The ZenBook Duo 14 (UX482) is a capable laptop, but its unique features involve trade-offs, and prospective buyers will have to decide whether or not those trade-offs work for them.

NordVPN is a hugely popular VPN service. But how does it perform? We take a deep dive into features, capabilities, and performance of this well-known VPN offering.

The XGIMI Mogo Pro projector is nice and compact -- but it delivers great sound and superb images.

It’s impossible to say for certain that the pandemic is winding down. At this point, health experts are still trying to reign in COVID-19 and distribute vaccines to the public. The return “back to normal” is in sight, but we’re still in the thick of it. And in this period of transition, there is considerable debate over what “normal” will look like.

Most businesses are looking forward and forming strategies to safely resume some in-person operations. This two-part series will explore some of the structural changes that are taking place across various industries, as companies pivot to the “next” normal of the pandemic.

Back To Normal With A Twist: Shifting To Hybrid Work

Despite the rocky transition to remote work at the onset of the pandemic, feelings about the trend appear to be mostly positive across the board. In a recent benchmark survey from PwC, 83% of employers said the shift to remote work has been successful for their company, up from 73% in June 2020.

Most companies have established at least base level remote connectivity and security, and are now in the process of upgrading their services and laying the groundwork for permanent remote work.

That said, the future of remote work will most likely be much different. A gradual shift to hybrid work is already starting to take place, which is expected to accelerate in the coming months as more people get vaccinated. Eventually, hybrid work will be the new normal.

Consider the fact that in PwC’s survey, only 13 percent of executives claimed they are ready to permanently ditch their offices. And 75 percent of executives believe at least half of their office employees will return to the office by June 2021.

It’s clear that executives will need to tread lightly when asking employees to resume on-site operations though, or pushback will occur. PwC found that employees want to return back to normal more slowly than employers in regards to in-office operations, with 61% of employees expecting to spend half their time on-site by July. Hybrid work acceleration will largely depend on how the next few months pan out.

Retrofitting Offices for Hybrid Work

PwC also found that U.S. executives are planning many new investments to support hybrid work. Some of the top investments include tools for virtual collaboration (72%), IT infrastructure to secure virtual connectivity (70%) and training for managers to manage a more virtual workspace (64%). Additional investments include fitting conference rooms with enhanced virtual connectivity, and hoteling applications, among others.

Many companies have been forced to retrofit their office environments to enable social distancing. The majority of companies will also be using scheduling systems to limit on-site workers and reduce the spread of germs.

Further, social distancing requirements are increasing demand for mobile solutions that enable workers to move around throughout the day, instead of being tethered to their desks. Some companies are also implementing hardware with antimicrobial components to limit the spread of COVID-19 on shared surfaces.

Surging Cloud Adoption

The cloud is more important than ever, as companies prepare for the “work from anywhere” trend that has become a standard business requirement in getting back to normal.

Two trends to watch include multi-cloud adoption, which increased by 70% year over year during COVID-19, and cloud native growth. Many organizations are embracing modern cloud architectures built with microservices, which make it easier and cost-effective to build and manage applications.

In addition, there is skyrocketing demand for UCaaS, which keeps teams connected and secure regardless of their location. By implementing UCaaS, companies can achieve reliable communication at all times for both on-site and remote workers.

Stay tuned for the next blog in this series, which will focus on cloud computing and the return of retail in the transition of returning back to normal.

The post Returning Back To Normal: Part One appeared first on Sangoma.

You need this? You really need this? Google thinks so.

Google's Android Team is backing an effort to introduce Rust as a second programming language in the Linux kernel.

This year, we see TCL launch its second self-branded smartphone series, with the 20 Pro 5G appearing as the flagship. We are testing a pre-production model and are very impressed after a couple of days with the phone.

Its cyclone dustbin seems to collect a lot of dust from carpets and hard floors, and its lack of roller brush means it will need less maintenance.

Cyber attackers are scanning the internet for vulnerable Microsoft Exchange servers they can exploit to mine for cryptocurrency. "It's basically free money rolling in for the attackers," warn cybersecurity researchers.

As expected with Patch Tuesday, Microsoft has released new Windows 10 builds and 21H1 preview builds.

Feds turn into cyberfirefighters and hose down the web shell bonfire raging on hundreds of unpatched Exchange servers.

I’m sure we can all agree that the year 2020 changed all of us in different ways, and for many of us it changed the way we communicate. It’s not uncommon for me to have multiple video meetings every    single    day. We get those video meeting invites in our calendar and we just go to them. We start in video and end in video. While I used to be on many audio conference calls, those are becoming less frequent and a thing of the past. I am on our video meeting platform, Sangoma Meet, all the time. It’s now like my best friend. I know its personality.

And since it’s so integral to communications these days, that is why we are incorporating our video meeting platform, Sangoma Meet, into our mobile and desktop client, Sangoma Connect. Sangoma Connect will incorporate a talk aspect, a collaborate aspect, and a video meeting aspect. You’ll be able to move seamlessly between all three and launch a video call from our collaborate app for instance. It’s critical that we offer our customers the ability to communicate via voice, chat, or video. And to have our customers choose which one they want to “start” with.

To me, this is just an evolution of the PBX. While the PBX notion is very voice centric, as Unified Communication features started to get incorporated, such as mobility, and the ability for the office phone number to ring on your smartphone or desktop, the notion of a “PBX” became antiquated. Unified Communication systems are what this industry has evolved to. And if the UC vendors want to survive, the UC systems will continue to need to evolve. And that means integrating video and chat as if it is native voice. And that is what we are doing. You want voice. Check. You want chat. Check. You want video. Check.

But what about this concept of “video first” that I described in the first paragraph? I think in some use cases, like I was describing above with internal employee team calls, or calls with your channel, sure video meetings are good, and you will start and end with that.

But for many small businesses, their customers are people – someone wanting to make an appointment or order something or whatever. Calling is efficient, so they call, or maybe use a self-service portal and maybe text. And that’s why a company with a sole focus on video meetings or video calling won’t be able to service a small and medium business. A Unified Communication system, that knows how to handle phone numbers, and texting, and all kinds of call control as is found in a “PBX” is required.

A Unified Communication platform, able to do true multi-modal communications, such as Switchvox, PBXact, or Star2Star Business Voice will be required.

The post Why Video Can’t Be Your Sole “Go-to” Communications Platform appeared first on Sangoma.

Amazfit offers a few great watches with a focus on health and wellness. It's latest model is built to withstand the rigors of inclement weather outside for a week or two.

Microsoft's spring Surface rollout includes not just the expected new Surface Laptop 4 devices, but a number of other peripherals positioned for remote work use.

The Reolink Argus 3 Pro security camera is an affordable, compact addition to your security camera setup. There are no wires to confound you, and a local recording option if you do not want to be tied into subscription costs.

If you need to work outdoors in challenging environments where water, dust and debris threaten the safety of your laptop, then the Enduro N3 should earn its keep.

No, it's not just you. Google Docs was misbehaving for millions of users. The issue was resolved shortly after noon Monday.

Today's modern smartphones are extremely capable and there aren't many functions setting them apart. Field workers, outdoor enthusiasts, and others spending time in the elements may want a rugged smartphone and that's where the latest model from Kyocera steps up to the plate.

Hundreds of organisations that haven't applied a Fortinet VPN security update released in 2019 should assume that cyber criminals are trying to take advantage, NCSC warns.

MagSafe is one of the best Apple technologies that combines wireless charging with the ability to easily and securely mount your Apple iPhone. The latest accessories from ESR and surprisingly affordable, yet very well made and capable.