Kaushik Pal
Contributor
Kaushik is a technical architect and software consultant, having over 20 years of experience in software analysis, development, architecture, design, testing and training industry. He has an interest in new technology and innovation areas. He focuses on web architecture, web technologies, Java/J2EE, open source, WebRTC, big data and semantic technologies. He has demonstrated his expertise in requirement analysis, architecture design & implementation, technical use case preparation, and software development. His experience has spanned different domains like insurance, banking, airlines, shipping, document management and product development, etc. He has worked with a wide variety of technologies starting from mainframe (IBM S/390), mid-range (AS/400), web technologies, open source and big data areas. Kaushik is mainly involved in Java/J2EE/open source/web/WebRTC/Hadoop and big data technologies.
Kaushik is also the founder of TechAlpine, a technology blog/consultancy firm based in Kolkata. The team at TechAlpine works for different clients in India and abroad. The team has expertise in Java/J2EE/open source/web/WebRTC/Hadoop/big data technologies and technical writing.
Encryption is one of the primary methods of securing data. Here we discuss some best practices for encryption key management
APIs have long been closed to outside developers, but now the concept of open APIs is taking the industry by storm, offering easier access and more compatibility.
There's a lot to consider when implementing SaaS, and these steps can help guide you through the process.
Silos can isolate departments within an organization and hinder progress. An integrated data analytics platform can enhance communication, collaboration and cooperation,...
Properly deployed virtualization techniques can provide security to software, hardware, storage and the network environment. But virtualization is only one of many tools...
R and Python are both commonly used in data science, but is one superior to the other? Here we examine the two and their traits.
Machines have long been used in manual labor, but are they capable of more creative tasks? Here we take a look at how artificial intelligence (AI) is being used in art.
After years of hype and speculation about 5G, we're finally getting to see it in action. Here's what we know about it so far, and what you can expect.
DevOps and site reliability engineering (SRE) are sometimes a bit difficult to differentiate. DevOps combines development and operation to make them frictionless. And...
The internet of things (IoT) is connecting more and more devices every day. While this may mean enhanced convenience for consumers, it also means increased attack...
We've come a long way from the days of broadcast TV. Now we can watch what we want when we want, and artificial intelligence can help us pick out what to watch next!
Machine learning and artificial intelligence are allowing for greater customization of lesson plans and greater influence of students on how lessons are taught. What's...
The aviation industry is starting to use AI in applications such as check-in and customer service. What other uses are in the pipeline?
Autonomous cars aren't commonplace yet, but many advancements are taking place in the field of self-driving cars. Here are five of the biggest recent advancements that...
Could your organization be hacked? Why not hire a hacker to find out? Many are turning to ethical (white hat) hackers to test system security and find flaws before...
Data is being generated at an unprecedented pace, and now the human resources department is tapping into data to help improve hiring processes, employee placement and...
A supply chain keeps its business running, and inaccurate predictions of supply chain demands can be disastrous. However, now machine learning is helping to make supply...
Despite growing up with unprecedented access to technology, millennials are falling victim to cybercrime more than any other generational group.
Despite good intentions, ethical hackers are are sometimes prosecuted for their discoveries. Do they need broader legal protection?
Cloud use has been steadily growing in recent years, and now cloud infrastructure is taking hold. Will it replace traditional IT infrastructure, or work alongside it?
Email has changed a lot over the years, and so have the programming languages behind it. Here we take a look at which languages are used for email, and why.
Online file sharing has revolutionized the way we share files with one another and collaborate on projects. Here we take a look at some of the languages behind the...
Artificial intelligence is constantly pushing the boundaries of what it's capable of, but can it be creative? Some argue that it can only output variations of the data...
The concept of DevOps has been around for a while now, but it's still being defined and refined - it can have different meanings to different companies. Here we take a...
These days, a good Wi-Fi network can make or break a business. That's why preventing Wi-Fi interference is crucial. Here we take a look at the effects of Wi-Fi...
The internet of things (IoT) is growing, and so is the data it produces. Deep packet inspection (DPI) is a method of examining that data in order to prevent anything...
Passive biometrics is the use of biometric identity verification without the need for any user input. This can greatly improve security by making it even more difficult...
You've probably heard the term 'fintech,' but what's it all about, and how does it affect you and your business? Here we examine this emerging field.
Real-time big data analytics is a great way to get up-to-date data and statistics. But while it has plenty of benefits, it does have some disadvantages that must also be...
Serverless computing? Don't be fooled - you're still using a server, it's just that the server happens to be in the cloud.
Most people associate blockchain with bitcoin. Although that's where blockchain got it's start, this automated ledger system is being used for a wide range of other...
Maintaining an organization's IT infrastructure is a big job, and the people entrusted to manage it need more than just basic IT skills. Here are the most important...
Green computing is great for business and for the environment. Here are some ways to help go green at your organization or home.
Consolidating data centers can save an organization time, money and effort. Here we examine some of the details of consolidation.
Public cloud and private on-premise cloud each have their own sets of pros and cons. When it comes to enterprise use, an organization must carefully examine their needs...
Although costlier to implement, three-tier software architecture has many distinct advantages over two-tier architecture.
In the world of virtualization, there are many options, but compute virtualization is proving to be an excellent fit for many enterprises.
Passwords can be stolen, and multi-factor authentication can be cumbersome, so what's a good security option? Big-data-based authentication uses continuously collected...
Data scientists have traditionally been called upon to interpret big data, but with advances in machine learning, will the role of data scientist begin to disappear?
Learn about machine learning, what it means for business and how it's different from traditional methods of computer programming.
Just like a human brain, cognitive computing can take input of any form, process it and provide meaningful results. However, this branch of artificial technology still...
Software development has been given a boost by DevOps - development and operations teams working together. This increased teamwork allows for faster, more efficient...
Brand value is essential for a business to maintain, and big data is proving to be a powerful tool for helping companies increase their brand value.
Satisfied customers are the key to a successful business, but what is the key to satisfied customers? Big data and analytics are helping put data to work to improve...
In order for big data to be useful, the proper tools must be in place to handle it. The cloud is increasingly the tool of choice for big data, and it is becoming a more...
Natural language processing (NLP) allows a system to analyze social media posts, emails and a host of other data not in standardized formats. This can greatly improve...
Using containers is helping to eliminate compatibility issues, allowing developers to focus on more important matters.
Cloud analytics are making analytics services more accessible by allowing anyone with a browser to access inexpensive, efficient and powerful analytics tools.
The role of chief data officer is often misunderstood, but its growing importance is making it a more prominent position, with many companies now hiring CDOs.
Graph databases consist of a series of entities and relationships, which can make for some innovative insights that one wouldn't find with a traditional database.
The internet of everything takes the connectivity and communication of the internet of things a step further, making it a very powerful tool.
Crowdfunding is the latest method for finding investors for projects, and now big data and analytics are giving a boost to crowdfunding by bringing valuable data to...
You've heard of the Internet of Things, but what about Analytics of Things? Without Analytics of Things providing real-time analysis for the Internet of Things, much of...
Virtualization engineers have to be very knowledgeable and keep up with the ever-changing technology. Here we discuss some of the most important terms in the field of...
Big data analytics is making an impact in nearly all fields of business, and call centers are no exception. Analytics are helping call centers to better understand...
Big data can be invaluable to organizations, but it's useless unless it can be properly analyzed. Self-service analytics allows regular users to process data rather than...
When it comes to processing big data, Apache Flink has the ability to process static as well as streaming data, making it a useful application.
Data from the Internet of Things often needs to be interpreted as it is being collected. This can be accomplished with the help of real-time analytics.
With today's non-stop flow of data, real-time analytics can be the key to making the best use of data. Many businesses are utilizing it to improve efficiency, customer...
Big data is one of the biggest trends in tech today, but can you separate the fact from the fiction? Here we discuss some of the biggest myths surrounding big data.
The insurance industry has started using big data as a powerful tool to help give more accurate quotes, offer more personalized products and reduce fraud.
Data scientists have long been required for properly interpreting big data, but now citizen data scientists - with a background in business and some training in data...
Hadoop has long been the de facto standard for handling big data, but Spark is starting to gain popularity due to its increased efficiency.
Big data is making a big impact in nearly every field these days, and education is no different. This data is helping teachers, administrators and students in their...
Open-source DBMSs are cost-effective and are expanding in terms of capabilities, making them better options for business.
Relational database management systems still have their place in the world of data, but they are beginning to be overshadowed by NoSQL database management systems.
Although RDBMS has been around longer, NoSQL is gaining ground, and it has many advantages that make it an excellent solution for databases.
Bitcoin hasn't been in the headlines lately, but it's still around, and still growing. Learn about some of its developments and where it's going.
In order to really understand big data, you need to understand a bit about Hadoop. Here we'll take a look at the top terms you'll hear in regards to Hadoop - and what...
Big data is streaming into businesses at unprecedented rates, and properly harnessing that data can lead businesses in exciting new directions. Hadoop is just the tool...
Self-service and automation are making big data analytics available to all users, rather than only IT professionals, and empowering business professionals to make better...
Technology is changing the way business is done, and in order to keep up, organizations must adapt. Digital transformation is a process organizations must enact in order...
Big data is being utilized in nearly every sector, but one in which it is particularly useful is the pharmaceutical industry. It is helping formulate new medications and...
With BYOD on the rise, businesses must find ways to control the data and security on devices that they may have little control over. Mobile application management...
Predictive analytics guide business decisions, but without context, the data isn't nearly as informative as it could be. Adding context to big data adds depth to its...
There are many options and features to consider when dealing with virtualization. Here are some important ones that you shouldn't miss.
HDFS and HBase are commonly used to manage storage with Hadoop, but now Kudu is working alongside them with better results.
Most people associate Hadoop with processing big data, but operational Hadoop opens up numerous other possibilities for enterprise use.
Genome sequencing promises almost limitless possibilities in the field of health research, but it's useless if you can't properly collect, store and analyze the data...
Many businesses are going the route of virtualization, but it isn't always the best move. Consider all the factors involved before moving forward with a virtualization...
Mobile computing is becoming increasingly important for business, and these top trends in mobile computing are trying to make the most out of this.
You may be familiar with Software as a Service, but now another type of service, Insights as a Service, is helping businesses to plot their future courses.
The amount of data needed and used by businesses is skyrocketing. Data virtualization may be the best way to handle all this data.
When it comes to mobile computing, Android and iOS (and maybe BlackBerry) are the major players, right? Well, Android encompasses more than a single, standardized...
Agile software development is a flexible, responsive method that is quickly gaining popularity due to its advantages over the traditional waterfall model.
Predictive analytics is being put to use by health care providers, and both the patients and the providers are benefiting from it. Patients are getting better care,...
SQL and Hadoop are both powerful tools in their own rights, and together, in SQL on Hadoop, their ability to handle big data analysis is even more impressive.
The cloud has played a huge role in business computing in recent years, but now industry cloud has the potential to revolutionize this with its industry-specific...
Cloud sprawl -- the unauthorized use of cloud services in an organization -- can be particularly problematic for an IT department. Here are some ways to handle it in...
With an influx of mobile devices in the workplace, mobile security is more important than ever. Make sure that your devices are secure with these security solutions.
3-D printing is much more than just a neat novelty. It is now allowing businesses of all sizes to increase their productivity and manufacturing abilities.
Graph databases rely on relationships and nodes to organize and process data, giving them an edge over traditional databases.
When Application portfolio management is used alongside Software as a Service and analytics, businesses can greatly improve the efficiency of their applications.
Is your IT business performing at it's peak efficiency? Big data analytics can you achieve this.
Real-time communication is a growing field, but WebRTC has just advanced it by leaps and bounds. See what it has to offer.
Enterprise cloud has been growing by leaps and bounds in recent years, but can this trend continue? We look at factors affecting the growth of enterprise cloud.
Data theft is an ever-growing problem, but the combination of big data and Hadoop promises to help identify it before it can do any harm.
The Open Data Platform has the potential to change the way that big data is processed, but many do not understand it or how it can work with Hadoop.
Smart cities can monitor, control and automate many essential functions. Now with the addition of big data, even more possibilities are being revealed.
Dark data may sound like something sinister, but it's really just big data that hasn't been analyzed. See the reasons why dark data isn't analyzed, and why it should be.
Fraud is the leading cause of financial loss in the banking industry. However, the combination of Hadoop with machine learning has the potential to combat fraud with...
An integrated analytics platform can provide invaluable information, but only if it is receiving quality data. Here we examine ways to properly collect and use quality...
The Internet of Things is great at collecting data, but then what? An integrated analytics platform can take that unstructured data and process it so that you can gain...
Recommendation systems can help people find what they're looking for - even if they didn't realize they were looking for it! By analyzing data, these systems can predict...
The Internet of Things is having a huge effect on business, but the specifics can differ depending on the industry. Here we take a look at some of its effects on...
Personal fitness devices are becoming a more common way for people to keep track of their health statistics, but the data has even more potential than many may realize.
Just how difficult is it for a business to adopt Hadoop for big data analysis? Some businesses consider it too difficult and expensive, but the data it provides can be...
The Internet of Things is taking the world by storm, but how do we handle all the data it generates? It needs a new, different approach than traditional data analysis.
Zeta Architecture combines enterprise architecture with solutions architecture, allowing businesses to save time and better utilize resources.
Rapid application development is key to efficiency. Apache Spark is helping developers test their ideas even more quickly and easily than ever before.
Every organization should have a thorough IT plan in place, but many do not. Get started on your IT planning with these tips.
Analysis of big data can make or break a business. That used to mean hiring specialists, but now that analysis can be done by anyone with Apache Drill.
Apache Hadoop is the best-known and most widely used tool for big data analytics. How does its open-source status affect it?
Greater volumes of big data are being stored in the cloud every day, but how safe is that data? We examine threats and methods of countering them.
The Internet of Things is generating data at an ever-increasing pace, but are there rules and guidelines as to how that data can be used? In many cases, rules are...
Big data is a big deal - for both businesses and hackers. Even though big data can be a lucrative target for cybercriminals, there are methods of defending your data.
While Hadoop has been invaluable for handling big data, its first implementation does have some limitations. However, YARN tackles these limitations and provides more...
Organizations are trying to harness the benefits of IoT in different ways. Learn more here.
Big data can be an invaluable resource for businesses, but many don't consider the challenges that are involved in implementing and analyzing it.
Big data is revolutionizing analytics, and can be of enormous value to businesses - but only if it's managed and analyzed successfully. We cover a few key mistakes to...
Big data is changing the way data is collected and analyzed. Here are some trends in big data to keep an eye on in coming years.
While some may think of "big data" as simply collecting lots of data, in reality it's much more complicated than that. There are many challenges that a data scientist...
Hadoop is a great way to get the most out of big data, but there are numerous other tools that can work with Hadoop to provide even more useful results. Here we explore...
With big data being generated at increasingly rapid rates, it can be more than some data centers can handle. There are several factors that must be considered for a data...
Virtualization and SaaS are both very powerful tools, but they're most powerful when they're used together.
Virtualization technologies are not only used in hardware or server consolidation. Virtualization also provides valuable tools for software development and testing.
Big data is a new and emerging domain for most companies. Here are some tips on what to do and what not to do when getting started with big data.
Virtualization is a generic term which covers different types of computing, including hardware virtualization, software virtualization, desktop virtualization and others...
Big data can be applied in nearly any field. Here we examine how big data can be used in social work - and what implications that has for other fields of study.
An assembly language, also known as an assembler language, is a low-level programming language. Assembly language has a very strong...
Application performance monitoring (APM) is the monitoring and management of the performance and availability of software applications. The...
Active Directory is widely used across various applications to store and secure user information. Therefore, it is very important to...
