News

News

• February 07, 2020 07 Feb'20

  BlackBerry smartphones pact will lapse, marking end of an era

  With the end of a BlackBerry devices licensing agreement, will the iconic smartphone brand disappear from the market? Experts discuss the company and its legacy.

• February 06, 2020 06 Feb'20

  Salesforce layoffs hit Customer Success at end of fiscal year

  Salesforce, a pioneer in customer success, has laid off what is rumored to be more than 1,000 Customer Success employees.

• February 06, 2020 06 Feb'20

  Avaya wants CCaaS to be included in RingCentral partnership

  Avaya will attempt to expand its partnership with RingCentral to include its upcoming CCaaS offering.

• February 05, 2020 05 Feb'20

  Workspot launches Cloud Desktop Fabric

  Workspot claims its new Cloud Desktop Fabric architecture will improve virtual desktop performance by connecting users to the cloud resources closest to them.

• February 05, 2020 05 Feb'20

  Avaya details feature roadmap for Avaya Cloud Office by RingCentral

  Avaya provided new details this week on the special features it will add to Avaya Cloud Office to make it different from RingCentral's product.

• February 05, 2020 05 Feb'20

  Analysts see Infor-Koch combo boosting ERP vendor

  ERP vendor Infor will soon be a subsidiary of Koch Industries, a $110 billion multinational firm.

• February 04, 2020 04 Feb'20

  Coronavirus puts attention on business pandemic plans

  The coronavirus is making pandemic planning a business issue, once again. The last time businesses had to consider this problem was in 2009, with the H1N1 virus.

• February 04, 2020 04 Feb'20

  Iowa election voting app snafu: a lack of testing?

  An inadequately tested mobile app may have contributed to the confusion surrounding last night's Iowa Democratic Party Caucus, something experts said underlined the importance of developers testing ...

• February 04, 2020 04 Feb'20

  Deadline extended for SAP Business Suite 7

  Business Suite 7 will receive mainstream maintenance until 2027, a decision industry observers say reflects the difficulty of an S/4HANA migration.

• February 04, 2020 04 Feb'20

  Experts: Salesforce Evergage acquisition for personalization, not CDP

  Salesforce acquires Evergage, which offers personalization and a customer data platform. Analysts say Salesforce bought the tech for the personalization -- not to add to its CDP.

• February 03, 2020 03 Feb'20

  Microsoft Teams outage sparks user anger, needling

  Microsoft Teams users took to Twitter to express frustration and sarcasm over a two-hour outage caused by an expired authentication certificate.

• February 03, 2020 03 Feb'20

  Will Microsoft's Surface Duo phone conquer the enterprise?

  Will businesses find a use for -- and will developers build apps for -- Microsoft's upcoming dual-screen Surface Duo phone? Experts say they can only speculate for now.

• February 03, 2020 03 Feb'20

  SAP cloud revenue up, S/4HANA adoption still slow

  Although SAP reported impressive revenue and cloud growth for 2019, it remains challenged to get the majority of its installed customer base onto S/4HANA.

• January 31, 2020 31 Jan'20

  Target CIO leads retailer's digital customer experience tech makeover

  Target rebuilt its technology stack from the inside under CIO Michael McNamara's watch, and plans to further refine its digital e-commerce experience.

• January 31, 2020 31 Jan'20

  Worker engagement is everyone's responsibility -- even IT's

  Employee experience has become a catch-all phrase for every part of an employee's interaction with a company. Does that include IT? Experts say yes.

• January 31, 2020 31 Jan'20

  Workspace focus splits virtualization market

  The once-stable virtualization market is changing as some vendors begin to think more about workspaces. In this Q&A, IDC's Shannon Kalvar talks about what it all means.

• January 31, 2020 31 Jan'20

  Report: Nearly one-third of Office 365 customers also use G Suite

  The number of Office 365 customers also using G Suite has risen in recent years, according to a report by single sign-on vendor Okta.

• January 30, 2020 30 Jan'20

  For one company, an ERP project failure is now a court battle

  ERP projects often run into delays and cost overruns, but some actually fail. That's what happened to one Florida-based manufacturing firm.

• January 30, 2020 30 Jan'20

  Acumatica cloud ERP tightens focus on SMB market

  At Acumatica Summit 2020, the cloud-based ERP company announced new manufacturing features, a new Payroll module and a new acquisition of JAAS Systems.

• January 30, 2020 30 Jan'20

  Zoom Phone adds features to catch up with UCaaS leaders

  Zoom Phone users are getting new ways to use the product with Zoom Meetings, as the vendor continues to build out its nascent UCaaS service.

• January 29, 2020 29 Jan'20

  Totango introduces customer success tool Dynamic Assignment

  Dynamic Assignment is a new feature in the Totango Spark that allows service providers to quickly sift through customer success managers to find one who will exactly fit a customer's needs.

• January 29, 2020 29 Jan'20

  Endpoint security key asset in $1.42B OpenText Carbonite acquisition

  OpenText's chief product officer discusses how the recently acquired Carbonite -- which had recently acquired Webroot -- fits into the content services provider's product roadmap.

• January 29, 2020 29 Jan'20

  Attrition reduction is leading goal in HR trends report

  The way to keep millennials around is through better pay, according to a new LinkedIn study. And compensation remains a top attrition-reducing tool all around, but it's not necessarily the most important one.

• January 29, 2020 29 Jan'20

  Cisco to release add-on for Webex meeting transcription

  A new transcription service from Cisco will help users take notes during Webex meetings.

• January 24, 2020 24 Jan'20

  Retail facial recognition and eye tracking the next tech wave, maybe

  Biometric data is the last frontier of the shopping experience, as eye-tracking and facial recognition technologies slowly weave their way into the retail tech stack.

• January 24, 2020 24 Jan'20

  SAP S/4HANA migration should be business-driven

  In this Q&A, Ekrem Hatip of Syntax Systems discusses what SAP customers need to consider as they embark on an SAP S/4HANA migration. It should be driven by business, not IT needs.

• January 24, 2020 24 Jan'20

  Microsoft faces hurdles in selling Teams to first-line workers

  Microsoft is a long way from convincing businesses with first-line workforces to buy the collaboration app Microsoft Teams, analysts said.

• January 24, 2020 24 Jan'20

  Windows 7 sunset gives PC market a boost in 2019

  Does the growth of the PC market in 2019 reflect an increased appetite for the devices? Experts discuss the PC's role in the workplace and the influence of the Windows 7 sunset.

• January 22, 2020 22 Jan'20

  Impact of AI on jobs goes on the presidential campaign trail

  The impact of AI on jobs is a major issue for employers, who are struggling with how to address it. Robots, automation and AI have become political issues as well.

• January 21, 2020 21 Jan'20

  HubSpot adds usability features to Marketing Hub Enterprise

  HubSpot launched new features to their Marketing Hub Enterprise tool that focuses on user-friendliness and ability, while maintaining the tool's powerfulness.

• January 20, 2020 20 Jan'20

  Executive shuffle rolls through ERP industry

  2019 was a year for change in the executive ranks of SAP and other ERP vendors, as the companies face struggles in moving their large on-premises installed bases to the cloud.

• January 17, 2020 17 Jan'20

  Cisco Webex Edge for Devices links on-prem endpoints to cloud

  With Webex Edge for Devices, companies can connect on-premises video endpoints to the cloud, unlocking features such as the Webex Assistant.

• January 16, 2020 16 Jan'20

  Google Cloud retail strategy provides search, hosting, AI for stores

  With new Google Cloud Platform tools for retailers, the search giant takes on Microsoft and AWS with its own flavor of AI and promises of better uptime.

• January 16, 2020 16 Jan'20

  With support for Windows 7 ending, a look back at the OS

  With support for Windows 7 ending and Microsoft ushering in the end of life for the OS, tech experts and IT pros look back at its legacy of reliability and stability.

• January 15, 2020 15 Jan'20

  Ex-SAP exec steers Episerver CMS toward digital experience market

  Alex Atzberger discusses leaving the helm of SAP's CX platform to become Episerver CEO. Now, Episerver looks to reinvent itself as a digital experience platform provider.

• January 15, 2020 15 Jan'20

  For insider threat programs, HR should provide checks and balances

  Insider threat programs may backfire if employees feel they are intrusive and violate privacy, Forrester Research warns. Making sure these programs don't go too far should fall to HR.

• January 15, 2020 15 Jan'20

  Launch of Microsoft Teams, consumer Skype integration set for Q1

  Integration between Microsoft Teams and consumer Skype is now scheduled to launch sometime in the first quarter. Previously, the vendor said it would go live this month.

• January 14, 2020 14 Jan'20

  SAP competitors see openings with S/4HANA qualms

  SAP customers may consider other ERP vendors as the clock speeds up for the 2025 support end for ECC, but some observers believe a move to another vendor may be just as difficult.

• January 13, 2020 13 Jan'20

  Microsoft, Salesforce, Oracle launch retail customer experience tools

  Retailers get new tools from leading customer experience platform vendors to better compete with online-only rivals.

• January 10, 2020 10 Jan'20

  Elastic Path acquires Moltin for headless commerce, microservices

  Elastic Path's headless approach to e-commerce takes a step in the SaaS direction as it acquires Moltin, which specializes in microservices to enable online sales.

• January 10, 2020 10 Jan'20

  Better HR security could help thwart Iranian cyberattack

  HR departments have a broad role to help protect their firms from Iranian cyberattacks. The security efforts include helping with continuous training and rethinking how to protect employee records.

• January 10, 2020 10 Jan'20

  Microsoft Teams to add smartphone walkie-talkie feature

  Microsoft Teams is getting a smartphone walkie-talkie app. The feature is expected to launch in private preview by mid-2020.

• January 10, 2020 10 Jan'20

  5G connectivity won't be enterprise-ready in 2020

  Despite hype and new device announcements, experts expect 5G will take time to catch on in the enterprise. The tech has potential, but not all the necessary factors are in place.

• January 09, 2020 09 Jan'20

  Customer experience world catches up on CCPA regulations

  GDPR compliance has put many marketing, sales, e-commerce and customer service teams somewhat in line with the California Consumer Privacy Act. There are some differences, however.

• January 08, 2020 08 Jan'20

  Lenovo launches latest video phone for Microsoft Teams

  Lenovo has released a tabletop video calling device for Microsoft Teams designed for home offices, personal desks and the smallest meeting rooms.

• January 07, 2020 07 Jan'20

  It's a foldable PC: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold hands-on preview

  The much-awaited Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold headlined the vendor's CES 2020 appearance, accompanied by upgrades to two of its flagship laptops -- the ThinkPad X1 Carbon and Yoga.

• January 06, 2020 06 Jan'20

  Pressure grows on HR to improve talent retention, hiring

  Training is a high priority for technical talent, but training budgets rise and fall with the labor market, according to data from the Society for Information Management.

• January 03, 2020 03 Jan'20

  Will Microsoft's Edge start a new browser war?

  Analysts say the new browser fight between Google and Microsoft could be about the future of work, as enterprises increasingly move to web applications.

• January 03, 2020 03 Jan'20

  SAP Data Hub opens predictive possibilities at Paul Hartmann

  When medical supply firm Paul Hartmann AG tested a supply chain analysis system built on SAP Data Hub, it found that it could predict demand better than the company's sales team.

• January 02, 2020 02 Jan'20

  Box vs. Dropbox outages in 2019

  In this infographic, we present a timeline of significant service disruptions in 2019 for Box vs. Dropbox.

• December 23, 2019 23 Dec'19

  HR vendors to watch in 2020

  Analysts make note of some of the HR vendors to watch in 2020. Their recommendations cover a spectrum of HR needs and services. Many of the vendors are small and still niche.

• December 23, 2019 23 Dec'19

  4 cloud UC partnerships to watch in 2020

  In 2020, partnerships between cloud UC vendors will help shape the market. Here are four key relationships to watch next year.

• December 23, 2019 23 Dec'19

  Office 365 vs. G Suite: Google embraces UC to rival Microsoft

  It's a battle that's been playing out for years: Office 365 vs. G Suite. In 2020, Google will enhance its UC offerings as it continues to chase Microsoft.

• December 23, 2019 23 Dec'19

  Customer data platform tools top priority list for big vendors

  CDPs, which unify marketing, sales and customer service data in real time, became a huge priority for Salesforce, Microsoft, SAP, Adobe and Oracle in 2019. Read about what's next for 2020.

• December 20, 2019 20 Dec'19

  Affect recognition technology in crosshairs of Illinois lawmaker

  The Illinois lawmaker who authored the first AI hiring bill has another in the works. This time, he's focused on the use of AI to identify emotions, or affect recognition.

• December 20, 2019 20 Dec'19

  Windows 10 issues continue with Autopilot update

  Microsoft recently rolled out a Windows 10 update to general users that was intended only for Autopilot-configured machines. After past issues, are users comfortable with Windows OS updates?

• December 19, 2019 19 Dec'19

  Microsoft Teams, consumer Skype interoperability launches in January

  The upcoming integration between Microsoft Teams and consumer Skype will let users of each app message and call one another.

• December 16, 2019 16 Dec'19

  Deloitte launches Adobe Experience Platform accelerator

  Deloitte-Adobe global joint strategic partnership for Adobe CDP deployments adds AI tools for Deloitte clients to measure customer experience on standard metrics.

• December 16, 2019 16 Dec'19

  5 end-user computing trends for 2020

  With Windows 7 coming to an end and more businesses developing cloud strategies, 2020 is set to bring end-user computing changes for IT. Here are five trends to watch.

• December 16, 2019 16 Dec'19

  Episerver expands B2B e-commerce footprint with Insite acquisition

  Episerver's latest purchase expands its DX platform. It follows a trend of web CMS companies moving into territory dominated by Oracle, Salesforce, Adobe, Microsoft and SAP.

• December 13, 2019 13 Dec'19

  MS Unveils New Win10 Icon and More

  In a blog post to medium.com, CVP Jon Friedman talks about MS unveils new Win10 icon and the general icon redesign effort behind it all. Great stuff!

• December 13, 2019 13 Dec'19

  Qualtrics XM adds mobile, AI, information governance

  SAP's influence is reflected in some new features Qualtrics revealed in its XM customer and employee experience measurement platform.

• December 13, 2019 13 Dec'19

  US Army HR expects migration to Azure cloud will cut IT costs

  The U.S. Army civilian HR operations is hoping for lower operational costs and improved services with a shift to the Microsoft Azure cloud.

• December 13, 2019 13 Dec'19

  RPA in manufacturing increases efficiency, reduces costs

  In this Q&A, Shibaji Das of UiPath discusses why manufacturers should implement RPA to improve efficiency, help with ERP system upgrades, increase ROI and reduce costs.

• December 12, 2019 12 Dec'19

  Microsoft Teams for Linux launches in public preview

  The release of Microsoft Teams for Linux is welcome news to software engineers, who have been pressuring Microsoft to support the open source operating system for years.

• December 12, 2019 12 Dec'19

  H-1B lottery change may drive increase in visa applicants

  The U.S. is launching an H-1B electronic registration system in March. It should make the process of applying for a visa easier, users say. That is if it works.

• December 12, 2019 12 Dec'19

  Microsoft offers few upgrades for Skype server in 2019

  Microsoft has eschewed investments in Skype server in the hopes of convincing more customers to adopt cloud-based Microsoft Teams.

• December 11, 2019 11 Dec'19

  Acquia acquisition of AgilOne CDP signals CX platform expansion

  Acquia's acquisition of AgilOne, a customer data platform specializing in analytics, shows it's serious about competing against CX platforms from Adobe, Oracle and SAP.

• December 09, 2019 09 Dec'19

  As hiring booms, HR survey raises warning for recruiters

  Job candidates will reject a job offer if the employer makes missteps in the recruiting process, a new HR survey reports.

• December 09, 2019 09 Dec'19

  China Says No Mo Windows or PCs Starting 2022

  China Says No Mo Windows or PCs Starting 2022, meaning that it won't use non-Chinese software or OSes after that date. Can the Communist Party order up a new OS that fast? We'll see.

• December 09, 2019 09 Dec'19

  Process mining software pulls back curtains on how processes work

  Here's what two vendors, Celonis and Signavio, offer in the emerging field of process mining software, which enables organizations to better understand business processes.

• December 06, 2019 06 Dec'19

  Microsoft extends Office 365 benefit to nonprofit volunteers

  Thursday's announcement extends the company's September offering of 10 free Microsoft 365 Business licenses for nonprofits' employees to their volunteers.

• December 06, 2019 06 Dec'19

  Benefits of virtualization highlighted in top 10 stories of 2019

  Based on our top 10 most-read stories of 2019, IT pros sought to learn the benefits of virtualization, as well as the drawbacks, as the technology gained ground.

• December 06, 2019 06 Dec'19

  Zoom Chat update takes vendor further beyond video

  The latest enhancements to Zoom Chat come as the video conferencing vendor pushes more aggressively into the cloud calling market.

• December 06, 2019 06 Dec'19

  IT's technology experience problem gets HR tool

  Technology deployments have been blamed for loss of productivity and even employee resignations. A new tool from Qualtrics could help IT get on top of bad tech experiences.

• December 05, 2019 05 Dec'19

  AppExchange, acquisitions key to the future of Salesforce

  In the first 20 years of Salesforce's history, acquisitions and products drove rapid growth. In the next 20, AppExchange partners will play a crucial role in the company's growth.

• December 05, 2019 05 Dec'19

  Epicor ERP system focuses on distribution

  Companies like Jergens Industrial Supply are favoring purpose-built ERP systems like Epicor Prophet 21 for distributors over comprehensive ERPs that need customizations.

• December 05, 2019 05 Dec'19

  Salesforce Trailblazer community must keep pace to fuel growth

  Salesforce Trailhead's mission is to provide current and prospective customers with admins and developers. Growing that talent pool is crucial to Salesforce's health.

• December 04, 2019 04 Dec'19

  New capabilities added to Alfresco Governance Services

  The updates are intended to secure electronically stored information residing across different locations in light of recent regulatory changes, including the GDPR, FOIA and CCPA.

• December 04, 2019 04 Dec'19

  Windows 10 issues top list of most read stories for IT pros

  IT pros seemed focused on the latest Microsoft OS, based on our most read stories for 2019. That may not come as a surprise, given next month's end-of-life deadline for Windows 7.

• December 03, 2019 03 Dec'19

  Cornell researchers call for AI transparency in automated hiring

  Researchers at Cornell University want vendors to disclose how automated hiring systems are making hiring recommendations. They say it's the only way to know they're fair.

• November 27, 2019 27 Nov'19

  Cisco cries foul over security flaw in Zoom Connector

  A flaw in Zoom's gateway for managing third-party video devices left customers vulnerable to snooping. Cisco criticized the vendor for failing to use the proper APIs to design the service.

• November 26, 2019 26 Nov'19

  Aviso introduces version 2.0 of AI-guided sales platform

  Version 2.0 provides artificial intelligence tools that predict deal close probabilities, guide next best actions and limit typos and unsaved changes during entry of data.

• November 25, 2019 25 Nov'19

  Thanksgiving Break 2019

  I'll be taking this week off from blogging, so I'll wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous long holiday weekend instead. Cheers!

• November 21, 2019 21 Nov'19

  Salesforce Trailhead app makes learning more convenient

  Learning Salesforce skills and boosting career potential gets easier with the new mobile app, Trailhead Go. Customers explore how they can take advantage of it.

• November 21, 2019 21 Nov'19

  Salesforce Dreamforce 2019 news, events and highlights

  Dreamforce 2019, Nov. 19 to 22 in San Francisco, promises a variety of announcements and events. Follow this guide for all the happenings during the conference.

• November 21, 2019 21 Nov'19

  New Salesforce Customer 360 aims to unify data sources

  In aggregate, the new Customer 360 features Salesforce added to its sales, marketing, e-commerce and service platform resemble a customer data platform. Customers, analysts and partners weigh in.

• November 21, 2019 21 Nov'19

  Avaya revenue slump expected to continue in 2020

  Avaya revenue fell short of projections in the fourth fiscal quarter, capping a year of disappointing returns. The company told investors that revenue would likely decline in 2020.

• November 21, 2019 21 Nov'19

  7 demand planning strategies to beat the competition

  Today's supply chain management rests on refining your demand forecasting and creating partnerships. Here's a look at what that means.

• November 20, 2019 20 Nov'19

  Microsoft Teams reaches 20 million users, threatening Slack

  Microsoft Teams has pulled well ahead of Slack with 20 million daily active users. Adoption of Teams will likely continue among the 200 million workers using Office 365.

• November 20, 2019 20 Nov'19

  How Salesforce mobile Einstein Voice Assistant can improve CX

  The Salesforce mobile app’s Einstein Voice Assistant brings a variety of benefits to customers. The AI-enabled tool creates a more human interaction and could help improve self-service.

• November 19, 2019 19 Nov'19

  As politics heat up, so do hiring bias worries

  The political polarization in the nation is also causing problems in the workplace. Political discussions are more common, and it may impact hiring choices.

• November 19, 2019 19 Nov'19

  Salesforce Service Cloud Voice, Einstein Voice Assistant unveiled

  Salesforce unveils a voice assistant and call center tools to enable real-time natural language processing for agents to connect customer data and supervisor help on a single screen.

• November 18, 2019 18 Nov'19

  Oracle expands Customer Experience platform with Oracle Digital Sales

  Features of the new CRM tool include Oracle Digital Assistant and a user interface that brings tasks frequently done by sales reps into one place to reduce data entries and clicks.

• November 18, 2019 18 Nov'19

  Salesforce mobile app, Trailhead Go rebuilt for iOS

  Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and Apple CEO Tim Cook take the Dreamforce stage as a rebuilt-for-iOS Salesforce Mobile, new Trailhead Go app and Swift-optimized mobile SDK debut.

• November 15, 2019 15 Nov'19

  8x8 Video Meetings launches for free in challenge to Zoom

  8x8 Video Meetings has launched as a free, stand-alone app. It will rival free versions of Zoom and GoToMeeting, as 8x8 looks to use the offering to funnel businesses into its UCaaS platform.

• November 14, 2019 14 Nov'19

  Adobe Experience Platform CDP adds marketer-friendly features

  Adobe adds features for non-IT marketing users to more easily deploy the Adobe Experience Platform CDP. Photoshop-like layering tools for data sets, previewed earlier this year, go live.

• November 14, 2019 14 Nov'19

  Acquia cloud CMS on AWS, Vista cash flow raise user expectations

  Acquia's new venture backing and customer experience cloud apps precipitate a need for easier integrations and setup for future releases, customers and partners said.

• November 14, 2019 14 Nov'19

  Amazon Chime gets integration with Dolby Voice Room

  Amazon Chime now integrates with Dolby Voice Room, a hardware kit for small and midsize meeting rooms. It's Amazon Chime's first pre-integrated room system.

• November 14, 2019 14 Nov'19

  Salesforce.org Education Cloud updates enhance student engagement

  New Salesforce.org Education Cloud features assist with degree planning, setting up adviser appointments and getting a more well-rounded view of students.