House lawmakers passed bipartisan legislation on Monday that aims to push the federal government to enhance oversight of its software licensing agreements to reduce waste and save money on duplicative purchases. The bill - known as the Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets, or SAMOSA, Act - would require agencies to create comprehensive software inventories and undergo independent assessments of their software management practices. Agencies' chief information officers would also be directed to develop enterprise licensing agreements that can enhance their negotiating powers with software vendors.
When I bought my Volvo XC90 in 2017, I was thrilled to get a safe, third-row vehicle. With three kids between the ages of 3 and 8, the extra space meant fewer fights and more room, and reassured me that the car's safety features would help me drive through snowy roads and city traffic. Almost a decade later, that same Volvo has over 112,000 miles on it.
The legislation, introduced on Thursday by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., would direct the VA secretary "to establish and implement a comprehensive policy for managing software assets throughout the Department." These steps include requiring VA to create a departmentwide software inventory and purge duplicative or inefficient services. "Major software acquisitions" would also be coordinated by the chief information officer, and the department would be directed to "adopt cost-effective licensing strategies, including enterprise-wide agreements where appropriate."
As anyone who's ever put together a trip budget knows, daily expenses like rideshares, train fare, and refreshments can quickly add up to a staggering final cost. So it's worth making a habit of every little thing you can do to save cash while traveling. But according to a new study, most Uber and Lyft users skip a seconds-long step that could save them on every ride.
Note: As many redditors have pointed out in the original thread, these examples are not to discredit how useful pre-prepared foods are to those who are disabled or have a super packed schedule. There's nothing wrong with buying these from the store - we all do (I say, with a jar of pasta sauce literally sitting on my counter right now). There's no shame in it!
First, use a timer if your boiler or thermostat has one. For more control, you could switch to a smart thermostat, which will connect your heating system to the internet. This will let you control your thermostat remotely, usually through a mobile app, meaning you can turn your heating off or down if you have had an unexpected change of plan.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) said today that it has approved award recommendations for 15 states and three territories in the Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. Telecompetitor reached out to all 15 states to ask about any changes made by NTIA. Several states answered us. We will update this post as more responses come in. The upshot: NTIA's changes so far have been relatively minor.
My parents got real trees for most of my childhood, which I loved, until my mom inherited my grandmother's faux tree. She still uses it nearly 15 years later, and relishes in the money she saves every time she brings it out. Christmas trees have gotten seriously pricey, and the fake ones have come a long way in the aesthetics department, too!
A dusty visual overlay partially obscures crowds of men in the desert, sword-fighting in armor and on horseback. With some wardrobe tweaks, this scene could look like something out of Game of Thrones or Dune. But House of David showrunner Jon Erwin says he didn't have the budget to bring these scenes to life. Instead, he used AI.
When it comes to cloud services and small businesses, the sky's the limit. That's a good thing because you're able to add what used to be challenging IT services by simply creating a login and sharing your credit card number. But it's also a bad thing because those cloud services multiply, and they're fairly easy to forget. In this article, we're going to do two things.
What we are going to do through this agenda of curing procurement is to ensure that every single dollar we spend within the Department of Education is $1 that is furthering our mission of delivering excellent education to students across the five boroughs, he said, during a Tuesday news conference on the Upper West Side in which he unveiled the plan.
Philipp Navratil, who took over after Laurent Freixe was ousted for hiding a relationship with a subordinate, increased Nestlé's target for cost savings to 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.7 billion) by the end of 2027, from 2.5 billion francs. The moves indicate the new CEO is sticking with his predecessor's broader strategy, which included reviews and possible sales of underperforming units.
Dimon said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Tuesday that the bank spends about $2 billion a year on AI and is seeing about the same amount in direct benefits. "We have shown that for $2 billion of expense, we have about $2 billion of benefit," Dimon said. "We did this, we reduced headcount, we saved this time and money."
Glitzy renovated kitchens make everyone ooh and ahh - the new appliances, the fancy flooring, the latest cabinets. Behind those renovations, though, is a hefty price tag. According to Realtor, the kitchen is the most expensive room of the house to remodel, averaging around $27,000 in the United States. For some homeowners, this kind of price tag is either completely unattainable or altogether not worth it, so they're choosing to embrace their old-fashioned kitchens instead.
At present, most AI agents in healthcare are used as a chatbot which speaks directly to patients. However, the modern capabilities of AI allows them to become more than that. AI agents like Orbit AI, for example, have found great success on the back-end by having AI automate and expedite administrative tasks. Insurance information, benefit verification, and automated prior authorization requests are just 3 ways that AI is making a big difference for healthcare businesses.
The need for efficiency becomes paramount, particularly as costs continue to rise. Adopting innovative solutions can help managers tackle these challenges effectively. For instance, the use of technology such as a robotic line marker can simplify field maintenance, reducing both time and labour costs. This type of automation allows for the precise execution of tasks, which is critical for maintaining the quality that fans and players expect.
Fees charges on card payments vary widely across the market, but could be costing businesses billions of pounds each year, costs they have to pass onto customers.
The Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, the maker of GLP-1 for diabetes and obesity, announced it is reducing its workforce globally by 9,000 people by the end of 2026. A company spokesperson declined to provide specific figures for the Boston operations, stating that "this is a global transformation," and Novo Nordisk sites will each be impacted differently. The company has not yet finalized its plans for Boston.
When it comes to kitchen cabinets, is buying them from Ikea going to set you up to have a stylish, reliable kitchen long-term? Or are you just going to waste your money and regret it? Based on feedback from experts in the industry, if you're looking to do a kitchen remodel, it's definitely worth your time to see what Ikea has to offer.
The move comes as staff are bracing for big job cuts. The company said it would cut 3.5%, or hundreds of employees, CNBC reported, as it looks to deliver on a promised $2 billion in cost savings. Ellison said the return would start in January with employees based in Los Angeles and New York. Starting this month, severance would be offered to those - at levels of VP and below - who can't or don't want to return full time, with some limited exceptions.
Trying to do the math around the actual value of the produce from your garden is never easy. Not only does it mean tracking all of your expenses - and potentially trying to put a value on the time you spend on this hobby - but you also have to plug in the ever-changing value of the fruits and vegetables found at the grocery store.
Prefabricated (aka prefab) cabinets are factory-made cabinets that come in a predetermined set of colors, materials, and styles. Though these types of cabinets that you'd select straight from a catalog don't allow you to choose exact cabinet construction elements like frame, fit, and door overlay, they're significantly more affordable than custom-made ones. Custom cabinets can cost anywhere from $500 to $1,500 per square foot, compared to prefabricated cabinets that usually fall between $60 and $200 for the same dimensions.
Duke Energy's proposal to merge its North and South Carolina utility subsidiaries aims to save customers over $1 billion within ten years through operational streamlining and shared infrastructure costs.
Generative AI tools promise enormous economies of scale for small creative agency teams. Good news for independent agencies struggling to find some breathing room on the ever-squeezed bottom line - until clients begin expecting those savings to be passed along to them.
Repairs revealed in a home inspection can be negotiated with the seller, potentially saving the buyer significant costs. Buyers should leverage inspection results to discuss repair responsibilities.
By surfacing title decisions early, lenders can identify potential issues sooner by speeding up approvals, reducing fallouts, and minimizing manual work. The Upfront Title configuration allows lenders to apply title insurance rates that save borrowers 40% to 70% compared to traditional rates.
A council trialling a four-day working week has reported improvements across multiple services, according to independent research, leading to increased staff retention and improved service delivery.
