TECH IN THE NEW YEAR

• Biden as President: What It Will Mean for Tech
• Trends That Will Define 2021 and Beyond
• Tech That Will Change Your Life in 2021
• At CES, What Will Rise to the Hype? And What is Just a Pipe Dream?
• State Department Creates Bureau to Reduce "Likelihood of Cyber Conflict"
• LA Mayor Garcetti Aims at Air Taxi Future

COVID-PROPELLED TECH

• Tech is Speeding Up Vaccine Supply Chains
• Will Our Homes Remain Our Headquarters?

In this video, Alina Trigubenko of awarenow is interviewed about being a company founder and coach who specializes in working with large-scale organizations, such as schools, agencies, and governments, as well as individual coaches, to scale and build long-lasting communities. Also, Alina provides the link to awarenow's free ebook - Trends, Tricks & Tips for Coaches to Thrive in 2021. (Alina Trigubenko, WLA)

Dave Berkus's article - What's the most important thing in a young business? - recently won a Startup Catalyst Brief MVP Award; watch Dave's acceptance speech here. And, read other recent articles from Dave here, including: "Raising Money? Find Your Champion;" "Have You Heard the Rule of the Thirds?;" "Financing with Grants, Not Equity or Debt;" "Use Creative Fundraising Instead of Equity or Debt;" and "When Should You Go for Equity Financing?" (Dave Berkus, SGV & WLA)

California LightWorks recently launched MegaDrive, a professional grow light system that delivers unparalleled results while significantly reducing both up-front and long-term operating costs. By removing LED drivers from individual light fixtures, MegaDrive eliminates the need for electrical power connections throughout the greenhouse or grow room. The new system consists of a large central power unit connected to a series of up to 30 LED fixtures in a chain. High voltage three-phase power can connect directly to the central power unit, eliminating power drops to each fixture. In addition, all the lights can be centrally controlled from the power unit. Meanwhile, watch California LightWorks' CEO George Mekhtarian's interview on LookinLA CEO Ali Payani's "The Leading Mindset" Podcast. (George Mekhtarian & Ali Payani, SGV)

Lumentum Holdings has agreed to buy laser maker Coherent Inc. in a cash and stock transaction valued at $5.7 billion - a deal that would combine two companies whose products are used in everything from laser eye surgery to semiconductor manufacturing. (Randy Heyler, SGV)

Brandon Hall Group has recognized Cornerstone OnDemand with "2020 Excellence in Tech" Gold Awards in four categories: >> Best Advance in Technology Innovation for the Remote Workforce: Remote Work Essentials and Cornerstone Content Anytime; >> Best Advance in Talent Acquisition Technology: TalentLink; >> Best Advance in Performance Management Technology: Cornerstone Performance; and >> Best Advance in Talent Management Technology for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses: Cornerstone Recruiting, Learning, and Performance. (Adam Miller, WLA)

Eckert & Ziegler recently shared that seed implantation for prostate cancer is now to be reimbursed as an outpatient treatment (in addition to inpatient) by public health insurances in Germany. Also called LDR brachytherapy, it's an organ-preserving, minimally invasive radiation procedure. Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG is the European market leader for seeds and produces them at its Berlin site. (Frank Yeager, SGV)

GF Piping Systems has acquired FGS Brasil Indústria e Comércio Ltda., of Cajamar, Brazil, a leading manufacturer of polyethylene piping systems which serves the local water and gas distribution market and other industrial segments. The acquisition will provide GF Piping with a unique platform for further growth in Brazil and South America. And, on January 21, GF Piping will present a webinar - Leading-edge plastic piping systems for innovative water cooling in Data Centers, to share how it can improve mission-critical efficient cooling at Hyperscale facilities. (Mike Smith, SGV)

Gartner recently released the latest version of its "Market Guide for Quality Management System Software" which highlights Intellect QMS 4.0 as a leading solution in the quality management space. Gartner's analysts noted "extreme configurability" as one of Intellect's key assets, remarking on QMS and the platform's capacity to help users easily modify the solution and build new business applications without writing code. Meanwhile, if you missed Intellect's Innovate 2020, you can watch those sessions on-demand here. Also, learn about The 5 Most common Problems With Your CAPA Process, and read Intellect: Celebrating 20 Years in Business. (Romeo Elias, WLA)

This month, Mentor became Siemens EDA, bringing high levels of investment in R&D to build new products and to acquire best-in-class electronic design companies. Mentor has always pioneered digitalization of electronic design and Siemens brings world-class digitalization to big systems like planes, autos, factories, and cities. Connecting electronic design to big systems is the vision for Siemens EDA customers. (Greg Lebsack, WLA, OC)

In early February, myKaarma will present ELEVATE, a series of virtual meetings filled with insight, learning, and ideas for those individuals serious about elevating their dealership service performance in 2021. Meanwhile, in this video, myKaarma CEO Ujj Nath gives his review of 2020, while Winning In a Touchless Environment is a downloadable technology and process guide to offering a touchless vehicle service experience as the key to thriving in the current environment. (Ujj Nath, WLA)

Nortridge Software has partnered with Sonnet by Palinode to fully integrate their Sonnet Dispute Management software into the NLS servicing system so that data is shared and updated seamlessly. A large increase of consumer disputes due to credit repair companies, fraud activity, and deferral and forbearance activity emphasizes the need for a dispute management process that ensures timely responses and credit furnisher Metro 2 updates that satisfy the dispute resolution. Sonnet integrates with eOscar, a service that is used by all three major credit bureaus to manage disputes to credit reports digitally. Meanwhile, read Proven, Established Technology or New, Shiny Technology - What's Better? and Looking Back: NLS Highlights from 2020. (Greg Hindson, OC)

In December, OEwaves was one of the presenting companies at The Optical Society Industry Development Associates Technology Showcase, where the company showcased its OE4000 HI-Q Optical Phase Noise Test System. OEwaves recorded the session to view here. (Lute Maleki, Ph.D., SGV)

Optimum Info has announced the broad launch of its IKON Dealer Contact and Field Operations solutions for automotive, powersports, and equipment manufacturers. Watch a short video about IKON here. Optimum Info also created a new slogan, "Embrace the Mantra of Flexibility," as it unveiled its strategy to sub-brand its suite of Franchise Network Development solutions. Watch a short video about the company's new slogan here. (Arvind Verma, OC)

Parasoft announced its C/C++test update to support IAR Systems' build tools for Linux for Arm. IAR Build Tools for Linux inspired the update of Parasoft's unified testing solution for C/C++test software development. With these tools combined, software developers gain the ability to configure fast and scalable CI/CD pipelines on Linux servers and automate the testing process. And, Parasoft has joined the Zephyr Project Safety Committee at Linux Foundation, which selected Parasoft embedded testing technology solution to satisfy its safety-critical certification goals. The Project will draw on Parasoft's extensive support of MISRA C:2012, CERT, and other coding standards to define the Zephyr Coding Guidelines. Additionally, the Project will provision Parasoft in its certification for SIL 3 (SC3) per IEC 61508 for use on safety-critical IoT devices. (Elizabeth Kolawa, Ph.D., SGV)

On January 27, PeopleG2's Chris Dyer will co-host a webinar, Compliance Changes, COVID-19 Onboarding, and New Services, at 11 a.m. Pacific, which will focus on how to continue to handle a remote workforce - especially when it comes to hiring new employees in a non-traditional environment. Meanwhile, watch previous webinars from PeopleG2 and Chris here, including: "A 2020 Postmortem: The best things we learned and should keep, as we say goodbye to a dumpster fire of a year;" "Leading a Hybrid Team: Mixing Remote and the Office;" and "The Essence of Future Leadership." And, listen to the recent episode of the HR Like a Boss podcast that features Chris. (Chris Dyer, SGV)

ProProfs has acquired BIGContacts, whose software delivers all the power of the major CRM brands without the complexity and cost. Its software has integrated email marketing, allowing users to send intelligent marketing campaigns, move contacts through the sales funnel, and close more sales. ProProfs plans to fully integrate BIGContacts with its existing customer software, beginning with integration with ProProfs Help Desk. This means customer information can be shared across sales and support, making it easy for reps to deliver outstanding results and delight customers. Meanwhile, Digital.com has ranked ProProfs Survey Maker among the "Best Survey Software of 2021." And, G2 has named ProProfs Help Desk as "High Performer Winter 2021" in the help-desk software category. (Sameer Bhatia, WLA)

On the evenings of February 10 (click here) and March 11 (click here), John Tanner, Ph.D., of Tanner Research, will present free Nutrition Science Virtual Workshops, via Zoom, where he will relay to participants the scientific information they need to avoid heart disease and other leading killers with a proper diet. The group will discuss strategies for change and John will field questions. (John Tanner, Ph.D., SGV)

In a recent City Journal article - Flight of the Icons - Marshall Toplansky and Joel Kotkin write about some anti-business policies they believe are driving flagship firms out of California. Among his current roles, Marshall is a CA Professor of Management Science at Chapman University, and Chair of the Advisory Board of Cicero Institute. (Marshall Toplansky, OC)

Xsolla has become the exclusive sponsor of Taipei Game Show 2021 Indie Game Award, a competition exclusively for indie game developers. It is created to foster the interaction between domestic and overseas indie game developers, and to encourage innovative game titles with rewards and international media exposures. (Shurick Agapitov, WLA)

In 6 Technology Trends that Will Create the Next Generation of Workplaces in 2021, Electrosonic discusses emerging tech trends that are primed to play an even greater role in crafting safer workspaces moving forward: >> Elevated and widespread use of extended reality; >> More innovative wayfinding; >> RFID and sensor technologies; >> Security, access control and visitor management; >> Experiential technologies; and >> More powerful traditional AV solutions. And, in What Building Designers Need to Look For in a Technology Partner for 2021, Electrosonic reports that the pandemic and ensuing period of recovery and return to normalcy will usher in a new era of building design - one centered on health and safety, holistic solutions and integration, sustainability and moren (Bryan Hinckley, SGV)

Jason Ciment of GetVisible provides these "extraordinary tools and resources:"
> Headlines mean the difference between 20% and 51% open rates - this tool will boost your results.
> Want to know how to get your message across? This article gives you five ways to bypass the defenses.
> This group video app is great for parties and useful as a hack on getting testimonials for your business.
> Peter Sandeen has an unusual approach to helping people improve website results. (Jason Ciment, WLA)

LookinLA celebrates its strong 2020, in spite of the year's myriad challenges, in LookinLA Strengthens its Client Base, Expands Services and Team in 2020 Amid COVID-19. And, in Personalized Marketing and Its Benefits, LookinLA makes the case that with online ads becoming such a ubiquitous part of the digital experience, consumers have started to tune out more generic content. Plus, in Healthcare Digital Marketing Strategies to Guarantee Success, LookinLA addresses how to deal with the stricter and ever-changing FDA regulations in the healthcare industry, putting limitations on what companies can and can't say about their products and services. (Ali Payani, SGV)

In Could you be losing 40% on your contracts? How AI contract management can add value to your deals, Pegasus One points out that when it comes to contract management, speed, accuracy, focus on compliance, and meticulous attention to detail can make or break a deal. Relying on manual workflows to produce an optimal result just isn't realistic: according to the Harvard Business Review, inefficient contract management processes cause firms to lose up to 40% of the potential value of any given deal. (Tushar Puri, OC)

Gabe Stein is Executive VP of GeBBS Healthcare Solutions, and also leads the Payer Solutions Division's sales, operations, marketing, and strategic vision, focusing on driving growth in revenues and profitability. GeBBS is a KLAS-rated leading provider of Revenue Cycle Management services and risk adjustment solutions firm that boasts innovative technology, combined with a global workforce (8,300 in India, 700 in the Philippines, and 150 in the U.S.). Prior to joining GeBBS in 2017, Gabe served as CEO and then Managing Director of Peak Health Solutions, responsible for growing the company's product development, business development, and marketing enterprises. Gabe was also previously President of AlzBetter LLC, in New Jersey, whose patent-pending program for Alzheimer's and dementia patients is a comprehensive blend of technology, care coordination, training and support developed from years of experience and scientific research. Earlier, he was a National Sales Manager with Maxim Healthcare, and served in the U.S. Army and Coast Guard. Gabe has joined the ABL-Health LA Round Table.

ABL Member Naresh Menon of ChromoLogic and Covisus passed along this information about PPE Unite, which is distributing a one-time 30-day supply of PPE at no cost - face masks, hand sanitizer, and/or face shields, to eligible small businesses in the County of Los Angeles. Naresh says "It's legit;" his company got a month's supply at no cost. Meanwhile, AIM recently named Covisus the 2020 Automatic Identification and Data Capture Award Winner for its breakthrough vTag technology, a tagless track-and-trace solution for item/package-level covert traceability, ideally suited to meet regulatory requirements and to help prevent counterfeit activities. Covisus' vTag is currently being adopted by the medical device and military/aerospace communities. AIM is a leading industry association in innovation, standards, and solutions in barcode, biometrics, IoT, NFC, RFID, RTLS, and RAIN. (Naresh Menon, Ph.D., ABL-Health LA)

In How Much is a Typical Ransomware Ransom?, Alvaka Networks reports that by May 2020 ransoms had tripled to $200-300k, and by September 2020, they were seeing $1-2M-plus ransoms. Last month, Alvaka's Oli Thordarson saw his first $20M ransom. And, because of these large, and growing, ransom demands, as well as additional factors, Alvaka has published: Top 5 Reasons to Invest in Cyber Breach Insurance. Meanwhile, Oli shares an article - Ransomware will likely get worse in 2021: report - which says that, in 2021, hospitals are likely to remain major targets, amid the pandemic, as criminals "casually blow past any ethical red lines." It also says the average ransom payment jumped 31% to $233,817, in the third quarter from the second quarter. (Oli Thordarson, ABL-Health OC)

GeBBS Healthcare Solutions was named to Modern Healthcare's list of the nation's Top 10 largest revenue cycle management companies. The list includes 24 firms that have dedicated practice areas and staff to address the needs of the healthcare revenue cycle process. (Gabe Stein, ABL-Health LA)

In Healthcare UI/UX Patient Engagement & Design in 2021, Kencor Health examines several things to watch for in 2021 and beyond: artificial and virtual reality in healthcare; telehealth and telemedicine; healthcare bots; and devices and wearables. (Muthu Krishnan, ABL-Health SV)

MedWand has been honored with a 2020 "Best of What's New" award in the Health category by Popular Science magazine, which noted that "telehealth has long had the potential to transform healthcare for people living in rural areas or those who can't physically get to the doc, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more critical." Meanwhile, MedWand participated in the CES 2021 Virtual Conference, on January 12, in a presentation on "Telehealth: Augmenting the Experience with Technology." (Bob Rose, ABL-Health OC)

In COVID-19 Vaccines Are Here: How Billing & Coding Will Work, Savi Group provides specific information on the medical billing process behind these developments. And, Easy Ways to Reduce Medical Billing and Coding Errors offers tips to help develop a smoother revenue system, reduce denial rates, and improve patient care. (Sumit Mahendru, ABL-Health OC)

VivaLNK recently announced the expansion of its Medical Data Platform for global partners - designed for rapid development and deployment of remote patient monitoring applications, and ensuring patient vitals can be captured continuously from any location and delivered successfully to clinical applications. VivaLNK has expanded its partners in Europe with the addition of CardioCalm in Italy, Avittia in Greece, and Current Health in the UK. The company now boasts over 90 healthcare solution partners across 22 countries. (Jiang Li, Ph.D., ABL-Health SV)

Wipfli has been certified as a Registered Provider Organization (RPO), noting that in 2020 the Department of Defense enacted new rules to expand cybersecurity requirements within its supply chain. These new rules established the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), which businesses must achieve in order to be awarded new contracts by the DoD. RPOs [such as Wipfli] can advise DoD suppliers on how to prepare for their CMMC assessment and achieve the certification. (Jeff Johnson, ABL-Health OAK, & Steve Rousso)

CNET takes a look at where President Biden stands on tech issues, including: antitrust; liability protections: Section 230; net neutrality; rural broadband; China and tariffs; and online privacy. (https://www.cnet.com/news/biden-takes-office-heres-what-it-means-for-tech/)

ABL Member Dave Berkus declares reading McKinsey's recent article - The next normal arrives: Trends that will define 2021-and beyond - "a required task for management of all sizes. McKinsey captures the trends like no other in an article packed with statistics supporting worldwide trends in many industries. Do not fail to read this!" (https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/leadership/the-next-normal-arrives-trends-that-will-define-2021-and-beyond?cid=soc-web)

As we continue to live in a pandemic-fighting world, innovators will aim tech solutions at our personal and professional lives, from at-home streaming movie debuts to an overdue evolutionary leap of the laptop. But we will also strive to reach a new normal, and you'll see technology helping us there, too, from new hybrid work practices to high-tech masks. And accompanying each new product or service: yet another monthly subscription fee. In summary, here's what to look for: pandemic-inspired innovation; laptops arm up; Hollywood at home; reality: assisted, not augmented; more remote workouts and doctor visits; ecommerce that isn't Amazon; death by subscription; return of the trust fall; and EV American style. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/tech-that-will-change-your-life-in-2021-11609519215)

In this article, Protocol.com asked folks who exhibited at or attended CES 2021 to think about what tech would stick and what would be a pipe dream. These experts look at wearables, sustainable mobility, and digital events through the lens of staying power, hailing from companies that include Welldoc; Zuora; Deloitte; FleishmanHillard; and Panasonic. (https://www.protocol.com/braintrust/ces-2021-tech-hype-pipe) Meanwhile, the Consumer Technology Association announced the CES 2021 Innovation Awards honorees, including those products recognized as Best of Innovation. (https://www.ces.tech/News/Press-Releases/CES-Press-Release.aspx?NodeID=fb69c56c-1a80-4e4a-9e96-fefc78f32c27)

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently announced the creation of a new bureau inside the US Department of State dedicated to addressing cybersecurity as part of US foreign policy and diplomatic efforts. It will be named the Bureau of Cyberspace Security and Emerging Technologies (CSET), and will lead US government diplomatic efforts on a wide range of international cyberspace security and emerging technology policy issues that affect US foreign policy and national security, including securing cyberspace and critical technologies, reducing the likelihood of cyber conflict, and prevailing in strategic cyber competition, the State Department said. (https://www.zdnet.com/article/state-department-creates-bureau-to-reduce-likelihood-of-cyber-conflict/)

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has launched an effort, called the Urban Air Mobility Partnership, which will help visualize a "new piece of L.A.'s transportation network where people can go to fly on an urban air mobility aircraft." Garcetti said the effort hopes to see the introduction of low-noise, electric aircraft flying in LA airspace by 2023. Financially supported by the Urban Air Mobility Division of Hyundai Motor Group, the partnership plans to hire an "Urban Air Mobility Fellow." (https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0080722.html)

The deluge of data generated by the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain, if it is managed with the right tools, could lead to better optimization of immunization programs. Armed with more insightful computer simulations and technologies like AI, experts could detect problems faster and even anticipate them, and re-allocate resources with more agility in response to unexpected changes. Technology companies are putting forward their know-how to achieve all that. (https://www.zdnet.com/article/from-blockchain-to-big-data-and-iot-tech-is-trying-to-speed-up-vaccine-supply-chains/)

Millions of consumers and thousands of companies spent a lot of money, time and energy orienting everything toward the home - with a viral gun to our heads. Now it's time to take a breath and examine how much of that shift has enduring value as opposed to just survival value. Every false step we take back to the way things were in work, education, health, commerce, and entertainment could be a waste of hard-won progress that would have taken years in normal times. To pick apart where at-home behavior works and where it doesn't, CNET assembled Jennifer Kent, senior director at Parks Associates, Paul Lee, global head of Research, Tech, Media and Telecoms at Deloitte UK, and Megan Wollerton, senior editor, CNET Home: https://www.cnet.com/news/cnets-next-big-thing-will-our-homes-remain-our-headquarters/

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