Ron Savoia, Author at Stratus Innovations Group

Drive New Business Value With Microsoft Azure IoT Central

The internet of things (IoT) is quickly becoming a major driver of value for forward-thinking and innovative companies, but many businesses are struggling to keep up. In fact, according to a 2017 study by Cisco, three out of four IoT device implementations fail due to issues like technical challenges, security failures, and fundamental flaws in…

Improve Customer Service With Automated Chat and Machine Learning

Research from the global consulting company Gartner shows that by 2020, chatbots and other automated solutions will handle 85% of customer service interactions. Companies are transitioning to automated customer service for many reasons. For example, it offers faster response times, can predict customer service issues, and is increasingly cost-effective. Additionally, when coupled with artificial intelligence…

The Role of Error Functions in Machine Learning

Defining Error Functions in Machine Learning Algorithms In our last blog post on machine learning and mathematics, we defined an error function as follows: Next, we found a w that minimizes this error function, and we used that w to define our linear function that approximates our target function: g(x) = w ⋅ x It…

Why Do AI and Machine Learning Matter for My Business?

Machine learning has an enormous range of applications, and many of them already show up in our daily lives. When a dating app matches you with a potential partner, when a search engine suggests alternate search terms, or when an online shopping site recommends products based on your past purchases, machine learning is at…

Gradient Descent Methods Play a Critical Role in Machine Learning — Here’s How They Work

Introducing Gradient Descent, the Core of Most Machine Learning Algorithms In our previous blog post, we provided an in-depth primer on linear algebra concepts and explained how to build a supervised learning algorithm. As part of this discussion, we reviewed linear models where our hypothesis set was composed of linear functions of the form hw(x)…

Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) vs. Backup as a Service (BaaS)

If a disaster occurred or your system was locked by malware, could you survive without your data and applications? While some businesses can, many rely heavily on connected data systems for even the simplest of tasks. Before you select a backup or disaster recovery solution, consider your business’ unique needs. Below, we’ll cover some of…

The Basics of Blockchain and Its Business Value

Thanks to the recent popularity surge of digital cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, the term “blockchain” has gone from obscure technical jargon to one of the most bandied-about buzzwords in business and financial news. However, the concepts behind blockchain remain widely misunderstood, and most people still think its uses are limited to counting digital coins. In fact,…

IIoT Can Create New Revenue Streams for Manufacturers — Here’s How

Below, we’ll discuss some of the ways that manufacturers and other businesses are seizing new profit-driving opportunities made possible through IIoT technology, and we’ll also explain how your business can capitalize. Using Big Data to Improve Your Sales, Marketing, R&D, and More One of the most basic functions of IIoT sensors and devices is to…

The Detailed Math Behind a Supervised Learning Algorithm

Effective Machine Learning Programming Requires Advanced Mathematics, Proven Experience, Creative Problem Solving, and More. To understand the detailed mathematics behind machine learning algorithms, you need to be familiar with a few core concepts related to: Linear algebra Vectors Matrix multiplication Determining the trace, determinant, and transpose of matrices. Calculus If you’ve taken undergraduate courses covering…

Does Your Business Have an IT Disaster Recovery Plan?

During an IT disaster, Murphy’s Law rings true: Anything that can go wrong will. That’s why if you’re a small business owner whose company depends on IT systems, you should always plan for the worst. Unfortunately, too many small businesses fail to plan for worst-case scenarios, and they never recover if one comes to…