By Nadia Dreid ( January 21, 2025, 9:10 PM EST) — The Federal Communications Commission wants to open the 450 megahertz band up to drones and manned aircraft that land and take off vertically and has proposed rules that will “facilitate the robust use of the band at a range of altitudes.”… Law360 is on it, so you are, too. A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence. Over 200 articles are published daily across more than 60 topics, industries, practice areas and jurisdictions. A Law360 subscription includes features such as Daily newsletters Expert analysis Mobile app Advanced search Judge information Real-time alerts 450K+ searchable archived articles And more! Experience Law360 today with a free 7-day trial. source

By Christopher Cole ( January 24, 2025, 9:30 PM EST) — The Eleventh Circuit late Friday overturned a Federal Communications Commission rule requiring individual consumer consent to receive contacts from companies through comparison shopping sites…. Law360 is on it, so you are, too. A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence. Over 200 articles are published daily across more than 60 topics, industries, practice areas and jurisdictions. A Law360 subscription includes features such as Daily newsletters Expert analysis Mobile app Advanced search Judge information Real-time alerts 450K+ searchable archived articles And more! Experience Law360 today with a free 7-day trial. source

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More A new AI agent has emerged from the parent company of TikTok to take control of your computer and perform complex workflows. Much like Anthropic’s Computer Use, ByteDance’s new UI-TARS understands graphical user interfaces (GUIs), applies reasoning and takes autonomous, step-by-step action.  Trained on roughly 50B tokens and offered in 7B- and 72B-parameter versions, the PC/MacOS agents achieves state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance on 10-plus GUI benchmarks across performance, perception, grounding and overall agent capabilities, consistently beating out OpenAI’s GPT-4o, Claude and Google’s Gemini. “Through iterative training and reflection tuning, UI-TARS continuously learns from its mistakes and adapts to unforeseen situations with minimal human intervention,” researchers from ByteDance and Tsinghua University write in a new research paper.  Source: Arxiv How UI-TARS explains its thinking UI-TARS works across desktop, mobile and web applications, using multimodal inputs (text, images, interactions) to understand visual environments. Its UI features two tabs — one to the left showing its step-by-step “thinking,” and a larger one to the right where it pulls up files, websites and apps and automatically takes action.  For example, in a demo video released today, the model is prompted to “Find round trip flights from SEA to NYC on the 5th and return on the 10th next month and filter by price in ascending order.” In response, UI-TARS navigates to the website for Delta Airlines, fills in the “from” and “to” fields, clicks in the relevant dates and sorts and filters by price, explaining each step in its thinking box before taking action.  In another scenario, it is instructed to install an autoDocstring extension in VS Code. Here is its step-by-step thinking as it completes that task:  It first reports that “to proceed with installing the autoDocstring extension in VS Code, I first need to open the VS Code application.”  Recognizing that the VS Code window has not fully loaded, the model notes that “it is necessary to wait for the application to finish initializing before proceeding with the installation of the autoDocstring extension. This ensures that all required functionalities are available for the next steps.”  It then explains that it must access the Extensions view in VS Code, which can be done by clicking on a tab in the left sidebar.  Running into a small glitch, it reasons: “The previous attempt to click on the ‘Extensions’ tab may not have been precise enough, so I will try clicking on it again to ensure the Extensions view opens successfully.” Once in the Extensions view, it types in ‘autoDocstring’ before concluding: “Since the installation process has already been initiated, there is no further action required at this moment. I will wait for the installation to complete and confirm its success once the process is finished.” Outperforming its rivals Across a variety of benchmarks, researchers report that UI-TARS consistently outranked OpenAI’s GPT-4o; Anthropic’s Claude-3.5-Sonnet; Gemini-1.5-Pro and Gemini-2.0; four Qwen models; and numerous academic models. For instance, in VisualWebBench — which measures a model’s ability to ground web elements including webpage quality assurance and optical character recognition — UI-TARS 72B scored 82.8%, outperforming GPT-4o (78.5%) and Claude 3.5 (78.2%).  It also did significantly better on WebSRC benchmarks (understanding of semantic content and layout in web contexts) and ScreenQA-short (comprehension of complex mobile screen layouts and web structure). UI-TARS-7B achieved leading scores of 93.6% on WebSRC, while UI-TARS-72B achieved 88.6% on ScreenQA-short, outperforming Qwen, Gemini, Claude 3.5 and GPT-4o.  “These results demonstrate the superior perception and comprehension capabilities of UI-TARS in web and mobile environments,” the researchers write. “Such perceptual ability lays the foundation for agent tasks, where accurate environmental understanding is crucial for task execution and decision-making.” UI-TARS also showed impressive results in ScreenSpot Pro and ScreenSpot v2 , which assess a model’s ability to understand and localize elements in GUIs. Further, researchers tested its capabilities in planning multi-step actions and low-level tasks in mobile environments, and benchmarked it on OSWorld (which assesses open-ended computer tasks) and AndroidWorld (which scores autonomous agents on 116 programmatic tasks across 20 mobile apps).  Source: Arxiv Source: Arxiv Under the hood To help it take step-by-step actions and recognize what it’s seeing, UI-TARS was trained on a large-scale dataset of screenshots that parsed metadata including element description and type, visual description, bounding boxes (position information), element function and text from various websites, applications and operating systems. This allows the model to provide a comprehensive, detailed description of a screenshot, capturing not only elements but spatial relationships and overall layout.  The model also uses state transition captioning to identify and describe the differences between two consecutive screenshots and determine whether an action — such as a mouse click or keyboard input — has occurred. Meanwhile, set-of-mark (SoM) prompting allows it to overlay distinct marks (letters, numbers) on specific regions of an image.  The model is equipped with both short-term and long-term memory to handle tasks at hand while also retaining historical interactions to improve later decision-making. Researchers trained the model to perform both System 1 (fast, automatic and intuitive) and System 2 (slow and deliberate) reasoning. This allows for multi-step decision-making, “reflection” thinking, milestone recognition and error correction.  Researchers emphasized that it is critical that the model be able to maintain consistent goals and engage in trial and error to hypothesize, test and evaluate potential actions before completing a task. They introduced two types of data to support this: error correction and post-reflection data. For error correction, they identified mistakes and labeled corrective actions; for post-reflection, they simulated recovery steps.  “This strategy ensures that the agent not only learns to avoid errors but also adapts dynamically when they occur,” the researchers write. Clearly, UI-TARS exhibits impressive capabilities, and it’ll be interesting to see its evolving use cases in the increasingly competitive AI agents space. As the researchers note: “Looking ahead, while native agents represent a significant leap forward, the future lies in the integration of active and lifelong learning, where agents autonomously

People around the world see various factors as contributing to economic inequality in their country: Majorities in almost every country surveyed believe all six factors we asked about lead  to economic inequality at least a fair amount. However, there are differences over whether each contributes a great deal. In 31 of 36 countries, more say that rich people having too much political influence leads to economic inequality than say this about any other factor. A median of 48% of adults say problems with their country’s education system contribute a great deal to economic inequality. Around four-in-ten say some people being born with more opportunities than others (40%) and some people working harder than others (39%) are factors that contribute a great deal. Fewer point to the impact of robots and computers doing the work previously done by humans (31%) or to discrimination against racial or ethnic minorities (29%). Rich people’s political influence A median of 60% across 36 countries say that rich people having too much political influence leads to economic inequality a great deal in their country. Majorities hold this opinion in 31 nations and in at least one country every region surveyed. The view that the political influence of the wealthy contributes to economic inequality, while common across most survey countries, is particularly widespread in Latin America. About seven-in-ten or more say this factor contributes a great deal in five of the six Latin American countries polled. Similarly large shares hold this view in Ghana, Greece, Nigeria, the Philippines and Tunisia. By comparison, only about a third of adults or fewer in Poland, Singapore, South Korea and Sweden say rich people’s political influence contributes a great deal to economic inequality in their country. Views by ideology In 10 countries, people who place themselves on the ideological left are more likely than those on the right to believe that rich people’s political influence is a major contributor to economic inequality. The ideological divide is particularly stark in Australia, where 75% of people on the left say this factor leads to economic inequality, compared with a third of those on the right. And in the U.S., 80% of liberals hold this view, compared with 48% of conservatives. Problems with the education system A median of 48% of adults across the countries surveyed think problems with their nation’s education system lead to economic inequality a great deal. Another 33% say this factor contributes a fair amount. About half or more of the public in the U.S. and several European countries (France, Germany, Greece, Italy and the UK) see this as a major contributor to economic inequality. Fewer Swedish and Polish adults say the same. Of the Asia-Pacific nations polled, concerns about the education system are strongest in Sri Lanka – one of just two countries where this is seen as the top contributing factor of the six we asked about. Across the rest of the Asia-Pacific survey countries, concerns about education are less common. In the Middle East-North Africa region, a majority of Tunisians and about half of Turks see problems with education as a major contributor to inequality. Turkey is the other survey country in which education is seen as the top factor. Across the sub-Saharan African countries polled, about half or more in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria say education problems contribute a great deal, compared with fewer than half in South Africa. And as with other possible causes of inequality included in the survey, concerns about education are especially strong in Latin America. The share of adults who say these problems contribute a great deal to economic inequality ranges from 70% in Chile to 51% in Mexico. Views by education In 12 nations – most of which fall in the middle-income category – adults with more education are more likely than those with less education to say that problems with the education system contribute a great deal to economic inequality. For example, about two-thirds of Peruvians with more education (64%) express this view, compared with 47% of Peruvians with less education. There are sizable gaps by education in three other Latin American countries surveyed: Brazil, Colombia and Mexico (though Brazilian adults with less education are also less likely to provide a response). Views by ideology In nine countries, adults on the ideological left are more likely than those on the right to say education problems contribute a great deal to inequality in their country. Some people working harder than others A median of 40% across 36 countries believe that some people working harder than others leads to economic inequality a great deal. A median of 33% say this contributes a fair amount. In the U.S. and Canada, only a third say differences in work ethic contribute a great deal. Opinions vary significantly in Europe. A 56% majority of Italians say this is a major contributor to economic inequality, but just 15% of Swedes share this opinion. In the Asia-Pacific region, about half of adults in India and Sri Lanka see a strong connection between inequality and some people working harder than others. Across the other survey countries in the region, the share of adults who hold this view ranges from 44% in Bangladesh to 23% in Australia. In the Middle East-North Africa region, Tunisians are the most likely to say work ethic is strongly connected economic inequality: 58% hold this opinion, compared with 37% of Turks and 34% of Israelis. Ghanaians stand out among the sub-Saharan Africans surveyed. A 59% majority of adults in Ghana say some people working harder than others contributes a great deal to inequality, while fewer in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa agree. Views by education In 12 countries, people with less education are especially likely to say that some people working harder than others contributes a great deal to economic inequality. This pattern is particularly stark in Italy, where 59% of those with less education believe this, compared with 42% of Italians with more education. Views by social class In 11 countries, people

Google announced on Wednesday that Gemini AI will be available to all Google Workspace Business or Enterprise users, integrating directly into the productivity suite. While all Gemini features will be offered at no additional cost initially, Workspace plan prices will rise to account for the expanded offering. “By removing the need to pay for an add-on to access our latest generative AI capabilities, we’re simplifying our plans and pricing to bring the added value of Google AI to all Workspace customers,” Google President of Cloud Applications Jerry Dischler wrote in the product announcement. The AI features will roll out gradually between January and March. More Google news & tips The cost of the AI will now be spread across plans Before Google decided to include Gemini in all Workspace plans, a Gemini subscription cost $20 per month per user for a Business plan or $30 per month per user for an Enterprise plan. The changes to the basic plans are: Business Starter, offering the smallest pool of storage and fewest features, rose from $6 per user per month to $7 per user per month. Business Standard, allowing 150 people in Google Meet and adding tools like eSignature, increased from $12 per user per month to $14 per user per month. Business Plus, offering enhanced security and management tools, grew in price from $18 per user per month to $22 per user per month. New customers will be charged the updated pricing starting on Jan. 16, while existing customers will see it go into effect on March 17 or at their next annual or fixed-term renewal date. Businesses already paying for the Google Gemini add-on will no longer be charged for it after Jan. 31. However, the pricing changes may not impact small businesses with 20 or fewer users as quickly. Google hasn’t specified when these businesses might be subject to the new pricing scheme. Google’s decision to incorporate an AI fee into its professional Workspace plans signals that AI is now an essential, fully integrated component of its professional applications. By building the cost into the overall plan, the price increase may be less noticeable to customers. This gives Google Gemini a competitive advantage over standalone AI services that charge separately monthly. SEE: Generative AI has been devastating for nearly half of companies’ plans for environmental responsibility, a January report found. What does Google Gemini bring to Workspace? The Gemini digital assistant brings standardized generative AI features, such as note-taking and summarization. It can analyze documents, edit videos, write code, or help search for information. Gemini will sit within: Gmail. Google Chat. Google Meet. Google Docs. Google Sheets. Google Slides. Google Vids. Google Drive. Google NotebookLM. Google’s Gems, AI “agents” made for specific tasks, will be available in all business plans. Gems can ideally take roles to perform as assistants on more specialized tasks. Google reassures Workspace users that data shared with Gemini will not be used to train future AI models. Data sovereignty controls are in place automatically, Google said. Plus, Gemini is SOC 1/2/3, ISO 27001/17/18, and ISO 42001 compliant, and can be incorporated into plans to comply with health privacy laws. source

By default, Microsoft 365 saves files in the environment where you opened them and reopens them in the environment where you last saved them. This can quickly lead to confusion — like finding yourself in Word for the web when you thought you were working in the desktop app. If you prefer using desktop apps, even when accessing files through your online Office account or Edge’s new Office 365 dashboard, you can adjust a simple setting to make it happen. SEE: Windows, Linux, and Mac Commands Everyone Needs to Know In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to determine your environment at any given time. Then, I’ll present a quick way to force Office 365 to always open a file in the desktop environment, regardless of where you open or save it. I’m using Office 365 on a Windows 10 64-bit system. I’m using Word, but this behavior also applies to Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint. How to determine which environment you’re in with Microsoft 365 If you open a file while working online, you might find it difficult to tell whether you work online or in a desktop app. Fortunately, it’s quite easy to discover which environment is active. To do so, click the File tab and then click Info. The document shown below is open in Word for the web. Word will switch to the desktop version if you click Open in Desktop App. This file is open in Word for the web. How to manually choose an environment in Microsoft 365 The online apps are convenient. You can open a file quickly, make changes, and save those changes in SharePoint or OneDrive automatically. Despite the convenience, if you need to use the desktop app, you can choose that environment from the online environment as follows. Sign into your Office account as you normally would. Select the file you want to open in Word, but don’t double-click it to open it. With the file selected, choose one of the options shown in the Open dropdown. Choose the environment when you’re working online with your Office account. You must be working with a system that has Microsoft 365 installed to choose that option. Use this option when you’re unsure of the file’s default environment setting. What’s hot at TechRepublic How can I set Microsoft 365 to always open files in desktop apps by default? Microsoft 365 apps for the web are incredibly convenient despite their limited functionality. Those limitations are why most users prefer to work in the full-featured desktop environment. Thanks to the easy-to-use Office online and Microsoft 365 dashboard in Edge, many of us are now working in one of those environments. That means it’s easy to open a file in the web app without realizing it until you try to perform a task the web app doesn’t support. It’s not a huge deal, but it is frustrating and unnecessary. SEE: How to Download and Install Microsoft 365 Apps on Mac, iPad or iPhone When you know you want to use a desktop app when working most of the time, you can force the issue with a simple setting. If you open the file online, Microsoft 365 will open it on the desktop by default, so you can skip the manual process without worry. To set this default setting, follow these steps. Open the file on the Word desktop. Click the File menu. Choose Options from the left pane. Choose Advanced from the left pane. Scroll down to the Link Handling section. Check the Open Supported Hyperlinks to Office Files in Office Desktop Apps option. Click OK to return to the Word document. Enable this setting so that Microsoft 365 always opens the file in Word for the web. Regardless of where you created or saved the file, once you enable this setting, Word will always open the file in the desktop environment if available. To my knowledge, Microsoft 365 doesn’t offer a setting for always defaulting to Word for the web. However, if you create the file online and never save it to the desktop app, Microsoft 365 will always open the file in Word for the web. If you can’t make this setting stick, talk to your administrator. If the feature is available to your organization, an administrator can make it available. Why are my Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files not opening in their desktop applications? If your files aren’t opening in their dedicated desktop applications, it’s likely for one of three reasons: Your default program settings are incorrect. You are opening the files from a web browser in online mode. There is an issue with file associations on your system. Even if your computer did open Office files in desktop apps at one point, an update to the program or your operating system can change the default settings. You can fix this by right-clicking on an Office file, selecting Open with → Choose default program, then choosing the desired Office application and checking the “Always use this app to open .docx” (or relevant file extension) box. You can make a similar change within an Office application. When it’s open, go to File → Options → Advanced, then, under File Open Preference, select Desktop from the dropdown menu. A corrupted file or partially installed Office suite can also lead to opening issues. To perform a Quick Repair, open your computer’s Control Panel and choose Programs → Programs and Features. Then, select the Office product you desire, and click Change → Quick Repair → Repair. Furthermore, to open Office files in desktop apps, your license must be up-to-date and activated, the files must be compatible with the version of Office on your device, and your account must have sufficient permissions to access the files. Got a question about Microsoft 365? Ask in the TechRepublic forum. Fiona Jackson updated this article in January 2024. source

Ah, quantum computing… that moonshot technology full of potential, full of promise — and jam-packed with enough jargon to make the average person cry.  Qubits, entanglement, superposition, trapped-ions, Schrödinger’s cat. These terms sound strange because the world of quantum mechanics — where things can exist in multiple states at once — is strange.  And that’s why I want you to bear with me while I relay this latest piece of news from the buzzing quantum computing startup scene.  ZuriQ, a spin-out from ETH Zurich in Switzerland, has raised $4.2mn to commercialise a new chip architecture that could dramatically increase the number of qubits a trapped-ion quantum computer can handle, supercharging its computational power. The 💜 of EU tech The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol’ founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now! “The space for few-qubit devices that act as toy models is already saturated, and devices with 20-40 qubits won’t drive large profits,” said Pavel Hrmo, CEO of ZuriQ. “We need to focus on long-term scalability.”  ZuriQ wants to build a quantum computer with thousands of qubits, powerful enough to solve wickedly complex problems and revolutionise fields from medicine to cryptography.  How can it do that, you ask? Well, it’s got something vaguely to do with aeroplanes, cars, and magnetic fields. But first, a quick science lesson.   Qubits are the basic units of information in a quantum computer. Unlike bits in a regular computer, which can only be 0 or 1, qubits can be 0, 1, or both at the same time. This allows quantum computers to solve many problems simultaneously, making them light-years faster than even the top supercomputers of today.  Now, there are two main kinds of quantum computers in development. The first and most common are superconducting quantum computers, pioneered by the likes of Google and IBM. They use tiny loops of supercooled metal to create qubits. These machines are lightning-fast. However, they must be kept at −273°C at all times and are more error-prone than their main rival, the trapped-ion machine.  Trapped-ion quantum computers use charged atoms (ions) as qubits. Electric and magnetic fields trap these ions in place, and lasers control them to perform calculations. They’re very stable and precise but slower than superconducting quantum computers due to one fatal flaw: ions arranged in a line, like cars in a traffic jam, become overcrowded and inefficient as more qubits are added.  That’s why scaling up the number of qubits in a trapped-ion quantum computer has proved a major roadblock for companies developing them, like IonQ and Quantinium — putting a cap on their abilities. That is, perhaps, until now.  Setting qubits free ZuriQ has developed a completely new way to design trapped-ion quantum computers by allowing ions (the qubits) to move freely in two dimensions on a quantum chip instead of being restricted to one-dimensional chains. This allows qubits to move in all spatial directions like an aeroplane, instead of like cars driving along roads and through junctions. If the startup’s technology is all it is cracked up to be, it could enable trapped-ion quantum computers to far exceed the capabilities of their superconducting counterparts. Fuelled by fresh funding, ZuriQ is on track to demonstrate its first prototype machine by the end of this year. The startup said it aims to become the flagship provider of quantum computing worldwide. “We have been highly impressed by the speed of execution of ZuriQ’s founding team and the pace of progress towards technical milestones that have been elusive in the community so far,” said Pascal Mathis, partner at Switzerland-based VC Founderful, which led the investment round.  The funding arrives at exciting times for quantum computing. Interest in the field has been abuzz since Google unveiled an experimental machine that was able to solve a mathematical equation in five minutes that a traditional supercomputer could not master in 10 septillion years — that’s older than the universe. The breakthrough brought the dream of quantum computing a step closer to reality. Nevertheless, Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang was quick to pour cold water on the hype, cautioning at CES 2025 that practical quantum applications are still 15-30 years away. source

By Emilie Ruscoe ( January 21, 2025, 7:31 PM EST) — The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has argued that digital assets referenced in its fraud case in Texas against the principals of a purported cryptocurrency mining operation are “immaterial to the economic reality” of the allegedly fraudulent securities transactions at the heart of its action…. Law360 is on it, so you are, too. A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence. Over 200 articles are published daily across more than 60 topics, industries, practice areas and jurisdictions. A Law360 subscription includes features such as Daily newsletters Expert analysis Mobile app Advanced search Judge information Real-time alerts 450K+ searchable archived articles And more! Experience Law360 today with a free 7-day trial. source

The global ecommerce landscape projects global sales to surpass $7 trillion by 2025 and account for 24% of global retail sales by 2027. As consumer preferences shift towards online shopping, ecommerce merchants are presented with enormous opportunities for growth in operations, such as high volumes of sale transactions, omnichannel selling, and even cross-border or global transactions. Along with great growth opportunities, ecommerce growth can also bring plenty of challenges to ecommerce merchants that hinder scaling. Fortunately, there are solutions and processes that can help address these challenges. Streamlining operations, automating processes, and partnering with industry leaders like Shopify are some key steps merchants can take. This article will explore these challenges as well as present actionable solutions to enhance growth instead of hinder it. Ecommerce Growth Opportunities Using Shopify as an ecommerce platform enables merchants to scale operations seamlessly and efficiently. Shopify is a very robust and popular ecommerce platform highly-reviewed by real-world users and experts alike. On top of all the features needed for ecommerce operations, some ecommerce growth opportunities you can easily handle with Shopify are the following: High volume of sales transactions With 270.11 million online shoppers in the US, ecommerce has made the world smaller for buyers, and bigger for sellers. Ecommerce merchants can process sales orders across locations (states and other countries) and in different channels, too. Online sales have huge profit potential for businesses of all sizes. Shopify expertly handles high transaction volumes via its scalable cloud-based infrastructure that can easily adapt to traffic spikes without compromising speed. Its latest report from the Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) stated, “Shopify handled 57.3 PB of data from our infrastructure, 1.19 trillion edge requests, 10.5 trillion database queries, and 1.17 trillion database writes over the weekend—peaking at 284 million requests per minute on edge, and more than 80 million on app servers pushing 12TB per minute on Black Friday.” Sell anywhere (omnichannel sales) ECcommerce has allowed merchants to sell anywhere. With online shopping as the preferred buying method of nearly 60% of consumers, the Internet has also given merchants more channels to sell their products—marketplaces, mobile apps, and lately, even social media. In-person selling hasn’t gone away, too, making it a relevant sales channel even for primarily ecommerce businesses. Presently, consumers expect a seamless and consistent buying experience regardless of the sales platform they use. This is why omnichannel selling has become the new standard of selling. Tracking inventory and syncing across multiple channels is a must, and delivering personalized experiences are expected. Shopify provides built-in integrations with multiple sales channels that merchants can sync with and manage inventory, process orders, and fulfill purchases all from their Shopify dashboards. Ecommerce Growth Challenges Scaling ecommerce operations also presents a plethora of challenges, namely the need for an efficient and wholly integrated business system, automation of workflows, and compliance with federal and state laws, especially when it comes to sales tax. Siloed business systems Usually when businesses scale, there are certain features that are better off serviced by another provider. Ecommerce platforms provide integration capabilities for this need. The challenge is ensuring that all providers are compatible working with one another. Sales tax calculation software, for example, ideally should seamlessly integrate with a merchant’s accounting software and ecommerce platform. Siloed business systems are prone to errors, operational inefficiencies, and declining sales. Processes and workflows prone to human error Ecommerce businesses that have high sales volumes also have high orders to fulfill and ship, and so are the rest of operations—customer service, marketing, and website operations. Workflows can become more complex, requiring more steps to ensure accuracy, and if not automated, can lead to more errors due to human error. Compliance complexities Tax compliance is one of the biggest ecommerce growth challenges for most businesses. Selling in different states, across different jurisdictions, and multiple sales channels can quickly become a huge administrative task when it comes to calculating and filing the correct sales tax. There are also associated processing fees involved that need to be taken into account for proper filing. While all these are usually automated, having  tax software that can provide support a bit further than just automatic calculations can spell the difference between just staying compliant and being compliant and addressing other ecommerce growth challenges mentioned above. Achieving Seamless Tax Compliance with Tax Automation Software When evaluating tax automation software for your ecommerce business, it’s essential to look beyond just automatic tax calculations. A robust solution should also offer key features, such as: Calculate VAT and sales tax based on regularly updated rates Know liabilities and obligations for cross-border transactions, including shipping goods Simplify tax returns filing and file on your behalf Collect, verify, renew, and access tax documents on demand Provide guidance on how to effectively use the tools to streamline tax compliance processes As a long-standing Shopify partner, Avalara has supported Shopify Plus customers with advanced tax calculation services. Now, Avalara offers seamless integration for Shopify merchants across all plans. Avalara for Shopify is equipped to handle international tax calculation, including VAT, and provide supplementary solutions for tax return preparation, filing, and seamless exemption certificate management. Using Avalara as tax automation software can help merchants: Save time: Avalara automatically updates tax calculations with frequent rate and rules changes Expand compliance coverage: Calculate taxes accurately across 13,000+ U.S. sales and use tax jurisdictions and 192 VAT jurisdictions worldwide. Streamline integrations: Break down silos by connecting Avalara with thousands of business applications, including Shopify. Signing up with a tax automation software need not only let you achieve tax compliance, it should also help you achieve ecommerce growth. With Avalara, Shopify merchants can automate calculations, stay on top of compliance changes, and achieve an integrated business system.  Simplify tax compliance for your Shopify store. Avalara integrates seamlessly with Shopify to automate tax calculations, streamline returns, and help you stay compliant as your business grows. Learn more today. source