Whether you’re new to the world of IT or a bastion of knowledge for your organization in all things tech, there are exciting technologies poised to disrupt Industry in the very near future. the top 5 technology trends in 2019 are full of Innovation and advancements. These rapidly maturing and increasingly adopted technologies are some of the most exciting concepts you may or may not have heard of. Each example is poised to change the way we approach fortifying our systems and advancing our workforces to tackle the challenges of corporate and operational growth.

Here are what we think will be the top 5 technology trends in 2019 that will likely have a significant impact on businesses:

1.) Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI)

Hyper-converged infrastructure, or simply hyper-convergence, is a software-defined IT infrastructure. Counter to traditionally constructed systems that involve several components of on-premise hardware that may not speak to each other, HCI seeks to virtualize and combine systems that have traditionally been “hardware-defined”, like storage systems, servers, and networking switches. HCI seeks to modernize organizations through the virtualization of computing, SAN, and networking components of infrastructure into one unified appliance set. That means one source for all resources. The methodology comes in a few forms, including a standalone appliance, a reference architecture, and a software-only model.

a grpahic displaying the benefits of hyper-converged infrastructure as one of the top 5 technology trends in 2019 according to encompass solutions

What Does It Mean For Businesses?

By doing away with siloed physical hardware systems, HCI seeks to establish a business’ IT infrastructure in a purely software-defined environment that eliminates traditional data-center inefficiencies and reduces the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). It is a trend that seeks to marry the agility and versatility of cloud infrastructure without requiring companies to give up their on-premise systems.

When companies no longer have a need to rely on disparate computing and storage systems, management becomes simplified and resource utilization becomes much more efficient. To that end, operations become far less complex and scalability becomes easier to achieve, making HCI one of our first picks for the top 5 technology trends in 2019.

2.) Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD WAN)

To better understand that SD WAN is, it helps to understand standard Wide Area Network (WAN). A WAN is a telecommunications or computer network that extends across a large distance and is capable of transferring data across that distance. This distance can be between regions, countries, or reach across the globe. These networks are generally created with leased telecommunications circuits.

In the case of SD WAN, what you might also refer to as Link Load Balancing, organizations can expand their Wide Area Network to scale alongside requirements, such as increased bandwidth, media streaming, video conferencing, and VOIP calls, much more affordably and with improved performance. SD WAN is designed to address and avoid the pitfalls of networking maintenance and troubleshooting, such as network congestion, packet delay variation, packet loss, and service outages.

According to Gartner, a research firm, SD WAN carries with it four main qualities:

  • The ability to support multiple connection types, such as MPLSframe relay and higher speed LTE wireless communications
  • The ability to do dynamic path selection, for load sharing and resiliency purposes
  • A simple interface that is easy to configure and manage
  • The ability to support VPNs, and third-party services such as WAN optimization controllers, firewalls and web gateways

What Does It Mean For Businesses?

Because SD WAN is a virtualized WAN, businesses reap the benefit of being able to utilize any transport protocol needed. Uptime is further ensured thanks to the utilization of multiple providers for failsafe and bandwidth allocation as necessary. This virtualization also lends the added security benefit of covering security protocols, like malware defenses and botnet intervention, for multiple branches and remote devices. Provisioning on the fly is another substantial benefit of SD WAN. You can send an un-configured device to a site and have all the required network certificates, keys, and policies applied upon installation, immediately implementing the necessary permissions, documentation of traffic patterns, and access of network users. The tech may not be as new as some of the others to make our list of top 5 technology trends in 2019, but it will no doubt become more prevalent.

3.) Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Connectivity

The Internet of Things (IoT) exists as a network of interconnected devices that communicates data to a central system that makes sense of it all.

an image of statistics on IoT devices suggesting the Internet of Things will becomes stronger as one of the top 5 technology trends in 2019 according to encompass solutions.

* Source: CSGI, Intel, Vison Critical

This network consists of all edge devices connected to the many interchanges of an enterprise. From the deli counter to eCommerce platforms, the data gleaned from this network provides invaluable insight into what is successful and what is not in terms of the products and processes that form the inner workings of a business.

an image of statistics on IIoT devices suggesting the Industrial Internet of Things will becomes stronger as one of the top 5 technology trends in 2019 according to encompass solutions.

* Source: Accenture

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) brings this interconnectivity and data-focused paradigm to the terminals, sensors, and other systems on the factory floor.

What Does It Mean For Businesses?

These data-fueled factories become “intelligent” environments, capable of informing enterprises from the top down of the efficiency and shortcomings of their factory processes and performance both in real-time and over time.  In short, the IoT and IIoT data enables manufacturers further to refine and improve operations with relevant and up to date data for smarter, faster decision making. There is no doubt continued invetment in IoT and IIoT technologies and connectivity secure this concept as top 5 technology trends in 2019.

4.) AI-Enabled Security

As more and more data flows through digital devices and connections, the need for improved security protocol and tools increases in tandem. AI-enabled security is one way enterprise security teams and individuals can protect critical data and infrastructure, even when in-house resources are relatively scarce.

an image reprenting AI-enabled security as a top 5 technology trends in 2019 according to encompass solutions

Did you know that malicious actors will typically spend 200+ days in a system before extracting critical and valuable data? Learning who the players are and who holds the keys to the most protected data takes time and malicious actors have the patience that pays off in the long run. However, AI has the potential to be infinitely more patient, resourceful, and vigilant.

What Does It Mean For Industry Businesses?

AI-enabled security makes the list as one of the top 5 technology trends in 2019 because by establishing baselines for normal behavior, traffic patterns, bandwidth allocation, permissions, and user access, system anomalies can be detected within seconds. Intelligent security systems can then act according to the parameters designed by security professionals.

5.) Augmented Reality (AR) And Virtual Reality (VR)

There are numerous applications for AR and VR. Take for instance training of new employees. If a business operates in a single location, managers can give hands-on training and face-to-face feedback with relative ease. What happens when a business operates in multiple locations and needs to onboard multiple resources in a finite amount of time. With the capabilities AR and VR present, managers can work and train remotely with staff. By using vision systems to see what they see, audio to hear what they hear and communicate clearly, and even present schematics, diagrams, and drawing in real-time, managers can to direct training programs from anywhere and at any time.

an image of applications of augmented and virtual reality as top 5 technology trends in 2019 according to encompass solutions

What Does It Mean For Industry Businesses?

Interactive walkthroughs, first-hand product demos, disaster preparedness, and a multitude of training simulations are only a handful of examples where AR and VR will be one of the top 5 technology trends in 2019 and a major game changer for businesses big and small.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions, Inc. is an ERP consulting firm, NetSuite Solution Provider and Epicor Gold Partner that offers professional services in business consulting, project management, and software implementation. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems or addressing the emerging challenges in corporate and operational growth, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. As experts in identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of Industry.


When it comes to buzzwords, few raise as many eyebrows and roll as many eyes as Artificial Intelligence (AI). However, when it comes to food and beverage manufacturing AI, the impact of such technology on industrial processes becomes harder to ignore with each passing day.

For the uninitiated, AI can be characterized by the ability of machines and computers to emulate human intelligence. That is any device that is seemingly aware of its environment and can complete actions to increase the chances of successfully achieving a goal.

An image of simulated neural networks used to convey the idea of food and beverage manufacturing ai.

While manufacturers are leveraging disruptive technologies like AI, Robotics, membrane technologies, machine vision, and automation to increase safety, output, and ROI, food and beverage manufacturers may be one of the biggest benefactors from all this technology has to offer.

Food And Beverage Manufacturing AI Benefits

When it comes to the benefits of incorporating food and beverage manufacturing AI into operations, Gartner, a noted global research and advisory firm, predicts that “By 2020, the number of users of modern business intelligence and analytics platforms that are differentiated by augmented data discovery capabilities will grow at twice the rate — and deliver twice the business value — of those that are not.”

Contending with constant change is a crux food and beverage manufacturers know all too well. This isn’t just about the prediction above and emerging technology, either. The industry is rife with fluctuation when it comes to suppliers, regulations and compliance, tax codes, and a host of other environmental factors that manufacturers need to consider.

From data analytics and executive-level predictions to process automation and batch quality, food and beverage manufacturing AI can be applied to many facets of what keeps a business running in optimal condition.

Securing Facilities And Batch Quality With Machine Vision

Recipes and processes are what give food and beverage manufacturers dependable and consistent products. A security that can keep up with today’s modern data theft tools is essential to remain protected. Facial recognition that can secure access to a production facility is just one example of how AI can further protect the intellectual property of manufacturers. The same machine vision technology that can sound an alert that unrecognized intruders are on-site can capture and interpret images to identify products with defects or bottling lines that aren’t securing caps or filling vessels to the appropriate height.

An image of filling and corking wine bottles to specification, a task food and beverage manufacturing ai can make easier.

Making Sense Of Sensor Data

IoT devices are constantly feeding data to ERP software and manufacturing execution systems (MES) assisting in process improvement, predictive maintenance, and forecasting, AI can make sense of data much faster than a human can.

Identifying abnormalities before they become blockages in the production process is invaluable and AI’s ability to read and interpret data for warning signs can set your teams to work on maintaining equipment before it fails.

Output, cost, and revenue information can also be compiled by AI to offer decision-makers a clear picture of how operations are faring relative to the global competition. For example, data points derived by the systems in place can flag important information for review, compile reports, direct field service crews, update schedules, and even modify recipe formulations on the fly depending on environmental factors. Imagine being able to adjust ingredient quantities in real time based on the quality of raw ingredients.

An image of a food processing equipment separating packaged foods, a task food and beverage manufacturing ai can make easier.

Increasing Consumer Confidence with AI And ERP

In the rapidly changing environment of food and beverage manufacturing, maintaining customer confidence is critical to retaining business. AI, Robotics, and ERP all have a hand in ensuring brand consistency and customer trust. For instance, consider regulatory compliance. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is a complex piece of legislation designed to regulate the way foods are grown, harvested, and processed. As a result, every food and beverage manufacturer has to know the components of the law to which they must adhere.

 

An image of a technician lab testing food samples, a task food and beverage manufacturing ai can make easier.

By utilizing intelligent software and refining processes to reduce recalls, lost sales, and legal expenses, businesses can remain more competitive and avoid the potentially fatal mistakes of falling outside of regulation with the products they produce. By enabling superior tracking and traceability alongside more concise testing and validation, advanced technologies can keep such incidents to a minimum, and ensure that when they do arise, they are addressed as quickly and efficiently as possible.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions, Inc. is an ERP consulting firm, NetSuite Solution Provider, and Epicor Platinum Partner that offers professional services in business consulting, project management, and software implementation. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems or addressing emerging challenges in corporate and operational growth, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. As experts in identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


Emerging  Technology

The effects of emerging technology on business are felt faster and stronger than ever before in just about every industry. Most enterprises know they need modern tech to remain competitive, but do they know which technologies are the right focus for their business? Do you?

Below is a compilation of recently released findings surrounding the emerging technology. Find out why enterprises are integrating new technology, what sectors of their business they are most interested in growing, and what you can do in-house to modernize operations and scale at the pace of the industry.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions, Inc. is an ERP consulting firm and Epicor Platinum Partner that offers professional services in business consulting, project management, and software implementation. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems or addressing emerging challenges in corporate and operational growth, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. As experts in identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


With the many concepts of Industry 5.0 already lending fantastic possibilities to manufacturing industries across the board, the disruption potential of its components in the world of beverage manufacturing is nothing short of groundbreaking. Beer, Wine, and Spirits are some of the most complex and subjective tastes being explored among discerning palates the world over. Here’s how AI and mass personalization are bringing a personal touch to these industries.

A Mass Personalization App For Your Tastebuds: Gastrograph

The beverage aisles of convenience stores, groceries, and big-box stores offer the illusion of diversity, with dozens, if not hundreds, of drinks available for purchase. However, these beverages have undergone massive amounts of testing and QA to market them to the widest audience possible. The overarching “cast the widest net” philosophy of food and beverage manufacturers has left a sour taste in the mouths of many consumers. CEO of NYC-based Analytic Flavor Systems, Jason Cohen, offered as much in an interview with The New Food Economy, “My take is that pretty much all the food and beverage products on the market today are awful,” he explains. “There are no products engineered for me.” And Cohen is right. Manufacturers have formulated snacks and drinks for decades with the right amount of salt, sugar, and fat to hit the proverbial “sweet spot” for consumers. What Cohen’s start-up aims to do is enable consumers to find the foods that fit their ideal flavor profile. How does he plan to do so? Artificial Intelligence and mass personalization.

It doesn’t stop at the taste, either. Moisture level, texture, gaminess, and a host of other characteristics fall under designations in the Analytic Flavor Systems Gastrograph app, a categorization spectrum that takes into account 24 different touchpoints with varying levels of intensity. Submenus under each characteristic allow for even further analysis. A sample Flavor Analysis of Dogfish Head’s 120-minute IPA was mapped in The New Food Economy’s article highlighting the app and larger topic of AI and mass personalization in beverage manufacturing.

AI and Mass Personalization helps Beverage Manufacturing

A flavor analysis of a craft beer, Dogfish Head’s 120-minute IPA, mapped using the Gastrograph app.

The personalized flavor profiling concept emerged during Cohen’s studies in Information Sciences and Technology. Cohen didn’t finish his graduate degree but instead opted to pursue his project with Analytic Flavor Systems and Gastrograph App. Now touted as the first artificial intelligence platform to understand human sensory perception. Some of the biggest names in the beverage are leveraging Cohen’s services. While it remains to be seen how strongly one can lean on the findings of the Gastrograph AI, the happening could signal a new era of consumer profiling practices where food and beverage makers will make this sensory profiling a compulsory part of research when developing new products.

Craft Beverage Makers Make Impact Among US Manufacturers

Among the 10 fastest growing industries in the US is the beverage manufacturing industry ranks third, which only highlights the importance of innovation in the fields of gastronomy and manufacturing. Beverage manufacturing ranks just below Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction and the highest-ranking Support Activities for Mining. The three experienced 44.9%, 17.1%, and 17.1% growth in sales, from first to third ranking. This designation for beverages included everything from breweries to water and soft drinks. Sageworks analyst Libby Bierman offered comment following the recently released report “If you think about the rise in microbreweries and taprooms, it may not be that surprising to see these manufacturers nearing the top of the list.” The report itself relies on cooperative data gleaned from financial statements from private companies, like accounting firms, banks, and credit unions.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions, Inc. is an ERP consulting firm and Epicor Gold Partner that offers professional services in business consulting, project management, and software implementation. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems or addressing emerging challenges in corporate and operational growth, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. As experts in identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


‘Daisy’, the disassembling robot, is Apple’s answer to reclaiming the valuable materials that go into the creation of nearly every Apple mobile and tablet device. Aluminum, cobalt, gold, silver, platinum, and many other valuable metals and rare earth can be extracted using this useful technology. Daisy’s efficiency is punctuated by an exceptional rate of recovery, disassembling, and collecting materials from outdated devices at the rate of 200 iPhones per hour.

Not only has the recycling robot enabled Apple to recover these valuable resources, but the machine’s creation process has yielded valuable information on recycling many of these materials in a cleaner and more efficient manner. New processes have eliminated the need to introduce contaminants and other dangerous substances into the recycling process, leading to an unsullied recycling process all around.

Daisy is not the first iteration of a mechanical recycler, though. Liam was the predecessor announced by Apple back in 2016. A very specialized robot, Liam was designed to specifically disassemble iPhones to access the recyclable materials inside. Some of the crucial components Liam sought, and Daisy seeks, out in each iPhone carcass include cobalt and lithium from the phone’s battery, gold and copper from the camera, silver and platinum from the device’s logic board, and aluminum from the enclosure.

Additional Charity With Apple’s GiveBack

Alongside the Daisy announcement, which coincided with Earth Day, Apple has announced the commitment to match customers’ turn-ins of devices with charitable contributions to the Conservation International environmental non-profit based in Virginia until April 30th. Some devices being turned in will even knab in-store gift cards and credit for those donating.

The press release detailing Daisy and Earth Day campaigns from Apple, along with all media associated with the announcement, can be found in the Apple Newsroom.

Cleaner Streams Of Recycling With Material Recovery Facilities

Daisy’s announcement is just one of the many emerging advancements taking place in the world of Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs). The recent WasteExpo 2018 in Las Vegas highlighted many of the recent advancements in the world of cleaner recycling and material recovery in electronics recycling, cleaning and sorting equipment, and municipal recycling endeavors.

Robotics and Artificial intelligence, in particular, are assuming significantly larger roles in the advancement of recycling efforts, enabling greater efficiencies in:

  • Heavy lifting
  • No deviation due to fatigue
  • Repetitive tasks
  • Continuously high levels of concentration
  • Purity rates and consistent and accurate identification of products
  • Pre-emptively tracking and managing work
  • Maximal operating time
  • Evolutive identification of products and more meaningful data
  • Reproductivity of results
  • Reduced labor and training
  • Lower operating costs

While these innovations in the field of material recovery have enabled companies like CleanRobotics, and AMP Robotics to function with greater efficiency, difficulties remain within the variety of materials flowing into the recycling stream. The resounding answer to the challenge emerges again and again with machine vision.

Material Recovery Pushes Advances In Machine Vision Systems

Coupled with robots on recycling conveyor systems, machine vision systems identify elements and materials according to several characteristics. Once identified, the robotic component will employ suction, grippers, and grabbers to remove materials from the conveyor and sort them accordingly, for either direct recycling or further disassembly, if necessary. Eagle Vision and Bulk Handling Systems are two entities addressing the need for more robust machine vision systems in MRFs.

Interconnectivity between MRF system components read as the Industrial Internet of things (IIoT), allows devices to “speak” with one another across the facility. The results can be presented as simply as “I’m getting too much plastic” to which screens can be adjusted to narrow or expand the flow of specific materials, according to Nathanaël Lortie, co-founder, and president of Eagle Vision.

With accuracy rates reaching upwards of 85 -95 percent, these robots and their associated systems far surpass the public shoddy-by-comparison 30 percent accuracy.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions, Inc. is an ERP consulting firm that offers professional services in business consulting, project management, and software implementation. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems or addressing emerging challenges in corporate and operational growth, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. As experts in identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.