Technology

Artificial Intelligence Big Data Cloud Computing Cyber Security Data Management Electronics Enterprise & Network Technology Financial Technology Hardware Mobile & Wireless Nanotechnology Semiconductor Software Telecommunications
News Release Digital Asset Direct

Correcting and Replacing: Travel Expert Dayvee Sutton Provides Tips to Plan Summer Vacations on a Budget

YourUpdateTV

(Correcting to include video)- After a year of being stuck at home, Americans are more eager than ever to get back to traveling this summer. A new survey from the payment network Affirm found 75% of respondents plan to go on at least one vacation this summer, and consumers will spend more money on travel than any other category. With the travel boom causing an increase in booking rates, it’s more important than ever to not overextend your budget in all the excitement of being able to travel again. A video accompanying this release can be found here: https://youtu.be/8S26C8ILWMo More Findings from Affirm’s Summer Survey: Vacations are the #1 activity consumers are most looking forward to this summer Respondents plan to spend the most money this summer on travel (41%), followed by going out to eat (38%) and a new summer wardrobe (35%) Nearly half (45%) of Americans plan to spend more money this summer than the past two combined 41% are interested in using a buy now, pay later solution this summer to help them spend responsibly, and 1 in 4 are interested in using a buy now, pay later solution to book travel Emmy Award-winning journalist, Dayvee Sutton, whose travel advice is featured regularly on national programs such as NBC News, Today, CNN and The Weather Channel has partnered with Affirm to give budget-friendly summer travel advice. Here are some of her tips: Take advantage of modern, flexible payment options. Overall, rates for flights and hotels are up because consumers are so eager to travel. But, there are new payment tools you can use to not overextend your budget. Dayvee recommends Affirm, and has partnered with them because it can help you stay in control of your finances by letting you spread out the cost of flights, hotels, homestays and travel experiences into biweekly or monthly payments with interest options as low as 0% APR for eligible consumers. Affirm can give you the flexibility to book vacations now and pay at your own pace on Expedia, Vrbo, Priceline, Delta Vacations and more. With Affirm, you know exactly what you’ll pay upfront, and that number never changes – there are no late or hidden fees. Know when to book and track your airfare to get the best deals. The most expensive part of your trip will likely be the flight. Book as early as you can and opt for mid-week flights. A study from CheapOAir found the best time to book a flight is between 21 and 95 days before the trip. And traveling on a Tuesday or Wednesday, rather than the weekend, will not only be cheaper, but less crowded. Be prepared but remain flexible. Research social distancing protocols for theme parks, museums, and other attractions before you arrive, since many venues require you to reserve tickets early. Try to find low-cost activities in advance, such as walking tours and natural parks. Remember to leave room for unexpected costs in your budget – if you’re traveling internationally, set aside money for COVID tests before re-entering U.S., which can cost anywhere from $50 - $150 per person. Embrace summer road trips. With airfare on the rise, taking a road trip to smaller destinations is a great budget-friendly option for families. To save even more on the road, pack your own food and snacks ahead of time. You can also use Affirm to pay at your own pace for road trip essentials at Walmart, Target and other retailers. About Dayvee Sutton: Dayvee Sutton is a highly sought-after and award-winning media personality and journalist covering travel, culture and the environment. Dayvee has contributed her expertise to outlets such as the U.S. News and World Report, AOL, Yahoo, ESPN, The Root, NBA.com, Black Enterprise, NBC News and USA TODAY Network. She is the go-to on-air travel expert for several national programs, including NBC News and TODAY, CNN and HLN, The Weather Channel and Dr. Oz. About Affirm: Affirm is a transparent alternative to credit cards that can give travelers the flexibility to book vacations now and pay over time, without any late or hidden fees. Affirm lets eligible consumers spread out the cost of flights, accommodations, experiences and more into biweekly or monthly payments at Expedia, Vrbo, Priceline, Delta Vacations, and more. If approved, Affirm can help you stay in budget by letting you pay on a schedule that works best for you, and never charges you more than you agree to upfront. More Background: Affirm’s mission is to deliver honest financial products that improve lives. By building a new kind of payment network — one based on trust, transparency and putting people first — we empower millions of consumers to spend and save responsibly, and give thousands of businesses the tools to fuel growth. Unlike credit cards and other pay-over-time options, we show consumers exactly what they will pay up front, never increase that amount, and never charge any late or hidden fees. Follow Affirm on social media: LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter. Payment options through Affirm are subject to an eligibility check, may not be available in all states, and are provided by these lending partners: affirm.com/lenders. CA residents: Loans by Affirm Loan Services, LLC are made or arranged pursuant to a California Finance Lender license. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

June 17, 2021 03:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Video

SUPER73® debuts versatile, affordable SUPER73-ZX

SUPER73

SUPER73® – the American lifestyle adventure brand specializing in electric motorbikes – is a world leader on the e-bike scene, captivating a loyal riding community with its fun, affordable, versatile and environmentally friendly products. While the company expanded its range in 2020 with flagship models crammed with the latest technology, it hasn’t forgotten its roots. In fact, the SUPER73 design team went back to the drawing board to re-imagine and re-engineer one of its original products, the SUPER73-Z1. The result is the brand new SUPER73-ZX. Picking from a checklist of popular features, the SUPER73 team ensured the ZX will meet the demands of a broad range of existing fans and new customers. These features include a lighter aluminum-alloy frame, allowing for greater range from the now removable battery. Additionally, the new ZX frame is larger, providing comfort for taller riders and making it easier to pedal. Like its other new generation of models that launched in 2020, the ZX offers Pedal Assist Modes: the SUPER73-ZX has four Riding Modes, including Class 1 and 2 (up to 20mph) plus Class 3 and Unlimited (up to 28+ mph). Battery range is estimated at 25-50 miles depending on the pedal assist mode, but this can vary depending upon conditions such as rider weight, speed, temperature, wind, tire pressure, terrain, incline, etc. The Riding Modes are identified as Eco, Tour, Sport and Super. They are accessed via the SUPER73 smartphone app (compatible with IOS and Android devices) and confirmed on the compact ZX Transflective Monochrome LCD display. The same technology also allows over-the-air software updates, ensuring the power supply is always running at its most efficient. The versatile SUPER73-ZX has been designed to cater to the most popular riding groups, many of which came to prominence during the global pandemic. Not only did the lockdown create a huge surge in the popularity of e-bike transportation, but also an expansion in what customers expect from their vehicles. As a result, the features of the ZX make it ideal for everybody from week-day commuters to weekend warriors, urban adventurers, and even parents with young families; the longer seat makes it more practical to carry precious cargo. Purchase price is an important consideration in this consumer category and the SUPER73-ZX will launch with a price of only $1995. All models will ship with the standard 615 watt-hours battery pack, four Riding Modes, smartphone connectivity, extended comfort seat, 31” seat height, 180mm disc brakes, and much more. As a bonus for early adopters, the Moon Rock Launch Edition will have red wheel liners on the 20”x100mm wheels, while the Storm Gray models will have white liners inside the wheel rims for easy identification. The Launch Edition will be shipped with 20x4.5” LZRD Street tires that have a tire tread pattern biased towards street use but provides riders with the ability to explore almost any environment. The SUPER73-ZX is available now, with first deliveries scheduled for Mid-July. A full range of accessories are also available, allowing customers to tailor the bike to their needs. This includes items such as a Saddleman seat, Crank Brothers bags and pedals, 1 Up Car Rack, Oury Grips, and SUPER73 custom handlebars and molle panels. For full product details and to order the SUPER73-ZX, please visit super73.com EDITOR’S NOTE A selection of high-resolution images is available here: dropbox.com/sh/bfc42mv19gjxnt2/AAD5jKyebOxevaZIiSlpqvoMa?dl=0 Editor’s wishing to review the SUPER73-ZX for editorial purposes should use the Media Contacts below. ABOUT SUPER73® SUPER73® is an American lifestyle adventure brand based in Orange County, CA that develops products to help fuse motorcycle heritage with youth culture. Founded in 2016, SUPER73 has quickly grown into one of the most recognizable electric vehicle brands in the world with a passionate customer base including A-list celebrities, professional athletes, and many more. For more information, visit super73.com or @super73 on social media. Contact Details Christiana Mullen +1 714-659-4883 christiana@super73.com Greg Emmerson greg@theidagency.com Company Website https://super73.com

June 17, 2021 10:05 AM Pacific Daylight Time

Image

Khosla Leads $11M Round in Lexion, a Fast Growing AI-Powered Contract Management System

Lexion

Lexion, an AI-powered contract management system, announced an oversubscribed $11 million Series A round led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from existing investors Madrona Venture Group and Wilson Sonsini, bringing the total invested to $15.2 million. Kanu Gulati from Khosla Ventures will join Lexion's board. The Seattle based company plans to use these funds to scale go-to-market functions, drive further AI and product innovation, and grow the team, with a mission to offer a simple contract lifecycle management system (CLMs) that just works. Many CLMs on the market are complex, require an extensive amount of time and resources to implement, and a significant amount of change management to derive meaningful value. Lexion offers the opposite by delivering an intuitive system supported by a cutting-edge, AI-powered backend, that is simple enough for entire organizations to adopt, and takes just days to implement. “In-house lawyers spend far too much time on mundane tasks like checking if an active NDA exists, or manually filling out spreadsheets to track key dates and non-standard terms in their contracts,” said Gaurav Oberoi, co-founder and CEO of Lexion. “What makes Lexion special, in this rapidly growing industry, is that it’s a sophisticated AI product that’s incredibly easy to use, accurate, and fast, and eliminates rote work by automatically pulling these key data points from contracts. The result is that legal teams spend a fraction of the time on administrative tasks, and more time helping their teammates in sales, finance, and procurement win deals and grow the business.” According to Gartner, legal departments will increase their technology spend 300% by 2025, and yet only realize 30% of the potential benefit of their CLM investments because of the complexities of requirements gathering, change management, and user adoption. Oberoi believes that Lexion is perfectly poised to capture this demand by offering a pragmatic platform that solves immediate business needs through automation, and without unneeded complex features that go unused. “We invested in Lexion because their team has the rare combination of deep technical expertise in building sophisticated AI systems, and a proven track record in delivering SaaS applications that solve real problems,” said Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures. “This combination of cutting-edge technology, with simple and practical application, is exactly how the value of AI will get realized in corporations, and is why we think Lexion has a winning advantage in this space.” For two years in a row, Lexion was the only CLM recognized in CB Insights list of the 100 most innovative AI startups. Incubated at the Allen Institute for AI (AI2) in 2019, Lexion built a state-of-the-art NLP system that turns any contract text into structured data and delivers it in an intuitive repository with instant search, reporting, alerts, permissions, and integrations. In the last 6 months, Lexion has seen rapid growth, increasing revenues 400% and bringing on major brands like OfferUp, Blue Nile, and Outreach. “Lexion is an incredible addition to our toolkit, saving my team hours in filing, finding, and reporting on contracts”, said Nathan Garnett, General Counsel at OfferUp. “Not only was it quick to get up and running with all of our legacy agreements, but it’s also easy enough to use that we didn’t have to spend time on user training and rollout. Their integration with e-signature means all contracts are automatically filed away, and my team can focus on helping drive business results, instead of on administrative tasks.” Next, the company is expanding its offering to help legal teams manage the entire contracting process. Lexion is rolling out a new workflow module that allows customers to create customized intake forms, track the status of projects, manage drafts, secure approvals, and report on KPIs. Scheduled for full general availability in Q3 2021, Lexion’s end-to-end solution will serve as the hub for data driven legal teams to manage contracts from start to finish, with their signature focus on simplicity and easy adoption. About Lexion Lexion is an AI-powered contract lifecycle management system that just works. We’re on a mission to make the lives of legal teams easier so they can focus on more strategic work. We use best in class natural language processing technologies to make it 100x easier for lawyers and other corporate leaders to find the information they need in their contracts fast. Our solution is also incredibly intuitive and simple to implement. We are a spinout of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s artificial intelligence research institute (AI2) and we’re backed by the same investors that funded OpenAI (Khosla Ventures), helped launch Amazon (Madrona Venture Group), and have advisedGoogle (Wilson Sonsini). With a top notch and experienced team from Microsoft, Facebook, Google, AI2, and Amazon, we built a company that CB Insights ranked the #1 most promising AI legal tech startup in the world two years in a row (2020, 2021). Most importantly, fantastic brands trust Lexion to manage their contracts: Outreach, OfferUp, Blue Nile, and many more. Visit https://lexion.ai for more. About the Allen Institute for AI (AI2) AI2 was founded in 2014 with the singular focus of conducting high-impact research and engineering in the field of artificial intelligence, all for the common good. AI2 is the creation of Paul Allen, Microsoft co-founder, and is led by Dr. Oren Etzioni, a leading researcher in the field of AI. AI2 employs more than 100 top-notch researchers and engineers from across the globe. AI2 prides itself on the diversity and collaboration of our team and takes a results-oriented approach to complex challenges in AI. Learn more at allenai.org. About Khosla Ventures Khosla Ventures makes early-stage venture capital investments and provides strategic advice to entrepreneurs building companies with lasting significance. The firm was founded in 2004 by Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems. Khosla Ventures focuses on a broad range of sectors including artificial intelligence, agriculture/food, consumer, enterprise, financial services, health, space, sustainable energy, robotics, VR/AR and 3D printing. About Madrona Madrona ( www.madrona.com ) is a venture capital firm based in Seattle, WA. With more than 25 years of investing in early-stage technology companies, the firm has worked with founders from Day One to help build their company for the long run. Madrona invests predominantly in seed and Series A rounds across the information technology spectrum, and in 2018 raised the first fund dedicated to initial investments in acceleration stage (Series B and C stages) companies. Madrona manages over $2 billion and was an early investor in companies such as Amazon, Smartsheet, Isilon, Redfin, and Snowflake. About Wilson Sonsini For more than 60 years, Wilson Sonsini has offered a broad range of legal services focused on solving the challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leader in the fields of corporate governance and finance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, securities litigation, employment law, intellectual property, and antitrust, among many other areas of law. With deep roots in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini has offices in Austin; Beijing; Boston; Brussels; Hong Kong; London; Los Angeles; New York; Palo Alto; San Diego; San Francisco; Seattle; Shanghai; Washington, D.C.; and Wilmington, DE. For more information, please visit www.wsgr.com. Contact Details Forrest Carman +1 206-859-3118 forrestc@owenmedia.com Company Website https://lexion.ai/

June 17, 2021 08:04 AM Pacific Daylight Time

Image

Lightbits Labs Named to CRN 2021 Software-Defined Data Center 50 List

Lightbits Labs

Lightbits Labs™, the pioneer and leader in NVMe™ over TCP (NVMe/TCP) cloud-native storage, today announced that CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Lightbits to its 2021 Software-Defined Data Center 50 list. Propelled by the need for agility and flexibility, enterprise IT organizations are modernizing their data centers by leveraging cloud-native, software-defined solutions that enable automation, resource pooling, and virtualization. The annual list acknowledges technology vendors that partner with solution providers to deliver software-defined solutions that play a critical role in the hybrid cloud and data-driven era. CRN’s Software-Defined Data Center 50 List recognizes forward-thinking technology providers that seek to nurture, innovate, and grow the data center industry with modern, software-centric technologies. The list is selected by a panel of CRN editors each year, who review companies based on feedback from solution providers in the industry, as well as the strength of the vendors’ technology portfolios, effectiveness, visibility, business and sales influence, and their impact on the channel. Lightbits was chosen as a premier technology supplier based on the strength of the product portfolio it offers through partners, as well as its overall standing in the IT channel. “We are pleased to have been named to the CRN Software-Defined Data Center 50 List for our achievements in delivering the performance, flexibility, and cost-efficiencies IT organizations need,” said Josh Goldenhar, VP of Product at Lightbits. “CRN has honored Lightbits with various awards, validating our technology innovation in driving digital transformation and meeting the needs of the modern data center.” “From industry stalwarts to innovative startups, these vendors are transforming the software-defined data center market, partnering with top solution providers to create agile, efficient, cost-effective data center solutions that foster scalable, easy-to-manage IT environments,” said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. “We at The Channel Company congratulate them on their dedication to delivering best-in-class data center products and services to help improve business across the industry. They are truly raising the bar for the modern data center.” Lightbits LightOS™ provides NVMe-based, software-defined storage that enables easily scalable capacity, enterprise-class data services, flash-optimized efficiency, and independent scaling of compute and storage resources. It runs on commodity storage servers over standard Ethernet networks and requires zero modification to the application servers to achieve lower cost, greater scalability, and better performance than DAS or other software-defined storage solutions based on Ceph or iSCSI. The company is on a mission to democratize hyperscale storage, making these efficiencies available to enterprise IT organizations supporting high-performance databases (both SQL and NoSQL-based), big data analytics, and web-scale environments using either virtual or container-based architectures. “Congratulations to Lightbits for their continued recognition by CRN and their inclusion on the publication’s Software-Defined Data Center 50 List,” said Alexey Stolyar, Director of Development at International Computer Concepts (ICC). “We have confidence that when we implement LightOS to simplify our customer's cloud infrastructure, accelerate their applications, and scale their capacity in line with the demands of their business that Lightbits can deliver on those promises.” The Software-Defined Data Center 50 list is featured online at www.CRN.com/SDDC50 Additional resources: Lightbits Labs Reshapes the Software-Defined Block Storage Landscape Lightbits Labs Named Digital Innovator 2021 Customer Success Story: Finanz Informatik Technologie Service About The Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelcompany.com Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. © 2021 The Channel Company, LLC. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved. About International Computer Concepts (ICC) International Computer Concepts (ICC) is a leading provider of IT technology. Since 1993, ICC has been integrating computing systems with the latest hardware and software components to meet the rapidly changing business and IT requirements of its clients. With a focus on technical expertise and delivering energy-efficient and high-performance solutions, ICC uses only the best components available to design and assemble computing systems. Based in Northbrook, Illinois, ICC works closely with clients that include local businesses, multinational corporations, institutions of higher learning, and government agencies to equip them with superb computers. For more information on International Computer Concepts (ICC), visit http://www.icc-usa.com/. About Lightbits Labs Lightbits Labs’ mission is to lead the cloud-native data center transformation by delivering scalable and efficient software defined storage that is easy to consume. Founded in 2016, Lightbits brings the agility of hyperscale storage to private clouds and edge clouds. The company pioneered NVMe/TCP so the solution is easy to deploy at scale, while delivering performance that is similar to local flash. Lightbits Labs is backed by strategic investors including Cisco Investments, Dell Technologies Capital, Intel Capital, and Micron, as well as top investors and VCs including Avigdor Willenz, Lip-Bu Tan, Marius Nacht, SquarePeg Capital, and Celesta Capital. Visit www.lightbitslabs.com or contact us at info@lightbitslabs.com. Follow Lightbits Labs: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook Lightbits, Lightbits Labs, LightOS, and Lightbits SuperSSD are trademarks of Lightbits Labs, Ltd. ### Contact Details Lightbits Labs Carol Platz pr@lightbitslabs.com Company Website https://www.lightbitslabs.com/

June 17, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Cyvatar Raises an Additional $9 Million in Series A Round

Cyvatar

Cyvatar today announced that it has raised $9 million as part of its Series A financing to help scale and serve its rapidly growing customer base and continue to drive the adoption of its innovative cybersecurity-as-a-service (CSaaS) model. Escalating cybersecurity breaches and the need to address vulnerabilities across systems, networks, and apps fuel the security services market, expected to reach $193 billion by 2028. Additionally, the growth in hybrid and remote workers coupled with unsecured and unpatched BYOD devices further underscores the need for on-demand cybersecurity resources that include human talent, proven processes, and best-of-breed technology delivered from a single intuitive platform. Cyvatar has grown more than 200% since its debut in October. ATX Venture Partners led the round with additional participation from existing customer CORTEC and longtime Cyvatar investor Bill Wood Ventures. Cyvatar closed a $3 million seed round late last year, bringing the total amount raised over the last eight months to $12 million. “We’ve seen fundraising explode in the security space, in part as a result of the raft of ransomware, email compromise, and phishing attacks that have made people more aware of the problem and increased the need to fix it quickly and effectively,” said Chris Shonk, partner at ATX Venture Partners. “Cyvatar is an exciting addition to our dynamic portfolio and a natural fit alongside our other rapidly growing organizations. No other company we evaluated solves the problems of cybersecurity like Cyvatar. With Cyvatar CSaaS, security becomes as effortless as turning on the lights. There’s no better value for customers.” Cyvatar CSaaS offers security in a box for organizations of any size and any level of cybersecurity expertise--already more than 150 platform members have started the security journey with Cyvatar. Its mature sales and marketing engine makes it easy for new members to join and offers ongoing education and support for existing customers to continuously remediate evolving threats, safeguard critical systems, and boost compliance scores. "I can tell you that after implementing just three Cyvatar solutions, our security confidence is a lot stronger than it was before and our company as a whole is far more secure,” said Brent Fanguy, vice president of technology at CORTEC. “We applaud Cyvatar for pricing by employee count because it’s so easy to calculate and fit into our budget -- no counting servers or workstations, which is a nightmare. Cyvatar has delivered consistent value from our security spend, and we look forward to continuing to grow our partnership with them.” Whether customers need to speed their sales cycles, remediate after a breach, prevent future incursions, or respond to a third-party risk assessment, Cyvatar helps them achieve superior business outcomes every day. Click HERE to get started free and learn more about how Cyvatar is making cybersecurity effortless for every business. About Cyvatar Cyvatar is committed to effortless cybersecurity for everyone. As the industry’s first subscription-based, cybersecurity-as-a-service (CSaaS) company, it’s our mission to transform the way the security industry builds, sells, and supports cyber solutions. We empower our members to achieve successful outcomes by providing expert advisors, proven technologies, and a strategic process roadmap to guarantee results that map to their business drivers. Our approach is rooted in proprietary ICARM (installation, configuration, assessment, remediation, maintenance) methodology that delivers smarter, measurable security solutions for superior compliance and cyber-attack protection faster and more efficiently, all at a fixed monthly price. And because we’re a subscription, members can cancel anytime. Cyvatar is a global organization with operations around the world. Begin your journey to security confidence at cyvatar.ai and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. About ATX Venture Partners ATX Venture Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm specializing in the South-Central US. The firm’s seed and Series A investments focus on software-as-a-service, IoT, e-commerce, AI, frontier commercial technologies and mobile applications. ATX Venture Partners brings institutional-grade funding, process and rigor to early-stage venture capital investments, and is the partner to propel portfolio companies forward to larger growth capital. The firm was founded in 2014 and is based in Austin, Texas. Visit www.atxventurepartners.com, and follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Contact Details Cyvatar KC Higgins +1 303-434-8163 kc@cyvatar.ai ATX Ventures Meg Brigman +15127666462 meg@atxventurepartners.com Company Website https://cyvatar.ai/

June 17, 2021 07:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Image

Survey Says 66% Of California Independent Physicians Have Optimistic Outlook, While COVID-19 Pandemic Spurred Re-evaluation of Their Work Lives

Altais

While clinician burnout following the COVID-19 pandemic has been widely documented, a recent survey of independent physicians across California, conducted by Altais, in partnership with California Medical Association and Brown & Toland Physicians, indicates that, in California, the news is not all bad: 66% of respondents characterized as “very or somewhat optimistic” their general outlook and attitude looking to the future, vs. 20% who feel “very or somewhat pessimistic.” 65% reported experiencing “excellent or good” overall physical and mental health right now, vs. 14% reporting “fair or poor” overall health. At the same time, the survey made clear that the last 16 months of the pandemic have had an impact on how providers view their professional choices: 56% of respondents reported that a primary source of work-related stress during the pandemic was the overall financial performance of their practice; 42% named reduced patient visits as a primary stressor. 44% responded that the pandemic “changed how I think about work-life balance.” 35% reported that the pandemic “confirmed my commitment to independent practice,” while 25% said they “question my commitment to independent practice.” 35% reported that the pandemic “confirmed my commitment to practicing medicine,” while only 14% say they question that commitment. Telehealth and other technologies played a significant role in helping physicians and patients navigate the pandemic, and they appear to be a permanent part of healthcare’s future. Respondents confirmed this shift as follows: 30% responded that the past year “made me want to use technology more to see my patients.” 47% had not previously used telehealth to see patients. 39% responded that telehealth “played a crucial role in my ability to continue to care for patients.” 46% see telehealth as “a staple” of future practice. 4% reported that telehealth “did not work for my practice” According to Medscape’s 2021 Physician Burnout & Suicide Report, 42% of physicians reported feeling burnout in 2020. “We’ve known about the challenge of physician burnout for a long time,” said Dr. Jeff Bailet, CEO of Altais. “Pressures are particularly keen for independent physicians, which is why Altais’ mission is to create business systems and solutions specifically for them. Physician gratification is the critical fourth element of healthcare’s quadruple aim. We’re encouraged by the survey respondents’ increased optimism and renewed commitment to the practice of medicine. At the same time, we hear their need for more support loud and clear.” Survey methodology and respondents The survey was conducted online, shared via email with 9,564 independent physicians throughout California, in April and May 2021. About the 318 respondents: Geographic distribution: 51% are located in the greater San Francisco Bay Area; 18% in the greater Los Angeles area; 11% in greater San Diego and 20% distributed throughout the rest of the state. Type of medical practice: 58% are a specialty practice; 42% are primary care. Size of practice: 83% are in small/solo practice (fewer than 10 practitioners). About Altais Altais is a healthcare services company that helps physicians and the clinical community maximize the health and well-being of their patients in an affordable and sustainable way. Altais has two divisions. Altais Clinical Services offers a range of affiliation and employment models for physicians, and high-quality, affordable care for patients. Altais Health offers a broad platform of clinical support tools and technology, along with high-touch support. Altais seeks to enhance the vibrancy of physician practice and strengthen the heart of medicine – physicians connecting with patients and providing personalized, high-quality care. For more information about Altais, please visit www.altais.com. Editors, please note: Photos and interviews are available by contacting Robin Carr at (415) 971-3991 or Altais@landispr.com. Contact Details Landis Communications Inc. Robin Carr +1 415-971-3991 altais@landispr.com Company Website https://altais.com/

June 16, 2021 06:22 AM Pacific Daylight Time

SIPPIO

Unifying access to sales, management, CX, governance and support in a single portal provides partners and carriers with the visibility and control to manage quote to cash and automated customer activations to create monthly recurring revenue streams SIPPIO, the only company to offer a 100 percent, Azure-native based cloud platform, today introduced SIPPIO Partner Panel. Built for the channel, this partner-centric application provides carriers, managed service providers (MSPs), telco resellers and system integrators with a single portal to sell, deploy, manage, and support their entire global customer portfolio while growing a sustainable, healthy voice practice. Partner Portal automates the entire quote to cash process to increase revenue, maximize profits per user and offer cross-sell/upsell opportunity by reducing sales admin, operations, and support overhead. “To expand and grow, partners need to effortlessly provide sales quotes and seamlessly convert prospects into new revenue streams in record time. SIPPIO Partner Portal expedites billing and collections, protects against revenue deferment and requires minimal support,” said SIPPIO CEO, Adam Cole. A single pane of glass across the entire customer portfolio provides a comprehensive, modular and flexible view into inventory and asset management. Partner Portal’s holistic experience includes all SIPPIO Voice Panel functionality to quickly activate and manage users by eliminating manual and time-consuming tasks through automation. The SIPPIO global platform was designed and architected for Microsoft Azure, leverages superpipes into Microsoft Teams and includes customer and partner management applications. With a complete end-to-end platform, SIPPIO eliminates the cost, complexity, and time of building direct routing as a ‘one-off’. This ensures reliability and redundancy on a global scale with the highest levels of security, compliance, and data privacy. Partners can quickly establish recurring revenue streams while drastically reducing support costs and the risk of potential migration downtime with automated tenant provisioning, account activation, number porting and DID assignment. With SIPPIO, users activate in minutes and require minimal support. “Instead of waiting seven months for other service providers to design and implement expensive, hypothetically comparable solutions, SIPPIO, architected for scale and speed, is available today for activation of any size organization,” added Cole. Partner Portal APIs streamline integration with third-party platforms, allowing solutions providers to import their own SKUs and move underlying data to and from CRM, ERP and billing systems. Access to insights and data intelligence accelerates cashflow by reducing days outstanding for accounts receivable, recognizing top line revenue and automating billing and collection oversight. SIPPIO is committed to empowering channel partners and carriers with capabilities to capitalize on demand for voice-enabled collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams. By minimizing resource consumption from end-to-end, SIPPIO expands the universe of potential customers for partners, making it economically viable to pursue smaller companies as well as Fortune 500 enterprises. “Our company’s primary objective is providing the channel ecosystem with the resources to maximize profits, customer experience and platform performance while minimizing costs. With Partner Portal, we enable carriers and partners worldwide to offer value-added services across entire portfolios, fueling incremental revenue growth and increasing average revenue per user,” noted SIPPIO Chief Evangelist, Paul McMillan. ### About SIPPIO Headquartered in Annapolis, MD, SIPPIO is the largest platform provider to enable voice in Microsoft Teams. As a Co-Sell Preferred partner, SIPPIO provides partners and carriers with a fully automated, Azure native, end-to-end solution. Available globally with toll free and emergency services, SIPPIO does not require any code, build or maintenance. SIPPIO activates full calling capabilities in minutes and scales with business needs to enhance communications and collaboration to unify the modern workplace experience. Visit www.sippio.io for additional information. Contact Details Mostafa Razzak +1 917-912-0623 m.razzak@jmrconnect.net Company Website http://www.sippio.io

June 16, 2021 09:10 AM Eastern Daylight Time

VTS Earns 2021 Great Place to Work Certification™

VTS

VTS, the commercial real estate industry’s leading leasing, marketing and asset management technology platform—is proud to be Certified™ by Great Place to Work® — the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention, and increased innovation—for 2021. The prestigious award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at VTS. This year, 95% of employees said it’s a great place to work which is 4 points higher than average U.S. companies. “We are thrilled to be Great Place to Work-Certified™, as VTS considers employee experience to be a top priority, ” said Nick Romito, Chief Executive Officer of VTS. “We’re incredibly proud to have a team of talented, hard-working, innovative, and passionate employees, who have made VTS the workplace it is today and furthermore this recognition possible. What makes VTS such a great place to work is the people — our diversity is something that has always been of the utmost importance to us, and that’s reflected in the strength of our workforce.” VTS prides itself on company culture and values, while understanding that its staff is deserving of the best the industry has to offer. Its competitive perks package includes generous leave policy for primary and secondary caregivers, unlimited paid time off, flexible work schedules, along with an annual stipend for continued education. In the Great Place to Work Certification™ process, 96% agree that VTS’ management shows appreciation for good work and extra effort—proving hard work and creativity rarely goes unnoticed at VTS. “Great Place to Work Certification™ isn’t something that comes easily–it takes ongoing dedication to the employee experience,” said Sarah Lewis-Kulin, Vice President of Global Recognition at Great Place to Work. “It’s the only official recognition determined by employees’ real-time reports of their company culture. Earning this designation means that VTS is one of the best companies to work for in the country.” VTS continues to make significant investments to ensure it is recruiting the best people and providing them with a workplace and culture that they love coming to every single day to do their best work. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on work-life balance, VTS has reevaluated and upgraded its employee benefits and perks to assist in the transition to remote work, including providing a budget for setting up a work from home space; hosting group wellness, meditation, and workout sessions every week via Zoom conducted by qualified instructors; offering a coach focused on aiding employees through challenges related to COVID-19, careers, relationship and overall well-being; and much more. VTS is also deeply committed and has made significant investments in its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, fundamentally believing in the importance of, and responsibility to, create an environment that celebrates diverse ethnicities, experiences, and points of view. To that end, VTS has an employee-led Diversity and Inclusion Working Group and an annual Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Plan (SDIP) to raise the bar. According to Great Place to Work research, job seekers are 4.5 times more likely to find a great boss at a Certified Great Place To Work. Additionally, employees at Certified workplaces are 93% more likely to look forward to coming to work, and are twice as likely to be paid fairly, earn a fair share of the company’s profits, and have a fair chance at promotion. VTS continues to experience rapid growth, and is actively hiring within various roles throughout the organization. Visit vts.com/careers to learn more. About VTS VTS is commercial real estate’s leading leasing, marketing, and asset management platform where the industry comes to make deals happen and real-time data comes to life. The VTS Platform captures the largest first-party data source in the industry, which delivers real-time insights that fuel faster, more informed decision making and connections throughout the deal and asset lifecycle. VTS Data, the industry’s only forward-looking market dataset, and VTS Market and Marketplace, the industry’s first integrated online marketing solution, give landlords, brokers, and tenants unparalleled visibility into real-time market information and the direct connectivity to execute deals with greater speed and intelligence at every point in the planning, marketing, leasing, and asset management cycle. More than 60% of Class A commercial space in the US and 12B square feet of commercial real estate globally is managed on the VTS platform. Our user base includes over 45,000 CRE professionals including respected industry leaders like Blackstone, Brookfield Properties, LaSalle Investment Management, Hines, Boston Properties, Oxford Properties, JLL, and CBRE. To learn more about VTS, and to see our open roles, visit www.vts.com. About Great Place to Work Certification™ Great Place to Work® Certification™ is the most definitive “employer-of-choice” recognition that companies aspire to achieve. It is the only recognition based entirely on what employees report about their workplace experience – specifically, how consistently they experience a high-trust workplace. Great Place to Work Certification is recognized worldwide by employees and employers alike and is the global benchmark for identifying and recognizing outstanding employee experience. Every year, more than 10,000 companies across 60 countries apply to get Great Place to Work-Certified. About Great Place to Work® Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Their employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything they do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work For All™. Learn more at greatplacetowork.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Contact Details Elise Szwajkowski +1 212-402-3495 eszwajkowski@marinopr.com Company Website https://www.vts.com/

June 16, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

COMCAST AND FAMILY PROMISE OF SPOKANE LAUNCH FREE WIFI-CONNECTED “LIFT ZONES” AT LOCAL SHELTERS

Comcast Washington

Comcast Washington and Family Promise of Spokane today announced the opening of WiFi-connected Lift Zones at three family shelters across the City of Spokane. Comcast is equipping the Family Promise shelters with free robust WiFi technology that will help dozens of vulnerable students participate in distance learning and do their homework, and ensure adults and families are able to access needed online resources as they seek to transition into a stable home. In addition to Lift Zones, Comcast is providing new laptop computers to support the Family Promise of Spokane transitional housing program. The new devices provide families transitioning into permanent housing with technology that they can use for schooling, seeking jobs, applying for assistance programs, and more. The COVID-19 crisis has also worsened the gap in access to internet and technology that adults and families living in homelessness experience. Comcast Lift Zones are uniquely positioned to address this issue by providing robust WiFi technology for free in community centers that lack consistent access to the internet. Lift Zones at the following shelters will offer internet connectivity and technology access in a safe and positive place and strengthen Family Promise of Spokane’s efforts to help families transition from homelessness into a more stable situation: The Mission House– 2012 E Mission Ave Spokane, WA 99202 Open Doors Family Emergency Shelter– 2002 E Mission Ave Spokane, WA 99202 The Harston House – 904 E Hartson Ave Spokane, WA 99202 “For the families we serve, the internet is a key tool that helps them connect to so many different resources they need. From online learning for their kids, to finding housing and employment, to applying for government support and resources, it is invaluable, especially during this global pandemic,” said Joe Ader, Executive Director, Family Promise of Spokane. “By providing free connectivity to families, Comcast is helping us make a tremendous impact at a time of when it is deeply needed.” The new robust WiFi coverage is so effective it has reduced the number of troubleshooting cases the IT and Data Systems team manages for families onsite, allowing it to focus on other programs the shelter is building to address homelessness in Spokane County. “Internet is one of the most important resources we offer our clients and prior to the Comcast Lift Zone technology we would typically have roughly 60 connectivity troubleshooting issues in a given week,” said J Wylie, IT and Data Systems Manager for Family Promise of Spokane. “The new WiFi connection has greatly reduced these issues, allowing my team to focus on other technology and data projects that will help us better understand and serve our local vulnerable community members.” “Our work with Family Promise over the last several years has been focused on addressing digital equity gaps, by providing affordable internet connectivity to local families transitioning out of homeless,” said Kris Workman, Senior Director, Comcast in Spokane. “By opening Lift Zones at these shelters, we can take that work one step further by powering these Family Promise buildings with robust WiFi connectivity that their families can use while they are onsite.” Lift Zones complement Comcast’s Internet Essentials program and is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to help connect low-income families to the Internet in and outside of the home. Comcast plans to complete 80 Lift Zones in Washington by the end of 2021. Internet Essentials is Comcast’s signature digital equity initiative and the nation’s largest and most comprehensive broadband adoption program. Since 2011, Internet Essentials has connected more than 10 million people in America to broadband internet at home, including 60,000 in Spokane County. Today’s announcement also comes on the heels of Comcast’s  recent $1 billion commitment  over the next 10 years to help further close the digital divide and give even more low-income students and families the tools and resources they need to succeed in a digital world.   For more information about Comcast’s comprehensive connectivity program for low-income Americans visit https://corporate.comcast.com/values/internet-essentials About Family Promise of Spokane Family Promise of Spokane helps local communities coordinate their compassion to address the root causes of family homelessness. The organization taps existing local resources to empower families towards economic stability. Families come to them in crisis; Family Promise of Spokane helps them rebuild their lives with new skills and ongoing support. The nonprofit addresses the issue holistically, providing prevention services before families reach crisis, shelter and case management when they become homeless, and stabilization programs once they have secured housing to ensure they remain independent. For more information visit www.familypromiseofspokane.org/ About Comcast Corporation Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company with three primary businesses: Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, and Sky. Comcast Cable is one of the United States’ largest video, high-speed Internet, and phone providers to residential customers under the Xfinity brand, and also provides these services to businesses. It also provides wireless and security and automation services to residential customers under the Xfinity brand. NBCUniversal is global and operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures, and Universal Parks and Resorts. Sky is one of Europe's leading media and entertainment companies, connecting customers to a broad range of video content through its pay television services. It also provides communications services, including residential high-speed Internet, phone, and wireless services. Sky operates the Sky News broadcast network and sports and entertainment networks, produces original content, and has exclusive content rights. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information. Contact Details Comcast Washington Nick McDonald +1 425-977-5565 Nick_McDonald@Comcast.com Family Promise of Spokane Craig Howard +15097683083 choward@familypromiseofspokane.org Company Website https://washington.comcast.com/

June 16, 2021 05:57 AM Pacific Daylight Time

1 ... 587 588 589 590 591 ... 654

Technology

Correcting and Replacing: Travel Expert Dayvee Sutton Provides Tips to Plan Summer Vacations on a Budget

SUPER73® debuts versatile, affordable SUPER73-ZX

Khosla Leads $11M Round in Lexion, a Fast Growing AI-Powered Contract Management System

Lightbits Labs Named to CRN 2021 Software-Defined Data Center 50 List

Cyvatar Raises an Additional $9 Million in Series A Round

Survey Says 66% Of California Independent Physicians Have Optimistic Outlook, While COVID-19 Pandemic Spurred Re-evaluation of Their Work Lives

SIPPIO Unveils Partner Portal ©

VTS Earns 2021 Great Place to Work Certification™

COMCAST AND FAMILY PROMISE OF SPOKANE LAUNCH FREE WIFI-CONNECTED “LIFT ZONES” AT LOCAL SHELTERS