Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1243344
MAY 2020 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 9 With various physical distancing guidelines in place throughout the world as a means to curb the spread of COVID-19, the internet has experienced a dramatic spike in overall traffic. MIT Professor Tom Leighton is chief executive officer and co-founder of Akamai Technolo- gies—a global content delivery network, cybersecurity, and cloud service. Q: How is the pandemic changing the way people use the internet? A: The internet has become our lifeline as we face the challenges of working remotely, distance learning, and sheltering in place. We've already been doing many of these things online for years—the big difference now is that we are suddenly only doing them online. It seems quite possible that our usage of the internet for nearly every facet of our lives will have increased per- manently. Many more people may be working remotely even when offices reopen, the shift to virtual meetings may become the norm even when we can travel again, commerce may be conducted online even when we can return to shopping malls, and our usage of social media and video streaming could well be greater than ever before—even when it's okay to meet others in person. (Source: MIT) Tom Leighton on the Major Surge in Internet Traffic Triggered by Physical Distancing Nolan Johnson is managing editor of SMT007 Magazine. Nolan brings 30 years of career experience focused almost entirely on electronics design and manufacturing. To contact Johnson, click here. Farnsworth and Rudy Ghosh, Mycronic's Clemens Jargon, and Koh Young's Ray Wall and Brent Fischthal all converged on a theme: Each company and technology must cooperate to achieve the required results. Then, it was the work of Shea Engi- neering's Chrys Shea that wrapped up the advancements succinctly with the minia- turization test vehicle (MTV). As ever, our columnists bring meaning- ful information and opinions to the table for discussion. Chris Ellis dives into cus- tomer support solutions, and Alfred Macha reviews why your business contingency plan may need some updating. Ray Prasad and Bob Wettermann both get technical, discussing reflow oven profiles and BGA assembly challenges. As we go to print, most of us are still responding to COVID-19 by working from home, sheltering in place, etc. Many of us have been reminded of the value of the personal connection with other people through this process. Have you noticed, for example, how the people you do busi- ness with are more likely now to check on your safety, health, and level of coping? It is our current mission and sincere intention to continue to bring you the lat- est news and information on the indus- try, even during this inflection point in our lives. We thank you for your readership and encourage you to reach out to us with your feedback, story suggestions, or sub- missions. This is a two-way conversation. We're here to tell you how the industry is doing, and we're here to tell the industry how YOU are doing. Let us know. Com- munication is the solder that holds us all together. SMT007