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Windows 365 Link Explores a New Take on Home Computing

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Already no stranger to the hardware space, Microsoft is again flexing its muscles with the Windows 365 Link. Stated to release in April 2025, the device launches at $349 and appears to be little more than a miniature computing box. However, the capabilities of this system are unique, illustrating a point of promise that the company has been looking to better explore for years. Should the 365 Link succeed, it could set a new standard in home and office work computing.

What is the 365 Link Exactly?

The best way to describe the 365 Link is as a ‘cut-down’ computer with a singular main goal – to act as a cloud PC device using Windows 365. 

This means that the system itself is not especially powerful, with just 8GB of RAM and 64GB of storage space. However, these limitations aren’t especially detrimental to the 365 Link’s purpose because of its cloud focus.

As a cloud PC, the 365 Link essentially hosts very little software directly on the machine. Instead, it streams programs and data directly from Microsoft’s existing online software suite. These include common tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneDrive. The programs will still act largely the same as they would if run locally, only with the added features that cloud computing implies.

Potential and Purpose

By operating as a cloud PC, Microsoft can keep production costs of the technology low. This is because the majority of processing of any computationally complex parts of the software is done off-site, after which the results are sent back to the user. This is the basis of how all cloud computing works, where the key components for the best results are internet connection speed and quality.

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Low hardware requirements mean less powerful components, a lower power drain, and no need for active cooling systems like fans. Operating with data stored in the cloud also means that saved files are more secure and that systems will tend to be less susceptible to security risks like malware. Even if your device somehow gets infected, malware is extremely unlikely to break into Microsoft’s servers, since they have some of the most robust security networks in the world.

While cloud computing is the focus, it’s also necessary for base components of the system to still run natively to support cloud functionality. It’s currently unknown how capable the native operating system will be, though support for light web browsing and less demanding online software is possible. This suggests the service will be targeted towards work tasks and businesses.

Therefore, only apps already available on older and less powerful Apple and Android systems would likely run well on a 365 Link. These could include some gaming apps, such as the simple games included in Microsoft Teams like Solitaire, or apps such as a New Jersey casino app. This illustrates the upper limits of what can be comfortably achieved, meaning browsing, collecting bonuses, playing slots, and streaming live games are likely achievable. Moving beyond this into more modern PC games or video processing tools, however, is unlikely.

Windows 365 Link Explores a New Take on Home Computing

Source: Pixabay

Microsoft has been touting the potential power of cloud computing since even before the launch of 2013’s Xbox One. At the time, the promise proved to be overstated, but with modern technology, this new generation of systems might finally achieve the original promise. Whatever the result, we’ll only have to wait a few more months to find out, and if the system does succeed, we might discover a new standard in cheap and effective PCs.

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Social Media Automation: The Smarter Way to Grow Your Online Presence

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In the evolving world of digital marketing, staying active on social media has become crucial for brands, influencers, and businesses alike. But managing daily posts, engaging with followers, and keeping up with trends can take up a lot of time and energy. That’s where social media automation comes in—a powerful solution to simplify and streamline your online marketing efforts.

With automation tools, you can schedule posts, monitor engagement, and even interact with your audience without having to be online 24/7. For platforms like Instagram, which require frequent interaction to maintain visibility, using a nice Instagram bot can make a noticeable difference. These bots help automate actions such as following, liking, and commenting, enabling you to grow your account organically and consistently.

If you’re aiming to build a strong Instagram presence in 2025, a nice Instagram bot can be an essential part of your strategy. Instead of spending hours managing tasks manually, automation lets you focus on what truly matters—creating high-quality content and connecting meaningfully with your audience.

What Is Social Media Automation?

Social media automation refers to the use of tools and software to handle routine tasks on social platforms. These tasks can include:

  • Scheduling and publishing posts
  • Auto-replying to comments or messages
  • Following and unfollowing accounts
  • Liking and engaging with posts
  • Tracking performance metrics

These tools are designed to help users maintain a consistent online presence while saving time and effort. Automation is not about removing the human element—it’s about making your workflow more efficient.

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5 Key Benefits of Social Media Automation

  1. Time-Saving Efficiency – Automate repetitive tasks and focus more on creative content.
  2. Consistent Posting Schedule – Never miss an ideal time slot with pre-scheduled content.
  3. Better Engagement – Use automation to like, comment, or follow users based on filters.
  4. Analytics & Reporting – Track post performance and user engagement with built-in dashboards.
  5. Scalable Growth – Tools like a nice Instagram bot help scale your Instagram presence without manual work.

How to Automate Social Media Safely

To get the best results, it’s important to use automation smartly. Here are some tips:

  • Choose trusted tools that follow platform policies.
  • Avoid spammy tactics like mass-following or repetitive commenting.
  • Combine automation with manual interaction to stay authentic.
  • Monitor your results and tweak your strategy regularly.
  • Focus on quality content while automation handles the routine.

Why Instagram Automation Is Trending in 2025

Instagram remains one of the most dynamic platforms for brand growth and user engagement. But standing out in a crowded feed requires both consistency and smart strategy. That’s why many marketers now rely on automation tools—especially a nice Instagram bot—to get ahead of competitors.

These bots are designed to interact with your target audience, helping you build a real following and boost engagement, all without violating Instagram’s terms of service. When used responsibly, they can be your silent growth partner.

Conclusion

Social media automation isn’t just a convenience—it’s a smart strategy for digital growth. Whether you’re a solo content creator or managing multiple brand accounts, the right tools can help you save time, improve consistency, and scale effectively. By integrating a nice Instagram bot into your routine, you can boost your reach while focusing on building real, valuable connections with your audience.

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5 Best Embedded Analytics Platforms

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Embedded analytics means integrating dashboards, reports, and visualizations directly into your software product. Instead of switching to external BI tools or exporting data into spreadsheets, users get insights in context right where decisions are made. 

For SaaS companies, embedded analytics has moved from a “nice-to-have” to a core product capability. It enhances user experience, drives retention, unlocks monetization opportunities, and alleviates the load on your development team. However, not all embedded analytics platforms are built the same, and the wrong choice can result in bloated integrations, confusing pricing, or poor adoption.

This list focuses on the top five embedded analytics platforms in 2025 based on developer flexibility, product fit, scalability, and real-world value. Whether you’re evaluating your first analytics vendor or replacing legacy BI, these are the tools worth looking at.

Reveal Overview

Reveal is a developer-focused embedded analytics platform designed specifically for SaaS and ISV products. Unlike traditional BI tools that offer limited embedding through iFrames, Reveal provides native SDKs that integrate directly into your application’s codebase. This approach gives teams complete control over the user experience, branding, and dashboard behavior—making analytics feel like a seamless part of the product, not an external add-on.

Reveal is also one of the few platforms with flat, transparent pricing. It avoids the per-user, per-report, or data-volume-based fees common to legacy BI tools. That makes it easier to forecast costs and scale analytics alongside your product without penalty.

Strengths

  • Native SDKs (not iFrames): Available for .NET, JavaScript, React, Angular, and more—delivers real integration and interactivity
  • Full white-labeling: Customize logos, colors, layouts, and interactions to fully match your product’s UI
  • Flat pricing: One predictable fee, no matter how many users or dashboards you support
  • Self-service dashboard creation: Non-technical users can build and edit dashboards without relying on dev resources
  • Flexible deployment: Supports cloud, on-prem, or hybrid models depending on infrastructure and compliance needs
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Best For

SaaS product teams and ISVs that want fast time-to-market, complete UI control, and cost predictability. Ideal for teams embedding analytics into customer-facing apps where seamless UX and real-time data access matter.

Limitations

Reveal isn’t a general-purpose BI platform. It’s optimized for product embedding, not for internal business intelligence or standalone reporting dashboards across departments.

GoodData

GoodData is a composable analytics platform built for complex, multi-tenant environments. It’s geared toward developers and enterprise data teams who need complete control over how analytics are delivered, secured, and customized. Its headless architecture allows teams to build fully custom front ends, using a GraphQL API to query and present data however they choose.

GoodData is especially strong in data governance and scalability. It supports large-scale deployments with strict data control requirements, and integrates with modern data stacks without forcing a single rigid workflow.

Strengths

  • Headless, API-first architecture: Use GraphQL to deliver analytics via custom front ends or existing UI frameworks
  • Built for multi-tenancy: Designed to support embedded analytics across many customers or departments, with strict data isolation
  • Enterprise-grade governance: Fine-grained access controls, versioning, and audit trails built for compliance-heavy use cases
  • Flexible deployment: Can be run in the cloud or self-hosted, with strong Kubernetes support for complex environments
  • Scales with your data: Optimized for distributed, high-volume data environments

Best For

Enterprises or platform teams managing complex data pipelines across multiple tenants. Ideal for those who need to control every layer of the analytics stack—from data modeling to UI delivery.

Limitations

The architecture assumes strong engineering resources. For teams unfamiliar with headless BI or GraphQL, the setup and customization process can require a steep ramp-up.

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Looker (by Google Cloud)

Overview

Looker is a well-established enterprise BI platform known for its semantic modeling layer, LookML, and deep integration with the Google Cloud ecosystem. While not designed specifically for embedding, it offers APIs that allow teams to surface analytics in external applications with some customization.

Looker’s main appeal lies in its centralized data governance and reusable data models. For teams that prioritize consistency across reports and dashboards, especially within large data teams or cross-functional environments, Looker provides structure and scale.

Strengths

  • LookML modeling layer: Enables centralized, reusable definitions of metrics, dimensions, and logic
  • Robust API access: REST and SDK-based APIs allow programmatic dashboard delivery and data queries
  • Native to Google Cloud: Integrates tightly with BigQuery and other GCP services for fast performance and scalability
  • Strong governance: Version control, permissions, and approval workflows support enterprise needs
  • Interactive dashboards: Supports filtering, drill-downs, and custom visualizations

Best For

Enterprise organizations already using Google Cloud that want governed, reusable analytics models across multiple teams and use cases.

Limitations

Looker is not SDK-based, and embedding is done through iframes or API workarounds. Customization and white-labeling are limited compared to platforms built specifically for embedding inside SaaS products.

Sisense – Overview

Sisense is an embedded analytics platform focused on extensibility and developer control. It provides a flexible architecture that lets engineering teams tailor analytics to fit a wide range of product and user requirements. Sisense supports embedding via JavaScript libraries, REST APIs, and web components, allowing for custom UI integration and interactive dashboards within web applications.

Its back-end architecture can handle large, complex data pipelines, making it suitable for enterprise-grade use cases. Sisense also supports a wide range of deployment models, including cloud, hybrid, and on-prem, which is valuable for teams with specific compliance or infrastructure needs.

Strengths

  • Extensive API toolkit and plugin framework: Customize functionality, visualizations, and workflows
  • Flexible embedding methods: Use JavaScript, REST APIs, or web components depending on stack
  • Scales with complexity: Handles high-volume data environments and multi-source pipelines
  • Deployment flexibility: Supports cloud, hybrid, and on-prem use cases for compliance-driven teams
  • Developer-friendly: Built for teams with engineering resources to create custom analytics experiences
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Best For

Engineering-led teams that need advanced customization across diverse products, use cases, or customer segments.

Limitations

Sisense pricing is usage-based and can become expensive at scale. Teams embedding into fast-growing SaaS products may need to plan carefully for long-term cost and licensing structures.

Logi Analytics (by Insightsoftware) – Overview

Logi Analytics is a long-standing player in the embedded analytics space, known for its deep integration capabilities—especially in .NET and legacy environments. It’s designed for teams that want to add analytics to existing apps without rebuilding their tech stack. Logi supports strong white-labeling and flexible customization, making it a practical fit for internal tools or customer-facing apps that need retrofitted analytics.

Strengths

  • Optimized for legacy stacks: Embeds cleanly into .NET and older enterprise systems
  • White-label and brand customization: Adapt analytics to match your existing UI
  • Custom workflow support: Tailor interactivity and logic based on user roles or actions
  • Flexible user model: Works for both internal teams and external customers

Best For

Organizations modernizing older applications that need to integrate analytics without rewriting their front end or moving off legacy infrastructure.

Limitations

Since being acquired by Insightsoftware, innovation has slowed. Some users report performance issues when dealing with complex views or large-scale deployments.

Choosing the Right Embedded Analytics Platform

The best embedded analytics platform isn’t the one with the most features—it’s the one that fits your product. You need something that integrates directly into your app, matches your UI, performs in real time, and scales without surprise costs or added dev work.

If you’re embedding analytics into a customer-facing product, prioritize:

  • SDK-based integration (not iFrames)
  • Full control over branding and layout
  • Real-time data performance
  • Transparent, predictable pricing

Whether you’re launching analytics for the first time or replacing a rigid BI tool, these five platforms are the top options to consider in 2025.

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Best Payment Gateway for Marketplace: What to Look For

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Marketplaces need payment systems that do more than just process transactions. You’re not just selling one product—you’re connecting buyers and multiple sellers. That means more complexity, more compliance, and a bigger need for flexibility. So, what’s the best payment gateway for marketplace businesses?

In this guide, we break down the features to look for, the common pain points, and how to evaluate different options based on your needs.

What Is a Marketplace Payment Gateway?

A payment gateway for a marketplace is a bit more difficult that a standard e-commerce gateway. The nuance is that marketplace payment systems must let multiple vendors accept payments through a single checkout. It also must split those payments—automatically or manually—and it must have an efficient payout feature to ensure each party gets their fair share.

But the best payment gateway for marketplace operations should do more than process payments. It should help you:

  • Stay compliant with financial regulations
  • Manage payouts to sellers
  • Handle refunds and disputes
  • Track and report transactions across vendors

Key Features of the Best Payment Gateway for Marketplaces

Multi-Vendor Support

Running a marketplace means handling a wide range of sellers—sole traders, SMEs, and sometimes even large brands. Your payment system needs to support flexible, scalable onboarding that works for all of them. 

This includes thorough KYC (Know Your Customer) or KYB (Know Your Business) checks, generating unique account IDs for accurate tracking, and handling region-specific tax requirements. Ideally, much of this should be automated to reduce friction for both you and your sellers while staying compliant.

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Split Payments

Splitting a single payment between multiple recipients is not just a nice-to-have—it’s essential for marketplace operations. Whether you’re taking a fixed commission, a dynamic cut, or distributing funds to additional service providers (like delivery partners or charities), your payment gateway should support this natively.

 Look for tools that let you configure flexible payout logic—either predefined or based on transaction data. Manual workarounds or after-the-fact calculations won’t scale and open the door to errors or trust issues.

Fast Payouts

Timely payouts build trust. Sellers—especially individuals or gig workers—expect to receive their earnings quickly and predictably. Your payment gateway should offer options for daily, weekly, or on-demand settlement, ideally with support for instant payouts where available. 

Transparent payout timelines and status tracking can help reduce support queries and increase seller satisfaction, which in turn benefits the overall health of your platform.

Flexible Payment Methods

A diverse buyer base comes with a wide range of preferences, especially in international markets. Your checkout should support a mix of payment methods to meet users where they are. This includes cards, bank transfers, digital wallets, and local payment methods popular in specific regions. Increasingly, pay-by-bank (A2A) options are gaining traction for their speed and low cost. 

Offering multiple payment rails improves conversion and signals reliability across different customer segments.

No-Code or Low-Code Tools

Not every marketplace has a large dev team. In that case, access to ready-made, flexible integration options becomes crucial. Look for payment providers that offer no-code or low-code tools such as hosted checkouts, plug-and-play SDKs, or embeddable payment links. 

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These allow you to get up and running quickly, reduce development overhead, and still provide a smooth user experience—especially helpful for newer platforms or side projects.

Onboarding and Compliance Tools

Regulatory compliance can be complex and time-consuming, particularly when onboarding vendors across multiple jurisdictions. The right payment gateway will handle much of this behind the scenes—automating anti-money laundering (AML) checks, flagging suspicious activity, and keeping accurate records for audit purposes.

 Bonus points for dashboards that help you monitor onboarding progress, generate compliance reports, and reduce manual intervention.

Dispute Management

Disputes in marketplaces are more complicated than in single-merchant models, since both the buyer and seller have a stake in the outcome. 

Look for payment systems that offer marketplace-specific features: the ability to issue refunds from seller balances, share chargeback liability based on predefined rules, and manage disputes through a dedicated dashboard. Clear, transparent processes protect everyone involved and prevent minor issues from escalating.

Benefits of Choosing the Right Gateway

  • Lower Operational Costs: Manual tasks like reconciliation, KYC checks, and payout tracking can drain time and resources. A smart, automated payment system lightens the load and cuts costs.
  • Better Vendor Retention: Reliable, timely payouts build trust. When sellers know they’ll be paid on time and can access clear reports, they’re more likely to stay and grow with your platform.
  • Improved Customer Experience: A seamless checkout process—especially one that supports local methods and mobile-first design—leads to higher conversion rates and fewer abandoned carts.
  • Scalability: The right gateway grows with you. Whether you’re onboarding 10 vendors or 10,000, it should support increasing complexity without requiring constant manual oversight.
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Evaluating the Best Payment Gateway for Marketplace

Here’s what to check when choosing a provider:

FeatureWhy It Matters
Multi-currency supportFor international buyers and sellers
Local payment methodsFor better regional conversion
Instant payout optionsImproves vendor loyalty
Automated tax toolsSaves time and ensures compliance
API + dashboard accessCombines flexibility with ease-of-use
Open banking integrationsReduces fees, supports pay-by-bank flows
Support and SLAsEssential if something breaks

Why Pay-by-Bank Matters for Marketplaces

Pay-by-bank is an innovative payment method that’s rapidly gaining ground—particularly in Europe. For marketplaces, it offers a compelling combination of lower fees, faster settlement, and stronger security compared to traditional card payments. 

One of its biggest advantages is the potential for instant payments and payouts, which is especially valuable in multi-vendor environments. This payment method became viable with the introduction of open banking, which allows businesses to process direct bank-to-bank transactions within their websites or apps—completely bypassing card networks.

Open banking was introduced in Europe in 2018 under the PSD2 regulation. It required major banks to open up secure APIs to licensed third parties, enabling access to payment infrastructure and customer data (with consent). This regulatory shift unlocked a wave of fintech innovation, making efficient, low-friction payment methods like pay-by-bank possible at scale.

Getting Started with a Marketplace Payment Gateway

You don’t need to overhaul your entire platform to begin offering pay-by-bank. Many modern payment providers are designed with flexibility in mind, making integration smoother than you might expect. Look for options such as:

  • Hosted checkouts that handle the payment flow for you, with minimal setup
  • Plug-and-play integrations for popular platforms and marketplaces
  • Clear API documentation for more custom setups
  • Sandbox environments so you can test everything before going live

Start with a limited rollout—perhaps a single product line or a few vendors—to see how the system performs. As you gain confidence, you can expand gradually, reducing risk while scaling effectively.

Final Thoughts

The best payment gateway for marketplace businesses isn’t just about processing payments. It’s about supporting your ecosystem—buyers, sellers, and your team.

Look for something flexible, secure, and scalable. Make sure it handles split payments well, supports pay-by-bank, and fits your region’s legal and banking frameworks.

If you want fewer support tickets, happier sellers, and smoother checkouts—your payment gateway choice will make all the difference.

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