and Russia’s economic situation
3. Key sectors downhill: forest and paper industry and the electronics industry (particularly Nokia)
4. Labour market inflexibility: Labour costs have risen alarmingly
5. The slow change: Restructuring proceeds slowly
Concerns, despite the views of the Finnish AA + category are S & P’s view, however, is stable.
Source: http://www.iltalehti.fi/talous/2014101118736953_ta.shtml
Tomi Engdahl says:
The New Metropolis: The New Urban Pioneers
http://fortune.com/2014/06/13/the-new-metropolis-the-new-urban-pioneers/
Meet the official in Chattanooga who built the fastest internet in the western hemisphere, the technocrat who revolutionized public transportation in Helsinki, the Berkeley professor who’s creating 3-D data maps of how cities work and more.
The man who taught Helsinki bus drivers to save millions…
Michael Andersson is the technical director at the Helsinki Bus Transportation Co. (Helsingin Bussiliikenne Oy), one of three bus lines operating under a contract with the city of Helsinki. “We have to make a profit. We have to make it on our own,” Andersson said. “But this is very low margin. The industry has been suffering a loss for many years.”
The biggest factor and the company’s greatest cost, Andersson found, was fuel, which is expensive in Scandinavia. He fixed on an idea for a system that bus drivers would not notice: one that would not require any new action by the drivers but would nonetheless track and improve their fuel consumption. “We didn’t want to put any more checkpoints on his list,” is how Andersson put it.
A few years ago, Andersson began working with Joel Cherkis, the worldwide general manager of government and defense at Microsoft. Cherkis describes a lot of what he does as “new with less” and a “people-first approach,” which synced with what Andersson was looking for: something fast, cheap, and unobtrusive. Microsoft’s team built a data center for the bus company and linked a few buses—10 or 15—to send data in real time back to the building. The information was pretty basic: fuel consumption, of course, but also data about acceleration and g-force, both of which are related to fuel consumption. Slowly they added buses to the data stream until they built up to 300—not the whole fleet, but almost.
At first the drivers didn’t trust the data
Those sudden stops and quick starts were wasting a huge amount of fuel, so Andersson developed a way to reward drivers who worked on adjusting their style by rolling into stops, pulling away smoothly, and staying off the emergency brake. Drivers received feedback once a week—a report on their driving style and fuel use. The results were extraordinary. Not only did Helsinki Bus Transportation Co. lower its fuel requirements by 5%, saving about $8 million in the first year, but customer satisfaction also rose and accidents decreased. A smooth ride, it turns out, saves more than simply fuel.
The next step, Andersson says, is to apply data collection not just to bus drivers but to intersections and traffic lights as well. By tracking and managing something as simple as the fuel consumption of its bus system, the rest of the city is now on its way to becoming more efficient and safer too.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Apple prompted this country’s downgrade
http://www.cnbc.com/id/102081405
Finland’s prime minister suggested on Monday that Apple could be to blame for the demise of its two biggest industries, which in turn led to an economic downturn and a ratings downgrade for the Nordic country.
“We have two champions which went down,” Alexander Stubb told CNBC Monday. As well as the technology firm Nokia, he explained that the paper industry in Finland had fallen on hard times.
Finland is a key production site for Europe’s biggest paper producers, UPM-Kymmene and Stora Enso. The sector is also crucial for the country’s economy.
“A little bit paradoxically I guess one could say that the iPhone killed Nokia and the iPad killed the Finnish paper industry, but we’ll make a comeback.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finnish Prime Minister Can’t Stop Blaming Apple For Finland’s Economic Woes
http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/13/finnish-prime-minister-cant-stop-blaming-apple-for-finlands-economic-woes/
When in doubt, blame someone else. Alexander Stubb, the Finnish prime minister, said today that Apple was responsible for bringing down two of Finland’s biggest economic exports — Nokia and paper. “The iPhone killed Nokia and the iPad killed the paper industry, but we’ll make a comeback,” he said earlier today in an interview with CNBC.
It’s not the first time that he’s set up Apple as the shorthand scapegoat for the country’s problems — Stubb made similar, pithy comments back in July when he said that “Steve Jobs took our jobs.”
The comments come at a time when Finland has been downgraded by ratings agency S&P. It’s now at AA+ from AAA. The big question now for Stubb and the industries impacted is how to demonstrate to investors and lenders that its businesses are not stagnating.
Inaccurate swipes harkening back to past events really screams strong leadership to me.
“Usually what happens is that when you have dire times you get a lot of innovation and I think from the public sector our job is to create the platform for it,” Stubb said.
Back to his initial comments, while coming up with a decent soundbite is not an uncommon goal for politicians and their spin doctors, citing Apple for past problems is lame and weak-looking.
Android, and Android handset makers like Samsung, were by far the bigger threat to Nokia’s dominant position as the world’s biggest handset maker. Samsung eventually overtook Nokia for pole position in 2012.
Moreover, Apple has actually been paying Nokia money for years now, under IP licensing agreements. The exact amount of those payments has never been disclosed, but in 2013, when Nokia was still a single company, its then-CEO Stephen Elop said that the company would make more than $650 million in patent licensing deals that year from the likes of Apple and others.
The impact of the iPad on paper production is even more bizarre. Economists have been charting the decline of the industry for nearly 30 years already. On the other hand, we are only on track for shipments of some 200 million tablets globally this year — a decent increase but nothing near critical mass when you consider that the worldwide population is now over 7 billion.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Linux is increasing Finnish IT infrastructure
Fragmentation harm management of Linux IT infrastructure.
Linux on the importance of Finnish companies has soared throughout the 2000s over. Linux solutions are particularly strong at the most critical IT infrastructure. But the problem is linux heterogeneity.
“Almost all Finnish companies have a linux-enabled solutions. During those years we have not come across the company where this would not be,” Suse Finland Kim Aaltonen says.
Aaltonen has been developed by the linux-business since 2000 and have seen the rise of Linux in Finland. Terms purposes, has been a big change. It is no longer the data center without Linux.
Susen Finnish unit commissioned a survey respondents were 52 different organizations. According to the results linux environments have grown in size to form large and growth is expected to continue. Less than half of the respondents said that there are more than 50 linux-server environments peak rising to hundreds of servers.
The survey confirmed on the other hand, from the Linux always mocked: a distribution due to the abundance of linux is heterogeneous. Almost all companies are used, as well as a number of commercial and free Linux.
Heterogeneity complicates IT infrastructure maintenance and management. No wonder that Susen survey emerged as a key priority in linux environment management. Good management tools free up time to the development of systems.
More than half of the survey respondents managed by the Linux manually: When IT infrastructure then it is dependent on a particular expert, company takes at least a big personal risk. Poor management of risk is also a security.
“When a big company doing inventory, and there are a number of distributions and versions, it is a challenge for management and automation tools. It may be necessary three or four hallintapinoa that may be exported to the same policies that place.”
“The fact that linux distributions consist of open-source projects, on the other hand is a pain in the ass, on the other hand the strength,” Kim Aaltonen thinks. “Different Linux versions are not equal and the same purpose-made.”
Linux is the most famous online platform. Aaltonen mentions purposes, use of, for example, the critical analytics systems and memory-databases. According to him, the system providers strongly prefer Linux.
Linux solutions favors his view, the way in which services are built, such as virtualization. Users consider Linux advantageous. The reason for this is not that it is free or low price, but for example, how to efficiently compress virtual machines in a cloud environment, or modify the system so that it meets the company’s digital needs.
Source: http://summa.talentum.fi/article/tv/99203
Tomi Engdahl says:
Too Much Privacy: Finnish Police Want Big Euro Notes Taken Out of Circulation
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/14/10/14/1324254/too-much-privacy-finnish-police-want-big-euro-notes-taken-out-of-circulation
The Finnish Police are concerned that larger banknotes, namely the €200 and €500 banknotes, encourage criminal activity and should therefore be removed from Finnish cash circulation.
Police request 500 euro banknotes be taken out of circulation
http://yle.fi/uutiset/police_request_500_euro_banknotes_be_taken_out_of_circulation/7527539
The Finnish Police have called for all 500 euro banknotes to be taken out of circulation, saying their existence enables under-the-table grey economy activities and money laundering. The Bank of Finland maintains that the use of larger bank notes in Finland is minimal in normal payment transactions and benefits outweigh the perceived disadvantages.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tieto boost cooperation with Cisco Industrial Internet
Finnish IT company Tieto and The American company electronics giant Cisco will start a collaboration to boost industrial internet. The partnership project will create a new platform for industrial applications in the Internet.
“Industrial Internet revolution is happening now, and touch all the sectors. Industrial opportunities provided by the Internet challenge traditional business thinking and profoundly affect the nature of the business everywhere,” says industrial information internet business leader Taneli Tikka release.
The companies developed Tieto Industrial Information Internet Platform platform allows companies to new ways of connecting devices to each other and to decentralize these devices intelligence and autonomy.
“Delays will remain low and the quality of the service good, when all the data can be handled close to the data source, whether it’s a factory’s supply chain, the transport system, power distribution system, or really any data-generating entity.”
The manufacturing industry and the transport sector for solutions is expected to be on the market this autumn.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/uutisia/tieto+vauhdittaa+teollista+internetia+ciscoyhteistyolla/a1019836
Tomi Engdahl says:
The world and especially the United States Prime Minister of Finland Alexander Stubb, perhaps intended as a joke comment that the loss of the iPhone, Nokia, has also received the analysts to assess what happened. All end up the same: Nokia had the time to respond to the challenge of the iPhone, but it was not able to.
The world and especially the United States Prime Minister of Finland Alexander Stubb, perhaps intended as a joke comment that the loss of the iPhone, Nokia, has also received the analysts to assess what happened. All end up the same: Nokia had the time to respond to the challenge of the iPhone, but it was not able to.
Nokia stumbling block came to software. Nokia tried for too long to patch Symbian problems. Symbian was rejected only in 2011, which was way too late.
Analysts said Nokia would be worth up to buy Palm’s WebOS operating system in 2010, which estimates that the market for second best.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1919:nokialla-oli-aikaa-vastata-iphonen-haasteeseen&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
F-Secure News to reduce its sales forecast. September can be found in the growth of ice forming on the consumer cloud storage to lower than expected sales, the company says in a statement.
The 2014 net sales are expected to remain at the 2013 level of about 155.1 million euros feeling.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/kaikki_uutiset/fsecuren+pilvi+ei+mene+kaupaksi/a1020147
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finnish PM: Apple has DESTROYED FINLAND
Well, the mobile phone manufacturing bit, anyway
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/14/they_wreckyourshit_apple_has_destroyed_finland/
The Prime Minister of Finland has claimed that Apple destroyed his country’s biggest industry: mobile phone manufacturing.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Alexander Stubb went on to say that Cupertino had also annihilated the paper-making industry, which was his nation’s other pride and joy.
“We have two champions which went down. One could say that the iPhone killed Nokia and the iPad killed the Finnish paper industry, but we’ll make a comeback,” Prime Minister Alexander Stubb said.
However, a leading Finnish analyst has rubbished the PM’s claims, telling us that Nokia “committed suicide”.
“This claim that Apple killed two big industries is not true. It’s a way to put the blame on someone else.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Oulu is still mobile technology center
Oulu has been through a lot. This year alone, up to a thousand of mobile developers has received a notice of termination, as well as Broadcom and Microsoft have cut their operations. – Oulu is still a major mobile technology center as well as globally, evaluates EDA-house Mentor Graphics CEO Greg Hinckley.
The electronics in the field of business failure is not anything new. In fact, very many companies it happens. Here in Silicon Valley, there are dozens of examples, Hinckley says.
- Silicon Valley, the big company’s collapse will lead to new technologies, new companies and new successes. There is a catch Finnish, what a Nokia GSM side of the fate of the lead.
- Must be innovative and aggressive. And I think the Finns and Oulu are very innovative and aggressive developers. Vakaasit I believe that the result is ultimately more versatile high-tech -Finland, Hinckley assured.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1929:oulu-edelleen-mobiilitekniikan-keskus&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finnish company renewed with caution
Only one in five Finnish company has developed a new product or service to market in the last two years.
And only one in five has developed such for the company itself in the last two years.
In European comparison, Finnish companies have left behind on the renewal.
Competitive advantage has been sought more by reforming the production and organization. In the Finnish companies have been active in international scale.
Improvements in productivity and competitiveness are not matched by a sufficiently rapid industrial growth and the rest of the economy. Enterprise development and innovation in recent years has been characterized by caution and high risk aversion.
Digital force to reform
The current bolder renewal of importance in the ongoing digital transition
Finland ranks among the leading citizens of the world ‘capacity to take advantage of digital media and information networks, which is not born a competitive advantage to our businesses.
The productivity growth generated with ICT in Finland has been modest compared to many other advanced industrial countries.
As for industrial enterprises, about one-fifth to take advantage of social media activities, services providers thus makes over a third. Development tool, social media is only one of ten companies.
The data derive from Tekes in 2012-14 funded a wide Measuring the Dynamics of Organization and Work (Meadow) survey summary report.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/cio/suomiyritys+uudistuu+varovasti/a1020700
Report: http://www.tekes.fi/julkaisut/Innovatiivisuus_Suomen%20_tyopaikoilla.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Every fourth innovate
According to the study which is the fourth Finnish organizations can be called innovative. This is slightly higher in companies and in public sector organizations.
By far the most innovative organizations in the electronics, metal and chemical industries. Most of the unused potential of the innovation can be found in the municipalities.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/cio/suomiyritys+uudistuu+varovasti/a1020700
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finnish research going gown:
Four offices abolished: VTT is to reduce the more than 300 employees
VTT Technical Research Centre reduction of approximately 335 employees, of which about 250 are terminated.
Source: http://www.iltalehti.fi/talous/2014102218770910_ta.shtml
Tomi Engdahl says:
Can Marten Mickos make ‘Linux for the cloud’ work for HP?
The ‘not-another-Unix play’ play
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/09/23/marten_mickos_hp_convert/
Hewlett-Packard didn’t just buy cloudy startup Eucalyptus Systems to build its fledgling OpenStack cloud biz, it also bought Marten Mickos, the firm’s Finnish CEO.
HP isn’t the first to pay for Mickos’ expertise – that was Sun Microsystems, when it acquired his venture previous venture, MySQL AB, for $1bn in 2008
Just who is this Mickos bloke and why do big systems companies like him and what he has to offer?
Tomi Engdahl says:
EU comparison harsh result – Finnish young computer skills below average
This is shown by Eurostat, the European Statistical comparison of the measured basic computing skills.
Comparison, only one in three 16 to 29-year-old Finnish knew how to make at least three conventional information technology function.
Tasks included copying or moving files, text or patterns Copying, cutting or gluing, the use of a spreadsheet, file compression, making the program using the programming language and the fitting of equipment.
According to Karjalainen, most survived the Netherlands, Slovakia and Germany. Finland was a comparison of the average to around together with Greece, Malta, Austria and Great Britain.
Source: http://www.iltasanomat.fi/kotimaa/art-1288755992755.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Foreign Ministry was founded in the summer of cyber counselor task. The new messenger has been allocated to many expectations and hopes, the media attention also needs to be enough. Finnish companies have been active in and asked for an audience with cyber counselor.
“Companies have been in a lot of context and asked to meet. They are interested in the kyberturvallisuusalan Increasing exports, “says Counsellor Marja Rislakki.
30 years as a diplomat working Rislakki hopes that he can, together operating in different countries of the Finnish mission, to promote the export enterprises, for example, by helping to contacts.
According to him, in Finland there is a lot of good cyber security know-how, and the sector has a lot of opportunities.
“Finns are trusted, we have a lot of know-how and operating systems. When I take care of cyber counselor mission in the world, I shall show that we have the knowledge in the field, “says Rislakki.
Security issues are not covered by cyber counselor responsibility. Cyber security has Rislakki of the broader concept than information security.
“Security is a computer network security. When the cyber is threatened, there is a danger of the whole critical infrastructure. Cyber security includes computer networks, international law, the application of cyber environment, human rights, freedom of expression, capacity development, and various confidence-building measures, ”
“Perhaps. This could open up a new export opportunities. Finnish people are already working on the development of the information society development. ”
Source: http://summa.talentum.fi/article/tv/bisnes/103088
Tomi Engdahl says:
Report in innovation in Finland:
Innovatiivisuus Suomen tyopaikoilla
http://www.tekes.fi/julkaisut/Innovatiivisuus_Suomen%20_tyopaikoilla.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
TalentIT-messut, Suomen suurin ICT-alan rekrytointitapahtuma avoinna myös alumneille
https://alumninet.aalto.fi/Portal/Public/News/ShowNews.aspx?NewsID=4170&utm_source=apsis-anp-3&utm_medium=email&utm_content=unspecified&utm_campaign=unspecified
Tomi Engdahl says:
[Teema] Haittaohjelmat haaviin ja kroonikot ruotuun
https://www.viestintavirasto.fi/tietoturva/tietoturvanyt/2014/10/ttn201410171214.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sipilä to HS Journal: “Information technology could replace the 20 000 civil servants”
Helsingin Sanomat is caught in the center of the Chairman Juha Sipilä’s statement that in Finland there are too many civil servants.
Sipilä believes that improving the productivity of the civil service could be reduced by almost 20 000 persons in the next 10 years.
Increase productivity in his view, the use of ICT by enhancing, standardizing information systems and extract the unnecessary bureaucracy.
At least the Conservatives Satonen suspects that a more effective use of information technology alone would Sipilä envisaged by the personnel reductions.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/kaikki_uutiset/sipila+hsssa+quottietotekniikka+voisi+korvata+20000+virkamiestaquot/a1023566
Tomi Engdahl says:
In some parts of the city of Helsinki you can try the double-quick 4G network
Finnish telecom company DNA is testing in Helsinki 4g’s to double the speed of category 6 LTE networks.
The company gathers experience by testing the network before making a decision on the extension.
The technology used in the marketing names 4g + and 4.5 g. It brings the mobile data transmission theoretical maximum speed of 300 megabits per second.
Category 6 LTE connections do not work all the capabilities 4g-equipped mobile phones. The market has so far only few models that support cat6 LTE.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/uutisia/naissa+helsingin+kaupunginosissa+voit+kokeilla+tuplanopeaa+4gverkkoa/a1023881
Tomi Engdahl says:
Passwords forgetfulness to pay the City of Espoo each year 200 000 Euros
Forgotten passwords, especially during the summer holidays. “In August, when the holidays are exhausted, changed passwords could triple,” the city of Espoo Communications Citha Dahl says.
The city’s information technology and its problems with the phone calls will be every month for about 6 000-8 000 passwords to forget the call price will be related workload increase of approximately EUR 200 000.
At the moment, Espoo, information technology services, including network passwords by an outside company.
Espoo is now planning system for the changed passwords easier, and it can respond to the employee’s supervisor. In addition, the city strives to ensure that every worker should have only one password.
Source: http://www.metro.fi/uutiset/a1387807844890
Tomi Engdahl says:
Helsinki construction services company Stara changed from Workstations to Thin Clients – electricity bill dropped to 10 000 per year
The reasons are many: light terminal half life is longer than the traditional workstation, or about six years. In addition to the money saved, the information management do not need to use two hours for each workstation to install.
The employee receives the box, the screen and the mouse and keyboard and connects them to the desktop. All systems are then available immediately.
Kähkölä calculates the Stara save 310 Thin Clients simply due to energy costs of about EUR 10 000 per year.
“We have had a thin client jars from 2011 up, and none of them has yet been broken,”
So without any bends in the transition to a virtualized environment is not successful. Some users do not have melted the reform.
“The complaints have come from the fact that the HD-level video on YouTube of recurrence,” Kähkölä smirk. Basic quality video transfer from Youtube to thin client.
Next, Starassa are being introduced to tablet devices. To the transition is easier when the applications and desktops are already virtualised.
Also, applications, virtualization belonged, as a rule, without any problems.
Source: http://summa.talentum.fi/article/tv/uutiset/104568
Tomi Engdahl says:
Another Finnish ICT company bough to abroad:
UL Signals Strategic Expansion into Performance Benchmarking Services with Futuremark Acquisition
http://ul.com/newsroom/pressreleases/ul-signals-strategic-expansion-into-performance-benchmarking-services-with-futuremark-acquisition/
UL, a global safety science leader, today announced the acquisition of Futuremark, the market leading provider of performance benchmarking software. Futuremark, a privately held company based in Finland, develops the world’s most widely used benchmarks for desktop computers, notebooks, tablets and smart phones.
“Embedded software is now an important part of product design. With an increased focus on mobility, we see more and more products being connected, making the Internet of Things a reality. Consequently, software quality is a significant driver of product safety and performance; and we believe that benchmarking is an important way to help our customers to improve the performance of their products,” said Stephen Kirk, VP and GM of UL Consumer Technology Division. “This acquisition provides us with an opportunity to build a new business line in testing a wide variety of technological devices so they offer the performance, safety and privacy that consumers expect.”
Market demand for benchmarking services is driven by intense global competition to improve product performance and competitive differentiation. In addition, empowered users are seeking more data to assess new products during purchase consideration.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LTE speed nearly 50 megabits cities in Finland
Omnitele has measured the speed of mobile broadband in ten major cities in Finland. At best, the data rate of the network to the user for almost 50 megabits per second. According to the results of DNA was measured by the largest network average download speed, when the readout 49.7 megabits per second. Elisa’s network reached 42.9 megabits per second and Sonera’s network of 36.4 megabits per second.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2026:lte-nopeus-jo-lahes-50-megabittia-suomen-kaupungeissa&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gartner: Internet of Things groping up to run in Finland
Progress of digitalisation of Finnish organizations at an accelerated pace, claims Gartner research.
April and August 2014, the industrial to the Internet and the Internet of Things and exploitation plans are According to Gartner, a significant increase in Finland. Development is not only individual organizations but digitalization project is going on in all industries.
The digitalisation is still in its infancy and the current utilization focuses on operational efficiency. This means that the manual work aims to minimize the degree of intelligence by bringing in various ways, including the production process, predictive maintenance, and equipment and machinery between automation.
“All the companies have not even finished a full-scale digitalization, many have yet to work with and promote the digitization and online industrial framework conditions, such as the extensive use of the software,”
“It would be important now to look beyond mere efficiency and at the same time to build a foundation for a systematic renewal of business in the near future,” says Gartner, Director of the Finnish study, Sanna Korhonen.
Half of the organizations will tell you that they do not have any plans to take advantage of the industrial potential benefits offered by the Internet.
“Many wonders for the right timing digitalisoitumishankkeiden the case. However, the fast development cycles are typical of software-based services and the help of ICT projects we implemented the automation. Market should be monitored very accurate ear,
Source: http://www.kauppalehti.fi/etusivu/gartner+teollinen+internet+hapuillen+vauhtiin+suomessa/201411706430
Tomi Engdahl says:
Machine vision to revolutionize the treatment of traffic routes
Machine vision to revolutionize the production of knowledge communication lines, and supports inventory management. Maintenance planning the necessary information it is possible to produce a by-product of the maintenance processes.
Is asphalt pavement, curbs or road signs in place and in what condition? Do we even have information about traffic signs? Will we be able to produce a road and street network information system (Digital Road) in accordance with the legislation of the data of the current process?
For many, the city, and especially in medium-sized municipalities as identified above issues arise for maintenance planning. Cost-effective property management requires information.
The Finnish Transport Agency began to look for a solution to these problems together with the Lappeenranta University of Technology computer vision and pattern recognition laboratory in the fall of 2013. Traffic Vision, a project named work is initially a question of automatic Digiroad picture in the collection of data in the file. The aim is to fulfill the national obligations of intelligent transport systems and geographic information legislation.
The project started with road signs, and now it has been found that the condition of a broader evaluation of automation is the thing that has social significance. Savings and information needs are met best when the maintenance planning of the necessary information it is possible to produce a by-product of the maintenance processes so that information is always up to date. The study showed that this is a huge potential for machine vision.
Source: http://www.kuntatekniikka.fi/ajankohtaista/uutiset/2014/Sivut/Konenako-mullistaa-liikennevaylien-hoidon.aspx