Now that fall is officially underway and you’ve been warned how hurricane season is at the halfway point, take the list of Emmy winners this week and make your new seasonal binge list while you hide inside. Love comedies? Eight made the cut, and if you have Apple TV+, you can binge the winner, Ted Lasso. Prefer drama? Another eight to choose from. Prefer IT? Here’s the winning newstips for the week.
News from the big dogs. The best way to test a new operating system, according to many, is on new equipment. Microsoft obliges with a batch of new Surface products (pictured), all with Windows 11 installed. Go laptop with the 14-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, built for the power user, or go tablet with the Surface Pro 8, Go 3, or Pro X. Call home on the Surface Duo 2, the foldable fone, er, phone.
Other vendors have new hardware bundled with Windows 11, of course, like the new 16-inch HP Spectre x360 2-in 1, HP ENVY 34-inch All-in-One, or the HP 11-inch Tablet PC. Or try one of HP’s other new all-in-one desktops.
New Windows PCs mean you’ll need office apps, so check out the new Rackspace Elastic Engineering for Microsoft 365. Pod partners include Microsoft 365 application experts and Microsoft 365 engineers to configure native capabilities like device management and data loss prevention.
Dig deeper into autonomous operations with Dell EMC CloudIQ, an AIOps application using machine learning and predictive analytics to bring greater insight into your EMC infrastructure. It spans the entire Dell EMC portfolio.
Amazon QuickSight launched in 2016 as a scalable BI service, but users rarely understand proper query language formatting. So say hello to QuickSight Q, a natural language query tool for the enterprise edition of QuickSight. Vocabulary recognition crosses multiple domains, like sales, marketing, HR, retail, and financial services, to give the best response.
Nutanix .NEXT news. Citrix and Nutanix teamed up to provide better hybrid systems. Nutanix will be a Citrix preferred choice for hyperconverged infrastructure and hybrid multicloud deployments of Citrix’s desktop-as-a-service and Virtual Apps and Desktops service, and Citrix will be the preferred enterprise end user computing solution on the Nutanix Cloud Platform.
The dirtiest word in hybrid multicloud computing today is “”silo,”” according to the new features in the Nutanix Cloud Platform including AOS version 6 software. Get to virtual private clouds in your hybrid multicloud easier than ever all while following automated zero-trust security policies.
Clouds are full of data, which means far too much unstructured data from users who don’t follow directions and the applications they use. Good thing one of the new features in the Nutanix Cloud Platform will provide unstructured data tiering from on-premises to cloud with up to a 2x storage performance boost for database workstations.
Other product news. Zix Email Encryption and its new Secure Large File add-on let users securely send files up to 100 GBs per message. Uses the Zix Secure Message Portal.
Small businesses never have enough security support, but perhaps the new NetFortris Secure Office Solutions, which includes UCaaS, firewalls, Wi-Fi access points, applicable switches, the Zoom Video Meeting Platform, and Poly IP phones, all with 24×7 support, will help.
CloudBolt Software’s Summer ’21 release adds new features like Google Cloud Platform support, multicloud budgeting and cost-trending insights, OneFuse codeless integration, and even more IT automation tools.
Sales and marketing automation software player Keap expanded ecommerce capabilities in its Pro and Max editions. Goodies include easy-to-use checkout forms, native Shopify integration, and payment processors directly within the app.
IGEL OS 11.06 includes an array of new updates and integrations, like VMware Horizon 2106 Microsoft Teams optimization for Linux, expanded Azure Virtual Desktop tools, Windows 365 and Cloud 365 pre-boot authentication, and more.
Go beyond customization and get personalization with the new Acumatica 2021 R2 release. Its cloud ERP software adjusts to each customer’s individual needs and added a consolidated toolbar among other goodies.
Non-product vendor news. AppDynamics moved to a 100% channel-centric route to market and added a new “”Elite”” level to its Global Partner Program.
Brother partnered with TroyRX to be its DischargeRX software printer supplier to print secure scripts on plain paper when necessary.
UPSTACK acquired Idea! Communications Group, whose co-founders will join as partners and managing directors. Terms were not disclosed. But wait, there’s more! UPSTACK also acquired MOC4 Consulting, adding founder Daniel Mocny as partner and true equity stakeholder. Terms were not disclosed here either.
There’s a new tier of the Alert Logic Partner Connect program to improve unit economics and value for MSP clients. To focus your sales team, point them to the First Deal and New Partner incentive awards ($$$).
This week’s stats ticker:
SCORE released The Megaphone of Main Street: Small Business Jobs Report and found almost nine of ten (89.5%) business owners rated hiring new employees as “”somewhat or very difficult.”” Two-thirds (61.2%) have unfilled jobs currently. Personnel problems regularly shut down small businesses, like coffee shops shut down some days for insufficient staffing. Problems include a lack of applicants (48.9%), lack of qualified applicants (53%), and the need to raise wages to be competitive (54.7%). These issues now affect twice as many businesses as during 2017. 72.7% report hiring is either somewhat or very difficult.
LogMeIn’s LastPass released its fourth Psychology of Passwords global report, and you’ll be shocked, shocked, to learn that 65% of people reuse passwords across accounts. Yep, two out of three will admit it, meaning the number is likely higher. This despite the fact that 92% say they know doing so is a risk. Those working at home weren’t any more careful, resulting in 85% of data breaches coming from the human element through phishing or human error. Add in the fact that COVID-19 increased online time, with 90% reporting they have up to 50 online applications or accounts. At least some users take more care of certain data. Only 32% said they created strong passwords for work-related accounts, but 68% said they created stronger passwords for financial accounts.
I now pronounce you Spot and Fido. Mark it on your calendar and check the gift registry, because a world-record number of weddings will take place this Saturday the 25th, at least if the over 178 couples invited show up to get hitched. A bunch of desperate singles released from quarantine?
Almost. This is an attempt to break the record for largest dog wedding ceremony. Single doggies can attend a “”doggy speed-dating”” session before the ceremony to find their true love.
How is this not a reality TV show?
