Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Amazon Intros Alexa for Business

Amazon Echo

Amazon Web Services today announced Alexa for Business, a new service that provides voice control for office tasks. The Alexa intelligent assistant can help start conference calls, control conference room equipment, schedule meetings, keep track of tasks, notify IT of an equipment issue or reorder supplies, the company noted in a news announcement. The service can also be customized to voice-enable an organization's specific IT applications and office systems.

"Tens of millions of people already count on Alexa at home, in their cars and on mobile devices to answer questions, provide news and information and stay connected to friends and family," said Peter Hill, director productivity applications for AWS, in a statement. "Alexa for Business extends the simplicity of voice control to the workplace, while adding powerful tools to help businesses deploy and manage devices, create skills, and deliver voice-first experiences in a scalable way — all backed by the AWS Cloud."

The system can be set up with Alexa devices for individual users (such as on an employee's desk) as well as shared devices in common areas like conference rooms, huddle rooms, lobbies, etc. Alexa for Business also includes "tools to set up and manage Alexa devices, enroll users and assign skills," the announcement said.

A number of third-party providers have integrated Alexa functionality into their applications, including Salesforce, Concur, ServiceNow, Splunk, Polycom, Crestron, Zoom and others. The systems also works with Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Exchange and Google G Suite.

An Alexa for Business Starter Kit is available, featuring three Amazon Echo devices, two Echo Dots and two Echo Show devices. For more information, visit the AWS site.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • man viewing holographic display of data and code

    Why Cross-Skilling Is the Smartest Investment a Campus IT Team Can Make

    Higher education IT teams are being asked to keep pace with AI, cloud, and cybersecurity on flat budgets, and hiring a specialist for every new need can no longer keep up. Building adjacent skills across the people already on staff creates more agile, resilient teams that move faster and retain talent without adding headcount. Pluralsight makes the strategy work through skill assessments, tailored learning paths, hands-on labs and sandboxes, and microlearning that fits into the flow of work.

  • abstract malware attack

    Report: AI Ransomware Can Now Run Much of an Attack Without Human Help

    Ransomware attacks are becoming more automated, and AI could take that much further, according to global cybersecurity company NCC Group's July 2026 threat intelligence report.

  • Student classroom scene with diverse learners attentively engaging in lecture, using laptops

    The AI Literacy Gap No One Expected

    While Gen Z may be advanced at generating quick outputs or using free LLMs for surface-level tasks, they need to develop critical thinking, communication, and analysis skills.

  • Blue digital wireframe classical building structure

    Before AI, Fix Your Data

    Institutions don't have to solve every data problem before they can begin using AI responsibly. But they do need to treat information as a strategic asset — not a byproduct of operations — and start building toward AI-ready data now.