Businessman with headphones smiling during video conference. Multi-ethnic men and women… [+] Experts are participating in an online meeting. They are discussing business strategy.
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Here are five things that happened in the tech industry this week and how they impact your business. Were you lonely?
1 to 23 work-from-home technology products to level up your office.
PCWorld has introduced a long list of “Work from Home Essentials” that we recommend to improve your productivity and home office environment. That includes his Logitech C920e webcam for virtual meetings. Crisp resolution and autofocus capabilities are just a few of the notable specs. Lamicall's adjustable laptop stands are known for their support even when you're in front of a screen all day. The Hiearcool USB-C has several connections including microSD and USB-A ports and is only $25. Logitech's MK540 wireless keyboard and mouse combo is listed for its affordable price and performance. See the link for the complete list. (Source: PCWorld)
Why this is important for your business:
With all of us working remotely these days, I found this list really useful. I also purchased several products from this list.
2 – DailyPay provides access to earned wages to small businesses across the country.
Payment platform DailyPay is expanding its services to small and medium-sized businesses with fewer than 400 employees, the company announced in a press release. As recent research has shown, services like DailyPay that provide employees with “access to earned wages” and flexibility in when they receive their payments are a growing practice. (Source: PRNewswire)
Why this is important for your business:
I've been writing and speaking about access to earned wages for a while, but one of the limitations has been that platforms like DailyPay are only available to large companies. But no more. Providing earned wage access solutions can greatly benefit your employees, especially when 60% of your employees live paycheck to paycheck. It can make the difference between hiring or losing your next top talent.
3 – Ransom payments increase by 500%, reaching an average of $2 million.
InfoSec's James Coker reports that the amount of money lost to ransom attacks is skyrocketing. Payment amounts increased by 500% compared to 2023 (Source: Infosecurity Magazine, PRNewswire)
Why this is important for your business:
Coker said that cybersecurity company Sophos and its 2024 ransomware show that 63 percent (almost two-thirds) were ransom demands of $1 million or more, and 30 percent were for more than $5 million. Citing the status report. Related to ransomware statistics, cybersecurity company SonicWall released a report on the “Top 5 Most Widespread Network Attacks” used against small and medium-sized businesses. The most commonly used one, affecting 43% of SMBs, is known as Log4j. This vulnerability, discovered in 2021, is one of the most widely deployed vulnerabilities, allowing hackers to use malicious scripts to expose passwords and other sensitive information on Windows and Linux systems. 1” (worldwide).
What is your best defense? training!
4 – Amazon introduces AI assistant.
Amazon's AI assistant – Amazon Q – gives business owners and developers access to features that leverage data, software development, and applications to improve productivity. As detailed on the AWS blog, QuickSight has three of his professional assistants: Amazon Q Business, Amazon Q Developer, and Amazon Q. A breakdown of each assistant is provided in a video on the AWS Blog. (Source: ZDNet)
Why this is important for your business:
With Amazon Q Business, you can create apps based on the insights of your employees who are looking to streamline tasks or find more efficient ways to organize and retrieve data. The assistant builds the specified app depending on the input you provide. Developers can use Amazon Q Developer to request “real-time code suggestions” to speed up the process of working with Java.
5 – Microsoft Teams added many new features in April 2024, including multi-turn chat with Copilot.
Microsoft Teams is newly updated with features like Microsoft Planner, a task management app that helps you organize your task management and project schedules. Multi-turn chat – After Microsoft Copilot creates a chat summary, users can ask follow-up questions. You can also create town halls for multiple team members with real-time captions available in six different languages. It also makes it easier to retrieve and attach files during a chat session. (Source: Neowin)
Why this is important for your business:
We highly recommend hiring a Microsoft consultant to review all Teams features with your group. why? Because you're definitely using a small portion of what's available to you at your company…and you're paying for it.
