(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 -Windows 11 will run on old PCs after all, but only the hard way.
Microsoft recently provided some clarification regarding its Windows 11 announcement which left customers confused. According to the company’s announcement, nearly any PC that has the capability to run Windows 10 will be able to have Windows 11 installed. The catch is that it will be a little tricky to do for anybody whose PC has unsupported hardware. Those users will have to make the update with a Windows 11 ISO file. Those with a PC that is compatible will be able to easily run an update to install Windows 11. (Source: The Next Web)
Why this is important for your business:
If your PCs are more than five years old my recommendation is to strongly considering replacements. Sure, Microsoft says Windows 11 can run on older devices. But the reality is you’re going to spend more time supporting them and dealing with their anomalies. Putting band-aids on computers only lasts so long. The best practice is to keep your hardware as current as possible so that your employees have the fastest equipment to get their work done.
2 — Uber and Convoy vets land $5.3M for a new startup– Solo– that helps gig workers make more money.
Seattle-based startup Solo recently shared that it raised $5.5 million in funding. Solo focuses on helping gig workers make more money by giving them predictions for hourly earnings in each week. The startup is so confident in its data that it promises to make up the difference in earnings for workers if they don’t earn as much as the app predicted. The goal is to provide gig workers with a more efficient way to understand which jobs to take to maximize what they can make. (Source: Geek Wire)
Why this is important for your business:
Seems like a potentially great service for independent contractors and freelancers to maximize their earnings. If you’re an independent entrepreneur I’d bookmark their site and keep current on how things develop. It could mean higher revenues for your services if things come to pass.
3 -Easebuzz debuts its service that helps simplify SMB payments.
Easebuzz- a digital payment solution provider- is offering a fresh way to make online payments easier for small businesses. (Source: Pymnts)
Why this is important for your business:
The company says that its new offering- EasyCollect-is a much simpler way to execute online transactions in a safe way and provides various features including customizing reminders and emails, split payments, bulk and auto payments, sending auto-generated invoices, automating payment reminders, and more.
4 — Nearly 1 in 4 companies have fired someone for Zoom incidents.
A recent survey’s findings revealed that a lot of managers lack trust when it comes to their employees using technology when working remotely. The new report from Vyopta indicated that 24 percent of survey participants saw an employee lose their job due to errors made on audio or video calls on video conference platforms like Zoom. 83 percent of the participants witnessed an employee get disciplined after an issue on a video call, with 38 percent seeing somebody get reprimanded formally and 40 percent witnessing an informal reprimand. (Source: Tech Radar)
Why this is important for your business:
We’ve all seen the funny videos of people doing goofy things on Zoom (and other video conferencing platforms). We’ve seen some celebrities and media types get into deep trouble for some of their online behavior. But that’s apparently just scratching the surface. The problem is more pervasive. My recommendation is to have a written policy and guidelines for conduct online.
5–90 percent of Gen Z is now using apps with interactive live video.
A recent study by Agora found that 90 percent of Gen Z is using apps that have interactive live video. The study surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. consumers who fit into the Gen Z category on their use of RTE (real-time engagement) over the course of the last year. The study also found that RTE was more important to Gen Z for specific app categories such as retail. 70% of the participants shared that they would like for retailers to provide VR and AR options to make it possible to try and test items before making a purchase. (Source: Venture Beat)
Why this is important for your business:
Very important to know if you’re targeting this audience. Your video offerings need to evolve into something that provides real-time engagement and ways for your customers to interact with your products and services. Tech author Rodrigo P. Curi provides a great explanation of how interactive videos can help your business, along with interesting examples, here.
