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You don’t want to waste peoples’ time, and you certainly don’t want to waste your own. With a cold call script, sticking to the fundamentals is a good idea, especially early on. Here are seven efficient and effective scripts you can use to get started. Plug in your company’s information, tweak the script so that it sounds natural for your reps, and then pick up the phone. 1. Cold call script for B2B sales Rep: Hi, this is [NAME] with [COMPANY], is [CONTACT] available? Contact: What do you want? Rep: Do you have two minutes to talk about how to improve your customer service with an upgraded CRM? Contact: Not really… Rep: No problem, I totally understand. Can I send you a quick email with a rundown of how our CRM increases first call resolution rates by 50% within the first month? This script is useful because it contains the core elements that any cold call needs to get off the ground — a transparent welcome, a quick statement of intent, and empathy throughout. The customer knows almost instantly what’s going on in the call, so when they say they’re not interested, the rep respects the decision and redirects to an email signup offer. Notice that the script sneaks in another benefit to the customer as they pitch the email option — a 50% increase in first call resolution is attention-grabbing for someone running a call center. It increases customer satisfaction, decreases call queue times, and creates wider profit margins without having to hire a single new agent. Say the person doesn’t believe the sales claim of 50% reduction — perfect. They’ll be primed to engage with the email, where your company’s case is laid out in as many words as you like. In the mean-time, your rep is already making more calls. Lead nurturing is part of B2B sales, and with this script, some fraction of contacts will enter the top of your sales funnel. 2. Script for B2C sales Rep: Hi, is this [CONTACT]? Contact: Yes, who’s calling? Rep: Hi [CONTACT], this is [NAME] from [COMPANY]. How are you doing today? Contact: Fine. Why are you calling? Rep: I’m calling because we’ve just launched our new VoIP phone service that I believe could be of interest to you. It’s designed to provide the same quality of calls you get with any major cell service at a much cheaper rate. Contact: I don’t really need that. Rep: I understand. Would you be open to hearing a bit more about how our [PRODUCT NAME] works and enables teams to collaborate compared to your current setup? This script continues on with the pattern of intro-context-empathy, but subtly steers the conversation away from price and towards improved collaboration. In this case, the caller already knows that the service could be cheaper, so offering the idea of employee enablement fit could provide another reason to stay on the call. If the customer bites on this, there are already two strong reasons why they might want to close the sale. And if not, reps should note the outcome of the interaction in the CRM software, and move on to the next contact. Keep the rhythm going, there are many calls to make. Consider using an outbound dialer to win the numbers game that is B2C cold outreach. 3. Cold intro script for qualifying leads Rep: Hi [CONTACT], this is [NAME] from [COMPANY]. How are you today? Contact: I’m fine. How can I help you? Rep: I’m reaching out because we specialize in helping businesses increase their customer satisfaction rates by using our CRM. Can I ask you a few questions to see if our solution might be a good fit for you? Contact: Actually, I’m quite satisfied with our current system. Rep: Oh that’s great! Can you tell me a little bit about what you like about it? This script might read like a sales script, but it’s actually designed to qualify leads. For example, if the contact hears about the CRM and isn’t interested at all, it’s a sign that they could be the wrong fit — especially if they respond by saying that they don’t have anything to do with CRMs. However, since the contact in this example indicated CRM knowledge, this tells the rep that they could be both a decision-maker and a quality lead for the future. The redirect after the objection is similarly well done. Instead of being disappointed by a lead that says they’re not interested, the rep redirects the conversation to acknowledge the contact’s answer in a positive way while also giving the floor right back to them. This makes the contact feel respected and also gives the rep a chance to gather important information about what other CRMs are doing well and how their customers feel about them. 4. Cold call script to pitch a product or service Rep: Hi, this is [NAME] from [COMPANY], I’m calling to talk to you about our new [PRODUCT] package that increases employee efficiency and customer satisfaction. Contact: No thanks. Rep: Right, nobody likes getting a cold call. May I ask you one question before we go? Contact: Sure… Rep: Do you absolutely love your current [PRODUCT], or does it work just good enough? This script is a good example of how to deal with an uninterested customer. It establishes intent right off the bat so the customer knows what’s going on, and it also gives them a mini sales pitch in the first sentence. When they indicate their lack of interest, the rep takes it in stride before asking for permission to make one more request. When the contact grants it, they ask a question that moves the conversation into the realm of feelings, which may give the rep a chance to engage in emotional selling techniques. This is often a more fruitful strategy than trying to win people over with sterile data about tech specs, features, costs etc. Worst case scenario, they’ll walk away with valuable information

Microsoft Threat Intelligence has uncovered a new attack campaign by Russian threat actor Midnight Blizzard, targeting thousands of users across over 100 organizations. The attack leverages spear-phishing emails with RDP configuration files, allowing attackers to connect to and potentially compromise the targeted systems. The attack campaign targeted thousands of users in higher education, defense, non-governmental organizations, and government agencies. Dozens of countries have been impacted, particularly in the U.K., Europe, Australia, and Japan, which is consistent with previous Midnight Blizzard phishing campaigns. Phishing emails contained RDP configuration file In the latest Midnight Blizzard attack campaign, victims received highly targeted emails that used social engineering lures relating to Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and the concept of Zero Trust. According to Microsoft Threat Intelligence, the emails were sent using email addresses belonging to legitimate organizations, gathered by the threat actor during previous compromises. All emails contained a RDP configuration file, signed with a free LetsEncrypt certificate, that included several sensitive settings. When a user opened the file, an RDP connection would be established to an attacker-controlled system. The configuration of the established RDP connection would then allow the threat actor to collect information about the targeted system, such as files and folders, connected network drives, peripherals including printers, microphones, and smart cards. It would also enable the collection of clipboard data, web authentication using Windows Hello, passkeys and security keys, and even Point-of-Sale devices. Such a connection might also allow the threat actor to install malware on the targeted system or on mapped network share(s). Malicious remote connection. Image: Microsoft The outbound RDP connections were established to domains created to trick the target into believing they were AWS domains. Amazon, working with the Ukrainian CERT-UA on fighting the threat, immediately initiated the process of seizing affected domains to disrupt the operation. Meanwhile, Microsoft directly notified impacted customers that have been targeted or compromised. Must-read security coverage Midnight Blizzard has targeted various sectors in recent years According to a joint cybersecurity advisory, Midnight Blizzard, as well as threat actors APT29, Cozy Bear, and the Dukes, are associated with the Russian Federation Foreign Intelligence Service. Since at least 2021, Midnight Blizzard has routinely targeted U.S., European, and global entities in the Defense, Technology, and Finance sectors, pursuing cyberespionage purposes and enabling further cyber operations, including in support of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. SEE: How to Create an Effective Cybersecurity Awareness Program (TechRepublic Premium) In January 2024, the group targeted Microsoft and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, gaining access to email boxes of several employees. Following the incident, Microsoft stated that the cybercriminals were initially targeting email accounts for information related to Midnight Blizzard itself. Then, in March 2024, the threat actor reportedly adapted its tactics to target more cloud environments. According to Microsoft, Midnight Blizzard is one of the stealthiest cyberattackers. As a separate Microsoft report noted, the group had previously disabled the organization’s Endpoint Detection and Response solutions after a system reboot. They then waited quietly for a month for computers to reboot and took advantage of vulnerable computers that had not been patched. The threat actor is also highly technical, as it has been observed deploying MagicWeb, a malicious DLL placed on Active directory Federated Services servers to stay persistent and steal information. The tool also allows the Midnight Blizzard to generate tokens that allow it to bypass AD FS policies and sign in as any user. How to protect against Midnight Blizzard Several actions can be taken to protect from this threat: Outbound RDP connections to external or public networks should be forbidden or restricted. RDP files should be blocked from email clients or webmail. RDP files should be blocked from being executed by users. Multi-factor authentication must be enabled where possible. Phishing-resistant authentication methods should be deployed, such as using FIDO tokens. SMS-based MFA should not be used, as it may be bypassed by SIM-jacking attacks. Conditional Access Authentication Strength must be implemented to require phishing-resistant authentication. Additionally, Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) must be deployed to detect and block suspicious activity. Organizations should also consider deploying antiphishing and antivirus solutions to help detect and block the threat. Disclosure: I work for Trend Micro, but the views expressed in this article are mine. source

A fixed VoIP number is directly associated with a physical address unlike a non-fixed VoIP number, which is tied to a user instead. Getting a fixed VoIP number generally costs more than a non-fixed number. That’s because your VoIP provider must verify your address and comply with local regulations. While the cost varies depending on your provider and package, you’ll likely pay a higher monthly rate for fixed VoIP services. When you can quickly get a non-fixed number that costs less and does much the same thing, why would you choose a fixed number? Let’s dig in. Six advantages with fixed VoIP 1. Increased trust Fixed VoIP is tied to a known location and significantly boosts your credibility for that reason. Criminals and sketchy businesses wouldn’t do that. Only someone that expects to be held accountable is going to make calls from a known location that’s been verified by a VoIP phone service provider. This is particularly critical when dealing with sectors where trust isn’t just a virtue but a necessity, like banking and financial services. Companies in those sectors often block non-fixed VoIP numbers for security or regulatory reasons. Fixed VoIP supports more accurate caller identification by associating each number with a specific, registered address. This makes it easier for clients and partners to confirm the origin of calls, reducing the chances of impersonation or spoofing caller ID — both are common fraud tactics. For potential clients, the physical tie of fixed VoIP to a specific location reinforces a company’s credibility. It signals that the business is established and accountable, which is especially reassuring in regulated industries where compliance, transparency, and security are critical. This added level of trust can enhance customer confidence, making them more likely to engage with a company they see as reliable and secure. 2. Enhanced security Anchoring fixed VoIP numbers to physical addresses makes it easier for callers to trace VoIP calls. It also makes calling more secure by warding off security threats and data breaches. If your business handles sensitive or confidential information, this kind of VoIP security isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a must-have. Non-fixed VoIP numbers can be accessed from any internet connection, increasing the risk of unauthorized access. Their mobility makes them more susceptible to hacking, especially if users connect over unsecured networks, like airports and coffee shops. With fixed VoIP, you don’t really open the door to these potential attacks. The fixed geographical location simplifies identity verification for fixed numbers and is much harder for scammers to exploit. 3. Simplified compliance Dealing with compliance issues can take up a lot of time. Fixed VoIP numbers make it easier to comply with various levels of regulation. Their fixed nature fits perfectly into frameworks that mandate reliable location data for emergency services and other legal requirements. This is especially useful when working with heavily regulated industries and where compliance with emergency services and legal requirements is non-negotiable. The ability to quickly meet these regulatory demands reduces the administrative burden on your team. It ensures you can serve clients without running into legal challenges, particularly those in sectors with strict compliance standards. 4. Professional image A fixed number conveys the idea of stability and establishment, which is critical for cultivating a professional image. Whether you are calling from a fixed or non-fixed number is captured in the call details records of a phone system and presented to users. The initial impression created by this information is encouraging (especially compared to just showing up as UNKNOWN or RESTRICTED), but it also helps build market authority and trust with clients or partners. It signals to the market that you’re not just a temporary setup but a serious, dedicated operation with a long-term vision. It may seem like I am overegging this, but getting a fixed line is a concrete way to show people that you are a real business that’s accountable. That matters. 5. Increased administrator control Fixed numbers give you more control over your caller ID and CNAM database updates. That means you can ensure that every outbound call you make accurately reflects your brand. That’s another key part of maintaining a professional image and ensuring your brand consistently aligns with your company values and core messaging. Non-fixed VoIP numbers often lack the same level of control and customization as fixed VoIP numbers. This used to be more true than it is today, where modern cloud PBX and business phone systems give administrators centralized control of fixed and non-fixed numbers. But there are usually other capabilities bundled into the service. Features like virtual meetings, online fax, and third-party integrations can easily mess up caller ID presentation and create call management issues. 6. Reliable emergency services In emergencies, every second counts and the ability to quickly locate the caller can be life-saving. A fixed VoIP number gives precise location information, which is mission-critical when lives are at stake. This accuracy ensures emergency response teams can be dispatched swiftly and efficiently to the caller’s location. With non-fixed VoIP, there is no location information to go on, which is going to delay the emergency response. Four drawbacks with fixed VoIP If it’s up to me, I am going to select a non-fixed VoIP number unless I absolutely need to get a fixed one. That’s because there are some significant drawbacks with fixed VoIP, and many of the benefits I outlined above aren’t as important when you are running remote companies and online businesses. 1. Higher costs A fixed VoIP number costs more than a non-fixed one. First, there are increased setup costs because your provider has to verify the physical address linked to your number. This verification isn’t just a formality. It’s a crucial step that ensures the credibility and reliability of your business communication. And vendors don’t do this for free. Monthly subscription rates tend to be higher for fixed VoIP numbers. That’s due to their premium features like enhanced security and the ability to easily integrate with local emergency services. If your business operations

Generative AI features in enterprise software can be double-edged swords. AI introduces complexities and its own security issues, but it can also expedite processes and enable new capabilities. The tools we’ve chosen here were highly rated platforms before the advent of generative AI, and we’ve rated them in part on longevity and positive reviews over time. Where AI features are major selling points for the products, we’ve examined them based on integration, ease of use, and their potential to unlock new areas of value within security solutions. We focused on security solutions incorporating AI rather than AI-first companies or those exclusively addressing AI-related threats — although we were more inclined to select organizations that also emphasize AI-specific protections. Top AI security tools: Comparison table Tool Starting Price Size Top-level pitch SentinelOne $69.99 per endpoint, per year. Small business to enterprise. Enterprise protection for endpoint, cloud, and data. Arctic Wolf $44,000 per year. Small business to enterprise. Security operations “concierge” service. Darktrace Starts at $30,000 per year. Small business to enterprise. Proactive cybersecurity with “self-learning” AI. Vectra AI Contact the vendor for more information. Small business to enterprise. Focuses on delivering high-quality attack signals with AI. Zscaler Contact the vendor for more information. Enterprise. Digital transformation for IT and security teams. Best for incident response: SentinelOne The SentinelOne dashboard shows blocked threats, anomalies, alerts, and more. Image: SentinelOne Image: SentinelOne SentinelOne offers endpoint, cloud, and data security. Targeted to enterprises, SentinelOne products place a shield over user endpoints, containers, cloud workloads, and IoT devices. Their managed security services are remarkable because they cover nearly all possible endpoints and device types. SentinelOne’s primary AI offerings are Purple AI and the Singularity XDR Platform. The Singularity XDR Platform applies AI to prevention, detection, response, and threat hunting. This isn’t generative AI; instead, the “agents” are essentially sensors reacting at faster-than-human speeds. The generative part comes with SentinelOne’s Purple AI, a chatbot that operates similarly to ChatGPT. Security personnel can ask Purple AI in natural language whether indicators of specific threats are present, as well as more specific questions. The chatbot will return both written answers and code or URLs as appropriate. Consulting firm Gartner rates SentinelOne highly, naming them a leader in the annual “Magic Quadrant” report. SentinelOne’s Vigilance MDR+DFIR detected 14 out of 14 attack steps in MITRE’s ATT&CK Evaluations. MITRE praised it for its comprehensive protection against the test attacks. Price The basic (or “Singularity Core”) plan starts at $69.99 per endpoint for five to 10 workstations. The Singularity Core plan provides role-based access control, multi-tenant management, and endpoint protection. For more features, organizations can purchase higher-tier plans up to the $209.99 per endpoint in its “Singularity Commercial” plan. Contact the company to negotiate enterprise-level plans. Top Features Managed detection and response. Digital forensics and incident response. Endpoint protection. Threat detection and response capabilities for identity-based surfaces. Pros Cons Easy-to-use dashboard. Some users report a significant learning curve. One platform covers a wide variety of devices and services. SEE: Generative AI can skew North American, causing problems for APAC customers. Best for small businesses without a SOC: Arctic Wolf The Arctic Wolf Secure Culture Dashboard shows simulated attacks. Image: Arctic Wolf Image: Arctic Wolf Arctic Wolf promotes itself as a “concierge” program aimed at easing the workload of security operations centers (SOCs). It’s meant to either add to a lean team or serve as a full SOC for small or medium businesses without one. Arctic Wolf is generally well-reviewed, with customers saying the company is thorough and reliable. Arctic Wolf pitches AI as a solution to the impossibility of filtering through the overwhelming amount of data available to SOCs today and as a way to reduce ticket volume. The company integrates modern (but not necessarily generative) AI into its threat defense, SOC processes like investigations and responses. AI and ML analyze data behind the scenes in Arctic Wolf’s SecOps Cloud. Price Arctic Wolf’s “concierge” service starts at $44,000 per year for managed detection and response for up to to 100 users. Different services cost differently depending on whether they are bought individually or bundled. Top Features Managed detection and response. Managed risk. Incident response. Cyber insurance. Cloud security posture management. Pros Cons Could potentially serve as a way to outsource security. Some reviewers report a lack of follow-through after Arctic Wolf submits logs. 24/7 service. Reviewers say implementation and integration are easy. Best for attack detection: Darktrace Darktrace users will often see these automated architecture diagrams. Image: Darktrace Image: Darktrace Darktrace ActiveAI Security Platform prides itself on proactivity and catching novel threats. Like other services, it’s not necessarily an AI-first company — but AI features bolster longstanding, proven security processes. Darktrace also runs its own AI research center dedicated to using AI for projects such as detecting unwanted crypto-mining or determining whether similar-sounding emails are related to one another. Its AI learns from each individual customer’s business data to determine what patterns are common or unusual for them. Darktrace DETECT and “Darktrace Cyber AI Loop” are AI/ML features, not generative AI. But Darktrace does offer a generative AI agent: the “Cyber AI Analyst,” which autonomously performs investigations and triage. Darktrace maintains a forward-thinking approach, which Microsoft recognized by naming it the UK Partner of the Year in 2024. Price Pricing for Darktrace is based on the length of the contract, but on AWS Darktrace’s services start at $30,000 per year for up to 300 Mbps of average bandwidth and 200 hosts. Additional seats and bandwidth can raise the price to $100,000. Top Features Email, OT, network, cloud, identity, and endpoint security monitoring. Attack surface management. Incident readiness and recovery. Pros Cons The AI agent can autonomously run investigations. Some reviewers report poor customer support or disruptive upselling. Sort alerts by criticality to focus on what matters most. Some customers report pricing and licensing are confusing. Reviewers praise Darktrace’s ability to monitor network traffic in particular. Must-read security coverage Best for simplifying the learning curve: Vectra AI The Vectra AI dashboard

Apple announced on Oct. 28 the upcoming release of their next desktop computer: the iMac with M4 chip. The new, 24-inch iMac enables Apple Intelligence natural language commands and, when the OS updates in December, AI photo editing. The tech giant says the new device offers the “world’s best all-in-one desktop features,” including myriad new colors and a cutting-edge camera, packed into a thin design. “iMac is beloved by millions of users, from families at home to entrepreneurs hard at work,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, in a press release. “With the incredible features of Apple Intelligence and the powerful performance of Apple silicon, the new iMac changes the game once again.” Starting at $1,299, the iMac is scheduled for release on Nov. 8. SEE: Our Apple intelligence with our cheat sheet shows how AI is changing Apple navigation, graphic design possibilities, and more. M4 chip differentiates Apple CPU from Intel Apple said the M4 chip enables: Faster performance, 1.7 times faster than the 2021 iMac with the M1 chip. Faster and smoother photo editing and gaming. A default of 16GB of unified memory, with configurations up to 32GB. The 32GB version requires the 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, which costs a bit more, starting at $1,499. A neural engine three-times faster than the first-generation M1, enabling today’s generative AI. 2.1 times faster photo and video editing performance in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro compared to iMac with M1. Apple fans can already find M4 chips in the 2024 iPad Pro. Apple claimed the M4 iMac is six-times faster than the Intel Core i5‑based 21.5‑inch iMac. Upgraded display option and plenty of USB-C ports For professional graphic designers, the iMac’s 4.5K Retina display with an optional nano-texture glass will provide high-resolution imagery. Nano-texture glass is designed to look vibrant even in bright, sunny spaces, like an office with a window or a storefront. It is only available on the 10-core GPU premium build, $200 more than the base model. The 2024 iMac comes with up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports and USB-C accessory ports, as opposed to Lightning ports. A 12 MP webcam makes meetings crisp and clear. Must-read Apple coverage 2024 iMac boasts new colors, camera, and Safari features The rainbow of device colors caught my eye when I recently visited an Apple store, and the 2024 iMac continues the trend. It comes in green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver. Keyboards, mice, and trackpads with USB-C ports will be available in colors that coordinate with the desktop machine. Those purchasing a new 2024 iMac can choose from seven colors. Image: Apple Apple built the 12MP Center Stage camera for FaceTime and DeskView, Apple’s simultaneous overhead and face views. The second angle allows teachers or content creators to simultaneously show a desk view as the second window focuses on their faces. The new iMac is designed for MacOS Sequoia, which brings new features for Safari; iPhone mirroring; Distraction Control for blocking ads, videos, or other parts of a website; the new Passwords app; and contemporary gaming. The 2024 iMac supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. Apple Intelligence-enhanced Siri can help navigate the iMac Apple Intelligence generative AI — technically still in beta — will be available on iMac in U.S. English with macOS Sequoia 15.1. Apple demonstrated using Siri to send messages and control other aspects of the desktop from one window. Video: Apple Apple Intelligence will introduce writing assistance and leverage the revamped Siri for answering questions and performing commands across iOS. These initial capabilities will expand in December with features such as: Image Playground, for AI image generation. More autonomy for Siri and greater capabilities for Siri to learn from individual users’ preferences. ChatGPT integration for Siri and Writing Tools. To secure information users may share with generative AI, Apple siloes data either on each individual device or on the Private Cloud Compute service. Users of ChatGPT on iMac won’t need to create an account with OpenAI to use the chatbot. Users can choose to connect their accounts if they prefer. source

Google Cloud Platform is a leading global cloud computing service provided by Google. From business-critical digital infrastructures to artificial intelligence and machine learning, compute, storage, databases, analytics, networking, and developers tools, the GCP portfolio is broad, comprehensive, secure, and known for being on the cutting edge of innovation. Users from any part of the world can access the Google Cloud Platform no matter where they are, as long as they have an internet connection. GCP also offers features and solutions for edge computing and private clouds or on-premises data centers. What is Google Cloud Platform? Google Cloud Platform is the suite of Google cloud computing services available for end users and companies who want to build their own digital cloud infrastructures. Products like YouTube, Gmail, and the generative AI Google chatbot Gemini also run on GCP. What is the difference between Google Cloud Platform and Google Cloud? While Google Cloud and Google Cloud Platform are often used interchangeably, experts agree that there is a subtle difference between the two. Google Cloud is a broad term usually used to refer to all of Google’s cloud computing services. This includes GCP and those that are associated with Google products that are ready to use and available worldwide, such as Google Workspace (GSuite) and Google Maps Platform. Google Cloud Platform specifically refers to Google’s cloud computing services, including App Engine, Cloud Storage, BigQuery, and Looker Studio. SEE: Top 6 Cloud Computing Certifications Worth Taking More Google news & tips What is Google Cloud Platform used for? Google uses Google Cloud Platform to leverage its own global digital infrastructure to run all of the services it provides to users, including Gmail and Google Search. Additionally, GCP is used by millions of companies and users around the world, ranging from large corporations to startups and independent developers. Specifically, Google Cloud Platform is used by businesses to build, deploy, and manage applications in the cloud, including: Web hosting: GCP provides a variety of services for hosting web applications, including virtual machines, containers, and load balancers. Retailers: Retailers use GCP to power their e-commerce platforms, personalize the shopping experience, and gain insights from customer data. Industries of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Manufacturers, energy, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, and other industries that are part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution use the GCP to optimize their supply chains, create digital twins, manage robotics and industrial IoT, improve product quality, predict demand, and avoid disruptions. Financial services: From capital markets to banking, blockchain, neo-banks, and insurance, GCP drives business outcomes, hosts financial systems, helps companies comply with regulations, prevents fraud, and is used to develop new products and services. Healthcare: GCP allows healthcare providers to safely store and analyze patient data, drive remote health, enhance research and development, and improve patient diagnosis, treatment, and care. Media and entertainment: Media and entertainment companies use GCP to create and distribute content, manage digital rights, and engage with audiences. Government: Government agencies use GCP to provide citizen services, improve infrastructure, and enhance security. Education: Academic institutions use GCP to deliver online courses, conduct research, and manage student data. Non-profit: Non-profit organizations use GCP to raise funds, manage volunteers, and deliver services to their communities. Software developers: DevSecOps teams use the GCP to reduce software and hardware costs, develop, test, and launch applications, software, and application programming interfaces in secure, isolated environments that can easily scale up and down when needed. Is Google Cloud Platform free to use? Anyone can start using Google Cloud Platform for free. GCP gives customers $300 in free credits to run, test, and deploy workloads. All customers can use 20+ products for free with monthly usage limits. When free credits run out, Google offers GCP workloads under a pay-as-you-go model with no up-front fees and no termination charges. There are various features and products available with the Google Cloud Platform. The price of each depends on the product itself and its usage. Customers can access the official full list of GCP products for more detailed information. What are the key services provided by Google Cloud Platform? Google’s strength lies in computing power, big data processing tools, and innovation. Data privacy and security features are mature in Google Cloud Platform as well. By popular demand, Google offers managed instances of open-source software from partners including MongoDB, Confluent, DataStax, Elastic, InfluxData, Neo4j, and Redis Labs. Get started today: how to create your first project on Google Cloud Platform Google also has a strong serverless computing infrastructure offering, eliminating a previous gap between it and Amazon’s AWS Lambda. Google Cloud Platform’s serverless solutions cover a variety of areas, including app development, analytics, workflow creation, and more. Google Cloud Platform products The following is a table of Google Cloud Platform products divided by categories. Note that GCP is constantly innovating, and new products and features are released regularly. Category Products AI and ML Vertex AI products for data scientists, AutoML, Natural Language AI, Dialogflox, Media Translation, Recommendations AI, Speech-to-text, Text-to-speech, Translation AI, Video AI, Vision AI, Cloud GPUs, Cloud TPUs, Tensorflow Enterprise. Deep Learning VM Image, Deep Learning Containers, Document AI API management API Gateway, Apigee API Platform, Apigee Healthcare APIx, Apigee Open Banking APIx, Application Integration, Cloud Endpoints, Developer Portal Compute Bare Metal, Compute Engine, Migrate to Virtual Machines, Preemptible VMs, Recommender, SQL Server on Google Cloud, VMware Engine Containers Artifact Registry, Container Registry, Google Kubernetes Engine Data analytics BigQuery, Cloud Composer, Cloud Data Fusion, Data Catalog, Dataflow, Dataplex, Dataprep, Dataproc, Earth Engine, Looker, Pub/Sub Databases AlloyDB for PostgreSQL, Cloud Bigtable, Cloud Spanner, Cloud SQL, Database Migration Service, Firebase Realtime Database, Firestore, Memorystore Developer tools Cloud Build, Cloud Code, Cloud Scheduler, Cloud SDK, Cloud Source Repositories, Cloud Tasks, Cloud Workstations, Google Cloud Deploy, Tools for Eclipse, Tools for PowerShell, Infrastructure Manager Healthcare and life sciences Cloud Healthcare API, Cloud Life Sciences API Hybrid and multicloud Anthos Internet of Things IoT Core Management tools Carbon Footprint, Cloud Console, Cloud Development Manager, Cloud Shell, Cost Management, Service Catalog Media and gaming Live Stream API, OpenCue,

Both monday.com and Jira are highly reviewed project management software platforms that offer pretty similar features. However, once you start to dig deeper into each software platform, the differences become more apparent. To help you decide between monday.com and Jira, I break down their pricing plans, features, pros and cons in this in-depth review. 1 Wrike 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 Agile Development, Analytics / Reports, API, and more 2 Zoho Projects 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) Enterprise Features Agile Development, Analytics / Reports, API, and more 3 ClickUp 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 Analytics / Reports, API, Billing / Invoicing, and more monday.com vs. Jira: Comparison Features monday.com Jira Project views 11 6 Workload management Yes Limited Automations Yes Yes Security add-on No Yes Forever free plan Yes Yes Starting price (billed annually) $9 per person per month $8.15 per person per month monday.com vs. Jira: Pricing Both monday.com and Jira have very similar pricing structures, including annual and monthly billing options, though the costs vary slightly between them. They both offer a free trial as well as a forever free plan for very small teams. Jira also offers volume discounts for companies with more than 100 employees. Use the calculator on the website to figure out if your company qualifies for the discount. monday.com pricing Individual: Free forever for up to two seats. Basic: $9 per seat per month billed annually, or $12 per seat per month billed monthly. Standard: $12 per seat per month billed annually, or $14 per seat per month billed monthly. Pro: $19 per seat per month billed annually, or $24 per seat per month billed monthly. Enterprise: Pricing available upon request. Read the full monday.com review for more information. Jira pricing Free: $0 for up to 10 users. Standard: $8.15 per user per month billed monthly, or $850 annually for 1–10 users. Premium: $16 per user per month billed monthly, or $1,600 annually for 1–10 users. Enterprise: Starts at $141,000 a year for 800+ users. Only available for companies with more than 800 employees. Annual billing only. Read the full Jira review for more information. Feature comparison: monday.com vs. Jira Project views and templates monday.com offers more than 10 project views to choose from, including table, calendar, board (kanban), and Gantt charts. Meanwhile, Jira offers six project views: list, calendar, board, timeline, summary, and backlog. While monday.com offers more project views to choose from than Jira, the designs are less complex, so I’d recommend them for simpler projects. Jira templates are more well-suited to specific project management methodologies like scrum and lean. Both monday.com and Jira also offer template libraries, which meant that I didn’t have to build new projects from scratch. The templates are sorted into easy-to-browse categories such as project management, marketing, sales, and operations. Jira does offer more templates for software development than monday does. Resource management Both monday.com and Jira provide numerous features to support resource management. On each platform, tasks can be ranked by priority by using a status column. I was also able to add a time estimation for each task, then later compare it to the actual time tracked to see how accurate your estimates were. monday.com also offers a Workload view that allows managers to see each team member’s capacity at a glance so they can evenly distribute tasks. This view can also be used to allocate physical resources like meeting rooms and equipment. Jira does not offer an equivalent view, so you’ll need to seek out a third-party app on the Atlassian marketplace if you want to add this functionality to Jira. Figure B: The Workload view on monday. Image: monday.com Workflows and automations Both monday.com and Jira come with a no-code automation builder that makes it easy to create automatic workflows in minutes. All I had to do was select an event trigger, add necessary conditions and choose the action, then turn on the automation. In addition to creating my own automations from scratch, I could also browse either platform’s library of automation templates to get started even faster. Figure C: The automation builder on Jira. Image: Jira Both platforms also offer a certain number of automations each month, but the limits are different for monday.com and Jira. monday.com doesn’t even support automations on the Free or Basic plans. The Standard plan gets 250 automations per month, the Pro plan gets 25,000 automations per month, and the Enterprise plan gets 250,000 automations per month. Meanwhile, Jira offers automations on all plans, even the free one, which gets 100 automations per month. The Standard plan gets 1,700 automations per month, the Premium plan gets 1,000 automations per month per person, and the Enterprise plan gets unlimited automations. Integrations Both monday.com and Jira offer a very robust selection of integrations. monday.com offers more than 200 native pre-built integrations to choose from, and you can also connect monday.com to more than 1,000 apps via Zapier. As for Jira, the Atlassian Marketplace features more than 3,000 apps to choose from, almost guaranteeing that you’ll find the integrations that you need. However, I always recommend double-checking either platform if you have a very specific or niche integration you’re looking for. Figure D: Monday.com’s app marketplace. Image: monday.com Security monday.com and Jira are both compliant with GDPR, CCPA and other data privacy regulations, so either one will likely suffice for most companies’ needs. However, if you need more advanced security protocols than the usual offerings, then I suggest looking more closely at Jira. That’s because Jira offers higher-level, enterprise-grade security solutions and provides better administration and provisioning through Atlassian Access, an optional paid add-on.

Many business sectors have bought AI services without having a legitimate use for them — some are still struggling to know exactly what to do with these novel tools. That’s not the case with your industry, though. AI is just one of many contact center trends that are shaping the way things work. Because AI gets so much airtime, I’d like to zoom out and focus on the full picture to give you a wider view of the changes happening all around. 1. Robocalls are not slowing down The vast majority of Americans don’t answer calls from numbers they don’t know. I know I don’t. Yet U.S. consumers still receive around 4 billion robocalls per month, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). That equals roughly one call every two business days for each person in the U.S., even if most of these calls go unanswered. The sheer existence (and persistence) of robocalls can affect your contact center in a few different ways. Robocalls can decrease contact rates of customers who are hesitant to answer unknown numbers. And two, the mere association with robocall activity can cause legitimate calls from contact centers to be blocked or flagged. If you’re having trouble with your company lines being flagged or blocked and want to uphold a more positive caller ID, there are a few strategies to consider: Authentication protocols: Enhancing the legitimacy of outgoing calls becomes more accessible with solid authentication protocols. Techniques like STIR/SHAKEN use digital certificates to add an extra layer of security by verifying caller IDs and guarding against the trickery of spoofed numbers. Monitoring and analytics: Keeping a close eye on call data and using analytics can be a helpful way to spot any unusual patterns and irregularities in call behavior. Caller reputation services: These services evaluate a caller’s trustworthiness, helping to build and maintain a good reputation. Integrating them into your communication setup adds an extra layer of protection to avoid being wrongfully labeled as spam. SEE: Does caller ID mean much in a world where robocalls and spoofing exist? 2. More businesses want omnichannel capabilities An omnichannel contact center allows customers to connect on their preferred channels, allowing them to transition from one channel to another while maintaining a consistent level of service regardless of where they initiate contact. For contact centers, this means breaking down the barriers between different customer support channels and adopting technologies that enable seamless handoffs between agents. This can also include using social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok as alternative support channels. For some time now, omnichannel contact centers have been widely used in retail, healthcare, education, and other industries that provide a mix of in-person and online services. Other verticals are seeing the benefits and jumping on board. In real estate, for example, omnichannel contact centers can help agents manage inquiries from potential buyers across phone, email, and chat, offering consistent updates and support throughout the process. Hospitality is another example. Many hotels now use omnichannel systems to streamline guest communication, from booking and check-in to service requests, providing a seamless experience across apps, phone, and on-site interactions. If you’re looking to get your company into this terrain quickly, investigating omnichannel contact center software and CPaaS platforms are a good place to start. SEE: Discover how CPaaS works and how it can help you wow your customers.  3. Contact center automation threatens customer empathy When a customer calls your contact center with a problem or complaint, they most likely aren’t thrilled to be making the call. If your agents are testy or hostile with them, your company’s reputation can take a serious hit. This is nothing new, but as contact centers increasingly automate customer service — in the form of chatbots, visual IVRs, and so on — it gets harder and harder to really show care to your customers. Don’t get me wrong, there are many good use cases for AI chat bots. And if you deploy this service thoughtfully, you really will wow customers that solve problems faster than they could by speaking to a human. That said, I have seen some recent musings on LinkedIn and in tech blogs about the trouble companies are having maintaining their brands “caring” reputation and customer service automation. If you are trying to build brand loyalty by providing excellent customer service, a contact center is definitely the way to go. Advances like conversational IVR automate processes that remove a human agent from the equation. That’s great for call center metrics, but is it really elevating the contact center experience for customers? The basic trend right now is to automate everything in contact centers. I expect companies who focus on empathy will temper that impulse, deliver excellent service at key moments in the buyer journey, and win a high-degree of loyalty from customers. 4. Lower costs boost data-driven decisions Data collection in contact centers is becoming more accessible and affordable due to advancements in AI, automated speech recognition, cloud computing, and automation. Tools now capture and analyze vast amounts of customer data from various interactions in real time, without the need for expensive hardware or complex integration. This reduces the cost of data management while making insights available faster. With better access to data, contact centers can make more informed decisions about staffing, customer service strategies, and overall operations. Detailed analytics help predict trends, identify areas for improvement, and enhance the customer experience, all based on accurate, up-to-date information. This is a trend I would really lean into. Has your vendor released any new data or call center analytics features you aren’t using? Can you use Chat GPT for sentiment analysis? The insights you need to make smart decisions are in the data, and it’s never been easier or less expensive to go find them. 5. Contact center retention is still a struggle Agents face demanding workloads, dealing with frustrated customers and balancing performance metrics like average handling time and resolution rates. This pressure often leads to burnout and high

Microsoft Dynamics 365 fast facts Overall score: 3.3/5 Pricing: Starts at $65 per user per month. Key features: AI-backed Copilot-generated content. Contextual insights like predictive forecasting and scoring. Track contact activity like opening emails or presentations. LinkedIn Sales Navigator integration. Dynamics 365 is a customer relationship management software from Microsoft. Dynamics 365 (formerly called Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM) offers AI-powered sales services and marketing applications. These apps are all part of the greater Microsoft tech stack and can be configured and connected to meet business goals like engaging with customers, team members and potential leads. While adding Dynamics 365’s full CRM functionality makes sense — especially if you’re already a user of Microsoft applications — it is a pricey tool compared to other popular alternatives. In this review, we cover the pricing tiers and top features offered by Microsoft Dynamics 365, plus how it holds up against more simplified platforms. 1 monday CRM 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 Calendar, Collaboration Tools, Contact Management, and more 2 Zoho CRM 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 Calendar, Collaboration Tools, Contact Management, and more 3 HubSpot CRM 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), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees), Small (50-249 Employees) Micro, Medium, Large, Small Pricing The free trial and onboarding for Dynamics 365 is competitive and allows for a lengthy 30-day platform trial and demo experience. Chat with their sales team to get any unanswered questions resolved. Here’s the exact pricing breakdown for Microsoft Dynamics 365: Dynamics 365 Sales Professional: $65 per user per month. This plan includes core sales force automation, reporting dashboards, the mobile app, and Microsoft 365 interoperation. Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise Edition: $105 per user per month. This tier supports all Sales Professional features plus customizable automations, custom apps, and more advanced sales force automation. Dynamics 365 Sales Premium: $150 per user per month. This plan includes all Enterprise Edition features plus advanced sales engagement and Copilot capabilities like record updates, opportunity summaries, and email and meeting assistance. Microsoft Relationship Sales: Contact directly for a quote. This plan is the Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise plus LinkedIn Sales Navigator and requires a 10-seat minimum. More CRM coverage Key features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Lead scoring Microsoft Dynamics 365 offers AI-based scoring models that assign each contact, project, and opportunity a score that users can track. This tool helps ensure users are focusing their efforts on the right customers at the right time. Based on these lead and opportunity scores, deals can be filtered through a prioritized work list and data visualizations. Microsoft Dynamics 365 deal tracking dashboard. Image: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Opportunity summaries Opportunity summaries are dashboard views within Microsoft Dynamics 365 that show a variety of key details about any given project—where customers are in the buyer journey, contact information, timelines, files, and next meetings. These summaries act as a hub for automation capabilities like email drafts or meeting summaries. Microsoft Dynamics 365 opportunity tracker and summary details. Image: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales sequences Users can create visual sales sequences that reflect each step of engagement when nurturing leads. This feature is great for tracking different lead nurturing strategies, such as cold emailing or calling and what sales reps should do after an email is opened. It also gives timelines for when each step in the sales sequence is ideally completed. Microsoft Dynamics 365 sales sequences feature page. Image: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Native integrations and automations The same up-to-date information can be accessed from different Microsoft 365 applications. Users can be in their Outlook account parsing emails from multiple clients and then open the Dynamics 365 integration, Copilot for Sales. This way, reps can verify notes or contact information while minimizing app-switching with automatic updates across the suite. Sales integration with Microsoft Outlook. Image: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Microsoft Dynamics 365 pros and cons Pros Cons 30-day free trial. Platform has a steep learning curve. Phone and web customer support available for all tiers. Costly tiers compared to other mid-market CRMs. 24/7/365 data security guarantee. Users report difficulty with the user interface. 3 Best Alternatives to Microsoft Dynamics 365 While Dynamics 365 is not an open-source CRM software, it can require some intense configuring of individual applications and features to get a setup specific to a business’s needs. There are other top enterprise CRM software, like HubSpot, Pipedrive, and monday CRM, that offer similar core features at a lower cost. Software Dynamics 365 HubSpot Pipedrive Monday CRM Advanced AI tools Yes Yes Yes Limited Custom dashboards Yes Limited Yes Yes Pipeline management Yes Yes Yes Yes Native or third-party integrations Yes Yes Yes Yes Free trial 30 days None 14 days 14 days Starting price, when billed annually $65 per user per month Free starting price $14 per user per month $12 per user per month HubSpot Similar to Dynamics 365, HubSpot is part of a suite of multiple applications and supports a multitude of integrations that are both native and via third-party apps. For this reason, both are great options for organizations looking to truly customize their CRM with additional add-ons and integrations. Microsoft Dynamics 365 can be pricey, while HubSpot’s free CRM can support up to five users, with basic pipeline management and lead scoring making it more cost efficient. HubSpot’s conversation intelligence tool also allows reps to use data-backed insights as coaching tips for lead nurturing. SEE: Read our complete review of HubSpot for a full breakdown of its offerings. Pipedrive Pipedrive is a strong sales CRM software that offers advanced pipeline management and tracking tools. Just like Dynamics 365, Pipedrive has a variety of automations that can follow sales sequences to reduce mundane tasks like sending follow up emails or scheduling meetings. Both platforms strive to cut out admin work for

As head of AI at work management platform monday.com, Or Fridman stands at the forefront of an ever-evolving field. As artificial intelligence gradually transforms the workplace and becomes integral to project management tools, Fridman said driving AI innovation can often feel like a race to stay ahead. “It is a race, but it’s a fun race,” he told TechRepublic. For Fridman and monday.com, however, it is important to get the deployment of AI technology right. Their platform is used by 225,000 customers in 200 industries worldwide, often by non-technical teams who leverage monday.com to carry out daily tasks. As he explained, the way AI is rolled out is critical. “What is important for us, and for me personally, is to do it the right way,” Fridman said on the sidelines of the Elevate 2024 conference in Sydney. “But what’s important for us is to actually see people using [AI features] and to remove the barriers from using them.” Making AI user-friendly and seamlessly integrated into workflows After the launch of monday’s AI assistant, which was more of a rapid reaction to ChatGPT’s release, Fridman said monday.com began thinking more deeply about how to integrate AI. The company began seeking more customer insights into perceptions of AI and what customers were using it for. SEE: Our 2024 review of monday.com, including pricing, ease of use, pros and cons “We really found out about the adoption challenge, and the fear that existed of being replaced, and the hesitation to trust this thing,” Fridman explained. This led to monday.com’s current approach to AI, which is really to follow much of the same recipe with products it has been using to date. He added: “We took an approach similar to what monday.com has done for software in general. monday’s approach is to democratize software, to reach out to different types of people, tech-savvy and non-tech-savvy, and allow them to use tools in work to do their job better.” This approach allowed the company to follow its previous strategy of creating low- and no-code interfaces — previously used for automations in monday.com — that carry monday into a new AI era. monday also now talks about “no prompt or low prompt” actions, Fridman said, which make it easy for non-technical users to utilise AI. Another direction was to move away from AI being used in a separate interface, such as a chatbot. “For some use cases, it totally makes sense, and I’m using it that way as well,” Fridman said. “But we really believe people want to work [with AI] in their workflow, where the work is. If I’m managing my work in a [monday.com] board, I want to work in the board. I don’t want to work in a separate interface.” More project management coverage Making AI easier with pre-packaged task actions monday.com’s strategy is now taking shape in the platform. One plank of the strategy will be adding product capabilities to “supercharge” existing products. For example, the firm plans to introduce a risk analyser to its portfolio manager product, using AI to help identify risks within a portfolio of projects. The other main way AI is being rolled out is via pre-packaged, AI-supported automations or tasks. Known as “AI blocks,” these elements are designed to resemble the platform’s current brightly coloured blocks for easy integration and visibility within workflows. Fridman calls them “easy-to-use AI actions that can be integrated into your workflow.” SEE: Top 10 project management software systems in 2024 At Elevate 2024 in Sydney, Fridman demonstrated how monday’s AI can help recruiters. He said AI could be used to extract specific information, such as email addresses, from a resume document. Recruiters could also use AI to provide a resume summary or extract a candidate’s skillset. Users will also be able to create their own custom actions using natural language prompts. For example, Fridman said a recruiter could create an action comparing candidates’ resumes with the job description, highlighting any potential matches or gaps for the candidate pool they are reviewing. “You can see that we actually kind of automated the review process of job candidates,” he told the audience. “AI really helped us to make the review process of candidates much easier and help the reviewer and the manager really focus on their work. And this is what is important for us to do.” Building user trust over time in monday.com’s AI outputs While monday.com emphasises simplicity for users, it won’t limit them to only basic, pre-packaged automations.  For example, Fridman said more complex and robust workflows will be possible, using different triggers and conditions in a similar way to its automation centre. However, as Fridman pointed out, building trust in the technology is perhaps the most critical factor in user adoption. If users do not trust the actual outputs — such as getting an accurate reflection of a job candidate via skills or resume summaries — they will not use them with confidence in their daily workflows. SEE: Our review of monday.com’s CRM Fridman said monday.com is trying to overcome this issue by giving users control and visibility. In terms of visibility, Fridman said users will be able to see what is generated by the AI in monday.com. Control will be achieved by allowing users to correct AI results in a non-technical way, helping the AI learn over time. “AI is constantly learning,” Fridman said. “It will learn from all of your work, from your boards, from your data. The combination of visibility and control — those are the keys, in my opinion, to meet the trust challenge.” AI will supercharge rather than replace teams Fridman said that, although there is a level of fear and mistrust around AI, it is here to stay. He believes that, rather than replacing large numbers of people, it is more likely to augment their capacities. “We think that it will supercharge teams and will help them not to be replaced, but to maybe shift their work and focus on things that AI