Yet another deal has been signed between a publisher and a GenAI leader. Paris startup Mistral and news outlet Agence France-Presse (AFP) announced today that they are combining their services to improve AI responses. The deal provides Mistral’s chatbot — imaginatively named Le Chat — with access to all of AFP’s text stories.  According to Mistral, the integration will bring “enhanced factuality” to the AI assistant. The next big thing? It might be you… TNW Conference is here to support startups & scaleups to become the next big thing. Be part of the journey. Price increase on Friday. “Partnering with a globally trusted news agency like AFP allows Le Chat to offer reliable, factual, and up-to-date responses, verified by professional journalists,” said Arthur Mensch, the startup’s CEO and co-founder. Mistral also highlighted the linguistic capabilities. AFP’s daily production of 2,300 text stories spans six languages — French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Arabic — all of which will be available to LeChat. “Through this partnership, we are providing our clients with a unique multicultural and multilingual alternative,” Mensch said. For AFP, the deal adds an extra income source and a new outlet for the agency’s 1,700 journalists. “Through this partnership, AFP is further diversifying its revenue sources, reaching a clientele beyond the media sector and exploring new uses for its content in the daily operations of businesses,” said Fabrice Fries, the company’s CEO and chairman. Deals and disputes between GenAI firms and news outlets The content deal expands a growing range of agreements between publishers and GenAI companies. Just a day earlier, two other eye-catching collaborations were announced. One brings news from the Associated Press (AP) to Google’s Geminis chatbot. The other merges Axios journalism with OpenAI products. As part of the deal, the ChatGPT-maker will fund the media brand’s expansion to four new US cities.  Axios joins a lengthy list of publishers collaborating with OpenAI. The GenAI giant has now partnered with nearly 20 media organisations, including the Financial Times, Le Monde, and AP. Yet not every news outlet has been a willing collaborator. A group of them — led by The New York Times — took OpenAI to court this week over alleged copyright infringements.  They argue that OpenAI used their content to build systems without consent or payment. OpenAI contends that the “fair use” law protects the practice. By signing agreements with publishers, GenAI firms could avoid such legal disputes. For Mistral, the partnership with AP is the first content deal of this kind. The integration is slated to roll out to all Le Chat users in the coming weeks. Neither Mistral nor AFP have revealed the value of the multi-year contract. source

Presented by Stibo Systems In the race to capitalize on the transformative potential of AI, enterprises may be taking major risks with their organization’s future by deploying AI solutions without fully considering the ethical, governance and security implications. A recent study from global SaaS solutions provider Stibo Systems, “AI: The High-Stakes Gamble for Enterprises,” found that a full 49% of business leaders admit they are not prepared to use AI responsibly, 79% of organizations do not have bias mitigation policies and practices in place, and 54% of organizations have not implemented new security measures to keep up with AI integration — but only 32% of business leaders admit they’ve rushed AI adoption. Gaps in literacy, ethical usage and organizational preparedness are critical concerns, says Gustavo Amorim, CMO at Stibo Systems, but it’s a balancing act. “Companies need to adopt AI to stay competitive — to realize the major benefits like efficiency, higher productivity, lower costs and greater innovation,” Amorim says. “But in the need to move forward, they’re often leaving business and organizational readiness behind.” Part of the wave of adoption comes from a shift in how business leaders are viewing AI — today it’s overwhelmingly considered to be an overall enabler: nearly 90% of business leaders surveyed said they are eager to use the technology as their partner in critical decision-making. “It’s not that leaders don’t see the risks or don’t realize and acknowledge that there are some risks involved,” he explains. “It’s that we’ve seen the short-term business benefits at this point, and long-term risks and implications have not come home to roost for many organizations yet. But the price tag is steep, including reputational damage, regulatory penalties and the erosion of trust among customers and stakeholders.” Where change management fails technology adoption The three pillars of business readiness and change management are technology, people and process. From an AI perspective, it has become far easier, and far faster, to implement an AI tool, flip the switch — and then consider potential consequences. Digging into the data to ensure it’s fair and free from bias, and fully secure throughout the AI pipeline, takes a great deal of change management effort and time. Unfortunately, that data, and how it’s used, is also foundational to the actual results that an AI initiative produces. “Companies are not necessarily taking the steps and the time to ensure that those things are done in parallel with adoption,” Amorim says. “Changing an internal process, or training the people who are going to be using the technology, giving them the skills required to eliminate bias and write fair treatment and data privacy into the DNA of a strategy, is a major hurdle.” Governance, too, is a challenge and often overlooked. Without putting standards and processes in place around managing the inputs and the outputs, instead of running in parallel with other business processes and becoming a regular part of how business is done, outputs become a problem to be managed. All these issues impact things like how customer data is used in AI, for instance — sharply increasing the potential for problems like non-compliant data use, or data breaches. However, the Stibo Systems study shows that these aren’t currently major concerns for most business leaders, and they haven’t taken those preliminary steps. AI adoption is simply outpacing the development of ethical guidelines, 61% of leaders report, while 49% say they’re not prepared to use AI responsibly, even though 65% feel confident in their AI literacy skill. Unfortunately, that confidence in their preparedness is not reflected in their organization’s AI policies and procedures. For instance, a full 69% of organizations have not implemented any data governance training as part of their AI strategy. AI literacy: the foundation of an ethical framework Data is the foundation of AI, but humans remain the single most important element of an AI strategy right from the jump. Models are created by humans, and humans are in charge of choosing and preparing the data that’s required to train those models, the data that leads to conclusions and outcomes. But AI literacy also includes the business implications of the technology, and understanding what kinds of business processes can be run, and how they can be run fairly and accurately, and that they comply with a company’s internal policies. And because it’s a technology that’s evolving at a breakneck speed, and one that self-learns, adapts and becomes more intelligent, based on the data inputs it receives, you’re never done. Part of data literacy includes continuously analyzing the outputs against certain criteria, which will evolve just as rapidly. AI literacy and organizational preparedness, like most technology initiatives, starts at the top. It’s not just sponsorship of AI initiatives, but the top executive level actively engaging with the subject, offering education around how AI is incorporated into the day-to-day of an organization’s business processes, and setting an example around the importance of responsible AI. “This is usually not a conversation that most senior executives will engage with,” Amorim says. “Imagine a CMO, a CFO or a CEO talking about data bias and how that might become a corporate risk for the organization,” he says. “It’s not a common agenda, which is why it’s ideal to start there.” From there, it’s a matter of turning that into action, by establishing cross-functional teams that can develop policies, standards and guidelines. “Most every company has guidelines and standards around using social media in the workplace, but not every company has guidelines on how you should use AI — and this is essential,” Amorim says.  Sponsored articles are content produced by a company that is either paying for the post or has a business relationship with VentureBeat, and they’re always clearly marked. For more information, contact [email protected]. source

00:00 Hi everybody, welcome to DEMO, the show where companies come in and they show us their products and services. Today I’m joined by Ameesh Divatia, he is the co-founder and CEO at Baffle. Welcome to the show, Amesh. 00:10Thank you, Keith. Happy to be here. 00:12So tell me a little bit about Baffle, and then tell me about what you’re going to show here today. 00:016Absolutely. So Baffle is what we call the easiest way to protect data. What we do is protect data all the way at the field level, so that the cloud service provider or somebody that’s managing the infrastructure never sees sensitive data. So that’s the crux of what we do. We do it with a with a no-code model, we make sure that there are no application changes needed for masking, tokenization, encryption of data. 00:39Who within the company is going to benefit most from using Baffle, is it the CIO level? Is it someone who’s trying to access data, or are you preventing certain people from not seeing data? 00:51Well, the main benefit is for data scientists, they want to analyze data, and they’re prevented from doing so if that data is sensitive. So there’s lots of rules and regulations around it, compliance requirements that security typically sets. So security is usually the one that finds us, but it’s a data scientist that we benefit the most. 01:10So in the problem you’re solving, as far as I can tell, and you can tell me if I’m right or wrong on this is that it allows certain people to see data that’s encrypted, and you’re not unencrypting it or decrypting it, right? So you can still see it, and that just that blows my mind. That’s just like magic wand to me at this point. So again, why should people care about this? Like, what problems are people having when you’ve got people trying to look at encrypted data? 01:34The two main problems, the first one is data breaches, right? Everybody is inundated with, we all get these requests all the time from companies that have shared our data inadvertently, and they’re trying to make make up for it. So data breaches continue to happen. They’re proliferating, which means that the existing data protection solutions don’t necessarily work. What is very interesting, though, is in the past five plus years since GDPR went into effect, there’s a plethora of regulations that are coming into effect for preventing exactly this problem, which is that individuals, just you and I, should not be losing their data just because we share it with somebody that we trust. 02:12So if a company didn’t have something like Baffle on their system in order for someone to look at the data, you would have to decrypt it, and then keep your fingers crossed that that data doesn’t then get breached or stolen or somewhere sitting on a server somewhere unencrypted. 02:26Actually, the problem is worse, because when the data is still on their systems as it’s being processed, it can be exfiltrated. It can be breached. Especially if the database admins credentials are compromised. So you know, at the highest level, we have our phones and we have our messages, iMessages or WhatsApp messages are end to end encrypted. Enterprise applications are not. 02:51So there’s data out there that could be unprotected at this point. 02:55Exactly. So we have protected data at rest. We’ve protected data in transit, but we don’t protect data in use. 03:00So you’ve got some cool things to show me on the demo here. Let’s jump right into it and show me the cool features. 03:07All right, so the animation, the right sort of captures exactly what we do. If you look at the flow of data, it’s coming in from, usually from clear text from an on-prem database, or even if it’s in cloud, it’s the one where the data is clear text, then it goes into this particular protected data, usually in the cloud. So we transform the data all the way down at the field level. So you’re seeing these credit cards. These credit cards are now being transformed into something that’s still readable. It still looks at the credit card, but it’s not the original credit card, and then depending on the persona and the credentials that anybody who has access to the data can get, they can get views of that data. So that’s what you’re seeing in the second half of the animation. Okay, that sort of captures what we do in 30 seconds. So now let’s dive into this. This is our console. This is Baffle Manager. And there’s a few things that are going on, on the left. First of all, what we do, as you could see, there is the application, there is the database, and there is something in the middle, which is what Baffle is. So first things first, what we do is we enroll a database. So this is the database itself that’s been enrolled. It’s a Postgres database that has sensitive data. So step one is actually to figure out exactly what kind of data protection policy that you’re going to have, because, again, we’re going all the way down to the field level. So let’s first start with the data source, which means that you have different sources of information that’s coming in. I’m going to create one just for kicks, because it makes it fun to see. I’m going to see what we can do with this particular database, and what you’re able to do with this is to go all the way down to this particular table and see what is in there and be able to pick which column to encrypt. So now what we’re going to do is we’re going to go into the Postgres database. We’re going to go into the specific table that we’re going to protect. It’s called transactions, and you see all of these things in there. I’m going to make it very simple, just protect one particular field.

PowerShell was developed more than 10 years ago by Microsoft to expand the power of its command line interface by coupling it with a management framework used to manage local and remote Windows, macOS, and Linux systems. By using the Component Object Model, Windows Management Instrumentation, and Common Information Model interface standards, PowerShell allows for managed elements of computing objects to be administered independently. SEE: PowerShell: A cheat sheet (free PDF) (TechRepublic) 1 Zoho Analytics 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 Ad Hoc Analysis, API, Collaboration Tools, and more Executive summary What is PowerShell? Microsoft’s PowerShell is a management framework that combines a command-line shell and scripting language that is built upon the .NET framework for native Windows support or the .NET Core framework (which is open source), providing cross-platform support for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Why does PowerShell matter? PowerShell can automate management tasks and function as a dedicated scripting language for both Microsoft- and non-Microsoft-based software. PowerShell includes commands called “cmdlets” that add functionality to the core foundation while providing a means to upgrade/update cmdlets. Who does PowerShell affect? It can impact companies relying on Microsoft, Apple, and Linux services to empower their business functions and the IT professionals responsible for managing this infrastructure. When is PowerShell available? PowerShell 7.4.6 is open source and the most recent version available, supporting Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. On Windows systems only, both versions may exist side by side without conflict. How can I get PowerShell? PowerShell 5.1 (.NET) is a natively installed application that is part of all Windows client and server OSes; by default, the application can be updated directly from Microsoft’s downloads website or through Microsoft Updates. You can get the latest version, PowerShell 7.4.6, by visiting Microsoft’s GitHub website for PowerShell and downloading the version that supports your operating system; this version of PowerShell may also be downloaded and updated via the native CLI of the operating system. SEE: Top 5 programming languages for security admins to learn (free PDF) (TechRepublic) What is PowerShell? Released as PowerShell 1.0 on Nov. 14, 2006, Microsoft developed PowerShell to address the shortcomings of its DOS-based CLI, particularly when managing objects using complex scripting languages. By creating a new shell from the ground up, Microsoft effectively developed an extensible environment that would be powerful and flexible–it’s capable of automating management tasks and functioning as a dedicated scripting language for Microsoft-based software. Through various revisions, PowerShell has added modules to extend functionality to new objects and new cmdlets for managing more resources, including Active Directory and Exchange Server. On Aug. 18, 2016, Microsoft announced that PowerShell was going open source and provided its source code to the public, adding support to Unix-based OSes, including Linux distros and OS X. SEE: All of TechRepublic’s cheat sheets and smart person’s guides (TechRepublic) PowerShell 7 is the newest version of PowerShell and serves as a replacement console for both the previous versions of PowerShell Core 6.x and the Windows-only PowerShell 5.1. The latter serves as the last supported version of the Windows-only version of PowerShell, with the development team aiming to condense all previous versions of PowerShell into one beginning with 7.0. This move brings PowerShell 7 into compatibility with previously unsupported cmdlets, further bringing it closer to parity for all supported operating system versions. PowerShell commands PowerShell includes several cmdlets with which to manage any number of system attributes, resources, and objects–far beyond the scope of this guide. The following are some of the most notable features, modules, and cmdlets. Active Directory (module): This module is used by PowerShell to extend management capabilities to Active Directory objects, including computers, users, and groups and attributes stored within accounts. Exchange Server (module): This module is used by PowerShell to enable full administration of Exchange Servers. Included within the module are additional cmdlets that fully support all aspects of your Exchange email server. Get-Help (cmdlet): This built-in cmdlet within PowerShell core provides helpful information, including syntax use and examples of commands and what they accomplish. Get-Command (cmdlet): When executed, this built-in cmdlet within PowerShell core provides a list of commands that are available. It’s useful in identifying which commands are available for each module. Set-Variable (cmdlet): This built-in cmdlet within PowerShell allows the user to create variables used to store data, such as file paths, multiple objects, or snippets of code you wish to reuse. Invoke-Command (cmdlet): This built-in cmdlet within PowerShell calls upon another cmdlet, usually run from a local computer, to execute the invoked command on remote computers. Pipeline ( | ): One of the features of PowerShell is the ability to chain commands together by means of the pipe character. Piping commands causes PowerShell to run the first part of the command and then output the results for use by the second command and so on until the entire sequence is run. It is useful when performing a multiple-step task, such as creating a username, adding the username to a security group, and resetting the default password. Function ( { } ): Similar to the pipeline feature in that cmdlets may be linked together, functions allow for greater control over the scripting process. By wrapping cmdlets in braces, a function is created that serves to run the sequence one or more times. Out-File (cmdlet): This built-in cmdlet within PowerShell allows a command’s output to be exported to a file. Typically used with the pipe feature, a user can get a list of user accounts that are disabled in Active Directory, for example, and export that list to a text file for future use. Import-Module (cmdlet): This built-in cmdlet within PowerShell imports one or more modules into PowerShell to further its feature set, cmdlets, and functionality. Third-party Modules: Software developers can program code to group multiple cmdlets as Third-party modules that are imported into PowerShell to extend functionality and support for specific applications. Notable third-party modules exist from

The Federal Communications Commission rejected four controversial petitions targeting major news broadcasters Thursday, dispensing with the cases just days before Donald Trump reclaims the White House and installs a Republican majority on the commission. source

With advanced technologies like AI transforming the business landscape, IT organizations are struggling to find the right talent to keep pace. The gap between emerging technological capabilities and workforce skills is widening, and traditional approaches — such as hiring specialized professionals or offering occasional training — are no longer sufficient as they often lack the scalability and adaptability needed for long-term success. According to IDC’s July 2024 CIO Sentiment Survey, 26% of CIOs identify recruiting, retaining, and upskilling talent as their biggest challenge to success. Skill mismatches (31%) and inadequate training and development opportunities (29%) underscore the demand for talent as well as the difficulty in finding candidates with the right skills. The problem isn’t just the shortage of qualified candidates; it’s the lack of alignment between the skills available in the workforce and the skills organizations need. Take cybersecurity, for example. A staggering 21% of organizations report a severe shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals, with another 30% finding it difficult to find suitable candidates. Only 8% of organizations have a relatively easy time finding qualified cybersecurity experts. This shortage puts additional pressure on existing IT staff and leaves organizations vulnerable to cyberthreats. As the pace of technological advancement accelerates, it’s becoming increasingly clear that solutions must balance immediate needs with long-term workforce transformation. Spoiler alert: The solution we will explore in this two-part series is generative AI (GenAI). But before we get into that, let’s talk about what steps CIOs have taken to ensure their teams are equipped to navigate this rapidly changing environment. Current strategies to address the IT skills gap Rather than relying solely on hiring external experts, many IT organizations are investing in their existing workforce and exploring innovative tools to empower their non-technical staff. Organizations have adopted several strategies to acquire and develop talent, as illustrated in the bar chart below. IDC’s CIO Sentiment Survey, July 2024 Cross-training or hiring line-of-business (LOB) staff to do IT: A notable 41% of organizations are cross-training or hiring internal LOB staff to perform IT functions. Leveraging current employees who already understand the company’s operations and culture can build a more versatile and adaptable workforce. This approach can help foster collaboration between IT and other departments, but while LOB staff bring valuable business insights, this approach doesn’t necessarily build the long-term technical expertise needed for the IT team to complete complex tasks. Devolving duties to LOB staff: 40% of organizations are delegating duties to non-IT staff through tools like no-code or low-code platforms. These tools enable employees to develop applications and automate processes without extensive programming knowledge. Using this strategy, LOB staff can quickly create solutions tailored to the company’s specific needs. However, without proper governance and oversight, this can lead to inconsistencies, security vulnerabilities, and technical debt. Additionally, while these tools are excellent for simple applications, they might not be suitable for more complex systems that require specialized IT expertise. Training programs: To bridge the skills gap, 34% of organizations are utilizing external training and certifications, while 28% are implementing internal upskilling programs. By investing in their current workforce, companies can equip employees with in-demand skills and prepare them for evolving roles. However, this approach isn’t always feasible, as it requires significant time, money, and commitment from both the organization and the employees — and continuous updating to keep pace with rapid technological changes. This indicates a strong effort by CIOs to bridge skills gaps and offer some relief, with some organizations reallocating internal talent and others investing in formal training programs. However, while these fragmented strategies address immediate needs, they lack scalability and a forward-thinking approach. Is there a transformative solution that meets current operational demands while also fostering future skill development to effectively close the skills gap? GenAI: A transformative solution to the IT skills gap Enter GenAI, which offers the potential to revolutionize how organizations address the IT skills gap. GenAI can augment workers’ capabilities, automate complex tasks, and facilitate continuous learning. It can play a pivotal role in filling the skills gap through several key applications, such as: Cybersecurity assistance: GenAI can monitor networks 24 x 7, detect anomalies, and respond to threats in real time, helping to compensate for the shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals. Knowledge management: GenAI helps organize and retrieve organizational knowledge, making it easier for IT professionals to access the information they need to solve problems and learn new skills. Virtual assistants and IT support: GenAI-powered virtual assistants can handle routine or repetitive IT tasks — like resetting passwords, troubleshooting common software issues, managing access permissions, and monitoring system performance — reducing the workload and allowing IT staff to focus on more complex and strategic tasks. Continuous learning and development: With GenAI-driven learning platforms, IT and business workers can have customized training modules tailored to individual learning styles and skill levels that continuously update based on the latest trends and technologies. And more: These are just a few examples; GenAI has many applications and can be tailored to meet specific organizational needs. Despite the pressing challenges posed by the IT skills gap, many organizations hesitate to embrace GenAI’s transformative capabilities: Just 30% of companies plan to augment IT and business workers with GenAI, according to the CIO Sentiment Survey. This leaves a significant 70% who aren’t exploring this avenue. CIOs who act decisively now will gain a competitive edge by building adaptable, AI-ready teams. The next step is understanding how to implement GenAI effectively, from overcoming adoption barriers to change management — a topic we will explore in Part 2 of this series. Conclusion As organizations strive to keep pace with rapid technological advancements, the limitations of current strategies to address the IT skills gap become increasingly apparent. While current strategies address parts of the problem, they lack the scalability and foresight needed for long-term success. GenAI offers a unified solution that fills immediate gaps and sets the stage for a more resilient and innovative IT workforce. In Part 2, we’ll explore practical steps for CIOs to adopt GenAI,

Gemini features are now part of both Workspace Enterprise and Workspace Business without additional fees. On February 2024, I wrote a blog post declaring “You’re not switching to Google Workspace to use Gemini — yet.” Google aims to change that. Today, the company announced that it will include “the best of Google AI in Workspace Business and Enterprise plans” without the need to purchase an add-on. (Previously, Gemini for Workspace plans cost $20/user/month.) Google will now go to market with Workspace as a fully genAI-enabled productivity and collaboration suite, in contrast to Microsoft’s $30/user/month Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on. Google will raise its Workspace price, nominally, from $12/user/month to $14/user/month. Workforce Generative AI Can Be A Feature, Not A Product Driving higher productivity with generative AI has been no easy task. Approaches that embed genAI directly into the flow of work, like Microsoft 365 Copilot and Google Workspace, see higher usage than solutions that require employees to switch between applications. (Who wants to compose an email in a separate browser window, then cut and paste?) But until Google’s announcement, embedded solutions required expensive add-on licenses. Google’s bold move here: Reminds us that products can evolve into features. Forrester has long tracked the phenomenon of products becoming features; in 2014, we wrote about how Amazon Prime turned the music business into a feature of its Prime platform subscription. In 2020, we wrote about how the enterprise AI market isn’t as big as you think it is, because a lot of AI was already being expressed as a feature of existing software. Google is betting that the same will happen with genAI productivity and collaboration. Shows a case of a viable offering seeking monetization in other ways. Other companies in this space follow a similar approach. Zoom, for example, added genAI features to its core platform without an add-on subscription. The approach assumes that value can be captured via higher market share (acquiring customers) and retention (lower churn) effects. Google, with its small footprint, should be focused on the former. Tempts us to say that Google failed, but it could be a competitive boon. Some headlines will likely call this “commodification” or say that Google simply gave up because it couldn’t sell Gemini for Workspace. While there’s an element of truth to both, Google’s sales channel and customers may well celebrate. The move instantly refocuses Google’s value proposition and pricing, though, as we’ll see, it still won’t be for everyone. Google Workspace Belongs In Some Purchasing Discussions Yesterday, we released a new report, How To Build A Pragmatic Microsoft 365 Copilot Program, in which we argue that making Copilot valuable faces numerous obstacles, from measuring ROI to technical and performance challenges to a high employee training burden that isn’t being met. So M365 Copilot has vulnerabilities. But Workspace does, too; the training burden applies equally to employees using Gemini features, for example. It’s likely still not time for you to switch from Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace. But we also believe that: Google Workspace will become more competitive with Microsoft 365. Attractive pricing matters, especially when, at its new price, Google brings credible performance, a small but nontrivial roster of enterprise clients, and also some differentiated genAI features (including the innovative NotebookLM and Vids, a video-creation genAI tool). Microsoft 365 is embedded and has enduring strengths. Despite Google’s appeal, Microsoft 365’s ubiquity and quality remain hard to dislodge. Migrating M365 documents, SharePoint sites, and macros to Workspace remains a monumental effort. Plus, Microsoft 365 and M365 Copilot have genuine advocates among buyers. In addition to Copilot Studio, a range of Microsoft Azure services and development tools allows enterprises to create a wide range of applications. Increasingly, those applications can be accessed from inside Copilot. Microsoft will, however, feel pricing pressure. Building a business case for M365 Copilot that convinces the CFO to expand licenses broadly remains challenging. At most organizations, cohorts of users abandon Copilot, leading to employee license transfers, higher than expected training burdens, and less than productive outcomes. How long can Microsoft hold the line — and for how long — on $30/user/month? We’re betting the pricing strategy evolves. Next Steps For You? Let’s Talk You should consider Workspace if you are: 1) a startup (companies starting from scratch with little Microsoft legacy are more likely to adopt); 2) an SMB (small and medium businesses need fewer features and are more price-sensitive); 3) willing to segment your workforce (specific departments might benefit, even if the rest of the company uses Microsoft 365); and/or 4) in need of specific Google innovations, like Vids or NotebookLM. But regardless of whether you are already knee-deep in M365 Copilot, considering Workspace, or still haven’t jumped into any of these tools, your next steps will depend on your resources, needs, and AI readiness. Reach out to schedule a guidance session with me, and let’s get you where you need to go. source

By Adam Lidgett ( January 16, 2025, 8:45 PM EST) — One of the commissioners of the U.S. International Trade Commission, who had served as the agency’s leader for a year and a half, has decided to leave and make the move to WilmerHale, according to the ITC…. 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

Customer relationship management (CRM) systems assist companies with customer interactions while also managing customer data, and streamlining business processes. When properly utilized, a CRM tool allows sales teams to interact with and convert prospective leads into paying customers while maintaining strong relationships with existing clientele. Routine daily tasks like data entry, lead assignments, and email follow-ups are essential for customer conversion and retention, but they are often viewed as being redundant and time-consuming for sales reps. CRM automation can reduce the workload of sales professionals and free up their time to be used in other important areas like lead generation, lead nurturing, and personalized phone calls to clients. 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 Pipedrive 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 Creatio CRM 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), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees), Enterprise (5,000+ Employees) Medium, Large, Enterprise Features Dashboard, Document Management / Sharing, Email / Marketing Automation, and more What is CRM automation? CRM automation leverages technology to streamline and automate repetitive tasks and processes within CRM systems. Eliminating the need for manual handling of customer data entry, lead tracking, and follow-ups allows businesses to design workflows that execute these tasks automatically. Common automated functions include: Sending lead-nurturing emails. Scheduling follow-ups. Reminding teams of critical deadlines. Routing leads to appropriate sales representatives. These automations are based on predefined rules and conditions in order to maintain consistency in customer interactions, reduce human error, and enable employees to focus more on strategic, high-value activities. Additionally, CRM automation enhances customer experiences by enabling personalized interactions at scale. Automated customer segmentation can be based on behavior or demographics, so that businesses can tailor their communications to the unique needs of each group. Advanced CRM systems, powered by data analytics and AI-driven insights, can predict customer needs, identify potential issues, and recommend the next best actions for sales and support teams. This level of personalization and insight-driven engagement strengthens customer relationships, increases satisfaction, and ultimately drives revenue growth. What are some benefits of automating CRM? CRM automation comes with a host of benefits that can add significant value to your business. For example, automation can seamlessly capture engagement activities, like email and event details, and store them in a centralized hub for easy access by team leaders and team members alike. AI features can also significantly enhance sales processes by identifying high-potential leads and recommending follow-up actions based on previously successful interactions with similar customers. It can even flag at-risk leads and suggest optimal strategies to close deals more efficiently. Automation further supports accurate product and pricing data, which promotes more informed decision-making. This allows teams to respond swiftly to market changes with updated products, bundles, and promotions, improving overall responsiveness. Best CRM Software How to implement CRM automation Start by identifying repetitive tasks, like data entry, follow-ups, and lead assignments. Find areas where automation can help improve efficiency. This would include tasks such as sending welcome emails or updating records after calls. Choose a CRM with strong automation features. Set goals for what you want your automation to achieve. Design workflows with defined triggers and actions in mind. Thoroughly test each workflow and make adjustments based on team feedback. Connect your CRM with other existing tools for seamless data updates. Train your team on these new processes and continue to gather feedback. Regularly track performance to refine workflows and adapt to emerging business needs. CRM automation best practices Best practices for CRM automation start with setting clear goals and targeting high-impact, repetitive tasks. Design workflows that prioritize customer experiences, adding value at each step and maintaining personalized interactions. Use segmentation and data-driven insights to deliver tailored content and targeted offers to boost engagement and enhance customer satisfaction. Continuously test and optimize workflows based on performance metrics and team insights as well. And integrate your CRM with other essential tools for consistent, accurate data across platforms. Finally, keep your team trained on automated processes to use automation more efficiently and recognize when manual input is needed to improve the overall customer experience. CRM automation tools Top CRM automation tools include HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zoho CRM. Other notable tools for specific use cases include Pipedrive, ActiveCampaign, and Freshsales. HubSpot HubSpot excels in email marketing and lead nurturing, which are ideal features for small and midsize businesses. Salesforce Salesforce offers advanced customization options supporting complex workflows for small and large enterprises. Zoho CRM Zoho CRM enables multi-channel automation across email, SMS, and social media for comprehensive customer engagement. Pipedrive Pipedrive focuses on sales automation, streamlining follow-ups, and pipeline management for teams with a large volume of leads. ActiveCampaign ActiveCampaign combines CRM with marketing automation, making it ideal for small businesses seeking integrated customer journey tools. Freshsales Freshsales offers lead scoring, workflows, and AI insights, which are perfect for automation-focused customer data management. FAQ What are the benefits of automated CRM? CRM automation streamlines repetitive tasks, improving efficiency and reducing errors. It enables personalized customer interactions at scale, enhances data accuracy, and boosts productivity. Automated insights allow for better decision-making, while seamless workflows improve customer satisfaction and drive sales growth. What is CRM workflow automation? CRM workflow automation uses rules and triggers to streamline repetitive tasks, such as lead follow-ups, data entry, and email responses. It ensures consistent, timely actions across customer journeys, improving team productivity, and enhancing customer experience by automating key steps in sales and support processes. Why do we need an automated CRM application? An automated CRM boosts efficiency by handling repetitive tasks, ensures timely, personalized interactions, and maintains accurate data. It frees up teams to focus on strategic work, enhances customer satisfaction, and drives revenue growth through consistent sales processes. source