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☆ For one energy company, digital transformation was the catalyst for positive social impact
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Lenovo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Gas distributor SGN uses Lenovo's suite of products to help vulnerable customers out in the field. This human-centered approach honors Lenovo's commitment to innovation, while ensuring that SGN makes a positive social impact. The gas distributor uses Lenovo's whole ecosystem of products, including its moto g31 smartphones and ThinkPad X13 devices, to access digital resources to help vulnerable customers in the field. In turn, using Lenovo's products helps SGN to have a positive impact. Using a variety of Lenovo equipment plus Microsoft Teams software has enabled the company to achieve excellence when it comes to digital transformation.

☆ Microsoft's landmark deal with OpenAI shows that ChatGPT is going to be the defining technology of 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

It remains to be seen how generative AI will transform our lives, but the tech is here to stay. In 2022, investors put at least $1.37 billion into generative AI startups, usually at the seed stage. Why this iteration of ChatGPT made generative AI so popular right nowIt's important to note that nothing about ChatGPT or generative AI is especially new or novel. In other words, OpenAI's real innovation was taking AI technology that was already out there and making it something that was easy and accessible to anybody. That's one reason why there will be a lot more business uses for generative AI technology than consumer use cases in the near term, said Mark Shmulik, a Bernstein analyst.

☆ Supernormal, a generative AI startup that automates meeting notes, just raised $10 million. Check out the 17-slide pitch deck it used to bag the seed round.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Supernormal, a startup in the red-hot generative AI sector, just raised $10 million. The startup uses AI to take notes from meetings in real time and sends them instantly afterward. We got an exclusive look at the 17-slide pitch deck Supernormal used to raise the cash. Supernormal, a startup in the red-hot generative AI sector, has raised $10 million in a seed round led by Revolut and Citymapper investor Balderton. The company, which uses AI to automate meeting notes, was founded in 2020 by former Meta and Klarna product manager Colin Treseler and ex-Github design lead Fabian Perez.

☆ Microsoft cloud outage hits users around the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Akriti Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Microsoft Teams app is seen on the smartphone placed on the keyboard in this illustration taken, July 26, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationJan 25 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) on Wednesday was hit with a networking outage that took down its cloud platform Azure along with services such as Teams and Outlook, potentially affecting millions of users globally. "We've determined the network connectivity issue is occurring with devices across the Microsoft Wide Area Network (WAN)," Microsoft said. During the outage, users faced problems in exchanging messages, join calls or use any features of Teams application. Among the other services affected were Microsoft Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, according to the company's status page.

☆ Microsoft probes outage issues into Teams, Outlook services
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen in Los Angeles, California U.S. November 7, 2017. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo/File PhotoJan 25 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) said on Wednesday it was investigating an outage, which left thousands of users in India unable to access the website's multiple services including Teams and Outlook. Downdetector.com, which tracks outages through a range of sources including user reports, showed there were more than 3,700 incidents of people reporting issues with Microsoft Teams in India. Reporting by Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Microsoft Services Back Online After Morning Outages
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Daniel Victor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Microsoft restored access to its email and video conferencing tools on Wednesday after thousands of users were unable to connect to the services for hours. The outage, which affected Microsoft 365 products including Outlook and Microsoft Teams, began shortly after 2 a.m. Eastern time. The company said on Twitter around 5 a.m. Eastern time that it had “isolated the problem to a networking configuration issue.”At 7:45 a.m., the company said all of its services were available. The programs are crucial for many businesses, who were temporarily left without key communication services. The company did not say how many users were affected, but thousands of people reported outages, with some people grousing on social media.

☆ Hasbro delays new Dungeons & Dragons licensing rules following fan backlash
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

CNBC obtained copies of Hasbro's reformed licensing agreements — open game license 1.1 and an FAQ section for OGL 2.0. Leaders in the Dungeons & Dragons community greeted the news of the delay with cautious optimism. The attempt to create a new game license comes as Wizards of the Coast looks capitalize on a surge in popularity of Dungeons & Dragons. Chaotic neutralThe reworking of Hasbro's open game license is not an unexpected move for the business, MKM's Handler said. There were growing concerns that the community would fracture if publishers were forced to move away from the Dungeons & Dragons game mechanics to develop their own gaming systems.

☆ Atlantic Equities downgrades Salesforce, warns executive departures and slowed growth could hurt software stock
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Salesforce has been hit with a series of challenges that could push its share price down further, according to Atlantic Equities. Sazel lowered his price target by $60 to $140, which presents a 6.4% downside from Thursday's close. "We are downgrading Salesforce to Neutral on execution concerns, the broad C-suite management exodus and a risk of slower-than-expected revenue growth," he said in a note to clients Friday. Sazel said a lack of cost efficiency in sales and marketing could disrupt revenue growth. That means slowing revenue growth, with its current revenue performance obligation "deteriorating" from 21% to 11% over the past three quarters, the analyst noted.

☆ Salesforce Customers Not Swayed by Slack, Analysts Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Salesforce reported about $402 million in Slack subscription and support revenue in the fiscal third quarter ending Oct. 31. Meanwhile, on Wednesday Salesforce said it would lay off 10% of its workforce as customers take a more cautious approach to spending. “The Slack acquisition by Salesforce has not changed the trajectory of Salesforce up or down,” said Tim Crawford, CIO strategic adviser at Los Angeles-based enterprise IT advisory firm AVOA. “That’s really the struggle for customers, to maintain the pace with a company like Salesforce,” he said. Forrester’s Ms. Herbert said the recent departures of Mr. Taylor and the Slack executives might signal that Salesforce is shifting the focus back to its core products.

☆ Slack is cutting 10% of its product and engineering org 18 months after Salesforce spent $27.7 billion to acquire it
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Salesforce has targeted Slack's product and engineering organization for layoffs, sources tell Insider. Slack is laying off 10% of its product and engineering organization, according to two people familiar with the matter. Yet some Salesforce managers, even senior managers and senior vice presidents, were blindsided yesterday as they had no forewarning when the layoffs would commence, Salesforce employees told Insider. In five Slack exchanges viewed by Insider, managers told direct reports they had learned of the layoffs from Benioff's company-wide email. Insider confirmed that roughly 1,000 Salesforce employees were notified on Wednesday of their terminations.

☆ Australia takes aim at Apple, Microsoft over child protection online
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The disclosure confirms gaps in the child protection measures of some of the world's biggest tech firms, building public pressure on them to do more, according to the commissioner. Meta Platforms Inc, (META.O) which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and Snapchat owner Snap Inc (SNAP.N) also got demands for information. The responses overall were "alarming" and raised concerns of "clearly inadequate and inconsistent use of widely available technology to detect child abuse material and grooming", commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in a statement. Microsoft and Apple "do not even attempt to proactively detect previously confirmed child abuse material" on their storage services, although a Microsoft-developed detection product is used by law enforcement agencies. An Apple announcement a week ago that it would stop scanning iCloud accounts for child abuse, following pressure from privacy advocates, was "a major step backwards from their responsibilities to help keep children safe" Inman Grant said.

☆ Exclusive: Microsoft seeks to settle EU antitrust concerns over Teams -sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Microsoft Teams app is seen on the smartphone placed on the keyboard in this illustration taken, July 26, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationBRUSSELS, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O) is seeking to address European Union antitrust concerns about its business practices prompted by a complaint from Salesforce.com's (CRM.N) workspace messaging app Slack, people familiar with the matter said. Microsoft found itself in the European Commission's crosshairs again last year after Slack alleged that the U.S. software giant has unfairly integrated its workplace chat and video app Teams into its Office product. Microsoft introduced Teams in 2017, aiming for a slice of the fast-growing and lucrative workplace collaboration market. It has made a preliminary offer of concessions to allay the EU competition enforcer's concerns, one of the people said.

☆ Microsoft to buy 4% stake in London Stock Exchange
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The London Stock Exchange Group offices are seen in the City of London, Britain, December 29, 2017. The European Union has just approved a law introducing safeguards on cloud providers in financial services, with Britain set to follow suit. "We will continue to maintain our multi-cloud strategy and working with other cloud providers," Schwimmer said. Microsoft said the basis of the partnership will be the digital transformation of LSEG's technology infrastructure and Refinitiv platforms on to the Microsoft Cloud. Microsoft will buy LSEG shares from the Blackstone (BX.N)/Thomson Reuters (TRI.TO), Consortium, the exchange operator said.

☆ Microsoft buys near 4% stake in London Stock Exchange and launches 10-year partnership
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Matt Clinch | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Microsoft logo seen at their building in Redmond, Washington. LONDON — U.S. tech giant Microsoft on Monday announced a 10-year partnership with the London Stock Exchange Group and took a near 4% stake in the U.K. bourse operator. The partnership involves next-generation data and analytics, as well as cloud infrastructure solutions, according to a statement by the LSEG. It involves a new data infrastructure for the London exchange and analytics and modelling solutions with Microsoft Azure, AI, and Microsoft Teams. Microsoft will purchase an approximately 4% stake in the U.K. firm from the Blackstone/Thomson Reuters Consortium.

☆ Microsoft buys stake in London Stock Exchange in cloud data deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Microsoft (MSFT) is buying a 4% stake in the London Stock Exchange as part of a deal that will see the market operator spend at least $2.8 billion over 10 years on the software provider’s cloud services. Shares of the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) gained 4% in early trade. The partnership “creates attractive revenue growth opportunities for both companies,” LSEG CEO David Schwimmer said in the statement. As part of the deal, the London Stock Exchange’s data platform and other technology infrastructure will migrate into Microsoft’s Azure cloud environment. As a start, the exchange will be able to share its data and analytics with Teams and Microsoft 365, which includes Excel and PowerPoint.

☆ How a hybrid work model can offer multiple advantages to the small businesses willing to take the leap
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Dell Technologies | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Many small businesses could benefit from hybrid work, but are discouraged by concerns about productivity, security, and IT capacity. A number of tools from Microsoft and Dell Technologies can be tailored to provide support. Of course, no two small businesses are exactly alike, and each one will have slightly different needs, priorities, and goals for their day-to-day operations as we enter the post-covid era. Find out more about how Dell and Microsoft can help your hybrid work solution. This post was created by Insider Studios with Dell Technologies

☆ I tried to cut a deal with Jeff Bezos to save my hometown's paper mill and failed. Here's what I learned from it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Justin Vandehey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Justin Vandehey wanted to save the paper mill in his hometown of Wisconsin Rapids. He presented a proposal to Jeff Bezos on how the paper industry could reinvent itself. Is the paper industry really dead? It takes paper to make paperThe two machines in the Wisconsin Rapids mill are currently set up to produce 570,000 tons of coated paper each year. The CEO of BillerudKorsnäs, Christoph Michalski, hasn't committed to any plans regarding the Wisconsin Rapids Mill; however, it does appear that there's interest from the local Timber Professionals Cooperative to acquire and keep the Wisconsin Rapids Mill operating in Wisconsin Rapids.

☆ This surprisingly common virtual interview mistake can cost you the job, according to new research
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

While some virtual interview mistakes are harmless, others can make a bad first impression, or even cost you the job. Between August and September, TopResume asked 330 U.S. hiring managers, recruiters and HR professionals to rank the worst offenses a candidate can commit during a virtual interview. The number one virtual interview deal-breaker that could cost you the job? "Avoiding eye contact or staring into space," according to the hiring experts interviewed for the report. But direct eye contact isn't possible for everyone

☆ What the heck happened to Salesforce?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Exhibit A: software giant Salesforce. Salesforce (CRM) has lagged the performance of top cloud software rivals such as Microsoft (MSFT), Germany’s SAP (SAP) and Oracle (ORCL). Salesforce said it now expects earnings per share of about $1.20 to $1.21 for this quarter and sales of $7.82 billion to $7.83 billion. So is Salesforce, led by co-CEOs Marc Benioff and Bret Taylor, due for a comeback in 2023? Salesforce has spent nearly $50 billion since 2018 to buy application software company MuleSoft, data visualization software leader Tableau and workplace productivity suite Slack.

☆ Zoom cuts annual revenue forecast on slow online business
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Tiyashi Datta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 21 (Reuters) - Zoom Video Communications Inc (ZM.O) on Monday lowered its annual revenue forecast, as the video-conferencing platform expects a hit from declining online business. Zoom chief financial officer Kelly Steckelberg said during a post-earnings call that the company's online business would decline nearly 8% during the year. The easing of pandemic-related restrictions across the world is also weighing on its business as people started spending less time online. Zoom now expects annual revenue to be between $4.37 billion and $4.38 billion, compared with an earlier outlook of $4.39 billion and $4.40 billion. On an adjusted basis, the pandemic winner earned $1.07 per share during the quarter, compared with estimates of 84 cents, according to Refinitiv data.

☆ Zoom cuts annual revenue forecast as video-conferencing service demand wanes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 21 (Reuters) - Zoom Video Communications Inc (ZM.O) on Monday lowered its annual revenue forecast amid waning demand for the video conferencing platform as pandemic restrictions ease and competition amps up. After recording blistering growth during the pandemic, Zoom, which competes with WeChat Work, Microsoft Teams (MSFT.O), Cisco (CSCO.O) WebEx and Slack, is facing a slowdown as red-hot inflation is dampening the spending power of customers. Zoom now expects annual revenue to be between $4.37 billion and $4.38 billion, compared with an earlier outlook of $4.39 billion and $4.40 billion. The company, however, raised its annual adjusted profit per share to between $3.91 and $3.94, compared with $3.66 to $3.69 forecast earlier. On an adjusted basis, the company earned $1.07 per share during the quarter, compared with estimates of 84 cents per share, according to Refinitiv data.

☆ Microsoft brings casual games Minesweeper and Solitaire to Teams to spruce up virtual meetings
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Next time you're bored on a Microsoft Teams call, try joining your colleagues in a game of Minesweeper. Microsoft on Wednesday added a collection of casual games to its Teams chat and calling service as the company tries to get people to spend more time in the app. Teams is now available on most popular devices, and desktop software developers including Adobe and SAP have developed Teams integrations. By adding games, Microsoft is trying to sprinkle some fun into the equation and perhaps even strengthen bonds at work. The classic Klondike game, for example, is part of the Microsoft Solitaire Collection app for Windows.

☆ A startup building software to encrypt messaging tools such as Slack just raised $11 million from Molten Ventures. Check out the 17-slide pitch deck Worldr used to secure the round.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A startup building encryption software to secure business communications on Slack and Teams just raised $11 million. London-based startup Worldr has built an additional layer of "zero-trust" infrastructure offering security, privacy, and compliance for business communication apps. As the company scaled into new markets, it became a highly regulated business, Buchan told Insider. This means that despite using Slack or Teams for business communications, those companies can't access the customer's data. The company has built integrations for Microsoft Teams, Slack, and WhatsApp, and has Microsoft Outlook in the works.

Industry data show business travellers are taking longer trips than before COVID-19, leaving airlines adjusting flight plans. Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX) and Virgin Australia say higher airfares have so far offset any revenue impact from fewer business trips. Ajit Chouhan, a Texas-based human resources executive, used to go on one-day business trips to San Francisco at least once a month before the pandemic. "If I'm on a business trip, do I want to stay an extra day if my partner's at home?" One-day journeys accounted for around 4% of domestic business trips globally in 2019, according to CWT data, versus 3% now.

☆ I retired, then 'unretired' 2 months later at the same company. I now have the best of both worlds.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Laurel McDowell retired in 2019, only to go back to her company two months later. But she didn't go back full-time — she only works 25 hours a week and can still enjoy her free time. Though I was passionate about my job, I wanted to reduce the time I was investing in my career. The company knew that I could understand firsthand how others at my same life stage felt about making a change. With the way Manpower has arranged for me to fit my work into my "retired" schedule, I have no compelling reason to think about a second retirement at all.

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