Blue Technologies Blog

Every year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration receives over 100,000 reports related to errors in medication that have occurred throughout hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and more. While some of these are related to improper prescribing, others are due to administrative errors and errors inherent in filling out or transferring paper-based documentation. It is estimated that up to 9,000 Americans die each year as a result of these errors. Importantly, medication errors can also affect pets, with many dying or sustaining injuries due to such errors.

The focus on a potential widespread recession has intensified over the first part of 2023 and the construction industry, among others, is preparing for the impact of a severe economic downturn. While current project backlogs appear stable, contractors are preparing for a potential dearth of business by keeping costs to a minimum. Among the methodologies being used to keep construction costs in line are:

As the marketing and advertising industry begins to shift their budgets in response to a looming recession, more C-Suite and middle management personnel are looking for new ways to serve clients better while boosting their own agency’s bottom lines. 

The automotive industry faced several challenges in 2022, including escalating interest rates, fears about a looming recession, and continuing supply chain disruptions. While auto sales are predicted to rebound somewhat in the coming year, auto dealerships will have to manage operations more efficiently in order to capture consumer trust and stand out from the competition. In particular, having the right inventory and providing incentives to buy will be critical. But so will customer service. And shortening the sales process helps to provide value and service while allowing your dealership to build a higher level of efficiency into business processes. 

Hackers are continuing to find new ways to gain access to the sensitive data handled by legal firms, making a data breach more a question of “when” rather than “if” for the legal industry. In fact, the American Bar Association (ABA) published a report that detailed that almost half of all firms had some incident with malicious actors. In response, law enforcement entities now separate businesses into just two groups: Those that have already been hit by a data breach and those that will be hit in the future. 

With the advent of the coronavirus pandemic and its associated impact on the supply chain, the issue of improving supply chain management has never been more topical. The entire world is laser focused on creating new and better ways to ensure this level of disruption does not easily occur again. And as modern commerce grows even more complex, the need for new technologies to maximize supply chain management capabilities is crucial. 

Government agencies, municipalities, and social services agencies are not exempt from the scrutiny of hackers. In fact, two US federal civilian agencies were hacked last year by posing as tech support, convincing unaware employees to call them and to visit malicious websites. With increasing connectivity and the expanding use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) work environments, the attack surface available to cybercriminals has greatly expanded.

The lingering effects of the pandemic coupled with a struggling economy have caused the hotel industry to experience significant losses — $111.8 billion in revenue from room sales during the period ranging from 2020 to 2021. While business travel is predicted to remain down for most of this year, leisure travelers will pick up some of the slack, helping to nudge the industry toward recovery.

Healthcare was one of the hardest hit industries during the coronavirus pandemic and is now struggling under the burden of a weak economy. Escalating expenses, declining revenues, and staffing issues continue to plague providers, making it difficult to create environments that deliver high quality care and better health outcomes.

After the supply chain disruptions and health implications of the pandemic, 2022 was targeted as a year of growth for the architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries. In part, this was due to a federal infrastructure spending bill under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. However, the continued impacts of labor shortages, overpriced materials, and ongoing supply disruptions are set to interrupt the growth pattern.