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Tag: Zoom

  • Salesforce Plus Slack Equals a Battle Over the Cloud

    Salesforce Plus Slack Equals a Battle Over the Cloud

    Salesforce announced its much-anticipated acquisition of Slack earlier today, sparking nothing short of a battle over the cloud.

    Salesforce made headlines last week when news broke that it was looking to acquire Slack. Talks progressed rapidly, with the deal announced a few hours ago. In the statement announcing the deal, Stewart Butterfield, Slack’s CEO and Co-Founder, provided a clue about what’s at stake:

    Salesforce started the cloud revolution, and two decades later, we are still tapping into all the possibilities it offers to transform the way we work. The opportunity we see together is massive.

    Despite being responsible for starting the cloud revolution, Salesforce has come under increasing pressure from other companies, most notably Microsoft. The Redmond company has made no bones about its intention to unseat Salesforce as the dominant CRM company. Most recently, Microsoft partnered with C3.ai and Adobe to roll out an AI-based CRM.

    Similarly, Slack has been under increased pressure from Microsoft Teams. Teams doubled Slacks installed user base in November 2019 when it reached 20 million daily users. Its user base has exploded since then, reaching 115 million in October. Much of Teams’ growth has been the result of Microsoft’s bundling it with Office, a practice that prompted Slack to file an antitrust complaint with the EU.

    Butterfield’s comment about “the opportunity we see together is massive” is indicative of just how much both companies need this merger. Since its IPO, Slack has never turned a profit. To make matters worse, Slack has not experienced the same pandemic-fueled boon like Zoom and other cloud platforms. It’s experienced significant growth to be sure, but not to the same degree as competing companies.

    The combination of the two companies will help both fight Microsoft.

    “The core reason for this deal in our opinion is to keep pace with the cloud behemoth in Redmond,” Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a note to investors Tuesday, reports CNN. “Slack despite facing stiff competition from Microsoft has been a clearly successful solution set further penetrating enterprises and thus looks like the natural fit for Salesforce to beef up its collaboration and messaging footprint and keep pace with [Microsoft].”

    It remains to be seen if the two companies will be more effective together, but it’s a good start. The combination of the two platforms helps both provide a more complete offering to its customers.

  • Zoom Reports Q3 Results: Beats Estimates Again

    Zoom Reports Q3 Results: Beats Estimates Again

    Zoom has reported its Q3 results, beating estimates on strong demand amid a pandemic-fueled transition to remote work.

    Zoom quickly became a favorite of companies and individuals as the pandemic forced employees to work from home, children to learn remotely and families to socialize virtually. As a result, the company has seen explosive growth, helping it beat analysts estimates yet again.

    The company reported Q3 revenue of $777.2 million, an increase of 367% year-over-year. The number of customers spending more than $100,000 in revenue was up 136% year-over-year. This is an even bigger jump than last quarter, that saw an increase of 112% year-over-year. The number of customers with more than 10 employees reached 433,700, up 485% year-over-year.

    “We remain focused on the communication needs of our customers and communities as they navigate the current environment and adapt to a new world of work from anywhere using Zoom. We aspire to provide the most innovative, secure, reliable, and high-quality communications platform to help people connect, collaborate, build and learn on Zoom,” said Zoom founder and CEO, Eric S. Yuan. “Strong demand and execution led to revenue growth of 367% year-over-year with solid growth in non-GAAP operating income and cash flow in our third fiscal quarter. We expect to strengthen our market position as we finish the fiscal year with an increased total revenue outlook of approximately $2.575 billion to $2.580 billion for fiscal year 2021, or approximately 314% increase year-over-year.”

  • Microsoft Teams Taking On Zoom With 24-Hour Free Meetings

    Microsoft Teams Taking On Zoom With 24-Hour Free Meetings

    Microsoft is ramping up its competition with Zoom by offering 24-hour meetings with its free Teams plan.

    Zoom quickly emerged at the outset of the pandemic as one of the top choices for virtual work, remote learning, worship and socializing. Although Microsoft’s Skype is one of the oldest video conferencing platforms, it has not enjoyed nearly as much popularity or use.

    As a result, Microsoft has pivoted to promoting its Teams platform. Although originally more of a Slack competitor, Microsoft has increasingly been positioning Teams as an alternative to Zoom.

    Zoom made headlines Tuesday when it announced it was lifting the 40-minute limit on meetings with its free account, in an effort to help families remain safe and still be able to visit during Thanksgiving.

    Microsoft has followed suit, announcing it is extending the time limit on meetings made with a free Teams account to 24-hours. In addition, only the person hosting the meeting needs a Teams account, making it even easier for others to join.

    Microsoft’s announcement is good news for consumers and highlights the benefits of healthy competition in the video conferencing market.

  • Zoom Lifting 40-Minute Free Limitation For Thanksgiving

    Zoom Lifting 40-Minute Free Limitation For Thanksgiving

    Zoom has announced it is lifting its normal 40-minute time limit on meetings with free accounts to help folks with Thanksgiving plans.

    As COVID-19 surges to record levels, experts have been warning about the danger of Thanksgiving celebrations and the possibility of new super-spreader events. Many families have been relying on Zoom to stay in touch, and plan to do so even more during the holiday season.

    Zoom’s free tier comes with a 40-minute limit on meetings, requiring individuals to keep restarting the meeting for a longer family get-together. Zoom plans on lifting that in time for Thanksgiving, making it a bit easier for families to visit virtually.

  • FTC Holds Zoom Accountable For Misleading Security Claims

    FTC Holds Zoom Accountable For Misleading Security Claims

    Zoom has agreed to a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over misleading security claims.

    Zoom quickly established itself at the outset of the pandemic as one of the main methods of communication and remote work. Unfortunately for the company, it also faced a number of missteps in regard to security.

    In particular, the FTC took Zoom to task for claiming it offered end-to-end encryption from at least 2016, when it offered a much weaker type of security. End-to-end encryption ensures that only the sender and recipient can access the encrypted content. While Zoom claimed to offer this level of encryption, in reality, it held the keys that could allow it to decrypt meetings at will.

    In addition, customers who opted to save recordings of their meetings using Zoom’s cloud storage were misled about the level of encryption Zoom provided. The company claimed the recordings were encrypted immediately. Instead, the FTC found that some recordings were left as long as 60 days without being encrypted.

    “During the pandemic, practically everyone—families, schools, social groups, businesses—is using videoconferencing to communicate, making the security of these platforms more critical than ever,” said Andrew Smith, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Zoom’s security practices didn’t line up with its promises, and this action will help to make sure that Zoom meetings and data about Zoom users are protected.”

    As part of the settlement, Zoom is prohibited from making false and misleading statements, must submit to third-party assessments, make sure updates do not interfere with third-party security security features and implement additional safeguards.

  • Zoom COO: Transaction Fees Possible For New OnZoom Service

    Zoom COO: Transaction Fees Possible For New OnZoom Service

    Zoom COO Aparna Bawa says that Zoom is open to experimenting with transaction fees for its new OnZoom service targeting video delivered services like piano lessons.

    “We still are watching and waiting to see what the economics look like,” said Zoom COO Aparna Bawa at WSJ Tech Live. “We want to make sure that the customer base that we’re serving finds it helpful, it’s priced at the right point, it’s beneficial to all,”

    When asked about getting a cut of online video services Bawa said: “We’re not quite sure how that’s going to work. “For us, it’s a long game. The more and more we can build our user base and establish trust with folks like you, the more sort of legs we have as a company.”

    OnZoom, currently in beta, is a service for paid Zoom users to create, host, and monetize events like fitness classes, concerts, stand-up or improv shows, and music lessons on the Zoom Meetings platform.

    “We were humbled and inspired by all of the amazing ways the world adapted to a literal shutdown of in-person events amid COVID-19,” says Zoom product manager Aleks Swerdlow. “When business owners, entrepreneurs, and organizations of all sizes had to find some way – any way – to stay the course and continue providing services to their customers, many turned to Zoom. OnZoom simplifies that experience.”

    In short, OnZoom is Zoom for paid events or services. It has the potential to vastly increase Zoom revenues by tapping into entrepreneurs and small businesses that want to provide a service specific to individuals or groups and not just give it away on YouTube. Think personalized Yoga training, tutors for your kids, computer support, and cooking classes personalized to you. It also includes event discovery features and can be used for free events as well.

  • VMware COO: We Are So Happy That Zoom Exists

    VMware COO: We Are So Happy That Zoom Exists

    VMware COO Sanjay Poonen says that Zoom has changed the future of work:

    We are so happy that Zoom exists. When I was last in a pandemic in 2008 I was at SAP and we were all in a room sitting by a telepresence machine. It was so hot and only 10 or 15 people could sit at the same time. Then I first saw Zoom on my phone and it was beautiful. We obviously want to balance work and life and be in this place where we are concerned about both our physical and mental health. Physical health is important but mental health is equally important.

    We’re obviously helping companies through the pandemic. We’ve just adopted some best practices. We think we’re going to create Work 2.0. In the future of work-force-ware, we make it the best to work in any location. I recently had a lady that was going to do a global demand gen job. Initially, we would have thought that she could have done that job from Palo Alto only. She’s now doing that job from Sydney and doing an incredible job.

    We want to make VMware the best place to work. Then at the end of the day, each person has got to find their personal space by which they figure out the things that trample them back to work. Every day for me it’s my faith, my family, my friends. I’ve got a routine, whether it’s biking or whatever lets you get prepared for the next day. We are potentially going to be in this for the long haul.

    VMware COO Sanjay Poonen: We Are So Happy That Zoom Exists
  • Zoom End-to-End Encryption Rolling Out Next Week

    Zoom End-to-End Encryption Rolling Out Next Week

    Zoom has announced it will be rolling out end-to-end encryption (E2EE) beginning next week.

    Zoom quickly became the de facto standard for remote work and distance learning during the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, the company made a number of security missteps early on, leading to a 90-day moratorium on new features as the company focused on security.

    One of those issues revolved around E2EE. The company’s early marketing made it appear as if it offered E2EE when, in fact, it did not. The company later announced definitive plans to implement E2EE, although only for paid accounts. After feedback and criticism, the company reversed course, announcing its intention to bring E2EE to all users.

    Those plans are coming to fruition, with the company implementing the first phase of its E2EE plans next week:

    We’re excited to announce that starting next week, Zoom’s end-to-end encryption (E2EE) offering will be available as a technical preview, which means we’re proactively soliciting feedback from users for the first 30 days. Zoom users – free and paid – around the world can host up to 200 participants in an E2EE meeting on Zoom, providing increased privacy and security for your Zoom sessions.

    CEO Eric S. Yuan highlighted the benefits of E2EE, both to customers and the Zoom platform:

    End-to-end encryption is another stride toward making Zoom the most secure communications platform in the world. This phase of our E2EE offering provides the same security as existing end-to-end-encrypted messaging platforms, but with the video quality and scale that has made Zoom the communications solution of choice for hundreds of millions of people and the world’s largest enterprises.

    Once enabled, users will know their meetings are encrypted with E2EE by looking at the green shield icon in the upper left corner. The normal checkmark, indicating GCM encryption, will be replaced by a padlock.

  • CFO: End Of Pandemic Is Not A Threat To Zoom

    CFO: End Of Pandemic Is Not A Threat To Zoom

    “Zoom is now integrated into all aspects of our lives,” says Zoom CFO Kelly Steckelberg. “We look forward to the day that the pandemic is over and we can resume more normal activities and yet I don’t think that in itself is a threat to Zoom. People have grown accustomed to it. Working from home is not a fad. We are all really adjusting to this new way of life and are integrating Zoom into all aspects.”

    Kelly Steckelberg, CFO of Zoom Video Communications, discusses the company’s massive growth over the last quarter and says that an end to the pandemic is not a threat to Zoom:

    Working From Home Is Not A Fad

    We indicated coming into the quarter that we really expected strong growth in Q2. We saw that across all geographies and all industries. International grew over 600 percent year over year. We saw strong performance in industries like education and nonprofits. We also had our largest Zoom Phone deal to-date signed in Q2. There was really strong performance across all aspects of our business.

    What we saw from the retention perspective is that working from home is not a fad. People are really adjusting to this new way of life. They’re integrating Zoom into all aspects. We saw strong retention not only in our enterprise but in customers with fewer than ten employees as well. As we’ve continued to focus on leveraging both the public cloud as well as our own co-located data centers that’s why we saw improvement in the gross margins. We are going to continue to optimize across all of those metrics as we focus on the rest of the year.

    Hired Over 500 Employees In Q2

    We have worked very tirelessly. Our entire Zoom team is doing everything we can to continue to support not only our existing customers but to ensure that every customer who has a need for Zoom has access to it. We have focused quickly on scaling up our employee base. We have hired over 500 employees in Q2. That’s the largest growth we’ve had to date. We are also working from home like many of our customers are and really supporting our employees to ensure that we can meet the needs of the customer. We are leveraging great partners like AWS and Oracle as we need to in order to ensure that we have the capacity to continue to support our customers along the way.

    We continue to look for opportunities to invest to grow the top-line (while free cash flow rose by 2,000 percent year over year). We had record operating margins in the quarter at 41.7 percent. We expect those to come down for the rest of the year as we are focusing on investing in more salespeople to meet the demand and more engineers to continue to innovate and build our platform. Of course, we are always looking for opportunities with M&A, technology, or teams that can really augment our platform or our team to continue to drive that top-line growth.

    Video Is The Future Of Communications

    We really believe that video is the future of communications. With that, we want our Zoom customers to be able to use the Zoom platform with other best of breed products in platforms that they choose. We have integrations with many products out there and that’s great. We want our customers to be able to use the products that they know and love and have them work together seamlessly.

    What we’ve heard from our customers is that while everyone is really longing for the day that we get to go back to a more normal life before COVID that in many ways they are loving the flexibility that this has brought to them. They get to wake up with their children, have a full day of work and then have dinner with their family at the end of the day.

    End Of Pandemic Is Not A Threat To Zoom

    I really believe that Zoom is now integrated into all aspects of our lives. We look forward to the day that the pandemic is over and we can resume more normal activities and yet I don’t think that in itself is a threat to Zoom. We have grown accustomed to it. We have seen so many additional use cases. If you think about Formula One having these great premium experiences leveraging Zoom now in bringing clients into the paddock.

    There is a company in Singapore using it to do virtual tours. They did half of their new properties that came to sale in Q2 they showed them virtually and sold them this way. We are starting to see more and more ways that people are making more efficient and more effective. This way of communicating and working is here to stay.

    Zoom CFO Kelly Steckelberg: End Of Pandemic Is Not A Threat To Zoom
  • Zoom Has Transformed Into a Consumer Platform, Says CFO

    Zoom Has Transformed Into a Consumer Platform, Says CFO

    “The (COVID-19 crisis) has really transformed what used to be a business platform primarily used for enterprises to now be used for all kinds of new consumer and small business use cases,” says Zoom CFO Kelly Steckelberg. “I don’t see everybody going back to the way that it was before. I don’t think that everybody that’s working from home today is going to go back to their office necessarily or that these small business owners are going to stop using it in the way that they’ve had.”

    Kelly Steckelberg, Chief Financial Officer of Zoom, discusses how the COVID-19 crisis has transformed Zoom into a consumer platform with a 20-times increase in daily usage:

    Zoom Has Transformed Into a Consumer Platform

    We are proud that we’ve enabled over 90,000 schools in over 25 countries around the globe to use a Zoom. That along with many other use cases that we didn’t contemplate before this such as grandmother’s using Zoom to read bedtime stories to their grandchildren across the country. We are also seeing small businesses using it now to do tutoring or give yoga lessons. It has really transformed what used to be a business platform primarily used for enterprises to now be used for all kinds of new consumer and small business use cases.

    That has caused a 20-times increase in our daily participants from just December through March. Yes, with that has come new opportunities and challenges as well including opportunities to educate and enable our users in a very different way than we needed to before. Coming into this pandemic and seeing the increase in demand we have been very focused on ensuring that the platform is stable and reliable and available for everybody who needs it. 

    When we had our earnings call on March 4th we did talk about this that we already had started to see the rise in demand. While I’m not confirming guidance today, we did indicate then that we expected to see an increase in our cost of goods sold that would have an impact on our gross margins. That is consistent with what we’ve continued to see. 

    I Don’t See Everybody Going Back To The Way It Was

    In terms of what does this mean going forward and are we trying to convert some of these users, we have a freemium version of our product that many of these new users are using today. We are really focused on ensuring that everybody and anybody who needs Zoom or has a use for it today can get access to it. We really want to focus on minimizing the disruption and communication during this difficult time for everyone. 

    It’s too early to tell what comes next. Ideally, in a few months, we’re all back to a more normal state. I don’t see everybody going back to the way that it was before. I don’t think that everybody that’s working from home today is going to go back to their office necessarily or that these small business owners are going to stop using it in the way that they’ve had. So we’ll just see what that brings. it’s really too early to tell today.

    Zoom Has Transformed Into a Consumer Platform, Says Zoom CFO Kelly Steckelberg
  • Zoom Reports Quarterly Results, Smashes Expectations

    Zoom Reports Quarterly Results, Smashes Expectations

    Zoom reported its quarterly results, smashing expectations as the company’s revenue was up 355% year-over-year.

    Zoom has become the de facto standard videoconferencing platform in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. It is widely used by businesses, government agencies, schools, churches and individuals. Despite some early security and privacy missteps, the company has continued to address concerns and win customers.

    Based on its quarterly results, those efforts have paid off in spades. The company reported quarterly revenue of $663.5 million, well above a consensus of $500 million, representing a 355% year-over-year increase.

    “Organizations are shifting from addressing their immediate business continuity needs to supporting a future of working anywhere, learning anywhere, and connecting anywhere on Zoom’s video-first platform. At Zoom, we strive to deliver a world-class, frictionless, and secure communication experience for our customers across locations, devices, and use cases,” said Zoom founder and CEO, Eric S. Yuan. “Our ability to keep people around the world connected, coupled with our strong execution, led to revenue growth of 355% year-over-year in Q2 and enabled us to increase our revenue outlook to approximately $2.37 billion to $2.39 billion for FY21, or 281% to 284% increase year-over-year.”

    Interestingly, Zoom reported it has 988 customers that are paying more than $100,000 each, a 112% increase from the year-ago quarter.

  • Zoom Coming to Smart Displays

    Zoom Coming to Smart Displays

    Zoom has announced it is bringing its videoconferencing software to smart displays.

    As the coronavirus pandemic took off, Zoom quickly established itself as the videoconferencing solution of choice for professional, religious and personal use. As a result, the company’s business skyrocketed and it has been expanding its offerings to keep up with demand and improve the user experience.

    Now Zoom is bringing its software to smart displays in an effort to make it even easier to use at home. The software will be available on Amazon Echo Show, Portal from Facebook and Google Nest Hub Max.

    “With 42% of the U.S. labor force working from home full time, businesses can maintain their competitive edge by finding ways to increase productivity, enhance efficiency, and enable collaboration,” writes Zoom’s Jeff Smith. “With Zoom on your favorite smart display, you can connect with colleagues to work smarter together, using features like whiteboarding, content sharing, and co-annotation.

    “As a Zoom Meetings user, all you’ll need to do is log in to one of our supported smart displays and integrate your calendar, status, and meeting settings. You’ll have access to all the tools you need to personalize your home office experience.”

    It’s safe to say this latest move will help further cement Zoom’s position at the head of the pack.

  • Customer Meetings Will Change Forever, Says Shark Tank’s Robert Herjavec

    Customer Meetings Will Change Forever, Says Shark Tank’s Robert Herjavec

    Some things in the new world will change forever. Customer meetings will change forever. In the past, I never thought that I could do a Zoom call or a Teams call with the CEO of a company I’m trying to sell to. In the future, I don’t think my customers will want me to come and see them. There’s continued opportunity for remote access. Anything that allows you to connect with clients online or build the brand is going to be really valuable. I had an Instagram Live yesterday with Kris Jenner. She’s been selling online for years now. Every business needs to move online, especially small business.

    Robert Herjavec, mega entrepreneur and Shark Tank star, says on CNBC that the coronavirus crisis has caused the word to change forever. Meetings will never be the same and many other post-pandemic changes are in store:

    Customer Meetings Will Change Forever

    When all of this first happened we wanted to use Zoom because all our customers use Zoom. But I have got to tell you, some of the security issues are really pretty bad within Zoom. So we’ve switched over to Microsoft Teams. I think that’s one of the reasons that Microsoft stock is doing so well. The use of Teams at the corporate enterprise level is really taking off. We’re also seeing Webex usage really go up. There was also the acquisition of BlueJeans (by Verizon), another video conferencing platform.

    I have become very optimistic about the return, whenever the return is, and what the world will look like. Some things in the new world will change forever. Customer meetings will change forever. In the past, I never thought that I could do a Zoom call or a Team’s call with the CEO of a company I’m trying to sell to. In the future, I don’t think my customers will want me to come and see them. There’s continued opportunity for remote access. Anything that allows you to connect with clients online or build the brand is going to be really valuable. I had an Instagram Live yesterday with Kris Jenner. She’s been selling online for years now. Every business needs to move online, especially small business.

    We’re Into This For The Long Haul

    I used to think that we were in a light switch moment where miraculously President Trump will get on the news and say we’re all back on this date. But I think what we’re seeing now in California and in New York is that it’s going to be⎯⎯we’re into this for the long haul. Certain parts of the economy will go back quickly. But even the ones that do go back are going to be limited. 

    Restaurants will have to distance half the tables. If I have more space in my restaurant can I charge more along that line? I think it’s going to be challenging but with all those challenges there’s going to be opportunities. The key for me about going back is testing. What that means and how people get tested. There’s a great new saliva test that was approved by the FDA where people can do it at home and I think we just have to be able to do that at scale.

    Nobody Wakes Up And Says “I Want My Life To Suck”

    Shark Tank is a mirror to what’s happening in the American economy. When we started the show twelve years ago it was during the financial crisis. Nobody could get a loan. So people started a lot of businesses that you didn’t need capital for. Then we moved to online selling. This will be the same thing. If I’ve learned anything on twelve years from Shark Tank it is that the human condition is about hope. Nobody wakes up and says I want my life to suck. Every time somebody comes on Shark Tank they are full of hope and they’re full of optimism. 

    This is a challenging time but entrepreneurs will figure it out. The key though is you’ve got to have a growth plan. The stimulus plan, the protection plan, all these relief funds, are simply survival funds. They are not growth funds. If you don’t have a plan to grow, if you don’t have a plan to gain market share, getting a stimulus today is just keeping you in business. It’s not helping you to grow. You’ve got to have a game plan for that.

    I want to know what people’s plan is for survival. It makes me want to invest in two types of companies, either a company that has a very strong balance sheet or companies like an Uber or a small business that can scale back its costs. I want to invest in a company that can quickly scale its expenses to meet a decline in revenue or vice versa. So fluidity and the ability to adapt in a small business is really going to be the key. I don’t want to invest in a business with a large infrastructure, buildings, equipment, and all that kind of stuff. That stuff is very difficult to scale down.

    Customer Meetings Will Change Forever, Says Shark Tank’s Robert Herjavec
  • Check Point Identifies Security Issue With Zoom URLs

    Check Point Identifies Security Issue With Zoom URLs

    Israeli security firm Check Point has worked with Zoom to fix an issue with Zoom vanity URLs.

    Vanity URLs give companies a way to add their branding to their Zoom URLs. Companies could even add a customized website to the service. Unfortunately for Zoom, the vanity URLs had a serious security flaws.

    According to Check Point’s research, “an attacker could have attempted to impersonate an organization’s Vanity URL link and send invitations which appeared to be legitimate to trick a victim. In addition, the attacker could have directed the victim to a sub-domain dedicated website, where the victim entered the relevant meeting ID and would not be made aware that the invitation did not come from the legitimate organization.”

    This is just the latest in a long string of Zoom security issues that have come to the surface as the platform has gained in popularity. Zoom has been working to close the holes and improve security all around.

    According to Check Point, the vanity URL vulnerabilities “were responsibly disclosed to Zoom Video Communications, Inc. as part of our ongoing partnership and cooperation. This security issue has been fixed by Zoom, so the exploits described are no longer possible.”

  • Verizon Hits the Ground Running With Zoom Competitor BlueJeans

    Verizon Hits the Ground Running With Zoom Competitor BlueJeans

    Verizon has announced a slew of new features for BlueJeans, its videoconferencing Zoom competitor.

    Verizon announced a deal to purchase BlueJeans in April, as the coronavirus pandemic was gaining momentum. Zoom had established itself as the go-to option for remote work and education, as well as for individuals to stay in touch with friends and family. Verizon saw an opportunity to snap up one of Zoom’s competitors in the hopes of combining BlueJeans with the company’s Verizon Business offerings.

    Verizon has now announced some major new features for BlueJeans, as well as significant partner integrations. The platform now integrates with Salesforce, using hands-free lead tracking to capture attendee data. BlueJeans can also use Splash to help streamline event promotions, as well as follow-ups. Similarly, BlueJeans can use TicketSocket for event monetization.

    Even more significant, BlueJeans has increased the size limit of virtual events, supporting up to 150 presenters and 50,000 attendees. The platform previously only supported 15,000 attendees. In addition, BlueJeans will support seamless integration with YouTube Live. While the platform already supported Facebook Live, adding YouTube Live will greatly increase the potential reach of a live event. Similarly, better support for Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) in BlueJeans Events will make it easier to stream to additional social media platforms.

    “When COVID hit, the video industry was ready,” said David Maldow, Founder, Let’s Do Video. “Changes in culture and technology were already driving organizations to embrace live streaming prior to the pandemic, but now that traditionally in-person events are being forced to go virtual, we’re really seeing the benefits of platforms like BlueJeans Events. With these latest updates, BlueJeans continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible when it comes to hosting large-scale, interactive experiences online that exceed audience expectations while providing moderators peace of mind.”

    It seems Verizon is moving full-speed-ahead with BlueJeans, and this will make hosting events post-pandemic a little easier.

  • ServiceNow CEO: At The Forefront Of The Digital Transformation Rage

    ServiceNow CEO: At The Forefront Of The Digital Transformation Rage

    “Digital transformation is the opportunity of this generation,” says ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott. “If you look at the Zoom partnership as one example, all companies want simple, easy, seamless experiences for their people and their customers. This is how you transform companies. This is how you grow and this is how you navigate a digital experience to win. We’re at the forefront of the digital transformation rage in the cloud.”

    Bill McDermott, CEO of ServiceNow, discusses their partnership with Zoom and how that is part of them being at the heart of the current digital transformation rage in the cloud taking place with every major company worldwide:

    We’re At The Forefront Of The Digital Transformation Rage

    Digital transformation is the opportunity of this generation. If you look at the Zoom partnership as one example, all companies want simple, easy, seamless experiences for their people and their customers. This is how you transform companies. This is how you grow and this is how you navigate a digital experience to win. We’re at the forefront of the digital transformation rage in the cloud. We’re super excited.

    If you look at Zoom, they had 300 million users utilizing their system in the heart of this COVID crisis. I expect that will continue to grow. The question was how do you handle 300 to 400 million users, most of them concurrently on a global scale? They turn to ServiceNow to solve that problem. Our customer service management solution is like no other in the marketplace. We can not only use self-help tools for customers, but we can also use virtual agents. Best of all, most of the service that will be required when Zoom does have to remediate an issue will be done predictively on the Now platform. 

    ServiceNow At The Epicenter Of Helping Zoom Innovate

    Furthermore, they also want to have a hardware as a service business model that they’ll bring to offices all over the world. The idea here is simple, touch it once–instant collaboration, instant linkage to the ServiceNow workflow, and then the users get a great experience. That hardware as a service business model will be very large for them because they want to displace existing legacy vendors with their modern solution. ServiceNow is in the epicenter of helping Zoom utilizing our great innovation and ultimately taking both of these solutions to market to help many many customers around the world.

    If you look at the tech sector for cloud, companies that are at the forefront of creating great digital experiences, these companies are going to continue to scale, continue to hit new highs and continue to grow. Nine out of ten CEOs have a digital-first strategy before COVID. Now I suspect that 10 out of 10 would have a digital-first strategy. It’s the only way to navigate these choppy waters. 

    We Get Things Done In Days and Weeks, Not Years

    The companies that will do less well, and I’m just basing this on research and current results, are the ones that have heavy time-consuming elongated project cycles or potentially commodity hardware where customers are just not going to invest in that. Whatever they invest in they want a return and they want that return to come quite quickly. In the case of ServiceNow, our business cases show 5, 6, 7 times return on investment and we get things done in days and weeks, not years. That’s what makes the big difference. Speed, value creation, and truly illuminating great employee and customer experiences are what this market is all about.

    One of the things that we covered in our last earnings call is that 20 percent of our business is in one-way shape or form tied to industries that would be highly impacted by COVID. What was amazing is we didn’t have one down-sell or one cancellation in that total customer group. What you’re seeing is when you have a platform company that truly can innovate, make work actually work better for people, take cost out, and improve business productivity, that’s the last place even challenged industries are going to cut. 

    We’ve been very fortunate because the partnerships that we have built with this hungry and humble culture and our near 100 percent retention rate are paying off even in the most challenging industries like the airlines, hospitality, and retail.

    ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott: At The Forefront Of The Digital Transformation Rage

  • Zoom Begins Offering Hardware as a Service

    Zoom Begins Offering Hardware as a Service

    Zoom has taken the next step toward world domination of the video conferencing market by offering hardware as a service (HaaS).

    As the pandemic has forced companies and individuals to change how they work and communicate, Zoom has become the clear favorite among video conferencing platforms. Although it has stumbled with some security issues, it has quickly resolved those and continued moving forward.

    Now Zoom is launching its HaaS for US customers, offering a high-quality Zoom Phone, as well as hardware for Zoom Rooms, such as wide-angle cameras and touchscreen displays.

    “Amazing hardware partnerships are a key part of Zoom’s ecosystem,” says Velchamy Sankarlingam, President of Product and Engineering at Zoom. “With many people globally coping with today’s unique challenges, easy access to hardware is critical for offices, distance learning, telehealth, and more. Zoom Hardware as a Service will help users adapt to new work-from-anywhere environments by making it easier than ever before to get access to the latest and greatest hardware for Zoom Rooms and Zoom Phone. “

    “Hardware as a Service is a game-changer that addresses key IT challenges of heavy upfront hardware costs, complex deployments, high-touch support, and cumbersome device lifecycle management,” says Roopam Jain, Industry Director, Unified Communications and Collaboration at Frost and Sullivan. “It enables flexible and cost-effective OPEX-based end-to-end deployments that future proof technology investments, allowing business users to leverage cutting-edge communications.”

    Launching Zoom HaaS is the next logical step, and allows the company to better control the user experience by taking low-quality cameras, computers and other equipment out of the equation. This will improve the overall experience for customers and likely improve brand loyalty.

  • Microsoft Rolls Out Together Mode to Improve Teams Meetings

    Microsoft Rolls Out Together Mode to Improve Teams Meetings

    Microsoft has rolled out Together mode to Teams in an effort to significantly improve video conferencing.

    As social distancing and remote work have become standard, video conferencing and communication tools have become critical components for individuals and businesses alike. Whether its corporate teams keeping in touch, churches conducting services or individuals keeping up with family and friends, Teams, Zoom, FaceTime, Skype and others have become lifelines.

    At the same time, video fatigue has taken its toll, with widespread reports of video conferencing being exhausting and draining on its users. Microsoft has set out to address that with its new Together mode.

    Together mode uses AI segmentation tech to create the illusion that everyone is together in the same place, such as a meeting room, auditorium or coffee shop. This creates a much more familiar and comfortable experience, as opposed to the traditional grid placement.

    “We’re social creatures, and the social and spatial awareness systems in the brain can finally function more naturally” within Together mode, says Microsoft’s Jaron Lanier.

    Microsoft Teams Meeting
    Microsoft Teams Meeting

    The end result is a more engaging experience “by helping you focus on other people’s faces and body language and making it easier to pick up on the non-verbal cues that are so important to human interaction. It’s great for meetings in which multiple people will speak, such as brainstorms or roundtable discussions, because it makes it easier for participants to understand who is talking.”

    With no immediate end in sight to the pandemic, improvements like this will go a long way toward helping people stay productive and connected.

     

  • Amazon May Be Looking to Acquire Slack

    Amazon May Be Looking to Acquire Slack

    Amazon may be looking to acquire Slack to better compete with Microsoft and Google, as well as cash in on the work-from-home trend.

    Amazon and Slack recently inked a deal to deploy the messaging platform across the Amazon Web Services (AWS) workforce. At the same time, Slack committed to continued reliance on AWS as their cloud provider of choice, and will use Amazon’s Chime to power Slack Calls.

    Daniel Newman, an analyst at Futurum Research, has told Business Insider that the deal may be part of a much bigger plan for Amazon.

    “It’s a clear opportunity to get more deeply under the hood,” Newman told Business Insider. “Amazon’s Chime product is limited in adoption and Slack is beloved, but has no direction when you compare it to Zoom. Microsoft has Teams and Google has pretty complete meeting applications. When you look at a suitor like AWS, it’s a really good potential fit.”

    While no one knows for sure if Amazon is actually looking to purchase Slack, the move would make a lot of sense and shore up perceived weak spot. AWS leads the cloud market, but does not have the depth of software offerings that its rivals do, especially Microsoft and Google. Both of those companies have communication platforms that are hugely popular. This has led analysts to speculate Amazon might make a move for Slack even before this deal.

    Should the speculation prove true, the move could significantly alter the messaging market and give Amazon a competitive advantage.

  • Zoom Charts Path Toward End-to-End Encryption For All Users

    Zoom Charts Path Toward End-to-End Encryption For All Users

    Zoom is adding end-to-end encryption (E2EE ) for all users, reversing a decision made just weeks ago to reserve the highest security for paid plans.

    Zoom has been in hot water more than once in recent months over its encryption claims and policies. Originally, the company’s marketing led customers to believe it provided E2EE when it did not. Once the company finally rolled out the upgraded encryption, it said it would only be for paid subscribers.

    The rationale for the decision was that free plans were more likely to be used for illegal activities, and the company wanted to be able to work with the FBI and local law enforcement. Needless to say, the stand was not a popular one.

    It appears the company has changed direction, and charted what it believes will be a compromise solution that will allow it to offer E2EE to free users.

    “To make this possible, Free/Basic users seeking access to E2EE will participate in a one-time process that will prompt the user for additional pieces of information, such as verifying a phone number via a text message,” writes CEO Eric S. Yuan. “Many leading companies perform similar steps on account creation to reduce the mass creation of abusive accounts. We are confident that by implementing risk-based authentication, in combination with our current mix of tools — including our Report a User function — we can continue to prevent and fight abuse.”

    The move is measured solution that will likely satisfy most critics.

  • Microsoft Sets Its Sights on Zoom With Teams Upgrade

    Microsoft Sets Its Sights on Zoom With Teams Upgrade

    Not one to rest on its laurels, Microsoft has released an update to Teams that appears to have Zoom squarely in its sights.

    Zoom quickly established itself as the video communication platform of choice for businesses and individuals alike in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. It goes without saying, that hasn’t gone over well with Microsoft, especially since the company owns Skype, one of the oldest video communications platforms.

    In recent months, however, Microsoft Teams has become the darling of the company, and it seems clear it views Teams as its best chance to take on Zoom. With its most recent upgrade, it’s clear that Microsoft is fighting back to reclaim some of the video conferencing market share.

    The first eye-catching feature of the new release is custom background effects. Teams already had the ability to blur backgrounds, but this new feature allows users to upload their own images, or use one of the presets that come with the app.

    “No need for a green screen, or even a blank wall. Teams uses a highly trained model that differentiates the subject from their background and can impose a custom background over everything else, making it easy and fast to start expressing yourself in all your meetings,” writes Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365.

    The second Zoom-like feature is the ability for free accounts to schedule meetings in advance. Like Zoom, Teams users can either copy the invitation link or send an invitation for Outlook or Google calendar.

    Another feature that will greatly benefit users is live captions.

    “Teams free users can now turn on live captions during their calls and meetings,” Spataro continues. “This feature makes meetings more inclusive, giving participants another way to follow along with the conversation and address the needs of participants with different hearing abilities or language proficiencies. It’s currently available as a preview in U.S. English.”

    Overall, this is a welcome upgrade to Teams and will likely go a long way toward helping Microsoft make a dent in Zoom’s lead.