From cost increases for cloud services to more job cuts at a major UCaaS provider, here are some extracts from popular news stories this week.
Microsoft has confirmed that it will align the pricing of its Microsoft Cloud products by introducing consistent global pricing for its services.
It means that customers will have consistent pricing reflected by the exchange rate of the local currency to the US dollar (USD), which is reviewed twice a year.
Countries that use the Great British Pound (GBP), the Danish Krone (DKK), the Euro (EUR), the Norwegian Krone (NOK), and the Swedish Krona (SEK) will all see a price increase from April 1, 2023.
A Microsoft blog post states: “In the future, Microsoft will assess pricing in local currency as part of a regular twice-a-year cadence, taking into consideration currency fluctuations relative to the USD.
“This will provide increased transparency and predictability for customers globally and move to a pricing model that is most common in our industry.
“The Microsoft Cloud continues to be priced competitively, and Microsoft remains deeply committed to the success of its customers and partners.”
Microsoft has confirmed that the price increase for the following currencies will be:
- GBP: +9%
- DKK, EUR and NOK: +11%
- SEK: +15%
The company will continue to invest in its cloud services to “enable customers to innovate, consolidate and eliminate operating costs”.
Zoom has unveiled four new features to its platform designed to create engaging experiences within the hybrid workspace.
The collaboration giant has introduced avatars, meeting templates, threaded messages, and the option to hold a Q&A during meetings.
David Ball, Product Marketing Manager, Meetings and Chat at Zoom, said: “As we ring in 2023, we can’t wait to share new features to help you stay connected, enhance productivity, and create engaging experiences.
Zoom Avatars
Zoom has said that it is adding avatars to its platform in order to “make meetings more flexible and fun”.
The new avatars are an addition to the animal avatars that Zoom released last year and will be customisable for customers to use within meetings.
The company states there are “numerous personalisation combinations” so users can display the “virtual you”.
Zoom’s avatars will mirror a user’s movements and facial expressions so they can present themselves dynamically without needing to be on video.
US-based tech conglomerate Cisco has announced it is to axe nearly 700 jobs this week as part of what appears to be a continuance of a restructuring phase.
The move follows from its plan to lay off more than 4,000 staff, commencing in December and announced the month before.
The cuts follow a mixed bag of Q4 2022 results, leaving Cisco ahead on revenue with $13. 10 billion, more than the forecast $12.73 billion and ultimately its largest ever Q1, but with overall revenue falling 6% to $2.82 billion.
In the earnings call for investors, Cisco CFOP Scott Herren explained that “this really is a rebalancing”, and in a following statement, the firm said: “We didn’t take this decision lightly, and we will offer those impacted extensive support, including generous severance packages”.
The new batch of layoffs focused on the Bay Area, at the San Jose headquarters and Milpitas offices, and included 80 directly in its San Francisco offices.
At Cisco headquarters, 371 workers were released from their contracts, along with two VPs.
The Milpitas redundancies saw 222 workers made up of engineers, technical staff, and one VP lose their jobs.
Verizon has revealed it is the first US carrier to enable Teams Phone Mobile as it launches Verizon Mobile for Microsoft Teams.
Customers will be able to make or receive external calls using a single Verizon business-provided number which will provide the ability to collaborate from any location.
Users can use their mobile device’s native dialer to receive calls as a Teams endpoint and create a unified business communications experience.
Sowmyanarayan Sampath, Chief Executive Officer of Verizon Business, commented: “What we’re hearing from customers is a need for the true mobilisation of unified communications and collaboration to support their hybrid work environment.
“We’re proud to be the first operator in the United States to unleash Teams Phone Mobile and to help customers further mobilise their workforce through the addition of Verizon Mobile for Microsoft Teams to our robust suite of collaboration and calling solutions.
“This is yet another example of how we’re helping customers to adapt and succeed in today’s changing workplace by delivering the flexibility to work from anywhere.”
According to Verizon, customers can have a mobile unified collaboration and communication experience that minimises costs and security risks.
Neat has expanded its leadership team by appointing Todd Meister as its new Chief Operating Officer.
The video company has newly created the role and hopes that Meister can bring his expertise in driving growth to support Neat’s mission to deliver video devices that support hybrid work.
Neat has confirmed that Meister will lead the company’s go-to-market strategy across sales, channels, operations and marketing.
He said: “Neat has experienced tremendous growth to date and has built a solid foundation through industry partnerships with Zoom and Microsoft, an innovative portfolio of devices and accomplished global sales, channel, marketing and operations organisations.
“I am excited to bring my expertise to the Neat team to build upon the company’s success and drive greater momentum and growth for the future.”
According to Neat, Meister is an “accomplished senior business leader” with over 25 years of experience driving sustained and accelerated growth.
He has previously held senior leadership roles at companies such as Zscaler and Cisco and has been the president and COO of an extensive US-based systems integrator.
