Author Archives: Matt Kapko

Facebook at Work has been in closed beta for the last 20 months, but the world’s largest social network plans to officially push into enterprise later this year, and the company is adding features at a steady clip. Last month, for example, the team introduced group audio calling, a new call tab, a modular inbox for work chat that highlights frequent contacts and recent or unread conversations, search filters and live video.

Weber Shandwick, a well-known public relations (PR) firm with offices in 78 cities in 34 countries, was one of the first organizations to start using Facebook’s business product last year. Today, the company’s entire workforce of roughly 4,000 employees uses Facebook at Work to collaborate, share tips with interested clients, and communicate in real time. When Facebook introduced live video to the platform last month, Weber Shandwick’s CEO Andy Polansky was one of the first to use the feature for business communications.  

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When Apple released iOS 10 this week, it gained another important foothold in enterprise mobility. The company’s latest software integrates with an updated version of Cisco Systems’ networking protocols for its Wi-Fi routers to give businesses the ability to prioritize enterprise traffic, business apps and communications on corporate iOS devices. 

Almost a year ago, Apple and Cisco announced a plan to give iOS devices special treatment and critical capabilities for IT. The result of their partnership is an “experience that wouldn’t have been possible for either company to deliver alone” or in a single app, according to Rowan Trollope, senior vice president and general manager at Cisco.

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Many modern IT leaders are fascinated with virtual reality (VR), but they’re also cautious about investing resources too early. Marketing opportunities in VR could speed up the timeline, however, and put pressure on CIOs to ensure they are leading the charge to blend marketing and VR with proficient technical underpinnings.

“CIOs can help marketers anticipate the implications of the technology,” says Thomas Husson, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research. IT professionals will be indispensable to determining standards around VR, how marketers should capture content in VR-ready mode, and when marketers should work with IT to build their own VR systems, according to Husson. 

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SAN FRANCISCO — Apple’s new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have a number of new features, including a force-sensitive home button (no more clicking), water- and dust-resistant enclosure, better camera, brighter display, stereo speakers, faster processor and improved graphics performance. However, one key feature is missing: the 3.5mm audio port.

The move wasn’t a surprise. Reports surfaced months ago about an iPhone without an audio jack. However, during its annual product showcase, Apple explained why it decided to remove the standard port. Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple, said it was a necessary change to improve audio clarity and controls, free up space for better internal components and to make the device water and dust resistant.

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Apple is cleaning up the App Store as it prepares to release iOS 10, a new generation of iPhones and an updated Apple Watch at its annual product showcase on Sept. 7. The company says it will begin to enforce stricter guidelines and a more comprehensive review process for software in the App Store. Apps that have been abandoned by their developers or “no longer function as intended” will be removed from the shop, according to Apple. 

“We are implementing an ongoing process of evaluating apps for these issues, notifying their developers, and removing problematic and abandoned apps from the App Store,” Apple wrote in an email distributed to iOS developers. “We know that many of you work hard to build innovative apps and update your apps on the App Store with new content and features. However, there are also apps on the App Store that no longer function as intended or follow current review guidelines, and others which have not been supported with compatibility updates for a long time.” 

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Ten years ago, less than three years after Google upended the email space with Gmail, the company took on Microsoft and other business software vendors and launched Google Apps, its own flavor of cloud-based tools for productivity, collaboration and communication. Today more than five million businesses use its Google for Work business apps, including Google Drive, Docs, Sheets and Slides. 

A wide range of related training tools are available for Google Apps users and IT professionals interested in gaining new skills or becoming certified administrators. Basic training classes and interactive in-app tutorials can help you learn the ins and outs of Google Apps, and IT staff can do the necessary coursework to earn Google Apps Administrator certification.

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Google appears to finally be trying to clarify its strategies for communication and messaging. However, the company determined it needs more messaging apps — not fewer apps. 

By the end of this year, Google will maintain at least eight different messaging apps, including Hangouts, Google Messenger, Google Chat, Google Voice, the Jibe rich communication services (RCS) app for carriers, Allo, Duo and the Spaces group-sharing app. Following the early August release of Duo, a new one-to-one video calling app, and the complementary messaging app Allo, which is expected to launch before summer’s end, Google says it plans to reposition Hangouts as an enterprise service.

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LinkedIn today unveiled a new marketplace designed to help freelance professionals find consumers and small businesses in need of their services. LinkedIn ProFinder aims to deliver similar value for independent workers to what full-time professionals get on the social network. 

“The freelance economy is on the rise,” wrote Vaibhav Goel, group product manager at LinkedIn, in a blog post. “The number of freelancers on LinkedIn has grown by nearly 50 percent in just the past five years. As the workforce evolves, we, too, are evolving to ensure we’re creating opportunity for the expanding sector of professionals looking for independent, project-based work in place of the typical 9 to 5 profession.”

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