Amazon has taken a firm position in the market for smart speakers with their Alexa. The focus has initially been on the consumer market but now is Alexa being positioned towards the B2B market as well with functions that Amazon is hoping will be valuable at your office. With the new scheme, Alexa for Business companies will be given the tools to manage a fleet of Alexa-enabled devices. Admins will be able to enroll users, enable and disable skills, and connect Alexa to their conferencing equipment. They’ll also be able to build their own apps for the assistant, with Amazon suggesting functions like helping with directions around the office, reporting problems with equipment, and ordering new supplies. Users will also be able to access their company’s apps from home devices, checking what’s on their office calendar and remotely joining meetings. It will be interesting to see if Google Home or Apple’s Homepod will follow?

Alexa in numbers:
– Over 5,000 employees
– 11 M units sold (estimted)
– 68 % market share on US market
– 25,000 functions