Many users are now complaining that even short periods of inactivity lead to forced logouts, requiring repeated authentication throughout the day.

For businesses relying on PayPal to handle high transaction volumes, the platform’s default five-minute session timeout is a significant source of frustration.

“Imagine you’re in the middle of processing dozens of transactions, only to be kicked out and forced to log back in,” says Sarah, a Melbourne-based e-commerce entrepreneur. “It’s not just annoying; it’s time-consuming, and time is money.”

An Unscalable Frustration

Businesses with high transaction volumes often juggle multiple accounts, deal with frequent customer queries, and process refunds. Having to log in repeatedly adds friction to an already complex workflow.

Others argue the issue isn’t just about session timeouts. Some have raised concerns about PayPal’s broader usability challenges. There’s no functionality to customise session lengths or streamline account access for businesses.

One user vented their frustration directly on the PayPal community forum,” This stinks and I’ve  been dealing with it for 10 years or more. Very tired of PP, would love to ditch it for something else as it is always 5+ years behind the curve.”

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The Australian Business Award for Employer of Choice is awarded to organisations that demonstrate outstanding human resource management practices, aimed at maximising workforce potential.

Lumify Group was recognised for its achievements across several key areas, including Organisational Culture & Leadership, Employee Education, Training & Development, Employee Health, Safety & Satisfaction, Performance Management, and Recognition & Remuneration.

“I am thrilled that Lumify Group has been recognised as an Employer of Choice in The Australian Business Awards 2024 for the second consecutive year,” said Jon Lang, CEO of Lumify Group.

“This award is another fantastic accomplishment for the Group and a testament to our commitment to creating a positive employee experience for our team.”

“I’m proud of initiatives that bring the transformative power of learning to our staff. These include the Emerging Leaders program, competency frameworks, and professional development plans,”

Lumify Group’s recognition as an Employer of Choice highlights its comprehensive approach to employee engagement and retention.

The post Lumify Group Named Employer Of Choice In The Australian Business Awards appeared first on Tech Business News.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is one of Australia’s biggest trading partners. In 2023,
Australia’s two-way trade with ASEAN nations amounted to $183.4 billion – greater than our two-way trade with Japan, the United States or the EU.

ASEAN’s digital economy is on track to grow from approximately $300 billion to almost $1 trillion by 2030 according to the World Economic Forum, unlocking unprecedented opportunities for Australian trading partners.

The forum’s Digital Transformation and Innovation panel will feature experts who are shaping ASEAN’s hi-tech future to explore the future of doing business in a digitally integrated ASEAN.

Organising Chairman Francis Wong said the digital economy and innovation were major priorities for member nations who were finalising The ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement for 2025 to support nations at different stages of digital integration.

“Artificial Intelligence was declared the top priority at this year’s ASEAN Digital Ministers meeting and alongside digital integration will impact every part of the ASEAN economy,” Mr Wong said.

“It will change the way we trade, pay for goods and services, how we work and how we create opportunities,” Mr Wong said.

“ASEAN has also signed on to digital e-commerce rules as part of the RegionalComprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the recently upgraded ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA (AANZFTA).

As many as 500 delegates seeking to support the ASEAN economic cooperation are expected to attend. “ASEAN is the world’s fifth largest economy and it is coming to Sydney,” Mr Wong said

This year’s event will also include a second day dedicated to an ASEAN showcase and business matching, giving member countries and Australian investors an in-person platform to connect directly.

Two regional and bilateral free trade agreements, the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade
Agreement (AANZFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), are already in place to support investment and market access.

The Forum will be attended by Trade and Tourism Minister, Senator Don Farrell, Assistant Minister for a Future Made In Australia and Assistant Minister for Trade, Senator Tim Ayres and NSW Minister for Industry and Trade, AnoulackChanthivong. ASEAN Secretary-General H.E.Dr. Kao Kim Hourn is providing a video message to the forum.

Event Partners this year include Austrade, Investment NSW, Business NSW, HSBC, Canopy Sands Development and Apeirogon Group.

The Australia-ASEAN Business Forum takes place from 9am tomorrow and Friday at the ICC Sydney

The post $1 Trillion Digital Transformation In Focus At 2024 Australia-ASEAN Business Forum appeared first on Tech Business News.

These changes impact casual employment, rights to transition to part or full-time, employment communication restrictions, and most critically, sweeping changes to union powers that businesses must adhere to inside their own offices and facilities.

Under the Fair Work Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Act, employees of a company may become delegates or representatives of a union within their industry.

This title then grants such employees, as a union delegate, far greater powers to take over employer offices and hijack facilities to conduct activities on their union’s behalf, potentially opening up industries including Western Australia’s Pilbara iron ore region to new labour claims at a time they can least afford it.

Legal Scholar, Ph.D. in  Law, and ActiumAI Founder, Dr David Millhouse says: “With IR laws becoming increasingly complex, the burden of compliance continues to be pushed onto Australian organisations – many of which are underprepared, aren’t aware of the implications, and lack the legal resources to respond.

“This could lead to millions of dollars in penalties, fines, and reputational damage for small businesses, threatening to drown Australia’s business community in compliance regulation.”

According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, “Delegates have the right to represent the industrial interests of union members and potential members.”

The post New Changes To IR Laws From August 26 Will Hit Australian Small Businesses Hard appeared first on Tech Business News.

Tuesday’s events delivered a blow to competition within an industry largely controlled by two major players, evoking memories of past fallen carriers as services were abruptly halted and planes seized.

Bonza, in its 15-month journey from launch to sudden grounding, ferried over 750,000 passengers across Australia. Its entry into the fiercely competitive market, dominated by Qantas Group and Virgin, was marked by turbulence.

Originally aiming to fill the gap in regional and holiday destination routes underserved by existing carriers with low-cost, low-frequency flights, Bonza faced delays in regulatory approval, finally commencing operations in January 2023.

Its executives cultivated a brand that saw it dubbed the “bogan” airline, making headlines by offering budgie smugglers in its inflight shop and for shunning traditional travel outlets to only sell tickets through its smartphone app.

The airline faced challenges due to aircraft shortages, leading to the cancellation of multiple routes over the past year. Consequently, its market share stood at a mere 2%, as per the latest report from the competition watchdog on domestic aviation.

Despite starting from the Sunshine Coast and expanding to major airports like Melbourne’s Tullamarine and the Gold Coast, Bonza struggled to secure access to Sydney Airport.

The post Bonza Will Be The Latest Brand To Join The Long List of Domestic Aviation Start-Ups To Fail appeared first on Tech Business News.

Based in the British Channel Islands, the JT Group provides a comprehensive suite of communication services and solutions. Jersey, within the Channel Islands, has been recognised globally as a pivotal hub for technological innovation.

The landmark deal not only signifies JT Group’s commitment to enhancing its Mobile Intelligence solutions but also positions the Channel Islands-based telecom giant as a key player in the global fight against identity theft and financial fraud.

MoneyGuard is a multi-channel, multi-host solution designed to assist financial institutions in combatting fraud by alerting and communicating with customers through SMS, mobile apps, email, and voice.

JT Group plans to seamlessly integrate MoneyGuard into its existing portfolio, enhancing its ability to protect customers from financial fraud and identity theft.

Daragh McDermott, CEO of JT Group, said, “JT Group’s vision is to connect our customers, and this strategic acquisition perfectly aligns with our commitment to using data-driven solutions to combat financial fraud,”

“MoneyGuard’s innovative features complement our existing Mobile Intelligence portfolio, bolstering our ability to provide effective communication channels in the dynamic world of financial transactions.” McDermott said.

The post Spectrum Message Services Acquired By Jersey Telecom (JT Group) appeared first on Tech Business News.

For businesses that have leveraged Google’s feature to create websites using information sourced from their Business Profiles, a transition period is set to begin.

This shift marks the phasing out of websites created through Google Business Profiles, with visitors to these sites automatically redirected to the corresponding Business Profiles.

Websites made with Google Business Profiles are basic websites powered by the information on your Business Profile. The websites will be turned off and customers visiting the sites will be redirected to the associated Business Profile instead.

The decision to discontinue the website creation feature integrated with Google Business Profiles comes as part of Google’s ongoing efforts to enhance user experience and streamline its services.

While the feature has served as a convenient tool for businesses to establish an online presence, its discontinuation signifies a shift towards more efficient and comprehensive means of online engagement.

Google Business Profiles offer a platform to showcase essential information about businesses, along with the option to include social media links for additional engagement. The consolidation aims to provide a more comprehensive and efficient way for businesses to connect with their audience online.

The post Google Business Profiles to Replace Websites: Shutdown Begins March 1, 2024 appeared first on Tech Business News.

The research coincides with positive trading insights from CBA data, showcasing a 5.4% increase in earnings for SMBs during the second quarter of FY24 compared to the previous quarter.

Rebecca Warren, Executive Group Manager of Small Business Banking at CBA, says the resilience of SME owners amidst inflation, rising interest rates, and workforce hurdles,.

“Despite the challenging economic landscape, small business owners are gearing up to drive growth in the upcoming months,”

“Our commitment is to support these businesses and the visionary entrepreneurs behind them, empowering them to achieve sustainable success.”

The research reveals that SMEs are prioritising marketing initiatives (45%) and staff development (34%) as key drivers of growth. Additionally, strategies such as revising pricing (31%), investing in new product and service development (31%), and diversifying supply chains (13%) are gaining traction among SMEs.

Ms. Warren highlighted the surge in demand for marketing and communication services, indicating a strategic focus on customer acquisition and retention.

The post SMBs Consider Investments For Growth in 2024 appeared first on Tech Business News.

The Program is a much-needed initiative, considering Australia is the second last of the 13 countries assessed in deploying and exploring AI, according to the 2022 IBM Global AI Adoption Index.

The network of centres will showcase the innovative capabilities that AI can unlock, provide guidance on how to adopt AI responsibly and efficiently and provide specialist training to help the businesses develop specific skills to effectively manage AI.

The Government is seeking applications from Australian businesses, in one of the key priority areas of the National Reconstruction Fund (NRF). These areas include renewables and low emissions technologies, medical science, transport, defence and the primary industry. Eligible businesses will receive training without charge.

The AIIA welcomes the announcement by the Minister, having been a consistent industry voice in calling for greater funding and support for responsible AI adoption across the Australian economy.

This AI Adopt Program will ensure that Australian businesses do not miss out on harnessing the massive productivity benefits that AI and generative AI will bring to their businesses and the wider economy. The CSIRO and Data61 have forecasted that, by 2030, AI benefits could be worth $22.17 trillion to the global economy.

“The AIIA has long called for accelerated funding to ensure Australia can be a leader and an internationally respected partner in AI,” CEO Mr Simon Bush said.

The post $17M AI Adopt Program To Support Australian Businesses appeared first on Tech Business News.

Versent specialise in both Modern Build and Modern Run for cloud-native applications, data-streams, platforms and services to government and enterprise clients across Australia, the Asia Pacific and the United States.

Paul Migliorini, CEO of Versent, said, “Versent was founded on a belief that the way technology services were delivered needed to fundamentally change.

“One principle has governed all our activity, that success for Versent is solely a function of our customers’ success. We’ve used this principle to underpin our focus on investing in engineering depth, craft, innovation and a culture that enables the best engineering talent to thrive,”.

“At Versent this mindset is called ‘done done’. We’re pleased to have identified a partner that appreciates and shares our ‘done done’ culture,”

“Versent is known in the market for providing deep, trusted technical expertise with commitment to customer outcomes through long-term partnership and alongside Telstra Purple we can achieve greater scale with a consistent growth pipeline, particularly expanding our international presence,” Migliorini said.

Telstra’s acquisition follows a period of sustained growth for Versent. Founded in 2014 by Thor Essman, Eddie Smith and James Coxon,

The post Telstra Acquires Melbourne Cloud Services Business Versent For $267.5 Million appeared first on Tech Business News.