Communications

Advertising Communications Graphic Design Internet Marketing Media Publishing SEO
News Release Digital Asset Direct

Location-Based Services Innovator GeoSolutions Alleges RICO Violations and Unfair Competition by Weibo Corporation, Sina Corporation, and Others

GeoSolutions

This is a statement issued by GeoSolutions: "Chinese media conglomerate Sina Corporation (NASDAQ: SINA) and its subsidiary Weibo Corporation (NASDAQ: WB) used their unusually complex corporate structure to steal technology to enhance and monetize their leading “Weibo” social network—a Chinese-based hybrid of Twitter and Facebook. This is according to a new lawsuit filed on March 15, 2021 in a California court. The scheme enabled the Chinese companies to avoid paying rightful revenues to the creators of the software, GeoSolutions B.V. and GeoSolutions Holdings N.V. ( GeoSolutions ), the companies who filed the lawsuit in the Superior Court of the State of California in Santa Clara County. GeoSolutions’ location-based services (LBS) technology is the driving force behind Weibo’s nearly $12 billion market cap. The lawsuit alleges that Sina Corporation (Sina), Weibo Corporation (Weibo), and at least 10 other related entities and two individuals at the top of the organization, carried out an elaborate scheme over several years to pilfer the technology and know-how of GeoSolutions, particularly its effective integration of LBS into social networking. This was done through a series of misrepresentations using subsidiaries and Variable Interest Entities (VIEs) to conceal Sina’s agenda and play a corporate shell game to hide the generated revenue. “As numerous market observers and scholars have maintained, Sina’s complex corporate structure is neither honest nor transparent,” said Adam Fox, lead counsel for GeoSolutions. “Its peculiar corporate structure circumvents the law and hides the truth by design.” Central to the claims in the case is the fact that GeoSolutions entered into a series of agreements with various members of the larger Sina group of companies to allow access to GeoSolutions’ LBS technology and the know-how of its effective use in social networking. Sina then deployed this software on its Weibo platform without paying any remuneration. GeoSolutions has never been paid any compensation from Weibo and alleges that various other Sina companies are also using the LBS technology and claiming it as their own. LBS technology has become essential to most mobile device users. It powers user queries for restaurants or other businesses “near me,” enables “check ins” at a location, tracks packages ordered online, locates your ride-share driver, and much more. This makes it valuable to many companies who want to advertise or offer additional services to consumers. In a prospectus for investors ahead of the Weibo initial public offering (IPO) in April 2014, Sina credited the LBS platform as a substantial means to generate revenue from its Weibo app. Sina now claims it created the platform when in fact it is really GeoSolutions’ technology. Weibo’s market value has grown dramatically since its joint venture with GeoSolutions. At the time of its IPO, Weibo was valued at $3.6 billion. Today its market cap is nearly $12 billion. However, GeoSolutions has never received any compensation from Weibo. “Our experience and engineering know-how allowed us to identify the early market opportunity in mobile location and to invest in developing the GeoSolutions LBS platform. We had a growing client base, operational experience, and the ability to utilize our GyPSii subsidiary. We were extremely well positioned. It made sense that Sina and Weibo saw us as a target," said Jay Cahill, co-founder and general partner at Bluefin Technology Partners and former Vice President of Operations for GeoSolutions. “In the end, deception by Sina and Weibo and the harm it did to GyPSii, GeoSolutions, and our team was devastating. We lost jobs and severances. To see something into which so many of us put years of effort, know-how, and our hearts be so diminished is deeply saddening.” The “sham” corporate structure GeoSolutions alleges in the complaint reflects a series of Chinese VIEs. This case is the first time a United States court has been asked to rule on the legality of this structure, which numerous legal and financial commentators say is used to evade Chinese law that prevents foreign ownership of domestic businesses in certain industries. Some of these commentators also say the VIE structure overstates company assets and exposes investors to underappreciated risks. GeoSolutions claims that Sina used its network of VIEs to steal its technology and hide revenue from GeoSolutions. “Sina used a series of shell companies to hide GeoSolutions’ technology and keep the company from knowing how widely its software was being shared – and monetized – across the labyrinth of Sina entities,” added Fox. “GeoSolutions entered the agreements in good faith. Now the company has lost its intellectual property and its expected stream of income. Most of its employees had to be laid off due to Sina’s greed.” Sina Corporation reports ownership of more than 20 “significant subsidiaries and VIEs,” including Palo Alto-based SINA.COM Online, one of the other defendants. In its own 2019 annual report, Sina admits that its use of VIEs is intended to circumvent Chinese law while exercising (in theory) operational control over the business. In the same report, Sina states that it “cannot be sure that the PRC government would view our contractual arrangements to be in compliance with PRC licensing, registration, or other regulatory requirements.” It is this questionable, and some commentators argue illegal, corporate structure that allowed Sina and Weibo to misrepresent their intentions to GeoSolutions. Impartial third-party experts agree that GeoSolutions’ LBS technology was stolen. In December 2019, a distinguished international arbitration tribunal unanimously ruled in favor of GeoSolutions. Among other things, the award held that Sina Hong Kong Limited, one of many subsidiaries of Sina and also a defendant in this new lawsuit, facilitated the unlawful use of GeoSolutions’ technology. Sina Hong Kong was ordered to pay GeoSolutions damages of more than $115 million, plus interest. The award was limited to damages incurred by GeoSolutions from August 11, 2014 through August 10, 2017, the time period defined in the terms of a 2014 software license agreement. More than a year later, Sina Hong Kong has still not paid the award. This is despite the fact that Sina publicly announced shortly after the ruling that it had set the money aside. The tribunal’s ruling also concluded that “evidence shows that other Sina entities made use of the Licensed Software, had possession of servers on which the software was based, and controlled usage data.” These facts had been hidden from GeoSolutions until December 2018 when they were revealed in testimony compelled from Sina witnesses during the arbitration. The complaint filed by GeoSolutions on March 15 lists six causes of action against Weibo and Sina: 1) Declaratory Relief, 2) Violation of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (18 U.S.C. §§ 1961, et seq.); 3) Violation of the Defend Trade Secrets Act (18 U.S.C. § 1836 et seq.); 4) Intentional Misrepresentation; 5) Negligent Misrepresentation; and 6) Unfair Competition (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 17200, et seq.). The other entities named as defendants in the suit are part of the web of VIE entities and include SINA.COM Online, Weibo R&D Limited, New Wave MMXV Ltd., Sina Hong Kong Limited, GyPSii (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Beijing Sina Internet Information Service Company Ltd., Beijing New Media Technology Information Company, Beijing Weimeng Technology Co., Ltd., Sina (Beijing) Information Technology Co. Ltd., SINA.COM Technology (China) Co., Ltd., and individuals Cao Guowei (aka Chao Guowei aka Charles Chao) and Wang Gaofei, respectively the CEOs of Sina Corporation and Weibo Corporation. Among the relief GeoSolutions is seeking are damages for all injuries suffered as a result of the defendants’ conduct, treble damages pursuant to RICO claims, disgorgement of wrongfully obtained profits, and injunctive relief prohibiting the defendants from engaging in the conduct described herein." To view the full complaint, visit www.GeoSolutionsTech.com. About GeoSolutions GeoSolutions Holdings N.V. and its subsidiary GeoSolutions B.V. (GeoSolutions) are the creators of location-based services (LBS) and social networking services (SNS) software, primarily for use on cell phones, laptops, notebooks, and other portable devices. LBS technology allows device users to search for and identify their contacts by location in real time. This functionality pioneered a significant, new functionality to SNS and created a way to monetize social media that is used extensively today across the world’s most popular platforms. For more information, go to www.GeoSolutionsTech.com. Contact Details GeoSolutions Melissa Arnoff kglobal for GeoSolutions +1 301-785-3329 GeoSolutions@kglobal.com Company Website https://geosolutionstech.com/

March 16, 2021 09:40 AM Eastern Daylight Time

SMALL BUSINESSES IN WASHINGTON HIT BY ECONOMIC CHALLENGES CAN NOW APPLY FOR RELIEF GRANTS FROM GSBA AND COMCAST

Comcast West Division

GSBA – Washington’s LGBTQ and allied chamber of commerce – and Comcast Washington are now accepting applications from small businesses throughout the state seeking financial assistance. Eligible BIPOC, LGBTQ, and women-owned small businesses may apply starting today, March 15 through Friday, April 9, 2021 at theGSBA.org/ready-for-business. Selected businesses will receive $2,500 grants from the Ready for Business Fund formed by GSBA and Comcast. The Ready for Business Fund has expanded to support small businesses statewide this year with a $50,000 investment from Comcast and GSBA continuing its role as the fund and program manager. The statewide expansion will also focus on providing support for qualifying small businesses located in rural areas of Washington who have been particularly impacted by the pandemic and lack of proximity to resources. The grant application is short and easy to complete. Submissions will be reviewed by a committee of volunteers from around the state representing diverse backgrounds and skill sets. All grant recipients will receive wrap-around services from GSBA that include membership and business consulting. All grant applicants will be notified the week of April 26. Grants from the fund are made possible by securing contributions from companies and individuals. In addition to contributions from Comcast, GSBA has received $61,000 in contributions from BECU, T-Mobile, Symetra, Microsoft, and Harborstone Credit Union and others. The Ready for Business Fund was originally established in the summer of 2020 with a $100,000 investment from Comcast and GSBA as the fund and program manager. The fund distributed $2,500 cash grants to more than 60 BIPOC, LGBTQ, and women-owned small businesses in the Seattle metro area last year. Within a month of the Ready for Business Fund application being open last summer, GSBA received nearly 500 applications from local businesses. Business owners who applied to the Ready for Business Fund last year reported a devastating impact from the economic downturn, including up to 85 percent annual revenue loss, laying-off employees, and significant loss of business. When asked how the grant money would support their businesses, the most common responses included necessities such as paying for rent, bills, payroll, and groceries. The GSBA survey information from previous applicants underscores the economic challenges of 2020 and how the small business community in Washington continues to struggle. About GSBA Established in 1981, GSBA is Washington State's LGBTQ and allied chamber of commerce and is the largest of its kind in North America. The chamber represents over 1,400 small business, corporate, and nonprofit members who share the values of promoting diversity, equity, equality, and inclusion in the workplace. GSBA proudly serves as a connector across the region, bringing communities together through business while advocating for civil rights and small business. GSBA also promotes LGBTQ tourism through Travel Out Seattle, advocates for small businesses in Seattle’s Capitol Hill Neighborhood through the Capitol Hill Business Alliance (CHBA) and invests in the next generation of LGBTQ and allied leaders through the GSBA Scholarship & Education Fund. 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 Andy Colley +1 425-248-5438 Andy_Colley@Comcast.com Company Website https://washington.comcast.com/

March 15, 2021 09:05 AM Pacific Daylight Time

COMCAST LAUNCHING 35 COMMUNITY WIFI “LIFT ZONES” ACROSS UTAH

Comcast West Division

Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA) today announced plans with Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Ogden City Mayor Mike Caldwell to equip 35 locations throughout Utah with free WiFi-connected “Lift Zones,” or public WiFi hot spots, by the end of 2021. With an ongoing commitment to connect low-income families to the Internet, the partnership members are expanding WiFi hotspots in Utah’s most aggressive plan to date. “We are investing in this project because the pandemic has put countless low-income students at risk of being left behind,” said Deneiva Knight, director of external affairs at Comcast. “That has accelerated the need for comprehensive digital equity and Internet access and adoption programs, such as Lift Zones.” Lift Zones are designed to help those students who may be unable to connect to distance learning at home or who want or need another place in which to study. “The urgency of this service has never been greater,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. “Kids can now have dependable Internet resources in a good learning environment. That reliable internet is key component of our YouthCity programming service, the Comcast partnership will help keep our students connected.” The partnership will expand Utah’s network of public WiFi hotspots with Comcast providing robust, free WiFi service in safe spaces, such as parks and recreation centers, and other non-profit and community centers – in low-income neighborhoods – where need to help connect students and families is greatest. “We expect to help tens of thousands of low-income students get online, participate in distance learning and do their homework when schools reopen and it's safe to gather in a socially distanced manner,” Knight said. Initially, Lift Zones will be activated at Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salt Lake, Youth Impact Center of Ogden, Suazo Business Center, YWCA Utah and Tracy Aviary Jordan River Nature Center. “Tech and innovation have always been critical and foundational parts of my vision for our capital city,” said Mendenhall. “There's an incredible value in these public-private partnerships that we simply can't afford to bring the level and the quality of internet that our residents need and deserve. “Through these public-private partnerships, we are able to leverage these foundational needs so much farther. We're grateful and we're thrilled.” “Our goal is to provide free Internet connectivity and access to hundreds of hours of educational and digital skills content to help families and site coordinators navigate online learning,” Knight said. “Lift Zones complement Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, which, since 2011, has helped connect millions low-income people to the Internet at home.” In addition to the WiFi Lift Zones initiative, public, private and non-profit partners are working together to provide internet access to hundreds of Utahns in need, including seniors and families. Visit https://utah.comcast.com/lift-zones/ for more information and the latest updates. 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 Deneiva Knight +1 801-401-2636 deneiva_knight@cable.comcast.com Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salt Lake Machelle Lake 801-322-4415 mlake@gslclubs.org Salt Lake City Lindsey Nikola 801-535-6040 lindsey.nikola@slcgov.com Company Website https://utah.comcast.com/

March 15, 2021 09:00 AM Mountain Daylight Time

COMCAST LAUNCHING MORE THAN 30 WIFI-CONNECTED “LIFT ZONES” ACROSS NEW MEXICO

Comcast West Division

As part of its ongoing commitment to help connect low-income families to the Internet so they can fully participate in educational opportunities and the digital economy, Comcast today announced plans to equip more than 30 locations across New Mexico with WiFi-connected “Lift Zones” before the end of 2021. Working with its network of nonprofit, community, and city partners, Comcast is providing robust, free WiFi in safe spaces for students and adults to get online, participate in distance learning and workforce development trainings, and access critical resources. This initiative provides free connectivity inside partner centers for the next three years. Youth Development, Inc. (YDI) is one of the first Lift Zones installed in New Mexico. For nearly 50 years, YDI has been fighting poverty in New Mexico through a variety of youth and family services programs. “Transforming two of our YDI centers into Lift Zones has made a huge difference in the lives of the students we serve," said Robert Chavez, CFO/COO, Youth Development, Inc. “Many of the kids who come to YDI either don’t have internet at home or they can’t study at home and need somewhere safe to go. We’re so glad to be able to work with Comcast to give our students a safe, clean, and connected space where they can stay in school even when schools are closed.” “During the pandemic we stepped up to fill an urgent need, providing WiFi hotspots at nearly 60 community centers, libraries, and in neighborhoods for students who don't have access to the internet at home,” said Mayor Tim Keller, City of Albuquerque. “This partnership to add Comcast Lift Zones will build on that work to expand access to a basic need for both workers and students during this pandemic and into the future.” New Mexico organizations working with Comcast to establish Lift Zones in their respective facilities include: Albuquerque Boys & Girls Clubs of Central New Mexico City of Albuquerque Community & Senior Centers - multiple locations to be announced City of Albuquerque Childcare Centers- multiple locations to be announced Goodwill of New Mexico San Mateo Center GoodBuys Center New Day Youth & Family Services South Valley Economic Development Center Youth Development Inc Main location South Valley location Farmington Boys & Girls Clubs of Farmington Main Clubhouse Hilltop Clubhouse Bloomfield Clubhouse City of Farmington Recreation Centers multiple locations to be announced Goodwill of New Mexico – Farmington Center Las Cruces Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Cruces City of Las Cruces Community Centers multiple locations to be announced Santa Fe Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Fe Zona Clubhouse Camino De Jacobo Clubhouse Valle Vista Clubhouse City of Santa Fe Community Centers Girls Inc of Santa Fe Silver City Silver City Senior Center El Grito Early Learning Center Additional New Mexico Lift Zones sites are currently under consideration, with the goal to have all locations installed by the end of 2021. “Partnering with Comcast to provide Lift Zones at three Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Fe/Del Norte locations is crucial for the success of our students. These connectivity sites will help ensure our students can access critical resources and participate in their education online,” said Roman Abeyta, Chief Professional Officer, Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Fe. “Access to the Internet is a critical component of digital equity, and we’re proud to partner with so many key community organizations in making that possible through our Lift Zones,” said Chris Dunkeson, Area Vice President, Comcast. “There is no single answer to address the distance learning challenges of COVID-19, but we’re working hard to bridge the gap for as many students and families across New Mexico as possible.” In addition, the company is providing free access to all outdoor WiFi hotspots through June 30, 2021, plus hundreds of hours of digital skills content to help families and site coordinators navigate online learning. Lift Zone sites complement Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, which has helped connect millions of low-income students and families to the Internet at home. New Internet Essentials customers who sign up by June 30, 2021 will also be eligible to receive 60-days of free Internet service. 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 Julianne Phares +1 505-218-0961 julianne_phares@cable.comcast.com Company Website https://newmexico.comcast.com/

March 15, 2021 09:00 AM Mountain Daylight Time

CMMC Center of Excellence Announces Engagement Agreement with DRAGOS

Interoperability Clearinghouse

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Center of Excellence ( CMMC COE ), hosted by the Information Technology Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC), a public-private partnership serving the public and private sectors for more than 15 years is excited to announce a partnership with Dragos, Inc., the global leader in cybersecurity for industrial controls systems (ICS)/operational technology (OT) environments. This unique partnership will extend efforts to identify and include proven capabilities within the CMMC COE Marketplace to improve cybersecurity protection and resilience for the global defense industrial base network of contractors, vendors, and suppliers. Far too often, the cybersecurity protection and resilience discussion fails to include any true focus on industrial control systems or operational technology. Dragos has a deep bench of expert ICS/OT cybersecurity practitioners committed to helping its customers detect, prevent, investigate and respond to attacks from threat actors. “This is exciting opportunity for us”, said Mr. John Weiler, Chairman of the Board at CMMC Center of Excellence, “This new partnership will further help advance the goals and objectives for improving the supply chain security and resilience of the US Department of Defense (DoD)”. “Dragos believes the adoption of the CMMC model for ICS / OT cybersecurity is a critical step in our mission to safeguard civilization,” said Steve Applegate, Chief Information Security Officer, Dragos, Inc. “We are excited to join the CMMC COE Global Cyber Policy & Governance Working Group and lend our expertise to this vital initiative.” The executed Engagement Agreement establishes a collaborative engagement between Dragos and the CMMC COE to partner in the furthering of their respective and complementary missions and objectives regarding the adoption, use, and expansion of CMMC-based cybersecurity practices, risk management, and compliance for the DIB contractor, vendor, and supplier community of providers creating a broader CMMC ecosystem globally to improve security and resilience. Specific actions will include: Co-sponsor symposiums, training programs and podcasts leveraging their combined cyber and IT expertise. Host regular working groups, with other partners, to enable collaboration and communications. Work across industry, government, and academia to build on CMMC requirements to include and focus on attention to security and resilience of industrial control systems and operational technology. The CMMC-COE and Dragos partnership will focus on bringing together the many disparate cyber and national security communities of interest to reduce complexity, improve awareness, and accelerate industry effort to become more cyber resilient against the growing threats from nation states and criminal enterprises. The CMMC-COE establishes both a Market Place and Knowledge Clearinghouse that will include resources that support the overall effort, including white papers; tutorials; recorded webcasts; presentations; and more that will help reduce the cost and burden on small and medium size contractors already struggling from the impact of COVID. For more information on the CMMC COE, please visit http://cmmc-coe.org email info@cmmc-coe.org or call 703-863-3766 About Dragos, Inc Dragos has a global mission: to safeguard civilization from those trying to disrupt the industrial infrastructure we depend on every day. The practitioners who founded Dragos were drawn to this mission through decades of government and private sector experience. Dragos codifies the knowledge of our cybersecurity experts into an integrated software platform that provides customers critical visibility into ICS and OT networks so that threats are identified and can be addressed before they become significant events. Our solutions protect organizations across a range of industries, including electric and water utilities, energy, and manufacturing, and are optimized for emerging applications like the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT). Dragos is privately held and headquartered in the Washington, DC area with regional presence around the world, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the Middle East. For more information on Dragos, please visit https://www.dragos.com/ About Us ---------- CMMC-COE.ORG is a unique non-profit public-private partnership, with a vision to accelerate Cybersecurity Maturity Model (CMM) adoption, and reduce time & cost for security compliance for our partners by leveraging commercial best practices, CMMC standards, and innovative solutions for a measurable success. Our mission, focused on DOD mission objectives, cost containment and expeditious CMMC compliance, is to help the DIB improve cyber posture and resilience, and simplify its acquisition. The CMMC-COE is hosted by the Information Technology Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC), a public/private partnership (P3) chartered in 2007 as an honest broker to reach outside the confines of the Federal IT advisories that lack dynamic reach into the Global IT Market, and dedicated to the adoption of commercial IT management standards of practice and innovations emanating from the Global IT market. Team IT-AAC has already demonstrated the value of its decade long investment, and provides a unique value to agencies seeking to achieve accelerate the transformation of legacy processes and systems. Our Just-in-Time SMEs apply an innovative suite of Technology Business Management and Agile Acquisition Processes needed to assure the business value of commercial IT. The Interoperability Clearinghouse (ICH), is the managing partner that make up the 24 NGO/SDO organizations that make up the IT-AAC. ICH provides the contract vehicles, clearances, and critical resources proven to guide sustainable, measurable and repeatable processes needed to drive better investment decisions as the speed of mission need, while aligning existing processes, methods and workforce with IT reform mandates contained in Clinger Cohen Act, FITARA, IT MGT Act, EO13838. Contact Details Bob Dix +1 703-975-6633 bob.dix@it-aac.org Company Website https://cmmc-coe.org

March 15, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

News Direct Partners With Latinx Newswire To Reach The Influential Hispanic Market

News Direct

With today's heightened focus on multicultural marketing, News Direct has entered into a reciprocal distribution agreement with Latinx Newswire, whose social media channels enable clients to connect to over 10,000 Hispanic media, bloggers and influencers. Founded by the team that pioneered Hispanic news distribution more than two decades ago, the next-level value proposition of Latinx combines flat-rate pricing, comprehensive targeting of U.S. Hispanic and Puerto Rico media and influencers, an SEO-enhanced multimedia platform, and the expertise of a management team that has collectively swept every top PR award. Latinx Newswire features a multichannel platform that segments news into 18 categories to facilitate journalist access, coupled with guaranteed postings to dozens of influential Hispanic sites. The reciprocal relationship enables Latinx clients seeking to convey their message beyond the Hispanic community to leverage the expansive global network of News Direct, which includes comprehensive U.S. coverage and access to Latin America markets. The founders of Latinx Newswire literally invented the category with the launch of Hispanic PR Wire in 2000, which was subsequently sold to a UK-based media conglomerate. Latinx Newswire represents the evolution of their distribution model, updated to reflect the advanced digital and social enhancements that have been introduced in the intervening years. "With today's emphasis on diversity and equity, we are proud to be partnering with Latinx Newswire to reach the Hispanic community," noted Gregg Castano, Founder/CEO of News Direct. "Latinos are influencing every segment of society and should be an integral part of all communications campaigns. No one has a better understanding of how to reach the Hispanic community than Latinx Newswire." About News Direct News Direct provides news and content distribution for PR, IR, Corporate Communications and Marketing professionals. Our automated platform delivers a completely-reimagined, intuitive workflow, industry-leading security, transparent, flat-rate pricing and actionable analytics. Further, News Direct has deployed an array of innovation including advanced automation, isolation cloud technology and custom software for the most dynamic, efficient and flexible platform available today. To learn more visit newsdirect.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. About Latinx Newswire Headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale, Latinx Newswire is the affordable, multimedia press release wire service tailored for brands, event producers, celebrities, media, and marketing agencies who want to reach the U.S. Hispanic and Puerto Rico media and digital influencer communities. Latinx Newswire releases routinely feature 135+ online and content aggregator placements on platforms like Google News, Diario Las Americas, AOL, Yahoo! Finance, and more. The service also features complimentary reports for its online placements as well as flat rate press release wire services that range from city to state to national distributions. Led by award-winning 40-year veterans of the social media and press release wire industries, our newswire features a wide range of budget-friendly multimedia capabilities that are priced at a fraction of what traditional wire services cost and deliver value every time. Contact Details Martha Pearlstone +1 203-295-7566 martha.pearlstone@newsdirect.com Company Website http://www.newsdirect.com

March 15, 2021 07:57 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Cyvatar Brings Home the Gold in the 2021 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards

Cyvatar

Cyvatar today has been recognized as the gold award winner of the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards for best cybersecurity-as-a-service (CSaaS). Such prestigious recognition is a testament to the company’s unparalleled innovation as the de facto operating system for all of its members’ security programs. Cyvatar’s all-in-one platform delivers the industry’s first-of-its-kind cybersecurity-as-a-service (CSaaS) offering. Cyvatar offers the perfect blend of technology, people, and processes so that organizations actually achieve better protection and resilience from their investments, rather than throwing more and more tools at their security problems, hoping one of them will work. “We are proud to be recognized for our revolutionary work in bringing the membership economy to cybersecurity,” said Cyvatar Founder and Chief Executive Corey White. “Today’s organizations have an average of 108 cybersecurity solutions and when breaches happen they buy even more. But buying the best lock available doesn’t make a home truly safe, and the same is true for security. Technology alone can’t deliver the results organizations need, but the right mix of technology, human capital, and proven processes can, and that’s what our CSaaS offering brings to the table.” Cyvatar’s exclusive ICARM approach adds expert advisers and successful processes to best-of-breed security tools for superior compliance and cyber-attack protection. This proprietary five-step method guarantees proper installation, configuration, assessment, remediation, and maintenance for every Cyvatar technology solution so that organizations actually achieve better protection and resilience from their investments. And because Cyvatar’s method is continuous, it protects against attack vectors that haven’t even surfaced yet. "Congratulations to Cyvatar for being recognized as the gold award winner in the highly competitive 2021 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards," said Holger Schulze, CEO of Cybersecurity Insiders and founder of the 400,000-member Information Security Community on LinkedIn that jointly produce the awards program. "With over 500 entries in more than 90 award categories, the 2021 awards reflect the very best in today's cybersecurity industry." Cyvatar was selected from organizations around the world that vied for top honors. Its disruptive, game-changing platform delivers fast, affordable, fully managed security programs for any size business; processes designed to provide outcomes, continuous remediation, and ongoing solution maintenance; and the ability for all of its members to execute their security strategies at speed and scale. Let us revolutionize your cybersecurity. Become a free member today and get a monthly vulnerability scan for your business at cyvatar.ai! About Cyvatar Cyvatar is committed to 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 headquartered in Irvine, California with locations around the world. Begin your journey to security confidence at https://cyvatar.ai/ and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Contact Details Cyvatar KC Higgins +1 303-434-8163 kc@cyvatar.ai Company Website https://cyvatar.ai/

March 11, 2021 11:45 AM Eastern Standard Time

Image

The Tastes of St. Patrick’s Day: Live from the Chef’s Kitchen in Ireland

YourUpdateTV

This St. Patrick's Day leave green-hued food in the past and lean into the Irish culture with dishes that go beyond corned beef and cabbage. Even if you're only Irish once a year, you'll want to observe year-round with these delicious and traditional ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. A video accompanying the announcement is available here: https://youtu.be/jSL1RumbJM4 Live from Ireland, on March 9, Chef Catherine Fulvio, conducted a nationwide media tour in partnership with YourUpdate TV to provide recipes and background on the most authentic way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day along with insights on which products to use including telling the story of Ireland’s own, Truly Grass Fed. Truly Grass Fed is a line of delicious premium cheese, butter, and ghee clarified butter imported from Ireland coming from cows that are indeed truly grass fed. In fact, 95% of their diet is grass. These are happy, healthy, cows roaming nearly 200 acres of lush green Irish pastures per farm for 250 days a year. All of their dairy products come from Irish family-run farms run along the eastern seaboard and into the rich green pasturelands of Ireland’s midlands. All Truly Grass Fed products are Animal Welfare Approved (by A Greener World) an independent non-profit certification program for farm animal welfare, outdoor access and sustainability. You can see the Animal Welfare Approved logo on each & every pack. The range is also non GMO Project Verified. Grass fed is not just good for the animals, it’s also good for the products making for delicious cheese and butter for you & your family, all while being kinder to animals and the planet. Truly Grass Fed is dedicated to continued innovation and is excited to introduce Ghee Clarified Butter – ideal for cooking and baking due to its delicious taste, and for sautéing due to its high smoke point. This delicious new offering is produced from fresh sweet cream sourced from grass herds and is naturally lactose-free. Learn more about how Truly Grass Fed ‘PairsWithYou’ at trulygrassfed.com About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

March 11, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Video

CSG Conversational Artificial Intelligence Recognized Globally for Driving a Personalized and Engaging Customer Experience

CSG

CSG®’s (NASDAQ: CSGS) Conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) solution was named Best Product In Telecommunications by the Business Intelligence Group during their 2021 BIG Innovation Awards. “More than ever, the global society relies on innovation to help progress humanity and make our lives more productive, healthy and comfortable,” said Maria Jimenez, chief operating officer, Business Intelligence Group. “We are thrilled to recognize CSG as one of the organizations leading with innovative problem solving, creativity and progress.” “CSG delivers industry-leading customer engagement solutions that give our customers the ability to deliver an exceptional experience to their customers, while providing the agility to rapidly adapt as their business needs evolve,” said Dave Bukovinsky, executive director, CSG. “We are focused on revolutionizing customer engagement solutions to ensure our customers’ businesses are future-ready, while making the best experiences today even better. Thank you to the Business Intelligence Group.” CSG Conversational AI, developed in collaboration with Artificial Solutions, a leader in intent-based AI, rapidly deploys conversational applications across multiple channels, including SMS, voice, text, chat, IVR, and smart home devices. From speech-enabled interfaces to intelligent virtual assistants and smart chatbots, the CSG solution is changing the way people interact with businesses, providing a more humanlike, natural experience and reducing the effort customers have to put into getting their problems solved. “We are delighted to see CSG succeed and deliver AI applications that are transforming how companies engage with their customers,” said Per Ottoson, CEO, Artificial Solutions. “We look forward to continuing our work together, leveraging innovative technology to support solving their customers’ toughest business challenges.” CSG Conversational AI is a scalable, multilingual and device independent solution. It features accelerators that speed up AI deployment, and uses a single AI “brain,” allowing the reuse of interface logic and integrations across several channels as well as multiple interactive voice responses. Easy to use, it seamlessly integrates with back-end systems and third-party applications, supporting enterprise-level call and text volumes. About CSG For more than 35 years, CSG has simplified the complexity of business, delivering innovative customer engagement solutions that help companies acquire, monetize, engage and retain customers. Operating across more than 120 countries worldwide, CSG manages billions of critical customer interactions annually, and its award-winning suite of software and services allow companies across dozens of industries to tackle their biggest business challenges and thrive in an ever-changing marketplace. CSG is the trusted provider for driving digital innovation for hundreds of leading global brands, including Airtel Africa, América Móvil, AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, DISH, Formula 1, Hutchison 3 Indonesia, Inmarsat, Mastercard, Maximus, Mediacom, Microsoft, Mobily, MTN, New Leaf Service Contracts, State of California, TalkTalk and Telstra. To learn more, visit our website at csgi.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Copyright © 2021 CSG Systems International, Inc. and/or its affiliates (“CSG”). All rights reserved. CSG® is a registered trademark of CSG Systems International, Inc. All third-party trademarks, service marks, and/or product names which are referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners, and all rights therein are reserved. Contact Details CSG Global, North America, Asia-Pacific Brad Jones +1 303-200-3001 brad.jones@csgi.com CSG Europe, Middle East, Africa Kristine Østergaard +44 (0)79 2047 7204 kristine.ostergaard@csgi.com Business Intelligence Group Maria Jimenez +1 (909) 529-2737 jmaria@bintelligence.com Company Website https://www.csgi.com

March 11, 2021 06:00 AM Mountain Standard Time

1 ... 317 318 319 320 321 ... 347