Three-quarters of businesses plan to redesign the office as employees return
The switch to hybrid working driven by the pandemic has had a major impact on the relationship between employers and employees.
As people begin to drift back to the office, a new study by audio visual equipment specialist Poly shows that only 19 percent of enterprises are expecting staff to come back to the office full time, while 77 percent plan to redesign the office to include more open-plan areas, collaboration spaces, areas to socialize and quiet zones.
How PSD2 is changing open banking [Q&A]
Compliance with the EU Payments Services Directive (PSD2) is the next key milestone in the continued evolution of open banking. This evolution involves a new set of rules that will change how we confirm our identity when making purchases online.
The implementation of strong customer authentication (SCA), on top of existing open banking capabilities, will require merchants and payment service providers (PSPs) to work together with technology suppliers, card schemes and many others to deliver SCA in a way which works well for customers.
After tests, Microsoft has decided to add the 'System requirements not met' watermark to Windows 11
Looking for another reason to be annoyed by Windows 11? Microsoft delivers yet again. It is not very long since the company started A/B testing a watermark on the desktop of people who had installed Windows 11 on unsupported hardware. Now, for reasons best known to Microsoft, the decision appears to have been taken to roll out this irritating banner.
In the latest update pushed to the Release Preview Channel, the watermark is present for everyone running Windows 11 on hardware that doesn’t make the grade. The message has changed slightly, now reading "System requirements not met. Go to Settings to learn more". The good news? You can take steps to hide the watermark if it grates on your nerves
Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) 5 'Elsie' now available for 32-bit and 64-bit PCs
Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) exists in case Ubuntu ever stops being developed. You see, the "regular" Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, so if Canonical ever closed its doors, things would be quite disastrous for Linux Mint. Will Ubuntu actually die one day? While Ubuntu's demise is unlikely to happen anytime soon, the reality is, nothing lasts forever. So I suppose it makes sense for the Linux Mint developers to have a contingency plan.
With all of that said, you don't have to wait for Ubuntu to die to use Linux Mint Debian Edition. LMDE is a perfectly fine operating system, and it can absolutely be used as your daily distribution. If you fancy giving Linux Mint Debian Edition a try, today is your lucky day. The newest version of the distro, LMDE 5, is finally available for download.
Standard virtual workspace security is improving but still not enough
The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a shift towards work-from-home or telecommuting arrangements, which many companies are saying they are likely to retain even after the pandemic. This new way of working or doing business has raised the demand for collaboration platforms and virtual rooms, which in turn create new cyber security challenges.
One recent flaw is referred to as a cross-site leak or XS-Leak and is linked to Slack's file-sharing feature. If exploited, malicious actors can potentially identify users outside of the workforce messaging platform. It allows cybercriminals to circumvent the web browser security feature called "same-origin policy," which stops browser tabs and frames of different domains from accessing each other’s data.
Get ready for the death of Internet Explorer 11
It may seem like a relic of the past, but Internet Explorer is still doggedly hanging on. But not for much longer. Microsoft has issued a reminder that it is mere months until the desktop app for the browser is retired.
The big day is June 15, and at this point it will be time for Internet Explorer 11 users to move on and pick an alternative. While the death of Internet Explorer has been a very long time coming, the retirement of the app will represent the end of an era.
Google finally gives Android users a privacy feature iOS has had for months
Google and privacy are not really happy bedfellows, but from time to time the company does make a nod in that direction. One example of this is the option to delete the last 15 minutes of your search history which iOS users have enjoyed access to since the middle of last year.
The feature is a handy way to cover your tracks should you forget to enable incognito mode and don't fancy the idea of trawling through your search history to manually remove anything you'd rather keep private. Now, some nine months after treating iOS users to this, Google has finally brought it to users of its own mobile operating system.
The automation revolution and the shift in labor
If you’re a college student and you’ve placed an online food service order, and let’s be honest, that pretty much covers all college students; the chances are high that the delivery was aided and abetted by robot technology. The future has arrived, and even though we’re still waiting for those Jetson’s-promised flying cars, robot foodservice delivery is here.
Robots numbering in the hundreds are buzzing about college campuses and some selected cities in the U.S., U.K., and beyond. The testing, which began pre-pandemic, went into immediate overdrive to fill in the gaps created by the labor shortages and need for social distancing created by Covid-19.
How AI revolutionizes retail and powers eCommerce customer journeys
Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are unlocking new opportunities for brands and retailers to push the boundaries of online shopping and customer experience. As global retailers are expected to spend $7.3 billion on AI this year and the global market for AI software is expected to reach $126 billion by 2025, AI presents many benefits and opportunities within the context of the eCommerce industry including more targeted marketing and advertising, increased customer retention, efficient sales processes, better product development, and innovative shopping experiences.
Here are eight applications of AI in eCommerce that can take both backend processes and customer-facing experiences for brands to the next level.
5 ways to optimize your IT environment for the long haul
The widespread shift to working from home in 2020 forced many companies to rapidly adopt cloud technologies to enable remote workforces and customer connections. However, some important IT planning may have been overlooked amid the urgency to transition to the cloud. A long-term plan around data governance -- the approach to managing and using data securely in enterprise systems -- may not have been implemented when moving to the cloud.
Understandably, data governance may not have been a top priority for companies in the pandemic’s early days. But now, as companies review their cloud strategies and contemplate the next steps for maximizing value from the cloud, data governance plays a critical role in cloud optimization. This is especially true as the pace of data creation has rapidly accelerated since 2020. If not kept in check, the rapid creation of data can result in data sprawl, a staggering amount of unorganized data that leaves your IT environment in disarray.
Microsoft releases Windows 11 Build 22579, plus ISO files for a clean install
Microsoft runs occasional bug bashes for Insiders to help find and eradicate flaws in preview versions of its operating system, and the latest one is live now and will run until March 22.
The software giant didn’t roll out a new build to Dev Channel Insiders on Wednesday this week, as is usually the case, so instead it’s delivering new build 22579 today, along with ISO files for it. There are some new features and improvements to be enjoyed in this flight, including the ability to name your folders on Start, and site suggestions in the Get Started app that you can pin to your taskbar.
Revamped Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Windows has a brand-new security architecture
While security apps may not be the software that everyone gets excited about, there is no getting away from their importance. Despite this, there are a couple of things that stop many people from investigating security solutions. Firstly, modern version of Windows include protective features, and secondly there is the concern about additional cost.
With the newly updated Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Windows, both of these concerns are rendered moot. Not only is the software completely free of charge, the features and options it offers go far beyond anything Microsoft has provided with Windows. This latest version is notable for various reasons, not least of which is the fact that it has been completely re-engineered and re-architectured.
How enterprises responded to Log4Shell
When the Log4Shell vulnerability appeared in December last year the effects rippled across the cybersecurity world with potentially millions of devices affected.
A new study from Qualys takes a look at how enterprises responded to the vulnerability and how successful their remediation efforts were.
Best Windows apps this week
Four-hundred-eighty-two in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.
Microsoft removed the last Windows 11 upgrade block this week; all compatible Windows 10 devices should have received an upgrade offer by now.
Leadership and technology tips for running a remote company successfully [Q&A]
When the world shut down in March 2020, many of us envisioned a two-week work-from-home stint, followed by a prompt return to office life. Little did we know that the business world, as we knew it, would change forever.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the overnight shift to a remote workforce was done out of necessity. But, over the past two years, companies have realized that this new operations model can have many business benefits, including cost savings associated with physical office space and a better work/life balance for employees.
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