News

News

• February 16, 2021 16 Feb'21

  Microsoft launches iPad-optimized Office app

  Microsoft has pushed out a version of its Office app made with iPads in mind. The app combines Word, Excel and PowerPoint into a single offering and has some new features.

• February 16, 2021 16 Feb'21

  Email marketing tools sustain old channel with personalization

  Email is so 1990s. Yet as a marketing communications channel, it thrives into the 2020s with an assist from personalization technology and customer data platforms.

• February 12, 2021 12 Feb'21

  Microsoft cuts Surface Duo's price to $1,000

  Microsoft has slashed the price of its dual-screen Surface Duo phone. Experts said the device, which is focused on office work, failed to connect with consumers.

• February 12, 2021 12 Feb'21

  Digitizing the supply chain requires standards to succeed

  In this Q&A, Vector's Brian Belcher discusses why interest in digitizing the supply chain has soared recently and why standards are needed for wider use of digital technologies.

• February 12, 2021 12 Feb'21

  Google adds alias email addresses to Gmail search

  Google has added to Gmail the ability to search all of a person's email addresses. The more comprehensive search results make it easier to find emails within inboxes.

• February 12, 2021 12 Feb'21

  News briefs: Reddit doubles valuation to $6 billion

  Reddit will expand into international markets after raising $250 million. It also announced plans to double its staff size and invest in video and advertising.

• February 12, 2021 12 Feb'21

  Salesforce's remote work hiring strategy raises questions

  Salesforce says its remote work hiring, or work-from-anywhere, model will improve its diversity and hiring goals. Hiring in inexpensive areas may be critical, according to experts.

• February 11, 2021 11 Feb'21

  Ionic Capacitor emerging as successor to Cordova

  The Ionic Capacitor mobile development framework helps enterprise developers build apps using standard web technology so they can tune their custom web apps for mobile devices.

• February 10, 2021 10 Feb'21

  Citrix launches well-being microapps for Workspace

  Citrix will help companies measure employee wellness with simple programs that can take surveys and distribute health and corporate news.

• February 10, 2021 10 Feb'21

  Oracle CX updates focus on loyalty tech, B2B selling, service

  Oracle releases Fusion Cloud Customer Experience suite updates that include tools for B2B selling, B2B customer service and loyalty programs connected to Oracle CDP data.

• February 10, 2021 10 Feb'21

  Kinaxis fuels Technicolor's supply chain digital transformation

  Technicolor Connected Home digitally transformed its manual supply chain operations with the Kinaxis supply chain platform, resulting in improved forecasting ability.

• February 09, 2021 09 Feb'21

  Microsoft to drop Edge Legacy from upcoming Windows update

  Microsoft is doing some spring cleaning with its Edge browser. The April Windows update will uninstall Edge Legacy and replace it with the new, Chromium-based Edge.

• February 09, 2021 09 Feb'21

  Employee activism gives life to tech union organizing

  A rise in tech union organizing is linked to the rise in employee activism, according to experts. They also believe the climate for union activity is changing.

• February 08, 2021 08 Feb'21

  Adobe releases headless commerce developer tools

  At its developer conference, Adobe debuts Experience Manager features to enable faster headless e-commerce deployments and GraphQL functionality for content personalization.

• February 05, 2021 05 Feb'21

  Microsoft unveils employee experience platform Viva

  Viva will offer Microsoft customers an employee experience platform that uses analytics and an intranet service to boost employee engagement and productivity.

• February 05, 2021 05 Feb'21

  Vaccine supply chain needs Starbucks -- not stadium -- model

  In this Q&A, Sylvie Thompson makes the case for small, localized distribution at places like Starbucks for COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

• February 04, 2021 04 Feb'21

  Cheaper 5G phones may spark global smartphone sales rebound

  After a down 2020, global smartphone sales will bounce back this year. Gartner expects 11% growth in 2021, with cheaper 5G phones giving shoppers incentive to buy.

• February 03, 2021 03 Feb'21

  Microsoft to improve voice controls in Outlook mobile

  Microsoft plans to bolster mobile workers' productivity when using 365 by improving the voice controls in Outlook and adding handwriting transcription to Lens.

• February 01, 2021 01 Feb'21

  SAP earnings strong in Q4, but cloud growth questionable

  SAP had a strong Q4 in 2020, but long-term growth prospects are unclear as they depend on SAP's transition to a true cloud-first company.

• January 29, 2021 29 Jan'21

  Microsoft launches Application Guard for Office

  Microsoft's new Application Guard for Office opens untrusted Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents in a container to protect a user's computer from threats.

• January 29, 2021 29 Jan'21

  New COVID-19 HR tools: AI office design, vaccine management

  Major IT vendors are rolling out products designed for the post-pandemic office environment, including systems for managing in-house vaccination clinics.

• January 28, 2021 28 Jan'21

  Workday acquires Peakon for $700 million

  Workday is acquiring employee feedback software vendor Peakon. Experts described the timing as a proverbial shot across SAP's bow.

• January 27, 2021 27 Jan'21

  SAP acquires process mining software vendor Signavio

  Process mining and business process intelligence capabilities are a core part of SAP's new Rise with SAP subscription services and will be delivered through SAP's acquisition of Signavio.

• January 27, 2021 27 Jan'21

  Rise with SAP streamlines business transformation

  SAP debuted Rise with SAP, a new offering designed to help customers transform business models and processes so that they can become more flexible, resilient, data-driven enterprises.

• January 27, 2021 27 Jan'21

  Verizon resolves major Fios outage, seeks root cause

  Verizon has resolved an issue in its fiber optic network that led to a major outage Tuesday. The outage affected tens of thousands of customers on the East Coast.

• January 27, 2021 27 Jan'21

  Google DialogFlow CX brings industry-specific chatbots

  Google releases DialogFlow CX, a chatbot and voicebot platform geared for multi-channel enterprise customer service. It connects to leading telephony systems.

• January 27, 2021 27 Jan'21

  SAP, Microsoft partner against Salesforce

  Starting in mid-2021, Microsoft and SAP plan to integrate Teams into the latter's business application portfolio. The move is seen as a response to rival Salesforce.

• January 27, 2021 27 Jan'21

  Rebound in IT spending expected in 2021

  Worldwide IT spending is slated to grow this year, as companies increase support and security for remote workers. Gartner projects spending will hit nearly $4 trillion.

• January 27, 2021 27 Jan'21

  ServiceNow, Salesforce deliver vaccine management tech

  Salesforce releases Vaccine Cloud, tools that enable tracking and distribution of COVID-19 immunizations. ServiceNow also enters the technology space.

• January 26, 2021 26 Jan'21

  Google's SAP on GCP investments may pay off

  Investing in data centers and bringing on former SAP executives, Google is hoping to turn its cloud platform into a public cloud destination for SAP customers.

• January 25, 2021 25 Jan'21

  Supply chain trends for 2021 include reshoring, digitization

  The diversifying of manufacturing, including reshoring to the U.S. and the adoption of new technologies, will be top supply chain trends in 2021, according to industry experts.

• January 25, 2021 25 Jan'21

  Study finds hiring bias by recruiters, especially tired ones

  Research published in Nature finds strong evidence of hiring bias by recruiters and uncovers notable patterns of when biased decision making is more likely to occur.

• January 22, 2021 22 Jan'21

  Samsung to release a faster OLED laptop display

  The Korean manufacturer plans to ship large quantities of the 14-inch 90 Hz display by the end of the quarter. Potential buyers include Lenovo and other global IT companies.

• January 22, 2021 22 Jan'21

  Massive Slack outage caused by AWS gateway failure

  An AWS Transit Gateway failure led to Slack being down for nearly five hours earlier this month. The companies said they made changes to prevent such outages in the future.

• January 22, 2021 22 Jan'21

  Diversity, equity and inclusion are hot, but tools need vetting

  The diversity, equity and inclusion tools market is going mainstream, giving HR buyers more options than ever before. But due diligence is needed.

• January 22, 2021 22 Jan'21

  Otter.ai helps Google Meet stay competitive

  Otter.ai provides captioning, live transcription and recording options in Google Meet. The features match those in Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

• January 21, 2021 21 Jan'21

  Acquia launches headless commerce integration

  Acquia adds cloud e-commerce to its expanding digital experience platform via tight integrations with Lucidworks' AI-assisted product recommendation engine and Commercetools' headless commerce.

• January 21, 2021 21 Jan'21

  Biden revokes Trump's contested DEI training order

  President Joe Biden has revoked an executive order from former President Donald Trump that discouraged federal agencies and government contractors from conducting DEI training.

• January 21, 2021 21 Jan'21

  AWS contact center AI services expand to Salesforce, Avaya

  Cloud contact center vendors that compete with Amazon Connect for customers will push AWS AI-powered intelligent search, speech recognition and language processing services.

• January 20, 2021 20 Jan'21

  Citrix to acquire Wrike for $2.25 billion

  Citrix announced it will acquire Wrike for $2.25 billion, a move aimed at bringing project management features to the Citrix Workspace offering.

• January 19, 2021 19 Jan'21

  Data privacy law is coming, big tech privacy officers say

  At the digital CES 2021 event, privacy leaders at Google, Twitter and Amazon said the time is right for a data privacy law.

• January 19, 2021 19 Jan'21

  CES debates the future of remote work trends

  CES usually has a firm grasp on future technology trends, but when it comes to remote work, the road ahead seems unclear.

• January 15, 2021 15 Jan'21

  Samsung lowers the price of Galaxy phones with S21 line

  Samsung has dropped the starting price of its latest Galaxy phones by 20%. The S21 line will start at $800 when it goes on sale Jan. 29. Other models will cost $1,000 and $1,200.

• January 14, 2021 14 Jan'21

  Capitol riots spark e-commerce terms of service enforcement

  Shopify, Salesforce and Google take action in wake of Capitol riots, as adware and customer experience platforms play an uncomfortable role in political events and discourse.

• January 14, 2021 14 Jan'21

  Workday adds vaccine management for 45M to its platform

  COVID-19 vaccine management is getting the attention of HR vendors. Workday announced its vaccine tool, which integrates with the platform's core HR data.

• January 14, 2021 14 Jan'21

  Big Tech's uneasy balance of capitalism, censorship

  Big tech companies' enforcement of acceptable use policies following Capitol riots is questioned, as some say First Amendment rights to free speech should extend to social networks.

• January 14, 2021 14 Jan'21

  Qualcomm to buy Nuvia for $1.4 billion

  Qualcomm's $1.4 billion acquisition of Nuvia would bring a top-notch silicon design team to the mobile chipmaker. Qualcomm did not say when it expects to close the deal.

• January 14, 2021 14 Jan'21

  ERP alternatives poised to take the stage in 2021

  The momentum for companies to adopt cloud-first and industry-specific ERP systems has created an opening for alternative ERP companies.

• January 14, 2021 14 Jan'21

  Democrats push for AI bias testing

  Lawmakers in states and Congress are showing increasing interest in guarding against AI bias. Legislation in California and New York City seeks system audits.

• January 13, 2021 13 Jan'21

  National Retail Federation tackles political unrest, COVID-19

  Retailers at NRF discuss COVID-19 operations and how they changed retail forever. Also: the technologies that keep customer experience consistent during supply-chain disruptions.

• January 13, 2021 13 Jan'21

  CES: Laptops sport designs friendly for remote workers

  Top PC manufacturers Dell, HP and Lenovo emphasized at-home flexibility in their CES laptop announcements. Remote work has driven the need to be productive anywhere.

• January 12, 2021 12 Jan'21

  High phone prices driving consumers to the used phone market

  High-priced phones from Apple and Samsung have energized the used phone market, experts said. A $1,000-plus price tag leads many to reconsider the value of a new phone.

• January 12, 2021 12 Jan'21

  Digital vaccine certificate looms as HR's next problem

  HR departments may want electronic proof of an employee's COVID-19 vaccination, but it's unclear when digital vaccine certificates will be ready.

• January 12, 2021 12 Jan'21

  SAP Commerce Cloud dresses up digital storefronts

  SAP Commerce Cloud is designed to help companies launch digital commerce sites, which may be useful for large enterprises and digital commerce sites with complex processes.

• January 12, 2021 12 Jan'21

  Pegasystems acquires Qurious.io for Pega Customer Service

  Pegasystems acquires Qurious.io for its customer service-oriented AI, natural language processing and self-service automation tools.

• January 11, 2021 11 Jan'21

  Salesforce Ventures tops $3 billion invested

  Salesforce Ventures continues to invest heavily in partners to help build out its platform as the pandemic evolves customer needs. Q&A with managing partner Matt Garratt.

• January 08, 2021 08 Jan'21

  Microsoft slow to fulfill request for more Teams channel control

  Microsoft won't prioritize a feature that would let Teams users move channels between groups, despite tens of thousands of requests. Users have asked for the capability since 2016.

• January 07, 2021 07 Jan'21

  Capitol insurrection leads to job loss, search for participants

  Employers interested in whether their employees took part in the U.S. Capitol insurrection and stormed the building may want to proceed with caution, legal and HR experts said.

• January 07, 2021 07 Jan'21

  Twitter, Facebook bounce President Trump from their platforms

  Twitter has permanently suspended President Trump's account. Facebook has banned the president until the end of his term and possibly beyond.

• January 07, 2021 07 Jan'21

  SAP Business Network, S/4HANA critical for SAP in 2021

  SAP's 2021 will be a mix of familiar challenges such as moving customers off legacy systems to S/4HANA and new opportunities such as its SAP Business Network, according to experts.

• January 06, 2021 06 Jan'21

  Dell adds Microsoft Teams to video conferencing monitors

  Dell introduced three video conferencing monitors with Microsoft Teams integration this week, as part of its emphasis on a hybrid work model. It also announced new laptops.

• January 05, 2021 05 Jan'21

  Slack restores service following major outage

  Slack's messaging service is back up following a global outage that forced many customers to return to email for communications. Slack had not determined the cause.

• December 30, 2020 30 Dec'20

  Lower prices possible for AI headsets, webcams in 2021

  In 2021, Jabra, Logitech and Poly could sell AI-powered headsets and webcams at prices more affordable to companies supporting employees working from home.

• December 29, 2020 29 Dec'20

  Salesforce Slack buy biggest step yet outside the CRM realm

  Salesforce has tried to buy its way into the rest of the enterprise before. Is Slack the golden ticket that will take it beyond CRM to directly compete with ERP vendors?

• December 29, 2020 29 Dec'20

  SAP in 2020: COVID-19, Klein takes command and Qualtrics IPO

  From leadership changes to the massive disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a year like no other for SAP. Here are some of the most important SAP 2020 stories.

• December 29, 2020 29 Dec'20

  2021 HR trends include widening pay gap between men, women

  2020 was an eventful year for HR and may act as a trigger for some significant HR trends to play out in the new year, according to Gartner's Brian Kropp.

• December 28, 2020 28 Dec'20

  SAP files for Qualtrics IPO

  SAP announced plans for a Qualtrics IPO in July. On Monday, the official paperwork was filed.

• December 28, 2020 28 Dec'20

  Virtual visits to mature in 2021

  The pandemic forced virtual care's hand in 2020, but healthcare systems and patients have found that the benefits of telehealth outweigh the drawbacks.

• December 24, 2020 24 Dec'20

  RingCentral acquires AI speech analytics startup DeepAffects

  California-based startup DeepAffects uses AI speech analytics to collect data on voice and video calls. The information helps customers measure the productivity of meetings.

• December 23, 2020 23 Dec'20

  DoD eyes blind recruiting-type technology for promotions

  The Pentagon may investigate blind recruiting-type technology to remove bias from the promotions process. It wants to improve the diversity in its officer ranks.

• December 23, 2020 23 Dec'20

  Salesforce's acquisitions lead CX tech buying spree in 2020

  Most CX vendors acquired new companies to enhance their platforms, none bigger than Salesforce buying Slack. Facebook's Kustomer buy might be the most intriguing.

• December 23, 2020 23 Dec'20

  Customer data platforms dominate CX technology headlines

  As the tech titans release their CDPs, it raises a question: Can this technology save itself from becoming another data silo in the marketing stack?

• December 22, 2020 22 Dec'20

  Remote work to drive portable monitor demand in 2021

  Manufacturers like Lenovo, HP and ViewSonic expect high demand for portable monitors in 2021 as workers try to get the dual-screen experience at home.

• December 22, 2020 22 Dec'20

  Content drives new B2B e-commerce

  COVID-19 forced B2B e-commerce companies to create and enhance new revenue pathways. Two Sitecore users share how investments in digital experiences kept their companies rolling.

• December 22, 2020 22 Dec'20

  Zoom China exec accused of working for government

  The Justice Department has accused a China-based Zoom executive of sending Chinese dissidents' personal information to the government. Zoom has fired exec Xinjiang Jin.

• December 21, 2020 21 Dec'20

  Supply chain faces greatest challenge with COVID-19 vaccine

  Developing a COVID-19 vaccine was only the first step in beating the pandemic. Now the supply chain must manage the challenges and complexities of getting those vaccines delivered.

• December 21, 2020 21 Dec'20

  With no federal COVID-19 liability shield, states go it alone

  Congress has not enacted a COVID-19 liability shield, leaving states to craft their own policies. But the risk to employers from these lawsuits is still muddy.

• December 18, 2020 18 Dec'20

  Facebook attacks Apple over upcoming iPhone privacy measures

  Facebook claims Apple's upcoming privacy change will hurt small businesses, but Apple argues the move gives users control over the personal data collected by apps.

• December 18, 2020 18 Dec'20

  RingCentral offers Glip Pro+ for video, messaging

  RingCentral Glip Pro+ is a rebranding of the messaging app Glip. The new standalone version combines Glip messaging and RingCentral Video.

• December 17, 2020 17 Dec'20

  SuccessFactors gets serious about employee time management

  COVID-19 has increased demand by employers for flextime management capabilities. That will be a significant feature in the new SAP SuccessFactors employee time management system.

• December 17, 2020 17 Dec'20

  Southwest: Recruiting chatbots improve productivity

  The pandemic didn't stop the evolution of HR tech. MGM launched new sites to help employees, and Southwest Airlines measured the effectiveness of its recruiting chatbots.

• December 16, 2020 16 Dec'20

  New 8x8 CEO expected to improve business operations

  Video conferencing company 8x8 selects former RingCentral COO Dave Sipes to replace outgoing CEO Vik Verma. Analysts expect Sipes to significantly improve 8x8 business operations.

• December 16, 2020 16 Dec'20

  Social media data practices land in FTC crosshairs

  The Federal Trade Commission is seeking information on how social networking giants like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube collect and use consumer data.

• December 15, 2020 15 Dec'20

  Navisite ups SAP managed services game with Dickinson deal

  Navisite expands its SAP managed services offerings for midmarket enterprises with the acquisition of SAP implementation project specialists Dickinson and Associates.

• December 14, 2020 14 Dec'20

  Pandemic effects on HR tech: Hits, misses and what's next

  Pandemic effects on technology of importance to HR are still unfolding. It's not yet known how employers will learn the vaccine status of their workers.

• December 11, 2020 11 Dec'20

  Cisco overhauls Webex with slew of new features

  Webex will soon provide calling, messaging and video in one user interface, live translation for multiple languages, and the ability to send emojis through hand gestures.

• December 10, 2020 10 Dec'20

  Standalone customer data platforms weather big competition

  Standalone CDP vendors got a years-long head start on Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce, SAP and Adobe. They stand firm in a year when online channels stayed open during the pandemic.

• December 10, 2020 10 Dec'20

  Employers face daunting COVID-19 vaccination questions

  COVID-19 has all but ensured offices will never fully return to normal. Now that vaccinations are here, HR will have to decide who should return to the workplace -- and who shouldn't.

• December 09, 2020 09 Dec'20

  Cisco to boost contact center offering with IMImobile buy

  Cisco plans to acquire IMImobile for $730 million to improve Cisco's contact center offering through the U.K. company's messaging and voice APIs.

• December 09, 2020 09 Dec'20

  Apple requiring privacy notices from app developers

  The privacy labels on new apps and updates on the App Store have to list the data collected by developers and their partners. The notices resemble nutritional labels on food.

• December 08, 2020 08 Dec'20

  SAP TechEd focuses on easing app development complexity

  At the virtual event, SAP unveiled low-code/no-code development tools and announced free SAP Cloud Platform access for developers to reduce the complexity of building SAP apps.

• December 08, 2020 08 Dec'20

  SAP Intelligent Spend Management shows where the money goes

  In this Q&A, SAP's John Wookey explains the current makeup of the SAP Intelligent Spend Management and Business Network group and how it helps companies track their spending.

• December 07, 2020 07 Dec'20

  H-1B lawsuit against Facebook tackles old problem

  The Dept. of Justice's H-1B lawsuit alleges Facebook didn't consider qualified U.S. workers for visa jobs and shines a light on employer job advertising requirements.

• December 04, 2020 04 Dec'20

  Google launching basic Android device management

  Google's Android Enterprise Essentials will let small businesses add necessary security to their Android devices without the complexity of more advanced management products.

• December 04, 2020 04 Dec'20

  Microsoft overhauls calling interface in Teams

  Microsoft has started rolling out a redesigned calling interface in Teams that lets customers access voicemail, contacts and more from a single screen.

• December 03, 2020 03 Dec'20

  Salesforce-Slack acquisition a threat to Microsoft Teams

  Salesforce's $27.7 billion acquisition of Slack could make the company a stronger competitor against the Microsoft 365 office productivity suite that includes Slack rival Teams.

• December 03, 2020 03 Dec'20

  Users make case for internal talent marketplaces

  Internal talent marketplace users at Gloat's virtual conference discussed their implementation strategies, as well as some of the issues they faced during deployment.

• December 03, 2020 03 Dec'20

  SAP systems integrators' strengths align with project success

  Accenture, Deloitte and IBM approach SAP implementation projects differently. Knowing those differences could help companies save on costs and time.

• December 02, 2020 02 Dec'20

  Salesforce workflow automation tools, Hyperforce debut

  Salesforce delivers new Einstein workflow automation tools and unveils what it calls the most significant tech advancement in the company's 21-year history.

• December 02, 2020 02 Dec'20

  Amazon brings Mac mini to AWS

  Amazon's new EC2 Mac service offers the macOS on Mac mini hardware to developers who want to build Xcode applications for the Mac, iPad, iPhone and the Apple Watch.