Near Field Communication (NFC) will enable contactless mobile payments at the register An emerging technology called Near Field Communication will soon give new meaning to the phrase “tapped out.” Once NFC systems become widespread, which could happen as soon as next year, consumers will be able to pay for purchases at the checkout counter by […]
As threats proliferate, here are five areas where companies need to strengthen and update their policies and practices. It’s particularly galling when a company specializing in security issues gets monumentally hacked. That was the case for Stratfor, which suffered a massive data breach just before the holidays that exposed thousands of client names, e-mail addresses […]
Google’s two-factor authentication system is now available in 150 countries and 40 languages, the company recently said. The service — which was previously available only in English — allows individual users to opt for a second login step, which sends an authorization code to an iPhone, Android or BlackBerry device. Enrolment is done by the […]
It may be tempting to assume that growth in virtual worlds has ground to a halt. After all, There.com has shut down, and Second Life is losing land area and has stopped publishing most usage statistics. Attention has shifted to social networking platforms and mobile devices. But the action hasn’t died off. Instead, it has […]
Consumer-friendly technologies like Web-based e-mail and instant messaging, Twitter and Facebook have all brought compliance challenges, with companies typically reacting after something has gone wrong. With virtual environments and meetings, however, companies can get ahead of the trend, setting guidelines and preferred platforms before employees start adopting their own. Enterprise-class platforms like Teleplace and ProtoSphere […]
An emerging virtual world platform is the destination of droves of emigrant avatars, as a price hike and the shutdown of the teen-only grid have prompted an educator exodus away from Second Life. — Don’t tell Kyle Gomboy about any depression in the real estate market. That may be the case in the terrestrial world, […]
Apple’s new application-level encryption paves the way for companies to run business apps on the iPad As global accounts director at Altus, Inc., Michelle Klatt’s job is to visit Fortune 500 companies and demonstrate her firm’s video management software. When the iPad came out a year ago, she was all over it. “I was one of the […]
Even though the iPad is designed primarily as a consumer device, salespeople are increasingly adopting it because of its ease of use, convenience, and coolness factor. Mobile security firm Good Technology Inc. reports that the iPad’s share of enterprise deployments went up 64 percent in the last quarter. According to Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL), more than 80 […]
Immersive virtual environments — the kind where you have an avatar walking around that looks like a cartoon version of you — are increasingly being used by companies for virtual meetings, training, and collaboration. The idea is that a virtual immersive meeting gives you the same sense of presence that you get with a telepresence […]
Changes to revenue recognition rules may be beneficial but will lead to accounting headaches that new software can relieve. Last September, regulators issued new revenue recognition rules that allow companies to book product and service sales separately—a boost for the balance sheet, but a big accounting hassle. Prior to the new rules, effective 1Q of […]
