Amazon Aims for Echo Speakers in Every Office With 'Alexa for Business'

[npmacuser5]

Corporate espionage packaged in convenience. If I were in charge of the IT policy for a large business, I'd never allow Amazon or Google into my environment. Their business is to know about their customer.

Most likely your company or one you do business with using Amazon Cloud Services. They already have a massive trust relationship with business. All those Amazon data centers are not just for selling things. Additionally, Amazon using voice recognition as an authorizing access for purchases and useage. New feature that recognizes authorized users voice and has the ability to determine the distance a voice is from a device. Thus the Echo device on ones desk would respond not the Echo device on another’s desk. The really cool feature, check in. Allows one to chat with another Echo device. Instead of using the phone, just say “ name of device, could you please bring?”. Amazon very innovating and trusted in the business environment.

Update: Amazon added scheduling for meetings and follow up email for Alexa with voice recognition to access your calendar.

 

[modemthug]

Amazon keeping their competitive edge by expanding their spying business from the home to the enterprise. Smart.

Really stupid though if you actually use one.

 

[kdarling]

Alexa devices have a hardware MUTE button that disables the microphone / camera.

So it's easy to go full private whenever you wish.

Corporate espionage packaged in convenience. If I were in charge of the IT policy for a large business, I'd never allow Amazon or Google into my environment. Their business is to know about their customer.

Boy you're going to nailed for this one

Many major companies rely on Amazon Web Services or Google.

 

[hvfsl]

I can see a lot of companies getting this because it is an interesting new product. But for it to be truly useful, it needs to be able to mine all your companies data. So in a meeting, you can say something like; compare September and October's sales calls and it will then bring up that info on the screen. But I suspect we are 5-10years off from something like that.

 

[Piggie]

A listening device in every office...

Yeah, I don't see how this could ever go wrong.

You mean a human being ?
One of those things that hear everything you say, remember it, then can repeat it to anyone in the world.
they are also mobile, so you don't know where they travel to, with your information.

Scary things humans.

 

[acctman]

Amazon has definitely won the home automation round. Now, on to the office... i'm pretty sure they'll allow for custom wake words for a price. Good way to makes a corp SDK pack with custom skills, and presets.

 

[TriBruin]

I can see a lot of companies getting this because it is an interesting new product. But for it to be truly useful, it needs to be able to mine all your companies data. So in a meeting, you can say something like; compare September and October's sales calls and it will then bring up that info on the screen. But I suspect we are 5-10years off from something like that.

Actually, I don't think it would be that far our. The ability to mine and parse sales data exists today through any number of SQL/Oracle/Pick your favorite DB tools. All a company would need to do is write an Echo front end to these tools.

 

[selfsilent]

When have you ever needed to set a timer at work?
That’s what 99% of them are used for.

 

[fpsBeaTt]

Seems like we're gradually moving towards omnipresent voice access of computers (outside of carrying your phone around).

On another angle, boy would the Chinese (since they have focused very successfully on industrial espionage over the years) want to hack these things in business settings...on privacy concerns alone I'd never want them in a business setting.

Absolutely. Specifically in the area of cyber security, so many are still naive as to the true capabilities of a nation state like China.

 

[asdavis10]

Boy you're going to nailed for this one

Many major companies rely on Amazon Web Services or Google.

I should have specified their speaker products. Always-on listening devices in the workplace would be a no for me.

 

[convergent]

Absolutely. Specifically in the area of cyber security, so many are still naive as to the true capabilities of a nation state like China.

You realize most enterprise software is moving to the cloud.

Most of the posts in this thread are missing the whole value of what Alexa in business could do. Imagine being in a business meeting and needing the sales for the last quarter on a product in a particular region. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to ask Alexa?

If Amazon builds some backend integration into AWS then this could be very powerful if tied together with enterprise software. Have done imagination folks!

 

[fpsBeaTt]

You realize most enterprise software is moving to the cloud.

You realise that's not at all relevant.