(This article originally appeared in Forbes)
Here are five things in technology that happened this past week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
1 -Amazon devices will soon automatically share your internet with neighbors.
Beginning on June 8 th, Amazon devices such as Echo, Alexa, and others will be enrolled automatically in the tech giant’s recently released wireless mesh service called Amazon Sidewalk. The service will allow a small share of bandwidth with nearby devices that are not connected but have Sidewalk capabilities. According to Amazon, its new Sidewalk feature will currently only be available in the U.S., and a list of all Sidewalk compatible devices can be found on Amazon’s website. (Source: ARS Technica)
Why this is important for your business:
This seems troublesome for home offices, employees working from home and even small businesses in congested areas that are using Amazon devices. Amazon does give you the ability to de-enroll if you desire. You should also ask your IT professional to review your network security. Any way in is an opportunity for hackers.
2 — Etsy is targeting Gen Z shoppers with a $1.6 billion Depop acquisition.
Etsy announced this past week that it recently acquired Depop, which is a secondhand shopping app based in the UK. Acquired for $1.6 billion, Etsy will now have access to the growing, young user pool of Depop. According to Etsy, over 90% of individuals using Depop are considered Gen Z, or younger than 26. While Etsy and Depop’s models both include selling secondhand clothing, Depop is geared more toward a younger audience with on-trend pieces. With the acquisition, Depop will be able to follow Etsy in scaling on an international level while giving Etsy access to its young users. (Source: The Verge)
Why this is important for your business:
If you’re an Etsy merchant, as millions of small businesses and entrepreneurs are, bear this opportunity mind during the next few months, particularly if the market for your products includes Gen Z.
3 — Edge computing is coming, and businesses aren’t ready.
According to a recent report put out by Intel, the ability to adopt edge technology will determine whether or not businesses can be successful moving forward. With 72 percent of leaders in IT currently using edge computing in order to supply forward-thinking and innovative services, businesses no longer have the luxury of avoiding edge computing. The explosion in edge computing across nearly every industry is thanks to the heightened use of data. With more and more users relying on tech, the amount of data generated is at an all-time high. (Source: ZDNet)
Why this is important for your business:
I know you’re wondering, what is “edge” technology and how can it affect my small business? According to Hewlett Packard, “Edge computing is a distributed, open IT architecture that features decentralized processing power, enabling mobile computing and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. In edge computing, data is processed by the device itself or by a local computer or server, rather than being transmitted to a data center.” It means that more processing in the future will be done at the device level, not in the cloud.
Now that you know this you can consider more robust device investments — laptops, local servers, “smart” equipment, etc — in the future knowing because, as HP says: “Edge computing allows for efficient data processing in that large amounts of data can be processed near the source, reducing Internet bandwidth usage. This both eliminates costs and ensures that applications can be used effectively in remote locations. In addition, the ability to process data without ever putting it into a public cloud adds a useful layer of security for sensitive data.”
4-PayPal plans to add a crypto withdraw feature.
PayPal is planning to add a new feature that will allow customers to withdraw crypto and transfer money externally to digital wallets instead of just spending or hanging onto the funds. According to the company it wants to give options to users and allow them the choice to pay for items in various ways, while giving customers a platform that is easy to use and can help simplify the selling and buying process when it comes to cryptocurrencies. The new feature will be integrated through Venmo, which is owned by PayPal. (Source: Pymnts)
Why this is important for your business:
According to the company it wants to give options to users and allow them the choice to pay for items in various ways, while giving customers a platform that is easy to use and can help simplify the selling and buying process when it comes to cryptocurrencies. The new feature will be integrated through Venmo, which is owned by PayPal.
Crypto is here, folks. Get ready to deal with it.
5 — These are Five Windows 10 Features You Should Be Using
A useful essay by tech expert Ed Bott that will help you and your employees save time and be more productive. I’m already a fan of Snip & Sketch. And you got to love the free 5GB of storage on OneDrive. (Source: ZDNet)
Why this is important for your business:
What, saving time and being more productive isn’t important for your business?
