PowerPoint slides ready for closed captioning
Here are five tech things that happened this week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
1 – Microsoft introduces closed captioning in PowerPoint Live for Teams meetings
PowerPoint Live now includes closed captioning, Microsoft announced. Closed captions can be activated during team meetings for the hearing impaired or users who want to use an additional means of communication. The Teams blog page has a step-by-step guide to enabling closed captioning in Windows and macOS. (Source: Microsoft)
Why this is important for your business:
The tool allows a person to use the feature that only appears at the bottom of a slide presentation on their screen without disturbing other members of the meeting. As someone who routinely uses closed captioning when watching Netflix, this is a feature I often see used in my meetings, especially if a person is presenting with a Liverpudlian accent!
2 – Research shows that two-thirds of organizations have experienced breaches due to remote working
Businesses continue to face the security challenges of remote working. Data from a 2023 Fortinet study shows that organizations are more vulnerable when they support a work-from-home model. Of the companies surveyed, 62 percent reported a data breach as a “partial” result of staff working from home. “Lack of cybersecurity training” was one of the contributors cited. Identity access control – technology that helps organizations use advanced protocols – was another item hampered by remote working. While companies have invested time and money to avoid major breaches, they face the challenge of minimizing that risk when supporting a remote or hybrid environment. (Source: Venture Beat)
Why this is important for your business:
As malware attacks increase, it is critical that businesses hire IT companies to provide training, added security software, and regular monitoring of home workers’ routers and device settings to maximize security. Taking more aggressive measures, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), is one of the solutions experts also recommend. This is an investment that you must make this year.
3 – An ongoing malware campaign targets small business routers
HiatusRAT – a malicious malware campaign targeting pharmaceutical and IT companies is in the cyber spotlight. Those who have followed HiatusRAT say routers are the access point. From a hardware point of view, routers have weaknesses in their structure that are relatively easy for hackers to exploit. Researchers aren’t sure who is behind HiatusRAT, and the extent of the damage remains to be seen. Consistent monitoring of routers and security updates are the suggested security measures. (Source: Axios)
Why this is important for your business:
Routers – both in our businesses and at home – are a weak link in the security chain. Ask your IT professional to make sure your home and office routers are running the latest firmware. For home workers, let them set up a separate connection for your office that is independent of their home browsing.
4 – Tech companies are doing everything they can to make stores as measurable as websites
Your shopping experience gets a really cool upgrade, and not online. Cooler screens — the company that transforms refrigerator doors into hi-definition displays — is seeing an increase in interested leads as retailers focus their efforts on improving the shopping experience. As the pandemic accelerates e-commerce trends, brick-and-mortar businesses are looking to increase in-store traffic. Walgreens is already on that path, partnering with Cooler Screens. Similar companies like Placer.Ai help stores gauge customer habits and how long they spend perusing products. (Source: Modern Retail)
Why this is important for your business:
This technology should be of great interest to anyone running a physical location. New technology is getting better at figuring out where our visitors walk, browse and look, just like on our websites. And why not?
5 – Small business e-commerce support program launched by NJEDA
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) has launched a pilot program that will help small businesses with their online presence through free marketing consulting services. (Source: Business in New Jersey)
Why this is important for your business:
It’s called the Small business e-commerce support program and will connect New Jersey businesses with marketing experts to help them grow their online presence… and funded entirely by the state. If you’re in New Jersey and looking to expand your business, these free services can be a real help.
