Tag Archives: Microsoft

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Big Tech Earnings Reveal Big Ideas For What’s Next In Commerce

Some of the top entities in Big Tech recently released their latest earnings reports. Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Facebook all performed beyond what analysts predicted. Analysts also predict these earnings reports will highlight a greater emphasis on commerce soon. All of these entities have distinct plans for what they will do with their investments.

Ongoing Growth For Amazon

It is no surprise that Amazon is still growing in prominence. Amazon saw about half its revenue come from product sales. The company’s revenue rose by nearly a third to about $57.5 billion this past quarter. The company’s service portfolio also saw a 50 percent increase in revenue to $51 billion in the past quarter. The service portfolio includes Prime Video subscriptions and Amazon ad sales.

But Amazon Web Services saw a drop in its operating income in the first quarter. AWS had $4.2 billion in operating income, which is less than the 75 percent profit burden it had last year. But AWS’ income is still significant enough to make a substantial difference in how the business operates.

Amazon is expecting further growth, although its growth rate in the second quarter will likely slow by about a quarter. Amazon will still be raking in money, as it will likely see operating profits of at least $4 billion in that period.

The development comes as Amazon prepares for a significant transition. Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos will be departing from his position this summer, but he will remain an executive chairman with the company. AWS CEO Andy Jassy will replace Bezos as the company’s CEO. Whether there will be any other surprise announcements from Amazon remains uncertain, but Bezos’ influence will likely remain a constant at the company.

Amazon’s growth is no surprise, as the company continues to be a strong force in today’s economy. Amazon has been a company that people rely on for many reasons. The possible new things that Amazon will have to offer and its next innovations will be worth spotting, especially as they could make Amazon an even more profitable company.

Facebook’s Hope

While Amazon is continuing with business as usual in the commerce industry, Facebook has plans to enter the commerce field. Facebook promoted in its earnings report that the company has more than a billion Marketplace users. Facebook also plans on using virtual and augmented reality programs to help facilitate digital commerce activities.

Facebook has plans to boost its digital commerce activities. These include efforts on the Facebook and Instagram platforms alike. One potentially involves retailers being capable of directly selling products to people through their Facebook and Instagram profiles or feeds.

Facebook continues to be in the news for how it operates and how it regulates its content. But Facebook will soon start focusing more on commerce activities without relying too much on the communication features that people often expect to find through the company. This development will be something to watch for when looking at possible investments.

What Google Wants

Alphabet, the company that runs Google, also wants to do more in the commerce industry. Alphabet has reduced product listing fees on Google’s shopping section. The company has also reduced commission fees for sales facilitated by the Google shopping search feature. Google’s moves are helping people use the system while making it easier for them to manage various transactions while online.

Alphabet reports that its commerce efforts are working through a combination of traditional searches, Maps listings, and YouTube reports. People are searching for local businesses on Google more than ever, making Google a more viable solution for search needs. Google frequently updates its systems to make its data more visible and useful, especially when showcasing some of the specifics surrounding different businesses in local areas.

Google has also been helping businesses with omnichannel marketing. Retailers and other companies can use all of Google’s features to reach customers. They can use the Maps feature to highlight their locations and list their products on Google’s shopping search results. Retailers can also pay extra to advertise on Google and to have their products or services be the top results on searches. The system allows retailers to become more visible to everyone, providing further growth.

Google also has partnerships with PayPal and Shopify, two of the most prominent online shopping systems. Google’s work with these entities will make it easier for people to market their products and for customers to pay for their orders.

Microsoft and Apple Are Competing Well

Microsoft and Apple may be direct competitors, but they are both alike in how they want to reach more people through commerce. Apple regularly reviews different commerce opportunities through its products, including how its products can support NFC transactions and various apps provided by retailers. The Apple Pay contactless payment system has especially become a necessity for many retailers to have.

Microsoft’s commerce work also deserves notice. Microsoft has been highlighting its MS Cloud development and how it can help businesses organize their operations online.

Microsoft is also buying its way into the commerce field by purchasing the online communications system Discord. Microsoft is spending nearly $10 billion on its acquisition. The total is a fraction of the company’s $2 trillion market cap, but it shows how committed Microsoft is in finding ways to expand.

Microsoft also recently purchased Nuance Communications, a healthcare technology firm. The acquisition of Nuance will help Microsoft enter more healthcare-related activities. Nuance particularly focuses on artificial intelligence and speech recognition systems. The potential for Microsoft to use Nuance’s technology for more things could be worth watching, especially when looking at how it continues to thrive in the digital environment.

A Strong Future For All

The Big Tech companies have shown that they are all looking to grow further, and they are ready to use the commerce industry to make it happen. They will become more ubiquitous and inviting for all investors to explore as they look for growth opportunities that they could utilize.

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Bill Gates Cautions Investors on Bitcoin

Bitcoin has become one of the world’s top investment options. People are flocking to this cryptocurrency for many reasons, from the currency being simple and easy to use to it becoming more commonplace in society. Bitcoin’s value has experienced a dramatic rise in the last few years, with it reaching more than $50,000 as of late.

But not all people are as excited about Bitcoin. Microsoft founder Bill Gates warned people that they should be cautious when investing in Bitcoin. He specifically warns that just because Tesla’s Elon Musk has managed to spend massive amounts of money on Bitcoin doesn’t mean everyone else should.

Gates spoke with Bloomberg reporter Emily Chang about the growth of Bitcoin. This effort was part of an extensive interview surrounding many topics in the investment and economic fields. Gates argues in his interview that Bitcoin isn’t always as useful as people wish, but it could become viable if it made changes that would dramatically alter its functionality.

The Musk Consideration

Elon Musk’s Tesla company recently acquired $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin. But while Musk is worth an immense amount of money, his move was still risky. The price of Bitcoin dropped by 20 percent in two weeks after he announced his purchase. Bitcoin dropped by $12,000 in that timeframe, causing Musk to lose hundreds of millions of dollars.

Gates remarked that Musk has access to high-end trade management efforts that most investors cannot afford to utilize. He said that people shouldn’t follow the optimism posed by Musk’s move, warning that most people are billionaires like he is. Gates feels that many people brought into investment manias don’t have enough money to spend on some things, making it harder for them to stay profitable.

While Gates has concerns about Bitcoin, Elon Musk still continues to be one of the world’s top supporters of cryptocurrencies. He has been talking about them on social media more often as of late. Musk has also been talking extensively about Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency made mainly as a joke.

Musk’s enthusiasm has helped the industry, especially since he has a significant social media following and plenty of fans. But Gates warns that Musk can afford to lose money in the crypto field, as he is one of the world’s richest people.

Inefficiency For Transactions

Gates talked in his interview that Bitcoin may not be as viable of an investment as people wish due to its inefficiency. While the ability to manage anonymous payments online sounds appealing, that doesn’t mean it will always work. By allowing anyone to make payments without proving their identities, it becomes harder for transactions to go through as well as people wish.

Energy Consumption Is a Worry

One problem Bill Gates brought up surrounding Bitcoin is the immense amount of energy necessary for producing the currency. Bitcoin has a high rate of energy consumption due to its massive blockchain and the extensive effort for mining more tokens. As time progresses, the process for producing tokens becomes more complicated. The anonymous transactions it produces also aren’t reversible, making it harder for the blockchain to remain streamlined.

Gates has been speaking out about climate change in recent years. He has stated that cryptocurrencies can be dangerous, as the extra energy needed to produce them can be a threat to the environment. The cost of the currency is rising, but the rise in the cost to produce the currency could become a problem depending on how it evolves and how the price changes.

Anonymity Worries

Another problem Gates has about Bitcoin and other currencies is that they are anonymous. While anonymity is a marketing point for such currencies, Gates says that many people who use these currencies do so with malicious intent in mind. These people can engage in tax evasion and money laundering, and some may fund terrorist activities worldwide. People use currencies because the lack of transparency ensures they are hidden, helping them get away with their work.

Gates has claimed that people have been harmed in many forms through cryptocurrencies. He did not give any specific examples, but he has suggested that the features of Bitcoin make it a prime target for people to use when transferring funds for nefarious purposes.

What Can Be Done?

Gates says that cryptocurrencies can be viable in the future, but they must change to stay that way. Gates feels that currencies need to be more transparent, plus transactions should be reversible. He also argues for some semblance of centralization surrounding these currencies. The work would focus on making the currency valuable to people while also being safe, plus it could eliminate the negative stigma that comes with parts of the currency.

These ideas are different from what current currencies are built upon, but Gates finds it necessary for some currencies to make these changes if they wish to be successful. Gates’ interview shows there are many concerns with Bitcoin and that it can be a very high-risk option for investing, even if it is something that could be viable.

Current Updates on Bitcoin

Bill Gates’ remarks on Bitcoin come as the cryptocurrency continues to be one of the most interesting investment options around. Bitcoin holds a value of about $53,000 on the market. The total has been consistently growing in the past twelve months. The value was around $30,000 at the start of the 2021 calendar year. The currency also saw a peak of nearly $58,000 in February.

But the increased popularity of Bitcoin has also caused it to become extremely volatile, as Musk’s loss shortly after his announcement shows. Bitcoin had a value of about $57,000 on February 21. But that value dropped to $45,000 a week later on February 28.

The volume for Bitcoin can also shift based on who buys and sells the currency. Bitcoin has a 24-hour trading volume of at least $50 billion on most days. Trading also occurs worldwide, often making it tough for people to predict what happens next.

Microsoft Unveils New Web Page Creation Tool for Merchants

Microsoft have just unveiled their next chapter of Dynamics Cloud Business Apps: Dynamics 365. Dynamics 365 is a new approach to cloud-based intelligent business applications, uniquely allowing brands to create product pages of their own, while having a space available for customer interactions, such as ratings and reviews. The goal of Dynamics 365 is to increase competition with Amazon in the world of e-commerce.

By delivering unique cloud solutions distinct from anything else available on the market, Microsoft Dynamics CRM also complements Microsoft’s other offerings in the e-commerce domain, enabling merchants to both keep in good contact with customers and keep a solid eye on analytics.

What Does Dynamics 365 Offer Merchants?

By delivering cloud ERP medium and smaller sized businesses, Dynamics 365 is designed to transform business processes and improve productivity and output. The service can be accessed from anywhere in the world, including via a web browser or iOS, Android, or Windows apps.

Dynamics 365 offers several benefits to brands:

  • Cloud-Based Business App For MerchantsAs a new approach to business applications, Dynamics 365 unifies the current ERP and CRM solutions into a singular cloud service, featuring newly purpose-built apps designed to aid in sales, marketing, and finance.
  • In order to assist businesses in reaching their goals, Cortana Intelligence and Power BI are embedded into the software along with Azure IoT.
  • Featuring full offline mode support, Dynamics 365 is truly mobile and accessible at any time, from anywhere on Windows, iOS and Android platforms.
  • Power BI is integrated in the Dynamics 365 experience, giving insights into each area of business which can be viewed from a central dashboard page.

Dynamic 365 Part of a Growing Trend

Microsoft’s new tool is part of a growing trend of market disruption and business evolution.

Cloud-Based Tool Improves IT Productivity

Cloud solutions are being adopted across many areas of business. Cloud-based systems offer positive security aspects as well as greater convenience. Cloud-based systems have become the preferred method for running the majority of enterprises.

LoB (line of business) executives in the majority of companies have the say now when it comes to the IT budgets. It was estimated that by 2017 as much as 50% of all IT spending would be out of the control of IT and the CIO. Software vendors will be required to provide applications that address the needs of the LoB executives.

When switching tasks, the average worker loses about 40% of their productivity, costing the global economy as much as $450 billion a year. Companies are now looking to have productivity tools embedded directly within their business processes in a bid to increase productivity.

New technologies are also growing and enabling newer business models at a rate faster than any other seen before. If a company is going to be a success, they’ll need to make sure that their people are able to process and respond quickly to new market changes. If they aren’t flexible and able to change and familiarize themselves with the new directions of business, then it’s game over.