As Zoom points out in its press release, regulatory compliance, often relating to cybersecurity, has become a growing challenge for business.

Join our chat on Zoom’s latest advanced enterprise features!

In 2023 alone, over $549 million in non-compliance penalties were issued globally, more than 353 million individuals were impacted by security breaches, and 31 percent of enterprises experienced unstable network or bandwidth constraints. Companies face urgent pressures to manage often complex compliance obligations, avoid hefty fines, safeguard their reputations against security threats, and prevent user dissatisfaction stemming from unreliable connectivity. Zoom’s newest additions to its advanced enterprise offerings are poised to help companies overcome these challenges.

Zoom is adding four features designed to help enterprise companies.

• Zoom Compliance Manager Plus: Launched in March and powered by Theta Lake, Zoom Compliance Manager (ZCM) is an all-in-one offering that provides archiving, eDiscovery, legal hold, and information protection offerings for enterprises. Zoom Compliance Manager Plus enhances ZCM with advanced features such as risk detection, data loss protection, and advanced trends analysis. These enhanced capabilities will further help organizations fulfill regulatory obligations and mitigate organizational communications compliance risks.
• Zoom Meeting Survivability: Introduces a new level of network redundancy and enables business continuity, helping to ensure uninterrupted Zoom meeting service even during internet disruption due to outages from a storm, natural disaster, or carrier failure. Utilizing Zoom Node, a central hub for hosting Zoom workloads on premises, this functionality keeps meetings running smoothly via a failover to data centers where meetings are hosted on your local servers with minimal disruption to the end users.
• Zoom Mesh for Meetings: With Zoom Mesh, companies can optimize bandwidth usage and save up to 60 percent on internet bandwidth and associated costs. Already available for Zoom Webinars and Zoom Events, this capability now extends to Zoom Meetings for an exceptional user experience regardless of bandwidth constraints.
• Zoom Customer Managed Key (CMK) Hybrid: CMK Hybrid enhances Zoom’s current CMK data privacy offering by providing customers with more options to manage the encryption keys used to protect data maintained by Zoom. CMK Hybrid allows customers to control the entire encryption/decryption process on premises. Zoom Team Chat messages, for example, can be encrypted locally by the Zoom Workplace app (some Zoom cloud-based Team Chat functionalities will not be available as a result). Zoom CMK Hybrid will be available for Zoom Workplace starting with the support of Zoom Team Chat in Q4 2024.

“Zoom’s advanced enterprise offerings reflect our commitment to empowering businesses and providing them with offerings that enable them to be more efficient, secure, compliant, and reliable,” said Smita Hashim, chief product officer, Zoom. “Our advanced enterprise products and features are essential tools built for Zoom Workplace and Zoom Business Services like Zoom Events and Zoom Contact Center that work behind the scenes as part of the Zoom network infrastructure to provide exceptional experiences to our customers. Our goal is to make communication and collaboration on Zoom foolproof, future-proof, and fail-proof.”

Zoom has been building out its enterprise offerings, increasingly competing against Microsoft and Google in the office and collaboration space. These latest editions should go a long way toward helping enterprise companies meet the growing security and regulator challenges they face.

Teams is Slack’s primary rival in the business communication and collaboration market, with Team passing Slack’s user base years in no small part as a result of being bundled with the rest of Microsoft’s software ecosystem.

Catch our chat on why Disney ditched Slack for Microsoft Teams!

Following a breach that saw some 44 million messages from Disney’s Slack channels leaked online, the company decided to drop Slack in favor of other tools. What was not immediately known was which option Disney decided to adopt, with reports simply saying the company was rolling out “enterprise-wide collaboration tools.”

According to Business Insider, it appears Microsoft Teams is the winning solution, although many users are not happy with the change. In fact, a number of them have been voicing their discontent on Blind, the anonymous forum for individuals to discuss their jobs.

“Teams is horrible,” wrote one employee.

“So terrible,” added another.

Some employees evidently also voiced concern over losing access to archived content and communications as part of the move.

Disney CFO Hugh Johnston said the transition would target Q1 FY25 for most use cases, with “more complex use cases” transitioning away from slack in Q2 FY25.

Microsoft’s Teams Problem

The comments by Disney employees underscores the issues Microsoft has with Teams. While the software may technically have more users than Slack, Slack remains the favorite option among many users—both current and former. Teams is often criticized for being more cumbersome and less intuitive than Slack.

Despite Slack being the preferred option for many, Teams is more widely deployed thanks to its integration with the rest of Microsoft’s products. As early as 2019, Teams had nearly double Slack’s daily users when it topped 20 million. From that point on, Teams’ usage skyrocketed, with the app boasting 270 million monthly active users in early 2022.

Teams’ unfair advantage became so pronounced that Slack lodged a formal complaint with the EU, prompting Microsoft to stop bundling Teams with Office. Despite Microsoft’s actions, rumors circulated in late 2023 that the EU was preparing to move forward with a formal complaint against the company.

Ultimately, Microsoft needs to improve Teams to the point where people actually want to use it, rather than being forced to use it because it was bundled with their other software, or because corporate leadership is abandoning a Teams competitor in response to a data breach.

Until Microsoft improves Teams to that degree, Slack will continue to be the more popular option among users, even if Teams has the bigger user base.

Disney’s Memo In Full

Below is the full memo that was sent to employees, courtesy of Business Insider:

Fellow Employees and Cast Members,

Collaboration is at the heart of our employee culture. It connects us to each other, our work, and ultimately our guests and consumers — fueling the creativity required to make Disney magic.

How we work and collaborate together is equally important, and where we have opportunities to leverage more integrated tools and platforms we should. As some of you are aware, many teams have already begun their transition to streamlined enterprise-wide collaboration tools.

As part of this work, I would like to share that senior leadership has made the decision to transition away from Slack across the company. Our technology teams are now managing the transition off Slack by the end of Q1 FY25 for most businesses, with DX and more complex use cases following in Q2 FY25. This will help integrate our collaboration tools with some of the new platforms already being put in place. These teams are planning and overseeing key workstreams to support this transition, with a focus on reinforcing current TWDC policies for work-related collaboration.

We are excited about the alignment and productivity that will be unlocked as we streamline our collaboration platforms, and we appreciate your patience as we navigate new ways of working together.

Much more information, training resources, and best practices for optimal work-related collaboration and reinforcement of policies regarding secure handling of sensitive information will be shared over the coming weeks by your respective technology teams.

Thanks,

Hugh

Google launched a series of good-natured ads in mid-2023, comparing the differences between the Android-powered Pixel and the iPhone. The ad series struck a chord with viewers, offering a humorous take on the Android/iOS rivalry.

Catch our chat on Google’s Pixel ad welcoming the iPhone “to a new texting era!”

In the latest ad, Google’s Pixel welcomes the iPhone “to a new era of texting,” thanks to the iPhone now supporting RCS messages.

RCS is the successor to SMS, offering a number of features found in dedicated chat platforms, as well as iMessage. Most notably, RCS offers high-quality media sharing, file sharing, read receipts, group management, and more. Although cross-platform RCS doesn’t yet support end-to-end encryption, Google and Apple are working to implement it.

Apple famously refused to support RCS for years, falling back to the inferior SMS for iPhone > Android communication. After pressure from Google and Samsung, as well as other companies and lawmakers, the iPhone maker finally gave in and began supporting the newer standard in iOS 18. To be clear, iMessage is still used for communication between iPhones, but RCS replaces SMS as the fallback option.

Google is clearly happy about the decision, and its latest video is proof of that.

Disney suffered a massive breach this summer when the Nullbulge hacker group stole and leaked some 1.1 terabytes of information, including personal customer and employee information; financial information; login credentials; and more. Included in the data was some 44 million Slack messages from Disney’s channels.

Tune in to our chat on Disney ditching Slack—”not happy” doesn’t even cover it!

Not only did the breach include Slack data, but Slack was evidently the weak point hackers used to gain access to the data, compromising a single employee’s computer via their Slack cookies.

In the wake of the breach, it appears Disney is done with Slack. Reuters reports that CFO Hugh Johnston, writing in the Status media newsletter, says the company will be transitioning away from Slack. Some teams have evidently already begun the transition to “enterprise-wide collaboration tools.”

The move is a major blow to Slack, especially from the standpoint of reputation and prestige. It’s one thing for a bad actor to infiltrate a company and then steal data that may involve a certain app, but it’s quite another for a bad actor to use that app as part of their attack.

Despite the optics, it seems unlikely Slack is to blame, with a Slack spokesperson reaching out to WPN to confirm the issue was not the result of a vulnerability in the platform.

“At this time, there is no evidence this issue was the result of a vulnerability inherent to Slack,” the spokesperson said.

RCS is the successor to SMS, offering many of the feature found in more advanced messaging platforms, such as iMessage, Signal, and WhatsApp. Unfortunately, prior to iOS 18, iOS would fall back to SMS when communicating with Android, losing out on all the features iMessage normally provides. Starting with iOS 18—after years of pressure from Google, other companies, and lawmakers—Apple has finally added support for RCS as a fallback option.

Listen to a podcast conversation on Apple’s support for RCS. A new chapter for messaging!

The GSMA took the opportunity to tout the importance of the decision, saying it ushers in “a new chapter for mobile messaging.”

Today, we are celebrating a significant milestone in the evolution of messaging with the launch of Rich Communication Services (RCS) support on iPhone with the release of iOS 18. This launch is the culmination of years of collaboration across mobile operators, device manufacturers, and technology providers. It represents a step forward in bringing RCS’s feature-rich messaging to more users across both iOS and Android.

With RCS Universal Profile now available in iOS and on Android, users can take advantage of features like typing indicators, read receipts, high-quality media sharing, and improved group messaging when communicating with contacts on other platforms. Now users across both platforms can benefit from a richer, more reliable and seamless messaging experience than SMS and MMS.

At the same time, the GSMA acknowledges there’s still work to be done, specifically in regard to E2EE.

While this is a major milestone, it is just the beginning. The next major milestone is for the RCS Universal Profile to add important user protections such as interoperable end-to-end encryption. This will be the first deployment of standardized, interoperable messaging encryption between different computing platforms, addressing significant technical challenges such as key federation and cryptographically-enforced group membership. Additionally, users will benefit from stronger protections from scam, fraud, and other security threats.

The addition of interoperable E2EE will be a major boon for both iOS and Android users, ensuring communications between the two platforms remain private and secure. This is especially important for journalists, activists, and other individuals whose livelihood—or even their lives—depend on secure communication.

Traditionally, you can use original methods of creating training resources when trying to bring under-skilled employees to the proper level. This would include broad, general resources or training custom-made for your business, which are much more effective. Regardless of the medium, high quality training usually focuses on a few aspects. It helps to highlight proven market growth opportunities in the past, while also providing exposure to future research, innovation, and business practices. This combination of both past and future mindsets helps a company learn from its mistakes, and more importantly, set a proper plan to guide it in the future. But what exactly does training do for employees?

The Importance of Skills Based Training

Skills based training has several implicit and explicit benefits. On the explicit side, you provide employees with more education on a variety of subject matters. This serves to enhance their skills, expand their broader knowledge base, and improve an employee’s holistic performance. Conversely, more employee training has the main merit of increasing employee satisfaction. This satisfaction, in turn, means a much higher employee retention percentage and attracting top level talent due to the positive work environment. However, despite the benefits that traditional training resources bring, it might not be enough for businesses seeking a rapid pivot.

As many as 62 out of every 100 leaders say they aren’t fully prepared to respond to new technology and talent challenges. However, challenges with technology and talent are not mutually exclusive issues. While overtrained and expert employees can help a business sustain itself, these issues are compounded when a business experiences both simultaneously. Around 42% of C-suite leaders corroborate this sentiment and feel skill shortages are a substantial issue when attempting to pivot a business. With this in mind, novel technology may be the key to helping businesses swiftly adapt to hardships.

Conclusion

Companies like YU Global, have been revolutionizing the way training is made via the power of AI. Beyond the normal benefits, AI-enriched training holds many more merits than traditional training methods. In addition to traditional benefits, these new resources help employees deepen their area of expertise and yield measurable benefits via metrics like return on investment (ROI). Not only that, but these resources come at a cost-effective rate and after only a few weeks of custom course development. Ultimately, whether you’re trying to save your business from trouble or trying to advance it into the future, YU Global can help you efficiently adapt your business.

Slack’s new feature allow users to create workflows that automatically engage when events occur in third-party apps.

For example, customers can now build a Slack workflow that automatically starts when an event occurs in a third-party app like PagerDuty, Asana, BitBucket, and more. In addition, customers can now access a more intuitive user experience when creating workflows in Slack and access more than 50 new plug-and-play templates that span common productivity use cases. Developers also now have access to more coding languages and tools so they can create custom workflows and share them with their teams.

The company says these new automation tools will help companies and business leaders improve productivity, a growing pain point for many.

Seventy-one percent of business leaders are under pressure from management to squeeze more productivity out of their teams, but a similar 70% of IT leaders are concerned that increasing business demands will curb innovation. What’s more, 77% of users say that being able to automate routine tasks would greatly improve their productivity. Companies need automation solutions that boost productivity without burdening IT — and no-code, user-friendly automation is an essential tool for achieving this goal.

Slack’s Workflow Builder, its no-code automation tool, now includes the following new abilities:

• Start automations from actions in third-party apps. Previously, a Slack workflow could only start from an action that took place in Slack and Salesforce. Now, an action in a third-party app like PagerDuty, Asana, Bitbucket, and more can automatically start a workflow directly in Slack. For example, if an organization has a critical outage, a logged ticket in PagerDuty can start a workflow in Slack that will create an incident channel, add team members, set up a canvas, and share all of the relevant information from PagerDuty. Team members get the context they need to resolve the issue efficiently in their flow of work.
• Easily build workflows with a new plug-and-play design and access more than 50 new pre-built templates. A new user experience in Workflow Builder allows users to easily create a workflow by completing a prompt, similar to filling in the blanks in a sentence. And with 50 new out-of-the-box workflow templates, users can quickly build automations for common business tasks like starting a project, collecting survey data, and creating IT tickets.
• Make customizing workflows easier with new developer tools. When users need to build a specialized workflow, they can use Slack’s open APIs and developer tools to create custom steps. New tools in Slack’s developer platform make it easier to build custom steps. Developers can now create and manage custom steps on the Slack app settings page in a new, intuitive user experience. In addition, developers can enhance existing custom-built Slack apps with a custom step so that it can be used in Workflow Builder, allowing end users to connect Slack apps to time-saving workflows. Finally, Slack now supports more programming languages to develop these custom steps, including JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, and Java.

“At Slack, one of our product principles is ‘don’t make me think,’” said Rob Seaman, Chief Product Officer. “We’re applying that to the historically technical and time-consuming area of automation so that it’s an intuitive and delightful productivity driver — for everyone. These new features make the Slack platform even more powerful for every customer, giving both developers and end users the tools they need to easily automate any business process across their work apps, directly in the place they’re already working. As Slack continues to become the destination for getting work done, we’ll continue to make it as seamless as possible for users to create automated workflows and take productivity into their own hands.”

Webinars are a popular option to host conferences and other events, but it can be a challenge choosing the right platform and infrastructure necessary to accommodate large numbers. Zoom is making that choice a bit easier with its new single-use webinar options, in addition to its monthly and annual subscription options. Users can choose webinar options for 10K, 50K, 100K, 250K, 500K, and 1 million attendees.

“Zoom’s expanded capacity webinar offering is revolutionizing the way organizations can seamlessly connect and engage with massive audiences,” said Smita Hashim, chief product officer at Zoom. “Now event organizers have the flexibility and power to host truly interactive experiences on an unprecedented scale and the ability to purchase large single-use webinars.”

“With this new and expanded capacity for webinars, Zoom is opening new opportunities for innovative organizations,” said Wayne Kurtzman, IDC Research vice president of Social, Communities, and Collaboration. “The rise of Zoom in this market now enables organizations to produce significant, large-scale, and engaging virtual events.”

The company pitches its single-use webinar options as an ideal solution for the public sector, entertainment, and the public sector.

• Enterprise Sector: The world’s largest enterprises are constantly looking for ways to communicate more effectively with their workforce. With the ability to host webinars for up to 1 million attendees, companies can now bring together their entire global workforce in a single, unified event. This expanded capacity is ideal for large all-hands meetings, where CEOs and senior leaders can address every employee simultaneously, ensuring that critical messaging reaches the entire organization. Additionally, industry conferences and trade shows can now scale keynote sessions, allowing more participants to engage directly with industry leaders, driving higher levels of participation and engagement.
• Entertainment: In the entertainment industry, connecting with key audiences remains critical. Celebrities and public figures can use Zoom’s expanded webinar capabilities to host virtual events, fan meet-and-greets, and more. The interactive features of Zoom Webinars allow the audience to engage directly with the public figure, creating unforgettable experiences. For brands, these large-scale webinars offer a unique platform to launch products, hold fundraisers, or host virtual events that resonate with audiences on a personal level.
• Public Sector: Government agencies and nonprofit organizations often face the challenge of disseminating information to large, diverse populations. Zoom’s single-use webinar packages provide a powerful solution for public addresses, town halls, and community outreach initiatives, allowing leaders to connect with citizens on a massive scale. Whether it’s a national leader addressing thousands of citizens during a crisis or a global nonprofit launching a major campaign, the ability to host up to 1 million attendees ensures that these important messages reach a wide audience.

Zoom says the new single-use webinar options will only be available in the US at first.

The company announced the new features, called “Take notes for me,” in a blog post.

“Take notes for me,” an AI-powered feature in Google Meet that automatically takes notes during your meetings, will be rolling out soon. Prior to end user availability, admins can now configure whether their users can use this Google AI note-taking feature with a new Admin console setting. This setting can be configured in the Admin console by going to Apps > Google Workspace > Google Meet > Gemini Settings.

Like the app’s transcription features, admins have the ability to test it out before deploying it to all users. The new feature is available to Gemini Enterprise, Gemini Education Premium, or AI Meetings and Messaging add-on customers. The company says only users with one of these liceses can access the new feature.

Google says the notes will be stored in the meeting owner’s drive.

Notes documents will be stored in the meeting owner’s drive folder and will follow the Meet retention policy that your organization has configured. If you are currently testing this feature in Workspace Labs and Alpha, your experience will change from respecting the Drive retention policy to respecting the Meet retention policy.

The rollout is slated to begin on August 13 and be completed on August 21.

Off course, you read it right a book. Writing a book is a modern equivalent of a business card. Have you ever thought about a person having your book in his hand? It is possible to showcase your expertise and valuable insights.

Let’s explore how you can easily write a book and use it to elevate your brand.

Why a Book is the New Business Card

A book offers something a traditional business card cannot: depth. However, a business card showcase who you are and what you do, but a business book tells your story. It has the potential to inform everyone about your struggles, expertise and what you have achieved in your authority.

Whenever you offer someone a book, it means you offering them to see the worth through your eyes. Furthermore, self publishing and on demand book printing have made it easy for anyopne.

Step 1: Choosing Your Topic

Firstly, you need to choose the right topic of your writing because it will showcase your expertise. Before start writing, you should think that what would you want to be recognized for and what people will know about you. Is it capable to solve your audiences’ problem or is it valuable for them? Therefore, you need to choose the topic that is helpful for your audience and align with your brand’s goals.

For example, if you’re a financial advisor, you could write a book on building wealth or managing finances. If you’re a fitness coach, you could share workout plans and nutrition tips. The key is to choose a topic that showcases your expertise and resonates with your audience. This gives you a reason to hand it out to customers and prospects.

Once you have your topic, it’s time to plan your book. Start by outlining the main points you want to cover. Break your book into chapters, each focusing on a different aspect of your topic. This will help you organize your thoughts and make the writing process more manageable.

For example, if you’re writing a book on financial planning, your chapters could include:

• Introduction to Financial Planning
• Budgeting and Saving
• Investing Basics
• Retirement Planning
• Managing Debt
• Advanced Investment Strategies

An outline is basically a roadmap for your book, helping you stay on track and ensuring you cover all the important points.

Step 2: Writing Your Book

Now comes the part that might seem daunting: writing. But don’t worry, you don’t have to do it all at once. Set aside a specific time each day or week to write. Consistency is key. Even if you only write a few pages at a time, you’ll make progress over time.

Remember one thing that your book doesn’t have to be perfect at the first try. Therefore, you need to focus on getting your ideas on the paper so that you may revise and change thoughts later. If you thought that writing is not your thing, then pour out your ideas and let the things work as they are doing.

Once you’ve finished your first draft, you can polish it up. Editing will ensure your book is clear, concise, and free of errors. (For best results, consider hiring a professional editor to review your work, as a fresh set of trained eyes can provide valuable feedback and help you refine your message.)

Step 3: Designing & Publishing Your Book

Designing of your book will work as your content does for your website. The appealing the cover of your book, the more the purchases it will get. However, people say that don’t judge a book by its cover, but they do. So, you need to design it as pouring light from the dark that will appeal audiences to buy the book.

In addition, you don’t need to have a design degree to design your cover, but use online websites. There is a plenty of online DIY design platforms that allow you to design what you want. You can also ask a freelancer for a book cover on a one-off basis.

Step 4: Make Use of Your Book

Here it comes, when your book is published. Now, it is the time when you have to use it for boosting your brand. Here are some ideas to do so.

• Give Aways: Just like a business card, you can hand out your book at networking events, conferences, and meetings. It’s a memorable way to introduce yourself and showcase your expertise. (In most cases, your book is going to yield the most value as a free giveaway rather than trying to sell copies.)

• Promotion: Share your book on your website, social media, and email newsletter. Encourage your audience to read and share it, as well.

• Use It in Your Marketing: Include your book in your marketing materials, such as brochures and presentations. This adds credibility and sets you apart from the competition.

• Speak and Teach: Use your book as a platform to book speaking engagements or teaching opportunities. It positions you as an expert and helps you reach a wider audience than you otherwise would with a simple handout or freebie that doesn’t communicate authority.

Ready to Author Your New Business Card?

Writing a book is a big consideration for you because it has the potential to establish your brand. Moreover, it is not such an issue to undertake the task of writing because it is way more interesting than boring. Within just a few months, you will be able to have your book in your hands from nowhere. The condition is to have your complete focus on it. Here, your main strategy will be there to make it your business card for the future.

Google, as well as other companies, engaged in a long campaign to pressure Apple to into adopting RCS. While iMessage is an excellent messaging option for Apple devices, iMessage would fall back to old-fashioned SMS when communicating with Android. Advanced features, such as group management, read receipts, file sharing, high-quality media, and even encryption, are not supported by SMS. As a result, cross-platform communication was markedly inferior.

Now that Apple is finally replacing SMS with RCS as its cross-platform fallback option, Google is celebrating:

The video is a far cry from Google and Samsung’s previous jabs at Apple over its failure to adopt RCS.

Users should be able to enjoy the benefits of RCS-powered cross-platform messaging later this year.

In 2023, 50% of staffing firms labeled labor shortages as the biggest challenge they encountered, not to mention the increase in new hire pay by 9%. With the continuous challenges of the labor force, experts estimate by 2030 nearly $8.5 billion in revenue will be lost due to 85 million unfilled job positions. Because of these current market conditions, the need for a faster and more sustainable hiring process is necessary. 

Direct Sourcing acts as a perfect balancing point for these issues, by effectively increasing company-to-candidate accessibility and creating a smoother hiring process. Leading organizations that partner with Atrium have noticed outstanding service results and evidence of a deep understanding for recruitment and talent matching. This specialized division of Atrium has the ability to curate specialized talent pools for companies with forever-thinking Direct Sourcing strategies and a unique technological ecosystem. They are able to achieve such results through a reliable 5-step method: sourcing the talent, curating it to the company’s needs, engaging/matching the two parties, and ultimately sealing the deal on the hire. 

This system has been proven to put candidates to work 3 to 5 times faster than competitors, sealing their claim as the “future of work”. 98% of businesses that use Direct Sourcing have experienced cost savings as a result. 83% preached the increased quality of the selection group. 81% report quicker hiring cycles, with 75% of candidates reporting a smoother hiring process. These statistics speak undeniable volumes on the advantages of using such software. 

In the modern day, for companies to remain competitive they must be able to adapt to the ever-changing workforce demands. 60% of major companies have or are planning on taking the system and implementing it into the operating cycle, showing how powerful of a tool it can be when implemented correctly. Christopher J. Dwyer, Managing Director of the Future of Work Exchange sheds his opinion on the system by saying, “As the future continues to unfold, with external factors influencing business operations, direct sourcing will demonstrate its enduring value as a foundational talent acquisition strategy that also serves as a talent sustainability engin, solidifying its role in the workforce management landscape of tomorrow.”

Ultimately, these types of recruiting systems unlock a world of possibilities regarding hiring new talent. It provides companies with a simplified version of finding future employees through the use of advanced technology. Building a solid team is the backbone of any operational company. Without a strong talent group, the company has no means of sustainability. As companies continue to prioritize innovation, Direct Sourcing stands as a testament to the incredible power of technology-based solutions in shaping the future of recruitment.  

This career path offers numerous opportunities for those with close attention to detail, a passion for technology, and a drive to improve product quality.

What Does a QA Tester Do?

A QA tester examines software to ensure it meets specified standards and requirements. They perform various tests, including manual and automated testing, to identify bugs, errors, and any discrepancies from the expected behavior. 

QA testers work closely with developers, product managers, and other stakeholders to ensure everything with the product is flawless.

Education: Where Do You Start?

Even though there is no strict training path to becoming a QA tester, certain companies like syntax technologies offers degrees and certifications can enhance your prospects:

1. Bachelor’s Degree: Degrees in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related fields are highly beneficial. They provide a strong programming, software development, and technical skills foundation.

2. Certifications: Earning certifications can also boost your resume. Some popular certifications include:

• Certified Software Tester (CSTE)
• ISTQB Certified Tester

Essential Skills for QA Testing

Becoming a successful QA tester requires a mix of technical and soft skills:

1. Attention to Detail: A QA tester must meticulously examine every aspect of the software to catch even the most minor errors.

2. Analytical Skills: Analyzing and breaking down complex problems is essential.
3. Technical Proficiency: Familiarity with programming languages, testing tools, and software development methodologies is crucial.

4. Communication: Effective communication skills are necessary for documenting findings and collaborating with the development team.

How Do You Become a QA Tester?

1. Gain Relevant Education: Start with a degree or certification in a related field. This will provide the foundational knowledge needed for the role.

2. Learn the Tools of the Trade: Get familiar with popular testing tools like Selenium, JIRA, and LoadRunner. There is a large variety of online resources and tutorials available.

3. Build a Portfolio: Engage in projects, internships, or freelance work to gain practical experience. Showcase these in a portfolio to demonstrate your skills to potential employers.

4. Apply for Jobs: Start applying for QA tester positions. Tailor your resume to highlight your relevant skills and experiences.

5. Continue Learning: The tech industry is constantly evolving. Always stay updated with the latest QA testing trends, tools, and methodologies.

The Job Market: What Can You Expect?

The demand for QA testers is robust, with many industries recognizing the importance of quality assurance in delivering superior products. 

The employment in software quality assurance is projected to increase by 22% from 2020 to 2030, a lot faster than for all occupations, as shown in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. This growth is caused by the increasing complexity of software and the rising consumer demand for high-quality applications.

Salary Expectations: What Will You Earn?

The salary of a QA tester can vary based on experience, location, and industry. Based on Glassdoor reviews, the average salary for a QA tester in the US is around $70,000 annually. Entry-level positions may start at approximately $50,000, while senior roles can command salaries upwards of $100,000.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ states, the average annual wage for software quality assurance engineers and testers was about $90,000 as of 2023, highlighting the earning potential in this field.

Geolocation plays a significant role in salary variations. 

For instance, QA testers in tech hubs like San Francisco, New York, and Seattle tend to earn more on average due to the higher cost of living and demand for tech talent. In San Francisco, QA testers can earn an average of $90,000 to $120,000 annually, reflecting the competitive market and concentration of tech companies. 

On the other hand, earnings in smaller towns or regions with a lower cost of living might be lower, ranging from $50,000 to $70,000 annually.

The industry in which a QA tester works significantly influences their salary. Sectors with high demand for software reliability and performance, such as finance, healthcare, and e-commerce, often offer higher compensation. Additionally, specialized skills in automated testing, familiarity with testing frameworks, and proficiency in programming languages can further enhance earning potential. Certifications like ISTQB or CSTE can also provide a competitive edge and lead to higher salaries.

QA testing presents a promising career path with a wide range of salary opportunities. These opportunities are influenced by various factors, including geographic location, industry, and individual skills, all of which can significantly impact earnings.

Where Can You Find Resources?

There are numerous resources available for those interested in starting a career in QA testing. Here are a few valuable ones:

• ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board): Offers certification programs and resources.
• Software Testing Help: Provides tutorials, articles, and tips on various aspects of software testing.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Offers insights into the job outlook and career information for software quality assurance analysts and testers.

Gaining Real-World Experience

One of the best ways to learn QA testing is through hands-on experience. Many aspiring QA testers start by taking on internships or volunteer projects. Participating in open-source projects can also provide valuable knowledge and the opportunity to work with a team.

Additionally, working on personal projects can help build practical skills and understanding of the software development lifecycle. 

Engaging in online communities and forums, such as Stack Overflow or Reddit, allows you to get advice, share relevant experiences, and stay updated on industry trends. Networking with professionals in the field through LinkedIn or attending industry conferences and workshops can also open doors to mentorship and job opportunities. 

The combination of practical experience, continuous learning, and professional networking is vital for a successful career in QA testing.

Networking: Why It Matters

Joining professional organizations, webinars, and attending industry events will help you with networking and stay updated on industry trends. Some notable organizations include:

• Association for Software Testing (AST): Offers resources, conferences, and a community for software testers.
• American Society for Quality (ASQ): Provides resources, certification, and networking opportunities for quality professionals.

Take the First Step Toward a Career in QA Testing

If you enjoy problem-solving and are passionate about quality, then becoming a QA tester is a rewarding career choice. By following the steps noted in this article, and you can start on a path to a successful career in quality assurance. Remember, the key to becoming a successful QA tester lies in continuous learning and staying updated with industry trends.

Ready to start your journey? Look through this comprehensive guide on becoming a QA tester and taking the first step today. 

Embrace the opportunity to ensure software excellence and enter a stable and potentially lucrative job market. Your future in quality assurance awaits!

Whether on Zoom, Teams, Slack, or any other videoconferencing platform, most users have had the experience of in-meeting notifications loudly interrupting the meeting. Microsoft is addressing this with an upcoming update that will give users more control over their notifications, including the ability to mute them when busy or in a meeting.

You can change the sound of your notifications to help you stay focused, prioritize quickly and avoid distractions. You can as well make urgent notifications and priority contact notifications more prominent. You can also mute notification sounds when you are busy or in a meeting.

The update is slated for rollout in July, so users should start seeing it soon.

Proton is one of the leading privacy-oriented software and services company, with a focus on strong encryption and data sovereignty. The company is now applying those principles to collaborative documents, giving users a private and secure alternative to Google Docs or Microsoft 365, as the company’s Anant Vijay explains:

Billions of people use online document editors like Google Docs or Microsoft 365 to write reports, collaborate on projects, and keep track of meeting notes. But there is a growing concern about Big Tech platforms having access to your content, tracking you across the web, and collecting data to train privacy-invading AI models.

Today we’re announcing a new end-to-end encrypted, collaborative document editor that puts your privacy first. Docs in Proton Drive are built on the same privacy and security principles as all our services, starting with end-to-end encryption. Docs let you collaborate in real time, leave comments, add photos, and store your files securely. Best of all, it’s all private — even keystrokes and cursor movements are encrypted.

Vijay says Proton worked with the Standard Notes team, which the company recently acquired, to develop the privacy-first document platform:

We built docs in Proton Drive as a joint project with the team from Standard Notes(new window), who share our core values around privacy and security.

As with all Proton services, Docs put you back in control of your data. Thanks to our open-source end-to-end encryption, you are the only one with the key to read and share your documents. Not even Proton can access your docs content or metadata (such as file names). Instead of storing your data in the US, where it can be subject to government surveillance, Proton is protected by strict Swiss privacy laws(new window).

Vijay emphasizes the benefits Proton’s strong focus on privacy brings, with the platform suitable for a variety of sensitive occupations:

With Proton Drive and Docs, you now have a secure, privacy-first cloud storage and productivity alternative. If you’re working in law firms or healthcare, you can draft contracts and manage patient data in compliance with privacy laws. Journalists, content creators, and entrepreneurs can keep their projects protected from data leaks and Big Tech surveillance (no AI snooping on your work). Whether for work or for personal use, Proton Drive ensures your documents remain safe and private.

The company is rolling out the new feature starting today, with it being available to all users over the next few days.

For example, there are seven main types of COOs.  The first role is that of the executor.  Executors focus on implementing strategies and developing daily results.  Another example is the change agent, who takes the lead on specific business changes.  COOs can also be mentors, guiding and teaching a less-experienced CEO.  There are other roles as well, such as the other half, the partner, the heir apparent, and the MVP.  Each type of COO has its own goals and strengths, allowing for variety in the job. 

However, there are traits that benefit COOs across the board, no matter their niche role.  These traits are acuity, organization, and process and structure.  Acuity is the ability to multitask and quickly understand complex topics.  Organization involves the definition of priorities.  Finally, COOs who excel in process and structure reduce complexity, break larger goals into smaller parts, and create systems, clarity, and accountability. 

What Do COOs Look Like?

Despite their utility, true COOs are rare.  In fact, there is only one COO for every four CEOs.  This results in 75% of CEOs not having a COO.  This can lead to big hits to efficiency and profit.  In fact, companies lose 20% to 30% of their annual revenue to inefficiencies.  Without a COO, these losses are more likely. 

COOs face many challenges.  For starters, they often do not have a standard job description, which can lead to unclear roles.  Additionally, COOs struggle with employee turnover, carbon footprints, supply chain disruptions, chaotic work environments, unengaged teams, the loss of top performers, and more. 

When combined with a lack of proper training, these challenges prevent COOs from maximizing their time.  On the whole, COOs only spend ⅓ of their time on long-term strategic planning.  This is often because they are too focused on dealing with employees and day-to-day operations.  

With these challenges in mind, it is important to support COOs.  In turn, COOs will be able to better serve the company.  In order to help COOs find success, companies should provide better training and upskilling opportunities.  With the help of coaching, individual performance tends to increase 70%, team performance increases by 50%, and organizational performance increases by 48%.  The return on investment of COO coaching can be as high as 788%. 

There are several specific tools that can help with this coaching.  For example, the Catipult Business Operating System can break down silos and increase retention, reduce meeting times, and achieve business goals within 12 quarters.  COO peer groups are other options.  These can improve decision-making skills, boost innovation and goal-setting, and foster ongoing learning. 

Conclusion

COOs are important when it comes to guiding a business to its full potential.  Currently, COOs face challenges that prevent them from achieving full success.  Luckily, with the use of a variety of upskilling and COO coaching tools, COOs can develop new strengths and gain new resources to excel in their jobs. 

Slack’s prior policy involved keeping messages and files for the lifetime of a free workspace, although accessing that full history required switching to a paid account. Under the new policy, Slack reserves the right to delete content from free workspaces after one year.

Slack will no longer keep messages and files for the lifetime of your free workspace. Starting August 26, 2024, Customer Data — such as messages and file history — older than one year may be deleted on a rolling basis from workspaces on the free plan, following the terms described in the Main Services Agreement and Trust and Compliance Documentation.

If you choose to remain on a free workspace, you’ll have full access to the past 90 days of message and file history, and the remaining 275 days will become available should you upgrade to a paid plan. If you decide to upgrade, we’ll store messages and files based on your chosen retention period, with an option to keep all history.

Users interested in keeping their full history of content should upgrade to a paid workspace before August 26, 2024. Once deletion occurs, messages and files cannot be recovered.

Embracing Digital Transformation

Integration of Unified Communication Tools

With the increasing prevalence of remote and distributed teams, organizations are turning to unified communication tools to streamline collaboration and communication across different channels and devices. These tools integrate various communication channels such as voice, video, messaging, and email into a single platform, enabling seamless communication and collaboration regardless of location. By adopting unified communication tools, organizations can improve efficiency, reduce communication silos, and enhance team collaboration.

Transition to Cloud-Based Solutions

Cloud-based communication solutions offer scalability, flexibility, and accessibility, making them an attractive option for businesses of all sizes. digital tools and platforms, like many organizations, benefits from these advantages. Cloud-based communication platforms provide the ability to access communication tools and resources from anywhere, at any time, using any device with an internet connection. This flexibility allows for greater agility and responsiveness, enabling Adapt quickly to changing business needs and market dynamics.  

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Automation

AI-powered chatbots and Virtual Assistants

AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are revolutionizing organizations’ customer service and internal communication. These intelligent systems use natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms to understand and respond to user queries in real time. Chatbots can handle routine inquiries, provide personalized assistance, and streamline communication workflows, freeing up human agents to focus on more complex tasks. Organizations can improve efficiency, enhance customer satisfaction, and reduce operational costs by leveraging AI-powered chatbots.

Automation of Routine Tasks

Automation technology is transforming business communication by automating routine tasks and processes, such as email marketing, scheduling meetings, and managing customer inquiries. Automated communication workflows can help organizations streamline operations, eliminate manual errors, and improve productivity. By automating repetitive tasks, employees can focus on more strategic initiatives that require human creativity and problem-solving skills, driving innovation and value creation within the organization.

Embracing Remote and Hybrid Work Environments

Remote Work Collaboration Tools

The shift towards remote and hybrid work environments has accelerated the adoption of collaboration tools that facilitate virtual communication and teamwork. Video conferencing platforms, project management software, and team collaboration tools have become indispensable for remote teams to stay connected, coordinate projects, and collaborate effectively. These tools enable virtual meetings, file sharing, task management, and real-time communication, allowing teams to collaborate seamlessly regardless of physical location.

Cultivating a Culture of Communication and Collaboration

Effective communication becomes even more critical for maintaining team cohesion and fostering a sense of belonging in remote and hybrid work environments. Organizations must prioritize communication and collaboration by establishing clear communication channels, setting expectations for remote work etiquette, and providing support and resources for virtual team building and collaboration. Cultivating a culture of communication and collaboration helps remote teams stay connected, engaged, and aligned with organizational goals.

Enhancing Customer Engagement and Experience

Personalized and Omnichannel Communication

In today’s digital age, customers expect personalized and seamless communication experiences across multiple channels and touchpoints. Organizations are leveraging data analytics and customer relationship management (CRM) systems to gather insights into customer preferences, behavior, and interactions. By delivering personalized and targeted communication across email, social media, chat, and other channels, organizations can enhance customer engagement, build brand loyalty, and drive business growth.

Interactive and Multimedia Content

Interactive and multimedia content formats, such as videos, infographics, and interactive presentations, are becoming increasingly popular for engaging customers and conveying complex information in a visually compelling manner. Organizations are incorporating interactive elements into their communication strategies to capture audience attention, increase retention, and drive action. By leveraging interactive and multimedia content, organizations can create memorable and impactful communication experiences that resonate with their target audience.

Adapting to Changing Regulatory and Compliance Landscape

Data Privacy and Security Regulations

In an era of increasing data privacy concerns and regulatory scrutiny, organizations must prioritize compliance with data privacy and security regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Compliance with these regulations requires organizations to implement robust data protection measures, obtain consent for data collection and processing, and ensure transparency and accountability in their communication practices. By adhering to data privacy and security regulations, organizations can build trust with customers and mitigate the risk of costly fines and penalties.

Ethical and Responsible Communication Practices

In addition to regulatory compliance, organizations must uphold ethical and responsible communication practices in their interactions with customers, employees, and other stakeholders. This includes being transparent and honest in communication, respecting individual privacy rights, and avoiding deceptive or misleading messaging. By practicing ethical and responsible communication, organizations can build trust, credibility, and goodwill with their audience, ultimately enhancing their reputation and long-term success.

To Wrap Up

In conclusion, navigating the latest trends in business communication requires organizations to embrace digital transformation, leverage artificial intelligence and automation, adapt to remote and hybrid work environments, enhance customer engagement and experience, and comply with changing regulatory and compliance requirements. By staying abreast of emerging trends and leveraging innovative communication technologies and strategies, organizations can foster effective collaboration, drive customer engagement, and achieve their business objectives in today’s dynamic and interconnected business landscape.

Microsoft has been working to improve security across its products and services following a series of devastating breaches that impacted customers in the individual, corporate, and government space. Outlook personal accounts are receiving an upgrade too, with the company enforcing Modern Authentication.

Starting September 16th, Microsoft personal email account users (e.g. Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, Live.com) will need to move to Modern Authentication methods in their email application. These will be necessary for all Outlook users.

To help keep Outlook personal email accounts secure, starting September 16, 2024, Microsoft will no longer support Basic Auth, the method in which a person provides only their username and password to sign into their account. As of September 16, 2024, Outlook will require that all those with a Microsoft email account use a mail or calendar app or the Outlook.com website which supports modern auth, such as the latest versions of Outlook, Apple Mail, or Thunderbird.

The company also reminded users that its Mail & Calendar apps will stop being supported by the end of 2024, and the light version of the Outlook web app will be deprecated August 19, 2024.

Last year we launched a new version of the Outlook for Windows application, which brings Outlook to everyone on Windows – for free. We’ve seen millions of people move into the new Outlook for Windows since our launch, putting it on par for consumer usage with our classic Outlook for Windows app – in a much shorter time. Most people who were using Mail and Calendar have migrated to Outlook for Windows.

With the evolving cyberthreat landscape and our commitment to providing the most secure email experience to our customers, we want to remind people that the Mail and Calendar apps will no longer be supported or available in the Microsoft Store by the end of 2024.

While these changes will no doubt cause some inconvenience, the move is a good one on Microsoft’s part and should help protect Outlook users.

While not as well known as Slack, and overshadowed by Meta’s Threads, the Threads in question is a Slack competitor aimed at business communication. The company benefited significantly from the launch of Meta’s Threads, since the Slack alternative owns Threads.com, as opposed to Meta’s Threads.net.

In the wake of Meta’s Threads, the Slack alternative received multiple buyout offers before ultimately settling on Shopify. The company posted the announcement on their website.

There are a million feelings and thoughts from this journey, but nothing more than gratitude to all of our users and customers for building with us, our investors for their unwavering support and guidance, and all of our friends and family who put up with the late nights, canceled plans, and the general roller coaster that is startup life.

To our customers and users who have been asking, here’s how we got here:

It all started with the rise of Instagram Threads, which presented us with the opportunity to sell our domains.

Around the same time, a handful of companies approached us, wondering if we would be open to an acquisition. When this happened in the past, we would politely decline. However, this time, things were different. We weren’t that excited about the time it would take to invest in a rebrand, and with mind-warping technological advances now being a commodity, we were excited about joining a place where we could tinker at scale.

Each company we chatted with was incredible. However, what ultimately led us to choose Shopify over others was their culture; two distinct things in particular:

Craft-obsessed. Their obsession with not just building the right thing but also building it the right way was inspiring. Sacrifice shows priority, and hearing stories about some of the hard decisions they made to ensure that what they ship is robust, scalable, and trustworthy, even at the cost of short-term metric gains, really proved that their obsession with craft was much more than a feel-good slogan.

For entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs. Just about every product and engineering leader was an ex-founder who grinded for years to turn nothing into something. They all still had that air of resilience, obsession with the details at every part of the stack, and a compelling vision of the future for whatever they were working on. The Threads team is also made up of ex-founders and startup folks, so the entrepreneurial focus at Shopify made it clear that it would be the best environment for us to grow and thrive..

We are all very excited for this next chapter and are grateful for all of the support we’ve received over the years from those who believed in us. As always, thanks for (th)reading.

The Threads Team