Steelcase and Microsoft
introduce technology-
enabled spaces
Steelcase and Microsoft have jointly
developed a range of technology-enabled
spaces designed to foster creative thinking
and aid collaboration. The spaces integrate
Microsoft Surface devices with Steelcase
architecture and furniture.
Research by the two companies found that
during the creative process people need to work
alone, in pairs and in different size groups, using
a range of devices that are mobile and integrated
into the physical workplace.
Sara Armbruster, vice president of strategy,
research and new business innovation for
Steelcase, said: “The problems people face at
work today are much more complex than they
used to be. They require a new creative way
of thinking and a very different work process.
We believe that everyone has the capacity for
creative thinking, and people are happier doing
creative productive work. Together, Microsoft and
Steelcase will help organisations thoughtfully
integrate place and technology to encourage
creative behaviours at work.”
The five ‘Creative Spaces’ are:
Focus Studio:
A space for focused work with
Microsoft Surface Book or Surface Pro 4.
Duo Studio:
Where two people can co-create
shoulder-to-shoulder, while also supporting
individual work with Microsoft Surface Studio.
Ideation Hub:
Where people can co-create, refine
and share ideas with co-located or distributed
teammates on Microsoft Surface Hub.
Maker Commons:
A space designed to
encourage quick switching between conversation,
experimentation and concentration, using a mix
of Surface devices, such as Surface Hub and
Surface Book.
Respite Room:
A private room for quiet and
individual thinking time.
•
Lifesize ranked top video conferencing provider
Lifesize has received Frost & Sullivan’s 2016 Competitive Strategy Innovation and Leadership
Award in the European video conference market segment. Lifesize scored 9.3 out of 10, the
highest in the industry. Frost & Sullivan researchers praised the company for its bold move
to a cloud-based offering, its technology developments and product features, as well as its
dedication to customer service.
“As a leading innovator, Lifesize delivers a superior video conferencing experience across users
and locations, utilising different endpoints, and on a range of platforms,” noted Frost & Sullivan
Industry Analyst Vaishno Devi. “These product and service advantages have entrenched Lifesize’s
reputation as a reliable service provider in the intensely competitive video conferencing services
market.”
CFOs see services as the future of business growth
CFOs are retooling their businesses to drive more revenue from services and capitalise on
the shift to a subscription-based economy, a study by FinancialForce reveals.
More than a third of the 163 CFO respondents said that subscription-based services have
become significantly more important for their companies over the past five years. Currently,
71% of CFOs report that more than half of their revenue comes from services, and almost a
third report that all their companies’ revenues are service-related. More than half (55%) say that
services generate a higher percentage of revenues today than they did five years ago. Two-thirds
agree that they feel “substantial pressure” to change their finance team’s mindset to be more
customer-centric and focused on renewal revenue streams.
“Cloud computing and the prevalence of mobile and connected devices have accelerated the
shift towards the services economy, effectively giving every company the opportunity to sell/
upsell its customers on subscription-based offerings, creating valuable recurring revenue streams,”
said FinancialForce CFO John Bonney.
He added: “This transition is changing the underlying architecture of business, as well as
changing the role of the CFO, bringing the office of finance into conversations on customer
experience and satisfaction as contract and subscription renewals become more important to
overall business performance.”
Lift-off for new Duplo
website
To mark the launch of its new website,
Duplo UK is giving customers the
opportunity to win a family day-out at the
National Space Centre.
The print finishing specialist is challenging
customers to take images featuring specially
crafted die-cut space rockets and post them on
Twitter. Creators of the most inspired entries will
be able to book a family day out at the National
Space Centre.
Duplo itself will be taking a 6.5ft rocket to
various events over the next few months, giving
customers and prospects more opportunities for
social media involvement.
Sarah Crumpler, Duplo UK marketing
manager, said: “The beauty of this intuitive, highly
accessible site is that it was created with our
customers’ needs in mind. Following extensive
interviews, we used the feedback to create a
practical site that is designed for purpose. It is as
much about applications as products.”
She added: “That is why we have created
this integrated campaign across print and digital
media with a social media competition.We
wanted to show how creativity and high quality
can be combined to deliver very powerful results
that demonstrate how any campaign can reach
for the stars.”
agenda
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magazine
09
Ransomware attacks
prevalent for European
SMBs
European-based small-to-medium-sized
businesses (SMBS) are being actively targeted
by ransomware attacks, according to a survey
conducted by data protection solutions provider
Datto. Of the 148 European IT service providers
questioned, 87% revealed that their SMB clients
had been victimised by ransomware in the
twelve months to September 2016. More than
a quarter (27%) said that they experienced
multiple attacks in a single day and 62% said an
attack led to business-threatening downtime.
Despite the widespread nature of these attacks,
relatively few European SMBs went on to report
these crimes to the authorities (40%).
