Productivity Apps

A market map with 10,000 companies is impossible to prioritize. These are the 300 to know. I was a VP of Product in sales tech. And I was frustrated with the maps I found. So I've been studying the space and speaking with experts. Here's the players you need to know: — ONE - Core: Revenue Operating System This is your CRM, your system of record - where your sales operation begins. I break this into 3 segments: Enterprise Platforms → Built for large organizations with complex workflows and high-volume deals → Salesforce, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics 365, SAP Growth-Stage Solutions → Designed for growing businesses that need scalable tools but with flexibility to adapt → HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM, SugarCRM Modern CRMs → Startups and fast-scaling companies looking to move fast without rigid systems rely on modern CRMs. → Attio, Affinity, Close.io, Copper, Freshsales. — LAYER TWO - Engagement & Intelligence These tools power outbound outreach, automate sequences, and provide real-time data on prospects: → Outreach, Salesloft, VanillaSoft, Groove Engagement tools ensure your team hits the right prospect at the right time. — LAYER THREE - Revenue Acceleration These platforms shorten deal cycles: → Gong, Salesloft, Chorus.ai, Ebsta With real-time feedback and actionable insights... — LAYER FOUR - Data & Enrichment Your outreach is only as good as the data backing it. These platforms ensure you’re reaching out to right prospects. → ZoomInfo, Apollo.io, Clearbit, Lusha, Hunter io, Cognism — SATELLITE CLUSTERS - Modern GTM Stack These tools enhance parts of the GTM journey. AI-Enhanced Tools → Automate and personalize content creation at scale. → Writer, Grammarly, CopyAI, Jasper Product-Led Motion → Identify sales-ready leads through product engagement. → Pocus, Intercom, Breyta Sales Enablement → Equip sales teams with training, resources, and playbooks to perform at their best. → Seismic, Spekit, Allego Conversational GTM → Convert prospects directly through real-time chat. → Drift (now part of Salesloft) — SATELLITE CLUSTERS- Emerging Categories These are adjacent categories sales teams often still use. Product Analytics → Track user behaviors post-sale for better upsell and retention opportunities. → Amplitude, Mixpanel Customer Success → Ensure long-term customer retention and success beyond the initial sale. → Gainsight, Catalyst, Totango Workspace Integration → Enable seamless collaboration across sales and operations. → Notion, Slack, Airtable, monday.com Revenue Orchestration → Connect workflows across different systems to streamline revenue operations. → NektarAI, Tray.io, Workato, Boomi — This took a lot of time. Reshare ♻️ if you loved this post. What tools would you add?

TRUE STORY: A trusted developer embedded a "kill switch" that locked out thousands of corporate users worldwide—triggered the moment his credentials were revoked. The cost? Hundreds of thousands in damages. The lesson? Insider threats from privileged users are real, and they’re escalating. 🧾 Case Summary In August 2025, Davis Lu, a former software developer at large corporation, was sentenced to four years in federal prison for deploying malicious code across his employer’s network. See https://lnkd.in/edJggBKu. After a corporate restructuring reduced his access, Lu planted sabotage scripts including a “kill switch” that activated when his account was disabled. The code crashed servers, deleted coworker profiles, and locked out thousands of users globally. His actions caused extensive disruption and financial loss, and his digital footprint revealed deliberate planning to evade detection. ✅ Help Prevent Cyber Sabotage from a Privileged Insider 1. Implement Role-Based Access Controls (RBAC) Limit access to sensitive systems based on job function. No single employee should hold unchecked privileges. 2. Conduct Regular Privilege Audits Regularly review who has elevated access—and why. Remove dormant or unnecessary accounts promptly. Such reviews should ideally take place at least quarterly. 3. Monitor for Anomalous Behavior Use behavioral analytics to flag unusual activity like privilege escalation, mass deletions, or off-hours access. 4. Enforce Code Review and Change Management Require peer review and approval for all code deployments, especially in production environments. 5. Deploy Insider Threat Detection Tools Invest in platforms that correlate user behavior, access logs, and system changes to identify risks early. 6. Establish a Clear Offboarding Protocol Disable access in a controlled sequence. Monitor systems closely during and after termination events. 7. Encrypt and Log Developer Actions Maintain immutable logs of code changes and admin actions. Encryption helps ensure integrity; logging helps ensure accountability. 8. Foster a Culture of Transparency and Respect Many insider threats stem from resentment or perceived injustice. Proactive communication and fair treatment matter. 9. Engage Legal and Cyber Teams Early Legal counsel should be looped in on high-risk terminations, especially those involving privileged users. 10. Build Relationships with Law Enforcement The FBI encourages proactive engagement to mitigate insider threats. Don’t wait until it’s too late. What other recommendations would you add? Please feel free to include in the comments.

Dealing with multiple document libraries in Teams? I've seen many IT professionals and team leads grapple with this, let's try and simplify things. SharePoint Views and Teams Tabs. Here's a straightforward method I've implemented with clients, with pretty good feedback and results. Here’s how it works. - Use SharePoint Views to organize documents (e.g., Approved, In Review) - Copy the URL of each view - Add a SharePoint tab in Teams, pasting the specific view link - Rename the tab (bonus: add an emoji for quick recognition) - One click, and you’re where you need to be. No endless searching. No frustration. This setup works even if your files live in different SharePoint sites! Plus, you can take it further by creating a file dashboard in SharePoint and embedding it into Teams for a seamless experience. I’ve implemented this approach with multiple clients—and the feedback has been amazing. More efficiency, less chaos. This simple adjustment can help bridge the gap between SharePoint and Teams, creating a seamless workflow. Try it out and let me know how it works for you! Question for you. What's your biggest challenge with file management in Teams and SharePoint? Have you found any hacks or solutions that made a difference? Share your experiences below—your insight might just help someone turn their workflow around. 👇

How tech companies are saving 10+ hours a week (with these 6 simple Salesforce automations): Companies waste hours every week on tasks that should be automated. They lose time in ways no one even notices: • Clicking through screens • Manually updating fields • Logging calls by hand Each task seems small. But together, they slow everything down. Here are 6 Salesforce automations that save tech companies 10+ hours every week: 1) Data entry and lead enrichment Manual data entry slows everyone down. New leads are auto-enriched with: • Company info • Contact details • Other relevant data No typing required. That means sales can sell, marketing gets clean data, and RevOps stops fixing spreadsheets. 2) Lead management and routing Without automation, leads sit in limbo. Sales and marketing waste time figuring out ownership. So we automated lead assignment, marketing handoffs, and customer success escalations. Now everyone knows exactly where a lead belongs. No confusion. No delays. 3) Automated follow-ups, demos, and approvals If teams rely on memory for follow-ups, deals get lost. We trigger automated task reminders when key actions happen. • A new lead comes in • A demo is booked • A proposal goes out Teams get notified automatically. No more missed follow-ups. No bottlenecks. 4) Proposal, contract, and quote generation Teams shouldn’t waste time building proposals, contracts, or quotes manually. We automate it. Pre-built templates pull in Salesforce data: • Proposals are ready in minutes • Contracts auto-route for approval • No chasing down managers Faster contracts = faster deals = faster revenue. 5) Automated email and activity tracking If it’s not logged, it didn’t happen. But teams forget to log emails, calls, and meetings. So we integrate Salesforce with Outreach, Gong, and Slack to log everything automatically. Now leadership gets full visibility into: • Emails sent • Calls made • Customer responses No manual tracking required. 6) Real-time reporting and forecasting Leaders can’t make smart decisions without real-time data. So we build dashboards that track: • Pipeline health • Deal stages • Team activity Better visibility = faster, smarter decisions. The Bottom Line: Manual processes, bad data, and disconnected tools are slowing you down. We help tech companies fix this—fast. If Salesforce feels like more work than it should be, let’s change that. DM me "Salesforce" and let’s talk.

As product managers, we spend a lot of time trying to understand user friction and solve for it in the products we build. But we often only perceive and solve for the most obvious form of friction when we in fact should be spending more of our time addressing the higher level forms of friction that our users regular experience. Let's break down the three types of friction users experience in our products: 💻 Interaction Friction - Friction a user experiences when interacting with our product's interface. It covers all aspects of the UI that may be hindering our users from accomplish their goal. Most of the popular best practices revolve around solving this type of friction, including things like A/B testing, usability testing, consistent interfaces, etc. 🧠 Cognitive Friction - Cognitive load refers to the total amount of mental effort being used in working memory. Cognitive friction is anything that increases cognitive load for the user. This is a far broader though often overlooked form of friction. Uber is a great example of an app that significantly reduced the cognitive friction compared to calling a taxi. Before you had to find the phone number for a local taxi company, call to schedule a ride, call back multiple times since no one picked up, get an untrustable estimate on when they will arrive, etc. Uber was able to remove nearly all of this cognitive friction from the ride hailing experience. 😩 Emotional Friction - Emotions a user feels that prevent them from accomplishing their goal. This is often the very hardest to perceive but by far the most impactful if you can resolve. Tinder offers the perfect example of emotional friction. The previous generation of dating experiences were incredibly intimidating since they required you to put in a ton of effort creating a profile, searching for potential matches, reaching out to people of interest, and ultimately experiencing a ton of rejection. Tinder's swipe right innovation quickly helped you determine mutual interest between both parties, removing much of the emotional friction of the previous generation of online dating experiences, resulting in online dating ultimately becoming mainstream. 👇 Read today's essay to learn more about each of these types of user friction and best practices for solving for them in your own product experience. https://lnkd.in/gHWW_WJ

Most would agree that building a brand-new house is significantly easier than carrying out a major renovation on an old one. The same principle applies to control systems. Setting up a new system is often much simpler than upgrading an existing one. When it comes to major upgrades, especially for Distributed Control Systems (DCS), there are 8 elements that must be carefully considered to ensure a successful implementation: 1. System Compatibility & Integration • Legacy System Interface: Ensure new DCS can interface with older field instruments, I/O modules, and control logic (if retained). • Protocol Mismatch: Compatibility between old and new communication protocols (e.g., HART, Profibus, Foundation Fieldbus, Modbus). • Third-party System Integration: SCADA, PLCs, SIS (Safety Instrumented Systems), historians, and asset management tools must seamlessly integrate. 2. Downtime Minimization • Phased Migration Plan: Design must allow partial switchover to maintain plant operations. • Hot Cutover Capability: Ensure some systems can switch without shutting down the entire plant. • Backup Systems: Redundant systems and fallback strategies in case of failure during the upgrade. 3. Cybersecurity • Hardening the New System: New DCS introduces network exposure; firewalls, segmentation, and intrusion detection must be included. • Patch Management: Choose systems with secure patching and vendor support. • Compliance: Meet standards like ISA/IEC 62443. 4. Safety Systems Interface • SIS Independence: Ensure the DCS upgrade doesn’t compromise the independence and integrity of Safety Instrumented Systems. • Interlock Revalidation: All interlocks and safety logics must be retested and validated post-upgrade. 5. Data Migration & Configuration • Control Logic Transfer: Rewriting or translating existing logic into the new system format without losing functionality. • Historian & Alarm Data Migration: Maintain data integrity during transfer. • I/O Mapping Accuracy: Critical to ensure correct connections between field devices and control logic. 6. Hardware & Network Architecture • Redundancy Design: Controller, power, and network redundancy for high availability. • Scalability: Room for future expansion in the control system design. • Segmentation: Proper zoning of control and field networks for performance and security. 7. Operator Interface & HMI Design • Operator Familiarity: Reduce the learning curve with intuitive graphics and control layouts. • Alarm Rationalization: Avoid alarm flooding; ensure alarm priorities are re-evaluated. • Simulation & Training: Include an operator training simulator for commissioning and operational transition. 8. Compliance & Validation • Documentation: Thorough as-built and functional documentation for audits and training. • Regulatory Standards: Compliance with API, OSHA, ISA, and local regulations.

I had a full founder moment reading this… like are we really here already? 😅 The agent is already inside the building. Not maybe. Not soon. Already. And as a builder, that hits differently. Because we’re not just reading research—we’re literally building these systems right now. High: this is incredible technology. Low: we are absolutely underprepared. Oh la la: we’re deploying agents we can’t fully control. That emotional rollercoaster is real. But here’s the thing… research is great. Stats are great. Scary stories are "great". But as founders, we don’t get paid to be scared. We get paid to build responsibly anyway. So the real question is: How do you actually implement governance without killing velocity? Here’s how I’m thinking about it 👇 1️⃣ Stop treating governance like a policy doc—make it architecture Most teams start with “we need AI policies.” Great. Nobody reads them. And agents definitely don’t. Governance only works if it’s enforced by the system itself. That means access control, permissions, and constraints are built into how data flows—not written in a doc somewhere. If your governance can be bypassed by a prompt… it’s not governance. 2️⃣ Use least privilege + task-scoped access (this is the one you were thinking of) Give agents only the minimum access they need, for a specific task, for a limited time. Not blanket access to a system. Not “read everything in this folder.” This is classic least privilege combined with just-in-time (JIT) access and task-based permissions. If the agent is generating a report, it gets access to only the data required for that report—nothing more, nothing persistent. When the task is done, access is gone. No leftovers. 3️⃣ Give agents guardrails where it matters—at the moment of action We don’t need to block everything (that kills innovation). But we do need to control critical actions. Reading sensitive data. Moving files. Triggering workflows. That’s where enforcement lives. Think of it like parenting a very smart toddler—you don’t stop them from exploring, but you absolutely lock the dangerous cabinets. 4️⃣ Make “what happened” answerable in minutes, not days If something goes wrong—and it will—you need instant clarity. Who did what? What data was touched? Was it allowed? If your answer is “we need to investigate”… you’re already behind. Builders need systems where accountability is automatic, not forensic. And here’s my honest founder take: We are all building faster than governance is maturing. That’s just reality. But the winners won’t be the ones who slow down. They’ll be the ones who build governance into the speed. Because agents are not "tools" anymore. They are actors inside your tools. And once they’re inside… you don’t get to pretend you’re still in control. You need to build for control. #Kiteworks

📦 JOBS-LED PRICING CANVAS™ A 10-step framework for transforming feature-led products into monetization-ready, jobs-based pricing models. Built on 4 stages: 1. Product (Discovery Layer) 2. Value (Logic Layer) 3. Customer (Preference Layer) 4. Pricing (Monetization Layer) 🔹 STAGE 1: PRODUCT [Discovery Layer] 🔹 Step 1: Feature Inventory What it is: ▪️ List every feature, tool, and function in the product
▪️ Include hidden, premium, or internal-use features Why it matters: ▪️ Creates a complete picture of what’s being delivered
▪️ Prevents missing monetizable elements 🔹 Step 2: Feature to Plan Mapping What it is: ▪️ Show how features are bundled into pricing plans today
▪️ Expose arbitrary or legacy packaging logic Why it matters: ▪️ Reveals pricing misalignment with value
▪️ Highlights over- or under-incentivized plans 🔹 Step 3: Feature Usage Mapping What it is: ▪️ Track actual customer usage of each feature
▪️ Look for engagement patterns by segment Why it matters: ▪️ Identifies “dead weight” vs “core value” features
▪️ Helps assess ROI per feature 🧠 STAGE 2: VALUE [Logic Layer] 🔹 Step 4: Feature Valuation What it is: ▪️ Qualitatively or quantitatively assign value to each feature
▪️ Use proxies: time saved, revenue unlocked, cost reduced Why it matters: ▪️ Establishes which features are worth monetizing
▪️ Anchors the price-to-value logic 🔹 Step 5: Jobs Identification What it is: ▪️ Identify core Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) your product enables
▪️ Use user interviews, surveys, task analysis Why it matters: ▪️ Shifts the model from features to outcomes
▪️ Connects monetization to customer success 🔹 Step 6: Feature–Jobs Mapping What it is: ▪️ Map each feature to one or more customer Jobs
▪️ Create a logic layer: feature → outcome → value Why it matters: ▪️ Bridges product design with pricing strategy
▪️ Enables bundling and upsell opportunities around outcomes 🎯 STAGE 3: CUSTOMER [Preference Layer] 🔹 Step 7: Rank Jobs What it is: ▪️ Prioritize Jobs by importance and frequency
▪️ Use customer feedback and behavior data Why it matters: ▪️ Surfaces which outcomes matter most
▪️ Enables tiering or segmentation logic 🔹 Step 8: Value Jobs What it is: ▪️ Quantify perceived value of each Job
▪️ Use surveys, conjoint analysis, BWS, or proxies Why it matters: ▪️ Links value perception to potential willingness to pay
▪️ Avoids feature-based pricing traps 💰 STAGE 4: PRICING [Monetization Layer] 🔹 Step 9: Value Capture [%] Analysis What it is: ▪️ Decide what % of value created you can capture
▪️ Compare to industry benchmarks or strategic posture Why it matters: ▪️ Sets pricing defensibility
▪️ Avoids overcharging or leaving money on the table 🔹 Step 10: Pricing Metric / Model What it is: ▪️ Choose pricing metric: per seat, usage, credits, % of revenue, hybrid
▪️ Align it to how value is delivered + Jobs solved Why it matters: ▪️ Ensures pricing scales with value
▪️ Sets the business up for sustainable revenue growth #Pricing

One platform. Big shift in how I manage distributed teams. As founders, our to-do lists never end. Context-switching is constant. And deep work? Rare, especially when managing remote teams across time zones. I used to juggle tools: 👉 Jira for tasks 👉 Slack for communication 👉 Google Drive for docs 👉 Invoicing tools 👉 Capterra & G2 for product research Each one solved a piece of the puzzle. But together? They created friction. They slowed me down. That’s when we built our own answer: a 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫. 💡 What changed with AiDOOS VDC? ↳ Everything under one roof, from project boards to document sharing ↳ No more hopping between 5 tools just to close one task ↳ Communication, collaboration, delivery, fully integrated Result? → Less tool fatigue → More focus → Teams in sync, even across borders, right from our VDC in 𝐒𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨 But the real win? - It’s not just about tool consolidation. - It’s about reclaiming mental bandwidth. - The fewer micro-decisions we make each day, the more we focus on building. Lesson? 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰. If you're a founder or CTO managing distributed delivery, don’t just stack tools. Build a Virtual Delivery Center. That’s what AiDOOS is. ♻ Repost to help someone build smarter, not just harder. 💡 Follow Krishna for real-world insights on distributed teams, smart workflows, and founder-first execution.    📌 30+ Founders & CTOs use AIDOOS to stay lean, fast, and focused on what matters most. #VirtualDeliveryCenter #AIDOOS #RemoteWork #WorkflowOptimization #TechLeadership #ProductivityTools #StartupLife #FoundersJourney #BuildSmart #SKVReddy #SanFrancisco

BPM and Process Intelligence are delivering tangible results for large organisations. Platforms like ARIS align strategy to operations, surface friction in core journeys, and help teams act with confidence. A Forrester total economic impact report showed a 301% ROI over three years, with $7.9m in quantified benefits and $5.9m NPV across studied organisations. Programmes are set up around 40% quicker, so value is recognised sooner. Minutes saved per employee each day compound into millions in unutilised resource capacity. Rationalised tooling and process standardisation cut legacy infrastructure costs by about 30%. Stronger risk and compliance. Control monitoring reduces exposure to fines and speeds audits. Treat processes as enterprise assets, apply Process Intelligence to make them transparent and optimised, and you unlock growth, resilience, and sustained efficiency.