(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 -Microsoft is offering a 50% subscription discount to Office pirates.
Microsoft recently announced that it is going to offer up to 50% discounts on subscriptions for 365 to individuals who use pirated Office versions. The promotion is being sent to users of Office when Microsoft detects that the installed version is pirated. The promotion is sent as an alert in the menu and-when clicked-takes the user to a landing page for 365 detailing that the pirated version can make computers more vulnerable to security breaches. (Source: Bleeping Computer)
Why this is important for your business:
I hate giving people who do things illegally amnesty. And make no mistake about it, using pirated software is illegal. But Microsoft is offering a (kind of) amnesty program and if you’ve been using Office 365 illegally you’ve got a chance to make amends — and likely increase your company’s overall security too. Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone.
2 — Visa launched a crypto consulting service to push for mainstream adoption.
Visa announced this past week that it is going to launch new services focusing on advising and consulting to help clients better understand and navigate crypto. The new service will provide advice to retailers, financial firms, and other institutions regarding non fungible tokens and other cryptocurrency features. The announcement comes as the company’s latest effort to dive further into cryptocurrency. (Source: CNBC).
Why this is important for your business:
Crypto and digital currencies are quickly becoming mainstream. Yes, they come with many risks and significant volatility but a growing number of bigger brands are opening up to this form of payment and — more importantly — the fintech industry is embracing these forms of payment. For Visa to offer this kind of service it’s clear that this is serious. I’d take Visa up on their offer and consider getting more knowledge about how this type of payment can help increase your revenues.
3 -YouTube recently listed the top trending videos, creators, ads, and more of 2021.
YouTube has released the top ads, creators, trending videos, and more of this past year. According to YouTube, the top creator was MrBest, who also created the top trending video, “Spent 50 Hours Buried Alive.” Zhong was listed as the top shorts creator in the US, while the top ad in the US was Amazon’s “Alexa’s Body”. The top music video was “Back in Blood” by Pooh Shiesty. (Source: 9to5 Google)
Why this is important for your business:
No, this is not a waste of time. Well, OK, maybe a little. But just watch these videos and learn. What do these influencers, creators, entertainers and content providers to do to make their kind of videos that go viral? How can you imitate some of these tactics for the benefits of your business?
4 — PayPal saw use of its buy now, pay later option soar nearly 400% on Black Friday, according to it is CEO.
According to PayPal’s CEO, the company’s buy now pay later (BNPL) feature saw a surge during Black Friday this year with the volume increasing by nearly 400% (year-over-year). Approximately 750,000 transactions were done on Black Friday with just PayPal. The surge on Black Friday continued what PayPal saw happening all throughout November, where the company hit over $1 billion in transactions with its BNPL option in just that month. (Source: CNBC)
Why this is important for your business:
BNPL has had a significant impact on retail and e-commerce sales this holiday season. There are many great services in addition to PayPal that offers these programs and if you’re a small merchant you should provide this option to your customers. It doesn’t cost much different than a typical credit card transaction and it provides alternatives that your customers may be seeking to finalize that purchase.
5-Zoom will now let you know when people miss a meeting.
Zoom recently announced some new features, one of which includes letting people know when somebody misses a meeting. (Source: Tech.Co)
Why this is important for your business:
According to the company’s announcement, the feature will make it more clear for those organizing meetings to see who is in attendance. Using Outlook and Google calendar integrations, meeting hosts will have the chance to see who has declined or accepted a meeting and whether or not they are in attendance.
