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Last year, Amazon announced a new initiative, Alexa for Business, designed to introduce its voice assistant technology and Echo devices into a professional environment. Today, the platform benefits from a significant upgrade by opening it to device manufacturers who build their own solutions integrating Alexa.
The change came as a result of comments from existing organizations in which Alexa for Business is now used, explains Amazon. The company says that thousands of companies have added an Amazon Echo to their existing office equipment since the program began last year, including companies like Express Trucking, Fender and Propel Insurance.
But companies have indicated that they want to integrate Alexa with existing devices, to minimize the amount of technology they need to manage and monitor.
The update will enable device manufacturers using the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) SDK to create products that can be registered with Alexa for Business and managed as shared devices throughout the enterprise.
Device management features include the ability to configure things like room designation and location, monitor the health of the device, and manage public and private skills assigned to shared devices.
Alexa for Business enables companies to create their own in-house, hands-on skills for a business environment, such as voice search in employee directories, Salesforce data, or company calendar information.
Amazon has also recently launched its own feature for Alexa for Business users, which allows employees to book conference rooms.
Amazon claims to already work with several brands to integrate Alexa into their own devices, including Plantronics, iHome and BlackBerry. And it works with solution providers like Linkplay and Extron, he says. (Citrix has also started to integrate with the "for Business" platform.)
"We have been using Alexa for Business since the launch of the latter by combining Echo devices with existing Polycom equipment," said Laura Marx, vice president of Alliance Marketing at Plantronics, in a statement explaining that she planned to create equipment compatible with Alexa. "The direct integration of these experiences into products such as Polycom Trio will propel the customer experience to the next level in terms of convenience and ease of use," she said.
Plantronics took a look at Alexa's experience early in the year and iHome already has a built-in Alexa device – the iAVS16. However, the product proposed by Alexa for Business has not yet been announced.
It is still too early to know if Amazon's commercial initiatives with Alexa prove profitable. After all, Echo devices are often used for mass-market purposes, such as listening to music, getting news and information, setting kitchen timers and making shopping lists. However, if Amazon manages to penetrate companies with Echo speakers and other professional equipment working with Alexa, it could penetrate a profitable voice market, beyond the smart home.
But not everyone believes that Alexa at work is a good idea. Hackers imagine how the devices could be used for corporate espionage and hacking, and warn companies that hold trade secrets not to install listening devices in their offices.
Amazon, however, is making good progress. He even joined Microsoft's Cortana to give Alexa access to Cortana's knowledge of productivity, such as calendar management, day at a glance, and customer email.
Alexa for Business features are provided as an extension of the AVS Device Software Development Kit, starting with version 1.10, available to users. Download from GitHub.
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