IBM is changing the terms of its ubiquitous Passport Advantage agreement to remove entitled discounts on over 5,000 on-premises software products, resulting in an immediate price increase for IBM Software & Support (S&S) across its vast customer landscape.

Google has announced several updates to its G-Suite offering, which aims to heavily integrate and better secure its teamwork applications. The move represents a clear attempt by Google to directly compete with Microsoft’s office productivity suite, with several of the G-Suite updates mirroring the logical architecture of Office 365.

As of July 1, 2020, over 70,000 small business users receiving their Microsoft 365 services from Navisite will now receive them from Intermedia. The move means that Navisite’s users now have access to a range of Intermedia offerings, including Unite, Contact Center, and AnyMeeting.

Zoom recently announced Zoom for Home: an all-in-one hardware and software for home users designed to enable the work-from-home user with a single home appliance for web conferencing, phone calling, and interactive whiteboard collaboration.

NEC customers now have access to a new set of cloud-based communications and collaboration solutions through NEC’s partnership with Intermedia, a cloud communications provider. Primarily aimed at SMEs, this new set of solutions is titled UNIVERGE BLUE.

Thinking about choosing a new software vendor but don't know where to start? Narrow down your shortlist by focusing on software that has received an Info-Tech Research Group award. New data from SoftwareReviews shows that organizations reported higher satisfaction when they switched to software that had received an Info-Tech award.

University researchers used artificial intelligence in an experiment to determine the extent of privacy risks that come with the use of this web conferencing tool. Publicly available data scraped from social networks was cross-referenced as part of this research.

With lots of functionality being provisioned/deployed at the tenant level, Microsoft is happy to sit back for now, watch, and start auditing in the future.

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise has released a series of updates for their UCaaS offering, Rainbow. These updates cover aesthetics, video conferencing, and time management.

As Zoom approaches the end of its 90 day moratorium on enhancements to focus on security, the company names Jason Lee, SalesForce’s former SVP of Security Operations, as its new CISO.

Firstline worker licenses can be a cost-effective licensing vehicle but could reduce your discount tier or disqualify you from an Enterprise Agreement.

Moving townhall meetings online can present a range of virtual problems – not least, which web conferencing tool to use! This note explores how Microsoft Teams can be used by governmental bodies to remotely host their townhalls and other public engagements.

Upgrading one’s videoconferencing hardware is an important long-term investment that revolves around several decision points. This note offers a process for thinking about these decision points.

Two new vulnerabilities in Zoom’s web conferencing software were discovered in early June 2020. The vulnerabilities could allow malicious actors the ability to execute arbitrary code on target hosts and exploit path traversal vulnerabilities in the software. Zoom’s latest update addresses and remediates the vulnerabilities.

Zoom’s security consultant has announced that it will be providing strong encryption to paying customers and educational users of its web conferencing service. The move is being made in consultation with industry security consultants and privacy advocates.

RingCentral has launched RingCentral Video, a videoconferencing service integrated into its unified communications platform. This is a move that steers the company away from its partnership with Zoom Video Communications.

Remote annual general meetings and shareholder meetings have certain end-user requirements that cannot be fully met by standard go-to web conferencing tools. Explore what other software options are available in this marketspace.

The Office of the Attorney General of the State of New York has reached a settlement with Zoom Video Communications. The agreement promises enhanced data security and user controls.

Verizon has acquired BlueJeans for between $400-500 million. The move will see BlueJeans integrated into Verizon’s 5G plans, utilizing BlueJeans' advanced and encrypted video-conferencing solutions for telehealth, eLearning, and field service work.

Exploring the vendor landscape for contact center solutions is complicated, with a variety of metrics to consider within a service level agreement. This note helps narrow down which key requirements and key metrics you need to consider when choosing a contact center.

With an update that makes it easier for new and existing users to jump into a meeting, Cisco’s Webex is looking to address one of the few areas where it’s not rated at the very top of the pack.