News

News

• February 14, 2022 14 Feb'22

  Salesforce Safety Cloud debuts for event vaccination proof

  Salesforce launches new cloud to aggregate COVID-19 testing and vaccine information for users hosting customer and employee events, with more to follow later in 2022.

• February 11, 2022 11 Feb'22

  Microsoft brings parity to OneNote web, desktop apps

  OneNote web app users will be able to set a view-only mode, copy and paste objects without changing their format, and perform other functions found in the desktop version.

• February 11, 2022 11 Feb'22

  Companies face legal uncertainties defending against NFTs

  Companies enter a legal gray area when protecting their intellectual property, copyrights and trademarks against NFT makers.

• February 11, 2022 11 Feb'22

  Google boosts AI customer experience

  Two bits of CX news from Google: Cloud Platform expands customer success operations globally, and users find the search behemoth's AI a fit for customer experience deployments.

• February 11, 2022 11 Feb'22

  IBM Breakthrough targets Rise with SAP, deepening ties

  IBM's new Breakthrough, a bundle of IaaS and consulting services, is aimed at giving SAP customers one-stop shopping for S/4HANA cloud transformations. v

• February 11, 2022 11 Feb'22

  Amazon takes its telehealth offering nationwide

  Amazon has made its Care telehealth service available nationwide with in-person healthcare services to follow later in the year. The company is tapping a growing healthcare market.

• February 09, 2022 09 Feb'22

  Samsung ditches Note, brings S Pen to flagship S series

  The Galaxy S22 Ultra combines the Note's writing utensil and size with the S series' camera. The new smartphone has a starting price of $1,200.

• February 09, 2022 09 Feb'22

  Adobe Journey Optimizer adds mobile marketing capabilities

  Adobe adds marketing personalization and messaging orchestration capabilities to Experience Cloud for B2B and B2C users whose customers favor smartphones.

• February 09, 2022 09 Feb'22

  Apple Tap to Pay makes iPhone a payment terminal

  In the spring, Stripe will become the first payment platform to support Tap to Pay for contactless credit and debit cards and digital wallets. Shopify's POS app uses Stripe.

• February 08, 2022 08 Feb'22

  Gamification in learning platform tested at Mayo Clinic

  The Mayo Clinic is piloting a gamification in learning platform. Unlike other forms of learning, the healthcare organization believes the platform facilitates two-way communication and team effectiveness.

• February 08, 2022 08 Feb'22

  Pegasystems releases contact center agent-assist tools

  Pegasystems adds voice recognition and natural language processing agent-assistant 'copilot' tools for contact centers, based on 2021 acquisition of Qurious.io.

• February 07, 2022 07 Feb'22

  Office workplace relationships weakened by COVID-19

  The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the office workplace permanently, according to Gartner. Employee relationships are weaker, turnover is higher, and automation may accelerate.

• February 04, 2022 04 Feb'22

  Zoom attacking hybrid meeting shortfalls

  Zoom will look to stand out in a competitive market by improving hybrid meetings. The company hopes upcoming features will bridge the divide between remote and in-person attendees.

• February 04, 2022 04 Feb'22

  ERP critical to achieving sustainability goals in 2022

  Sustainability is a major priority for businesses in 2022, driven by internal goals, customer demand and regulations. ERP systems are at the center of sustainability projects.

• February 03, 2022 03 Feb'22

  Apple working with Dropbox, Microsoft to fix macOS 12.3

  Apple said it will work with Dropbox and Microsoft on the macOS 12.3 problem that prevented their file storage software from running correctly on the upcoming version of the OS.

• February 02, 2022 02 Feb'22

  LogMeIn rebrands to GoTo, simplifies offerings

  LogMeIn becomes GoTo as it aims to appeal to small and medium-sized businesses with UCaaS and IT management that's available through a single application.

• January 31, 2022 31 Jan'22

  Citrix to focus on digital workspace following acquisition

  A private equity consortium acquiring Citrix will merge it with business intelligence vendor Tibco to add data analytics into Citrix Workspace. The deal is set to close this year.

• January 28, 2022 28 Jan'22

  Zoom launches virtual conference floor for online events

  Zoom wants virtual events to feel more like in-person sessions. The company's 2D virtual show floor, Expo, aims to re-create that sense of presence for remote attendees.

• January 28, 2022 28 Jan'22

  SAP reports strong Q4 earnings; acquires Taulia

  SAP Q4 2021 cloud earnings were strong, and the company added to its portfolio by acquiring Taulia for cash management and investing in intelligent contract firm Icertis.

• January 26, 2022 26 Jan'22

  Meta makes frontline worker push with Workplace, WhatsApp

  Meta will allow businesses to send Workplace announcements over WhatsApp this year. The integration lets HQs use a popular consumer app to communicate with frontline workers.

• January 26, 2022 26 Jan'22

  Salesforce expands CRM maps for sales-team territories

  New patterns for selling -- salespeople travel less and use more digital channels to meet with customers -- drive new map features for Salesforce Sales Cloud.

• January 26, 2022 26 Jan'22

  Acumatica execs talk up ERP industry specificity

  Acumatica highlighted customer stories of digital transformation, the vendor's industry-focused acquisitions and its commitment to sustainability at Acumatica Summit 2022.

• January 26, 2022 26 Jan'22

  New York City pay transparency law will change job postings

  Employers in New York City will soon be required to include wage ranges in job postings. It may apply to firms that are hiring remote workers in the city.

• January 25, 2022 25 Jan'22

  Google debuts Topics, its latest third-party cookie replacement

  Topics, a replacement for browser tracking cookies, is Google's latest idea to preserve browser privacy while preserving the value of its digital ad platform.

• January 24, 2022 24 Jan'22

  Microsoft adds voice typing commands, revamps Task Manager

  The latest Windows 11 developer build lets people use Voice Access to type characters, add emojis and select text without touching a keyboard or mouse.

• January 21, 2022 21 Jan'22

  Cisco introduces digital accessibility features for Webex

  Cisco aims the latest features at making Webex friendlier to disabled people, an essential step as digital accessibility lawsuits rise and the fight for talent intensifies.

• January 21, 2022 21 Jan'22

  US sees hiring bias in unemployment rates

  The EEOC says hiring rates for people of color are worrisome. It has started an effort to help employers reduce hiring bias, which includes looking at processes and tech.

• January 21, 2022 21 Jan'22

  Adobe, Salesforce release tools to enhance retail experience

  Adobe to open beta program for store-pickup features developed in partnership with Walmart; Salesforce debuts Datorama features for retailers.

• January 20, 2022 20 Jan'22

  Logitech brings USB device management to home office

  Sync, a web-based platform that helps IT make sure devices are up-to-date and working correctly, will now work with at-home devices like webcams and headsets.

• January 20, 2022 20 Jan'22

  Activision Blizzard deal positions Microsoft for the metaverse

  Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard would provide the technology for building virtual worlds that could provide the foundation for the metaverse.

• January 20, 2022 20 Jan'22

  Tesla, PepsiCo workers bring lawsuit over UKG payroll outage

  Lawsuits over the ransomware attack that hurt UKG payroll and timekeeping systems are being filed. Workers are claiming inaccurate pay during the outage.

• January 13, 2022 13 Jan'22

  Microsoft bolsters Teams for frontline workers

  The latest Microsoft Teams features add walkie-talkie functionality to Zebra Technologies devices and integrate scheduling and training to frontline worker apps.

• January 13, 2022 13 Jan'22

  John Deere enters future of farming with autonomous tractor

  The farm gear manufacturer will release a self-driving 8R model as farmers struggle to find labor and seek equipment for more efficient farming to maximize yield.

• January 13, 2022 13 Jan'22

  Genesys CEO on the future of contact center tech

  In this interview with Genesys CEO Tony Bates, we discuss the intersection of empathy and technology, as well as the future of video in the contact center tech stack.

• January 12, 2022 12 Jan'22

  Customer data platform market heats up again

  As companies plan for the post-pandemic reality, customer data platforms are expected to be a bigger part of marketing workflows and other emerging use cases.

• January 11, 2022 11 Jan'22

  Instacart, McDonald's, Target share digital marketing strategies

  Customer experience leaders discuss strategies to accommodate customers who want contactless shopping, those who want in-person sales, and everything in between.

• January 10, 2022 10 Jan'22

  Dell, Lenovo, HP pitch sustainable laptops

  Dell, Lenovo and HP have introduced laptops to help customers meet environmental, social and governance policies, which have become critical factors in buying decisions.

• January 10, 2022 10 Jan'22

  AMD bolsters security, while Intel ups speed in latest chips

  AMD's Ryzen 6000 series includes the Microsoft Pluton security processor, while Intel claims its Core i9-12900HK chip is the fastest mobile processor in the market.

• January 10, 2022 10 Jan'22

  Users hit by Kronos payroll ransomware await recovery

  HR users of Kronos payroll and timekeeping systems are moving to recovery from the ransomware attack. A complete restoration time frame will vary by user.

• January 10, 2022 10 Jan'22

  Experts predict flexibility as a top ERP trend in 2022

  In the year ahead, industry experts expect the ERP market to be less monolithic and more industry-specific.

• January 10, 2022 10 Jan'22

  IBM ports weather data to AWS Data Exchange feed

  Marketers can now tap IBM's Weather Company data feed at the AWS Data Exchange. The question is, will they know how to use it proactively to execute timely campaigns?

• January 05, 2022 05 Jan'22

  Verizon launches BlueJeans on Google Glass

  Verizon has brought its BlueJeans video conferencing service to the Google Glass headset. The carrier is offering the headset with the service for $1,140.

• January 05, 2022 05 Jan'22

  Composable ERP may break up monolithic systems

  In this Q&A, Unit4's Claus Jepsen calls cloud-based composable ERPs, which enable companies to pick and choose the applications and vendors they want, the future.

• December 29, 2021 29 Dec'21

  Why marketing personalization has yet to pay off

  Forrester analyst discusses why personalization investments aren't paying off, what marketers can expect in 2022 in technology -- and in the job market.

• December 29, 2021 29 Dec'21

  How bad writing, templates and chatbots kill customer service

  Leslie O'Flahavan, a writing coach specializing in contact center communications, discusses how humans, AI and bots can work together to provide good customer service.

• December 23, 2021 23 Dec'21

  Supply chain disruption will persist in 2022, but tech may help

  The supply chain problems of the last two years will persist into 2022, but companies can use the opportunity to redesign processes and update technology to solve long-term issues.

• December 22, 2021 22 Dec'21

  Skillsoft to pay $525M for learning platform Codecademy

  Codecademy, a software development learning platform with 40 million users worldwide, is being acquired by Skillsoft, a learning platform focused on the corporate market.

• December 22, 2021 22 Dec'21

  Tech vendors to help people disconnect from work in 2022

  Burnout has surged during the pandemic, and the inability to fully disconnect from work isn't helping. Tech firms will continue addressing the problem in 2022.

• December 22, 2021 22 Dec'21

  Gig work platforms see uptick in interest due to COVID-19

  The gig work model may expand into jobs occupied by full- and part-time workers. It is helping one HR manager in an industry where hiring has become difficult because of COVID-19.

• December 20, 2021 20 Dec'21

  Employee background check errors harm thousands of workers

  Errors in background checks have prevented thousands of potential employees from being hired, and with more data collection, AI and automation, the problem could worsen.

• December 17, 2021 17 Dec'21

  Microsoft adds end-to-end encryption to Teams

  Microsoft will allow Teams users to make one-on-one, end-to-end encrypted video calls. The feature comes with tradeoffs, like no live captioning, recording or transcription.

• December 17, 2021 17 Dec'21

  LastPass goes solo, plans to focus on mobile features

  After spinning off from LogMeIn, password management firm LastPass plans to grow its business by providing faster feature updates, more mobile options and better customer service.

• December 16, 2021 16 Dec'21

  Biden targets federal CX improvements with executive order

  President Biden issues a detailed executive order that lays out agency-by-agency federal digital experience improvement mandates -- and builds accountability into the process.

• December 16, 2021 16 Dec'21

  Security initiatives can accelerate an S/4HANA migration

  In this Q&A, Juan Pablo Perez-Etchegoyen, CTO at Onapsis, discusses why it's important for companies to include security measures at the beginning of an S/4HANA migration project.

• December 15, 2021 15 Dec'21

  Avaya pushes OneCloud customization

  Avaya aims to create an ecosystem of customers, developers and partners that use its many integration tools to tailor the OneCloud platform for their individual needs.

• December 15, 2021 15 Dec'21

  ServiceNow-Qualtrics partnership tackles total experience

  ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott bought Qualtrics when he ran SAP, which spun it off after he left. McDermott renews his pursuit of Qualtrics, this time with a partnership.

• December 14, 2021 14 Dec'21

  SAP strives to attract app developers with BTP

  SAP wants its Business Technology Platform to compete with development platforms from AWS, Azure and GCP and help it to modernize its image.

• December 14, 2021 14 Dec'21

  Cyberattack on Kronos payroll triggers backup plans

  Some users of Kronos payroll say they have backup and contingency plans ready to deal with the ransomware attack on the HR system's firm.

• December 14, 2021 14 Dec'21

  Microsoft gets kudos for bringing OneDrive to Apple M1 Macs

  OneDrive will soon run on ARM-based laptops, joining Box, Dropbox and Google storage services. Analysts said the ARM-based laptop market will grow in the coming years.

• December 10, 2021 10 Dec'21

  Zoom adds app developer incentives; Teams revamps app store

  Microsoft and Zoom compete in winning developers for their respective collaboration platforms. Each company features more than 1,000 apps in its store.

• December 08, 2021 08 Dec'21

  Better.com's employee layoff by Zoom gets HR thumbs down

  Better.com's mass layoff by Zoom was seen as a big miss by HR professionals, who say the CEO's approach lacked empathy and planning.

• December 07, 2021 07 Dec'21

  A year in, Rise with SAP sees traction, but messaging still muddy

  After a year, the returns on Rise with SAP are mixed. For some, it's just the right package to spur a move to S/4HANA, while for others, the simplified cloud model is not needed.

• December 03, 2021 03 Dec'21

  Amazon Connect adds quick bot setup, call summarization

  AWS' Amazon Connect CCaaS offering comes into sharper focus with new features for contact center managers, agents and data scientists setting up bots.

• December 03, 2021 03 Dec'21

  Omicron extends uncertainty about return to office

  For firms with immediate plans to return to the office early in the new year, the new COVID-19 variant, omicron, may prompt delays and reassessments about the future.

• December 02, 2021 02 Dec'21

  More marketing personalization from AWS, Pegasystems

  AWS and Pegasystems add AI tools to their cloud offerings that enable deeper personalization and journey orchestration for marketers and e-commerce sellers.

• December 02, 2021 02 Dec'21

  Job seekers under 30 reject federal work, alarming lawmakers

  The U.S. government's civilian workforce is mostly older, with many nearing or at retirement. The loss of skills is creating a need to attract young adults to federal work.

• December 02, 2021 02 Dec'21

  8x8 buys Fuze to expand UCaaS customer base

  8x8 plans to acquire fellow UCaaS provider Fuze for $250 million as it looks to increase its global reach and accelerate the addition of new features.

• November 30, 2021 30 Nov'21

  Syspro focuses on hybrid ERP to fuel growth

  In this Q&A, Syspro's Scott Hebert explains why the company is walking the line between pure cloud and on-premises ERP for its manufacturing and distribution customer base.

• November 30, 2021 30 Nov'21

  Zoom to blur lines between video, phone meetings

  Zoom Phone head Graeme Geddes said the lines between video meetings and phone calls will blur, allowing workers to choose the best communication tool for their needs.

• November 29, 2021 29 Nov'21

  Technology drives holiday shopping for retail, e-commerce

  Black Friday e-commerce sales maintained 2020 gains. Retail traffic is up but hasn't rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. Technology, supply chain, COVID-19 variants all factors.

• November 24, 2021 24 Nov'21

  Vendors position ERP as heart of circular economy model

  ERP vendors SAP and IFS are positioning themselves at the forefront of enterprise sustainability efforts just as businesses focus on reducing waste and prepare for new regulations.

• November 23, 2021 23 Nov'21

  Workday responds to workforce changes with Vndly acquisition

  Workday adds extended workforce management capability to its HCM platform with its acquisition of Vndly. Increasing use of contingent labor and competition motivated the buy.

• November 23, 2021 23 Nov'21

  Ericsson to acquire Vonage for 5G development

  Ericsson plans to use Vonage's developer community and cloud-based communications platform for 5G software development. The $6.2 billion deal is expected to close next year.

• November 22, 2021 22 Nov'21

  Apple self-service repair unlikely to help businesses

  Experts believe small and medium-size businesses will continue using repair shops to fix Apple iPhones and Macs to avoid breaking and replacing the hardware.

• November 22, 2021 22 Nov'21

  Cisco customer experience manager: What makes good tech CX

  Cisco users buy its hardware and apps through partners, mostly. Cisco's customer experience architect discusses how the company forges customer relationships.

• November 19, 2021 19 Nov'21

  Microsoft Loop adds project management to 365

  Loop lets teams track project status while editing documents in a single app. The Microsoft 365 software works with Word, PowerPoint and Excel document snippets.

• November 18, 2021 18 Nov'21

  Microsoft could make Edge default browser for opening links

  People might no longer be able to use workarounds like EdgeDeflector to set another browser, such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, as their default for opening links.

• November 18, 2021 18 Nov'21

  Apple launches SMB device management

  Designed for companies of up to 500 employees, Business Essentials offers tools to download apps and push updates to iPhones, iPads and Macs. It provides up to 2 TB iCloud storage.

• November 18, 2021 18 Nov'21

  Samsung brings Android 12 privacy to Galaxy S21 series

  One UI 4 notifies smartphone users when apps access their camera, location or microphone. The software also lists the apps accessing people's data and keeps track of permissions.

• November 17, 2021 17 Nov'21

  SAP TechEd sets sights on hyperscalers with developer tools

  SAP launched a series of developer products at SAP TechEd, including free tier access for the SAP Business Technology Platform and the low-code/no-code platform SAP AppGyver.

• November 03, 2021 03 Nov'21

  Microsoft Viva gets OKR app, stresses employee privacy

  Microsoft Viva gets a new OKR app, but an underlying and ongoing message at the firm's recent Ignite conference was about Viva's employee privacy protections.

• November 02, 2021 02 Nov'21

  EEOC worries about 'snake oil' products in AI recruiting

  The chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says users, not vendors, are responsible for AI recruiting bias. It has launched an effort to investigate AI use.

• October 29, 2021 29 Oct'21

  Biden wants permanent work visas, not more H-1Bs

  President Joe Biden's administration has eased H-1B work visa processing, but it is not seeking a cap increase. Instead, it's aiming to grant more green cards.

• October 15, 2021 15 Oct'21

  Shopify opens e-commerce platform to enterprise ERP vendors

  Shopify's new Global ERP Program takes steps to attract larger enterprises, but the transition won't be easy, as large ERP systems are far more complex than those of Shopify's SMB base.

• October 14, 2021 14 Oct'21

  OpenText releases document capture, Salesforce integrations

  Like Salesforce, Box and Adobe, OpenText invests in AI and machine learning to enable smartphone document capture so users can digitize documents that are searchable in the cloud.

• October 12, 2021 12 Oct'21

  HubSpot CRM adds B2B online payments processing

  HubSpot CRM adds no-code Stripe online payments as well as data governance and enhancements to Operations Hub such as analytics and a Snowflake integration.

• October 11, 2021 11 Oct'21

  Employer vaccine mandates set stage for return to office

  COVID-19 mandates may be clearing the way to a return to the office, but employees may still have concerns about office air quality and cleaning standards.

• October 11, 2021 11 Oct'21

  More urgency needed for supply chain security during holidays

  In this Q&A, Kyle Rice, CTO at SAP NS2, explains the delicacy of increasingly complex supply chains and why IT needs to be proactive in finding their weakest links.

• October 08, 2021 08 Oct'21

  Windows 11 bugs cause app slowdown on AMD chips

  The flaws can slow application performance by as much as 15% on high-performance PCs for gaming and other demanding software. AMD said a fix will come this month.

• October 08, 2021 08 Oct'21

  Half of remote workers remain silent during video meetings

  A Cisco study said half of remote employees don't talk during video meetings. Fixing the problem is likely a combination of technology and nudging on the part of managers.

• October 08, 2021 08 Oct'21

  Top ERP systems need ability to deliver as well as tech

  Panorama Consulting Group's '2022 Top 10 ERP Systems' report focuses on function set, technology, usability and ability to deliver on implementation, support and services.

• October 07, 2021 07 Oct'21

  Hyland execs offer insight into content services roadmap

  After an acquisition binge, Hyland Software pauses to discuss its acquisition strategy and future roadmap, which may include more AI/machine learning and vertical-specific features.

• October 07, 2021 07 Oct'21

  As Ceridian HCM nears the $1B mark, it adds capabilities

  Ceridian HCM announced product upgrades this week, including streaming pay, which makes it possible for employees to be paid daily.

• October 06, 2021 06 Oct'21

  Experts: Facebook outage signals need for redundancies

  The social media platform, which is often used for e-commerce, upset many small businesses that could not sell their products for six hours and did not have backups in place.

• October 06, 2021 06 Oct'21

  Box adds ransomware content security

  In its pursuit of enterprise business, Box Shield adds security features that may circumvent ransomware; Box Sign available for U.S. and Canadian customers.

• October 06, 2021 06 Oct'21

  Qualtrics releases Experience ID customer profile platform

  Qualtrics Experience ID isn't labeled as a customer data platform, but it's not far off from one, as it aggregates customer info into individual profiles.

• October 04, 2021 04 Oct'21

  Disney adopts Amazon's white-label voice assistant for hotels

  The "Hey Disney" voice assistant is the first use of Amazon's white-labeled voice assistant in a major hotel chain. It will coexist with Amazon's "Hey Alexa" in Echo devices.

• October 04, 2021 04 Oct'21

  Google-Lemongrass partnership boosts SAP on GCP

  Google stakes its claim as the best public cloud option for SAP workloads thanks to a new partnership with Lemongrass, a well-known cloud managed services provider.

• October 02, 2021 02 Oct'21

  Contact center agents' post-pandemic future

  The pandemic changed how contact centers operate and the technologies used to provide customer service. In this Q&A, ICMI's Brad Cleveland predicts what's next.

• October 01, 2021 01 Oct'21

  Five9 shareholders kill Zoom deal

  Five9 shareholders voted down Zoom's $14.7 billion acquisition bid. National security concerns and worries about Zoom's future growth weighed heavily on the decision.