Matthew Finnegan
Senior Reporter
Matthew Finnegan covers Microsoft, collaboration and productivity software, AR/VR, and other enterprise IT topics. He joined IDG in January 2013 and is based in Sweden.
The metaverse: Not dead yet
Two years ago, the metaverse was hyped as the Next Big Thing in tech. Nowadays, Generative AI has grabbed all the headlines. But don’t count out the concept of interconnected virtual worlds just yet.
Microsoft advances mixed-reality plans with Teams avatars, Mesh update
Though generative AI was the main focus at Build this year, Microsoft is still working on a 'metaverse’ for the workplace.
Microsoft’s M365 Copilot AI assistant gets third-party app integrations
Plugin extensions will let users of Microsoft’s productivity suite hook the app into third-party apps from vendors including Atlassian, ServiceNow, and Mural.
Microsoft adds M365 Copilot to more apps, extends customer trial to 600 firms
Hundreds of customers will be able to access Copilot in a paid early access trial as the generative AI assistant is rolled out more widely across the Microsoft 365 app suite.
Slack GPT brings native generative AI to chat app
Not long after announcing its ChatGPT integration, Slack has unveiled plans to incorporate generative AI features such as conversation summaries directly into its collaboration platform. There are challenges, however, around accuracy....
For Windows 10, 22H2 is the end of the road
Microsoft says the final version of Windows 10, released last fall, is version 22H2. From now until the end of support in 2025, only security updates will be released.
With Canvas, Slack promises teams an easier way to share information
Slack will roll out the document creation tool, first unveiled in 2022, to all users over the next few months.
IT staffers would help colleagues avoid monitoring software
IT workers say they’re uncomfortable deploying productivity monitoring software and would think twice about working for a company that snoops on its employees.
As frontline workers eye the exit, digital tools can aid staff retention
For many retail, hospitality, and transportation companies, employee retention has become a priority — and new digital tools are increasingly seen as an important way to keep frontline workers from leaving.
For developers, too many meetings, too little 'focus' time
Working at a large company? You’re less likely to get time to focus than peers at smaller firms, according to data from time management app Clockwise.
Q&A: How employee monitoring can sometimes do more harm than good
There may be valid reasons for monitoring workers — to improve workplace safety, for instance, or safeguard against dangerous behavior. But workplace surveillance can also become invasive and break the trust between employer and...
Banks face a WhatsApp reckoning as regulators clamp down on messaging apps
Financial institutions are being hit with millions of dollars in fines from regulators concerned about the use of messaging apps. That's forcing the financial firms to shift gears to deal with the issue.
Microsoft Teams now lets users send short video clip messages
The new asynchronous video chat tool is one of several Teams announcements from Inspire this week, including collaborative annotations and the Excel Live app in Teams meetings.
Microsoft brings social network-style ‘stories’ to work
The company offered up its take on Facebook and Instagram Stories at Inspire, as Yammer Communities becomes Viva Engage.
Hiring across borders is tough. Global HR startups aim to help
Remote work opens up a global talent pool, but it can be tricky to hire workers in other countries. A new breed of global hiring firms wants to take the pain out of the process with user-friendly cloud platforms.
Slack adds video and screenshare to Huddles audio chat
Huddles have become the fastest-adopted feature in Slack’s history, the company said, helping reduce time spent in online meetings.
Q&A: Four business leaders on their 4-day workweek pilot plans
Seventy small businesses in the UK are now trying out a four-day workweek as part of a six-month trial coordinated by the non-profit 4 Day Week Global and think tank Autonomy. Leaders at four of the firms explain what they're doing...
Microsoft promises to recognize Activision Blizzard unions
Microsoft has formalized its promise that it won’t stand in the way of unionization efforts at Activision Blizzard, announcing an agreement with the Communications Workers of America.
Apple’s Freeform adds another digital whiteboard option for remote work
Freeform is due out later this year, but its availability on Apple devices could keep it from gaining ground on various competing whiteboard apps on the market.