News

News

• 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

  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

  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

  Salesforce adds customer service management features

  Salesforce adds AI-powered features to enable contact center workforce management and agent staffing models for call volume, as well as email and messaging channels.

• December 01, 2020 01 Dec'20

  Salesforce to acquire Slack for $27.7 billion

  Salesforce acquired the Slack messaging platform for $27.7 billion. Experts weigh on in what Slack would bring to the Salesforce platform.

• November 25, 2020 25 Nov'20

  Internal talent marketplaces bloom as workforce changes

  In this sluggish economy, employers are turning to internal talent marketplaces to connect employees to short-term projects.

• November 25, 2020 25 Nov'20

  Panorama Consulting's report talks best-of-breed ERP trend

  The top ERP vendors offer distinct capabilities to customers, paving the way for a best-of-breed ERP approach, according to Panorama Consulting.

• November 24, 2020 24 Nov'20

  HR can't afford to overlook systemic inequity -- here's why

  Katherine Giscombe, organizational psychologist and management consultant, argues that firms need to address systemic inequity problems -- sooner rather than later.

• November 24, 2020 24 Nov'20

  Users demand virtual timer on Teams, Webex, Zoom

  Meeting organizers on Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex and Zoom want a virtual timer that limits how long participants speak and take breaks during video conferences.

• November 24, 2020 24 Nov'20

  Adobe CDP adds B2B-friendly features

  Adobe CDP customers will get new features in 2021 that create workflows for marketing teams and connect to popular B2B marketing platforms -- starting with its own Marketo Engage.

• November 20, 2020 20 Nov'20

  Tech firms seeking diversity criticize job referrals

  State of Washington tech firms have signed a 'pact' to align workforce diversity with the state's regional diversity. The effort may prompt firms to rely less on job referrals.

• November 20, 2020 20 Nov'20

  Microsoft announces free version of Teams video calls

  Microsoft's holiday-inspired free video conferencing lets people with a personal Teams account invite up to 300 participants, who do not need Teams accounts to join.

• November 20, 2020 20 Nov'20

  At Signavio World, center stage belongs to customer excellence

  Signavio brings customer experience data into its process management platform with the Signavio Business Transformation Suite Customer Excellence Edition.

• November 19, 2020 19 Nov'20

  Microsoft Pluton chip will secure future Windows PCs

  Microsoft said its Pluton security chip would protect data even when an attacker has physical control of a computer. Future Windows PCs will include the new chip.

• November 19, 2020 19 Nov'20

  Cisco releases patches for 3 Webex vulnerabilities

  Cisco has patched three vulnerabilities that allowed malicious actors to enter meetings and waiting rooms as 'ghosts' and stay on -- even after being removed.

• November 17, 2020 17 Nov'20

  Epicor ERP 10.2.700 may entice manufacturers to the cloud

  The latest SaaS version of Epicor ERP includes new capabilities designed to appeal to midmarket manufacturers that want to move to a cloud-based system.

• November 17, 2020 17 Nov'20

  Google to roll out new privacy settings for Workspace

  Google will soon provide controls for turning off Workspace app features like smart compose, smart reply and tabbed inbox in Gmail to allow for more user privacy.

• November 17, 2020 17 Nov'20

  Salesforce Customer 360 Truth services go live

  Salesforce releases a new bundle of services which includes ID management, privacy, security and compliance tools for Salesforce users' customers and employees.

• November 17, 2020 17 Nov'20

  HRIS administration requires close IT-HR collaboration

  There's no single ownership strategy for HRIS admin, but there may be some preferences. HR departments with on-premises systems are more likely to keep the tech management duties.

• November 13, 2020 13 Nov'20

  Diversitypop provides DEI training with a military twist

  Military training relies on repeatability and reinforcement to drive home training. That approach is being applied to a new DEI training app.

• November 12, 2020 12 Nov'20

  Customer input drives S/4HANA Cloud development

  In this Q&A, SAP executive Jan Gilg discusses how customer feedback played a role in the development of new features in S/4HANA Cloud 2011.

• November 12, 2020 12 Nov'20

  As employee stress rises, HR focuses on mental health

  Employee stress, thanks to the pandemic, the election and working from home, can hurt productivity and employee health. HR is finding ways to help.

• November 12, 2020 12 Nov'20

  Salesforce Revenue Cloud bolsters B2B e-commerce workflows

  Salesforce, moving deeper into revenue ops, releases Revenue Cloud. It enables B2B digital sales with new pricing, billing and contracting models, as well as revenue forecasting.

• November 11, 2020 11 Nov'20

  Apple begins shift from Intel with debut of M1-based MacBooks

  Apple has started the shift from Intel processors to its ARM-based M1 chip with the introduction of M1-based MacBooks and a Mac mini, boasting higher performance for less power.

• November 10, 2020 10 Nov'20

  Adobe to acquire Workfront for $1.5 billion

  Adobe plans to acquire Workfront for $1.5 billion to gain ground in the customer experience management market.

• November 10, 2020 10 Nov'20

  Zoom settles FTC suit alleging 'deceptive' security practices

  Zoom has agreed to implement a comprehensive program for user security and abide by a government-imposed prohibition against privacy misrepresentations.

• November 10, 2020 10 Nov'20

  Zendesk, WhatsApp cozy up with co-development partnership

  Zendesk and WhatsApp team up to break bottlenecks in customer service conversations over Facebook messaging apps -- including Instagram -- by building it into Zendesk Support.

• November 10, 2020 10 Nov'20

  Bose builds supply chain resilience program that pays off

  An earthquake and floods in 2011 disrupted the Bose supply chain but better prepared the company for the risks and disruptions brought on by COVID-19.

• November 09, 2020 09 Nov'20

  Oracle CX suite adds tools for sales teams, digital commerce

  Oracle tackles sales rep and e-commerce experience in the latest update to its CX application stack, retuned for the pandemic's remote-work and digital sales uptick.

• November 09, 2020 09 Nov'20

  Biden to confront Trump's H-1B work visa changes

  The Trump administration is eliminating the H-1B work visa lottery program. But a Biden administration may get some pushback if it tries to reverse Trump's wage-based distribution system.

• November 06, 2020 06 Nov'20

  Adobe forges data partnerships for Experience Platform

  Adobe adds bidirectional feeds to Experience Platform to manage post-sale customer data from third-party sources such as customer service and loyalty program platforms.

• November 05, 2020 05 Nov'20

  Microsoft Productivity Score limited by lack of data

  Microsoft's new Productivity Score tool for 365 needs third-party data and security information to be entirely useful to enterprises, analysts said.

• November 05, 2020 05 Nov'20

  Clevest acquisition bolsters IFS' field service management

  IFS strengthened its field service portfolio with the acquisition of Clevest, a firm that provides field service management capabilities specific to the utilities industry.

• November 05, 2020 05 Nov'20

  SAP customer data platform strategy comes into focus

  SAP acquires Emarsys, which has a CDP included in its customer experience data handling toolbox. SAP execs shed light on how it will fit in with the company's own CDP.

• November 05, 2020 05 Nov'20

  SAP CX application stack grows with addition of Emarsys

  SAP scoops up a marketing automation platform with CDP capabilities, as well as personalization and the ability to reach customers across digital channels.

• November 03, 2020 03 Nov'20

  Trump's executive order on DEI training prompts a fight

  An executive order by the Trump administration may all but ban diversity, equity and inclusion training. But it's getting a fight in court and opposition from business groups.

• November 02, 2020 02 Nov'20

  Coupa acquires Llamasoft for supply chain agility

  Coupa Software's acquisition of Llamasoft for $1.5 billion will bring AI-based supply chain planning and modeling capabilities to its business spend management platform.

• November 02, 2020 02 Nov'20

  Twilio's Segment acquisition recasts UCaaS vendor as CX

  Twilio, a contact-center-friendly UCaaS vendor, has completed the purchase of the Segment CDP for $3.2 billion in stock. Together, experts said, they could challenge Microsoft, Salesforce and Oracle.

• October 30, 2020 30 Oct'20

  Holiday e-commerce set to surge

  Adobe looks at e-commerce trends to predict holiday buying, while Salesforce surveys thousands of B2B buyers and consumers about what motivates their buying choices.

• October 30, 2020 30 Oct'20

  Microsoft redirects to Edge as IE nears end of life

  Microsoft will force some sites to open in Edge instead of IE, another sign the browser is nearing its end of life. Enterprise users must adapt, experts say.

• October 30, 2020 30 Oct'20

  Syniti platform helps enable better data quality management

  FrieslandCampina uses Syniti Knowledge Platform for data governance and data quality to improve its SAP ERP and other enterprise systems.

• October 30, 2020 30 Oct'20

  Zoom Phone to get spam blocking, 911 services

  Zoom plans to roll out new features in Zoom Phone over the next several months. The enhancements include better messaging and spam-blocking technology.

• October 30, 2020 30 Oct'20

  Webex Legislate dashboard lets politicians vote, confer

  Cisco announced the coming of Webex Legislate, a dashboard that lets legislators confer in breakout rooms, vote on legislation, tally the votes and review who voted for what.

• October 30, 2020 30 Oct'20

  What are some SAP license optimization best practices?

  Optimizing SAP licenses is critical in today's insecure business landscape. Here are some best practices organizations can follow to lower costs and get the most from their investment.

• October 29, 2020 29 Oct'20

  Tech trends in HR, 2020 edition: A shift in direction

  The pandemic has hurt HR technology budgets, but it is also accelerating other tech trends in HR, such as making HR services part of everyday productivity platforms.

• October 29, 2020 29 Oct'20

  Oracle CX targets communications industry with new apps

  Oracle moves into vertical-specific digital experience customizations, starting with Oracle Digital Experience for Communications, with more to come.

• October 28, 2020 28 Oct'20

  Firms dive into data for diversity and inclusion strategies

  People analytics managers are seeking out and analyzing HR data that intersects with and impacts the employee work experience.

• October 28, 2020 28 Oct'20

  SAP Q3 earnings tumble in wake of pandemic economic woes

  SAP's stock value sank as third-quarter earnings disappointed investors, but analysts believe the short-term pain does not reflect SAP's long-term prospects as it more fully commits to the cloud.

• October 26, 2020 26 Oct'20

  OpenText cloud suite adds developer, experience features

  OpenText releases Cloud Edition 20.4, which gives users more development tools. It also adds applications to OpenText's burgeoning digital experience platform.

• October 26, 2020 26 Oct'20

  Crafts Technology manages COVID-19 changes with ECI JobBoss

  Crafts Technology, a medium-sized manufacturer that performs small-volume jobs, is using ECI JobBoss ERP software to manage workplace changes from the COVID-19 pandemic.

• October 26, 2020 26 Oct'20

  Employers scramble to build upskilling, reskilling programs

  Robotics, automation and the COVID-19 pandemic have governments and private businesses trying out new ways for rapidly upskilling and reskilling employees and, more broadly, the workforce.

• October 23, 2020 23 Oct'20

  Hyland acquires Alfresco ECM, content services

  Hyland scoops up Alfresco in a CMS market consolidation. An expert says it's a good fit because Hyland's platform needs the accelerated cloud modernization that Alfresco can provide.

• October 22, 2020 22 Oct'20

  RingCentral offers bulk SMS for reaching customers

  A high-volume SMS API will let RingCentral users send thousands of messages at a time, a move that should help customers with sales and marketing promotions.

• October 22, 2020 22 Oct'20

  CEOs discuss Twilio's Segment customer data platform buy

  Twilio plans to acquire Segment's customer data platform for $3.2 billion. The CEOs for both companies discuss the deal and 'the great digital acceleration' caused by COVID-19.

• October 21, 2020 21 Oct'20

  Partnerships add more supply chain visibility to SAP LBN

  New SAP Logistics Business Network partnerships provide users with key logistics data on shipment location and estimated arrival times for road, freight and ocean shipments.

• October 20, 2020 20 Oct'20

  Salesforce Work.com gets customer, employee experience tools

  Salesforce continues to build out Work.com as a place for broadcasting pandemic-specific employee and customer communications, as well as to enable remote work.

• October 20, 2020 20 Oct'20

  Acquia Drupal, Marketing Cloud get feature boosts

  Acquia users get Drupal migration tools and marketing automation features built with technology from recent acquisitions as the company expands its digital experience platform.

• October 19, 2020 19 Oct'20

  Tensions over politics at work have HR on guard

  Politics at work may hurt productivity and office harmony. One strategy for defusing a charged atmosphere may be to get employees focused on shared goals.

• October 19, 2020 19 Oct'20

  Celonis expands to action with Execution Management System

  Celonis released the Execution Management System, which enables companies to automate actions in operational processes, improving business capacity and process efficiency.

• October 16, 2020 16 Oct'20

  5G isn't for the iPhone 12 buyer

  U.S. carriers are years away from delivering reliable 5G service nationwide, so the supporting technology in the iPhone 12 is not a reason to buy Apple's latest smartphone.

• October 16, 2020 16 Oct'20

  Unit4 plans to release next-gen ERP platform, Unit4 ERPx

  Unit4 said people-focused companies need people-centric ERP platforms. Unit4 ERPx, due out in March, aims to be just that.

• October 15, 2020 15 Oct'20

  Zoom opens marketplace to apps that run within its platform

  Zoom plans to introduce by the end of the year nearly three dozen third-party extensions to its video conferencing platform. Zoom will offer the apps in its marketplace.

• October 15, 2020 15 Oct'20

  As contingent employee hiring rises, HR gives it focus

  The use of contingent employees is increasing, Gartner said, and with it an interest from HR departments for better control over the contingent worker experience.

• October 14, 2020 14 Oct'20

  SAP CDP the latest customer data platform on a crowded block

  SAP released a customer data platform, following its CX platform competitors Microsoft, Salesforce, Adobe and Oracle. The SAP CDP extends outside of the common marketing use case.

• October 13, 2020 13 Oct'20

  Post-pandemic workplace will be roomier and Zoom-ready

  The post-pandemic workplace will deliver roomier office spaces with better environmental conditions. They will be designed with sharing in mind for flexible scheduling.

• October 13, 2020 13 Oct'20

  Mac users key in defending against Apple T2 chip flaw

  IT pros should lean on Mac users to protect corporate networks against exploiters of the Apple T2 chip vulnerability. Hard drive encryption will also help defend against attackers.

• October 09, 2020 09 Oct'20

  Slack introduces cross-company direct messaging

  Slack plans to launch the new messaging feature next year. New capabilities set for this year include audio and video messaging and verification of participants in shared channels.

• October 09, 2020 09 Oct'20

  How 2 S/4HANA projects wrapped up remotely due to COVID-19

  Here's how two SAP S/4HANA migration projects by De Nora Group and Vistaprint were completed on time after the COVID-19 crisis forced the implementation teams to work remotely.

• October 08, 2020 08 Oct'20

  Hyland Software CEO discusses Alfresco, RPA, blockchain

  Hyland moves on incorporating Another Monday RPA, Learning Machine blockchain credentials into its platform. Alfresco integration waits in the wings as acquisition closes.

• October 08, 2020 08 Oct'20

  Trump's H-1B work visa pay hike already in trouble

  President Trump proposed raising H-1B wages in 2016 while on the campaign trail but delivered his proposal one month before the 2020 election.

• October 08, 2020 08 Oct'20

  Google announces G Suite overhaul with Google Workspace

  The new Google Workspace will let people use Meet or Chat to collaborate on projects while working in the office suite's other products, including Docs, Sheets or Slides.

• October 08, 2020 08 Oct'20

  Twilio adds video developer tools, field service app, Flex apps

  The developer-centric UCaaS vendor Twilio offers users new tools to support video chat, field service workers and aggregation of customer activity data.

• October 07, 2020 07 Oct'20

  Wookey returns to SAP to head Intelligent Spend unit

  Industry veteran John Wookey is back at SAP to run the newly formed SAP Intelligent Spend and Business Network as SAP Ariba executive Chris Haydon departs.

• October 07, 2020 07 Oct'20

  Lenovo launching the first foldable PC, the ThinkPad X1 Fold

  Lenovo touted the ThinkPad X1 Fold as a unified experience for workers who use laptops and tablets. The company has started taking orders.

• October 06, 2020 06 Oct'20

  Pega Value Finder marketing tool uses AI to find segments

  The Pega Customer Decision Hub adds an AI tool for marketers to uncover new customer segments and test campaigns for audiences that humans may have written off as not viable.

• October 06, 2020 06 Oct'20

  HireVue acquires recruiting chatbot startup AllyO

  HireVue, a video interviewing vendor, has acquired AllyO, a startup that makes chatbot technology for use in high-volume hiring.

• October 05, 2020 05 Oct'20

  Jamf Pro Intune integration targets compliance, zero trust

  Find out how the new Jamf Pro integration with Microsoft Intune's conditional access can simplify the back-end management of user authentication for macOS devices in the enterprise.

• October 02, 2020 02 Oct'20

  Virtual workforce adopted in the Heartland

  Signs are emerging that a long-term shift to remote work post-pandemic is gaining traction far from the high-tech centers. They'll save on office space and please employees.

• October 02, 2020 02 Oct'20

  Digital transformation requires upskilling and reskilling

  Manufacturers undergoing digital transformation must address workers' skills gaps, but new technology shouldn't be imposed from above without early input and buy-in from workers.

• October 01, 2020 01 Oct'20

  Microsoft CDP adds cross-channel analytics

  Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights CDP adds integrations with other CX systems that perform analytics, customer data governance and sentiment analysis.

• September 30, 2020 30 Sep'20

  Rollout of Google Meet attendance report paused

  G Suite Enterprise for Education will soon allow teachers to track who is in class and who is absent with an attendance report on its video conferencing app Google Meet.

• September 30, 2020 30 Sep'20

  Salesforce Vlocity acquisition gives rise to new industry clouds

  Four new vertical-specific clouds debut from Salesforce -- for media, telcos, government and utilities -- as fruits of its Vlocity acquisition earlier this year.