Technology

Cloudinary Extends Media Optimizer Offering, Brings the Immediate Power of Fast and Flawless Visual Content to Small Businesses

Cloudinary, the media experience platform for many of the world’s top brands, today announced that its no-code Media Optimizer product is now available to self-serve users. All users can sign up for Media Optimizer directly from Cloudinary’s website and begin using the product instantly via both free and paid plans. The new offering makes it easy for any user to automatically optimize and deliver their visual content, such as images and videos, with little to no manual work required.

The rise of the visual economy was accelerated greatly by the pandemic as evidenced by data from Cloudinary’s third annual State of Visual Media Report which revealed a dramatic increase in demand for and consumption of video, including a doubling of video views and a 140% growth in bandwidth in Q2 2020 alone. This rise in appetite for visual content presents a challenge for anyone managing images and videos which now account for more than 50% of page weight in most websites and apps. This growth also directly impacts web and app performance resulting in higher page load times, faster bounce rates and fewer conversions. To harness the power of visual media and eliminate inherent challenges, brands must properly optimize their visual content to deliver a compelling experience to every visitor.

“The ability to deliver a strong visual-first experience with high-quality images and videos is paramount for any business today, including small to midsize companies who often lack the resources to manage what can be a time-consuming yet critical part of the business. We’re thrilled to extend our Media Optimizer offering to help brands of all sizes more easily deploy visually appealing, multi-channel experiences to improve customer engagement and conversions.”

Nathan Kelley, Managing Director, Media Optimizer at Cloudinary

Since its launch in March, dozens of brands have selected Media Optimizer to deliver visually engaging experiences quickly and at scale, no matter where their content is viewed including Active Sports, Best&Less, Kmart Australia, Piping Rock, and PriceTravel.

When traffic peaks occur, maintaining site performance becomes challenging; page load times spike and it becomes difficult to guarantee a high-quality user experience. An even bigger roadblock occurred this year when Google implemented Core Web Vitals like Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) meaning unoptimized images now directly impact the organic traffic a brand can earn from Search Engine Results Pages. Media Optimizer solves these challenges by automating image and video optimization and delivery in the format and quality best suited for each end-user device, browser, and connection speed.

With Media Optimizer self-serve users can:
  • Start using Media Optimizer within minutes of sign-up
  • Benefit from an intuitive setup experience including an easy connection to existing image and video storage
  • Have images and videos delivered in optimal formats, quality, and sizes based on their device, browser, and connection speed automatically without any manual intervention or URL parameter adjustments

About Cloudinary
Cloudinary’s mission is to empower companies to deliver visual experiences that inspire and connect by unleashing the full potential of their media. With more than 50 billion assets under management and more than 8,000 customers worldwide, Cloudinary is the industry standard for developers, creators and marketers looking to upload, store, transform, manage, and deliver images and videos online. As a result, leading brands like Atlassian, Bleacher Report, Bombas, Grubhub, Hinge, NBC, Mediavine, Peloton, Petco and Under Armour are seeing significant business value in using Cloudinary, including faster time to market, higher user satisfaction and increased engagement and conversions.

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TECHNOLOGY

FluentStream Introduces Advanced Admin and Mobile Apps

Business Wire | October 19, 2023

FluentStream, the preferred cloud communications provider by small and midsize organizations, today launched two new apps: FluentStream Admin and FluentStream Mobile. Both resources provide business owners and their employees greater efficiency and control of their communication services and preferences, enabling them to stay connected from anywhere. As businesses continue to grapple with their work environment policies, research shows that hybrid and remote workforces will persist. In fact, by 2025, estimates predict that 36.2 million Americans will work remotely, a 417% increase from pre-pandemic data.1 To support the growing population of SMBs that are opting for more flexible work environments, FluentStream is committed to delivering tools that enable hybrid and remote workforces. “FluentStream continues to develop proprietary software that allows organizations to interact with their customers however and wherever they choose,” said Cass Gilmore, CEO, FluentStream. “Our new Admin and Mobile apps make it easier for organizations to reliably provide exceptional customer service regardless of where their employees are physically located.” The new FluentStream Admin app gives business owners and operational managers complete control of their business phone system and settings. Administrators gain a quick and simple way to make changes to call routing, manage users, change time of day conditions and more. FluentStream Admin provides a streamlined, centralized conduit for administrators to easily manage the entire organization’s communication settings from any mobile device or location. Natalie Merry, Director of Technology at FourStar Realty, a FluentStream customer for 10 years, said, “I’m so excited about this new tool. FluentStream Admin is intuitive and efficient. It’ll make my job easier and give me more flexibility and control. I appreciate that FluentStream listens to customer needs and delivers valuable tools like this that enable us to operate more effectively.” FluentStream Mobile enables users to communicate with customers and collaborate with co-workers while on the go. Employees, such as healthcare workers, real estate agents, electricians and other highly mobile professionals, can use their personal phones to call, text, and access features such as visual voicemail and call forwarding from their work extension at any time. FluentStream Mobile increases productivity and improves customer satisfaction with faster response times and more after-hour service options. About FluentStream FluentStream is a cloud communications company that simplifies and automates how small to medium-sized businesses communicate with their customers. FluentStream enables service, sales and other professionals to deliver an exceptional customer experience from any device or location. Inc. 5000 has recognized FluentStream as one of the fastest-growing private companies for six consecutive years, and BuiltIn named FluentStream one of the best places to work.

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FINANCE

BILL Unveils the Only Platform for SMBs: Integrating Finance

BILL | September 11, 2023

BILL, a leading in financial automation software provider for small and midsize businesses (SMBs), has announced the introduction of a new BILL Financial Operations Platform for SMBs, which integrates category-leading solutions across accounts receivable (AR), accounts payable (AP), and expense and spend management. With this new launch, BILL is delivering the most extensive capabilities for SMBs to enhance and manage cash flow within a single platform. According to BILL's State of Finance Automation report for 2023, over 80% of respondents believe that automation is essential for managing their finances in order to achieve more strategic business objectives. Bill payment is crucial, but they are also seeking more comprehensive and integrated solutions for managing more of their cash flow. The challenge is that, until recently, many SMBs were required to manage their incoming and outgoing cash flow across disparate systems and applications that are not integrated. With the latest integrated financial operations platform by Bill, SMBs can acquire better real-time business insights into their cash flow. In addition, businesses can optimize their cash flow more effectively with a variety of payment and funding options, such as Pay By Card, international payments, virtual card, the BILL Divvy Corporate Card, and real-time payments like instant transfer. The BILL’s New Financial Operations Platform includes: BILL Accounts Payable automates the complete AP process to simplify invoice entry for SMBs by leveraging data capture and artificial intelligence to streamline approvals. It also offers flexible payment options, enhancing the efficiency and transparency of financial operations. BILL Accounts Receivable automates AR through invoice generation, estimations, payment tracking, and collections, allowing SMBs to be paid quicker via ACH, credit, and debit cards. BILL Spend & Expense is an all-inclusive expense and spend management solution that incorporates free software with corporate cards to offer SMBs customizable control and real-time visibility over their business finances. To simplify the customer experience, Divvy from BILL will now be known as BILL Spend & Expense. The features and capabilities of Divvy, such as setting budgets, monitoring expenses, and gaining access to the credit businesses need to expand, will remain unchanged. Irana Wasti, Chief Product Officer at BILL, mentioned, “By offering ongoing innovation in our platform, BILL continues to revolutionize the way SMBs and accountants use financial automation to succeed. We’ve pioneered a more integrated and exhaustive experience to provide SMBs the ability to enhance and manage their financial operations in one place – assisting them make the right financial decisions so their businesses can thrive.” [Source – Business Wire] About BILL BILL, headquartered in California, is the industry-leading financial operations platform for small and midsized businesses (SMBs). As an advocate for SMBs, the company is automating the future of finance so that businesses can flourish. Its integrated platform enables businesses to more effectively manage their payables, receivables, expenditures, and expenses. Hundreds of thousands of businesses rely on BILL's network of millions of members to pay or get paid faster. BILL is a trusted partner of prominent U.S. financial institutions, accounting software vendors, and accounting firms.

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TECHNOLOGY

Norton Introduces New Small Business Solution with 24/7 Triple-Lock Cybersecurity for Small Teams

PR Newswire | September 29, 2023

Norton, a leading consumer Cyber Safety brand of Gen™ (NASDAQ: GEN), today announced Norton Small Business, the all-in-one cybersecurity solution to help entrepreneurs and small business owners protect their financial futures. While nearly 90%1 of businesses globally are small businesses - 99.9% in the US2 - many lack the means to protect their digital environments. Norton Small Business makes triple-lock protection accessible for small businesses to safeguard their team's online activities, devices and customer data in an easy, all-in-one cybersecurity solution. "Owning a very small business often means each member of the team wears different hats, and usually cybersecurity expert isn't one of them," said Massimo Rapparini, General Manager & Head of Small Business Safety at Gen. "Unfortunately, cybercriminals are aware of this and often target such businesses – more than half (57%) of small businesses experienced a security, data breach or both in 20223. For entrepreneurs and small businesses, falling for just one phishing email can have a devastating impact." Scams Taking Down Small Businesses Small businesses face a barrage of scams and phishing threats, just like consumers. In fact, they are targeted more than large companies. Companies with fewer than 100 employees face an average of 350% more social engineering attacks than larger enterprises4, and according to data from Gen, cyber threats that rely on manipulating people account for 85% of attacks on small businesses in the US. Of these threats, phishing – for example, emails trying to trick you into clicking a link or transferring money – is the most common way cybercriminals try to access small business systems, private data, financials and intellectual property. Businesses with under 10 employees often lack IT support, putting companies at great risk if cybercriminal attacks are successful – and many are. In 2020 alone, there were more than 700,000 attacks against small businesses totaling $2.8 billion in damages5. Norton Small Business helps small businesses disaster-proof their critical data to minimize the risk of financial loss. Entrepreneurs Pursue Financial Freedom Entrepreneurs often start their own businesses in pursuit of financial freedom and invest significant time, energy and personal savings to build their business. In fact, 61% of Gen Z small business owners believe entrepreneurship will lead them to retirement earlier than if they had gone straight to the corporate world6. Yet, small businesses are being heavily targeted by cybercriminals, leaving them at much higher risk of collapsing compared to larger firms when hit by a cyberattack. With heightened risk and so much at stake, it's surprising that about half of businesses with under 50 employees have no cybersecurity budget at all7. The effects of a cyberattack extend beyond financial consequences, and it's time cybersecurity is pushed to the forefront of small business priorities. Setting Up Your One-Person IT Department Norton is your go-to partner to make small business cybersecurity simple with an all-in-one solution that provides 24/7 cybersecurity protection and a variety of features, including: Secure Browser, Password Manager and VPN (virtual private network) to help secure day-to-day online activities Automated PC cleaning and optimization to keep healthier PCs for longer Secure Cloud Backup for PCs to help reduce the risk of loss of business data Software and driver updaters to help keep software up to date, so there are fewer vulnerabilities for cybercriminals to exploit IT coverage and maintenance for up to 20 devices A 100% Virus Protection Promise8 "We've built our small business products and services with the same approach in mind as we do with our consumer portfolio, so entrepreneurs don't need to worry about becoming cybersecurity experts," said Rapparini. "Norton is here to make cybersecurity accessible and easy so they can focus on building thriving businesses." Norton recommends these top 10 tips to protect your small business: Learn tospot signs of phishing andteach your employees Only click links or download attachments from known sources Avoid sharing personal information or private company data over email Alwayskeep your operating system, applications and drivers up-to-date Make sure yourWiFi network is protected with a strong password Regularlyback up your data Require employees to use aVPN when doing company work on a public WiFi network (think airports and coffee shops) Alwaysuse multi-factor-authenticationfor an extra layer of protection Don't neglect mobile devices – make sure they are password protected and use security software Invest in a cybersecurity solution such as Norton Small Business About Norton Norton is a leading Cyber Safety brand of Gen™ (NASDAQ: GEN), a global company dedicated to powering Digital Freedom through its family of trusted consumer brands including Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, ReputationDefender and CCleaner. Gen empowers people to live their digital lives safely, privately, and confidently today and for generations to come. Gen brings award-winning products and services in cybersecurity, online privacy and identity protection to more than 500 million users in more than 150 countries.

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TECHNOLOGY

ECI Software Solutions Named Cybersecurity Awareness Month Champion

ECI Software Solutions | October 13, 2023

ECI Software Solutions, Inc., a prominent cloud-based business management software and services provider, has recently announced that it has been recognized as a Cybersecurity Awareness Month Champion by the National Cybersecurity Alliance. This underscores ECI's unwavering commitment to delivering reliable cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), empowering them to operate and expand their enterprises with confidence and security. As a member of the distinguished group of Cybersecurity Awareness Month Champion organizations, which encompasses businesses of varying sizes, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and government entities, ECI Software Solutions is dedicated to the promotion of a safer, more secure, and trustworthy internet landscape. This significant development underscores ECI's ongoing dedication to fostering SMB growth through technological innovation. A noteworthy achievement is that over 12,000, constituting more than half of ECI Software Solutions' global clientele, have successfully transitioned their operations to the cloud. This migration has resulted in cost savings of up to 40%, achieved by streamlining operational expenses and reducing manual workloads. Such savings have assumed increased importance over the past few years, marked by persistent labor shortages and disruptions in the supply chain. ECI's cloud-based ERP solutions play a critical role in enhancing transparency and mobility, eliminating silos and tribal knowledge within SMBs. This approach positions SMBs for growth, enables accurate forecasting, and fosters the emergence of the next generation of leadership. At ECI Software Solutions, cloud ERPs are crafted for and by those who have traversed the journey of SMB growth. About ECI ECI Software Solutions specializes in providing cloud-based business software solutions designed to cater to the specific needs of small and mid-sized enterprises. Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, the company features a team of experts with deep knowledge in manufacturing, residential construction, field service management, building supply, office technology, and wholesale/retail distribution industries. ECI's industry-specific software connects businesses with their customers, enhancing visibility, operational efficiency, and profitability. Its comprehensive suite of services seamlessly integrates sales and marketing, business intelligence, CRM, data and analytics, e-commerce, mobile applications, and payment processing

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