Microsoft has announced that from March 1st 2022, it will increase the prices of its Microsoft 365 and Office 365 subscription plans.

How Much?

Microsoft says that the price rises, which could be as much as 25 percent, will affect its commercial products in the following ways:

Microsoft 365 Business Basic, will rise from $5 to $6 per user (£3.63 to £4.36)

Microsoft 365 Business Premium will rise from $20 to $22 (£14.53 to £15.98)

Office 365 E1 will rise from $8 to $10 (£5.81 to £7.26)

Office 365 E3 will rise from $20 to $23 (£14.53 to £16.71)

Office 365 E5 will rise from $35 to $38 (£25.43 to £27.61)

Microsoft 365 E3 will rise from $32 to $36 (£23.25 to £26.15).

Microsoft points out that this will be “the first substantive pricing update since we launched Office 365 a decade ago”.

Why?

Microsoft says that the price rises reflect the increased value that it has delivered to its customers over the past 10 years. This includes its continuous re-investment in improving its products, the addition of 24 apps to its suites, the addition of 1,400 new features and capabilities. Also, four years ago, Microsoft launched 365 to bring together the best of Office, Windows, and Enterprise Mobility and Security (EMS) for its customers, and (the same year) it added Microsoft Teams as “the only integrated solution where you can meet, chat, call, collaborate, and automate business processes—right in the flow of work”.

The tech giant points to its innovative products and addition of value for customers in the three key areas communication and collaboration, security and compliance, and AI and automation as justification for next year’s price rise.

Something New Too

Microsoft is also using the introduction of its new unlimited dial-in for Microsoft Teams meetings across enterprise, business, frontline, and government suites as an extra justification for the price rises. Unlimited dial-in (available with subscription in over 70 countries and with interactive support in 44 languages and dialects) should eliminate difficulties in joining Teams meetings due to connectivity/patchy internet connection problems, thereby making it easier for users to join their Microsoft Teams meeting from virtually any device regardless of location.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

This represents a considerable (and unwelcome) price hike for businesses in only 6 months-time, particularly for small businesses that have not been able to benefit from the bulk discounts that larger businesses have enjoyed over the years. With the Microsoft Office line being its biggest seller, bringing its revenue mostly from business customers who have used the products to help adapt to remote and hybrid working, Microsoft know that this price increase will now give a considerable boost to its revenue and profits and will allow it to expand its Office cloud business even more.

A Microsoft recent update announcement about Windows 11 appears to say that although the new OS still won’t run on some older PC’s, Microsoft doesn’t plan to stop you from trying.

The Problem

When Microsoft’s June Windows 11 announcement showed that its minimum hardware requirements meant that it would only support eighth generation and newer Intel Core processors (as well as Apollo Lake, and newer types of Pentium and Celeron processors), it became clear that the new OS may simply not be able to run on many older computers.

Also, the required “hard floor” (minimum configuration) for Windows 11 is that a device needs a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip (a type of security chip used for things like storing passwords and encryption keys) to run it.  Without this type of chip, Windows can’t be run on a device, and even with devices that meet the “soft floor”, they may receive a notification that an upgrade to Windows 11 is not advisable.

At the time, Microsoft recommended a Windows PC Health Check app as a way for users to find out whether their PC would be able to support Windows 11 (https://aka.ms/GetPCHealthCheckApp).

Latest Announcement … Expanded Chip List (A Bit)

In Microsoft’s latest announcement, it said that following tests of whether devices running on Intel 7th Generation and AMD Zen 1 processors could support the OS, it has expanded the list of compatible 64-bit processors to include Intel® Core™ X-series, Xeon® W-series, Intel® Core™ 7820HQ (only select devices that shipped with modern drivers based on Declarative, Componentised, Hardware Support Apps (DCH) design principles, including Surface Studio 2).

Microsoft also says that it has expanded the PC Health Check App so that it gives more information and links support articles with possible remediation steps for those whose PC doesn’t look like it will support Windows 11.

You Can Try

Microsoft also appears to be saying that users who try to install Windows 11 via Windows Update on their unsupported system won’t be able to, however installing Windows 11 manually from an ISO file boot disk (e.g. onto an older machine) will be possible, although there won’t be driver compatibility or much system stability, and it will be at the user’s own risk.

If Not 11, Then 10 Is For You

Microsoft says that for those who are using a PC that won’t upgrade to Windows 11, and who don’t want to buy a new device yet “Windows 10 is the right choice” and that Microsoft will still support Windows 10 through October 14, 2025.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Although having to test to see if your older computer can support Windows 11 (having those with older computers feeling excluded) isn’t the ideal way that Microsoft wanted to introduce its new OS, it’s not as bad as it sounds.  In reality, the minimum requirements for Windows 11 aren’t likely to exclude too many older devices although some may have the same stability issues that they may have experienced anyway with Windows 10. Clearly, Microsoft wants to make sure that its first new OS in a long time is up to the demands of modern users who regularly use their PCs for video conferencing, productivity, and gaming, and has set its minimum system requirements accordingly to align with many on these common apps. Businesses with older PCs that won’t take Windows 11 can continue with Windows 10 with support until late 2025 anyway. It will mean, however, for some businesses, it’s a case of thinking about replacing some PCs sooner than they would have liked to get the benefits of Windows 11.

Data Protection Reforms

Since Brexit, the UK government has been seeking to reform data protection regulations in the UK in a way that it says will cut down on what Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden has been quoted describing as the “needless bureaucracy” of the current system of data protection and data transfer between countries. The Government message is that the appointment of a new ICO who could “go beyond the regulator’s traditional role” would be a way to reform regulations and make new data adequacy agreements with other countries that would reduce barriers to data transfer, help data (and more trade) to flow more freely, and improve innovation and economic growth.  The government has been keen to stress that despite (and perhaps to facilitate) these planned changes, the new regulator will have a “light touch”, but data will still be protected.

Cookie Pop-Ups

It appears that cookie pop-ups have been used by the UK government as an example and as part of the justification for wanting to make changes to data protection laws. Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden has argued in recent media reports that the requirement for the kind of cookie pop-ups that are present on most large sites, asking for permission to store a user’s personal information, are a visible example of the kind of needless bureaucracy at work that could be avoided with a change to data regulations.

What Is Data Adequacy?

Data Adequacy partnerships are agreements that protections are in place and are similar in two countries, thereby allowing the safe sending of people’s personal data internationally. Having a data adequacy partnership in place was part of the negotiations with the EU for Brexit.

For post-Brexit UK, heralded by the impending appointment of John Edwards as the new ICO, the UK government is now keen to make new, more frictionless data adequacy partnership agreements with the EU and many different countries which the UK wants to trade with.

Criticism

Critics of the UK government’s post-Brexit push to reform data protection regulations with new data adequacy partnerships are worried that this could weaken the UK GDPR and lead to the personal and private data of UK citizens being put at risk of being taken and shared.

Privacy advocates have also been sceptical as to whether it is realistic and possible for the UK government to give UK citizens and consumers more control over how their data is used on the one hand, while also giving businesses (and the government) greater freedoms to use that data through new agreements.

EU and GDPR

It was only in June this year that the UK government managed to achieve a data adequacy agreement with the EU, and any more proposed changes to that agreement now by the UK may be difficult to negotiate.

Who Is John Edwards?

John Edwards, the person named to succeed the current Information Commissioner (data protection regulator) Elizabeth Denham, is currently New Zealand’s Privacy Commissioner and head of its Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC), where he has been in the job for more than 7 years. Prior to his work with the OPC, he was a self-employed barrister and solicitor focusing on information and privacy law, and Chair of the Global Privacy Assembly from 2014-17.

In addition to his obvious legal background and experience, he is also known for overseeing New Zealand’s adequacy status with the EU, which is one of the reasons why he is favoured for the UK job.

Hates Facebook?

Mr Edwards is also known for his apparent dislike for Facebook. In April 2019 for example, after Facebook appeared to not accept any responsibility for the Christchurch massacre (mosque shootings) where one shooter described YouTube to be “a significant source of information and inspiration”, Mr Edwards was quoted from his Twitter account in the Guardian as saying, “Facebook cannot be trusted” and that the company were “morally bankrupt pathological liars”. He was also quoted as saying of Facebook that they “allow the live streaming of suicides, rapes, and murders, continue to host and publish the mosque attack video, allow advertisers to target ‘Jew haters’ and other hateful market segments, and refuse to accept any responsibility for any content or harm”.

Recently, Mr Edwards has indicated on his Twitter account that he doesn’t hate Facebook.

Why Is This Relevant?

The relevance of a possible Facebook-hater as the ICO is that he would be responsible for imposing fines for breaches of the UK Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy in Electronic Communications Regulations (PECRs) and would have an influence over the UK government’s Online Safety Bill.  This Bill is designed to establish a new regulatory framework to tackle harmful content online and would, therefore, potentially affect Facebook as a major content hosting platform.

Is An Overseas Regulator A Problem?

Some critics have highlighted the fact that the current UK ICO, Elizabeth Denham, who has been criticised for not enforcing data protection laws well enough, has been working from home in Canada throughout most of the pandemic, and the UK now looks set to appoint another ICO from overseas where there is a different data protection regime.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

If the government’s argument is to be accepted, changing data protection laws to help data transfers between different countries and the UK could unlock more trade and benefits for British businesses. If the argument of some data privacy/security advocates is to be accepted, new data laws could mean that our personal data is more at risk and that the government is proposing a balancing act that may not be possible to realistically achieve. For Facebook and other social media companies, the appointment of John Edwards as the new ICO may give them cause for concern given his previous comments about Facebook, and his soon-to-be power over the imposition of penalties and the possible impact of the development of the UK’s Online Safety Bill.

In this article, we look at what 3D printing is, its benefits, and how it is being used now to add value in many different industries.

What Is It?

3D printing (“additive manufacturing”) describes how, using a special printing machine, a three-dimensional object can be constructed from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. The 3D printing machinery builds up layers of material to create a 3D object. The machinery is directed by ‘slicing software’ which slices a 3D model into hundreds or thousands of layers, thereby instructing the printer on how to build up layers to create the finished model. 3D printing is used across the board from hobbies to state-of-the-art commercial purposes.

Made of What?

3D printing can use different materials and many different processes to build an object. For example, vat polymerisation uses a liquid photopolymer that’s cured by light, material extrusion uses molten thermoplastic that’s deposited through a heated nozzle, and powder bed fusion uses powder particles that are fused by a high-energy source.  The most popular type of 3D printing (at the consumer level) is fused deposition modelling (FDM) which works by extruding thermoplastics (ABS and PLA), through a heated nozzle, thereby melting the material to build up layers of plastic.

Value Highlighted In The Pandemic

Some of the value of 3D printing was highlighted in March/April 2020 when large-scale 3D printing was used to meet the huge demand for nasal swabs in the US (Northwell Health and FormLabs), and for making PPE like face shields in the UK (University of Sheffield, iForge).

Global Market Size

The recent MarketsandMarkets forecast predicted that the global 3D printing market will grow by a massive 22.5 per cent per year from $12.6bn this year to $34.8bn by 2026.

Examples of Industries Using 3D Printing

Some examples of how different industries are using 3D printing include:

– Healthcare: Used to make 3D dental implants, knee implants and custom 3D-printed orthotics/insoles (Belgian 3D printing firm Materialise).

– Aerospace: Using 3D printing to make aircraft parts such as castings for gear cases and covers, fuel tanks, and transmission housings, as well as to create fixtures, jigs, gauges, and templates (to reduce production costs).

– Manufacturing: Using 3D printing to create custom, low-volume tooling and fixtures thereby saving costs and allowing designers and engineers to spend more time on revenue-generating parts.

– Education: The education sector is using 3D printing in many ways e.g., parts for educational tools to help PhD students who use the printers for research, and colleges (e.g. Purdue in the US) using 3D printing to help students to learn about emerging additive manufacturing materials and technology.

– Robotics: Companies in the robotics field use 3D printers to help (quickly) produce low cost, low weight parts such as end-of-arm tooling and end-use parts (grippers, fingers, and other robot components).

From Prototype to Developing Final Products

The development of 3D printing is such that the industrial manufacturing sector is now moving from a prototype phase of 3D printing adoption to developing final products.

The Benefits of 3D Printing

Some of the main benefits of 3D printing include:

– Reducing costs and waste (e.g. in part manufacture).

– Speed and helping to reduce time to market (e.g. rapid prototyping).

– Flexibility. For example, unlike traditional manufacturing where a new tool, mould, die, or jig is required to make a new part, a 3D printer can make almost anything that fits within its build volume.

– Quality and consistency, due to step-by-step assembly and monitoring.

– Accessibility.  3D printers can be used by a much wider range of people/businesses than traditional manufacturing setups.

Disadvantages of 3D Printing

Some of the disadvantages of 3D printing include:

– Limited materials (that can be used by printers to build objects).

– High costs of equipment and products.

– Restrictions on build size (based on the size/capacity of the printer).

– The need for post-processing, i.e. most 3D printed parts need cleaning up to remove support material.

– Cost per unit doesn’t reduce for large volumes unlike injection moulding.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

3D printing is still in the early phases of growth and although set up costs can be relatively high, it is delivering value in several different sectors in areas such as rapid prototyping in manufacturing and producing very specialised customised implants for healthcare. 3D printing has both hobby and commercial applications and businesses that design and/or manufacture products or need components may decide to look at ways in which 3D printing could have advantages over traditional methods and supply that could contribute to cost, speed, and flexibility benefits, and could be the source of new competitive advantages.

If you’d like a tidy, easy way to see your Gmail emails and Microsoft emails all in one place in Windows 10, here’s how to set it up:

– Click on ‘Start’ and type ‘Mail’, and select the Mail app.

– Open the app, right hand side click “+ Add account” and select Google/Gmail from the list.

– Enter your Gmail login details and complete any security verification.

– Click on ‘Allow’.

Human Rights groups fear that the Taliban could soon be able to use collected biometric data to identify contractors and locals working with the US military.

What Biometric Data?

It has been reported that, over time, while on operations in Afghanistan, the US military collected biometric data such as fingerprints and retina scans using a handheld device called HIIDE (Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment).  The plan was to collect the data of 80 percent of the population (25 million people) in the hope that it would enable the identification of bomb-makers, as well as those working with and helping the US military.

Also, the Afghan government has collected biometric data (including fingerprints and iris scans) for its e-Tazkira biometric identity card, and for voter registration in the 2019 elections (facial recognition). At the beginning of this year, the Afghan government had also planned to conduct biometric registration of students and staff of madrassas around the country, in a bid to prevent misuse of the schools, and to help in the move towards a single source curriculum.

What Could Happen?

The fear is this; now that the whole biometric infrastructure is in the hands of the Taliban, the Taliban could obtain and use biometric readers, the HIDE devices, or find other ways to use the collected data to identify and punish anyone who worked with/for the Americans.  Unfortunately, it has been reported that HIDE devices are already in Taliban hands and that the Taliban have been making house-to-house inspections using a biometrics machine.

Social Media Profile Fears – Facebook Takes Action

Facebook has announced that in response to concerns that friends lists in Facebook profiles could be used by the Taliban, it has launched a one-click tool for people in Afghanistan to quickly lock down their account, thereby preventing those who aren’t their friends from downloading or sharing their profile photo or seeing posts on their timeline. Facebook is also reported to be continuing a ban on Taliban content on its platform.

Although the new Facebook feature will provide some peace of mind and protection, it will not stop the Taliban from using confiscated/stolen devices to access friends lists.

Other Social Media Companies

Twitter has responded to accusations that the Taliban has been using its platform by saying that its rules don’t allow groups that promote terrorism or violence against civilians.  Also, LinkedIn has said that it has taken some measures to limit the visibility of connections for its members in Afghanistan.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

This story highlights the importance of data security and particularly how access to personal data can be a two-edged sword in certain situations. In ordinary circumstances, the worst that can happen with data breaches or inadequate privacy or security measures for data storage / devices / social media platforms is theft (identity, money, and more personal data), or damage to a company and its reputation, in a war situation, data can viewed in a whole new light. Just as the accuracy of the collected biometric data could have been used to protect the Americans, their contractors, and Afghan citizens, now that the data (and the readers) are in Taliban hands, the data can mean the difference between life and death. In modern warfare, personal data can be a valuable weapon in itself and lessons learned in Afghanistan could have implications for how biometric data is stored in other countries.