Three must-have gadgets for working remotely

IDC’s Future of Work Readiness Index Assessment 2018 forecasts that up to 50% of employees will be working remotely by 2020. According to Poly, this WFA (work from anywhere) trend means that individuals will need the right tools to be productive.

Besides the mobile phone and laptop, Poly suggests the following gadgets for portable productivity:

Portable battery pack

The gold standard for 2019 should be a minimum of 20,000 mAh, which should last up to five full charges.

Look for battery packs that support the Power Delivery standard as they allow laptops to be topped up via USB-C.

Poly also suggests setting the phone to ‘airplane mode’ and not using it while charging for quicker results.

Multiport adapter

Consider investing in a sturdy multiport hub or adapter. These usually come with multiple USB ports, video output connectors, and possibly memory card slots.

Portable speakerphone

Rather than using the built-in laptop mic for conference calls amidst “Can you hear me?” and “I’m sorry, can you please repeat that?”, try a portable speakerphone like the Plantronics Calisto series. These can be used in huddle rooms, for example.

The Calisto 3200 is a corded USB speakerphone that turns the computer into a wideband audio speakerphone and is built for unified communications (UC) applications and softphones from Avaya, Cisco, IBM, Microsoft and more. It can be connected by a cable to the laptop.

Source: Poly. The Calisto 5200 in action. The speakerphone is the black cylindrical device on the table, connected by a cable to a smartphone.

The more powerful Calisto 5200 is designed for hands-free conference calls, collaboration or web conferencing. The unit features 360-degree room coverage with active background noise reduction, and provides the choice of a USB-A, USB-C, and 3.5 mm connectors.

Cross-country 5G video calls with augmented reality shown to work

Source: Singtel. An Optus engineer at Optus’ live 5G site in Sydney, Australia uses a OPPO 5G test device during a 5G AR video call to Singtel engineers in Singapore.

Singtel, Optus and Ericsson have shown the shape of things to come after completing a successful end-to-end 5G video call with augmented reality (AR) between Singapore and Australia.

Made with OPPO 5G test devices equipped with Qualcomm 5G modems on 5G networks in both countries, this call shows that AR can be successfully used on a real-time 5G video call using Ericsson’s networks. Engineers made instant on-screen annotations to exchange views on their respective live 5G sites.

 AR provides users with a more inclusive form of communication, opening up new possibilities for enterprises, ranging from mobile collaboration between experts in different locations, on-the-job training to remote assistance. Examples of consumer use cases will include immersive gaming, virtual tactile shopping and holographic calls.

Allen Lew, CEO, Optus said, “Once again Optus has proven our 5G agility, working collaboratively with our colleagues in Singapore to successfully land a ground-breaking 5G inter-country AR video call. Just last month we achieved another first, with the launch of our plans for our 5G Home Broadband product for Australian consumers and today’s announcement is another step in our commitment to lead 5G delivery in Australia.”

Mark Chong, Group CTO, Singtel, said: “This call is a significant marker in our journey to 5G as we develop a robust 5G ecosystem to ensure that our enterprise and consumer customers will enjoy an enhanced connectivity experience. 5G is a key enabler that will bring the future of AR, autonomous vehicles and smart cities closer to reality.”

Martin Wiktorin, Country Head, Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines, Ericsson added: "The success of this video call using 5G test devices and AR in a multiparty environment, brings us a step closer to having our mobile broadband experience transformed with a mere click. With the establishment of 5G connectivity on smartphones soon becoming a reality, consumers and enterprises will be able to unleash the full potential of 5G by integrating this new technology into their daily lives and operations.”

Peter Huang, President of OPPO APAC added: “Once again, OPPO has pushed the boundaries of what is possible in a smartphone. The call is another 5G first for OPPO, and demonstrates our commitment to become one of, if not the first manufacturer to commercialise a 5G smartphone.”

According to Ericsson’s Towards a 5G consumer future – Consumer and Industry Insight report 2018, the idea of 5G services appeals to 76% of smartphone users consulted for the survey. In fact, over one-third of users expect 5G to offer capabilities beyond speed and network coverage. This refers to improvements such as better battery life for devices, reliability, guaranteed quality of service as well as the ability to extend connectivity beyond devices to include the Internet of Things (IoT).

Plantronics and HP collaborate to offer Microsoft Teams videoconferencing solution

Plantronics, a unified communications technology provider, has joined forces with HP, Inc. to address growing customer demand for a high-quality Microsoft Teams videoconferencing experience in larger conference rooms.

The new solution uses the HP Elite Slice for Meeting Rooms G2 Skype Room System - Audio Ready as the controller for the Microsoft Teams video and content sharing, the Polycom Trio 8500 for sound and the Polycom EagleEye IV USB camera for video capture.

The HP Elite Slice for Meeting Rooms G2 Skype Room System - Audio Ready helps simplify meetings with stress-free setup, an intuitive interface, and includes Windows 10 Enterprise which makes running Microsoft Teams meetings even easier.

"As customers migrate to Microsoft Teams, Plantronics and HP created a simple Microsoft Teams videoconferencing experience in larger conference rooms for employees to use and IT pros to deploy and manage," said Phil Sherburne, GM, Group Systems Business Group at Plantronics.

Once the call is started, the Polycom Trio 8500 takes the ordinary conference call experience to the next level using eight directional microphones and PolycomHD Voice technology to bring high-quality audio experiences to large conference rooms. The Polycom EagleEye IV USB camera is simple to install with plug and play USB capabilities, and offers 12x optical zoom and wide pan area capabilities to follow and focus on the speaker no matter the size of the meeting space.

"Businesses are constantly looking for ways to simplify the video conference experience," said Lorena Kubera, VP Commercial Product Management at HP.

"Pairing our versatile meeting room system, HP Elite Slice G2 Audio-Ready, with the simplicity of the Polycom Trio 8500 and the EagleEye IV USB camera for the Polycom-HP SRS Bundle creates a seamless way to improve productivity and collaboration through Microsoft Teams."

David Howell, GM, Device Partner Engineering at Microsoft said, "Microsoft Teams is the fastest growing business application in Microsoft's history, and we continue to look for new ways customers can take full advantage of this powerful tool for collaboration. Combining a native Microsoft Teams solution with a high-quality videoconferencing experience makes it easier to work together, whenever you need."

Details:

This new bundle is available immediately in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand through Ingram Micro. The bundle will be available in Japan by mid-February through Synnex Corporation, and is expected to be available in other Asia Pacific (APAC) countries soon after.

Velox Networks says it can provide B2B phone services up to 95% more cheaply

Velox Networks, Singapore’s latest telco, is providing a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) and cloud-based private branch exchange (PBX) communications platform that it says could cost up to 95% less than paying for communications from major telco incumbents.

Velox Networks says that Singapore businesses are mostly using traditional PBXs primarily for telecommunications in the B2B space. The introduction of Velox aims to change that with its economical, cloud-based PBX solution that has better quality than free VoIP services with typically use relatively unreliable consumer-grade technology.

Velox Networks’ platform eliminates on-site or hosted PBXs, gives businesses full control over their telecommunications infrastructure, with zero capital investment and improved quality. Fully customisable functionalities such as voicemail-to-email, groups, interactive voice response (IVR) and real-time updates on communications expenditure are provided together with a web dashboard and mobile app. With the Velox mobile app, calls to business landlines will also reach connected mobile phones at the same prices, with free incoming roaming calls.

Velox’s hosted VoIP system can:

- Eliminate capital investment and maintenance fees for costly onsite equipment to reduce costs up to 95%, unlike prevailing telecommunications setups.

- Seamlessly deploy without any associated installation costs or disruption as Singapore companies will be able to port their current direct inward dialing (DID) numbers to Velox’s network.

- Replace analogue phones with complimentary IP phones or Wi-Fi phones.

- Enjoy existing Internet services and take advantage of optional Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP) support.

Licensed by the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore, Velox was founded by the same father-and -son team behind India’s free call app Nanu - Martin Nygate and Daniel Nygate respectively. To date, Nanu has garnered more than 6.5 million users during its run in Asia.

“Velox Networks aims to remove impediments to free-flowing communications with technological solutions so our customers can focus on relationships, ideas and growth, not on getting technology to work,” said Martin Nygate, Velox's CEO and founder.

“With the Internet as our network, no physical infrastructure and lean manpower requirements, Velox Networks is raising the bar for quality, inexpensive telecommunication services in Singapore. Our cloud-based PBX VoIP services look set to be the forerunners in disrupting the local telecommunications landscape for businesses. We believe that increased competition and a level playing field in Singapore’s telecommunications industry will invariably lead to reduced costs and improved quality for businesses and consumers alike."

NEC comms system ideal for SMBs

Source: NEC website. The Smart Communications System SL2100.

NEC Asia Pacific has launched the Smart Communications System SL2100 for small- and mid-sized businesses in the Asian market, particularly businesses in retail, healthcare, food service and entertainment, as well as small hotels and motels.

With enterprise-grade voice over IP (VoIP), mobility and unified communications and collaboration (UC&C) features, the SL2100 also offers industry-specific features such as property management system (PMS) API support. The SL2100 also offers an array of add-on smart mobility options, such as remote/home office support and mobile extensions - making a mobile number a virtual extension of the corporate phone system.

“The way the business world communicates is rapidly changing, especially in consumer-facing industries, where excellent customer experience is a must,” said Shigeru Matsuura, GM, Global Platform Division, NEC Corporation. “NEC’s SL2100 offers a new design for hardware and endpoints. Combined with the value-added features, such as smartphone integration and web-based video conferencing and collaboration, the SL2100 is an ideal fit for service oriented small- and mid-sized businesses.”

Interested?

The SL2100 will be released to Asian countries starting from July 2017.

Avaya IP Office ups security for cloud-based deployments

Avaya has upgraded its unified communications (UC) solution for small and midsize businesses. Avaya IP Office release 10 adds a number benefits for businesses in terms of security, resiliency and end-user experience.

With more than half a million systems shipped globally, Avaya IP Office is one of the most widely sold unified communications solutions for small and midsize businesses available in the market today. The Avaya IP Office Platform now offers built-in media encryption for endpoints and UC clients to preserve privacy and data integrity. This feature is provided at no extra cost or added complexity. Most other over-the-top, pure-cloud UC vendor offerings available today may provide encryption as an optional line item, if at all, Avaya said.

“The challenge of keeping up with growing, ever-changing cybersecurity threats is daunting - especially for small and midsize businesses with budget and resource constraints. It’s these very constraints that increase the inclination to choose cloud-based services; however, it’s also not a given fact that security is or will be provided by their cloud vendor. That’s why we believe security should be built into the solution as opposed to bolted on. It’s essential, and a core component of our Avaya IP Office Platform,” said Tak Kuen Hubert Lee, Midmarket Sales Lead, APAC, Avaya.

“In the small and midsize business sector in Asia Pacific, it’s all about speed and streamlined deployment regardless of whether cloud, on-premise, or a hybrid solution. Avaya’s IP Office promise of ease, speed and built-in encryption hits the right sweet spot in this region. In addition, the Avaya partner community in Asia Pacific - and specifically at the country level - is an important differentiator for providing the local customization needed and in addressing vertical industry nuances,” added Adrian Ho, Principal Analyst, Enterprise, Ovum, Asia Pacific.

With data becoming an important asset to businesses today and the nature of cyber attacks becoming more sophisticated, Asia Pacific businesses are setting their sights on security. Overall spending on critical infrastructure security in the region is expected to hit US$22 billion by 2020. On the back of this trend, Avaya’s increased focus in security is significant, especially to the midmarket: According to a 2015 global survey report by PwC, the number of attacks reported by midsize companies increased 64% between 2013 and 2014, from 2,581 to 4,227. This increase is partly due to cybercriminals turning to midsize businesses in hopes of easy access.

Beyond other pure cloud deployments, the latest version of IP Office takes a unique approach to resilience, providing system failover cloud-to-cloud, cloud-to-premises, premises-to-cloud and premises-to-premises. Whatever the approach, the system stays active and users maintain connectivity throughout the outage.

To meet the rising expectations of end-users for a richer, more streamlined experience, the Avaya IP Office Platform also introduces the H175 video phone, with a 7” hi-definition touchscreen display that is suitable for personal use, an executive desk or a small conference room.

For midsize companies with contact centres, Avaya announced in June a new workforce optimisation solution that provides midsize companies with the operational intelligence needed to enhance contact centre performance and drive a high-quality customer experience. Avaya Workforce Optimization Select enables a wide range of insights into the customer experience.

Interested?

The Avaya IP Office Platform is available through authorised channel partners in three deployment options: premises-based, hybrid or pure cloud solution.

LINE introduces encryption for chat rooms

Source: LINE. The new encryption
indicator is in the shape of a lock icon.

LINE users in Singapore will now be able to enjoy enhanced privacy and security for a safer and more secure user experience.

A new indicator icon in the shape of a lock has been introduced in the latest version of the free call and messaging app LINE that allows users to determine if a chat room is protected with end-to-end encryption. The icon, which is being introduced gradually in regions across the world, ensures that messages cannot be read by anyone else apart from the sender and recipient as they pass through LINE’s servers for both group chat and 1-on-1 message functions.

Even in the unprecedented event of a LINE server leak, users can be safeguarded against other parties decrypting their conversations.

Interested?

The versions of the LINE app which incorporate the new feature are version 6.5 for iOS and Android, and version 4.8 for the Windows and the Mac platforms

Plantronics Voyager 5200 UC Bluetooth Headset come with Windsmart technology

Source: Plantronics. The Plantronics Voyager 5200.

Plantronics, a wearable technology provider, has announced the new Plantronics Voyager 5200. The high-performance Bluetooth headset is built for use with unified communications applications and connects to PCs, tablets or smartphones for clear, professional phone or PC calls even in challenging situations.

The Voyager 5200 UC features WindSmart technology, a Plantronics innovation that incorporates six layers of technology to detect noise caused by wind and respond accordingly. WindSmart technology combats background noises such as weather, traffic and surrounding conversations so calls come through clearly. The headset also features up to seven hours of talk time on a single charge, HD Voice support over wideband networks, and a design that blends style with all-day comfort.

"Today's workforce is constantly on the move, which means unified communications is really happening from a variety of locations, not just from a desk in an office," said Rich Costello, Senior Research Analyst, IDC. "The Plantronics Voyager 5200 UC is ideal for this mobile user and delivers some terrific audio innovation, most particularly WindSmart technology, that ensures people can make calls from the noisiest environments and still sound professional and be productive even on the go."

Voyager 5200 UC includes the BT600 Class 1 USB Bluetooth adapter and a
portable charging case* with integrated docking stand which serves as both a protective and charging case that provides up to 14 hours of additional talk time on the go, and a grab-and-go dock for recharging the headset.

Features include:

* Four adaptive microphones and proprietary digital signal processing (DSP) work together to reduce
disruptive background noise.

* Multifunction button mutes calls and provides access to Siri and other smartphone virtual personal assistants handsfree when the headset is idle.

* Work across smartphones, laptops, tablets, and Bluetooth-enabled desk phones from up to 30m away.

* Smart sensor technology intuitively routes call audio to your phone or headset, pauses media or rejects an incoming call when removed, and automatically answers calls as you place the headset on your ear.

* Spill, splash, and sweat-proof P2i nano-coating.

* Mute assurance alerts users if they talk when muted, with visual mute indictors shown on both the BT600 USB Bluetooth adapter and desktop screen.

* Manage settings, wirelessly update firmware and activate Find
MyHeadset to locate a misplaced headset with the Plantronics Hub
smartphone app for iOS and Android.

* Use Plantronics Hub desktop software to enable softphone call control
across a wide range of UC applications, to view headset battery metre,
change languages, update firmware, or personalise settings and alerts.

With Plantronics Manager Pro, an additional service, IT can remotely
monitor, manage, and maintain Voyager 5200 UC headsets as well as other headsets from Plantronics company-wide. By using Plantronics Manager Pro, IT can configure the user experience, manage firmware deployments and use predictive analytics to detect compatibility issues
before they are noticed.

Interested?

The Plantronics Voyager 5200 UC with charging case and BT600 USB Bluetooth adapter is available from authorised Plantronics resellers starting at a MSRP of S$339. The Plantronics Voyager 5200 is also available starting at a MSRP of S$199, and the accompanying charging case is available for S$69.

*Available with selected models.

http://www.plantronics.com/asia/.

posted from Bloggeroid

Ameyo launches cloud-based omnichannel contact centre offering

Ameyo, a provider of contact centre technology and services integrations, has launched Ameyo Emerge, a cloud offering that helps businesses to communicate seamlessly across channels.
The platform addresses the challenge emerging businesses and startups face in defining an optimised and efficient communication flow to streamline customer interactions.

With Ameyo Emerge, emerging businesses such as hyperlocal mobile app aggregators, marketplaces, and e-commerce sites can now create contact centres without investing in hardware or coding. Apart from voice capabilities, Ameyo Emerge also provides email support, in-app chats, social media, and SMS integration, in a single unified interface. A workflow engine allows businesses to create customer interaction workflows across voice, social, email, and mobile channels. Best practices are supported, such as 'provider push' which automatically pushes service providers to customers when a service level agreement is breached.

"In today's business realm, interaction platforms are falling short on multiple levels. They are typically limited to voice or non-voice capabilities, and analytics are limited solely to the web. The innovative features of Ameyo Emerge has given a new dimension to customer interaction management and contact centre technologies. The Emerge platform has been specifically designed for startups and emerging business models in order to help them in scaling up their core business rapidly with improved operational efficiency. This powerful and reliable combination will offer new levels of customer engagement in India, which was not possible until now," said Nayan Jain, CTO, Ameyo.

Nearly half of EMEA businesses have a digital crisis communications plan

Burson-Marsteller, a global public relations and communications firm, has unveiled the findings of its 2015 EMEA Crisis Survey*. In the past 12 months "controversial company developments" were the type of crisis most frequently encountered, with the entry of new and innovative business models into their market the second most experienced cause of crisis.

These were followed by logistical difficulties (third), online/digital failure (fourth), negative social media campaigns (fifth) and regulatory scrutiny (sixth). But when asked about the next six to 12 months, new and innovative business models entering their sector topped the list with the arrival of "disruptive innovators" seen as more likely than any one of the traditional crises experienced in the previous year.

Disruptive innovation is clearly a focus of attention for business leaders with:

• Nearly three quarters (73%) seeing new market entrants or innovative business models in the last three years that could threaten success
• A fifth (21%) experiencing a crisis relating to new or innovative business model in the last year

Other findings include:

• The threat of crisis is at its highest since 2009, with 49% of business leaders having experienced a crisis at their current company.
• Political risk continues to be both the source of as well as an 'amplifier' during a crisis, with 25% of businesses having encountered a crisis resulting either from intense regulatory or political scrutiny. Once in a crisis governments and regulators are the most feared actors.
• Businesses are becoming increasingly vigilant of digital challenges – be they in form of new media campaigns or data security. Forty-nine percent of businesses have a digital crisis communications plan – up 10 points from 2013 – and one in five businesses has been in crisis due to an online or digital security failure.

Jeremy Galbraith, Burson-Marsteller's CEO for Europe, Middle-East, Africa and Global Chief Strategy Officer, said: "The findings of our survey emphasise we are living through a particularly disruptive era with communicators facing a perfect storm of challenges. The upturn in the global economy has seen new brands enter old markets and small innovators rapidly expand, challenging traditional brands and industries.

"At the same time, the online revolution means cyber hackers can access data and armchair campaigners, so-called 'clicktivists,' can protest from their living rooms. And this is all set against a backdrop of a massive erosion in the trust the public places on the words and actions of big business.

"Communicators need to remember the four Ps: Purpose, Plan, Predict, Pioneer. That is, Purpose should guide business, Plan how to handle a crisis in 'peacetime,' Predict and monitor the trends in your market and Pioneer by being innovative and bold."

*Burson-Marsteller began its bi-annual crisis survey in 2009. Penn Schoen Berland conducted a total of 426 online interviews in Europe, Middle East and Africa, amongst business-decision makers in August 2015. Business-decision makers are defined as respondents who:

Are aged 25 or over
Are full-time or self-employed/business owner
Have final or significant decision-making power in their business
Have business decision-making authority for at least a department if not their organisation as a whole
In each country, the sample was evenly split between respondents from large enterprise businesses and from SME businesses.

posted from Bloggeroid

Singtel SIM Only mobile plan offers unprecedented flexibility

Singtel has come up with a mobile SIM Only plan that is data-centric, contract-free and fully customisable.

The fully flexible plan is one of a kind: the basic plan is a S$20 Starter Pack which includes 5GB of data (3GB local mobile data and 2GB Singtel Premium WiFi), free incoming calls and SMS. Users can further customise their plan at any time with extra data, talktime and SMS/MMS at affordable rates, with the charges reflected in their monthly bill.

Diana Chen, Singtel’s Vice President of Mobile Marketing, Consumer Singapore, said: “Our customers have spoken and we are responding by expanding our range of plans to suit their usage needs. Today, we are seeing an insatiable appetite for online information and entertainment which is fuelling the demand for more data. At the same time, customers are craving greater flexibility in the way they manage their communication needs.

“So we’ve made it possible for users to bring their own device, select only the services they want and enjoy a considerable amount of data from just $20 a month – and all without having to commit to a contract.”

Source: Singtel.

A customer who takes up the Starter Pack and decides to add 1GB of extra data, 200 minutes of talktime but no SMS will pay a total of S$20 + S$5 for the data + $5 for the voice minutes, or S$30 a month.

Interested?

Sign up for the SIM Only plan at any Singtel Shop or Singtel Exclusive Retailers, or check out different combinations online before registration

Social media is more important than phone calls or email for customer experience

Source: Genesys infographic.

Genesys, a provider of customer experience (CX) and contact centre solutions, today released a study which reveals that more than a third of companies in Asia Pacific (37%) consider social media as one of their most important CX channels.

The study* shows that while face-to-face communications still ranks as the top CX channel, social media is now more important than both phone calls and email interactions.

“Consumers are going digital more than ever,” said Bruce Eidsvik, Senior Vice President of Genesys Asia Pacific. “In Asia, we hardly think twice when shopping online or posting our feedback and enquiries on companies’ social media channels, therefore it makes sense that we now lead the world when it comes to digital CX engagement. As economies across the region continue to move towards more service-based economies, Asia’s leadership in digital engagement places it as the pioneer that other regions will look to for CX innovation.”

The EIU study shows a direct correlation between CEO engagement in customer experience and profitability. When CEOs lead CX initiatives, those initiatives are more likely to transform a company’s future success. The survey found that 58% of companies reported much higher profitability than their competitors when the CEO is in charge of customer experience, and 59% experience better revenue growth as a result of prioritising CX investments.

Source: Genesys infographic.

In Southeast Asia, investment in customer experience is growing faster than other regions, with 42% of companies boosting investments by more than 10% in the past three years, with an expectation that they will increase by the same margin over the next three years.

The study also found that CEOs in Southeast Asia are more likely to have the final say on CX initiatives than CEOs anywhere else in the world. “Ambitious companies are driving large investments in customer experience initiatives to adapt to the digital communication channels customers are demanding,” said Charles Ross, Senior Editor at the Economist Intelligence Unit and lead researcher of the study.

“By prioritising CX and placing the CEO in charge, companies are taking an extra step to drive revenue growth and improve profitability.”

There is still room for improvement however. Southeast Asia (24%) is the second lowest sub-region in Asia Pacific by customer ratings of their overall experience with companies. Therefore, organisations in the region need to step up their game if they are to make the most of their growing investments in CX technology.

Interested?

The global and Asia Pacific reports are available for download
View the complete infographic

*Conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the survey of 516 senior level executives in 21 countries explores the impact of customer experience efforts and leadership on business performance. A third of the respondents were from Asia Pacific, including Southeast Asian markets like Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

posted from Bloggeroid

Riva launches free software for workplace communications

Riva, a startup in the communication space, has launched Flock, a free messaging app to power workplace communications. 

Source: Flock website.

Flock provides a way for teams to connect and communicate with each other across all platforms and operating systems. Flock allows teams to chat one-to-one or in a group setting after signing in using their work email. The app automatically syncs the entire office directory to every employee's device, creating a workplace-only environment and eliminating the need to blend work and personal IDs and messages.

"We are passionate about increasing productivity through efficient workplace communications, and are building a set of tools that enable rapid interaction and decision making," said Bhavin Turakhia, CEO and founder of Riva. "Flock just works - it is easy to use, secure, simple and stays out of the way."

Features include:

• Mobile and desktop support
• File and image sharing within the application
• Group chats
• Encrypted messaging
• Auto-updated company directory
• Synced conversations across multiple devices
• Read and delivery receipts
• Unlimited chat history
• Admin interface to manage employee exits

"Flock gives employees the opportunity to chat in real time in a single place without mixing their personal and work messages," said Ninad Rawal, Product Manager, Riva. "Public instant messengers were never meant for workplace communication. Flock eliminates any chance of accidentally mixing your work or personal messages, or sending your personal ID to clients."

Flock is available on Windows, Mac, Chrome, iOS and Android platforms worldwide. To download it, please visit flock.co or download via the Apple App Store or Google Play. To view the accompanying video, click here.

Unified Inbox introduces InboxRank

Unified Inbox says it has created an intelligent sorting mechanism called InboxRank that helps users manage their communications from various sources, including from email mailboxes, social media, SMS, and instant messaging.

Source: Unified Inbox.

InboxRank ranks a number of variables against individual users’ inbox behaviour in order to prioritise the information that is presented. It learns what users like, improving over time. Major variables considered include:

• Frequency of communication between sender and receiver
• How long they have known each other (based from date of first contact)
• How quickly they respond to each other's messages
• Indicators such as emails flagged as “important”, number of shares and retweets in social media, etc
• How many communication channels sender and recipient have in common

Source: The App Store.

The iPhone app can be downloaded here.

NTT offers traveller's SIM with 100MB a day for 14 days in Japan

Source: OCN website.

NTT Communications (NTT Com), the ICT solutions and international communications business within the NTT Group, has introduced a prepaid LTE data service, the OCN mobile ONE Prepaid SIM for Visitor. The service allows business travellers visiting Japan to enjoy up to 100MB of data per day for 14 days.

The package has a list price of JPY3,500 excluding tax, and offers maximum download speeds of 150 Mbps (uploads at 50 Mbps) nationwide. Speeds fall after the 100 MB limit every day to 200 Kbps till midnight of that day.

Source: NTT.

A website is available in English and Japanese, with Chinese supported from July. The manual is available in Chinese (traditional and simplified), English, Korean, Japanese and Thai, and a helpdesk supports Chinese, English, Korean and Japanese.

The SIM card can be purchased outside of Japan and picked up upon arrival in Japan at one of several airport post offices (Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu Centrair, New-Chitose, Fukuoka, Kagoshima or Naha) or at selected hotels.

Those already in Japan can buy the prepaid SIM card from a vending machine at Narita Excel Hotel Tokyu or at an XCom Global counter at Narita, Haneda, Kansai or Chubu Centrair airports.

Sales in Hong Kong and Taiwan are planned in the coming months in partnership with Kadokawa. Additional purchase points, including vending machines, travel agents and hotels, are expected to be added.

As a further convenience, including access to unrestricted data, travellers are encouraged to download the app for the Japan Connected-free Wi-Fi service which is provided by NTT-BP, an NTT Group company. The service provides access to about 19,000 free Wi-Fi hotspots around Japan, including at major airports, stations and shops. 

Real-time collaboration tips for communications nirvana

Source: Tata Communications. Bartolo.

Today’s employee is expected to leverage on information to be more productive and make better decisions, but the sheer volume of information available and the lack of tools which can easily locate and make use of that information are twin challenges that need to be addressed, says Anthony Bartolo, Senior Vice President, Unified Communications & Collaboration, Tata Communications.

“While enterprises don’t lack tools for communication, very often, the problem is fragmentation at the level of the individual desktop. No single application or platform encompasses all needs: search, knowledge management, workflow and collaboration. In addition, where collaboration tools do exist, they frequently stand alone or are proprietary tools,” he explained.

Unstructured data remains locked up in documents like emails and images that cannot easily be located or used, Bartolo added. “Whether it involves locating a document or an excerpt, searching for information is often a deeply frustrating process,” he said.

There is a lot of potential for solutions that help workers become more productive with access to the right information, in the right context and at the right time, Bartolo observed. “The potential for ubiquitous real-time collaboration inside enterprises as well as with customers and partners, using voice, video calling, instant messaging and data, remains vast,” he said, listing several examples:

i) Global collaboration: collaboration platforms allow enterprises to bring together internal teams and to work together more effectively with their partners and customers, regardless of location constraints

ii) Bounded co-creation: companies can solve more challenges and do so rapidly, by integrating trusted partners, customers, collaborators, contractors and freelance workers into tightly-knit, ad hoc teams

iii) Workflow collaboration: giving employees the ability to discover internal experts and partners who can improve their performance by sharing knowledge on the go

iv) Sharing tacit strategic knowledge: by allowing access to recordings of past meetings and presentations, companies can make life easier for team-mates, new employees and newly promoted employees alike

v) Sharing tactical knowledge: for example, by popularising wikis containing employee-generated guidelines, workarounds, what-if scenarios, hints and tips

vi) Recognition: widely-used collaboration platforms can be used to recognise and thank colleagues and partners for their work

vii) Recruitment: social media is a great external recruitment tool. Social collaboration platforms inside the enterprise can help managers and HR executives to identify candidates for staff projects or promotion

viii) E-learning: in the academic world, universities are starting to capitalise on the potential of massively open online courses (MOOCs), to extend teaching activities far beyond campus-based lecture halls. Enterprises can do the same, developing their own collaborative learning courses, free from the constraints of time zone and location
“All these elements together create my kind of communications nirvana,” said Bartolo. "While we do not have the tools to achieve all this today, it truly is within reach now."

Find out more about turning communications nirvana into reality here.

Verizon facilitates e-business with expanded private IP service support

Businesses looking for secure networks to deliver e-business applications and secure business-to-business e-commerce can look to Verizon Communications' expanding Private IP services network. 

The company recently expanded into 10 additional countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific regions. In the Middle East and Asia Pacific, Verizon business and wholesale customers now have additional access to Private IP Multiprotocol Private Label Switching (MPLS) services in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen. Verizon has also added another location in Chennai, India, to provide additional access to MPLS services which benefits customers with network resiliency and extended reach.

Verizon's MPLS services support dynamic bandwidth and the ability to connect sites in an any-to-any configuration, enabling easier customer network configuration and management.


Said Mike Palmer, VP of strategic solutions, Verizon product strategy and product management: "To stay ahead of our customers' needs, we'll continue to add new locations and provide reliable, secure and scalable network services that enable our customers to successfully grow their businesses."

US-based Verizon Communications delivers broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers.