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As Australia faces severe ongoing challenges in meeting its IT skills and capabilities needs, the Australian Computer Society recently published its Digital Pulse 2024 report in collaboration with Deloitte. This report is a major research project that will analyse the full scope of the technology environment across the nation. Australia needs 312,000 additional tech workers by 2030 to meet demand, or more than 60,000 additional people entering the tech workforce annually. This is a problem because only 10% of school-aged students are interested in technology careers, and only 52% of parents outside of technology consider tech a viable career for their children. Tackling Australia’s tech skills shortage requires action from both the government and private sector. A significant opportunity for talent growth in tech The ACS report also found a significant incentive to build a robust tech sector and ensure the skills are available. Technology is already a substantial part of Australia’s economy, but the growth potential is significant. In FY23 alone, technology contributed $124 billion in economic activity. Tech exports have also grown 400% in the past decade. Meanwhile, a 40% increase in ICT spending and R&D shows that Australia has the appetite to be more sophisticated with how it uses technology despite constraints caused by the skills shortage. Overall, the country is in a good position to plug the skills gaps by developing the proper pipelines that convert technology literacy into careers. Annual ICT literacy skills tests provided to students showed that Australia has a stable literacy level — at above 50% of students. SEE: Will Australia Ever Dig Itself Out of the Cybersecurity Skills Shortage? More Australia coverage 12 Steps to prevent Australia’s skills shortage The ACS report identified 12 key recommendations to help Australia develop pathways to meet the demand for skills in the tech sector. These actions are centred around four pillars: reskilling, nurturing diversity, engaging youth, and advancing AI capabilities. Reskilling Earn while you learn: To support tech transitions, the ACS recommends the country introduce a $24,000 wage subsidy for tech reskilling. This would reduce financial barriers to IT training and help the 1.1 million “near tech” workers in adjacent fields like math and marketing enter the tech sector. Paid work placements for students: With more paid internships, IT students have additional opportunities to develop practical experience and earn academic credits. This makes tech careers more appealing and prepares graduates to meet workforce needs. Skills certification for migrants: Better recognition schemes to certify existing skills would help to reduce barriers and connect employers with talent. Nurturing diversity Support for women-led tech startups: A grant program specifically supporting women-led startups would foster gender diversity in tech. Through targeted funding and mentorship, such an investment could empower more women to lead in tech innovation. This is particularly important because students’ ICT literacy tests show that girls outperform boys in IT literacy. Increasing digital inclusion in regional areas: To expand tech opportunities beyond urban centres, the ACS recommends investing in digital infrastructure and skills programs for regional areas — primarily to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and foster a nationwide digital ecosystem. Removing unconscious bias in hiring and promotion: To enhance diversity, the ACS recommends tech companies adopt best practices for eliminating unconscious bias in hiring and promotion, including revising job descriptions and hiring protocols, and offering anti-bias training. Engaging the youth Parents information campaign: The ACS recommends a national campaign to educate parents on tech careers and digital skills, helping them guide their children toward tech opportunities. Guidance on device use for safe learning: Providing clear, evidence-based guidelines for students would enhance learning and encourage healthy tech habits. Mentoring schemes in schools: A mentorship initiative to bring tech professionals into schools would help to spark student interest in tech, especially among underrepresented groups such as women and First Nations students. Advancing AI capabilities Industry-specific AI Training Programs: Providing specialised AI courses tailored to fields such as healthcare and finance will help professionals apply AI relevantly within their industries. AI skills in tertiary curriculums: Universities and vocational institutions should integrate AI into their curriculums, allowing students to become familiar with the technology early and ensuring graduates learn to develop and manage AI solutions. Responsible AI use through business advisory networks: Business advisory services should offer guidance on AI ethics and governance to help companies use AI responsibly and comply with standards. According to the report, meeting the skills challenge requires a comprehensive approach that brings together government policy and the private sector to target everything from school students right through to professionals looking to continue building their career opportunities: “All pathways into the tech workforce need to be revitalised and made more accessible. From students studying tech and workers making mid-career moves to positioning Australia as a leading destination for global tech talent,” the report noted. The skills shortage is a well-known challenge facing the IT industry and every sector aiming to leverage technology sophisticatedly. Finding a long-term solution means building robust and inclusive pathways with a medium and long-term perspective on creating a stable flow of IT professionals into the future. source

If you’re a Windows system administrator or aspiring to become one, you can learn PowerShell scripting online, in your own time, with The 2024 Windows PowerShell Certification Bundle. Everybody feels like they have too much to do and not enough time these days. For IT professionals and systems administrators, however, there’s a way to make life a little easier. Microsoft PowerShell — often referred to as Windows PowerShell — is one of the best tools on the market for automating administrative tasks when working on a Windows Server or workstation, but there is a learning curve that not everybody is prepared to embark upon. About this bundle Even if you have no experience with Windows PowerShell, you’ll find this bundle useful. At the start, you’ll get a tour of PowerShell, learn the advanced settings and customization options available in Syncovery, and use Windows Event Viewer, Task Scheduler and Task Manager. You’ll get started with PowerShell scripting, learning basic command lines, understanding the underlying concepts of PowerShell and learning how to integrate PowerShell with non-Microsoft projects. Eventually, you’ll learn advanced scripting techniques, understand Active Directory management using Windows PowerShell and use PowerShell as an automation tool. By the end of the courses, you’ll be able to use PowerShell with a range of Windows tools to automate tasks, handle files, pull reports and much more — saving you valuable time. Go from Windows PowerShell zero to Windows PowerShell hero, and learn the essentials with this fantastic deal. Right now, you can get The 2024 Windows PowerShell Certification Bundle for just $14.97 through November 10 at TechRepublic Academy. Prices and availability are subject to change. source

Avast SecureLine VPN fast facts Our rating: 3.4 stars out of 5Pricing: Starts at $4.59 per month (annual)Key features: 60-day free trial. Up to 10 simultaneous device connections. Smart VPN mode for user-defined connections. While Avast is known for its antivirus software, it also offers a virtual private network called Avast SecureLine VPN. It features one of the longest free trials for a VPN service I’ve tried and a simple-to-use Windows application. Despite this, it lacks top security features found in other VPNs and is held back by Avast’s past privacy controversies. Currently, Avast SecureLine VPN is available for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Android TV. Semperis Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Enterprise (5,000+ Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees) Enterprise, Large Features Advanced Attacks Detection, Advanced Automation, Anywhere Recovery, and more ESET PROTECT Advanced Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Any Company Size Any Company Size Features Advanced Threat Defense, Full Disk Encryption , Modern Endpoint Protection, and more ManageEngine Log360 Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Micro (0-49 Employees), Medium (250-999 Employees), Enterprise (5,000+ Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees), Small (50-249 Employees) Micro, Medium, Enterprise, Large, Small Features Activity Monitoring, Blacklisting, Dashboard, and more Avast SecureLine VPN pricing Duration Price 1 year $4.59 per month 2 years $4.39 per month 3 years $4.39 per month 60-day Free Trial Accessible on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS and Android TV after providing payment information. When I first reviewed Avast SecureLine in 2023, its paid subscriptions were divided into a monthly, a one-year, and a two-year subscription. In 2024, Avast removed the one-month plan and replaced it with a longer, three-year subscription option. Pricing for the one- and two-year subscriptions remained the same as last year, coming at $4.59 per month and $4.29 per month, respectively. This falls between the midrange amongst competing VPNs, with Private Internet Access VPN’s one-year subscription at $3.33 per month and NordVPN’s Basic annual plan at $4.99 per month. SEE: Avast SecureLine VPN vs NordVPN (TechRepublic) While it sits at a fairly reasonable price, I argue that Avast SecureLine’s feature set and server network pales in comparison to the other VPNs at similar price ranges. In this case, I would have preferred if Avast offered more affordable pricing to make its value proposition more appealing — even with the lesser feature package. Oddly enough, both the two-year plan and the new three-year subscription don’t provide much in the way of savings. Right now, they only provide a $0.20 discount compared to the one-year subscription. To me, this seems like a missed opportunity since other VPNs usually lower the monthly price for longer contract options to entice customers to lock in for longer. Avast SecureLine VPN has one saving grace — its free trial. While other companies offer seven-day free trials or 30-day money-back guarantees, SecureLine has a generous 60-day trial on all its supported platforms. Keep in mind, you will have to provide payment information at the start of the trial, but you won’t be charged until after 60 days. This 60-day trial is probably the reason why the one-month subscription was removed altogether, as anyone thinking of going for a one-month plan will be better off with a free trial that has less strings attached. I strongly recommend anyone interested in trying Avast SecureLine VPN to definitely start with the 60-day free trial. Is Avast SecureLine VPN safe? Personally, I would not consider Avast SecureLine a safe VPN in 2024. While the VPN itself hits the requisite security features we expect out of a modern VPN, it’s let down by the company’s concerning incidents with user data. On paper, Avast SecureLine VPN has the VPN protocols and features to be deemed safe. It carries the OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols — the two most important security protocols for modern VPNs. It also has Mimic, Avast’s proprietary security protocol. SecureLine also uses AES-256 encryption, has a kill switch, and protects against domain name system leaks. SEE: The 6 Best Antivirus Software Options for Windows in 2024 (TechRepublic) Unfortunately, Avast as a company has been involved in a ton of controversy regarding user data. In February 2024, the US Federal Trade Commission announced that Avast would have to pay $16.5 million for compromising consumers’ privacy. In the statement, the FTC said that Avast had “collected a treasure trove of user information through its antivirus software and browser extensions without people’s consent.” Furthermore, it found that the company had actually “sold the information through its subsidiary Jumpshot,” again without consent. The FTC’s 2024 statement on Avast. Image: United States Federal Trade Commission While the above incident doesn’t involve Avast SecureLine VPN directly, it’s an alarming development given how a VPN is supposed to secure your browsing data. While Avast SecureLine has a no logs policy that states they don’t log apps used, websites visited, or content consumed; it, unfortunately, doesn’t have a third-party audit to confirm these claims. On the flipside, Avast publishes Transparency Reports that give valuable information on government requests and warrants issued to the company. It’s also based in the Czech Republic — a country that isn’t a member of any data sharing or intelligence alliance. Despite these efforts, I don’t think Avast SecureLine VPN is a good pick if security and data protection are top priorities. Key features of Avast SecureLine VPN Avast SecureLine VPN comes with different usability and security features that protect user data. I’ve listed some of the key features I think you should know about. Smart VPN mode SecureLine’s Smart VPN mode allows the user to set different smart rules and instances that automatically turn the VPN on or off (Figure A). This gives users the flexibility to personalize their VPN experience, depending on their needs and workflow. Figure A Avast SecureLine VPN’s Smart VPN mode. Image: Avast I like how users can set the VPN to turn on

The HTML markup language provides a backbone for web developers or business owners working on their own sites or their CMS. Especially if you add CSS and JavaScript, learning HTML means you will have a solid foundation for building and redesigning websites. Before you begin building your page, you’ll need to decide on a basic layout. To do this, sit down with some old-fashioned paper and a pencil and start sketching, blocking out the page’s elements. You may be itching to get coding, but by drawing your site out first, you can rearrange designs to your heart’s content without coding and recoding. Once you’ve settled on the organization of your site, it’s time to begin creating your pages with HTML tags – the instructions that surround material such as text, images, and links to other pages and tell the viewer’s web browser how to display them. If you want an image to show up on the left side of the page, a certain word to appear bold, or another word to link to an outside resource, you’ll use HTML tags to do it. Five rules for coding With HTML tags There are five important rules for coding with HTML tags. Tags are always surrounded by angle brackets (less-than/greater-than characters), as in <HEAD>. Most tags come in pairs and surround the material they affect. They work like a light switch: the first tag turns the action on, and the second turns it off. (There are some exceptions. For instance, the <BR> tag creates a blank line and doesn’t have an “off switch.” Once you’ve made a line break, you can’t unmake it.) The second tag–the “off switch”–always starts with a forward slash. For example, you turn on bold with <B>, shout your piece, and then return to regular text with </B>. First tag on, last tag off. Tags are embedded, so when you start a tag within another tag, you have to close that inner tag before closing the outer tag. For instance, the page will not display properly with the tags in this order:<HEAD><TITLE>Your text</HEAD></TITLE>.The correct order is:<HEAD><TITLE>Your text</TITLE></HEAD>. Many tags have optional attributes that use values to modify the tag’s behavior. The <P> (paragraph) tag’s ALIGN attribute, for instance, lets you change the default (left) paragraph alignment. For example, <P ALIGN=CENTER> centers the next paragraph on the page. Remember, too, that HTML is always evolving, and older browsers often don’t support the newest tags. When a browser encounters an HTML tag it doesn’t understand, it will usually ignore both the tag and the material it affects. This way, the newest elements will appear to viewers with newer browsers without causing problems for viewers using older browsers, who will only see material their browsers recognize. On the downside, browsers treat coding errors like unfamiliar code. If you’ve made a mistake while building your page, you won’t necessarily see an error message; you might just see nothing at all. SEE: Get answers to real-world questions from fellow web developers in the TechRepublic forums. You should always closely check all of your pages in a browser to make sure everything that’s supposed to be there appears properly. We recommend looking at your pages in more than one version of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Apple’s Safari — on both PC and Mac platforms and mobile devices, if possible — to make sure everything looks how you intended. Not every browser type or version behaves the same way. What are the 10 basic HTML tags? <doctype> : When crafting an HTML document from scratch, start with <!DOCTYPE html>. This will tell the browser how your website works. In HTML5, the DOCTYPE will always be html. At the end of your document, close this tag with </html>. <h1> : This tag creates text headings. H1 creates the largest size heading. Heading sizes go from one to six, descending in size. As is the case with most html tags, close the heading tag with a backslash (</h1> in the case of a heading size 1). <body> : This tag indicates body text. <p> : This tag indicates a paragraph break. Enclose both the beginning and end of paragraphs to separate them. For example: <code><p>This article is an introduction to HTML.</p> <p>HTML helps format web content.</p></code> <br> :  <br> creates a line break. You may prefer it over the paragraph tag if you want to separate text with a specific number of lines, as opposed to just one. You don’t have to close <br>. It is essentially a placeholder. <i> : This tag formats font in italics. <b> : This tag formats font in bold. <a href> : The <a> element is a bit complicated but very useful. It embeds links. The HTML code for adding links is: <code><a href=”url”>link text</a></code> Add the URL where indicated, making sure to include the quotation marks. Change the link text to the text you prefer. The result: Clicking on the link text will open the URL. <img> : This tag embeds images. The way this tag is usually used is: <code> <img src=”url” alt=”alternatetext”> </code> The src attribute directs the browser to the image. If you host an image on your own website or server, you can use the file name as shown above. If not, you can direct the src attribute to a URL instead. The alt attribute holds a place for alternate text. This is important for accessibiity, or when slow internet might prevent the image from loading. Write a short description of the image in the alternate text section, making sure to include the quotation marks. You can change the size of images by adding <code> style </code> within the brackets. This will look like: <code> <img src=”url” alt=”alternatetext” style=”width:500px;height:600px;”></code> Here you can adjust the width and height. The <img> tag does not need to be closed. <blockquote> : This tag indents text in order to set it apart, showing the text is a quotation. These are just some of the many tags at your

From brainstorming ideas to booking guests and outlining show topics, there’s a lot of work involved with planning a podcast episode. Podcast planning templates can help you keep track of sponsors, manage your editing and production process, and even map out promotional content once your episodes go live. These are some of my favorite free options for beginners, seasoned hosts, and everyone in between. monday.com: A podcast planning template for smooth production monday.com is one of my favorite project management tools on the market. It’s a great way to plan your podcast because it has everything you need to stay organized and ensure none of your production tasks slip through the cracks. It also has a great mobile app, allowing you to manage podcast planning from the palm of your hand. You can sign up for monday.com’s free plan to unlock access to 200+ templates, up to three project boards, eight custom column types, and seats for two collaborators. It’s a great place to start or try it out but most teams will likely need to upgrade to a paid plan rather quickly. More on monday.com: monday.com Review | monday.com vs Wrike | monday.com vs Airtable. Individuals and teams alike can use monday.com to organize ideas and manage podcast productions. Image: monday.com I really like how the production flow is set up with this template. Instead of a single card for each episode that displays its status, every episode has its own list of dedicated tasks. For example, the preparation phase may include tasks related to preparing questions for guests and outlining the episode structure. You can also have a post-production phase for things like editing clips to be promoted on social media before the final episode is polished and ready to live. This kind of setup lets you get as granular as you’d like without cluttering everything up. The template also lets you estimate how much time each task should take. From there, you can enter the actuals and compare the difference. Overall, monday.com and this template are solid options for any podcaster, whether you’re working by yourself or with a full team. It’s easy to use, and the fact that you’re getting the full power of monday.com’s project management platform is a bonus that can’t be overlooked. ClickUp: Podcast planning templates for any type of show ClickUp is another all-in-one project management and team collaboration platform. While this might seem like overkill for podcast planning, there’s a free forever plan that’s perfect for organizing just about everything. Each template below is more advanced than the one before it. The right one for you depends on how much you want to lean on the tool, how many people you’re working with, and how granular you want to be with post-production tracking. More on ClickUp:  ClickUp Review | ClickUp vs monday.com | ClickUp vs Notion. Template 1: A beginner-friendly option for planning episodes This template is great for newer podcast hosts who just need something simple to plan upcoming episodes. It comes with all of the basics you need to stay organized. You can create a backlog of episode ideas, categorize episodes, add audio files, and attach links to live episodes so everything’s centralized in one place. This beginner-friendly template is great for solo podcast hosts who need some help planning and organizing upcoming episodes. Image: Clickup.com My favorite part about this podcast planning template is its simplicity. It’s organized into four sections that follow a linear flow — planned episodes, recorded episodes, shows that have been edited, and shows that have been published. Because of its simplicity, you won’t have to spend a ton of time figuring out how it works. It’s just a matter of signing up and adding all of your ideas. Within minutes you’ll be more organized and have far more insight into where everything stands in your production flow. The biggest downside is that it’s missing functionality for brainstorming, managing post-production tasks, and scaling beyond a single channel. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially for newer shows. But bigger production teams will likely need to go with one of the other templates below. Template 2: Added features for managing different types of podcasts This ClickUp template follows the same core concept of the previous one in the sense that all episodes are organized by stage in the production process. But it takes it up a notch if you want more granular details about each episode. You’ll see the progress status of each episode updated in real-time as you or your team completes tasks required to get it live. This template is a good starting point if you need to involve a team in your production flow. Image: Clickup.com This template comes pre loaded with 17 custom attributes that you can use tag episodes and stay organized. These range from topic categories to listens, subscriber information, and more. You’ll also be able to categorize each item by type. For each type, you can define a set structure that’s applied when you add a new episode, so you don’t have to outline all the steps every single time you add something new. Say you’re planning an episode that includes a guest. If you tag that episode with this attribute, you can have your interview notes and questions available by default on that particular card. I also love the visual elements of this template. If you want to have a broad range of topics for your show, the color-coded topic column clearly indicates whether you have a good mix of ideas or too many episodes in one category. While you can use it to manage some post-production tasks, like your social media marketing plans, it’s a bit more limited for this use compared to the template below. Template 3: The most advanced option for managing all pre and post-production tasks If you have a well-established show with a full team working collaboratively to record, edit, and promote your show, this template has everything you’ll need to

No matter how many features Microsoft crams into its operating system, users will always be looking for a faster, better, or different way of doing things. One example of Microsoft’s acknowledgment of this behavior is Microsoft PowerToys. This free download can manage application windows, rename files in bulk, preview file contents, and more. This TechRepublic cheat sheet describes each available tool or feature provided by Microsoft PowerToys and describes what each system utility can do. When was Microsoft PowerToys first made available? This set of slightly unusual free Windows tools has been a part of the Windows operating system landscape since Windows 95. That first set of 15 free utilities was published and endorsed by Microsoft and made available for free download. Their availability was noticeably absent for Windows 10 and Windows 11 — at least until September 2019. With the general release of Microsoft Windows 11, developers now refer to this project as Microsoft PowerToys rather than Windows 10 PowerToys. From the beginning, PowerToys were designed for “power users” who were seeking ways to tweak how the operating system functions. In some cases, inexperienced users were able to make a careless change while using a PowerToys utility, which could wreak havoc within the Windows operating system; as such, novice users have often been encouraged to use caution. For the most part, though, PowerToys has allowed users — whether they considered themselves power users or not — to more easily tweak the look and feel of Windows without a deep dive into configuration screens or the dreaded and dangerous edit of the Windows Registry file. Even in the earliest iterations of PowerToys, Microsoft offered users many valuable functionalities. Windows 95 PowerToys included: TweakUI was used to tweak obscure Windows settings. CD Autoplay allowed all CDs to autoplay, not just audio CDs. Command Prompt Here opened a command prompt in the current directory. Explore from Here opened File Explorer in the current directory. FlexiCD allowed users to control audio CDs from the Taskbar. Xmouse 1.2 allowed users to change window focus by moving the mouse cursor, so no clicks were needed. Through the years and various Windows versions, individual PowerToys have come and gone. Each Windows version inspired a new set of tools based on what developers perceived was needed to improve and enhance that version. Why are Microsoft PowerToys important? Microsoft PowerToys provides tools and features that can make Windows operating system users more productive and, by extension, happier. Over the years, many users have come to depend on one or more of these PowerToys for their daily computer productivity. For many power users, PowerToys improve their quality of work and life. SEE: Secure Windows 11 systems with this checklist from TechRepublic Premium. Beyond making users more productive, PowerToys have also provided a glimpse into what features and tools could and should become an integral part of the Windows operating system in the future. Many of these once-separate tools have become just another part of the operating system during its next iteration. How can I get Microsoft PowerToys? Traditionally, each of the Microsoft PowerToys has been offered as a separate executable file, available as a free download from a specific Microsoft website. For Windows 10 and Windows 11, Microsoft has taken a slightly different approach. All Windows 10 and Windows 11 PowerToys are now included as part of a free downloadable system that users can configure. The PowerToys system. This image represents an older version, but the basic functioning remains the same. Image: Mark Kaelin/TechRepublic The newest version of Microsoft PowerToys is v0.86.0, available on GitHub now. Release 0.86.0 added new abilities to Advanced Paste. The PowerToys community fixed some issues and added features for version 0.86.0, including: The left navigation bar will now display the list of utilities in groups, as the number of utilities grew long. Sharing telemetry with the PowerToys team is now disabled by default, with an opt-in option in the Settings under the General tab. Users are encouraged to turn telemetry on to provide useful data to PowerToys development efforts. Various bug fixes for Workspaces, particularly around launching many instances of one application in the same workspace. See the release page for the complete list of changes. These PowerToys are currently available: Always On Top. Awake. Color Picker. Command Not Found. Crop and Lock. Environment Variables. FancyZones. Preview pane and thumbnail rendering for File Explorer. File Locksmith. Hosts File Editor. Image Resizer. Keyboard Manager. Mouse utilities. Mouse Without Borders. New+. Advanced Paste. Peek. PowerRename. PowerToys Run. PowerToys Workspaces. Quick Accent. Registry Preview. Screen Ruler. Shortcut Guide. Text Extractor. Video Conference Mute. SEE: All of TechRepublic’s cheat sheets and smart person’s guides What can Microsoft PowerToys do? Here is a list of available Microsoft PowerToys with a brief description of what each toy does. FancyZones FancyZones allows users to manage where and how each open application window on a Windows desktop will display. SEE: Windows 11 brings the Copilot AI assistant along with it. (TechRepublic) For example, you could use FancyZones to set up a Windows 10 desktop where Outlook always displays on the right-hand side of the desktop, Twitter or other social media always displays on the left-hand side of the desktop, and Word or Excel always displays on the middle between the other two. There would be three distinct and perpetual zones displayed at all times. The FancyZones menu shows layout options. Image: Mark Kaelin/TechRepublic Windows key Shortcut Guide The Windows key Shortcut Guide displays all of the available keyboard shortcuts for the current Windows desktop. This PowerToy is activated by holding the Windows key down for the length of time specified in the tool’s configuration settings. The default is 900ms. With this feature, users don’t have to remember so many Windows key-related shortcut combinations. The Shortcut Guide conveniently displays useful key combinations. Image: Mark Kaelin/TechRepublic PowerRename The PowerRename Windows PowerToy provides users with advanced tools for bulk renaming of files. The toy extends the Windows Shell Context Menu to add an entry

The European Commission recently announced investigations into NVIDIA’s proposed acquisition of Run:ai, an Israel-based provider of a compute management platform, and Apple’s iPadOS to assess compliance with the bloc’s Digital Markets Act. GPU supplier NVIDIA announced its plans to buy Run:ai in April, which it said was “to help customers make more efficient use of their AI computing resources.” Run:ai’s platform dynamically allocates GPU resources, whether on-premises, in public clouds, or at the edge, allowing companies to get the most out of their hardware and reduce operational costs. The two companies have been working together since about 2020. The deal is worth $700 million, according to TechCrunch, and NVIDIA does not currently have plans to change Run:ai’s business model. The deal remains on hold until it is cleared of competition concerns by the authority. Commission claims acquisition could affect market competition Italy flagged the deal to the E.U. Merger Regulation, which allows for mergers that don’t have an E.U. dimension but could impact trade and competition within the region. While it does not meet the E.U.’s or Italy’s turnover thresholds, the Italian competition authority determined that the acquisition either poses concrete risks to competition or meets other conditions outlined in the Italian Competition Act. “The transaction threatens to significantly affect competition in the markets where NVIDIA and Run:ai are active, which are likely to be at least European Economic Area-wide and therefore include the referring country Italy,” the European Commission said in a press notice. “The Commission also concluded that it is best placed to examine the transaction given its knowledge and case experience in related markets.” SEE: UK Probes Alphabet’s Partnership With Anthropic Over Competition Concerns NVIDIA must now “notify the transaction,” meaning it must send the Commission documentation with all the details of the proposed merger with Run:ai to allow for a full assessment of its potential impact. NVIDIA spokesman John Rizzo told TechCrunch: “We are happy to answer any questions regulators may have about Run:ai. After the acquisition closes, we’ll continue to make AI available in every cloud and enterprise, and help customers select any system and software solution that works best for them.” Big Tech firms are rapidly investing in young AI startups to gain early control and capitalise on the AI boom. Notably, this can be seen through partnerships such as Microsoft and OpenAI, NVIDIA and Inflection AI, and Google and Anthropic. However, such collaborations can lead to market dominance, making it more difficult for other independent companies to get funding, attract talent, or compete with the advanced technology and reach of the big players. Innovation within AI specifically is dependent only on a few elements, the GPUs being one of them. “Together with Run:ai, NVIDIA will enable customers to have a single fabric that accesses GPU solutions,” NVIDIA said in the acquisition announcement. What’s hot at TechRepublic EU continues to hold Apple accountable, launching new iPadOS probe for Digital Markets Act compliance On Nov. 4, the Commission announced its investigation into whether Apple’s iPadOS operating system complies with the Digital Markets Act. The Act’s requirements apply only to the 24 core platform services offered by the seven “gatekeeper” companies, including Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Booking, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft. The gatekeepers all have a major economic impact in the E.U. and more than 45 million monthly users in the region, or had more than 10,000 yearly business users for at least three years. iPadOS, along with the App Store, Safari, and iOS, is on the list of core platform services as it provides “an important gateway for business users to reach end users,” so must comply with the DMA’s requirements. iPadOS users should be able to choose their default web browser, use third-party app stores, explore features with non-Apple accessories like headphones and smartpens, among other conditions. Interestingly, macOS is not deemed a core platform service, which means that European Mac owners may be able to access Apple Intelligence when it’s released. Apple has asserted that it will not roll out its AI offering in the E.U. due to “regulatory uncertainties” brought about by the DMA. However, as macOS does not have to comply, an exception could be made. On Nov. 1, Apple published a report explaining the measures it has taken for iPadOS to comply with the DMA. The Commission will now assess this to see if the measures are sufficient, but if found to be in violation, Apple could be fined up to 10% of its total worldwide turnover. SEE: Apple Must Pay Back €13 Billion in Unpaid Taxes to Ireland, E.U. Court Rules So far, the Cupertino giant has not relented to the legislation quietly. In January, it said that accessing third-party apps on Apple devices presents security risks, including “malware, fraud and scams, illicit and harmful content.” But the European Commission has been persistent in its efforts to hold Apple accountable, launching three investigations into DMA compliance in the past year. In June, the company was charged for violating the DMA for a number of reasons, including not making it easy enough for developers to steer their customers to purchase options outside the app, which do not financially benefit Apple. It also launched a non-compliance investigation into whether Apple discourages developers from hosting their iOS apps on third-party platforms. In August, Apple announced it would allow E.U. users to delete pre-installed apps on iOS 18 to comply with the DMA. It also made the “browser choice screen” clearer and expanded the number of default apps that can be replaced by third-party versions. source

I can’t stand dropped calls. I bet you feel the same way. Here’s the good news is — it’s usually pretty easy to fix dropped calls. This post walks you through every potential fix I know. I’ve used most of these fixes myself — and they work. Sometimes you have to try a few different methods to find the one that fixes your phone. No big deal. None of these fixes require technical knowledge, and most take about 30 seconds to do. 1 RingCentral Office Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Medium (250-999 Employees), Enterprise (5,000+ Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees) Medium, Enterprise, Large Features Hosted PBX, Managed PBX, Remote User Ability, and more Nine quick fixes for dropped calls Move to a more open area. Update your software. Check on your SIM card. Turn airplane mode on and off. Check on your internet connection. Close extra apps and clear your cache. Install a signal booster. Configure your phone settings. Contact your network provider. After this list, I’ll provide iPhone-specific and Android-specific guidance for fixing spotty service and dropped calls. There are a few unique methods for both types of devices. I’ll close by covering dropped calls on business phone services. There is a lot more that can go wrong when you have hundreds or thousands of phones on the same network. I’ll cover the main culprits of dropped calls for business and link to in-depth articles on specific topics. 1. Move to a more open area If you can, the quickest and easiest thing you can do when you’re experiencing dropped calls is to walk to a more open area. Phones have to be able to connect to local cell towers in order for calls to work, and if there’s something in the way, it’s likely that your call will drop. For instance, if you’re on a call while driving into a deep valley, there’s a good chance you’ll lose connection. In that case, you’ll have to wait until you’ve driven far enough out of the valley to make your call again. This doesn’t just happen in the middle of nowhere, though. If you’re in a building with dense architecture — even a grocery store — your phone may struggle to connect.  Fifth-generation cellular technology, more commonly referred to as 5G, runs on a higher frequency than 4G, is impacted more by walls, windows, even tree foliage. If the call is urgent, you’ll want to leave the building and walk around until you regain connection. This fix works on a cellular network, but it won’t work for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). In other words, if you are making calls over the internet, moving around won’t help. SEE: Learn about the differences between VoIP and cellular networks.  2. Update your software Out-of-date software is a common reason for dropped calls, so if you’ve been clicking Remind me tomorrow for a while, now’s the time to take a minute to update. You should be able to tell if your software is up to date pretty quickly by checking your phone’s settings. First, make sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi. If you have an iPhone, you can open your Settings app, click General, and go to Software Update. From there, you’ll see if you have the most up-to-date version, and you can install the latest version if you don’t. If you have an Android, you can also go to the phone’s settings, click About Phone, and check for updates. From there, you can update if needed. You’ll likely have to wait a couple minutes for the update to complete, so you’ll want to do this when you’re okay giving up access to your phone for a short period of time. However, if the dropped call is urgent, it’s probably worth the few minutes to give it a try. 3. Check on your SIM card If your SIM card somehow got scratched or dirty, it could be causing dropped calls. Turn your phone off, take the SIM card out, and gently inspect it for scratches, bends, or other damage. Wipe it with a clean, dry cloth, then reinsert it. If you think the SIM card is the issue and are still experiencing dropped calls, you’ll likely want to get it replaced. If the SIM card is really broken, you are probably experiencing other issues in addition to just dropping calls. I would recommend attempting to clean the SIM card prior to replacing it. Recently I had an issue where I couldn’t make calls from time to time. Cleaning the SIM card fixed that issue, and I haven’t had any problems since. 4. Turn airplane mode on and off Don’t have time to update your software or mess with your SIM card? Try putting your phone in airplane mode, waiting for a couple minutes, then turning airplane mode off. This forces your phone to make a new connection with the cell tower, so it can help reset things if you’ve had a shaky connection. Toggling airplane mode on and off to reset the connection does work. I’ve had success with this method to cure spotty, inconsistent cell service. But I have also tried this and had no luck — so if it doesn’t work for you, I’d recommend circling back to the software update and giving that a try. 5. Check on your internet connection If you’re making phone calls via the internet and the internet signal is weak, possibly even going in and out at random times, then your calls are going to follow that pattern. If this is the issue, there are lots of things you can do to fix a faulty internet connection. I’d start by resetting your router. In my experience, this fixes 95 percent of internet connectivity issues. Simply turn the router off, wait a few minutes, and then turn it back on. The other super quick fix, if you are making calls over the internet, is to connect your device

Contact center migration is the process of moving from on-site infrastructure to a cloud-based system, including software, data, and services. This shift allows companies to offer secure communication for remote teams with less complexity compared to traditional on-premises setups. A cloud or virtual contact center provides cost savings, scalability, and improved reliability, making it an ideal choice for businesses aiming for better efficiency and flexibility. It also supports a remote workforce, streamlining operations and customer engagement. Successful migration requires a well-rounded plan, including C-suite buy-in, operational changes, and staff training. Below are the key steps to guide a smooth transition. 1 RingCentral Office Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Medium (250-999 Employees), Enterprise (5,000+ Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees) Medium, Enterprise, Large Features Hosted PBX, Managed PBX, Remote User Ability, and more 1. Circulate a contact center migration BRD As its name implies, a business requirement document (BRD) details what is needed for the business or project to succeed. It outlines the objectives and goals for the project, the desired expectations during its lifecycle, and the resources required to implement it. In the case of a contact center migration, a BRD should entail how you plan to execute the migration, along with anticipated cutover timelines, if you have a staggered rollout plan that requires a transition period. The BRD should outline the things your contact center already does well and how you intend to replicate and enhance them once you’ve migrated to the cloud. It should include key performance indicators (KPIs) that act as benchmarks and allow stakeholders to evaluate whether the cloud migration process can be deemed successful. While it’s important to share this document across the organization to get buy-in from stakeholders and key decision-makers, circulating the BRD across the organization allows you to discover the needs of various departments in terms of equipment, functionality, and expectations. Essentially, a BRD surfaces conflicting expectations and forces everyone to address the tradeoffs you must make. Starting the BRD early in the contact center migration process is essential for discovering potential issues and opportunities while you have time to course correct. Keep in mind that this step is meant to be iterative, with plenty of back-and-forth communication among relevant stakeholders. You will likely move on to the next steps before this document is truly done, incorporating what you learn as you go. 2. Match requirements to a type of contact center solution Before you scope out specific vendors, you should use the opportunity of a contact center migration to select the best possible infrastructure for your business moving forward. UCaaS, CCaaS, and CPaaS, which have emerged as the preferred model for contact centers to implement cloud-based communications. However, they each pertain to different communication needs. UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) is skewed towards internal communications within the call center. It merges popular-use communication methods like live chat, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), texting, social media, file sharing, and video conferencing into a single interface or cloud-based platform. SEE: Learn the most important things you need to know before signing a VoIP contract.  By unifying all of these diverse tools, UCaaS provides the simplicity and flexibility of a single solution for inbound communications. For outbound communications, UCaaS also eliminates the need for contact center agents to switch frequently between platforms. As a centralized communication hub, UCaaS is also ideal for a dispersed and remote workforce, providing the focal point that keeps a contact center workplace integrated. CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service) is basically another name for a contact center solution that is hosted in the cloud. It includes every channel: social media, live chat, VoIP phone services, social media. CCaaS usually comes with tools to facilitate CRM integration, if not pre-built integrations with popular CRM vendors. As a hosted service, CCaaS offers secure online communications for remote workers without the complexity of a large number of VPN users, the security headaches with on-premise vs cloud security, or having to maintain a PBX 24/7. Typically, CCaaS is best suited for external communications because it has the capacity for high volumes, both inbound and outbound. In contrast with UCaaS, CCaaS is more optimized for an enhanced customer experience, while UCaaS is more adept at internal collaboration and communication.. CPaaS (Communications Platform as a Service) enables companies to integrate voice, messaging, and video directly into their workflows via APIs. Companies can simply incorporate these new capabilities into an existing solution. As a result, building CPaaS features into your cloud-based contact center doesn’t require you to deal with any backend infrastructure. Unlike traditional real-time communications (RTC),  CPaaS provides the developmental framework to construct your own RTC features without having to do it from scratch. CPaaS offers features like two-factor authentication, video conferencing, interactive voice response (IVR), call center chatbots, SMS, and AI capabilities. Cloud-based contact centers may be particularly interested in CPaaS applications that can help them offer a video-enabled help desk. SEE: Check out the latest IVR upgrades and call center chatbot examples to learn more.  Overall, the cloud offers lots of features to optimize the performance of contact centers, but you must assess your options and select a platform that aligns with your organization’s goals and business needs. 3. Conduct SIT and UAT Once you have a contact center migration solution, you can begin the testing to ensure that you can roll out a full migration without downtime, technical issues, or security lapses. The testing phase of a contact center migration should include some form of System Integration Testing (SIT) and User Acceptance Testing (UAT). SIT focuses on ensuring the new system integrates smoothly with existing software and meets technical requirements. UAT validates that the system functions as expected from an end-user perspective and aligns with business needs. The scope of testing should cover key contact center workflows, system performance, scalability, and integration with other platforms like CRM systems. Stress testing, IVR testing, compliance, and security checks are also essential to identify potential risks

Introducing a new product or service to the market requires meticulous preparation. A go to market strategy template helps streamline the planning process and reduce risk while helping you develop a clear plan of action. After launching dozens of services, products, and businesses over the years, these are my top recommendations for anyone who needs help getting started. monday.com: A versatile template for any go to market strategy monday.com is one of the most flexible project management tools I’ve used. It works for personal use, small teams, and even big brands working on cross-departmental initiatives or managing an entire business. The free plan includes two seats, unlimited documents, and over 200+ other templates. It’s not the best free plan out there, but it works to try it out. Alternatively, try any premium plan for free with a 14-day trial to see if it’s right for your team. More on monday.com: monday.com review | monday.com vs Wrike | monday.com vs Airtable. monday.com makes it easy to prioritize your most important tasks while tracking costs and completion status along the way. Image: monday.com This is actually just a generic marketing strategy template from monday.com. But it can easily be adapted for go-to-market planning and execution. It works best for long-term planning that requires team collaboration. If just you and one other person are launching a new product in two weeks, then this template is probably overkill. But if you’re working with a complete team and rolling out a new product or service over the next three to six months, it’s the right level of detail. I like how it takes you through the process of turning a big-picture goal — like a new product or business idea — into smaller, more attainable tasks. At that point, you can assign work to your team and keep an eye of the overall progress at a high level in real time. Users can easily switch between Gantt chart views, tables, and other custom visualizations based on what you’re working on. A product owner, for example, may just want to review the Gantt chart to ensure their launch is on track. Someone on the marketing team, however, may prefer to see a weekly view of all upcoming tasks assigned to them. One drawback of this template is that it doesn’t come pre-loaded with specific tasks for go-to-market planning. You’ll have to add those in yourself, which can take some time depending on the complexity of your strategy. But it’s a great place to start if you have a general idea of what you want to do. ClickUp: Go to market strategy templates ClickUp is also a complete project management solution for teams of all sizes. While the free forever plan is designed for individual use, you can use it to unlock hundreds of templates, including two excellent go to market templates. The first template provides everything you need to develop your concept and bring your new product or service to life. The second is better for team alignment in the early planning stages. You could potentially use both, starting with the second template and adding in the first whenever you’re ready to start assigning work. More on ClickUp: ClickUp Review | ClickUp vs monday.com | ClickUp vs Notion. Template 1: An advanced option for complex product launches This template works best if you want to plan and execute your go-to-market strategy from the same platform. ClickUp makes it really easy to start with an idea and validate it before defining all the steps required to launch it. It works just as well for B2C and B2B, including physical products, services, moving into new markets, or coming up with business ideas. ClickUp helps you define months of planning into a roadmap that your entire team can follow. Image: Clickup.com To start, the template helps you fine-tune product positioning in a way that resonates with your customers and stands out from your competition. From there, you can break down a six or 12-month plan into simpler, more attainable steps. Complex launches don’t feel quite as intimidating when you segment everything into stages and clearly defined steps like this. ClickUp has a built-in goal-setting feature that’s included for free with this template. You can set clear objectives and timelines for every stage, and ClickUp will automatically track your team’s progress along the way. You’ll benefit from advanced features like dependency warnings and the ability to adjust assignments on the fly. ClickUp also lets you identify KPIs to measure success, like customer acquisition costs and CLV, so you can track key data even after your product hits the market. Template 2: A simpler choice to ensure high-level team alignment This ClickUp template is designed to take an idea and put it on paper. It’s a simple way for business leaders and project managers to clearly communicate goals while assigning ownership to different team members. You can use it for new product launches, new service offerings, and even overhauls of your existing products. This is a straightforward strategy template that can be completed by one person in less than two hours. Image: Clickup.com While you have the option to take this template and turn it into a full project within ClickUp, it’s not necessary. It’s more of a one or two-page resource that anyone on your team can reference any time they feel lost or like they’re missing necessary context. This template can also work well for quick pitches and proposals. For example, a department head or product manager could use it to present an idea to company executives and other decision-makers. It’s worth noting that this lacks a competitive analysis section that you’ll find with similar templates. You won’t be able to define major tasks and break everything up into distinct project phases, either. But you don’t necessarily need both of those things for simpler product rollouts. Plus, you can start with this template to get your ideas out and ensure everyone involved understands what you’re trying to accomplish