Articles by Jack M. Germain

The Linux server operating system, used globally to power the internet, along with cloud storage, back-end business operations, embedded systems, and high-performance supercomputers, has a tarnished reputation for security and enterprise patch management. Those two Linux security elements represent a significant vulnerability The widespread belief ...

A frustrated customer on hold, an agent juggling dozens of cases, a conversation that could go wrong in seconds. AI is stepping in to turn those tense moments into seamless, personalized interactions that leave customers feeling valued Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer just about automation — it now transforms customer experience (CX) wit...

One of the biggest challenges facing business-to-business (B2B) companies is how to keep up with rapidly advancing technology Whether it is integrating artificial intelligence (AI), offering personalized customer experiences, adding SKUs, or expanding into new markets, making progress means dealing with tech stacks not built for rapid scaling or fl...

A new prospecting tool from Pipedrive, called Pulse, launched on July 15, streamlines SMB sales workflows while prioritizing the most promising deals Launched on the heels of Pipedrive’s AI‑driven CRM platform, the innovative prospecting toolkit enhances customer feedback to reduce time spent manually sifting through prospects....

The annual assertion by open-source developers that the year of the Linux desktop is here may finally be more than a mere catchphrase According to the web traffic analysis website StatCounter, Linux desktop usage in the U.S. reached 5.03% of the operating system market, with worldwide usage at about 4.1% as of June 2025....

Many companies are investing heavily in flashy customer experience (CX) technology, yet customers still aren’t seeing the meaningful improvements they expect Why? Businesses are falling into the over/under-investment trap. They overinvest in shiny tech, such as chatbots and advanced analytics. But they under-invest in the people and processes tha...

As businesses grapple with economic instability and labor shortages, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming central to modern operations. A new frontier — agentic AI — expands what’s possible by automating complex tasks across systems and channels AI-powered platform Landbase recently launched an innovative upgrade for go-to-market (GTM) us...

Recent developments — including hardened Linux distributions, live patching for government-grade systems, container image hardening, and hypervisor-level isolation — reflect a broader industry push to meet rising compliance demands without sacrificing uptime Specialized live patching services for government-grade Linux distributions, combined w...

Artificial intelligence (AI) adds significant value across various use cases, including retail, banking, and e-commerce platforms. However, several studies indicate that, despite the potential for substantial returns, many businesses are hesitant to invest in AI A McKinsey study released in December 2023 found that generative AI (GenAI) could add t...

Conversational AI is playing a larger role in e-commerce, but many digital shopping assistants still fall short, plagued by clunky pop-ups, generic responses, and rigid keyword-based searches that often miss the mark Nearly half (48%) of AI chat tools fail to resolve customer issues or accurately understand their intent, according to recent researc...

In a digital-first world where milliseconds can make or break a sale, sluggish web performance remains a costly bottleneck for e-commerce brands. That’s the challenge Harper aims to solve with version 4.5, which delivers new capabilities for high-performance, data-intensive applications at scale First launched in 2017 as a distributed systems pla...

What do you do when your outdated digital sales platform is costing you lost sales? Don't assume replacing outdated tools is your only option Pinnacle Textile customers were forced to use phone-only transactions due to the company’s outdated online shopping experience, which had to support more than 15,000 SKUs. Management turned to e-commerce ve...

In social commerce, attention is currency, and deals are the magnet that attracts and keeps customers With shoppers ready to bounce after a couple of bad customer experiences (CX), the brands winning loyalty today are the ones that move fast, show up with value, and speak authentically on the platforms where consumers spend their time and money....

Crescendo is throwing out the old customer service playbook. By combining human expertise with its expanded agentic AI platform, the company is turning customer experience (CX) from a cost center into a competitive edge, delivering faster, more accurate service and strategic insights that drive business improvement Its integrated platform aims to c...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how insurance coverage is offered, purchased, and understood by translating policies into plain language and helping customers better understand their options AI has supported back-office operations in the insurance industry for years, providing fraud alerts, streamlining claims processing, and analyzing...

Unapproved use of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools is creating a growing cybersecurity blind spot for businesses. As employees adopt these technologies without proper oversight, they may inadvertently expose sensitive data — yet many managers still underestimate the risk and delay implementing third-party defenses This type of unsanctioned t...

The evolution of agentic AI is shifting customer experience (CX) across industries by enabling autonomous decision-making, real-time adaptability, and goal-driven intelligence Unlike traditional AI, which reacts to inputs, agentic AI takes the initiative to anticipate customer needs, personalize interactions, and optimize business processes at an u...

A unified digital B2B commerce platform powered by GenAI can personalize e-commerce experiences and boost sales of complex, configurable products Aleran Software helps manufacturers and distributors digitally transform their B2B operations through customer-centric buying experiences that support purchasing anytime, anywhere. By eliminating siloed c...

Businesses drowning in customer and employee feedback can now get straight answers -- fast The latest CRM solution from Netigate, powered by its new generative AI feature Ask AI, lets you ask plain-language questions and instantly surface insights from massive volumes of survey responses, reviews, and support data....

In February, The Linux Foundation’s Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) initiated the Open Source Project Security Baseline (OSPS Baseline) to establish minimum security requirements for open-source software. However, not everyone is supporting it According to Christopher Robinson, chief security architect at OpenSSF, the baseline initiativ...