Matt Kowalczyk discusses EXIT83 and the Ecoverse on TechTalks&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://vimeo.com/708864703"></oembed></figure>

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Matt Kowalczyk interview on TechTalks 2022

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Ten AI Trends for 2024: Insights from EXIT83&nbsp;At EXIT83 Consulting, we spend all day thinking about how AI will change our world. In this post, I pulled out the special AI crystal ball to offer a forecast on the AI landscape for the upcoming year.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1. Rise of Multi-Agent Automation by Q4. With innovative tools like LangChain and AutoGen making waves, platforms such as Auto-GPT and BabyAGI are positioned to be front-runners for complex, layered AI implementations. Mastery in custom agent development is likely to become a significant differentiator for solution providers by year-end.&nbsp;2. Exponential Increase in Data Collection from Everyday Objects. As platform providers understand what can be accomplished with AI, the breadth of data harvested from everyday objects will increase. Your vacuum, refrigerator, toothbrush, even toasters – literally everything will be collecting data about the world you live in. These devices may be connected to your smart home system or simply push data directly to the cloud. Of course smart devices have been around for years, but the velocity by which the number of simple devices will become “smart” will increase substantially.&nbsp;Manufacturers of these devices will sell access to this data and provide insights about you via a subscription.&nbsp;3. Demystifying AI for the Masses. A large segment of the population remains uninformed about the true capabilities of AI. With the terms "model" and "fine-tuning" becoming ubiquitous, a broader audience will realize that AI's potential extends beyond voice-activated assistants and ChatGPT.&nbsp;4. Integration of Generative AI into Mainstream Tools. Prominent platforms like Microsoft Copilot, Adobe suite, and Apple Photos are only the beginning. The list of AI-integrated tools is set to grow.&nbsp;5. History has a way of repeating itself. AI adoption will mimic the previous internet trend lines, but more so.&nbsp;“I assign the Internet the highest level of importance…. Every product will a) be on the Internet, b) be able to deal with the fact it is being used on the Internet and c) be improved by the fact that it can take advantage of Internet services.” – Bill Gates, the infamous 1995 “Internet Memo”&nbsp;&nbsp;Now replace the word “internet” with the word “AI”, and you essentially have Satya Nadella’s quote from the most recent Microsoft earnings call - “We are rapidly infusing AI across every layer of the tech stack and for every role and business process to drive productivity gains for our customers.”&nbsp;According to a 2022 report by McKinsey &amp; Company, the adoption of AI is still in the early stages, with only 20% of companies reporting that they are using AI in some form. However, the adoption of AI is growing rapidly, with 40% of companies planning to adopt AI in the next two years.&nbsp;This compares to 1998, where it is estimated that 20% of commercial software had internet features baked into it, however it took an additional 8 years to hit that 40% number.&nbsp;6. You get a custom model. You get a custom model. Everyone gets a custom model. 2024 might be marked by the surge in custom model training to address unique enterprise challenges. As conventional software development approaches saturation, AI and data engineering will emerge as the primary investment areas.&nbsp;&nbsp;While general education around AI increases, the ability to see an AI based solution to enterprise problems will increase. Many of these problems require unique solutions, and thus 2024 will see a big rise in the training of custom models to address these problems.&nbsp;&nbsp;7. Era of Detective AI. The proficiency of Generative AI will necessitate the rise of Detective AI – models trained to discern AI-generated content. These models will detect when AI has been utilized to create new text, images, and audio. Generative AI will become so good at mimicking humans, that only trained AI models will be able to notice the subtle differences. This will begin an arms race between Generative AI and Detective AI.&nbsp;8. SaaS Companies Awakening to Data Potential. As 2023 comes to a close, it is estimated that about 25% of all Saas companies have realized how to unlock the treasure trove of insights from the years worth of data they have been collecting. This is due to an insufficient supply of engineers trained in data engineering and machine learning. This is also due to lack of general understanding of what AI can actually do beyond ChatGPT. As that supply of engineers and understanding increases, many more Saas companies will discover how to unlock the gold mine found in their data. Adoption won’t reach 100%, but it is likely to increase to at least 60%.&nbsp;9. Governments will begin to regulate AI usage. Europe continues to lead the world in tech regulation. With respect to AI, that will be no different. With the divisiveness of the US government, it’s clear that the US will be unable to drive poignant legislation that addresses the key issues of AI. I’m talking specifically about job creation (and loss), copywrite infringement, IP ownership, identification theft (and spoofing), and the myriad of social implications that have been created. Europe won’t be able to address all of these issues, but I do believe that data ownership and licensing will be addressed by the EU over the next 12 months. New regulations will provide a way for creators to sue violators like Google and OpenAI and establish ways for these same companies to legally license data from those same people.&nbsp;10. Cybersecurity malfeasance and threat mitigation will be big winners. The ever-growing arms race between Black Hat hackers and security researchers, just grew by two to three orders of magnitude. Take for example, how quickly a software engineer can use Copilot to develop a new website. Now realize that same LLM, fine-tuned with years of exploit data, can be turbocharged to develop some wild new exploit technology that normally would have taken years to develop. As security firms see the impending mushroom cloud of exploits, they will develop AI powered counter measures to combat these new technologies – thus taking the security arms race to a whole new level.&nbsp;Enterprises will have no choice but to hire security experts who are fluent in AI if they want to have any chance of maintaining security. This will increase the need for security research, and the cost to hire these experts will skyrocket.&nbsp;Honorable mention - There will be a bevy of new jobs that are entirely focused on AI innovations.&nbsp;&nbsp;<ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li>CAIO – Chief AI Officer, a C-level executive that provides strategic oversight of how AI is leveraged in an organization.&nbsp;</li><li>AI Compliance Officer – a risk management official that assures that the model or LLM used in your line of business complies with government regulations.&nbsp;</li><li>IP Forensic Analyst – a sleuth that can dig into an AI model, either LLM or custom model, to determine if any specific IP was used in the training of the model.&nbsp;</li><li>Prompt Engineer – this sort of exists today, but its numbers will increase in size. This unique engineer is someone who can orchestrate an LLM to provide answers to very complex questions. It’s requiring one part psychologist, and one part engineering degree.&nbsp;</li><li>Digital Cloner – Now that LLMs like GPT4 can create sound, video, and text, it seems very reasonable that a scrapy engineer can develop a digital representation of a person. Think of being able to interact with this digital person in real time using an Apple Vision Pro or Oculus.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>&nbsp;These are just a few of the AI trends we can expect to see in 2024. What did I get right? What is missing? What are some new AI jobs that you can think of?&nbsp;&nbsp;How will AI change your world?&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Ten AI Trends for 2024: Insights from EXIT83 

Join us on an enlightening journey into the world of Artificial Intelligence as we introduce you to our Head of AI, Oscar. In this engaging podcast episode, we delve deep into the cutting-edge innovations and advancements in AI technology.Available on 👉<a href="https://youtu.be/mJXLlo2fdGo">YouTube</a> 👈

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Unleashing AI: EP2 Meet Oscar

Don´t miss out this incredible podcast episode with Karolina Ladino and Marylin Alarcon as hosts, this space aims to share insights from tech experts on the latest tech topics and the most important industry trends. We are both part of the EXIT83 team, a Tech Consulting company that has been assisting businesses with Web and Mobile Application Development, Business Analysis, Fundraising, and Recruiting since 2007.On our first episode, we are thrilled to have a great interview with Matt Kowalczyk, the CEO and Founder of EXIT83. Matt is a seasoned technologist and serial entrepreneur with a lifelong passion for computer technology. His journey began in 1992 when he developed applications for the NeXT, and shortly after, he was recruited by Microsoft directly from Carnegie Mellon University in 1994. During his tenure at Microsoft, which spanned over 11 years, he served as an engineering/business lead.Since his time at Microsoft, Matt has embarked on various entrepreneurial ventures, founding 12 companies and working as an executive in four others. He has also provided consulting services to numerous organizations. Notably, one of his companies achieved significant success by developing the best-selling wine software for the iPhone for four consecutive years. Additionally, Matt has explored the world of venture capital as a venture partner and has engaged in special NFT projects.We are excited to delve into Matt's wealth of knowledge and experiences in the tech industry during our interview. Stay tuned for an insightful and engaging conversation on our first episode!Available on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2y8HJqOnJvUeKpm9JxqgCV?si=5451d2a259ec4912">Spotify</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@exit83co">Youtube</a>

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Podcast Engineering with Matt EP1: AI Insights

I had the great pleasure of being on the <a href="https://toekenz.com/">Toekenz</a> podcast a couple months ago. The episode just dropped, and it includes my take on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/nfts?__eep__=6&amp;__cft__[0]=AZWGQ4ohl1k9vuJz49OxxNK3IUFVYAuvoChTxfiNRfOlMELdeQ8N2pzu0IQc57OMBR_S6jJJbOrBmwhTDWlhMTxXTzwOzChUeKyEv1635q5paM-od30vQ9FA-7C14H6_QEc4XLsyheEgrvmeh_1MaxheJEAiazNqPa-xJVFy6uen2Q&amp;__tn__=*NK-R">#nfts</a> , <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/web3?__eep__=6&amp;__cft__[0]=AZWGQ4ohl1k9vuJz49OxxNK3IUFVYAuvoChTxfiNRfOlMELdeQ8N2pzu0IQc57OMBR_S6jJJbOrBmwhTDWlhMTxXTzwOzChUeKyEv1635q5paM-od30vQ9FA-7C14H6_QEc4XLsyheEgrvmeh_1MaxheJEAiazNqPa-xJVFy6uen2Q&amp;__tn__=*NK-R">#web3</a>, and a concept I refer to as the "ecoverse". Worth a listen.More on the Ecoverse in future posts. Click the image below to view the interview.<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_jUUv-hfXw&amp;embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fexit83.com%2F&amp;source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&amp;feature=emb_title&amp;ab_channel=Toekenz"></oembed></figure>

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Toekenz and the Ecoverse

It’s no secret that the tech industry is a challenging place for women.&nbsp;&nbsp; Women’s History Month take place every March and this year, researchers are reporting that the number of women in tech leadership roles is heading in the wrong direction: for example, DDI’s 2023 Global Leadership Forecast showed that <a href="https://exit83.sharepoint.com/sites/EXIT83Marketing/Shared%20Documents/Blog%20and%20Social/Mar_2023_EXIT83WomenInTech/Archive">the percentage of women in tech leadership roles has fallen to 28%--</a>and the all-time high over the past 20 years is only 33%.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Disappointing and daunting, but as women who love our careers and are actively seeking to advance ourselves and support other women trying to make it in tech, we’re full of optimism and energy for bringing more diversity and equity into our field.&nbsp;&nbsp;My name is Karo Ladino (she/her) and I’m a Project Manager at EXIT83.&nbsp; &nbsp; I’m a robotics engineer with a master’s degree in data analysis—and I was the only female graduate in my cohort. I’m also the first female engineer in my family to earn an advanced degree.&nbsp;&nbsp;Over the last decade working as a woman in tech, I’ve faced multiple difficulties that put me on the verge of wanting to give up. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by many people who supported me and mentored me through the hard times though, and thanks to them I built the skills and confidence I needed to find fulfillment and success in my career.&nbsp;&nbsp; My name is Marylin Alarcon (she/her, they/them) and I’m a Senior Full Stack Developer at EXIT83.&nbsp;&nbsp;I have an especially strong background in Microsoft technologies, and use multiple programming languages such as C#, Python, and PHP in my day-to-day work. I’m also very experienced in agile methodologies and DevOps practices, which makes me a versatile and valuable team player.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; I’m very active in a number of tech communities, and spend a lot of time with these groups here in Medellin Colombia and virtually throughout the world. It’s important to me to share what I’ve learned with others like me, so they can pursue their passion for tech and join me in collaboration and professional growth.&nbsp;&nbsp;It’s also no secret that women in tech need strong professional networks and effective mentorship to succeed.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Women in tech “<a href="https://www.cio.com/article/188908/5-tips-for-creating-an-it-culture-where-women-thrive.html">multiply through mentorship</a>” from our female leaders and peers, and the two of us are no exception. Earlier in our careers, we found <a href="https://pyladies.com/">PyLadies:</a> international mentorship group for women in the Python open-source community. In this group, we found a place where women are truly helping each other achieve their dreams in tech without fear of blockages, setbacks, and difficulties. It’s a safe space for us all to find mentorship, grow, and learn together.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Now, we’re helping to lead <a href="https://www.python.org.co/usuarios/pyladies-colombia/">PyLadies Colombia</a> and bringing EXIT83 in on the fun.&nbsp;&nbsp;Our PyLadies Colombia live event is full! Join us remotely through the live stream.To help commemorate Women’s History Month, EXIT83 is sponsoring a <a href="https://bit.ly/rcdmpc23">live PyLadies event in major cities across Colombia at 2:00PM COT/GMT-5 on Saturday March 25, 2023.</a> More than 100 tech professionals who identify as women have registered for the live event, which will be held simultaneously at venues in Cali, Medellin, and Bogota with guest speakers, refreshments, professional headshot photographers, and plenty of opportunities to network. It’s not too late to join us remotely&nbsp;through&nbsp;our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6zB7RKuw0E&amp;ab_channel=PythonColombia">live-stream broadcast</a> – we’re making it available to everyone, so mark your calendar!&nbsp;&nbsp;Stay tuned: our advocacy and support for women in tech will continue&nbsp;We’re part of a company that strives to give its people the confidence to think differently about the problems we face, and make contributions to their solution. We hold diversity as a core value, and while the nature of our industry often makes for an uphill battle we aim to foster a culture of inclusivity that extends a warm and respectful welcome to all.&nbsp;&nbsp;Be on the lookout for more on how EXIT83 is working to grow diversity, inclusivity, and equity within our own ranks as well as those of our professional communities in the US, South and Central America, and beyond.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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The women of EXIT83 are leaders and mentors in their field. See how.

For growing companies, staying ahead of the competition—and securing the next round of funding—requires not just innovation, but also strategic leadership that can navigate the complexities of the tech world.&nbsp;&nbsp;To that end, it’s just as important to have a seasoned veteran who can tell you what not to focus on, as well as what to do, to make the most efficient use of limited resources.&nbsp;This is where Fractional Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) emerge as game-changers. Here are four valuable ways that Fractional CTOs can transform the tech and business outcomes of growing companies without the need for a full-time commitment.&nbsp;&nbsp;1. A wealth of experience without a long hiring process&nbsp;Whether it's formulating a technology roadmap, optimizing processes, or crafting an innovation strategy, Fractional CTOs have valuable experience in guiding organizations. These experts have honed their skills across diverse roles and industries and can draw on their experience to provide insights that align with your unique business needs. Finding someone with such a breadth of knowledge is challenging and often requires a lengthy (and expensive) hiring process. But Fractional CTOs provide a way to tap into this expertise while getting off and running, fast.&nbsp;2. Guides and mentors in unleashing growth&nbsp;Fractional CTOs take a hands-on approach to understand your business intricacies, tailor strategies that seamlessly align with your growth objectives, and bridge the gap between vision and execution. This guidance is vital—as is the mentorship they provide to colleagues to help them mature into capable leaders who can steer your company as it grows and evolves.&nbsp;&nbsp;3. Targeted and flexible strategic leadership&nbsp;Today's business landscape demands agility and adaptability, and Fractional CTOs can help your company respond rapidly to market shifts. However, adapting tech initiatives and broader business goals to market shifts may not be a full-time need at your business—it may be 5 to 20 hours a week. That’s where a Fractional CTO can be a valuable (and cost-effective) asset.&nbsp;4. Impressive returns&nbsp;While the expertise Fractional CTOs offer is invaluable, the financial commitment remains flexible. You’re tapping into a reservoir of strategic wisdom without the financial burden of a full-time executive. This efficiency translates to direct gains—faster innovation cycles, optimized tech investments, and greater tech-driven business outcomes—and getting the same value as a full-time CTO in a fraction of the time.&nbsp;“As entrepreneurs, we know how hard it can be to find good leaders. That’s why we’re excited to tap into our network to help companies on the brink of growth get to the next level.”&nbsp;&nbsp;- <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattk/">Matt Kowalczyk</a>, CEO, EXIT83&nbsp;After discovering this significant issue that many companies face, we went the extra mile and found an effective solution. Our approach involves acting as a bridge between companies and top-tier Fractional CTOs who possess unparalleled expertise. However, our commitment extends beyond that. When you partner with us, you not only gain access to accomplished CTOs but also strengthen your team with additional hands that can help develop multifunctional tech products and secure everything you need to align with your new strategy.&nbsp;Ready to elevate your tech strategy?&nbsp;Contact us today to explore how Fractional CTOs can reshape your tech landscape and drive your business's growth into the future.&nbsp;Schedule a <a href="https://partnerwith.exit83.com/contact/">consultation</a>

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4 ways a Fractional CTO can elevate your growth strategy

Since 2005, Seattle-based Optimum Energy has been helping hospitals, office buildings, and other large commercial spaces worldwide to optimize HVAC systems with intelligent software solutions that reduce energy and water usage, save money, and achieve sustainability goals.Chillers, fans, and other system equipment in a commercial HVAC system are connected to IoT sensors that give real-time updates on metrics like temperature, gallons per minute, and kilowatt hours, to inform recommendations for optimal HVAC settings. &nbsp;The company was using costly and overly complex software for HVAC system designs. New designs were always created from scratch and could take weeks to develop. Optimum Energy knew they wanted a better design experience but they needed both strategic and technical support to determine the best approach, create a plan, and make it real. This is where EXIT83 came in. The EXIT83 team collaborated with Optimum Energy from end-to-end, starting with a deep dive on business processes, pain points, and needs and working all the way through tool design, development, and deployment. Optimum Energy is thrilled with the results and is already seeing the benefits of a tool that was created to work the way they want to: designs are created faster and with greater consistency, and the company no longer needs to pay for software that never perfectly matched their need.Want to learn more? &nbsp;

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EXIT83 helps Optimum Energy save time and money with a custom tool for intelligent HVAC system design

VETTX helps car dealers easily find and purchase used vehicles from private sellers. Their software platform was expensive to maintain and the user experience wasn’t keeping up with customer expectations so they called on EXIT83 for help.&nbsp;&nbsp;Together they implemented an agile approach to development, migrated the company’s databases to Azure, and revamped the entire platform experience. EXIT83 helped them to make their software more robust and compliant with modern standards for privacy and security, while remediating a patchwork of legacy database software. “The software evolved more in four months working with EXIT83 than it had in the four years prior,” said CEO Nicholas Patterson.&nbsp;With agile development processes, a secure and reliable back end, and a host of new features, the company can bring improvements and new features to market faster than ever. They are poised to scale and already driving record-breaking growth: VETTX saw its highest monthly sales ever in February 2023—a historically quiet (and short) month. For CEO Nicholas Patterson and team, this is just the beginning.&nbsp;<a href="https://exit83.com/assets/Uploads/VETTX_case_study.pdf">Read the full story</a> to learn more.&nbsp; &nbsp;

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EXIT83 helps VETTX achieve immediate cost savings and record-setting sales with a modernized solution

Friends, we've all seen the devastation happening in Ukraine. Every image I see creates emotions of sadness, anger, and anxiety. I feel a desire to help these refugees who want nothing other than to live in a free democratic society. I have struggled to find an appropriate way to provide assistance.I recently learned of some Seattle friends who moved to Warsaw a few years ago, who are struggling with the same emotions. However, being so close to the devastation, they took it upon themselves to act in the most selfless way possible.Jules Jones and Sam Akina have opened up their home in Warsaw to a rotating door of Ukrainian refugee families. On top of that, they have been buying supplies such as diapers, food, first aid kits, radios, and water to help families stuck in Ukraine. With local assistance, they've been able to hire drivers to ferry these supplies to people who need it most.The BBC interviewed Jules for her effort.<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://vimeo.com/764164904"></oembed></figure>I have been touched by their amazing act of generosity and have personally donated my own funds towards the effort. Recently, I asked a few of you online to donate as well, and I'm happy to say we've been able to raise a couple thousand dollars.Our efforts have had a DIRECT impact for these families. Latest supply run even included a medical supplies to help veterinarians.Today, I am making a pledge to step up my assistance. 5% of all net profits in March and April from EXIT83 will be donated to their effort. Their selfless courage embodies the same values all of us embody in the EXIT83 family. My team was enthusiastically in support of this action. If any of you know me or my history, you know that giving is a big part of what defines me. I'm humbled that my team shares that same ethos. 100% of the money we donate is going to supplies and drivers.Our money is having a DIRECT effect on the lives of people. If you are a client of EXIT83, note that every time you ask us to assist you on an engagement, that a piece of your money is also helping families in need.Concurrently, I've been reaching out to various tech CEO's to see if they can provide assistance through services, equipment, and funding. So far the response has been outstanding. If you are a fellow CEO, I challenge you to spend a few moments and see how your company can help. Even if its not with this specific effort, I encourage you to find a way that is impactful and direct. If you are a tech CEO and you want to learn how to help, reach out to me at <a href="mailto:helping-ukraine@exit83.com">helping-ukraine@exit83.com</a>. If you are able to donate money towards the effort, you can PayPal Jules at julesdjones@gmail.com or Venmo Sam at @Sam-Akina or lastly, they will also take donations in crypto to this wallet 0x3ac459C3B3971e00df557604E25f2Fd76583f306Thanks for reading. With your help, we can make an impact on families in need.-Matt

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EXIT83 to help Ukraine refugees

As entrepreneurs, we understand how critical it is for small and medium sized businesses on the brink of major growth to have strong tech leadership in place—but a full-time executive may be too much. The hiring process is long and because most leadership roles are in a hidden market, good talent can be hard to find (not to mention afford). 

For this and many other reasons, investors and businesses alike are turning to fractional executives to
•	Navigate complex technology challenges
•	Build scalable products that generate value
•	Get ready for the next funding round—and add some brand power to their team

EXIT83 has launched a Fractional CTO/VP of Engineering program so that growing companies can tap into our network of seasoned executives as a quick and cost-effective way to bring on talented tech leaders for shorter-term engagements. 

INSERT EXAMPLE PLACEMENT AND/OR QUOTE FROM AN EXIT83 FRACTIONAL LEADER

Want to learn more? Reach out to our team if you’re interested in exploring a Fractional CTO/VP of Engineering placement for your business.


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EXIT83 launches its Fractional CTO/VP of Engineering service

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How to innovate during a pandemic

A predictive maintenance company developed an AI-driven IoT device and platform solution to address the high maintenance costs of mechanical systems in large buildings. After a successful pilot, the company sought to scale across North America, but their home-grown platform running on-premises was not secure or reliable enough for the task. EXIT83 was engaged to advise the company and work with them to create strategic improvements that would enable greater scale, efficiency, and reliability.&nbsp;The resulting improvements provided a solid foundation of IoT infrastructure and improved user experiences. They can now optimize settings that help devices run more efficiently, helping customers save money and reduce carbon emissions. Additionally, the devices have the capability for future integration with smart building technologies.&nbsp;

Migration to Azure IoT and strategic software improvements prepare an AI-driven predictive maintenance solution for scaling