PostNL is the main provider of mail and parcel services in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, PostNL is divided in two separate branches: PostNL Mail and PostNL Parcels. The ultimate goal is to merge these two together, and form one integrated organization. However, in this Digital Transformation Project the focus lies on the reverse logistics department of PostNL Mail. We will regard the business of the whole organization and specify this to the reverse logistics department.

After gathering data on the reverse logistics department through interviews, a problem became clear. The department uses lots of different systems which are all manually connected, this results in a lot of lost time for processing allocations, orders and other information. Also, a big problem of this department is that it is not able to correctly forecast the need of logistic assets of all parties because they do know where containers are in the network. As a consequence, every morning, planners need to solve the problem of surpluses and shortages at PostNL Mail locations, resulting in extra shipments, cancellation of shipments or cutting in the distributed amount of logistic assets.

To solve the problem of the separate systems the department uses and to keep track of the location of containers, we suggest to switch to Platform as Service integrated with an asset Inventory Management System with connections to the CRM system and all other departments that play a part in processing orders and allocation logistic assets. Information about the containers is collected through the use of a GPS system to provide the necessary information. We analyzed the effect of the new technology on objectives of the department and the result is positive: the new technology has a positive effect on the critical success factors. Also, the new technology fits with the current business model.

As PostNL finds itself in a competitive market, our advice is to continue the modernization and integration of the departments within the organization, as this is beneficial to the efficiency on multiple levels. Second, we advise the organization to focus more on the management of the logistic assets. Lastly, we propose that PostNL focuses more on data-based decision making.

Researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed a device that can detect our inner emotional states using wireless signals, called the “EQ-radio”. The EQ-Radio sends wireless signals that bounces off a person’s body and back to the device. This way it is able to capture subtle changes in breathing and heart rhythms, without the use on-body sensors. The CSAIL researchers have tested the EQ-Radio and the system is 87% accurate when assessing if a person is excited, happy, sad or angry.

The EQ-radio uses the same carrier frequency as WiFI, only with a 1000 times smaller amount of power. Using the signals that are send back to the device, the device can measure heartbeats with the same accuracy as an ECG monitor (with a margin of error of 0.3 percent). The device studies the heartbeats and breathing patterns and matches this with a certain behaviour. This is done by a machine-learning algorithm. Of course, people respond differently to certain emotions, so the researchers taught the machine to identify unique responses to emotions by examining 30 participants.

As already mentioned, the technology doesn’t require on-body sensors, nor does it use facial recognition software. Both these technologies have their pitfalls and the researches think that the EQ-Radio could be a great solution for companies who want to integrate emotional intelligence with their products.

Dina Katabi, the MIT professor who led the development of this technology, suggest that the device could be used in varying ways across the entertainment, consumer advertising and healthcare industry. Imagine integrating it with a smart TV, this way advertisers can come to know more about the responses of consumers. It could also be used by film makers or game designers to see how people respond to a movie or game.

What do you think about the potential uses of this technology? Would you like to use it yourself?

Sources:

http://news.mit.edu/2016/detecting-emotions-with-wireless-signals-0920

http://gizmodo.com/this-device-can-wirelessly-detect-your-emotions-1786802527

In the week of September 19, the France-based web hosting provider OVH was the victim of the largest Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks the internet has known to date. The attacks reached over 1 Tbps of traffic. According to the founder and CTO Klaba, the DDoS attack were launched via hacked internet-connected cameras and digital video recording devices. The massive attack was carried out via a network of over 150,000 devices.

IoT is playing a big part in society nowadays, they are integrated in, for example, our houses, organizations and hospitals. Since the amount of IoT and connected devices is growing rapidly, the number of entry points for attackers increases more and more. These IoT devices or other devices such as routers, security cameras, DVRs, smart fridges, thermostats and even lightbulbs that are connected to the internet, can be easily infected. The functioning mechanism is usually not very complex and the devices cannot be scanned with antivirus software, and the devices are vulnerable or poorly configured. They are routinely being hacked and used to launch cyber attacks, the growing amount of connected devices exacerbates the issues of more and more DDoS attacks.

Since there are so many entry points for hackers provided by connected devices, people are vulnerable of becoming a member of a botnet. What we can do to prevent this from happening is making sure that our devices are not connected to the internet all the time and to change passwords.

The remaining question is how necessary it is to have devices such as lightbulbs, fridges or video recorders connected to the internet. The rapidly growing amount of IoT and other connected devices does certainly not go hand in hand with security.

What do you think, is it needed to have so many devices connected to the internet?

Sources:

http://thehackernews.com/2016/09/ddos-attack-iot.html
http://techviral.com/hackers-creates-history-launches-worlds-largest-1tbps-ddos-attack/
http://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/51726/cyber-crime/ovh-hit-botnet-iot.html
https://www.hackread.com/internets-largest-1tbps-ddos-attack-iot-devices/