Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a technology that we're slowly becoming more exposed to as new products are developed to make everyday tasks easier.  AI actually had a bit of an interesting start - it grew from the technology used to break the German Enigma codes in World War II, however we are more familiar with its more benign uses in beating chess champions or even in our virtual phone assistants.  Enterprises have been quietly developing AI-based cybersecurity strategies that are proving to have promise in protecting systems and even are being used in counterterrorism efforts.

In an article published recently by Computer Weekly, author Caroline Donnelly explores how recent improvements to the "speed limit" of sending data to the cloud have made the technology more accessible than ever.  Given this, enterprises should double down on their efforts to move their data off-premise.

Kofax, a developer of enterprise content management software and PaperFree partner, recently made three exciting announcements in an email to partners.  Firstly, they announced the consolidation of products under the Lexmark Enterprise Software name into the Kofax line, forming a single brand of enterprise software.  This assists Kofax in streamlining their product line, enhancing marketing efforts, and removing confusion over which products are which.

On Friday, February 10 the PaperFree employees participated in their first ‘Company Day’.  As a day set aside specifically for team building, training, and other activities, company days are an excellent opportunity to bring all the company’s many departments together for one purpose.  For this first event, all the employees were treated to morning CPR certification classes taught by the American Red Cross.

Earlier this month Dell EMC announced a new Integrated Partner Program that combines two solid legacy programs into one.  This move was made to address the needs of partners today and also to account for the changing future.  The program is arranged into a set of tiers - Titanium, Platinum, and Gold, plus an invitation-only Titanium Black sub-tier - that correspond to service levels and to clarify the steps needed for a partner to advance to the next partnership level.

In a recent blog post, Kofax explored the changing world of the insurance industry.  They narrowed their findings down to a handful of categories; legacy systems, new product models to compete with, and millennials.  Millennials?  How do they impact insurance companies?  Turns out, they have a lot to do with how companies run their customer service end.  Millennials want information quickly, via the internet, and in simple packages that are easy to understand.

One of the advancing technologies in our day is the use of "smart machines" - machines that are are capable of cognitive computing, artificial intelligence, intelligent automation, machine learning, and deep learning - and these machines are poised to change the way businesses operate.  Gartner reports that almost a third of larger companies will make use of smart machine technology by 2021.

Last week PaperFree partner OpenText announced definitive plans to acquire Guidance Software, a Pasadena-based developer of forensic security solutions.  The acquisition adds to OpenText's product offerings, specifically its Discovery line that that offers search, extraction, classification, review, and analysis tools for enterprises.  This also adds additional information security options to OpenText with new digital investigation, forensic security, and endpoint solutions.

OpenText has announced the completion of its acquisition of Dell EMC's Enterprise Content Division, effective January 23, 2017.  This acquisition, which also includes the popular Documentum suite as well as other core ECM products, carried a price tag of $1.62 billion and was funded by a combination of cash on hand, stocks, senior notes, and credit.  Through this process, which has taken nearly a year, OpenText has made strides to ensure that ECD partners and their clients would experience as seamless of a transition as possible.

Earlier this month Dell EMC announced the introduction of the ProDeploy Client Suite, a tool that helps enterprises deploy PCs faster, easier, and with better ability to control the process.  The system is offered with three service levels so that customers can fine tune services to their needs, while also enjoying available training and certification to streamline the process from start to finish.