(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 —A new Microsoft Teams update will make it easier to mute your most annoying colleagues.
Microsoft is in the process of developing an improved selection of options for Teams admins in order to provide hosts more control when it comes to which participants are able to speak and when. The new update will give flexible options for hosts to manage permissions for audio and let admins be one step ahead of any repeat meeting disruptors. While the updated audio features are still being developed, Microsoft anticipates that all users will have access to them by the end of April of this year. (Source: Tech Radar)
Why this is important for your business:
You know who these people are. Relief is on the way.
2 — Dell’s 40-inch ultrawide monitor is the best kind of excess.
At $2,100, Dell’s new 40-inch ultrawide monitor is receiving positive reviews for its video quality, making it ideal for professionals in the video or audio editing space. Along with the immediately impressive bigger picture, the new monitor also boasts a sharper, 5K2K resolution along with more accurate and vivid colors as compared to its smaller counterparts. Although not ideal for webcasting or video conferences due to just how large the screen is, the monitor is preferred by professionals over gamers, with two HDMI 2.0 ports, ethernet, a 3.5-millimeter audio jack, five USB Type A connections, and more. (Source: Engadget)
Why this is important for your business:
$2,100 for just a monitor? Don’t roll your eyes. I see many of my clients in the engineering and design space shelling out this kind of money because having very large, crystal clear displays helps their employees do their jobs better. When you’re dealing with very detailed sketches, plans and images having the very best visuals can make a big difference to the outcome.
3 —Chrome on Windows 10 will now use a lot less memory, says Google.
According to Google, Windows 10 will use significantly less memory than before. With Windows 10, Google shared that Chrome is saving 3% in the GPU, 8% in the renderer, and 22% more memory with the browser. Additionally—when it comes to the foregrounded tab—big pictures that are scrolled off the monitor in Chrome will now be able to save up to 100MiB by throwing out memory no longer being used by the image, optimizing the way in which Chrome is utilizing and getting rid of memory. (Source: ZDNet)
Why this is important for your business:
Memory issues have plagued Chrome for years for Windows users. But the company has been aware and has finally taken significant steps to reduce this problem in its latest update. Make sure your employees are running the most recent version of Chrome to take advantage.
4 — Amazon is expanding its gamification program that encourages warehouse employees to work harder.
Amazon announced this past week that it is growing its gamification program—called FC Games—which encourages warehouse workers to boost how efficiently they work by competing against other employees for digital prizes. (Source: The Verge)
Why this is important for your business:
The program includes up to six arcade-like micro-games that are only able to be played by finishing tasks in the Amazon warehouses. Most of the games are straight forward, using visual representations such as racecars going around a track while workers complete tasks such as sorting or packing items. This is not fun and games. It’s about productivity and making people’s jobs better. If you’re running a warehouse or production facility you may want to take a closer look at gamification.
5—Intuit is adding e-signature capabilities to QBO advanced.
Intuit recently announced that QuickBooks Online Advanced will now come with a DocuSign eSignature Connector. With the new integration, users will now have the ability to streamline sales while also automating processes such as estimations. The DocuSign feature will also help accountants stay up to date with the status or progress of documents thanks to real-time notifications. With the addition, Intuit aims to provide more efficient solutions for businesses continuing to work remotely. (Source: Accounting Today)
Why this is important for your business:
What was the world like before e-signing? Oh, I remember. It was messy, fully of mistakes and overly time consuming. I’m seeing most accounting and other business application providers partner with companies that provide electronic signatures like DocuSign and Adobe so that their customers can benefit from this much requested capability. If your system doesn’t have this, ask.
