It’s earnings season again and the first big tech companies are starting to report their results. Normally we leave them to the discretion of investors and financial analysts, but with the emergence of new working practices and hybrid models being established, it is interesting to see where the interests of the big providers lie.

Based in Redmond, Washington Microsoft led the charge this week, announcing profits of $16.7 billion on revenue of $49.4 billion in the first three months of this year, up 8% and 18% respectively from the same period last year.

Microsoft’s business and productivity unit, which includes its cloud-based Office 365 software suite, saw revenue rise thanks to a 34% increase in revenue from career-focused online social network LinkedIn.

This comes as Microsoft Cloud revenue (server products and cloud services) for the quarter was $23.4 billion, up 32% year-over-year. Azure and “other cloud services” grew 46% for the quarter. Personal computing (Windows, Xbox, Search, Surface) gained ground as Microsoft 365 consumer subscribers grew 16% to 58.4 million. Office 365 Commercial subscriber seat growth increased 16% year-over-year. This time last year, the company claimed its Office 365 commercial paid seats reached 300 million.

Microsoft is still seeking regulatory approval for its $69 billion deal to buy video game powerhouse Activision Blizzard. According to the company, the merger with Activision will make Microsoft the third-largest games company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony, a major shift in the booming gaming world.

In A declaration, Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, said of the fiscal year that just ended: “Going forward, digital technology will be the key element that powers global economic output. Across the technology stack, we expand our opportunities and take part as we help customers differentiate themselves, build resilience, and do more with less.

Simply put, Nadella envisions the future as one driven by digital technologies that enable people to work anywhere, a goal Microsoft has been pursuing for some time. Obviously, from Microsoft’s perspective, this means that Microsoft 365 and Office 365 empower workers in hybrid and remote environments as well as, of course, the physical workplace.

At the time of this writing, other results were not yet available, but it’s a safe bet that, at least in terms of cloud computing, the results of the other companies will be strong as well. We’ll see how they fare in the coming weeks.

Adobe identifies in-demand skills

One of the hardest questions to answer in today’s digital workplace is what skills are most in demand by organizations. While research over the years has identified trends on a yearly basis, the problem has been magnified by the number of people leaving the workplace or changing jobs over the past year.

To dig a little deeper into this question, the San Jose, Calif.-based company Adobe analyzed current job postings on LinkedIn to find the most in-demand skills. He then compared those results with information from 750 professionals hired over the past three years on their most frequently used skills.

the lines of research on the 10 most in-demand careers and most in-demand skills in each of these categories. While many positions are familiar to anyone working in the digital workplace, three areas and types of jobs stood out:

• Video and audio production: DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) experts in the workplace
• Virtual presence label: Digital Marketing Professionals
• IT Automation: Data Science Specialist

At the top of the in-demand list are data-related jobs. The most sought-after position today is for data scientists and people who can analyze and manage big data while finding actionable insights or trends.

The main job titles within this group include data scientist, data science specialist, data management analyst, while the skills sought by employers now include creativity, time management, proactivity, data analysis and statistics, computer automation and project management.

Digital content creators are also in high demand, as employers see them as essential to producing digital content that will attract and retain target audiences. Some of the best job titles here include content coordinator, writing consultant, and podcaster while demonstrating creativity, time management, proactivity, data analysis and statistics, graphic design, and project management.

While other skills are also in demand, such as mental health specialists or educators, for the digital workplace, the ability to communicate visually and verbally, working on social media platforms, mobile apps and websites are essential criteria.

Keep in mind that the LinkedIn 2021 Workplace Learning Report found that recent graduates earned a higher starting salary (up to 16% higher) when they listed visual communication skills on their LinkedIn profile.

The world has changed work as we know it, and as a result, employee career paths have changed as well. The goal of this study is to help people align with the new job skills expectations for the 2022 job market.

Many organizations ignore the content of their data

A sign of why organizations may be looking for people with data skills, a recent report (registration required) form based in San Mateo, CA Snowflake found that many organizations were not using data to make business decisions.

According to the survey, based on responses from 1,000 senior executives from mid-sized and large companies in eight countries and five industries, data and its use remain an issue for many organisations.

Titled “How to Win in Today’s Data Economy,” the report’s findings challenge the conventional wisdom that most businesses are already data-driven.

The research points out that despite easy access to technologies that can dig deep into data and enable even the least tech-savvy worker to manipulate and glean insights from data, only 6% actually use these tools.

This small group of organizations democratize access to data, use data strategically and exchange data with other organizations and in turn outperform their peers in terms of business results, including better revenue growth and better market share.

So what makes these data leaders so different? According to research, it is a combination of human, process and technological factors. He cites, in particular, a company that has a C-level mandate in place to become more data-driven as well as a strong emphasis on collaborative data sharing. The research also challenges the conventional wisdom that most businesses are already data-driven, with findings among respondents including:

• Only 38% say data informs most or all of the decisions in their organization.
• Only 55% can share and access data between their business units.
• Only 45% share and access data from external organizations.

Organizations want to join and participate in the data economy and become leaders, but to do so, the report recommends hiring a chief data officer (CDO) with real business power, as well as having scalable technologies and a recognition by leaders of the value of data and how to monetize it.

Google’s free workspace offer gets a short reprieve

Google announced this week that the Mountain View, Calif.-based company is delaying the shutdown of its free version of Workspace until June 1.

Google first announced in January that old G Suite free edition accounts should start paying for Workspace. Google Apps users had the option to upgrade to a paid Workplace plan before May 1. If they took no action, they would be automatically upgraded and expected to start paying in July.

However, in a recent Google Workspace blog postGoogle explained that users now have until June 1 to select a paid Workspace plan, with their first bill due August 1. Anyone wishing to continue with a free option will soon have to join a waitlist by June 1 to avoid payouts.

Google gave no explanation for the changed date and it makes little difference to those who need to upgrade anyway. Specifically, the no-cost option that was hinted at with the original announcement still seems to be available.

For those opting for the free option, Google said businesses will have access to Google Drive, Google Meet, Google Search, Google Maps and YouTube. Businesses would not have the authority to manage multiple users or use a custom domain name in the email address. Those who sign up before the June 1 deadline will retain access to their old G Suite free edition until the free option opens.

The extension will give users more time to decide on next steps. However, serious Workspace users are unlikely to migrate to another untested suite or welcome the kind of disruption such a change would cause.

Developer of clean code platform SonarSource raises $412 million

Finally this week, the Geneva clean code platform provider Sonar Source announced a successful $412 million funding round, bringing the 14-year-old company’s valuation to $4.7 billion.

The company claims that over 5 million developers use its platform to keep their code bug-free and secure. The money will be used to double its sales force in 2022 and expand its marketing team in existing offices. In addition to headquarters in Geneva, the company has offices in Austin, Texas and Bochum, Germany. The investment in sales and marketing will help the company expand its reach among the 70 million software developers worldwide.

SonarSource provides both open source and commercial products to help customers manage code quality. It supports development in over 20 programming languages, including Java, C#, JavaScript, C/C++, and COBOL.

the the company also said it will open a new regional headquarters in Singapore, allowing the company to expand its business in the APAC market.