(This post originally appeared on Forbes)
Here are five things in technology that happened this past week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
1 — Microsoft has sparked anger by charging Hotmail and Outlook users to keep their old emails.
Microsoft is making users angry after new reports revealed that Hotmail and Outlook users are now going to be charged in order to keep their old emails. A new message has been circulating to email users letting them know that they are almost at their storage’s capacity. Microsoft has added a storage limit of 15GB. The company is suggesting that users could purchase a subscription or simply delete content to free up space in their inbox if they do not want to purchase more space. (Source: Tech Radar).
Why this is important for your business:
Seems that storage space isn’t so unlimited after all. Unfortunately, Microsoft’s announcement leaves users with few options. They can either delete old emails or upgrade to Outlook 365 which can cost as much as $70 a year. The upgrade, however, will give full access to the Office 365 suite.
2 —Microsoft has also warned users that they only have six months to move from Skype for Business Online to Teams.
As of July 31, 2021, Microsoft’s Skype for Business Online will be no more. The tech giant has released a reminder that users should begin to migrate immediately if they haven’t started the process yet. Microsoft originally made the announcement on July 30th, 2019, which gave customers two years to make the move. While the company understands that the coronavirus pandemic may be responsible for some migration delays, it does not plan to make a deadline extension. (Source: ZDNet).
Why this is important for your business:
Microsoft’s actions with Outlook, Hotmail and Skype are meant to clean up their confusing business offerings and bring users under the full Office 365 umbrella. I realize that for some small businesses these changes can be annoying, disruptive and even more expensive. But then again I hear many complaints from clients about the confusing complexity of Microsoft products, so hopefully this will simplify our choices and make us all better users. (My company implements Microsoft products)
3 —Chromebooks just had their best year ever.
A recent analysis has revealed that Chromebooks had their strongest year to date, with more than 30 million laptops being shipped during 2020. Just in Q4, approximately 11.5 million were shipped, which is 287% greater than what was shipped the previous year. With Chromebooks being a popular buy in the education field, analysts believe that remote education has had a lot to do with the success of the Google laptop, due to the coronavirus pandemic forcing schools to go to remote or hybrid schedules. (Source: The Verge)
Why this is important for your business:
The pandemic drove millions of kids to virtual learning and schools needed an affordable device, which is why Chromebooks had such a strong year. I always paused when considering a Chromebook because of its reliability on the Internet and that it wasn’t a Microsoft or Apple operating system. But have you heard of any major complaints? Any big problems? Speed? Accessibility? I haven’t. Seems like my concerns weren’t that serious. What this tells me is that these devices, after being significantly tested in 2020, are good options for a budget conscious small business owner.
4 — Google is highlighting Black-owned businesses on its shopping tab.
Google will be highlighting Black-owned businesses on its Shopping tab. The new feature will allow shoppers to easily find and make purchases from Black-owned businesses and will be released in the next few months, according to the company. As shared by Google, searches on the platform for “Black-owned Businesses” skyrocketed 600 % this past year. Across the United States, “Black-owned beauty supply,” Black-owned Bookstores,” Black-owned restaurants” have been just some of the popular searches conducted by users. (Source: Pymnts)
Why this is important for your business:
If you’re a Black-owned business it’s important that you take advantage of this added feature – it will help you get noticed and drive more sales. To do this either sign up or check your listing on Google My Business to make sure you’re verified as a Black-owned company.
5—Box has acquired SignRequest for $55 million to expand into e-signatures.
Box—a collaboration and cloud storage company— has announced its acquisition of SignRequest, which is a Netherlands-based startup that focuses on e-signatures. With more and more businesses embracing working remotely due to COVID-19, many processes—such as signatures— now exist on the cloud. SignRequest— which was founded in 2014— provides an e-signature feature that can work with other tools such as Dropbox, Zapier, Google Drive, and Salesforce. (Source: Venture Beat)
Why this is important for your business:
Box, a workplace collaboration tool that rivals the offerings from Microsoft, Google and others, has strong capabilities and a dedicated user community. The company currently has more than 97,000 companies and 68 percent of the Fortune 500 our customers The SignRequest acquisition will serve to expand its offerings and make it a long term alternative to some of these bigger names that – like I’ve reported above – are prone to making big, unpopular changes.
