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Welcome: The Comparison Between General Purpose Application Software and Function-Speci... - 0 views

  • Application software are designed to help us to perform a singular or multiple related specific tasks. They're also often called software applications, applications or apps
  • There are two types of application software which is the General Purpose Application Software and the Function-Specific application software.
  • 1) The General Purpose Application SoftwareGeneral purpose application software packages are generally tools that provide specific capabilities, but not in support of a specific purpose.
    • kburn039
       
      General purpose application software is the most common used. A good example of this would Microsoft Office.
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  • Word-Processing Software
  • Spreadsheet Software
  • 2) Function-Specific Application Software
    • kburn039
       
      Function-Specific Application Software is a software where it has only one use. The use will be very specific and will not have multiple uses. A good example of this software would be Adobe Photoshop.
  • Computer-Aided Design Software
  • Supply Chain Management Software
  • Enterprise Resource Planning Software
  •  
    This article outlines the differences between General Purpose Application Software and Function-Specific Application Software.
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As tech transforms the hotel business, network performance is critical - 3 views

  • he changing demands of travelers that have put technology at the center of the lodging experience.
  • wireless connectivity is what guests desire most
  • well-performing WiFi was “essential to their stay,
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  • 89 percent of guests “deciding where to lodge based on free reliable WiFi,
  • access to connectivity is now literally the first thing brands should be delivering to guests.
  • Poor guest WiFi can result in negative guest satisfaction
  • consequences
  • ncluding loss of repeat customer business, poor online reviews, managers not getting bonuses, or worse, loss of franchise.
  • global hotel brands now connect their various branch or franchise locations via a corporate Wide Area Network (WAN) that supports many of the critical tools hoteliers need to both keep guests happy and the lights on.
  • hotel guests have little patience for bottlenecks at the front desk.
  • hotel networks need to support an almost countless number of apps -- from business-critical tools to a guest’s Instagram account
  • f IT can retire their physical legacy network infrastructure, they’ll no longer need to exhaust resources to support hardware
  • drawbacks
  • ack of visibility
  • IT teams lose that visibility when they rely on cloud
  • IT will need a monitoring solution that delivers visibility along each network path to pinpoint the actual cause of the issue and to resolve it.
  • comprehensive network performance monitoring solution
  • any performance monitoring solution
  • is able to account for ALL of the apps leveraging network capacity.
  • This includes the personal apps of guests using a specific locations WiFi
  • breaks down the barriers to visibility across the network where issues hindering performance could be hiding.
  •  
    The article starts off by addressing the most essential desire of the modern traveler, which is well performing WiFi. Based on a study in 2018, 89% of guests decide where to stay based on free reliable WiFi. This makes access to connectivity the top priority hospitality firms should be looking at for their guests. Poor WiFi experiences can lead to negative guests satisfaction which leads to a loss of repeat business and poor guest reviews. Connectivity also plays a crucial role in the operation of the business. As more business applications move to a wireless or cloud base, the need for strong connectivity increases. This allows room for new innovations to enhance the guest experience. A front desk agent can now check someone in on a cell phone rather than a desktop. This enables you to greet the guest at the door and complete a check-in while in route to their room, eliminating the need to wait in the lobby. Another benefit is with the advent of cloud computing, a hotel can reduce their hardware costs by not having to have a LAN at each property. They can run a centralized cloud server that all properties can log into. This also eliminates the need to have dedicated IT staff at each location. A major issue with this though is that IT loses visibility of the local delivery path of the network. This makes it difficult for them to locate and resolve issues that might happen, such as slow WiFi speeds. They are then challenged to develop a network performance monitoring solution that can account for all the apps working off the network, including the guest's, to gain visibility to be able to troubleshoot when issues arise. I think moving to a cloud based system to reduce hardware and labor costs will become standard for large hospitality firms. For brands with thousands of properties, this can be a great way to reduce expenses. There are certainly challenges that go along with this new technology, however I believe the ROI to be greater and I can see these companies m
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    I can see these companies making the initial investments to perfect this method. You already see it in a majority of software applications moving to a cloud/web based system. This helps to greatly reduce hard drive storage needs and makes the programs accessible from anywhere. In this post-covid environment, remote accessibility has become a necessity.
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RePower South starts South Carolina facility - Recycling Today - 0 views

  • RePower South starts South Carolina facility
  • The recycling system, provided by Eugene, Oregon-based Bulk Handling Systems (BHS), is highly automated and capable of processing more than 50 tons per hour of mixed waste to recover recyclables and produce a fuel feedstock. 
  • processing a minimum of 120,000 tons annually. Prior to this system coming online, county residents were required to opt in and pay for household recycling or use drop-off recycling sites that only accepted paper and cardboard. All other recyclables were sent to landfill.
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  • The BHS FiberPure process features screen, air, optical and artificial intelligence-powered robotic sorters to automate the production of clean fiber. Plastics and metals are also separated without manual sorting. In total, the system contains seven NRT optical sorters and nine Max-AI AQCs.
  • The plant also makes use of nonrecyclable papers and plastics by producing ReEngineered Feedstock (ReEF), a clean, low-carbon renewable fuel sold to industry, cement and utility customers to replace coal in production processes. ReEF undergoes several quality control steps, including two NRT optical sorters, which remove plastic and metal contamination. The product has been designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a nonwaste fuel. 
  • “RePower South is showing that it is possible, today, to help communities increase recycling of the existing waste stream while also providing the flexibility to adjust to any market condition or opportunity,” says BHS CEO Steve Miller.
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    This article is about a new state of the art recycling facility that opened in the Charleston area recently. Prior to this opening, residents in this county had to pay for recycling at their house or they had to bring their recycling to a facility that only recycled paper and cardboard. Everything else was sent to the landfill. This new facility requires minimal manual sorters and residents no longer have to separate. Computer technology and robotic sorters handles everything. It also makes use of no-recyclable plastics and turns them into reusable fuel. The company has one additional facility in Alabama.
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How Wi-Fi 6 is changing the hospitality landscape | CommScope - 0 views

  • Wi-Fi was originally designed to support basic network connectivity for limited services such as retail point of sale (POS) transactions in proprietary business environments.
  • Intel’s endorsement and integration significantly simplified connecting wireless clients and helped make Wi-Fi a standard requirement at hospitality suites across the world.
    • yvenisem
       
      Faster internet = happier customers in the 21st century
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  • arly iterations of the IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard were relatively limited in terms of speed, spectrum utilization and the efficiency of communications
  • The latest Wi-Fi iteration – Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) – offers a four-fold increase in speed over its Wi-Fi 5 predecessor, enabling hotels to smoothly stream a range of guest applications
  • Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) is revolutionary, rather than simply evolutionary.
    • yvenisem
       
      REVOLUTIONARY, changing the game, prioritizing efficiency
  • it is smarter (deterministic) and moves away from a ‘first come, first served’ model
  • This provides higher throughput and performance for networks, allowing everyone to move at 15 miles an hour instead of 10. 
    • yvenisem
       
      Efficiency
  • the dominant enterprise Wi-Fi standard by 2021
    • yvenisem
       
      shows how quickly technology can go
  •  
    This article was surprisingly a very interesting read due to how fast things actually are in the world of technology as it relates to the hospitality industry. In this article, I read about the origins of Wi-Fi when it was primarily used as basic network connections for POS software to where we are now with an expectation of the revolutionary technology that is Wi-Fi 6 to roll out in 2021. Currently, we as a society are only really familiar with Wi-Fi 5 that functions on a first-come, first-served basis. Wi-Fi 6, moves past the focus of getting faster internet to getting more efficient internet. While this is a factor of the technology in that it is 4-5 times faster, it actually goes about giving people better internet acces in a more intelligent manner. Based on the article, this intelligence means that instead of someone benefitting from 100MB download speeds when they're watching a short YouTube video since they logged onto the hotel internet first, a person that is streaming a live convention with several cameras and computers would benefit more because it would be more efficient than a simple YouTube video. Something that the author of this article makes very known is that this technology is not getting "better" interms of evolution of product. Wi-Fi 6 is actually entering a new era of intelligence, making it a more revolutionary development in the tech industry and hospitality. In the 21st century, new technology like this is essential because we see so many things moving onto online services when it comes to booking a hotel, buying event tickets, interacting with other people, etc. In a hotel setting, this new technology would lead to increased satisfaction since their Snapchat and Instagram stories are being uploaded at nearly instantaneous speeds, same with their YouTube videos, and Facebook photos. While this may not be the best thingsto do when considering how much of our lives we spend online, it is best to go along and welcome it since the advancemen
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Securing the Big Game: Emerging Technologies for Event Security - Police Chief Magazine - 0 views

  • Interconnectivity
  • there is still much work to be done to ensure seamless interconnectivity, communication, and data sharing among systems and technologies
  • high-tech solutions like advanced video surveillance with video from multiple sources—venues, traffic cameras, and more—that will be fed directly into first responder vehicles and a fully integrated security operations center to provide situational awareness
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  • Large security operations centers must also all be integrated and interconnected
  • Every new technology and device used to secure an event adds to the growing list of devices deployed to secure the event, which must be able to communicate with each other and with security operations centers
  • Communication
  • Both public-private partnership models can help deter crime
  • When law enforcement is able to tie systems in together and make sure officers can communicate with each other, this leads to faster response times, improved communication, and better overall safety and security
  • forging public-private technology partnerships for sharing video and other information is an excellent way to improve security for these events
  • There are a lot of different entities that must work together. As such, cost becomes a factor, as do installed legacy systems, as well as the argument that one size can’t possibly fit all
  • Mobile technology has in many ways alleviated some of these concerns
  • Video Surveillance
  • A primary technology that is used to deliver security for high-profile events is video surveillance
  • Despite the possible deterrence factor, the main goal of video systems is to provide situational awareness
  • A smart camera or sensor deployed in a particular location can provide early warning that something may be about to happen in that area
  • Identifying and Securing the Perimeter
  • Smart traffic technology with capabilities such as incident detection could alert law enforcement to further investigate a particular area of interest or to work with transportation teams to more quickly respond and clear the way faster to avoid increasing congestion and related incidents
  • Surveillance cameras are now equipped with technologies that allow them to be those eyes and ears for law enforcement
  • When it comes to actually planning out and selecting the technologies to be deployed, another positive trend is more cooperation because city-wide systems are coming into play
  • Having the technology for law enforcement to support big public venue events is challenging, but, in many ways, public and private entities are now working collectively to get the most out of the resources they each have available
  • Computer analytics solutions have evolved to a point where these technologies are readily available and relatively easy to deploy
  • The day is coming when smart city technology will be more reality than concept
  • deploying the right mix of advanced technology and best practices for cooperation and public-private partnerships between various stakeholders, law enforcement can help ensure that the trend of safety and security at high-profile sporting events
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    This article focus on using smart city technology to assist law enforcement with securing big city sporting events. The article highlights the need for seamless interconnectivity with local law enforcement technologies in order to streamline response time. Communication and video surveillance are all enhanced by the use of emergent security technology that allows for officers to work with other agencies and the community to keep large events safe.
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Cybersecurity: A Hospitality Industry Reality - AETHOS Consulting Group - 0 views

  • Cyber thieves are crafty and persistent in finding ways to breach security to gain access to personal information. The hospitality industry, hoteliers, restaurants and other such businesses that rely on the use of personal information to provide service to their customers are particularly at risk.
  • Initial steps in the risk-management process Hospitality companies should first focus on developing a robust internal risk-management program, including the establishment of strong policies and procedures; training and insurance can reduce the chances of a data breach and mitigate the damages if a breach occurs.
  • In general, an organization should review the following areas to begin developing a well-rounded risk-management program: Corporate security policy Asset classification and control Personnel security Computer-network and management protocols for vulnerability System access controls Privacy and regulatory compliance
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  • Then, ask yourself, “What does our company have in place to mitigate our exposures?”
  • Do we have an effective privacy policy?
  • Do we have an effective privacy-breach response plan?
  • Do we continuously test our disaster-response and business-continuity plans?
  • Franchise concerns
  • Franchise agreements should address several important data-security concerns, cyber-insurance, breach notification and PCI (payment card industry) compliance.
  • Franchise agreements should require franchisees to purchase a specified amount of cyber insurance coverage in the event of a data breach.
  • In addition, the franchisee should be required to promptly notify the franchisor of all breaches in security and immediately notify the franchisor of all breaches of sensitive information.
  • The franchisor may also want to consider being notified of any impermissible uses or disclosures
  • Cyber attack realities The ramifications of a cyber breach could be both financially and operationally catastrophic to any hospitality company. Losses could include costs associated with litigation expenses and fines as well as defense. The cost of business interruption and loss of income could be debilitating.
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    This is an article providing a very high-level introduction to the potential risks faced by the hotel industry from cybersecurity. It outlines some initial steps that hotel companies might consider in their risk-management process and also gives some very specific examples of risk related to franchise contracts.
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New Waste Management Technologies for Cruise Ship Industry Promoting Sustainability - 0 views

  • he industry's $22 billion investment in the development of new energy efficient technologies, partnerships with local governments in key destinations, and a commitment to reducing its rate of carbon emissions by 40% by 2030
  • Revolution Series Digesters as well as ongoing cloud-based data analytics and supplies
  • will help reduce the environmental impact of Carnival's operations by safely disposing of food waste on-site, limiting the amount of greenhouse gases emitted from conventional processing systems
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    The initial focus of this article is on the cruise line industry's multi-billion undertaking in developing new energy efficient technology. The technology that will be deployed will be integrated with the cruise system in order to assist in reducing carbon emissions by 40% by 2030. BioHiTech Global, Inc has taken a leading role with the development of their new system - Revolution Series Digesters. This system provides both supplies and continuous cloud-based analytics that will help its inaugural client, Carnival Corporation, to reduce their environmental footprint.
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Best 7 Cloud Property Management Software 2019 - 0 views

  • Cloud property management software is a program designed on the application of cloud computing (also called Software as a Service, or SaaS) to help property managers manage residential and commercial properties on behalf of their owners.
  • Benefits of Cloud Property Management Software
  • #1 Reduced costs
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  • #2 Greater accessibility
  • #3 Easier collaboration
  • #4 Increased security
  • #5 Scalability
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Making the Move to a Cloud-Based Restaurant POS - 0 views

  • The beauty of the cloud-based POS format is how scalable and customizable it is—it can work for single-location full service and quick service restaurants, multi-location restaurants, and restaurant groups alike.
  • Most cloud-based POS systems also update with new features as technology improves across the industry—something you’re unlikely to get with a legacy POS system.
  • Cloud solutions facilitate faster, easier, and more extensive business insights, which can help you make strategic decisions. By connecting what’s happening in the back of the house to the front, restaurant operators get a holistic picture of how the business is running
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  • If you anticipate growth or change, a cloud-based POS system is better enabled to grow with you. 
  • Instead of printing out lengthy reports for every shift, now you can access your insights from any smart device—such as your computer, phone, or tablet—and get updated sales, inventory, customer feedback, and more, no matter where you are. 
  • Legacy systems only allow on-premise access to data, which means you have to be in your restaurant in order to access the information on your POS system.
  • Real-time data means real-time solutions to situations before they become problems. Just think of the time and money you’ll save by identifying issues before they blow out of proportion
  • While buying up all of the necessary technology to get a cloud-based POS system off the ground may seem expensive, they tend to have cheaper operating costs in the long run and some, like Upserve, offer free support 24/7/365. 
  • With a cloud-based restaurant POS, you have the ability to add on a mobile POS unit that provides a number of benefits.
  • That decrease in time spent waiting for their check or credit card to return to the table also increases guest satisfaction, boosting your reputation. A mobile restaurant POS also provides contactless payments with a built-in EMV reader, minimizing the exchange between servers and guests – something that is particularly important in this moment.
  • Cloud-based POS systems update automatically and for free, just like the apps on your mobile device, while traditional POS systems require manual updates that can be labor intensive and costly. 
  • The beauty of the cloud-based POS format is how scalable and customizable it is—it can work for single-location full service and quick service restaurants, multi-location restaurants, and restaurant groups alike. 
  • Thanks to the cloud and its encrypted online storage, there’s no risk of hardware or software incompatibility or failure, no viruses or driver hiccups, and no risk of a hard drive accidentally deleting a weekend’s worth of sales reports. It’s all backed up, automatically. 
  • If the internet ever goes down, the system that your legacy POS relies on will be offline and non-functional. Luckily, on a cloud-based restaurant POS system you have the option of switching to offline mode as a back-up. You’ll stay up and running until the internet is able to connect again.
  • Whether it’s updating your menu on the regular, launching new or improved loyalty programs, or requiring more precise inventory tracking, the more your needs will shift over time, the more sense it makes to opt for cloud-based.
  • Plus, younger generations of workers—think millennials and Gen Zs—will be able to get right on board with a cloud-based POS solution with little-to-no training.
  • Customers will feel good knowing their credit card information is secure and encrypted with the most up-to-date technology. 
  • No matter what type of establishment, your cloud-based POS can track every last drop of product, allowing you to spot discrepancies in an instant and fix gaps before they become problematic.
  • Hardware costs are separate from service, and maintenance and support services often come with a hefty fee. 
  • While traditional POS systems certainly have lower start-up costs, they tend to come with plenty of hidden costs that reveal themselves over time.
  • upfront costs are kept to a minimum and monthly subscription fees are lower. 
  • Best of all, instant free upgrades mean no lost revenue from downtime or inconvenient hardware upgrades as your business grows. Instead, plans can be upgraded or downgraded at will, and most providers don’t even charge a fee for the trouble. 
  • If you have existing setups in place, many third-party vendors have upgraded apps for cloud POS systems to help you maintain your current rewards and promotions planning. 
  • Most studies are showing that those who switched are sticking with a cloud-based solution, and that legacy POS systems will only decline moving forward.
  • After over three decades with a legacy POS system that only slowed them down, they made the move to a cloud-based POS to bring their restaurants into the future.
  • “Our restaurants are chef-driven, so we have specials that change every day. We need to add buttons every day. We change pricing every day. Having to stop and reset all the terminals because it’s not instantaneous was a headache.”
  • Not only did constant resets of the system create roadblocks for the team at Homegrown Hospitality, but service was also less than stellar and cost more than what it was worth.
  • We went through a lot of pain—our system would crash all the time, credit cards wouldn’t spool, and data would be lost. Our IT department would spend numerous hours a week just trying to recover data,” Simon explained.
  • “That was pretty much the breaking point: we were at the point where we needed to upgrade, but it would have cost us several hundred thousand dollars. So we decided to source something new. The functionality and capability of Upserve won us over.”
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    This article takes you through why your restaurant may want to switch to a Cloud-Based POS. There are many positive attributes associated with making the switch, such as; data accessibility, cheaper operating costs, easier upgrades, less frequent downtimes, increased security, and adaptability. If you are a growing business, the Cloud would grow with you.
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    Cloud based POS systems can be apprehensive at first, but we are always satisfied once we are able to se the technology work to keep the business safe, effiecient and also more profitable. Cloud based POS systems are speedy and saves a lot of time which frees up staff to do other things in the establishment.
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    This article discussed the benefits of switching from a localized POS system to a cloud-based restaurant POS. The article touched on how cloud-based systems provide real-time data and how that instant data could provide a management team real-time solutions. You can save so much time and money by identifying issues before they even arrive. I found it very interesting that with cloud-based systems you have the "ability to add on a mobile POS unit that provides a number of benefits." With this option, your servers do not have to run back and forth to a POS station. They simply have the option in the palm of their hands. It also decreases the time spent waiting for a check or credit card to return to the table. This not only increases guest satisfaction, but helps with table turnover. The article also touched on how cloud-based POS systems are "better enabled to grow with you." They are super adaptable and the article mentioned that restaurants can update their menu whenever, launch new loyalty programs, and help with more precise inventory tracking. This article also touched on setup, increased security, staff accountability, and the ability to make better business decisions due to the cloud software being able to provide extensive business insights. Finally, the article touched on POS cost and how " upfront costs are kept to a minimum and monthly subscription fees are lower." It also ended with a case study about Homegrown Hospitality Group and their switch from Aloha to Upserve Cloud-based POS. It was very interesting and I'd recommend everyone read the brief two paragraphs about how the switch changed their business trajectory.
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Amazon's new smart shopping cart lets you check out without a cashier - The Verge - 0 views

    • rhera004
       
      Would this really be more cost effective?
  • “[The Dash Cart] has a ring of cameras, a scale, and computer vision and weight sensors to determine not just the item, but the quantity of the item,
  • When you finish shopping, Amazon says dedicated Dash Cart lanes let you just exit the store without dealing with payments or waiting in a checkout line.
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  • touchscreen and
  • s
  • detect what items you’re placing inside
  • the Dash Cart
  • checks you out digitally
  • Whole Food
  • Amazon Go
  • Instead, this is your standard, everyday grocery store, only it has smart Amazon-made grocery carts for you to use
  • There’s also the privacy question, and whether the Go format’s tracking and surveillance approach is maybe not as palatable as a smart shopping cart a consumer must opt in to use.
  • So the device can handle up to about two bags of items, but it can’t do a full cart quite yet.
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How will technology impact the efficiency and sustainability of waste management? - 0 views

  • How will technology impact the efficiency and sustainability of waste management?
  • This is the way waste management has always been. New York’s first waste management was an attempt to clean the streets of the thousands of tonnes of horse manure dumped on them every day.
  • The advent of packaging, plastics and electrical/electronic products has changed the way waste managers work. Yet, in 70% of the world, the old pick up and dump model continues sadly unchanged with disastrous consequences, such as oceans being full of plastics. But elsewhere waste management is now a sophisticated, technically and socially complex industry.
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  • Technology has enabled waste management to ensure environmental and human health protection while at the same time handling complex materials, increasing recycling, producing energy and virtually eliminating landfills in some countries.
  • Robotics are already widely present in sorting material facilities
  • The internet allows continuous real-time tracking of waste across countries
  • Hydraulic collection systems are increasingly being introduced in new buildings to avoid bins on the road.
  • Plant management, emission monitoring, chemical/biological parameters within plants
  • These new technologies are creating vast amounts of data. The data allows us to understand the movement not just of waste but of people – how they behave and what products and materials they are buying and will turn into waste.
  • predict the future and plan waste collection, the location of bins on the streets, the amount of plant we need, with some anticipation.
  • It also allows producers of waste to intervene to reduce their waste outputs
  • Add to this the use of artificial intelligence and blockchain computing – technologies that allow the multiplication of the access and transmission of intelligence and its automation. How does this work in practice?
  • First, data collection will be faster and simpler; then automated trend and performance analysis allows the user to see anomalies immediately; finally, this informs employee behaviour and decisions and allows immediate corrective actions.
  •  
    the article suggests the different ways technology contributes into solving one of the issues production companies face which is managing waste. by suggesting different aspects to limit the negative outcomes of the production also to help in overcoming the challenges in the area. the article also emphasize the importance of data collection and utilization to enhance the efficiency in the industry.
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Undercooked fast food burgers are toast with robot AI - 1 views

  • a new software-based offering for fast food restaurants that aren't ready to go full robot just yet.
  • artificial intelligence (AI) powered cooking platform meant to keep human fry cooks from torching burgers—or worse, undercooking them
  • every year, an estimated 1-in-6 Americans
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  • get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases.
  • The idea is to simplify kitchen and inventory tasks while doing away with outdated methods of cooking, which include monitoring cook times via wall clocks or relying on employee experience to know when items are done cooking.
  • CookRight is an advanced AI platform that incorporates machine learning, sensors, and computer vision to allow cooks to track a food item on a grill and monitor cooking time automatically in order to deliver precision-level cooking.
  • utilizes AI to optimize ingredient handling and cooking.
  • In addition to consistency and precision in cooking applications, the platform also leverages powerful analytics to improve food quality, drive efficiency, and save money by closely monitoring for supply chain issues. Robots may be coming for jobs in fast food, but for the time being, human augmentation seems to be the easier sell.
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    In this news you will see how robotics and AIs have been developed to help out even in the one place that some thought may not be possible, kitchen. However it is something that not everybody agrees with having in an establishment.
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City of London calls halt to smartphone tracking bins - BBC News - 0 views

  • The City of London Corporation has asked a company to stop using recycling bins to track the smartphones of passers-by.Renew London had fitted devices into 12 "pods", which feature LCD advertising screens, to collect footfall data by logging nearby phones.
  • Mr Memari told the BBC that the devices had only recorded "extremely limited, encrypted, aggregated and anonymised data" and that the current technology was just being used to monitor local footfall, in a similar way as a web page monitors traffic.
  • The UK and the EU have strict laws about mining personal data using cookies, which involves effectively installing a small monitoring device on people's phones or computers, but the process of tracking MAC codes leaves no trace on individuals' handsets.
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  • Nick Pickles, director of Big Brother Watch, said: "I am pleased the City of London has called a halt to this scheme, but questions need to be asked about how such a blatant attack on people's privacy was able to occur in the first place.
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Why is it important to keep my IT systems up to date? - 0 views

  • software upgrades are essential for continued operation. On the technical side of things, these upgrades provide fixes for known issues, provide new enhanced features, and often resolve and fix major security flaws or other types of flaws inside of software that could put your company and your company’s data at risk.
  • very important to keep track of updates and test them whenever possible before deploying them to a production environment. On some complicated infrastructures, applying something as small as a small security fix could bring down multiple integrated Line of Business applications. In an event like this it could cause huge problems!
  • ignoring security updates could leave a huge security hole that could be exploited by a virus, or malicious piece of software and infect many of your systems.
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  • is when it comes time to do larger upgrades, or migrate systems to new servers, the migration/implementation time could be multiplied 2-10 times just because you haven’t kept your systems up to date.
  • In situations where you do have a valid good warranty from a recommended vendor, you can often have hardware replaced under warranty by the next business day, minimizing downtime.
  • Equipment Age – They need to purchase new equipment, since replacement parts aren’t available anymore, and the equipment’s warranty has expired.
  • Consumer Grade Equipment – Some IT Solution providers, and/or IT staff feel they can build their own servers, or purchase off-the-shelf consumer grade equipment for business use.
  • Vendor Warranty – We are called in to resolve an issue on a new server environment, but it turns out the equipment just came off warranty after 3 months.
  • Security and critical updates need to be applied urgently when possible. Upgrades or updates that increase features, functionalities, and correct software flaws are also important, but not as important as security/critical updates.
  • Hardware should be upgraded when either the equipment is coming off warranty, or when you need to upgrade for performance/capacity reasons.
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    the article emphasizes the importance of conducting constant updates and upgrades on software and hardware, as it will help to protect the company data and systems from any possible hacks or viruses or data loses.
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Railroads say they don't need cybersecurity mandates - The Washington Post - 0 views

  • The Biden administration plans to impose new cybersecurity mandates on railroad and rail transit systems.But a leading railroad association insists it's already voluntarily following the practices that are now going to be required by the federal government.
    • teresastas
       
      Biden administration is planning on imposing new cybersecurity mandates on railroad and rail transit systems. This includes passenger rail systems like Amtrak and large subway systems like those in New York. Homeland Security Secretary announced the new proposed regulations under TSA eelier this week. The new regulations came as a surprise to the rail industy who feel that they are already taking cyber security seriously and don't need the government's heavy hand involved. They have three day's to submit feedback.
  • Our freight rail system is essential not only to our economic well-being, but also to the ability of our military to move equipment from ‘fort to port’ when needed,” the secretary said at the virtual Billington Cybersecurity Summit, where he announced the intended new regulations.
    • teresastas
       
      We often forget about Rail when we think about Transportation but it is essential for our military and for our major cities like New York. As well as the transport of goods across country.
  • In fall 2020, ransomware hit the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, which operates Philadelphia’s transit network. And in April, a hacker group believed to be linked to the Chinese government breached the computers of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which operates New York City’s subway system — the country’s largest.
    • teresastas
       
      We often don't hear about the hacks that aren't successful but how awful would it have been if hackers would have breached into MTA and taken over NYC's subway system!
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Smart hospitality-Interconnectivity and interoperability towards an ecosystem - Science... - 0 views

  • The Internet brings boundary-less business environment and a strong competitive market. The oversupply of tourism suppliers, especially in the hotel industry, forces hoteliers to be innovative and creative and to find ways to differentiate and give prominence to their hotel among the large number of competitors.
    • jblan183
       
      Using the "smartness" of the internet through interoperability and interconnectivity, the tourism industry can enable hospitality organizations to develop their competitiveness through better understanding of customers and market conditions and develop their decision making processes.
  • Technology in hospitality not only acts as a tools to improve operation efficiency and effectiveness (Yu and Lee, 2009) but also co-create customer experiences (Neuhofer et al., 2015), improve organisational performance (Melián-González and Bulchand-Gidumal, 2016), and disseminate marketing information (Okumus, 2013). Electronic marketing campaigns now shift its focus to cocreate through social media. Customers’ pre-purchase and on-site behaviour are influenced by the context posted on online platforms (Buhalis and Foerste, 2015).
    • jblan183
       
      This can be proven with the preferences of the guests in terms of making reservations. According to EuroStat, "In marketing and distribution statistics have shown that 59% of the travel reservation are made online," indicating "strong customer desire for online platform reservations" using online travel agency websites "as the key information and booking source for hotel reservations," as studied by Yacoue and Fleischer.
  • Based on the related literature on smart network and application interoperability and interconnectivity, this study proposes an integrated smart hospitality network which includes sensors (for collecting external data), cloud computing (big data storage and processing), and intelligence applications that enables automated operations to support intelligent business decisions with minimum customization of communication protocols.
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What is Hotel PMS? | Oracle - 2 views

  • Traditionally, a hotel property management system (PMS) was defined as a platform that enabled a hotel or group of hotels to manage front-office capabilities, such as booking reservations, guest check-in/check-out, room assignment, managing room rates, and billing
  • Traditionally, a hotel property management system (PMS) was defined as a platform that enabled a hotel or group of hotels to manage front-office capabilities, such as booking reservations, guest check-in/check-out, room assignment, managing room rates, and billing.
  • Hotel PMS is now a critical business operations system that enables hoteliers to deliver a seamless guest experience. Hotel PMS now integrates to other onsite services that impact the guest's complete experience, including: Food and beverage operations Housekeeping and maintenance management Sales and catering execution for group bookings and event management Revenue management Distribution across multiple channels Spa management
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  • Faster innovation With cloud-based hotel PMS, hotels can bring new properties online more quickly. Each new release brings new capabilities to help deliver great guest experiences, improve operating efficiency, and increase employee productivity. Lower IT complexity and costs With cloud-based hotel PMS, hotels can lower upfront capital expenditure on software and hardware. By going above-property, hotels can also reduce IT complexity and IT costs. Increase in RevPAR and ADR With cloud-based hotel PMS, hotels can effectively manage rates and allocation of rooms to various distribution channels, helping to maximize occupancy, rates, and revenue. Enhanced customer lifetime value With cloud-based hotel PMS, hotels get a single customer master with comprehensive guest profiles that allow them to personalize and differentiate guest experiences.
  • Until recently, hotel PMS solutions were often managed on premises. On-premises solutions include hardware that can take up a lot of space. Resources were needed to manage the systems and software updates, upgrades, and patches needed to be scheduled and installed manually by onsite staff. Cloud-based, mobile-enabled hotel PMS platforms offer hotels an innovative way to engage with guests while enabling hotels to reduce IT costs and simplify their infrastructure.
  • ncrease housekeeping efficiency with instant updates on housekeeping mobile devices when customers check out, freeing up rooms for cleaning
  • seamless guest experience.
  • that replaced time-intensive, paper and spreadsheet-heavy processes.
  • is now a critical business operations system
  • Enhanced customer lifetime value.
  • Hoteliers are challenged with providing a personalized guest experience
  • olutions help hoteliers deliver the experience guests want, while efficiently managing their business.
  • Connect operations and financial processes by leveraging prebuilt integrations
  • Increase room occupancy and ADR through real-time rate
  • ster innovation.
  • Lower IT complexity and costs.
  • rease in RevPAR and ADR.
  • aditionally, a hotel property management system was defined as a platform that enabled a hotel or group of hotels to manage front-office capabilities, such as booking reservations, guest check-in/check-out, room assignment, managing room rates, and billing.
  • OPERA Cloud hotel property management system offers hoteliers capabilities to enhance operating efficiency and deliver exceptional guest experiences. The platform integrates emerging technologies with ease, accelerating innovation to meet ever-changing demands. Hotel PMS Defined
    • sbaut010
       
      Opera, a traditional PMS provider has has invested in cloud computing.
  • With cloud-based hotel PMS, hotels can lower upfront capital expenditure on software and hardware. By going above-property, hotels can also reduce IT complexity and IT costs.
  • With cloud-based hotel PMS, hotels can bring new properties online more quickly. Each new release brings new capabilities to help deliver great guest experiences, improve operating efficiency, and increase employee productivity.
  • With cloud-based hotel PMS, hotels get a single customer master with comprehensive guest profiles that allow them to personalize and differentiate guest experiences.
  • With cloud-based hotel PMS, hotels can effectively manage rates and allocation of rooms to various distribution channels, helping to maximize occupancy, rates,
  • The benefits of cloud-based hotel PMS solutions include:
  • r
  • T
  • Hotel PMS now integrates to other onsite services that impact the guest's complete experience, including:
  • OPERA Cloud hotel property management system offers hoteliers capabilities to enhance operating efficiency and deliver exceptional guest experiences. The platform integrates emerging technologies with ease, accelerating innovation to meet ever-changing demands.
  • Provide anytime, anywhere service to your guests using a mobile-enabled cloud-based hotel PMS.
  • Empower managers to improve ADR with extensive options for setting rates and advanced rate-management features for manual and semiautomated revenue management.
  • Centralize and secure customer data and improve the quality and accuracy of guest profiles with reporting and analytics.
  • With a cloud hotel PMS, hotels get a single customer master with comprehensive guest profiles that allow them to personalize and differentiate guest experiences.
    • nixalexa
       
      PMS is Hotel Property Management Systems to help operate the day-to-day tasks in the hospitality industry, PMS has assisted the process with guests check in and checkout, assistance with assigning rooms, managing room rates and for billing guests, this article also explains how PMS has removed the unnecessary use of paper for these processes as well, which is environmentally friendly! When a guest leaves their room, PMS systems help inform housekeeping that there is an empty room that now needs to be cleaned for the next guest. The article by Oracle also mentions "mobile-enabled cloud-based hotel PMS" which tells the reader that internet is required to function the PMS properly and efficiently. PMS also assists hotels with keeping customer data in their systems so that managers within the property can keep track of guest spending, room rates, guests per night, week or month and help improve how accurate their information is instead of having to keep track of all of this data manually. When speaking of the cloud-based PMS systems the article also states that this helps customers keep track of their own information with a specific company. Like if a customer stays at Marriott hotels, with the Marriott app they will be able to keep track of their stays and reservations they have made in the past as well as existing reservations.
  •  
    Property management systems (PMS) were originally only for front desk needs like booking reservations, checking guest in and out, charging accounts, and managing room assignments. The newer PMS systems have enhanced the check in and check out process, maintenance and housekeeping management, and accounts receivable management. The check in and check out process has been enhanced by the newer cloud based PMS systems by giving the front desk the ability to provide service anywhere and anytime. It is more accessible and can update room statuses in real time. As housekeeping cleans rooms the room statuses are updated through their mobile cleaning device into the PMS system. Also, the PMS system allows the front desk to communicate with the maintenance and housekeeping staff for last minute guest request and complaints. The cloud based PMS system also allows the front desk to have access to revenue management. This way the front desk can have access to accounts receivable and update it as payments come in from previous guest. This enables faster and more accurate billing for guest. As technology advances it is important for the hospitality industry to stay updated so that guest and employees needs are met. Keeping up with the technological trends allows companies to remain competitive.
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    MS technology changed a lot in the hospitality industry. A hotel property management system is a platform that enabled a hotel or group of hotels to manage front-office capabilities, such as booking reservations, guest check-in/check-out, room assignment, managing room rates, and billing. Hotel PMS now integrates to other onsite services that impact the guest's complete experience. Hotel staff provides a guest experience when operating an effective hotel business.PMS can help hotel staff to manage information more efficiently. hotel PMS can also let hotel employees gain insights into guest behavior and preferences, improving guest satisfaction and enhancing the quality of the guest experience. PMS will develop faster than now and implement their system more efficient. When customers book a hotel room through website hotel staff can know it immediately. It saves time and saves labor cost. Hotel staff doesn't need to write down the information now.
  •  
    A hotel PMS is often defined as the software used to manage bookings, room rates, check-in/check-out times, and much more. However, through the years, hotels' PMS has evolved to better allow for a seamless guest experience. For example, with an advanced PMS, front desk is capable of directly notifying housekeeping employees what rooms need what service and any specifications they might have. In addition, PMS has evolved to be a cloud-based software. This means that hotels can keep up to date with the newest version of the PMS, they lower IT costs, they can more effectively influence room rates and better manage expenses along with income, and they allow them to keep track of all guests and their specific requests to keep the experience perfectly personalized for them each time they come to visit.
  •  
    This articles talks about how the PMS programs are being redefined by new technologies that not only enhance the productivity of the hotel it self but has millions of positive effects, event towards a more ecological and eco friendly environment.
  •  
    This article first introduces the definition of PMS. Traditionally, PMS was defined as a platform that enabled a hotel or group of hotels to manage front-office capabilities. But with the development of science and technology, the function of PMS has been extended. Hotels can get many benefits from PMS, such as improving room management efficiency, more convenient management of customer data, and so on. This article also introduces the advantages of cloud-based PMS over traditional PMS. Such as faster updates, avoiding excessive costs in the IT department. Cloud-based PMS may be an important development trend for PMS.
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    Hotel PMS is a critical business operations system which enables a seamless guest experience. PMS is not just limited to in house; cloud base PMS provides the same benefits with more features.
  •  
    Hotel PMS is extremely important when it comes to hotel management. It provides a seamless experience for not only guests but employees. It provides easier guest check in and out, data that includes accounts receivable, and also helps with maintenance and housekeeping. PMS systems are cloud based and is expensive but will be worth it over time.
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    We look at how the software Oracle is beneficial to a Hotel's PMS system. This software is the middle man between the customer and proving service
  •  
    This article tell us what is PMS and what benefits it can brings to the hotels operation. Automating daily operations and administrative tasks is an important part of achieving customer satisfaction as it helps provide reliable and quality service time after time. A hotel is a complex system that encompasses the activities of many departments, and every operation must be tracked
  •  
    More than a "platform that enabled a hotel or group of hotels to manage front-office capabilities", modern PMS is "a critical business operations system that enables hoteliers to deliver a seamless guest experience" by integrating many other systems. PMS offers many kinds of benefits to hoteliers, including improving housekeeping services and revenue management. The deployment of PMS is also a consideration. While most PMS systems were on-premise, there do have cloud-based ones that reduces cost in an innovative way. It also helps in enhancing customer lifetime value and increase RevPAR and ADR.
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What Is Planned Obsolescence? Major Tech Companies Rely On It - 1 views

  • A new regulation in France called the French repairability index requires a variety of tech products to publicize repairability scores, meaning the planned obsolescence behind major tech companies is finally coming to light.
  • This planned obsolescence business model is the foundation of many consumer industries, from fashion (especially in fast fashion) to shaving (ever hear of the razor and blades business model?). But one of its most interesting applications is in technology.
  • France launched the French repairability index. As part of this new program, France is now requiring manufacturers to clearly disclose repairability scores next to prices for five types of products: laptops, lawnmowers, smartphones, TVs, and washing machines.
    • teresastas
       
      I think this is a mandate that will help consumer's make better choices when it comes to purchasing tech. If something like this were to come to the US it would help consumers make more informed decisions.
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  • According to Apple’s French website, the company gave all varieties of its iPhone 12 a 6 out of 10; its iPhone 11 models all scored either 4.5 or 4.6; and its MacBook Pro computers scored between 5.6 and 7, meaning Apple’s scores top out around a C-. 
    • teresastas
       
      I am not surprised by these scores at all for Apple their business model is based off of Planned Obsolescence.
  • Microsoft’s website shows its scores for a variety of Surface laptops, which range from 3.7 to 4.1.
  • Samsung products’ scores range from 5.6 to 8.2, as reported by Le Monde. As part of the French repairability index, Samsung actually published a free repair manual for its Samsung Galaxy phone, which should help customers avoid having to pay for a repair or replaceme
  • The new French repairability index forces tech companies to be more transparent about how easy it is to repair their products. With mounting piles of e-waste polluting the Earth, rampant injustice in the cobalt mining industry, and labor law violations in overseas tech factories, forcing tech companies to make products easier to repair (and therefore create less of a demand for more new products to be made) could do a lot of good. 
    • teresastas
       
      This is an important step in trying to eliminate e-waste but with technology moving and changing the way that it is I don't know if being able to do repairs or updates will make too much of a difference.
  •  
    This article addresses the French reparability index which is a relatively new implementation that started in January of 2021, It requires that reparability scores are posted on some major tech products in France in hopes of slowing down planned obsolescence and eliminating tech waste. France is the first country to implement such as mandate and it bringing to light the notion of planned obsolescence to the general public. This article shares some of the major tech brands scores and how they are fairing against their competition.
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The ineluctable middlemen | The Economist - 0 views

  • By contrast, other bits of the travel business that depend on the airlines—such as aircraft-makers, travel agents, airports,
  • and maintenance firms—have done very nicely.
  • caterers
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  • a fancy name for computerised-reservations
  • services.
  • Most flights booked through a physical or online travel agent go through a GDS, which charges the airline a fee of about $12 per round trip, passing a few dollars of that to the travel agent.
  • he loss of direct commission from airlines made travel agents more beholden to the GDSs, which not only slip them a share of fees but also provide their back-office computing
  • Despite airlines’ efforts to make travellers bypass agents and come to their own websites, less than half of flights are booked this way.
  • In recent years the main hope for restoring airline profitability has been ancillaries: all those extra charges for meals, checked bags, less-cramped seats and the like.
  • “new distribution capability”
  • One of its main elements will be a common technical standard for direct-connect services
  • t would be hugely expensive for any new entrant to replicate the existing GDSs’ heavy spending on technology: the need for such investment makes flight distribution a business that naturally tends towards an oligopoly, he reckons.
  • two of America’s big carriers have taken GDSs to court over the tactics they use to
  • maintain their hold over travel agents.
  • Both sides can claim to be the consumer’s champion. The airlines argue that the cost of the middlemen adds to the price of tickets (though the superficial evidence suggests that it is airline shareholders who suffer). They say they want to reform the distribution system to offer flyers a wider choice and a more individually tailored service. The GDSs argue that they provide travellers, through their agents, with impartial comparisons of all available flights, allowing them to get the best value.
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https://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_magazine/magazine_Detail.asp/?ID=483 - 0 views

  • The advent of call accounting systems (thanks to deregulation) enabled hoteliers to easily mark up calls to a profitable (some say too profitable) level.
  • The guest now has a variety of choices for communicating including fax over the Internet, e-mail, cell phones, calling cards and now even Internet-based phones. All these alternatives offer a less expensive means of communicating than using the traditional hotel guestroom phone and other services such as fax.
  • Cellular phones have become so widely used that some cell phone providers have had trouble keeping up with the demand
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  • With more guests carrying laptops than ever before and Internet business activity rapidly increasing, the guest must have the best connection available. HSIA also relieves the congestion on the PBX caused by modem calls.
  • No matter what cell phone the guest may carry or what service provider is used, no wireless connection is as good as a land-line connection.
  •  
    With technology advancing, hotels are putting their best effort to keep up with new ways of telecommunication. As mentioned in the article, the fax machine used to be the most popular way of telecommunication back in the day. Now hotels have been trying to figure out the best ways to gain guest to use their telecom infrastructure since the fax machine has become outdated. The problem is guest don't want spend a lot of money making a phone call so the hotels have had to create packages for guests to use the phone. They would include unlimited calls and high-speed internet for a certain amount a day which could attract some guest but not all. Guest don't find the need to use their phones because mostly everyone has a phone, tablet, or pocket computer. Hotels can catch the guest attention by the internet because none of these devices are no good without internet connection. Making packages with unlimited calls and high speed internet is a start to reeling in guest. It all comes down to what can the hotel offer in means of telecommunication that a guest's device cant. One concept they have is the land-line has much better connection and speed. Having that speed and connection is very important to a guest. It is going to take time and trial and error but there are always alternate ways to reel guest in to use their ways of telecommunication.
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    This article discusses technology and how it can be upgraded for guest use. It also mentions how to appeal to guest because they may come with their own devices. It gives suggestions on service packages and bundles that can be given to aid their telecommunication.
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