#software vendor selection

[techtoio]

Integrating New Software: Tips for a Smooth Transition

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced technological landscape, businesses often find themselves integrating new software to stay competitive and efficient. However, the process can be daunting, fraught with potential disruptions and challenges. At TechtoIO, we understand the importance of a smooth transition when implementing new software. This guide provides essential tips to help you integrate new software seamlessly, minimizing downtime and maximizing productivity. Read to Continue

[welcometoqueer]

I haven’t really seen any of the more recent U.S. election news hitting tumblr yet so here’s some updates (now edited with sources added):

There’s evidence of Trump cheating and interfering with the election.

Possible Russian interference.

Mail-in ballots are not being counted or “recognized” in multiple (notably swing) states.

30+ bomb threats were called in and shut down polling stations on Election Day.

20+ million votes are still unaccounted for, and that’s just to have the same voter turnout as 2020.

There was record voter turnout and new/first-time voter registration this year. We definitely should be well over the turnout in 2020.

U.S. citizens are using this site to demand, not only a recount, but a complete investigation into election fraud and interference for the reasons stated above:

Here is what I submitted as an example:

An investigation for election interference and fraud is required. We desperately need a recount or even a revote. The American people deserve the right to a free and fair election. There has been evidence unveiled of Trump cheating and committing election fraud which is illegal. There is some evidence of possible Russian interference. At least 30+ bomb threats were called in to polling places. Multiple, notably swing states, have ballots unaccounted for and voting machines not registering votes. Ballots and ballot boxes were tampered with and burned. Over 20 million votes that we know of are unaccounted for. With record turnout and new voter registration this year, there should be no possibility that there are less votes than even in the 2020 election.

Sources (working on finding more links but if anyone wants to add info, it’s appreciated):

FBI addressing Russian interference and bomb threats:

Emails released by Rachael Bellis (private account, can’t share original tweet) confirming Trump committing election fraud:

Pennsylvania's Centre County officials say they are working with their ballot scanner vendor to figure out why the county's mail-in ballot data is "not being recognized when uploaded to the elections software:”

Wisconsin recount:

[ID:

Multiple screenshots and images.

The first is a screenshot with a link and information for contacting the White House directly regarding election fraud. The instructions include choosing to leave a comment to President Joe Biden directly and to select election security as the reason.

The screenshot then instructs people to include any or all of the following information in a paragraph as a comment to the president:

32 fake bomb threats were called into Democratic leaning poll places, rendering polling places closed for at least an hour.

A lot of people reporting their ballots were not counted for various reasons.

This all occurred in swing states.

This is too coincidental that these things happen and swing in his favor after months of hinting at foul play.

Directly state that an investigation for tampering, interference, fraud is required, not just a recount.

The second image is from the FBI Twitter account that reads:

The FBI is aware of bomb threats to polling locations in several states, many of which appear to originate from Russian email domains. None of the threats have been determined to be credible thus far. https://t.co/j3YfajVK1m — FBI (@FBI) November 5, 2024

The next four Gmail screenshots of an email sent to Rachael Bellis from Chris T. Spackman that read together as follows:

Dear BELLIS, RACHAEL E., The Dauphin County Board of Elections received a challenge to your absentee ballot you applied for in the November 5, 2024 General Election. The challenge argues that a provision of the Pennsylvania Election Code takes precedence over the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), which requires states and counties to permit U.S. citizens who move overseas to vote by absentee ballot for federal offices based on their last U.S. residential address.

The full text of the challenge that was filed appears below this email.

You may respond to the challenge in any of the following ways:

1. Call the Bureau of Registration and Election at (717) 780-6360;

2. Email a statement to the Bureau at Election election@dauphincounty.gov. Any statement you submit regarding the period during which you lived in Dauphin County, any family or connections that you still have here, and why you are now residing abroad would be read into the record.

3. Appear in person at a Board of Elections hearing scheduled for Friday, November 8 at a time to be determined in the Commissioners Public Hearing Room, 4th floor of Dauphin County Administration Building, 2 S 20d St, Harrisburg, PA 17111. The meeting is also likely to be livestreamed on Facebook on the Dauphin County channel.

Sincerely,

Christopher T Spackman

TEXT OF CHALLENGE BEGINS

Dear Dauphin County Board of Elections,

I am submitting this challenge to an absentee ballot application pursuant to 25 Pa. Stat.

3146.8(f).

25 Pa. Stat. 3146.8(f) Any person challenging an application for an absentee ballot, an absentee ballot, an application for a mail-in ballot or a mail-in ballot for any of the reasons provided in this act shall deposit the sum of ten dollars ($10.00) in cash with the county board, which sum shall only be refunded if the challenge is sustained or if the challenge is withdrawn within five (5) days after the primary or election. If the challenge is dismissed by any lawful order then the deposit shall be forfeited. The county board shall deposit all deposit money in the general fund of the…

The rest of the forwarded email is cut off.

The last image is a screenshot of the official statement from the Centre County, Pennsylvania Board of Commissioners released on November 6, 2024 that states:

Centre County Working with Ballot Scanner Vendor to Export Election Results.

(Bellefonte, PA) -Centre County Elections Office is working continuously to provide mail-in ballot data in order to post unofficial results.

To this point, all ballots have been scanned, including all mail-in ballots.

Centre County's Election team and IT team have identified that the data are successfully being exported from the mail-in ballot scanners, but that the data is not being recognized when uploaded to the elections software.

Centre County's Administrator, John Franek, Jr. stated, "We have not stopped working, and we will continue to work until unofficial results are posted and reported to the Pennsylvania Department of State."

As a next step, Centre County has begun working with the equipment vendor to adjust configurations to make the two systems-the mail-in ballot scanner and the elections software where data are uploaded -compatible with one another.

We will provide updates as we make progress.

/end ID]

[stelotechnology]

🕵️‍♂️ Diving deep into the testing trenches! 🚀 Unmasking the Bug Brigade's Top 4 Most Common Intruders:

1️⃣ UI Issues – Where pixels tell tales of visual challenges. 2️⃣ Functionality Issues – Unraveling the labyrinth of feature hiccups. 3️⃣ Security Issues – Guarding the digital fortress against potential breaches. 4️⃣ Performance Issues – Navigating the speed bumps in the quest for seamless operation.

Join us on this bug-busting adventure as we shine a spotlight on the quirks and quarks of software testing! 🐛🔍

[erpadvisorsgroup]

An Independent Review of the Industry's Top ERP Vendors!

ERP Advisors Group works with vendors across the entire #erp space, vetting and selecting the right solutions for businesses throughout multiple industries. Follow the link below for a unique look into the industry's top ERP vendors from the independent consultants at EAG!

[essindia01]

[xettle-technologies]

What Are the Best Payout Solutions for Your Business?

In today’s fast-paced digital economy, businesses of all sizes need efficient and secure payout solutions to manage their financial transactions. Whether you're running a small e-commerce store, a large enterprise, or providing services in the gig economy, selecting the right payout solution is crucial. From disbursing salaries to paying vendors or customers, a seamless payout process can enhance trust and streamline operations.

In this article, we will explore the best payout solutions for businesses, focusing on their features, benefits, and how they cater to diverse business needs. We’ll also touch upon the importance of working with a reliable micro ATM service provider and highlight Xettle Technologies as an example of innovation in this space.

Understanding Payout Solutions

Payout solutions refer to systems or platforms that facilitate the transfer of funds from a business to its employees, partners, customers, or vendors. These solutions are essential for ensuring smooth financial transactions and reducing manual intervention. Modern payout solutions are designed to be flexible, secure, and capable of handling high transaction volumes with ease.

The best payout solution for your business will depend on several factors, including the size of your company, the frequency of payouts, and the geographical location of your recipients. Let’s dive into the key elements to consider when selecting the right solution.

Features of Effective Payout Solutions

Multi-Channel Accessibility A good payout solution should support multiple payment channels, such as bank transfers, mobile wallets, UPI, and cards. This ensures that your business can cater to the diverse preferences of your recipients.

Scalability As your business grows, your payout needs will evolve. A scalable solution can accommodate increasing transaction volumes without compromising on speed or security.

Security and Compliance Protecting sensitive financial data is paramount. Choose a payout solution that complies with industry standards and regulatory requirements, ensuring the safety of your transactions.

Integration Capabilities Seamless integration with your existing systems, such as accounting software or enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools, can simplify operations and improve efficiency.

Real-Time Processing In today’s competitive environment, real-time payouts can be a game-changer. Recipients value quick access to their funds, making this a must-have feature.

Types of Payout Solutions

1. Bank Transfers

This is one of the most common methods, offering a direct and secure way to transfer funds to recipients' bank accounts. However, it may not be ideal for real-time payouts due to processing times.

2. Digital Wallets

Digital wallets like Paytm, Google Pay, and others provide a convenient and fast way to transfer funds. They are particularly popular in regions with high mobile penetration.

3. Prepaid Cards

Prepaid cards are a versatile option that allows businesses to load funds for employees or customers. They can be used for shopping or cash withdrawals.

4. Micro ATM Services

For businesses operating in rural or remote areas, a micro ATM service provider can be a game-changer. These services enable cash disbursements even in areas with limited banking infrastructure, bridging the financial inclusion gap.

How Micro ATM Service Providers Add Value

Micro ATM service providers are transforming the way businesses manage payouts in underbanked regions. These portable devices allow users to perform basic banking functions, such as cash withdrawals, balance inquiries, and fund transfers. By partnering with a reliable micro ATM service provider, businesses can expand their reach and cater to rural audiences effectively.

For instance, a small-scale retailer or a government agency can use micro ATM services to disburse payments to beneficiaries without requiring them to travel long distances to access banking facilities. This enhances convenience and boosts trust among recipients.

A Spotlight on Xettle Technologies

Xettle Technologies has emerged as a leader in the payout solutions space, offering innovative platforms that cater to diverse business needs. Their solutions are designed to enhance operational efficiency and provide a seamless experience for businesses and recipients alike. By leveraging advanced technology, Xettle Technologies ensures secure, real-time payouts while simplifying the integration process for businesses.

Choosing the Right Payout Solution

Selecting the best payout solution requires careful consideration of your business’s specific needs. Here are some steps to guide you:

Assess Your Requirements Determine the frequency and volume of payouts your business handles. This will help you identify a solution that matches your operational scale.

Evaluate Security Measures Ensure the platform offers robust encryption, fraud detection, and compliance with financial regulations.

Test for User-Friendliness The solution should be easy to use for both your team and your recipients. Look for platforms with intuitive interfaces and reliable customer support.

Consider Costs Compare the transaction fees, setup costs, and other charges associated with different solutions. Opt for one that offers value for money without compromising on quality.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right payout solution is not just about facilitating transactions; it’s about building trust and ensuring smooth financial operations. Whether you’re looking for traditional methods like bank transfers or innovative options like micro ATM services, the key lies in understanding your business needs and selecting a partner that aligns with your goals.

From scalability to security, modern payout solutions offer a range of features that can empower your business to operate efficiently in a competitive landscape. By leveraging the right tools and technologies, such as those offered by Xettle Technologies, you can simplify your payout processes and focus on growing your business.

[xaltius]

CompTIA Certifications: Your Gateway to IT Success

Introduction

In today's technology-driven world, IT professionals play a crucial role in driving innovation and business growth. To validate their skills and stand out in the competitive job market, many individuals seek industry-recognized certifications. CompTIA certifications have emerged as a popular choice, offering a comprehensive pathway to IT success.

What are CompTIA Certifications?

CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association, is a non-profit trade association that develops and delivers vendor-neutral IT certifications. These certifications are designed to assess an individual's knowledge and skills in various IT domains, including networking, cybersecurity, and cloud computing.

Benefits of CompTIA Certifications

Enhanced Career Prospects: CompTIA certifications are highly valued by employers worldwide. Earning a CompTIA certification can significantly boost your job prospects and open doors to new opportunities.

Increased Earning Potential: Certified IT professionals often command higher salaries compared to their non-certified counterparts. CompTIA certifications can directly contribute to your financial growth.

Industry Recognition: CompTIA certifications are recognized and respected throughout the IT industry. They serve as a testament to your expertise and professionalism.

Skill Development: Preparing for and passing a CompTIA certification requires a deep understanding of the relevant IT concepts and technologies. This process helps you develop valuable skills that can be applied in your daily work.

Vendor Neutrality: Unlike vendor-specific certifications, CompTIA certifications are vendor-neutral. This means they are not tied to a particular product or technology, making them more versatile and adaptable to various IT environments.

Popular CompTIA Certifications

CompTIA A+: This entry-level certification is ideal for IT professionals who want to build a solid foundation in computer hardware and software.

CompTIA Network+: This certification validates your knowledge of networking fundamentals, including network infrastructure, protocols, and troubleshooting.

CompTIA Security+: This certification focuses on cybersecurity and equips you with the skills to protect systems and data from threats.

CompTIA PenTest+: This certification validates your skills in penetration testing, a crucial aspect of cybersecurity.

CompTIA Data+: This certification focuses on data analysis and validates your ability to collect, analyze, and interpret data.

How to Prepare for a CompTIA Certification

Identify Your Goals: Determine which CompTIA certification aligns with your career aspirations and current skill level.

Choose Study Materials: Select high-quality study materials, such as textbooks, practice exams, and online courses.

Create a Study Plan: Develop a structured study plan that covers all the exam objectives.

Practice Regularly: Take advantage of practice exams to assess your knowledge and identify areas for improvement.

Join Study Groups: Connect with other candidates to share knowledge and motivation.

Opting certification courses: Enroll the CompTIA courses from Xaltius Academy.

Conclusion

CompTIA certifications offer a valuable pathway to IT success. By earning a CompTIA certification, you can enhance your career prospects, increase your earning potential, and gain recognition as a skilled IT professional. If you're looking to advance your IT career, consider pursuing a CompTIA certification.

[shantitechnology]

Streamlining Manufacturing Operations with Production ERP Software

In the rapidly evolving world of manufacturing, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) face growing competition, shifting customer demands, and the need for seamless operations.  Engineering manufacturing companies, in particular, must juggle a multitude of processes, including production planning, inventory management, and regulatory compliance.  As a result, more and more businesses are recognizing the importance of adopting advanced technological solutions to remain competitive.  This is where ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software becomes essential.

ERP software streamlines and integrates core business processes, enabling better decision-making, enhanced efficiency, and improved profitability.  For engineering and manufacturing SMEs in India, finding the right ERP solution is critical to long-term success.

In this blog, we will explore why ERP software is a necessity for small and medium-sized engineering manufacturing companies and how choosing the right solution can significantly impact their operations.  We will also highlight some of the top providers of manufacturing ERP software in India and discuss the key factors to consider when selecting the best ERP software for your business.

Why SMEs Need ERP Software in Manufacturing

Engineering and manufacturing businesses operate in complex environments where efficiency, precision, and cost-effectiveness are paramount.  Managing resources, ensuring timely production, maintaining product quality, and adhering to industry regulations are all crucial components of the business.  An ERP system integrates all these processes into a unified platform, enabling businesses to operate more smoothly and efficiently.

ERP software for manufacturing companies in India is designed to streamline various aspects of business operations, including supply chain management, production scheduling, finance, procurement, inventory control, and customer relationship management (CRM).  By providing real-time data and insights, ERP software enables companies to optimize operations, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction.

The benefits of ERP systems for engineering and manufacturing companies include:

Improved Efficiency:  ERP software automates manual processes, reducing human error and increasing overall operational efficiency.

Cost Savings:  Optimized resource management, reduced wastage, and better production planning help reduce operating costs.

Better Decision-Making:  Real-time data from various departments allows for more informed and timely decisions.

Enhanced Collaboration:  ERP software integrates different departments, promoting better communication and collaboration across the organization.

Scalability:  ERP systems are designed to scale as your business grows, making them ideal for SMEs looking to expand in the future.

Features of the Best ERP Software for Manufacturing Companies

Not all ERP software is the same, and engineering manufacturing companies have specific needs that must be addressed.  To select the right solution, businesses should consider the key features of manufacturing ERP software in India.

Production Management:  This is a core feature of any manufacturing ERP system, allowing businesses to plan and schedule production processes effectively.  It includes functions such as job scheduling, capacity planning, and work order management.

Inventory Management:  Efficient inventory control is essential in manufacturing.  ERP systems help manage inventory levels, track materials, and ensure that stock levels meet demand without causing overstocking or stockouts.

Supply Chain Management:  Manufacturing companies often rely on complex supply chains to ensure timely procurement and delivery of materials.  The best ERP for manufacturing industry will have robust supply chain management capabilities, including vendor management, procurement, and logistics tracking.

Quality Control:  Ensuring product quality is critical in manufacturing.  ERP systems help enforce quality checks at different stages of production, ensuring products meet industry standards and regulatory requirements.

Financial Management:  An integrated ERP system enables businesses to manage accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting more efficiently.  This ensures better visibility into cash flow, profit margins, and overall financial health.

CRM Integration:  Managing customer relationships is crucial for manufacturing companies.  ERP software integrates CRM functions to manage leads, track customer interactions, and improve customer satisfaction.

Compliance and Reporting:  Compliance with industry standards and regulations is critical in engineering and manufacturing.  The best ERP software for manufacturing companies in India includes features that help businesses stay compliant and generate necessary reports for regulatory authorities.

How to Choose the Best ERP for Manufacturing Industry

Selecting the best ERP for your engineering manufacturing business is a critical decision that can significantly impact your operations.  Here are some key factors to consider when evaluating ERP solutions:

Customization:  Every manufacturing business is unique, and ERP software should be customizable to meet specific business needs.  The best ERP software provider in India will offer solutions that can be tailored to your company’s requirements.

Ease of Use:  The usability of ERP software is crucial, especially for small and medium-sized businesses.  A system that is easy to use and requires minimal training will ensure that employees can adopt the software quickly.

Scalability:  Your ERP system should be able to grow with your business.  As your company expands, the system should be able to handle additional users, processes, and data without compromising performance.

Integration:  ERP software should integrate seamlessly with other systems and tools that your business uses, such as CAD software, financial systems, and supply chain management tools.

Vendor Support:  Choose an ERP provider that offers ongoing support, training, and updates.  This ensures that your business can continue to operate smoothly even as the software evolves.

Reputation:  Consider the reputation of the ERP provider.  Some of the top 10 ERP software providers in India are known for their reliability, customer support, and industry expertise.  Researching these providers can help you identify the best ERP solution for your business.

Top ERP Software Providers in India

India has a growing number of ERP solution providers, catering to the specific needs of manufacturing companies.  Some of the best ERP software providers in India offer solutions that are designed to meet the challenges faced by engineering manufacturing businesses.  Here are some of the top 10 ERP software providers in India known for their expertise in the manufacturing industry:

SAP Business One:  A global leader in ERP software, SAP offers a robust solution tailored for SMEs in the manufacturing sector.  SAP Business One provides comprehensive tools for financial management, supply chain management, and production planning.

Oracle NetSuite:  Oracle’s NetSuite ERP is a cloud-based solution that offers a suite of tools for manufacturing businesses, including inventory management, procurement, and financials.  It is known for its scalability and ease of use.

TallyPrime:  Tally is one of the most popular ERP solutions in India, especially among small businesses.  TallyPrime offers inventory management, accounting, and compliance tools, making it a good option for SMEs.

Microsoft Dynamics 365:  Microsoft’s ERP solution is designed to integrate seamlessly with other Microsoft products and offers a range of tools for financial management, production planning, and CRM.

STERP (Shanti Technology):  Specializing in ERP software for the engineering and manufacturing industries, STERP provides customized solutions that cater to the specific needs of Indian businesses.  Known as one of the best ERP software providers in India, STERP offers comprehensive ERP solutions tailored for SMEs.

Epicor ERP:  Epicor is a global provider of manufacturing ERP software, offering a range of industry-specific solutions.  Its software includes tools for production management, supply chain management, and quality control.

Infor CloudSuite Industrial (SyteLine):  Infor’s CloudSuite Industrial is designed for manufacturing companies and offers a range of tools for managing production, supply chain, and finance.

Zoho ERP:  Zoho provides a cloud-based ERP solution that is popular among small and medium-sized businesses in India.  It offers tools for inventory management, accounting, and CRM.

Focus 9 ERP:  Focus 9 is a comprehensive ERP solution designed for SMEs in the manufacturing sector.  It offers tools for inventory control, production planning, and financial management.

Ramco ERP:  Ramco offers cloud-based ERP software tailored for manufacturing businesses.  It includes modules for production planning, quality control, and financial management.

Conclusion:  Invest in the Best ERP for Manufacturing Success

For small and medium engineering manufacturing companies, investing in ERP software is crucial for optimizing operations, reducing costs, and staying competitive in a challenging market.  With a wide range of ERP solutions available, businesses in India have access to some of the best ERP software providers in the world.

Choosing the right ERP for your business requires careful consideration of your specific needs, scalability requirements, and budget.  By partnering with one of the top ERP software providers in India, such as STERP, SAP, or Oracle, you can ensure that your business is well-positioned for future growth and success.

[dentsoftware-dentalsoftware]

Importance of Dental software

Feeling overwhelmed managing appointments, patient records, billing, and insurance on top of providing excellent patient care? Dental practice management software (DPMS) can be your secret weapon!

Think of DPMS as your digital assistant, streamlining these tasks and freeing up valuable time for what matters most: focusing on your patients' smiles.

Here's how DPMS can revolutionize your dental practice:

Boost Efficiency: DPMS automates tasks like scheduling, billing, and recordkeeping, allowing you and your staff to dedicate more time to patient interaction.

Ditch the Paperwork: Say goodbye to overflowing file cabinets! Electronic records save space and make patient information readily accessible.

Enhanced Patient Communication: Improve communication with features like automated appointment reminders and online patient portals.

Smoother Financial Management: Streamline billing with automated processes and insurance verification, leading to faster and easier collections.

Inventory Management Made Easy: DPMS helps you track dental supplies and equipment, reducing waste and ensuring you have what you need when you need it.

Data-Driven Decisions: Generate insightful reports on patient demographics, treatment trends, and practice performance, empowering you to make informed decisions for your practice.

Choosing the Right DPMS: Cloud-Based vs. On-Premise

There are two main types of DPMS: cloud-based and on-premise. Understanding the differences is crucial for selecting the best fit for your practice.

Cloud-Based Dental Practice Management Software:

Imagine accessing software through the internet. Your data is securely stored on the vendor's servers and is accessible from any device with an internet connection.

Benefits:

Easy Setup and Maintenance: No software installation or server management needed. Updates are automatic.

Scalability: Grows with your practice – easily add users or features as needed.

Accessibility: Access patient information and manage your practice from anywhere, anytime.

Ideal for: Smaller practices, solo practitioners, or those who value flexibility and remote access.

On-Premise DPMS:

Traditional software installed directly on your practice computers. You have complete control over the data stored on your servers.

Benefits:

Customization: May offer more customization options for specific workflows.

Data Security: Some dentists prefer having complete control over their data on-site.

Drawbacks:

Higher Upfront Costs: Requires purchasing software licenses and server hardware.

IT Maintenance: Relies on in-house IT expertise or external support for updates and maintenance.

Scalability: Scaling up can be complex and requires additional hardware and software licenses.

Ideal for: Larger practices with dedicated IT staff or those who prioritize complete on-site data control.

The Bottom Line:

The best DPMS choice depends on your practice size, budget, and IT capabilities. Cloud-based solutions offer ease of use and scalability, while on-premise systems provide more customization and potential data control. Consider your priorities and consult with DPMS vendors to find the perfect fit for your dental practice.

Ready to explore how DPMS can transform your practice? Try this

[this-week-in-rust]

This Week in Rust 534

Hello and welcome to another issue of This Week in Rust! Rust is a programming language empowering everyone to build reliable and efficient software. This is a weekly summary of its progress and community. Want something mentioned? Tag us at @ThisWeekInRust on Twitter or @ThisWeekinRust on mastodon.social, or send us a pull request. Want to get involved? We love contributions.

This Week in Rust is openly developed on GitHub and archives can be viewed at this-week-in-rust.org. If you find any errors in this week's issue, please submit a PR.

Updates from Rust Community

Official

Announcing Rust 1.76.0

This Development-cycle in Cargo: 1.77

Project/Tooling Updates

zbus 4.0 released. zbus is a pure Rust D-Bus crate. The new version brings a more ergonomic and safer API. Release: zbus4

This Month in Rust OSDev: January 2024

Rerun 0.13 - real-time kHz time series in a multimodal visualizer

egui 0.26 - Text selection in labels

Hello, Selium! Yet another streaming platform, but easier

Observations/Thoughts

Which red is your function?

Porting libyaml to Safe Rust: Some Thoughts

Design safe collection API with compile-time reference stability in Rust

Cross compiling Rust to win32

Modular: Mojo vs. Rust: is Mojo 🔥 faster than Rust 🦀 ?

Extending Rust's Effect System

Allocation-free decoding with traits and high-ranked trait bounds

Cross-Compiling Your Project in Rust

Kind: Our Rust library that provides zero-cost, type-safe identifiers

Performance Roulette: The Luck of Code Alignment

Too dangerous for C++

Building an Uptime Monitor in Rust

Box Plots at the Olympics

Rust in Production: Interview with FOSSA

Performance Pitfalls of Async Function Pointers (and Why It Might Not Matter)

Error management in Rust, and libs that support it

Finishing Turborepo's migration from Go to Rust

Rust: Reading a file line by line while being mindful of RAM usage

Why Rust? It's the safe choice

[video] Rust 1.76.0: 73 highlights in 24 minutes!

Rust Walkthroughs

Rust/C++ Interop Part 1 - Just the Basics

Rust/C++ Interop Part 2 - CMake

Speeding up data analysis with Rayon and Rust

Calling Rust FFI libraries from Go

Write a simple TCP chat server in Rust

[video] Google Oauth with GraphQL API written in Rust - part 1. Registration mutation.

Miscellaneous

The book "Asynchronous Programming in Rust" is released

January 2024 Rust Jobs Report

Chasing a bug in a SAT solver

Rust for hardware vendors

[audio] How To Secure Your Audio Code Using Rust With Chase Kanipe

[audio] Tweede Golf - Rust in Production Podcast

[video] RustConf 2023

[video] Decrusting the tracing crate

Crate of the Week

This week's crate is microflow, a robust and efficient TinyML inference engine for embedded systems.

Thanks to matteocarnelos for the self-suggestion!

Please submit your suggestions and votes for next week!

Call for Participation; projects and speakers

CFP - Projects

Always wanted to contribute to open-source projects but did not know where to start? Every week we highlight some tasks from the Rust community for you to pick and get started!

Some of these tasks may also have mentors available, visit the task page for more information.

* Hyperswitch - [FEATURE]: Setup code coverage for local tests & CI * Hyperswitch - [FEATURE]: Have get_required_value to use ValidationError in OptionExt

If you are a Rust project owner and are looking for contributors, please submit tasks here.

CFP - Speakers

Are you a new or experienced speaker looking for a place to share something cool? This section highlights events that are being planned and are accepting submissions to join their event as a speaker.

Devoxx PL 2024 | CFP closes 2024-03-01 | Krakow, Poland | Event date: 2024-06-19 - 2024-06-21

RustFest Zürich 2024 CFP closes 2024-03-31 | Zürich, Switzerland | Event date: 2024-06-19 - 2024-06-24

If you are an event organizer hoping to expand the reach of your event, please submit a link to the submission website through a PR to TWiR.

Updates from the Rust Project

466 pull requests were merged in the last week

add armv8r-none-eabihf target for the Cortex-R52

add lahfsahf and prfchw target feature

check_consts: fix duplicate errors, make importance consistent

interpret/write_discriminant: when encoding niched variant, ensure the stored value matches

large_assignments: Allow moves into functions

pattern_analysis: gather up place-relevant info

pattern_analysis: track usefulness without interior mutability

account for non-overlapping unmet trait bounds in suggestion

account for unbounded type param receiver in suggestions

add support for custom JSON targets when using build-std

add unstable -Z direct-access-external-data cmdline flag for rustc

allow restricted trait impls under #[allow_internal_unstable(min_specialization)]

always check the result of pthread_mutex_lock

avoid ICE in drop recursion check in case of invalid drop impls

avoid a collection and iteration on empty passes

avoid accessing the HIR in the happy path of coherent_trait

bail out of drop elaboration when encountering error types

build DebugInfo for async closures

check that the ABI of the instance we are inlining is correct

clean inlined type alias with correct param-env

continue to borrowck even if there were previous errors

coverage: split out counter increment sites from BCB node/edge counters

create try_new function for ThinBox

deduplicate tcx.instance_mir(instance) calls in try_instance_mir

don't expect early-bound region to be local when reporting errors in RPITIT well-formedness

don't skip coercions for types with errors

emit a diagnostic for invalid target options

emit more specific diagnostics when enums fail to cast with as

encode coroutine_for_closure for foreign crates

exhaustiveness: prefer "0..MAX not covered" to "_ not covered"

fix ICE for deref coercions with type errors

fix ErrorGuaranteed unsoundness with stash/steal

fix cycle error when a static and a promoted are mutually recursive

fix more ty::Error ICEs in MIR passes

for E0223, suggest associated functions that are similar to the path

for a rigid projection, recursively look at the self type's item bounds to fix the associated_type_bounds feature

gracefully handle non-WF alias in assemble_alias_bound_candidates_recur

harmonize AsyncFn implementations, make async closures conditionally impl Fn* traits

hide impls if trait bound is proven from env

hir: make sure all HirIds have corresponding HIR Nodes

improve 'generic param from outer item' error for Self and inside static/const items

improve normalization of Pointee::Metadata

improve pretty printing for associated items in trait objects

introduce enter_forall to supercede instantiate_binder_with_placeholders

lowering unnamed fields and anonymous adt

make min_exhaustive_patterns match exhaustive_patterns better

make it so that async-fn-in-trait is compatible with a concrete future in implementation

make privacy visitor use types more (instead of HIR)

make traits / trait methods detected by the dead code lint

mark "unused binding" suggestion as maybe incorrect

match lowering: consistently lower bindings deepest-first

merge impl_polarity and impl_trait_ref queries

more internal emit diagnostics cleanups

move path implementations into sys

normalize type outlives obligations in NLL for new solver

print image input file and checksum in CI only

print kind of coroutine closure

properly handle async block and async fn in if exprs without else

provide more suggestions on invalid equality where bounds

record coroutine kind in coroutine generics

remove some unchecked_claim_error_was_emitted calls

resolve: unload speculatively resolved crates before freezing cstore

rework support for async closures; allow them to return futures that borrow from the closure's captures

static mut: allow mutable reference to arbitrary types, not just slices and arrays

stop bailing out from compilation just because there were incoherent traits

suggest [tail @ ..] on [..tail] and [...tail] where tail is unresolved

suggest less bug-prone construction of Duration in docs

suggest name value cfg when only value is used for check-cfg

suggest pattern tests when modifying exhaustiveness

suggest turning if let into irrefutable let if appropriate

suppress suggestions in derive macro

take empty where bounds into account when suggesting predicates

toggle assert_unsafe_precondition in codegen instead of expansion

turn the "no saved object file in work product" ICE into a translatable fatal error

warn on references casting to bigger memory layout

unstably allow constants to refer to statics and read from immutable statics

use the same mir-opt bless targets on all platforms

enable MIR JumpThreading by default

fix mir pass ICE in the presence of other errors

miri: fix ICE with symbolic alignment check on extern static

miri: implement the mmap64 foreign item

prevent running some code if it is already in the map

A trait's local impls are trivially coherent if there are no impls

use ensure when the result of the query is not needed beyond its Resultness

implement SystemTime for UEFI

implement sys/thread for UEFI

core/time: avoid divisions in Duration::new

core: add Duration constructors

make NonZero constructors generic

reconstify Add

replace pthread RwLock with custom implementation

simd intrinsics: add simd_shuffle_generic and other missing intrinsics

cargo: test-support: remove special case for $message_type

cargo: don't add the new package to workspace.members if there is no existing workspace in Cargo.toml

cargo: enable edition migration for 2024

cargo: feat: add hint for adding members to workspace

cargo: fix confusing error messages for sparse index replaced source

cargo: fix: don't duplicate comments when editing TOML

cargo: relax a test to permit warnings to be emitted, too

rustdoc: Correctly generate path for non-local items in source code pages

bindgen: add target mappings for riscv64imac and riscv32imafc

bindgen: feat: add headers option

clippy: mem_replace_with_default No longer triggers on unused expression

clippy: similar_names: don't raise if the first character is different

clippy: to_string_trait_impl: avoid linting if the impl is a specialization

clippy: unconditional_recursion: compare by Tys instead of DefIds

clippy: don't allow derive macros to silence disallowed_macros

clippy: don't lint incompatible_msrv in test code

clippy: extend NONMINIMAL_BOOL lint

clippy: fix broken URL in Lint Configuration

clippy: fix false positive in redundant_type_annotations lint

clippy: add autofixes for unnecessary_fallible_conversions

clippy: fix: ICE when array index exceeds usize

clippy: refactor implied_bounds_in_impls lint

clippy: return Some from walk_to_expr_usage more

clippy: stop linting blocks_in_conditions on match with weird attr macro case

rust-analyzer: abstract more over ItemTreeLoc-like structs

rust-analyzer: better error message for when proc-macros have not yet been built

rust-analyzer: add "unnecessary else" diagnostic and fix

rust-analyzer: add break and return postfix keyword completions

rust-analyzer: add diagnostic with fix to replace trailing return <val>; with <val>

rust-analyzer: add incorrect case diagnostics for traits and their associated items

rust-analyzer: allow cargo check to run on only the current package

rust-analyzer: completion list suggests constructor like & builder methods first

rust-analyzer: improve support for ignored proc macros

rust-analyzer: introduce term search to rust-analyzer

rust-analyzer: create UnindexedProject notification to be sent to the client

rust-analyzer: substitute $saved_file in custom check commands

rust-analyzer: fix incorrect inlining of functions that come from MBE macros

rust-analyzer: waker_getters tracking issue from 87021 for 96992

rust-analyzer: fix macro transcriber emitting incorrect lifetime tokens

rust-analyzer: fix target layout fetching

rust-analyzer: fix tuple structs not rendering visibility in their fields

rust-analyzer: highlight rustdoc

rust-analyzer: preserve where clause when builtin derive

rust-analyzer: recover from missing argument in call expressions

rust-analyzer: remove unnecessary .as_ref() in generate getter assist

rust-analyzer: validate literals in proc-macro-srv FreeFunctions::literal_from_str

rust-analyzer: implement literal_from_str for proc macro server

rust-analyzer: implement convert to guarded return assist for let statement with type that implements std::ops::Try

Rust Compiler Performance Triage

Relatively balanced results this week, with more improvements than regressions. Some of the larger regressions are not relevant, however there was a real large regression on doc builds, that was caused by a correctness fix (rustdoc was doing the wrong thing before).

Triage done by @kobzol. Revision range: 0984becf..74c3f5a1

Summary:

(instructions:u) mean range count Regressions ❌ (primary) 2.1% [0.2%, 12.0%] 44 Regressions ❌ (secondary) 5.2% [0.2%, 20.1%] 76 Improvements ✅ (primary) -0.7% [-2.4%, -0.2%] 139 Improvements ✅ (secondary) -1.3% [-3.3%, -0.3%] 86 All ❌✅ (primary) -0.1% [-2.4%, 12.0%] 183

6 Regressions, 5 Improvements, 8 Mixed; 5 of them in rollups 53 artifact comparisons made in total

Full report here

Approved RFCs

Changes to Rust follow the Rust RFC (request for comments) process. These are the RFCs that were approved for implementation this week:

eRFC: Iterate on and stabilize libtest's programmatic output

Final Comment Period

Every week, the team announces the 'final comment period' for RFCs and key PRs which are reaching a decision. Express your opinions now.

RFCs

RFC: Rust Has Provenance

Tracking Issues & PRs

Rust

[disposition: close] Implement Future for Option<F>

[disposition: merge] Tracking Issue for min_exhaustive_patterns

[disposition: merge] Make unsafe_op_in_unsafe_fn warn-by-default starting in 2024 edition

Cargo

[disposition: merge] feat: respect rust-version when generating lockfile

New and Updated RFCs

No New or Updated RFCs were created this week.

Call for Testing

An important step for RFC implementation is for people to experiment with the implementation and give feedback, especially before stabilization. The following RFCs would benefit from user testing before moving forward:

RFC: Checking conditional compilation at compile time

Testing steps

If you are a feature implementer and would like your RFC to appear on the above list, add the new call-for-testing label to your RFC along with a comment providing testing instructions and/or guidance on which aspect(s) of the feature need testing.

Upcoming Events

Rusty Events between 2024-02-14 - 2024-03-13 💕 🦀 💕

Virtual

2024-02-15 | Virtual (Berlin, DE) | OpenTechSchool Berlin + Rust Berlin

Rust Hack and Learn | Mirror: Rust Hack n Learn

2024-02-15 | Virtual + In person (Praha, CZ) | Rust Czech Republic

Introduction and Rust in production

2024-02-19 | Virtual (Melbourne, VIC, AU)| Rust Melbourne

(Hybrid - in person & online) February 2024 Rust Melbourne Meetup - Day 1

2024-02-20 | Virtual (Melbourne, VIC, AU) | Rust Melbourne

(Hybrid - in person & online) February 2024 Rust Melbourne Meetup - Day 2

2024-02-20 | Virtual (Washington, DC, US) | Rust DC

Mid-month Rustful

2024-02-20 | Virtual | Rust for Lunch

Lunch

2024-02-21 | Virtual (Cardiff, UK) | Rust and C++ Cardiff

Rust for Rustaceans Book Club: Chapter 2 - Types

2024-02-21 | Virtual (Vancouver, BC, CA) | Vancouver Rust

Rust Study/Hack/Hang-out

2024-02-22 | Virtual (Charlottesville, NC, US) | Charlottesville Rust Meetup

Crafting Interpreters in Rust Collaboratively

2024-02-27 | Virtual (Dallas, TX, US) | Dallas Rust

Last Tuesday

2024-02-29 | Virtual (Berlin, DE) | OpenTechSchool Berlin + Rust Berlin

Rust Hack and Learn | Mirror: Rust Hack n Learn Meetup | Mirror: Berline.rs page

2024-02-29 | Virtual (Charlottesville, NC, US) | Charlottesville Rust Meetup

Surfing the Rusty Wireless Waves with the ESP32-C3 Board

2024-03-06 | Virtual (Indianapolis, IN, US) | Indy Rust

Indy.rs - with Social Distancing

2024-03-07 | Virtual (Charlottesville, NC, US) | Charlottesville Rust Meetup

Crafting Interpreters in Rust Collaboratively

2024-03-12 | Virtual (Dallas, TX, US) | Dallas Rust

Second Tuesday

2024-03-12 | Hybrid (Virtual + In-person) Munich, DE | Rust Munich

Rust Munich 2024 / 1 - hybrid

Asia

2024-02-17 | New Delhi, IN | Rust Delhi

Meetup #5

Europe

2024-02-15 | Copenhagen, DK | Copenhagen Rust Community

Rust Hacknight #2: Compilers

2024-02-15 | Praha, CZ - Virtual + In-person | Rust Czech Republic

Introduction and Rust in production

2024-02-21 | Lyon, FR | Rust Lyon

Rust Lyon Meetup #8

2024-02-22 | Aarhus, DK | Rust Aarhus

Rust and Talk at Partisia

2024-02-29 | Berlin, DE | Rust Berlin

Rust and Tell - Season start 2024

2024-03-12 | Munich, DE + Virtual | Rust Munich

Rust Munich 2024 / 1 - hybrid

North America

2024-02-15 | Boston, MA, US | Boston Rust Meetup

Back Bay Rust Lunch, Feb 15

2024-02-15 | Seattle, WA, US | Seattle Rust User Group

Seattle Rust User Group Meetup

2024-02-20 | New York, NY, US | Rust NYC

Rust NYC Monthly Mixer (Moved to Feb 20th)

2024-02-20 | San Francisco, CA, US | San Francisco Rust Study Group

Rust Hacking in Person

2024-02-21 | Boston, MA, US | Boston Rust Meetup

Evening Boston Rust Meetup at Microsoft, February 21

2024-02-22 | Mountain View, CA, US | Mountain View Rust Meetup

Rust Meetup at Hacker Dojo

2024-02-28 | Austin, TX, US | Rust ATX

Rust Lunch - Fareground

2024-03-07 | Mountain View, CA, US | Mountain View Rust Meetup

Rust Meetup at Hacker Dojo

Oceania

2024-02-19 | Melbourne, VIC, AU + Virtual | Rust Melbourne

(Hybrid - in person & online) February 2024 Rust Melbourne Meetup - Day 1

2024-02-20 | Melbourne, VIC, AU + Virtual | Rust Melbourne

(Hybrid - in person & online) February 2024 Rust Melbourne Meetup - Day 2

2024-02-27 | Canberra, ACT, AU | Canberra Rust User Group

February Meetup

2024-02-27 | Sydney, NSW, AU | Rust Sydney

🦀 spire ⚡ & Quick

2024-03-05 | Auckland, NZ | Rust AKL

Rust AKL: Introduction to Embedded Rust + The State of Rust UI

If you are running a Rust event please add it to the calendar to get it mentioned here. Please remember to add a link to the event too. Email the Rust Community Team for access.

Jobs

Please see the latest Who's Hiring thread on r/rust

Quote of the Week

For some weird reason the Elixir Discord community has a distinct lack of programmer-socks-wearing queer furries, at least compared to Rust, or even most other tech-y Discord servers I’ve seen. It caused some weird cognitive dissonance. Why do I feel vaguely strange hanging out online with all these kind, knowledgeable, friendly and compassionate techbro’s? Then I see a name I recognized from elsewhere and my hindbrain goes “oh thank gods, I know for a fact she’s actually a snow leopard in her free time”. Okay, this nitpick is firmly tongue-in-cheek, but the Rust user-base continues to be a fascinating case study in how many weirdos you can get together in one place when you very explicitly say it’s ok to be a weirdo.

– SimonHeath on the alopex Wiki's ElixirNitpicks page

Thanks to Brian Kung for the suggestion!

Please submit quotes and vote for next week!

This Week in Rust is edited by: nellshamrell, llogiq, cdmistman, ericseppanen, extrawurst, andrewpollack, U007D, kolharsam, joelmarcey, mariannegoldin, bennyvasquez.

Email list hosting is sponsored by The Rust Foundation

Discuss on r/rust

[sanjanabia]

Unmasking the Invisible: Ethical Hackers and the Art of Vulnerability Hunting

In today's digital age, our reliance on technology has created a vast and interconnected landscape. While this interconnectedness offers undeniable benefits, it also introduces vulnerabilities – chinks in the armor that can be exploited by malicious actors. Imagine a grand castle, its walls seemingly impenetrable. But what if there were hidden weaknesses, unseen passages known only to a select few? This is where ethical hackers, the unsung heroes of cybersecurity, come in. They are the vulnerability hunters, the digital detectives on a relentless quest to identify and expose these weaknesses before they can be used for malicious purposes.

This blog delves into the fascinating world of vulnerability hunting, exploring the role of ethical hackers in safeguarding our digital assets. We'll uncover the techniques they employ, the challenges they face, and the importance of cyber security training Mumbai for fostering a skilled workforce of ethical hackers.

The Invisible Threat: Unveiling Vulnerabilities

Imagine a digital thief attempting to break into a bank vault. They wouldn't simply smash through the front door; they'd meticulously search for weaknesses – a faulty security system, a hidden ventilation shaft. Similarly, vulnerabilities in software, hardware, and network configurations act as those hidden access points for malicious hackers. These vulnerabilities can be:

Software Bugs: Errors in the code that can be exploited to gain unauthorized access or cause unexpected behavior.

Misconfigurations: Improper settings in network devices or software applications that create security gaps.

Zero-Day Attacks: Previously unknown vulnerabilities that attackers exploit before software vendors have a chance to issue a patch.

These vulnerabilities are often invisible to the untrained eye. This is where ethical hackers, also known as white hats, step in. They act as the security guardians, wielding specialized tools and techniques to hunt for these hidden weaknesses.

The Art of the Hunt: Techniques of a Vulnerability Hunter

Ethical hackers employ a diverse arsenal of techniques in their pursuit of vulnerabilities. Here are some of the most common methods which you can learn in cyber security training mumbai :

Network Scanning: Ethical hackers use specialized tools to scan networks and identify devices, open ports, and potential security weaknesses.

Penetration Testing: This involves simulating a cyberattack to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malicious actors. Ethical hackers attempt to gain unauthorized access to systems using various techniques, mimicking the methods black hats might employ.

Social Engineering Testing: This involves testing the organization's security awareness by attempting to trick employees into revealing sensitive information or clicking on malicious links.

Code Review: Ethical hackers meticulously examine the code of software applications to identify potential vulnerabilities and bugs.

These techniques require a deep understanding of cybersecurity principles, programming languages, and hacking methodologies. Cyber security training Mumbai can equip individuals with the necessary skills and knowledge to become proficient vulnerability hunters.

The Challenges of the Hunt: A Constant Cat-and-Mouse Game

The world of vulnerability hunting is a constant cat-and-mouse game. As technology evolves, so do the vulnerabilities that ethical hackers need to identify. Here are some of the key challenges they face:

The Ever-Expanding Attack Surface: With the increasing use of cloud computing, mobile devices, and the Internet of Things (IoT), the attack surface – the potential points of entry for attackers – is constantly expanding. This makes it more challenging for ethical hackers to identify all potential vulnerabilities.

Zero-Day Attacks: The constant threat of zero-day attacks, where attackers exploit previously unknown vulnerabilities, keeps ethical hackers on their toes. They need to be constantly researching and developing new methods to identify these vulnerabilities before they can be used in real-world attacks.

Staying Ahead of Black Hats: Malicious hackers are constantly innovating and developing new attack techniques. Ethical hackers need to stay up-to-date on the latest hacking trends and methodologies to ensure they can identify vulnerabilities before they are exploited.

The Value of the Hunt: Why Vulnerability Hunting Matters

Vulnerability hunting plays a critical role in safeguarding our digital infrastructure. By proactively identifying and patching vulnerabilities, ethical hackers can significantly reduce the risk of successful cyberattacks. Here are some of the key benefits of vulnerability hunting:

Reduced Risk of Cyberattacks: By identifying and patching vulnerabilities, ethical hackers make it more difficult for malicious actors to gain unauthorized access to systems and data.

Improved Security Posture: The process of vulnerability hunting helps organizations identify and address weaknesses in their overall security posture, leading to a more robust defense.

Enhanced Compliance: Many regulations require organizations to conduct regular vulnerability assessments. Ethical hacking helps organizations meet these compliance requirements.

Cyber security training Mumbai can equip individuals with the skills to become ethical hackers, contributing to a safer digital landscape. These courses can provide valuable knowledge on vulnerability hunting methodologies, penetration testing techniques, and ethical hacking best practices.

[archanagunda]

Charting the Course to SAP HANA Cloud

The push towards SAP HANA cloud shift stems from the need for agility and responsiveness in a dynamic business climate. The cloud promises reduced infrastructure expenses, robust data analytics, and the nimbleness to address changing needs quickly. However, for many companies, transitioning from on-premise SAP HANA to the cloud involves navigating concerns around data security, performance, and potentially relinquishing control of business-critical ERP systems.

SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud: A Tailored Offering

In light of these challenges, SAP presented the SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud (HEC), a private cloud service designed expressly for mission-critical workloads. HEC advertises no compromise on performance, integration, security, failover, or disaster recovery. It spotlights versatility, strong customer support, and end-to-end coverage - from strategic planning to application management. This offering intends to provide the cloud’s agility and innovation under SAP’s direct guidance and expertise.

Actual Delivery of HANA Enterprise Cloud

Despite SAP’s messaging, the HEC’s delivery involves a consortium of third-party providers, including HPE, IBM, CenturyLink, Dimension Data, and Virtustream. SAP collaborates with these partners, who bid on projects often awarded to the lowest bidder, to leverage specialized capabilities while upholding SAP’s standards.

Weighing the Pros and Cons

Partnering with competent vendors ensures clients receive secure, best-practice SAP hosting and support. HEC’s comprehensive solution integrates licensing, infrastructure, and support with touted scalability and integration.

However, several customer challenges emerge. Firstly, leveraging SAP’s brand for cloud hosting and SAP managed services risks diminishing anticipated cost savings. Secondly, the lack of direct engagement with third-party providers raises concerns about entrusting critical ERP operations to unseen partners. This dynamic obscures visibility and control over SAP HANA migration and management.

Furthermore, the absence of a direct relationship between SAP HANA users and cloud suppliers may complicate support, especially for urgent issues warranting rapid response. While SAP’s ecosystem aims to guarantee quality and security, intermediation can hinder the timely resolution of critical situations, affecting system uptime and operations.

SAP HANA Cloud: A Strategic Decision

As SAP systems become increasingly vital, migrating SAP HANA is not simply a technical or operational choice but a strategic one. SAP HANA transcends a database or software suite – it constitutes a competitive advantage that, when optimized, can spur tremendous innovation and success. This migration necessitates meticulous planning, execution, and governance to ensure the transition empowers rather than compromises SAP HANA’s strategic value.

In this context, selecting the ideal cloud model and service providers represents critical decisions. Companies must scrutinize partners beyond cost, evaluating track records, SAP skills, security protocols, and the aptitude to deliver personalized, responsive service.

The Future SAP HANA Cloud Trajectory

As we advance into 2024, the SAP DATA Cloud Analytics landscape continues evolving. Innovations in cloud technology, security, and service creation provide new prospects for migration planning. Firms must stay updated on cloud service advancements, SAP’s strategic direction, and cloud shift best practices to navigate this transition successfully.

To accomplish this, companies should:

Collaborate cross-functionally to align SAP HANA cloud plans with broader business goals and technology roadmaps.

Ensure chosen cloud environments and suppliers meet rigorous data security, privacy, and regulatory standards.

Assess infrastructure ability to support SAP HANA performance requirements and scale amid fluctuating demands.

Institute clear governance and support structures for effective issue resolution throughout and post-migration.

Transitioning SAP HANA to the cloud is complex but ultimately rewarding, unlocking efficiency, agility, and innovation when executed deliberately. By weighing the strategic, operational, and technical dynamics, businesses can drive this migration smoothly, fully capturing SAP HANA’s power to fuel future prosperity.

[usafphantom2]

Anduril Is Helping The Air Force To Develop Its Loyal Wingman Drone

Anduril is one of five companies now working on the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, which is a top priority for the Air Force.

Joseph TrevithickPUBLISHED Jan 25, 2024 12:33 PM EST

Defense contractor Anduril has formally announced that it is one of five companies working on the US Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) advanced drone program.

Anduril

Anduril has become the first contractor to formally announce that it supporting the U.S. Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft advanced uncrewed aircraft program. This comes as the service says this program is progressing slower than it would like due to budgetary issues and amid emerging concerns about the cost and capabilities of the future drones.

A brief press release Anduril put out today says it is one five vendors the Air Force has chosen to help develop its future Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). The service said last year that a number of companies were under contract to conduct CCA-related work, but declined to name any of them. Last month, Breaking Defense reported that Boeing, General Atomics, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman were the other four contractors working on the CCA program, citing anonymous sources. That story added that some of these companies could be eliminated in a down-select later this year.

A rendering of Anduril's stealthy Fury drone. The company has not yet disclosed how exactly it is contributing to the CCA program. Anduril

When contacted for more information about exactly how it is now contributing to the CCA development effort, Anduril told The War Zone that it could not currently provide any more details "given sensitivities," which it did not elaborate on. We have also reached out to the Air Force for additional information.

Last year, Anduril did notably acquire small aviation firm Blue Force Technologies, which had been developing an advanced drone called Fury that has long seemed very much in line with the Air Force's CCA requirements. You can read more about the Fury, its expected capabilities, its origins, and Anduril's plans for the design in great detail in this feature The War Zone published last September.

Anduril also produces Lattice, which it describes as an "artificial intelligence-enabled software platform that enables teams of autonomous systems to dynamically collaborate to achieve complex missions, under human supervision." This could also be very relevant to the CCA program.

The CCA program is presently focused on the development and acquisition of at least one type of advanced "loyal wingman"-esque drone with a high degree of autonomy. These uncrewed aircraft are expected initially to operate closely together with stealthy Air Force F-35A Joint Strike Fighters and the future crewed sixth-generation Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) combat jet. The drones could potentially operate together with other types of aircraft, including non-stealthy fourth-generation fighters and the B-21 Raider stealth bomber, or independently, in the future. CCA is another element of the larger NGAD family of programs, which also includes new weapons, sensors, networking and battle management suites, advanced jet engines, and more.

"We commend Secretary Kendall and the U.S. Air Force for their leadership and commitment to integrating new technologies into the force," Anduril said in its release today. "We are honored to be the only non-traditional defense company selected to be a part of the CCA program."

The specific mention of being a "non-traditional defense company" here is noteworthy. Large established defense contractors like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, General Atomics, and Raytheon have largely dominated the discussion about CCA-relevant developments in recent years.

Anduril regularly highlights its position as a 'disruptor' in the U.S. defense industrial space and its novel developmental, production, and general business practices, as you can read more about here. The company has steadily expanded its portfolio, with focuses on artificial intelligence software and smaller drones, since its founding in 2017.

The Air Force has also been touting its efforts to make use of novel contracting and other processes to help accelerate the CCA program. Air Force Lt. Gen. Richard Moore, Jr, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs, spoke about this just yesterday at a public event hosted by the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) think tank in Washington, D.C.

"The thing about this that's innovative with CCAs, in particular, is the Secretary [of the Air Force Frank Kendall] asked us: 'Please don't go to industry and give them a requirement. The last thing in the world we want to do is tell them what to build. We want to go to them with questions and we want to find out what they can do. What is the art of the possible and what is it that they could provide? And let's allow the envelope to expand by not constraining it with a requirement," Moore said.

"I think what we're starting to see now is that there are a lot of thoughts out there, some of them ... not necessarily from the large defense primes [traditional prime contractors], that really will will be beyond what we would have conceived had we decided to write a requirement," Moore added. "So it is exciting to see what's coming. And I think the the way that this is innovative is something that will transition to other programs. I don't think that this is one and done, because I think that we're going to find it to be wildly successful."

Moore also specifically mentioned "non-traditional sources" supporting the CCA program that had emerged through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. SBIR is a U.S. government contracting mechanism that focuses on smaller deals with smaller companies to help foster technical innovation. The initial work on the Fury drone was through SBIR contracts.

All of this being said, the Air Force has made clear that it is not moving ahead with CCA as fast as it wants. The service has blamed this primarily on broader budgetary disputes between President Joe Biden's administration and Congress that are currently impacting the U.S. government as a whole. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall has been particularly outspoken over the years about the problems that short-term spending packages, commonly called continuing resolutions (CR), rather than full annual budgets, impose on the U.S. military broadly.

"We're going to be limited in terms of forward progress based on the CR," Kristyn E. Jones, the senior official currently performing the duties of the Under Secretary of the Air Force, also said at yesterday's CSIS event, speaking alongside Lt. Gen. Moore. "CCA, as I mentioned – you know, we've made some progress being able to award contracts to some of the initial designers, but we can't ramp that."

The Air Force has said in the past that it wants to acquire at least 1,000 CCAs, and likely many more, and that it wants to begin major production of the drones within the next five years. At present, the expected cost of a single CCA is estimated to be around one quarter to one third of the unit price of an F-35 stealth fighter. This would put the price point for one of these future drones at between roughly $20.5 million and $27.5 million, based on public data about current F-35 unit prices.

An F-35A, at center, flies together with a Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie drone, at left, and an F-22 Raptor stealth fighter, at right, during a test. USAF

The 1,000 CCA figured is based around a notional concept of operations involving a pair of the drones operating together with each of 200 NGAD combat jets and 300 F-35As. The Air Force has also previously said that a single crewed aircraft could oversee more CCAs in the future.

In addition, despite Moore's comments about the Air Force trying not to set firm requirements for the future CCAs, the service is clearly working to define several key parameters. From what has been disclosed so far, the CCA effort looks to be leaning toward designs with less range and higher performance than had previously been envisioned, and that will be at the high end of the expected unit cost range as a result. This, in turn, has already prompted Congress to voice concerns about the direction of the program.

The Air Force has made clear that the CCA program, however it might continue to evolve, is central to its future operational vision. The service sees the drones as especially critical for providing advanced capabilities in high volumes at a relatively low cost, a concept it currently refers to as "affordable mass." This kind of capacity is seen as particularly essential for success in any future high-end conflict, such as one against China in the Pacific.

In the meantime, much about the overall CCA program still seems to be in flux. The Air Force does now seem be working to coalesce the effort around a core group of contractors, including Anduril.

Contact the author: joe@thedrive.com

[thelucyheartfilia-archive]

Online Casinos - An Introduction

Online casinos are the internet rendition of the regular casinos, which permit players to wager on games and win prizes online. Likewise called as the internet casinos or virtual casinos, these are being laid out on a rising rate throughout the course of recent years. Online casinos use an Irregular Number Generator (RNG), which provides a succession of numbers in an irregular request, in light of which the table games and blackjack are played. Most of the online casinos either lease or buy the software from organizations like Realtime Gaming, CryptoLogic Inc, Playtech, Microgaming and Global Game Innovation.

There are essentially two sorts of online casinos classified based on the connection points they use - downloadable casinos and electronic casinos and a few casinos offer both these sorts. A few online casinos offer live gaming choices likewise, where the vendor will be in the studio and players can collaborate with the seller constant.

Electronic Casinos

While playing in these casinos you don't need to download the gaming software. Your PC program needs to help modules like Macromedia Streak and Macromedia Shockwave. HTML point of interaction is likewise permitted by a few online casinos.

Downloadable Gaming Experience

In certain sorts of online casinos, you need to download gaming software to play various casino games. These are quicker than the online casinos because the help modules needn't bother with to be downloaded, yet are presented by the specialist organization. The software interfaces you to the specialist organization through which wagering and playing occurs. These are additionally predominant in the event of sound and designs than the online casinos.

Sorts of Online Casino Games

Most of the these casinos offer normally played gamed like baccarat, craps, poker, blackjack, slot games, keno, roulette and bingo. For paying these games, you can put money through various store choices.

Appealing Advancements

Most of the these casinos to draw in new players offer numerous special offers and arrangements (casino bonus) on joining and keeping in mind that saving the underlying sum. Almost all casinos advance casino bonus offers on a major way. Some bonus can be cashed out while some others must used while play. A portion of the casinos offer focuses rather than money, which increment after each online game you win. Comp focuses are additionally one of the popular ways of offering bonuses to online players, which can be cashed out as prize, money or com focuses itself. Betting sum and focuses vary with each game you select to play. While certain casinos offer appealing advancements on each game, some others could limit the bonus offers to certain games. They acknowledge many store choices as well.

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What Is More Beneficial – On-Premises VoIP Or Hosted VoIP?

All the strategies related to maximising the investment in business communication will be successful only when you decide whether to manage your own VoIP system or allow a host to do this on your behalf. Businesses across the globe have realised the advantages of VoIP technology and VoIP phone handsets. Now there is chaos among enterprises to switch to this technology, and more than 35% of businesses across the globe have already adopted it. The question is whether to host and manage your VoIP system on your own or rely upon a hosted VoIP, where a service provider does everything for you.

On Premises Voip Vs Hosted Voip – What Is The Difference?

Both options will allow you to take advantage of the benefits of the VoIP phone systems. To get the most out of it, you will have to decide whether to self-host or enjoy the services of the hosted VoIP technology.

What Is A Premise-Based Voip?

In this arrangement, the whole system will be present at your office, like the equipment and the software needed to run the system will be there at your office. You will be responsible for its maintenance, security, upgrading and upkeep. This is easy if you have a well-established IT infrastructure and a dedicated team to manage the entire business communication scenario at your office.

What Is Hosted Voip Technology?

A service provider will be hired and responsible for meeting all your VoIP-related requirements in this arrangement. This system is also called the cloud and is managed with the help of virtual servers that these hosting companies have.

What Are The Pros Of Premise-Based Voip Technology?

•          No risk of price hikes from the service provider

•          Complete control over your VoIP system and VoIP phone handsets

•          Customisation of the system’s features is completely in your hands

•          No additional cost of scalability

Cons of On-Premises Voip System

•          Higher installation and set-up cost

•          Long-term commitment to maintenance and security is required

•          You will need a dedicated staff for constant service, maintenance and support

•          Extensive investment and resources for proper management

Advantages of Hosted Voip Systems

•          No stress related to maintenance, management and security

•          Incredibly low set-up cost

•          Fast implementation

•          Easily scalable depending on your needs

•          You can focus on your business and revenue generation

Disadvantages of Hosted Voip Technology

•          The system control is in the hands of the service provider

•          There is a vendor locking period

•          Network connection fluctuation will be experienced

Whether To Choose Hosted Or On-Premises Voip?

The answer to this question depends entirely on your organisation’s current capability, resources and funds. You can review your current circumstances and goals, and since every business is unique, it is ideal that the solutions tailored to fit your specific needs are selected.

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Master the Art of Trade Show Project Management with These Tips

Trade shows are a great way to showcase your products or services, build brand awareness, and connect with potential customers. However, organizing a successful trade show requires proper planning, budgeting, and execution. As a project manager, it's your responsibility to oversee every aspect of the event and ensure that everything runs smoothly. Here are some tips to help you master the art of trade show project management:

Start with a Clear Plan

The first step in trade show project management is to develop a clear plan that outlines your objectives, goals, and timelines. Identify the key stakeholders, determine the budget, and create a detailed schedule that includes all the necessary tasks and milestones. Make sure everyone on your team is aware of the plan and their responsibilities, so there is no confusion or miscommunication.

2. Choose the Right Venue

The venue you choose for your trade show can have a significant impact on its success. Consider factors such as location, accessibility, capacity, and amenities when selecting a venue. Ensure that it has sufficient space for exhibitors, attendees, and other event components, such as registration, food, and networking areas.

3. Communicate Effectively

Effective communication is essential in trade show project management. Ensure that you establish open communication channels with your team, vendors, exhibitors, and attendees. Use project management tools, such as project management software, to keep everyone on the same page and to share important information and updates.

4. Vendor Management

Work closely with your vendors to ensure that they understand your expectations, deadlines, and budget constraints. Establish a contract that outlines their responsibilities, timelines, and payment terms. Regularly communicate with your vendors to ensure that they are meeting their obligations, and be prepared to address any issues that may arise.

5. Logistics Management

Logistics management is critical to the success of your trade show. Coordinate transportation, storage, and shipping of equipment, supplies, and marketing materials to ensure that everything is in place when needed. Ensure that you have contingency plans in place in case of unforeseen circumstances, such as shipping delays or inclement weather. 

6. Monitor Progress

Continuously monitor the progress of your trade show project to ensure that everything is on track. Keep track of your budget, timeline, and tasks to identify any potential issues or delays. Be prepared to make adjustments as needed to keep the project moving forward and ensure that the trade show is a success.

In conclusion, trade show project management requires a significant amount of planning, coordination, and execution. By following these tips, you can master the art of trade show project management and ensure that your event is a success. Remember to stay organized, communicate effectively, and keep track of your progress to keep everything on track.

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