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TAAL Distributed Information Technologies President Chris Naprawa makes a formal corporate presentation. Afterwards, he is joined by Noble Capital Markets Senior Research Analyst Joe Gomes for a Q & A session featuring questions asked by the live audience throughout the event. Research, News, and Advanced Market Data on TAALF (OTCQX)Register for TAAL’s Bi-Weekly NewsletterInformation on upcoming live virtual roadshows
About TAAL Distributed Information Technologies Inc. TAAL Distributed Information Technologies Inc. delivers value-added blockchain services, providing professional-grade, highly scalable blockchain infrastructure and transactional platforms to support businesses building solutions and applications upon the BitcoinSV platform, and developing, operating, and managing distributed computing systems for enterprise users. |
Category: Tech
Release – Comtech Telecommunications Corp. Awarded 7.1 Million Emergency Alerts Contract to Enhance Nationwide Public Safety
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. Awarded $7.1 Million Emergency Alerts Contract to Enhance Nationwide Public Safety
“This public-safety centered application aligns with
The Location Technologies group of
Certain information in this press release contains statements that are forward-looking in nature and involve certain significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from such forward-looking information. The Company’s
Media Contact:
631-962-7000
info@comtechtel.com
Source:
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. Awarded $7.1 Million Emergency Alerts Contract to Enhance Nationwide Public Safety
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. Awarded $7.1 Million Emergency Alerts Contract to Enhance Nationwide Public Safety
“This public-safety centered application aligns with
The Location Technologies group of
Certain information in this press release contains statements that are forward-looking in nature and involve certain significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from such forward-looking information. The Company’s
Media Contact:
631-962-7000
info@comtechtel.com
Source:
Voyager Digital Ltd. (VYGVF)(VYGR:CA) – Record Preliminary 4Q21 Revenue
Monday, July 19, 2021
Voyager Digital Ltd. (VYGVF)(VYGR:CA)
Record Preliminary 4Q21 Revenue
Voyager Digital Ltd through its subsidiary, operates as a crypto asset broker that provides retail and institutional investors with a turnkey solution to trade crypto assets. The company offers investors execution, data, wallet and custody services through its institutional-grade open architecture platform.
Joe Gomes, Senior Research Analyst, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.
Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.
Preliminary Results. Voyager announced preliminary results for the fourth quarter ended June 30, 2021. Revenue is expected to be a record $103-$107 million, up 65% from $60.4 million in the fiscal third quarter. We had forecast $90 million of revenue for the quarter. Notably, basis points per net trade continued to exceed 100 basis points in the quarter, suggesting alt coin trading continued at a brisk pace.
Metrics Continued Positive. During the quarter, Voyager’s funded accounts grew 145% sequentially to over 665,000 while total verified users on the platform rose 75% to 1.75 million. With increased marketing efforts and the implementation of other programs, such as the Voyager Loyalty Program in September, we expect to see continued growth in both funded accounts and verified users …
This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).
*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision.
Voyager Digital Ltd. (VYGVF)(VYGR:CA) – How Does Voyager Measure Up in Crypto Going Public Craze?
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
Voyager Digital Ltd. (VYGVF)(VYGR:CA)
How Does Voyager Measure Up in Crypto Going Public Craze?
Voyager Digital Ltd through its subsidiary, operates as a crypto asset broker that provides retail and institutional investors with a turnkey solution to trade crypto assets. The company offers investors execution, data, wallet and custody services through its institutional-grade open architecture platform.
Joe Gomes, Senior Research Analyst, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.
Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.
Crypto Craze. Running against the flow of declining crypto currency prices, a number of crypto asset related firms have announced plans to come public, either through IPOs or through a SPAC merger. We took a look at the estimated valuations of these firms and continue to believe Voyager shares represent compelling value. While it is true the competitive environment appears to be heating up, we believe additional publicly-traded assets in the space will attract additional investor interest and the young, fast growing industry can accommodate additional competitors.
Bullish. Crypto exchange Bullish recently announced it is coming public through a merger with SPAC Far Peak Acquisition. Estimated equity valuation is $9 billion, with an estimated enterprise value of $7.4 billion. Bullish provides a range of revenue-$468-$888 million-and EBITDA-$209-$491 million-in its investor presentation. This generates valuation multiples of 8.3x-15.8x revenue and 15.1x-35.4x …
This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).
*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision.
Stablecoin Cryptocurrency Company in SPAC Merger
Image Credit: Bruce Detorres (Flickr)
SPAC Places “Hard Circle” Around Stablecoin Company
SPACs are not long-term investments; their very nature ensures that within 24 months, you are likely to be a shareholder in an operating company or be cashed out. Cryptocurrencies have demonstrated themselves to be volatile. Committing assets to the currency suggests faith that the investor believes that their Crypto will be among the few widely accepted over time. The leading stablecoin crypto provider, USD Coin (USDC), has agreed to go public through a merger with the SPAC Concord Acquisition Corp. in a deal valued at $4.5 billion. This could provide investors in the crypto space with a strong player to consider and also demonstrates that successful SPAC acquisitions continue through 2021.
The
deal values Circle at $4.5 billion. The agreement follows Circle having raised $440 million from investors including Fidelity, Valor Capital Group, and the London-based hedge fund Marshall Wace for operating expenses back in May. The company will become a publicly traded firm on the NYSE under the ticker symbol CRCL.
Stablecoins are a cryptocurrency that pegs its exchange value against an accepted fiat currency, gold, or other traditional assets. A benefit to a stablecoin, unlike Bitcoin, which in early May was trading above $58,000 and now recently valued at around $33,000, is a stablecoin is only as volatile as the underlying method of exchange it is referenced against. This means 1 USDC would still hold the same exchange value a week or month in the future, unlike other cryptocurrencies that have values that are much more speculative and erratic.
“Circle was founded with a mission to transform the global economic system through the power of digital currencies and the open internet,” said Jeremy Allaire, Circle’s co-founder, and CEO. He added that going public would give Circle “the capital and relationships needed to build a global-scale internet financial services company that can help businesses everywhere to connect into a more open, inclusive and effective global economic system.” There is more than $25 billion of Circle’s stablecoin USDC in cyber-circulation; it has helped conduct over $785 billion in on-chain transactions, according to the company.
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Deal Terms
The merged entity will be supported by $415 million in capital commitments at $10 per share, with investments from Marshall Wace, Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC, and Adage Capital Management LP. Additionally, there will be $276 million held by Concord, raised through an Initial Public Offering in December 2020. In total, the deal will add about $691 million of new proceeds to the new corporate structure. Proceeds from the deal will be invested in growth and product development.
Existing Circle shareholders will retain roughly 86% of the shares in the public company.
Take-Away
Exposure to cryptocurrency growth can come in various ways beyond holding the currency. Publicly traded companies that either provide digital currency direct or ancillary services such as blockchain are another way investors gain exposure.
The pace of de-SPACs, although off from the record levels of six months ago, is still brisk. The Circle transaction may cause more attention to be placed on stablecoin cryptos, which are less speculative, and increase familiarity with SPAC IPOs which have more options to reduce investor risk than most speculative plays in the stock markets.
Suggested Reading:
 The Lifecycle of a SPAC
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 SPAC Investors Benefit from the Ability to Exercise Different Options
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 Merger of a SPAC, the De-SPAC Phase Explained
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 Investing in the Businesses in and Around Crypto
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Sources:
https://www.circle.com/hubfs/investors/Press-Release-Circle-Concord-July2021.pdf
https://www.circle.com/investors
https://www.concordacquisitioncorp.com/home/default.aspx#about-us
Release – Esports Entertainment Group Partners with Hall of Fame Resort and Entertainment Company to Become the Exclusive Esports Provider at the Hall of Fame Village Powered by Johnson Controls
Esports Entertainment Group Partners with Hall of Fame Resort and Entertainment Company to Become the Exclusive Esports Provider at the Hall of Fame Village Powered by Johnson Controls
Newark, New Jersey–(Newsfile Corp. – July 9, 2021) – Esports Entertainment Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMBL) (NASDAQ: GMBLW), an esports entertainment and online gambling company, and Hall of Fame Resort and Entertainment Company (“HOFV”) (NASDAQ: HOFV) (NASDAQ: HOFVW), the only resort, entertainment and media company centered around the power of professional football and the owner of the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls (the “Destination”), today announced a partnership that will bring esports to the Destination.
Per terms of the partnership, Esports Entertainment Group will be the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls’ official esports provider and will operate a 7,000-square-foot Helix eSports entertainment center that will be located in the retail promenade at the Destination, joining Topgolf Swing Suites and Don Shula’s, among others. The esports center, which is slated to open in mid-2022, will serve as an entertainment hub where gamers can socialize, practice, compete and learn through a variety of esports activities and events. This facility enables the HOFV to benefit from the strong demand for esports worldwide. In addition to the location, this new partnership allows for the consideration of additional growth in several other business lines, including the potential for esports betting and fantasy sports betting as legislators continue to entertain the opportunity to legalize sports betting within Ohio over the next few months.
“We are excited to work with HOFV to bring esports to the Hall of Fame Village,” said Grant Johnson, CEO of Esports Entertainment Group. “This partnership places our brand in front of professional football fans globally and will place a Helix eSports center right in Canton. It also aligns extremely well with our recent strategic push into Ohio, which gained momentum in recent months through our partnership with the Cleveland Cavaliers as well as last month’s testimony in front of the Ohio State Senate Select Committee on Gaming by our CFO Dan Marks and VP of Strategy Jeff Cohen as advocates for the esports industry.”
“With the popularity of esports and its continued upwards trajectory, we are thrilled to partner with the highly respected EEG to offer fans a new state-of-the-art facility at the Village,” said Michael Crawford, President & CEO of HOFV. “Having an EEG-powered esports complex as part of our development on campus adds another compelling opportunity for gaming enthusiasts and guests to engage in virtual environments as well as offering us the ability to draw in fans from all over the world – both in person and virtually – providing us with strategic growth opportunities within our Company’s gaming vertical.”
Helix eSports will feature 80 high-end PCs, both next generation console systems (Xbox Series X and Playstation5) and other leading gaming and computing equipment, including virtual reality. It will be open for casual gameplay, allowing the Destination’s guests to socialize with friends while gaming in addition to future planned competitive tournaments and leagues. Additionally, there will be capacity for community and educational events meant to empower the next generation of gamers with equitable access to technology and STEM education.
About Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company
Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: HOFV) (NASDAQ: HOFVW) is a resort and entertainment company leveraging the power and popularity of professional football and its legendary players in partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Headquartered in Canton, Ohio, the Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company is the owner of the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls, a multi-use sports, entertainment and media destination centered around the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s campus. Additional information on the Company can be found at www.HOFREco.com.
About Esports Entertainment Group
Esports Entertainment Group is a full stack esports and online gambling company fueled by the growth of video-gaming and the ascendance of esports with new generations. Our mission is to help connect the world at large with the future of sports entertainment in unique and enriching ways that bring fans and gamers together. Esports Entertainment Group and its affiliates are well-poised to help fans and players to stay connected and involved with their favorite esports. From traditional sports partnerships with professional NFL/NHL/NBA/FIFA teams, community-focused tournaments in a wide range of esports, and boots-on-the-ground LAN cafes, EEG has influence over the full-spectrum of esports and gaming at all levels. The Company maintains offices in New Jersey, the UK and Malta. For more information visit www.esportsentertainmentgroup.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The information contained herein includes forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. The safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 protects companies from liability for their forward-looking statements if they comply with the requirements of the Act.
Contact:
U.S. Investor Relations
RedChip Companies, Inc.
Dave Gentry
407-491-4498
dave@redchip.com
Media & Investor Relations Inquiries
Jeff@esportsentertainmentgroup.com
info@spectrumgamingcapital.com
Release – Global Demand for IT and Business Services Continues Upward Surge in Q2, ISG Index™ Finds
Global Demand for IT and Business Services Continues Upward Surge in Q2, ISG Index™ Finds
Global combined ACV, at record $19.1 billion, hits new high for
third straight quarter
Cloud-based as-a-service spend at record $11.2 billion, up 38%
Managed services also reaches new quarterly high of $7.9
billion, up 24%
ISG raises its 2021 forecasts for both as-a-service and managed
services
STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– With COVID-19 accelerating digital transformation and the move to the cloud, global demand for technology and business services has reached a new record for the third straight quarter, the latest state-of-the industry report from Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm, finds.
Data from the ISG Index™, which measures commercial outsourcing contracts with annual contract value (ACV) of $5 million or more, show second-quarter ACV for the combined global market (both as-a-service and managed services) reached a record $19.1 billion, up 32 percent versus a soft quarter last year, when demand was sharply lower amid the onset of the pandemic. Global ACV this quarter was up 11 percent versus Q1, which, like the quarter before it, established a record high for the global IT and business services market.
“The global market today is driven by two mega-trends: the move to the cloud and digital transformation. COVID accelerated those moves by three to five years,” said Steve Hall, partner and president of ISG. “Business has clearly shifted, and if you’re lagging in your own strategy change, you may not be competitive much longer.”
The cloud-based as-a-service market reached a record $11.2 billion in the second quarter, up 38 percent off a soft compare, but with sequential growth of 13 percent. Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) climbed to a record $8.2 billion, up 41 percent year-over-year and 15 percent quarter-over quarter. Software-as-a-service, at $3.0 billion, also establish a new quarterly high, up 31 percent versus last year and up 8 percent versus the prior quarter.
Managed services topped out at $7.9 billion, a new record, up 24 percent from last year and 8 percent from last quarter, fueled by a record 525 contracts signed during the second quarter, including four mega-deals exceeding $100 million of ACV. IT outsourcing (ITO) reached a record $6.1 billion, up 17 percent from last year and 5 percent over Q1, while business process outsourcing (BPO), at $1.8 billion, soared 52 percent over last year, and 23 percent sequentially.
For the first half of 2021, the combined global market generated a record $36.3 billion of ACV, up 20 percent. As-a-service, at a record $21.0 billion, was up 25 percent, and managed services, at a record $15.3 billion, was up 15 percent. Within as-a-service, IaaS reached a record $15.3 billion, up 28.5 percent, and SaaS hit a record $5.7 billion, up 15 percent. On the managed services side, ITO was at a record $12.0 billion, up 8 percent, and BPO reached $3.3 billion, up 48 percent.
Americas
The Americas region saw its combined ACV grow by double digits for the second straight quarter. Second-quarter combined ACV reached a record $9.5 billion, up 25 percent versus last year and 10 percent over the prior quarter. As-a-service ACV was a record $5.9 billion, up 33 percent year-over-year, with IaaS ACV of $3.9 billion, up 33 percent, and SaaS ACV of $1.9 billion, up 31 percent, both records. Managed services ACV, on record deal activity, advanced 14 percent, to a record $3.6 billion, with $2.6 billion of ITO ACV, up 5 percent, and $1.1 billion of BPO ACV, up 44 percent.
Europe, Middle East
and Africa (EMEA)
EMEA’s combined market reached $6.3 billion, up 31 percent from the prior year and 4 percent from the first quarter. As-a-service climbed 41 percent, to a record $2.3 billion, fueled by a 47 percent surge in IaaS, to a record $2.2 billion, and 27 percent growth in SaaS, to a record $722 million. Managed services, at $3.4 billion, was down 4 percent quarter over quarter, its second straight quarterly decline from a record Q4, although it was up 23 percent over a soft Q2 a year ago. Deal activity for the quarter was at a record high. ITO generated $2.8 billion of ACV, up 18 percent, and BPO produced $611 million of ACV, up 54 percent.
Asia Pacific
Asia Pacific surpassed combined-market ACV of $3 billion for the first time, climbing 59 percent over the prior year and 35 percent quarter-over-quarter, to a record $3.4 billion. ACV for as-a-service came in at a record $2.4 billion, up 50 percent over last year, on 52 percent growth in IaaS, to a record $2.1 billion, and 38 percent growth in SaaS, to a record $312 million. Managed services, meanwhile, turned in its best quarter in two years, with ACV soaring 87 percent, to a record $929 million. ITO reached a record $800.1 million, up 80 percent, and BPO rocketed 148 percent, to $129 million. Contract activity was at its highest level in the region in three years.
2021 Forecast
ISG is forecasting the market for cloud-based services (IaaS and SaaS) will grow 21 percent globally in 2021, up slightly from its 18 percent growth forecast last quarter. The firm also is raising its forecast for managed services growth to 9 percent, up from its prior forecast of 5 percent.
Commenting on the forecast, Hall said: “The demand environment and associated technology spend is very robust and shows no signs of slowing down. Right now, cloud is central to virtually every one of our client conversations. The debate is whether these are major structural shifts or COVID-related shifts. We believe the surge goes beyond pent-up demand and could signal the early stages of a longer-term cycle, with continuing strong investment in 5G, data center, compute, cloud provisioning and other business-transforming technologies.”
About the ISG Index™
The ISG Index™ is recognized as the authoritative source for marketplace intelligence on the global technology and business services industry. For 75 consecutive quarters, it has detailed the latest industry data and trends for financial analysts, enterprise buyers, software and service providers, law firms, universities and the media. In 2016, the ISG Index was expanded to include coverage of the fast-growing as-a-service market, measuring the significant impact cloud-based services are having on digital business transformation. ISG also provides ongoing analysis of automation and other digital technologies in its quarterly ISG Index presentations.
The 2Q21 Global ISG Index was presented during a conference call and webcast today. To listen to an audio replay of the call and view presentation slides, visit this webpage.
About ISG
ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 700 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com.
Source: Information Services Group, Inc.
Decentralized Apps Using Blockchain to Change the Internet
Decentralized Apps (“Dapps”) Using Blockchain to Change the Internet
What are Decentralized Apps?
Since Bitcoin launched more than a decade ago, blockchain protocols are constantly being developed and refined to unlock new functionalities and use cases. Now there is a budding industry of decentralized applications built on blockchain — everything from finance to gaming to web browsing to collecting art. Decentralized applications (also known as “dapps”) deliver services similar to those offered by typical consumer applications, but they use blockchain technology to provide users more control over their data by eliminating the need for centralized intermediaries to manage the data, thus making the service “decentralized. ”This new model for building massively scalable and profitable applications is emerging. Bitcoin paved the way with its cryptographically stored ledger, scarce-asset model, and peer-to-peer technology. These features provide a starting point for building a new type of software called decentralized applications, or dapps. dapps are gaining media coverage and will receive wider adaption than the most currently used web apps of today. dapps provide increased flexibility, transparency, resiliency and have a better-incentivized composition than existing software models. One of the main goals of the founders of Ethereum, (After Bitcoin, Ethereum is the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization. It is the most actively used blockchain), was to make these kinds of apps easier to create. They still face challenges in trying to make that happen. Thousands of dapps exist today on Ethereum, ranging from a Twitter replacement to a decentralized virtual reality game. Developers hope Ethereum 2.0, a long-awaited upgrade that officially started being rolled out on Dec. 1, 2020, will ease these problems in the coming years.
Decentralized vs. Centralized Applications
A software application is software that defines a specific goal. There are millions of software applications currently in use, and the vast majority of web software applications follow a centralized server-client model. Some are distributed, and a select few novel ones are decentralized. Currently, centralized systems are the most widespread model for software applications. Centralized systems directly control the operation of the individual units and the flow of information from a single center. All individuals are directly dependent on the central power to send and receive information and to be commanded. Facebook, Amazon, Google, and every other mainstream service we use on the internet use this model. Let’s call these huge services “The Stacks.” The Stacks are useful because they provide a valuable service to us, but they have immense flaws, which we will touch upon at a different time. While the internet channels huge amounts of data through massive, centralized servers, a blockchain represents hundreds or even thousands of machines that share the transactional burden over a distributed network. On the front end, decentralized apps and websites use the same technology to render a page on the internet. However, on the back end, dapps communicate with their respective blockchain networks through a “wallet,” which serves as a bridge to the blockchain ecosystem. Wallets manage your blockchain address and the cryptographic keys necessary to identify and authenticate yourself. Instead of using the HTTP protocol to communicate with the blockchain, dapp wallets trigger smart contracts that interact with the blockchain and execute transactions. A dapp, then, is the front-end user interface that communicates with smart contracts that transact on the blockchain, at which point the distributed network of nodes that makes up the blockchain validates and confirms the dapp data. While a well-designed decentralized application user experience may not seem so different from a web app, it differs from the latter in that it lacks servers, HTTP, and potential censorship.
Decentralized and Distributed
Distributed means computation is spread across multiple nodes instead of just one. Decentralized means no node is instructing any other node as to what to do. A lot of Stacks such as Google have adopted a distributed architecture internally to speed up computing and data latency. This means that a system can be both centralized and distributed. Yes, a system can be distributed and decentralized. Bitcoin is distributed because its timestamped public ledger, the blockchain, resides on multiple computers. It’s also decentralized because if one node fails, the network is still able to operate. That means that any app that uses a blockchain alongside other peer-to-peer tools can be distributed and decentralized. Centralized systems can be distributed as well. Software applications that are able to achieve decentralized consensus are a real innovation. The dapp space is an emerging field with a lot of smart people still experimenting with new models. Different developers have different opinions on what exactly a dapp is. Some developers think that having no central point of failure is all it takes and some think that there are other requirements.
How Does a Dapp Work?
Dapps built on Ethereum use blockchain technology under the hood to connect users directly. Blockchains are a way to tie together a distributed system, where each user has a copy of the records. With blockchains under the hood, users don’t have to go through a third party, meaning they don’t have to give up control of their data to someone else. By their nature, centralized entities have power of the data that flows into and out of their networks. For example, financial entities can stop transactions from being sent, and Twitter can delete tweets from its platform. dapps put users back in control, making these kinds of actions difficult if not impossible. There isn’t one agreed-upon definition of a dapp as it’s a relatively new concept. But the key characteristics of a dapp include: Open source: The code is public for anyone to look at, copy and audit. Decentralized: Dapps don’t have anyone in charge, so no central authority can stop users from doing what they want on the app. Blockchains: If there isn’t a central entity, then what’s holding the app together? Dapps use an underlying blockchain (such as Ethereum) to coordinate instead of a central entity. Smart contracts: Decentralized applications use Ethereum smart contracts, which automatically executes certain rules.Global: The goal is for anyone in the world to be able to publish or use these dapps.
What Are Dapps Used For?
The Ethereum white paper published by Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin in 2013 splits dapps into three main types: Financial apps: These are applications where money is involved. Semi-financial apps: Decentralized apps that involve money, but also require another piece, such as data from outside the Ethereum blockchain. Other apps: Every other type of decentralized app developers are looking to create, including online voting and storage apps. What are the features of any profitable dapp should have? Open Source: Open sourcing a dapp changes the structure of its business practices so that the internet is common denominator instead of a chain of close silos. Internal Currency: How is an open source dapp developer supposed generate income? They allocate scarce resources in the network using a scarce token, an appcoin. Users need this appcoin to use the network. Owners of scarce resources get paid in appcoins. Decentralized Consensus: The blockchain’s innovation is decentralized consensus. If your app needs some feature that requires everyone else to agree on something, you should use a blockchain. No Central Point of Failure: Dapps can’t be shutdown, because there is no server to take own. Ata in a dapp is decentralized across all of its noes. Each node is independent, if one fails, the others are still able to run on the network.
Financial Applications
Financial applications are popularly known as DeFi applications, short for “decentralized finance. ”The idea is to use blockchains (especially Ethereum) to improve more complex financial applications – such as lending, wills and insurance – and stablecoins, alternative coins that aim to stabilize cryptocurrency prices.
Semi-Financial Apps
The second type of app is similar, but it mixes money with “a heavy non-monetary side” as Buterin puts it in the Ethereum white paper. Buterin gives the example of Ethereum developers setting up “bounties,” rewards that can only be unlocked if someone accomplishes a task. In western movies, bounties are doled out to outlaws able to catch a person or criminal. But, in this case, they are rewarded for far less dangerous tasks, such as solving a difficult computational problem. The magic here is the smart contract is (in theory) able to tell if the bounty hunter has provided a working solution, only disbursing the funds if this condition is met. Another example is a crop insurance application that’s dependent on an outside weather feed. Say a farmer buys a derivative that automatically pays out if a drought wipes out her crops. These smart contracts rely on so-called “oracles” that relay up-to-date information about the outside world, like how many inches of rain fell last season. The major caveat, though, is that many developers are skeptical oracles can be used in a decentralized way. Users have to trust that the data feed is providing the correct data, and not gaming the data for their own financial interest.
Other Applications: DAOs and Beyond
Ethereum is a flexible platform, so developers are dreaming up other ideas that don’t fit into the usual financial classifications. One example is to use this approach to create a decentralized social network that’s resistant to censorship. Most mainstream social apps, such as Twitter, censor some posts, and some critics argue those social apps apply inconsistent standards about what content is censored or “downranked. ”So, with a decentralized app like Peepeth, once you publish a message to the blockchain, it can’t be erased, not even by the company that built the platform. It will live on Ethereum forever. Some have explored taking this idea of decentralization even further. If Bitcoin can do away with financial authorities, is it possible to do the same for companies and other types of organizations? Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) are one particularly ambitious breed of dapp that attempts to answer “yes” to that question. The goal is to form a leaderless company by programming rules at the beginning about how members can join, vote, how to release company funds and more. Once launched, the DAO would operate under these rules indefinitely.
Dapp Challenges
Dapps are early, experimental, and developers have yet to solve several crucial problems with the underlying network holding them back. For one, dapps can be very expensive to run when Ethereum grows more congested with users. Although traditional apps sometimes have issues with scale, those issues are exacerbated in a decentralized environment, which by its nature can’t operate without a certain level of cooperation and coordination among multiple stakeholders.
The Future of Decentralized Apps
Although Bitcoin can arguably be called the first dapp, Ethereum has since become the primary growth driver of the dapp ecosystem. Mainly because of its smart contracts, network effect, and user base. As the decentralized finance (DeFi) market expands its use cases and adoption, dapps present an essential launching point to new audiences by deploying user interfaces that emulate conventional web applications while accessing the new capabilities of blockchain. In doing so, dapps are in many ways expanding the functionality of the internet through blockchain. Irrespective of the underlying blockchain use, interest in dapps is growing fast — and the movement has only just begun. As blockchain continues to develop at a speedy pace, it’s probable that finance, gaming, online markets, and social media will all become blockchain-based dapps.
This article
is authored by Peter Spoleti and republished with permission from the Vertex Markets Knowledge Center. Vertex uses AI to make B2B introductions
providing a business networking site free from guesswork as to where more
valuable interactions are found. Contact Vertex Markets here.
Suggested Reading:
 Decentralized Finance, is it the Future?
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 Repurposing Powerplants for Crypto-Mining
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 Will Esports as an Investments Continue to Grow?
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 Will the Robinhood IPO Further Democratize Finance?
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Search and Rescue Technology at Disaster Sites
An Expert on Search and Rescue Robots Explains the Technologies Used in Disasters like the Florida Condo Collapse
Texas
A&M’s Robin Murphy has deployed robots at 29 disasters, including three
building collapses, two mine disasters and an earthquake as director of the
Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue. She has also served as a technical
search specialist with the Hillsboro County (Florida) Fire and Rescue
Department. The Conversation talked to Murphy to provide readers an
understanding of the types of technologies that search and rescue crews at the
Champlain Towers South disaster site in Surfside, Florida, have at their
disposal, as well as some they don’t. The interview has been edited for length.
What types of technologies are rescuers using at the Surfside condo collapse site?
We don’t have reports about it from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, but news coverage shows that they’re using drones.
A standard kit for a technical search specialist would be basically a backpack of tools for searching the interior of the rubble: listening devices and a camera-on-a-wand or borescope for looking into the rubble.
How are drones typically used to help searchers?
They’re used to get a view from above to map the disaster and help plan the search, answering questions like: What does the site look like? Where is everybody? Oh crap, there’s smoke. Where is it coming from? Can we figure out what that part of the rubble looks like?
In Surfside, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were also flying up to look at those balconies that are still intact and the parts that are hanging over. A structural specialist with binoculars generally can’t see accurately above three stories. So they don’t have a lot of ability to determine if a building’s safe for people to be near, to be working around or in, by looking from the ground.
Drones can take a series of photos to generate orthomosaics. Orthomosaics are like those maps of Mars where they use software to glue all the individual photos together and it’s a complete map of the planet. You can imagine how useful an orthomosaic can be for dividing up an area for a search and seeing the progress of the search and rescue effort.
Search and rescue teams can use that same data for a digital elevation map. That’s software that gets the topology of the rubble and you can start actually measuring how high the pile is, how thick that slab is, that this piece of rubble must have come from this part of the building, and those sorts of things.
How might ground robots be used in this type of disaster?
The current state of the practice for searching the interior of rubble is to use either a small tracked vehicle, such as an Inkutun VGTV Extreme, which is the most commonly used robot for such situations, or a snakelike robot, such as the Active Scope Camera developed in Japan.
Teledyne FLIR is sending a couple of tracked robots and operators to the site in Surfside, Florida.
Ground robots are typically used to go into places that searchers can’t fit into and go farther than search cameras can. Search cams typically max out at 18 feet, whereas ground robots have been able to go over 60 feet into rubble. They are also used to go into unsafe voids that a rescuer could fit in but that would be unsafe and thus would require teams to work for hours to shore up before anyone could enter it safely.
In theory, ground robots could also be used to allow medical personnel to see and talk with survivors trapped in rubble, and carry small packages of water and medicine to them. But so far no search and rescue teams anywhere have found anyone alive with a ground robot.
What are the challenges for using ground robots inside rubble?
The big problem is seeing inside the rubble. You’ve got basically a concrete, sheetrock, piping and furniture version of pickup sticks. If you can get a robot into the rubble, then the structural engineers can see the interior of that pile of pickup sticks and say “Oh, OK, we’re not going pull on that, that’s going to cause a secondary collapse. OK, we should start on this side, we’ll get through the debris quicker and safer.”
Going inside rubble piles is really hard. Scale is important. If the void spaces are on the order of the size of the robot, it’s tricky. If something goes wrong, it can’t turn around; it has to drive backward. Tortuosity – how many turns per meter – is also important. The more turns, the harder it is.
There’s also different surfaces. The robot may be on a concrete floor, next thing it’s on a patch of somebody’s shag carpeting. Then it’s got to go through a bunch of concrete that’s been pulverized into sand. There’s dust kicking up. The surroundings may be wet from all the sewage and all the water from sprinkler systems and the sand and dust start acting like mud. So it gets really hard really fast in terms of mobility.
What is your current research focus?
We look at human-robot interaction. We discovered that of all of the robots we could find in use, including ours – and we were the leading group in deploying robots in disasters – 51% of the failures during a disaster deployment were due to human error.
It’s challenging to work in these environments. I’ve never been in a disaster where there wasn’t some sort of surprise related to perception, something that you didn’t realize you needed to look for until you’re there.
What is your Ideal search and rescue robot?
I’d like someone to develop a robot ferret. Ferrets are kind of snakey-looking mammals. But they have legs, small little legs. They can scoot around like a snake. They can claw with their little feet and climb up on uneven rocks. They can do a full meerkat, meaning they can stretch up really high and look around. They’re really good at balance, so they don’t fall over. They can be looking up and all of a sudden the ground starts to shift and they’re down and they’re gone – they’re fast.
How do you see the field of search and rescue robots going forward?
There’s no real funding for these types of ground robots. So there’s no economic incentive to develop robots for building collapses, which are very rare, thank goodness.
And the public safety agencies can’t afford them. They typically cost US$50,000 to $150,000 versus as little as $1,000 for an aerial drone. So the cost-benefit doesn’t seem to be there.
I’m very frustrated with this. We’re still about the same level we were 20 years ago at the World Trade Center.
This article was republished with permission from The Conversation, a news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by and represents the research-based opinions
of Robin R. Murphy Raytheon Professor of Computer Science and Engineering; Vice-President Center for
Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (nfp), Texas A&M University
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Cloud Computing Infrastructure as an Investment
Will the Government’s Financial Support for Cloud Computing Help Investors in the Technology?
While the infrastructure bill President Biden is stomping to gather support for is not likely to pass in its current form, it is clear that there will be an infrastructure bill that passes. When a modified bill reaches his desk to sign, it will include projects that the administration believes are important to the country. When we think of infrastructure, we tend to think of roads, bridges, and railways. But this is 2021 and investing in infrastructure also includes improving the three Cs, communication, connectivity, and cloud services.
During the pandemic last year, it became highly apparent how important the three Cs are to our daily lives. And now it’s easy to recognize the increasing importance in our daily work, play, backup storage, and personal gathering of information. While infrastructure improvements in telecommunications and connectivity are understood by most, the cloud is a bit harder to wrap our minds around. The technology is only finding more uses and with high-tech attacks on data and storage needs growing, this area is becoming more exciting to investors as it matures and remains on the national infrastructure list.
Cloud Infrastructure Defined
To understand cloud infrastructure, we can’t skip over cloud computing. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology website, cloud computing “…enables ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.” Put another way; resources are available from everywhere, on-demand on a shared but partitioned, offsite resource.
Cloud infrastructure refers to the hardware and software components of the networks, servers, storage, virtualization software, applications, etc., that support the computing requirements of cloud computing. Cloud infrastructure also includes the abstraction layer that hides the inner workings and logically presents the resource or service to cloud users via app interfaces or another software intermediary. This allows the two to comprehend each other and deliver a usable resource.
In cloud computing, these resources are hosted by a service provider or IT department and are available to users over the internet or through a network. The resources include machines and components, such as servers, memory, network switches, firewalls, load balancers, and storage.
Cloud Infrastructure Components
Investors seeking to benefit from the government’s attention to this area ought to discover the local companies involved in the design and manufacture of the various components, especially those more likely to receive a piece of taxpayers’ money. The cloud infrastructure includes the recognizable back-end hardware elements found within data centers – but on a greater scale. These are multisocket, multicore servers, persistent storage, and local area network equipment, such as switches and routers. U.S. Manufacturers of these components may benefit when a bill passes.
Take-Away
Globally the cloud computing market is projected to reach $791.48 billion by 2028, which has a compound annual growth rate of 17.9%. Specifically, in the U.S., there is a focus and likely funding that adds to the attractiveness of this tech sector. Although where the money will be spread is not certain, a recent executive order by the President shows he believes the big tech companies and other corporate giants have grown too large. Information on smaller U.S.-based companies operating in this sector are available on Channelchek along with company descriptions, data, and in the case of Digitech (DGTI), a newly published analysts report.
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Threats to Your Personal Information
Image Credit: T/Data Breach (Flickr)
Ransomware, Data Breach, Cyberattack: What they have to do with your Personal Information, How Worried Should You Be?
The headlines are filled with news about ransomware attacks tying up organizations large and small, data breaches at major brand-name companies and cyberattacks by shadowy hackers associated with Russia, China, and North Korea. Are these threats to your personal information?
If it’s a ransomware attack on a pipeline company, probably not. If it’s a hack by foreign agents of a government agency, maybe, particularly if you’re a government employee. If it’s a data breach at a credit bureau, social media company or major retailer, very likely.
The bottom line is that your online data is not safe. Every week a new major data breach is reported, and most Americans have experienced some form of data theft. And it could hurt you. What should you do?
Mildly Annoyed or Majorly Aggrieved
First, was the latest digital crime a ransomware attack or was it a data breach? Ransomware attacks encrypt or lock up, your programs or data files, but your data is usually not exposed, so you probably have nothing to worry about. If the target is a company whose services you use, you might be inconvenienced while the company is out of commission.
If it was a data breach, find out if your information has been exposed. You may have been notified that your personal data was exposed. U.S. laws require companies to tell you if your data was stolen. But you can also check for yourself at haveibeenpwned.com.
A data breach could include theft of your online credentials: your username and password. But hackers might also steal your bank account or credit card numbers or other sensitive or protected information, such as your personal health information, your email address, phone number, street address or Social Security number.
Having your data stolen from a company can be scary, but it is also an opportunity to take stock and apply some common-sense measures to protect your data elsewhere. Even if your data has not been exposed yet, why not take the time now to protect yourself?
How Bad is It?
As a cybersecurity scholar, I suggest that you make a risk assessment. Ask yourself some simple questions, then take some precautions.
If you know your data was stolen, the most important question is what kind of data was stolen. Data thieves, just like car thieves, want to steal something valuable. Consider how attractive the data might be to someone else. Was it highly sensitive data that could harm you if it were in the wrong hands, like financial account records? Or was it data that couldn’t really cause you any problems if someone got hold of it? What information is your worst-case vulnerability if it were stolen? What could happen if data thieves take it?
Many e-commerce sites retain your purchase history, but not your credit card number, so ask yourself, did I authorize them to keep it on file? If you make recurring purchases from the site, such as at hotel chains, airlines and grocery stores, the answer is probably yes. Thieves don’t care about your seat preferences. They want to steal your credit card info or your loyalty rewards to sell on the black market.
What to Do
A hand holds a smartphone showing a text message on the screen.
Two-factor authentication, which typically involves receiving a code in a text message, provides an extra layer of security in case your password is stolen. The Focal Project/Flickr, CC BY-NC.
If you haven’t already, set up two-factor authentication with all websites that store your valuable data. If data thieves stole your password, but you use two-factor authentication, then they can’t use your password to access your account.
It takes a little effort to enter that single-use code sent to your phone each time, but it does protect you from harm when the inevitable breach occurs. Even better, use an authentication app rather than texting for two-factor authentication. This is especially critical for your bank and brokerage accounts. If you think your health-related information is valuable or sensitive, you should also take extra precautions with your health care provider’s website, your insurance company, and your pharmacy.
If you used a unique password instead of reusing a favorite password you’ve used elsewhere, hackers can’t successfully use your credentials to access your other accounts. One-third of users are vulnerable because they use the same password for every account.
Take this opportunity to change your passwords, especially at banks, brokerages and any site that retains your credit card number. You can record your unique passwords on a piece of paper hidden at home or in an encrypted file you keep in the cloud. Or you can download and install a good password manager. Password managers encrypt passwords on your devices before they’re sent into the cloud, so your passwords are protected even if the password manager company is hacked.
If your credit card number was exposed, you should notify your bank. Now is a good time to set up mobile banking alerts to receive notifications of unusual activity, big purchases and so on. Your bank may want to issue new cards with new numbers to you. That’s considerably less of a hassle than experiencing identity theft.
You should also consider closing old unused accounts so that the information associated with them is no longer available. Do you have a loyalty account with a hotel chain, restaurant, or airline that you haven’t used in years and won’t use again? Close it. If you have a credit card with that company, make sure they report the account closure to the credit reporting agencies.
Now is a great time to check your credit reports from all three credit bureaus. Do you rarely apply for new credit and want to protect your identity? If so, freeze your credit. Make sure to generate unique passwords and record them at home in case you need to unfreeze your credit later to apply for a loan. This will help protect you from some of the worst consequences of identity theft.
This article was republished with permission from The
Conversation, a news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic
experts. It was written by and represents the research-based findings of Merrill Warkentin, James J.
Rouse Endowed Professor of Information Systems, Mississippi State University.
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Release – Comtech Telecommunications Corp. Awarded 5 Million Contract to Deploy a Next Generation 911 Solution
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. Awarded $5.0 Million Contract to Deploy a Next Generation 911 Solution to a U.S. Government End Customer
Comtech Solacom will provide a full turnkey solution, including all hardware and software, installation, and training for a multi-node, geographically dispersed Guardian call management system. The Guardian solution will be deployed in a redundant, multi-geo-diverse configuration ensuring the highest possible service availability with an intuitive user interface allowing call takers to quickly assess, prioritize and handle landline, wireless and VoIP emergency calls. Call takers can quickly create conferences, transfer calls, determine the location of callers and replay recently recorded conversations.
“Comtech’s commitment to innovative next generation emergency communication solutions has been recognized by the selection of the Solacom Guardian solution to modernize the 911 operations of a major
Comtech Solacom emergency call handling and management solutions are built on more than 30 years of research and innovation in the application of advanced hardware and software technologies for public safety. For more information, visit: www.solacom.com.
Certain information in this press release contains statements that are forward-looking in nature and involve certain significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from such forward-looking information. The Company’s
Media Contact:
631-962-7000
info@comtechtel.com
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