CEO LEADERSHIP

• Five Priorities for CEOs in the Next Normal
• Amazon CEO's Empathetic Return-to-Office Memo is "Leadership Case Study in How to Manage Uncertainty," Fortune 500 Consultants Say
• The 3 Leadership Types in a Nimble Organization
• 50,000 Kaiser Workers WON'T Be Striking After All

FORECASTING TECH TRENDS

• Security AI is the Next Big Thing
• Gartner's Top 12 Strategic Tech Trends For 2022 And Beyond
• Eight Ways Quantum Computing is Going to Change the World
• Wearable Patches Could Boost the VR Experience
• Cars Are on the Road to Becoming Digital Devices

GOVERNMENT & THE TECH INDUSTRY

• President Biden Signs $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Bill into Law; Ties Cyber to Physical Investments
• For Mobile Game Developers, Everything Is Set to Change on December 9
• President Signs Law to Ban Huawei and ZTE from Receiving FCC Licenses
• U.S. Backs Paris-Led Effort on Cybersecurity Cooperation

AfterNow recently announced that it has added a Dicom add-on to its Prez offering, enabling doctors to import patient 3D data into Prez and launch a meeting with colleagues, students, and/or patients. In This Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Presentation Tool is Helping Medical Doctors with Professional Development, AfterNow describes this product to make premium AR and VR presentations that drive professional development and collaboration. With a drag and drop, code free interface, users can make their own presentation using custom or ready-made assets or collaborate with AfterNow's team for bespoke projects. (Phillippe Lewicki, WLA)

CompanyWeek magazine recently featured a profile of California LightWorks and interviewed CEO George Mekhtarian about the future of manufacturing and the cannabis industry, and the roles of innovation and technology. Also, LEDs Magazine highlighted California LightWorks and George in: Covid-19 cannabis boom drives home need for sustainability.
Plus, California LightWorks issued a press release: Climate disaster is here, Mekhtarian urges innovation to combat crisis. Meanwhile, watch California Lightworks' recent webinar on-demand: Replacing HPS - The MegaDrive LED Solution. (George Mekhtarian, SGV)

Eckert & Ziegler AG has acquired an approximately 7,000-square-meter property with an expansion option for the building of its Chinese production facility in Jintan (PR China). The location in the Jiangsu province near Shanghai will be used to build production facilities for radiopharmaceuticals and radioisotopes as well as Eckert & Ziegler's administrative headquarters for the Chinese market. (Frank Yeager, SGV)

Electrosonic won two awards at the recent AV Awards: "Retail Project of the Year" for Grandscape, and "Venue Project of the Year" for its work on the audiovisual and technology solution at the Mobility Pavilion at Expo Dubai 2020. AV Magazine's article - Expo 2020 Dubai puts AV on the world stage - spotlight's Electrosonic's role in the Mobility Pavilion and more. (Bryan Hinckley, SGV)

GF Piping Systems details its new Pneumatic Actuator and Positioner, a Red Dot Award-winning product design that's manufactured with recyclable composite materials and new sizing options, building further strength into the company's process automation family while significantly contributing to the corporation's sustainability goal of achieving 70% of sales with social and environmental benefits. (Mike Smith, SGV)

GIDEON Informatics is now one of the most inclusive scientific technology platforms, as its comprehensive infectious disease and epidemiology network achieved AA-level compliance with WCAG 2.0 global electronic accessibility standards. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are international standards to make websites and web applications more accessible to individuals with disabilities. GIDEON offers epidemiological and clinical data for 2,000+ pathogens and 360 diseases and is updated daily.
Meanwhile, learn about GIDEON in this 2-minute video. (Uri Blackman, WLA)

LookinLA has announced a partnership with Terminus, a company which helps marketers drive exceptional experiences by connecting the first and third-party data needed to understand both customers and prospects, with the most robust suite of engagement channels, including ads, chat, email, and web, available.
Meanwhile, on a recent episode of his video program, The Leading Mindset, LookinLA CEO Ali Payani sat down with Chris Dyer, CEO of PeopleG2, to discuss strategies for developing company culture and implementing best practices of remote work. (Ali Payani & Chris Dyer, SGV)

Chris Dyer, CEO of PeopleG2, will be a featured participant in a webinar on November 18 - The Future of Work is Employee Well-Being.
And, watch the recording of a recent PeopleG2 webinar: Dispelling the Myths of Hybrid Work.
Meanwhile, Chris was interviewed in a recent Authority Magazine video and article - Preparing For The Future Of Work: The Top Five Trends To Watch.
Plus, Chris is listed #1 in Inc. magazine's recent article - These 10 Leadership Speakers Can Help Transform Your Company Culture.
And, his input is included in an Ebook, published by Inspiring Workplaces - The Great Employee Engagement Divide - Engaging Frontline Workers. (Chris Dyer, SGV)

Upcoming webinars from Parasoft include What's New in the Parasoft C/C++test 2021.2 Release, on December 2 - which will feature a live demo of some of the new features; and Lock & Load: Take Aim at Performance Issues With Load Testing, on November 18.
Also, click here to access a variety of on-demand webinars from Parasoft. (Elizabeth Kolawa, Ph.D., SGV)

On the evenings of November 17 (click here) and December 14 (click here), John Tanner, Ph.D., of Tanner Research, will present his free Nutrition Science Virtual Workshop, 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, plus give a free book to participants. (John Tanner, Ph.D., SGV)

Xsolla Web Shop has launched, with which game developers can expect up to 40% revenue growth and the resources to reach players in newer geographies previously unavailable to them, reports National Computrade News. The web shop is essentially a unique mix of select Xsolla tools and services that allow users to add virtual currencies and items to their accounts, using their preferred local currency and payment method, while offering multilingual display support. With these solutions, developers can extend the life of their mobile and PC games beyond app stores and other platforms. The launch of Xsolla Web Shop comes close on the heels of three recent industry-changing announcements: the Epic V Apple ruling allowing developers to direct users to other payment systems and bypass the 30% cut of in-app payments procured by Apple; willingness of the tech giant to allow alternative payment methods; and South Korea passing a law asking both Apple and Google to open their platforms to alternative gateways. (Shurick Agapitov, WLA)

In Five ways to make and execute a great plan, Dave elaborates on: 1. Make the plan simple to understand; 2. Put someone in charge of executing the plan; 3. Provide feedback loops at each critical stage of execution; 4. Make sure you provide the resources necessary to hit the plan; and 5. Listen to complaints, suggestions and warning signs.
And, in How big is your ocean? A lesson in TAM, SAM & SOM, Dave discusses issues regarding serviceable obtainable market (SOM); serviceable available market (SAM); and total available market (TAM).
Also, in this 5-minute video - Are you aimed toward the exit? - Dave provides "a quick course about focus, execution and wealth" for those thinking of selling their companies someday. (Dave Berkus, SGV & WLA)

Jason Ciment, CEO of Get Visible, suggests the following resources:
>> Jason participated in a recent podcast with Nermin Jasani, entitled Get Back Your Time, about how business owners, lawyers and doctors need to rediscover the idea of buying back their time.
>> Want to find people's contact information quickly? Look at this tool called Lusha (for Chrome).
>> Convert all those open tabs into list you can easily access (and thus clean up your browser) with OneTab. (Jason Ciment, WLA)

In 7 Questions to Ask Before Buying QMS Software, Intellect CEO Romeo Elias elaborates on: 1.) How Well Does this Vendor Really Understand QMS?; 2.) How Quickly Can it Deliver Value?; 3.) Is it Cloud Friendly, Mobile Friendly, and User-friendly?; 4.) How Easily Can I Tailor it to Fit My Business? 5.) Will it Help Us Achieve a Paperless Audit? 6.) Will it Help us with Analytics?; and 7.) Do their Existing Customers Rave About it?
Meanwhile, read Intellect's recent post - Document Control vs Document Management: What is the Difference? (Romeo Elias, WLA)

In Cross-Channel Marketing And Why You Do Need It, LookinLA explains how cross-channel marketing helps with brand consistency, which is increasingly important as shoppers have become more wary of advertising, especially with a new generation of buyers now dominating the market.
And, in The Right Way To Choose A Digital Marketing Budget, LookinLA stresses the need to create a flexible plan that you can tweak quarter-to-quarter if necessary, based on as much information as possible, including past successes, current trends, and seasonal changes in buyer behavior. (Ali Payani, SGV)

Recent episodes of the ConsumerFi Podcast from Nortridge Software include: >> Digitizing the Customer Payment Experience; >> The Power of Data with Flexpath's Peter Sayer; >> The Future of Fraud with IDology's Heidi Hunter and Tom Algie; >> Using A.I. in Collections Decisions with Dasceq's Abhishek Goel; and >> The Future of Remote Working with People Strategies' Terri Horn. Access all of these episodes here. (Greg Hindson, OC)

Marshall Toplansky is the featured guest in a recent episode of the Walk Talk Listen Podcast, in which he talks about historian and philosopher Yuval Noah Harari and his book, Homo Deus. Marshall also talks about his own Feudal Future Podcast, which he co-hosts with Joel Kotkin, and which recently celebrated its 50th episode. Watch The Purpose Behind The Podcast - in which Marshall and Joel share their purpose, as well as memorable moments and learning lessons along the way. Other recent episodes include The World After Covid. This podcast is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy. (Marshall Toplansky, OC)

In The Most Complete Primer on Business Model Innovation for Service Businesses You'll Ever Read, Profi suggests some strategies that professional service providers can use to differentiate themselves amid evolutionary digital and other disruptions.
And, click here to read other articles from Profi, including "3 Quick Ways to Turn Stress Around and Find Stress Support Services Online Right Now," and "How to Run Your Professional Services Business Like a Product Management Pro." (Alina Trigubenko, WLA)

In What is an Internal Training Program?, ProProfs delves into why internal training is the best option for workforce development, plus some of its advantages, so that your employees stay and perform to the best of their potential.
And, in What Are Pre-Employment Assessments and Tests?, ProProfs discusses pre-hire tests created using online assessment software.
Click here to read other recent ProProfs posts, including "How to Measure Customer Satisfaction" and more. (Sameer Bhatia, WLA)

In What is UX Strategy? And How Can it Transform the Customer Journey?, Vincit explores the four vital components of UX strategy: Business Strategy; Value Innovation; User and Competitive Research; and UX Design.
And, in What is Headless Commerce? And Why It Allows Your Business Complete Control of the Ecommerce Experience, Vincit says that this is an ecommerce solution that stores, manages, and delivers content without a front-end delivery layer (your site and user interface). The frontend is decoupled and removed, leaving only the backend management layer. With this freedom, developers can integrate into any platform through the API, providing creative and technological flexibility to experiment with new possibilities and enhance customer experience. (Rachel Valentine, OC)

WorkDone CEO Joe Rogers, along with Kirsten Campbell of The Campbell Agency, continue to host online discussions - called WorkDoneLive, which focus on aspects of the Future of Work, and are available to watch on-demand:
>> Decentralization, featuring Roberto Menendez, co-founder of @Vezt, serial entrepreneur, and Wall St. veteran.
>> Spirituality in the Future of Work, featuring Jim Van Huysse, Executive Director at the Heart Based Institute, and Derick Carter, master consultant to change agents. (Joe Rogers, WLA)

Eliott Jones, CEO of Biospectal, was interviewed at the recent Mobile World Congress 2021 - watch the 29-minute video. Eliott talks about his background, what motivated him to start Biospectal, what his company does, its milestones, its 10-year forecast, market overview, business model, as well as how to maintain good mental health while building a company, how to stay productive, maintain good work-life balance, exit or IPO?, what is a successful entrepreneur, best advice, and more. (Eliott Jones, ABL-Health SV)

Cigna Health Plan is significantly expanding access to covered virtual care services for millions of customers - an early result of the acquisition of MDLIVE by Evernorth, Cigna's health services business. The integrated services will include digital-first primary, dermatology, behavioral and urgent care. Additionally, MDLIVE physicians will join Cigna's group of collaborative care providers, giving them access to patients' health information for a more connected, coordinated experience. (Chris Dyer, ABL-Health OC)

Covisus has been recognized by Logistics Tech Outlook as a "2021 Top 10 Supply Chain Solutions Provider," and spotlighted in a feature article: Covisus: Digital Fingerprints for Foolproof Product Traceability. "Through vTag, we have created a physical, intrinsic, and immutable link between an article and its data to assure traceability, security, and authenticity," says Naresh Menon, Founder and CEO of Covisus and ChromoLogic. (Naresh Menon, Ph.D., ABL-Health LA)

Elemeno Health and LCMC Health, one of the fastest-growing health systems in Louisiana, have announced a partnership to support neonatal ICU staff with just-in-time best practices, extending care standards from Children's Hospital New Orleans, and across the health system's birthing centers at East Jefferson General Hospital, Touro, and West Jefferson Medical Center. (Arup Roy-Burman, MD, ABL-Health OAK)

King & Spalding (K&S) recently held its 14th Annual Medical Device Summit, themed "Beyond Viral: Navigating the Post-Pandemic Crossroads" - read key takeaways.
And, K&S published HHS Continues Focus on Women's Health: AHRQ Calls for Data on Telehealth for Women. (Marcia Augsburger, JD, ABL-Health SF)

LigoLab recently earned "High Performer" status from G2 in its laboratory information management system fall rankings, largely because of customer satisfaction with its software platform. The LigoLab LIS & RCM Laboratory Operating Platform stood out among the reviewers when asked if the product was going in the right direction (100% satisfaction), if the product met their requirements (94% satisfaction), if they were likely to recommend the product to others (91% satisfaction), and if the quality of the support met their expectations (90% satisfaction). (Suren Avunjian, ABL-Health LA)

MedWand Solutions will support programming at the Smithsonian's new FUTURES Exhibition located inside the Arts + Industries Building in early 2022. FUTURES will span nearly 32,000 square feet with new immersive site-specific displays, art installations, interactives, new inventors, working experiments, speculative designs, and more. It will showcase stories of future-makers who are working tirelessly towards a more equitable, peaceful and sustainable world, with a special focus on communities who may not have always had a voice in future-making. (Bob Rose, ABL-Health OC)

In How Data Helps Improve Revenue Cycle Management, Savi Group notes that since RCM processes manage the cash flow and lifeblood of healthcare organizations, it is essential to manage them properly to ensure viability and success in all areas. Savi Group then shares how can data help improve RCM outcomes for healthcare practices.
And, in The Need for Telehealth Reimbursement Post-COVID, Savi reports that a recent survey by the Primary Care Collaborative found that 41% of clinicians are concerned their practice will no longer be able to support telemedicine if pre-Covid regulations are brought back. Many clinician groups are putting pressure on the Biden administration to make telehealth reimbursement flexibilities permanent moving forward, and they're also asking for more flexibility around mental health telehealth services. Meanwhile, CMS has proposed an extension for telehealth flexibilities through 2023. (Sumit Mahendru, ABL-Health OC)

In Hospitals and health systems: Cybersecurity, ransomware and how to prepare, Wipfli provides information that can be used to teach your teams how to avoid inviting bad actors into your information systems by identifying different types of threats. Also, Wipfli has recently partnered with MuleSoft, a leader in data integration and API platform, so that Wipfli's consultants can help organizations integrate data from new and existing apps and systems more efficiently to deliver seamless digital experiences, faster. (Jeff Johnson, John Dao, & Steve Rousso, ABL-Health OAK)

The pandemic has both revealed and accelerated a number of trends that will play a substantial role in the shape of the future global economy. In McKinsey's conversations with global executives, they have identified five priorities. In summary, they are: 1. Center strategy on sustainability. 2. Transform in the cloud. 3. Cultivate your talent. 4. Press the need for speed. 5. Operate with purpose. (https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/what-matters-most-five-priorities-for-ceos-in-the-next-normal)

In a recent company-wide memo, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy nimbly explained why Amazon's leadership has taken so long to decide when employees should return to the office. He declared that decisions on who would return to the office and how often would be made by team leaders. Communications consultants who work with Fortune 500 companies said Jassy's memo was a case study in transparency and navigating uncharted territory.

Suzanne Bates, the author of "Speak Like a CEO" and a managing director and partner at the leadership consultancy BTS, called the memo a blueprint for other companies seeking to mitigate a crisis. Jassy began the memo by acknowledging the back-and-forth and empathizing with employees who are coping with paralyzing uncertainty. This is an effort to reestablish trust, Bates said. "We've never been through something like this before, and hope we never encounter it again," Jassy wrote in the 850-word memo. "When are we really going back to the office, what will that really be like, how will I allocate my time between the office and home, how will others do it?" When employees "see a question that looks like a question they've been asking, they know that the CEO is hearing the voice of the employee," Bates said. "They think, 'The CEO is attuned to what we're talking about.'" (https://www.businessinsider.com/andy-jassy-memo-return-to-office-leadership-case-study-2021-10)

Nimble organizations are great at ideas. Here's how entrepreneurial, enabling, and architecting leaders [the three leadership types] make those ideas happen. (https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/3-leadership-types-a-nimble-organization)

An alliance of unions representing 50,000 Kaiser Permanente workers in California, Oregon and six other states called off a strike notice after reaching a tentative labor deal Saturday with the health care network. The Alliance of Health Care Unions and Kaiser Permanente jointly announced the agreement, staving off a potentially crippling strike in which 32,000 employees, most of them in Southern California, threatened to walk off the job on Monday to protest understaffing and wage cuts for new hires. (https://khn.org/morning-briefing/monday-november-15-2021/)

Given the complexity of modern attacks, "there is absolutely no way that human defenders can keep up with it, so we must have artificial intelligence capabilities in the technologies and solutions we're providing," said Ann Johnson, corporate vice president of security, compliance, and identity at Microsoft. For modern organizations, AI is now vital for keeping up with the fast-moving threat landscape and offers a variety of use cases that enterprises can leverage to improve their security posture. (https://venturebeat-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/venturebeat.com/2021/10/30/security-ai-is-the-next-big-thing/amp/)

Gartner, Inc. announced its top 12 strategic technology trends for 2022 and beyond - based on a survey of nearly 2,400 global CIOs and technology executives across various industries. In summary, they are: Hyperautomation; Generative Artificial Intelligence; Data Fabric; AI Engineering; Autonomic Systems; Decision Intelligence; Composable Applications; Cloud-native Platforms; Privacy-enhancing Computation; Cybersecurity Mesh; Distributed Enterprise; and Total Experience. (https://www-forbes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.forbes.com/sites/peterhigh/2021/10/18/gartners-top-12-strategic-tech-trends-for-2022-and-beyond/amp/)

Quantum computers are expected to eventually usher in a whole new era of computing - one in which the hardware is no longer a constraint when resolving complex problems, meaning that some calculations that would take years or even centuries for classical systems to complete could be achieved in minutes. ZDNet provides eight quantum use cases that leading organizations are exploring now, which could radically change the game across entire industries. In summary, they are: 1.) Discovering new drugs. 2.) Creating better batteries. 3.) Predicting the weather. 4.) Picking stocks. 5.) Processing language. 6.) Helping to solve the traveling salesman problem. 7.) Reducing congestion. 8.) Protecting sensitive data. (https://www.zdnet.com/article/quantum-computers-eight-ways-quantum-computing-is-going-to-change-the-world/)

VR headsets are currently able to simulate realistic environments to trick your brain into thinking it's actually there. But researchers at the University of Chicago are going a step further by simulating physical sensations using chemicals applied to your skin - dubbed chemical haptics. The results are fascinating and could provide a way to make VR even more immersive. It involves triggering various stimuli on the skin using different chemicals delivered using a special system of wearable patches and pumps that can be worn anywhere on the body. (https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/chemical-haptics-make-vr-more-immersive/)

Car companies are increasingly developing vehicles as digital devices, with the ability to remotely beam new services and features to the car that could make it easier and more fun to use - while notching extra revenue. For traditional auto makers, the ability to update cars like an iPhone is in its infancy, though Tesla Inc. pioneered the practice. Ford Motor Co's Doug Field, a former Tesla and Apple Inc. executive, said, "The disruption in the auto industry, driven by software, autonomy and electrification, is going to be as big as anything that's happened in the last century." (https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-your-car-will-become-even-more-like-an-iphone-11636038092)

President Biden signed his $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill into law on Monday. It includes $65 billion to expand broadband infrastructure.(https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/infrastructure-bill-biden-signing-ceremony-white-house/)
According to Cybersecurity Dive, the legislation includes $550 billion in new spending for U.S. transportation and utility infrastructure. The White House called the bill "the largest investment in the resilience of physical and natural systems in American history." It allocates $50 billion for protection against cyberattacks and climate change. (https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/infrastructure-bill-biden-cyber-security-budget/609630/)

A U.S. District Court in California issued an order that denies Apple's motion to delay the injunction resulting from the Epic Games vs. Apple Inc. lawsuit. That injunction, which is currently set to go into effect on December 9, states that Apple must allow game developers to provide access to third-party payment options from within the App Store. Apple has indicated that they wish to appeal that injunction, and wanted to delay it altogether pending that appeal, but that motion has been denied. Apple also requested additional time to file said appeal, but that request was also denied. What is particularly striking in this order is the language used by the court to clarify the issue. While Apple wants in-app purchases to remain available only through the App Store, this court disagrees and sides with the users. "The fact remains: it should be their choice. Consumer information, transparency, and consumer choice is in the interest of the public." (https://xsolla.com/blog/for-mobile-game-developers-everything-is-set-to-change-on-december-9)

President Biden recently signed into law bipartisan legislation that will ban companies like Huawei and ZTE from getting approval for network equipment licenses in the U.S. The "Secure Equipment Act of 2021" will require the FCC to adopt new rules that clarify it will no longer review or approve any authorization applications for networking equipment that pose national security threats. (https://www.zdnet.com/article/us-president-biden-signs-law-to-ban-huawei-and-zte-from-receiving-fcc-licences/)

The U.S. agreed to support the 2018 Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace, said Vice President Kamala Harris, following talks with President Emmanuel Macron of France Wednesday. The initiative, spearheaded by France, is a means of combating threats in the cyber arena, ranging from disinformation to espionage and malign activity from nation-state and criminal threat actors. A growing number of countries and major technology firms have previously expressed support for the international effort and urged U.S. participation. The voluntary committee will work together to protect software supply chains, intellectual property and safeguard political discourse. (https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/us-paris-cybersecurity-cooperation/609905/)

207 East Memory Lane
Santa Ana, CA 92705

Phone: 714-245-2400 | Fax: (714) 245-1428
Email: [email protected]