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PR Newswire

Chargebee and ION Partners to deliver a full lead-to-ledger customer offering that accelerates growth

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SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 28, 2021 — Chargebee, the leading subscription billing and revenue management platform, today announced its partnership with ION (Ion Industries Ltd), which delivers business and financial transformation through the application of the world’s leading software solutions.

Chargebee enables businesses to improve the customer journey and customer retention rate by aligning subscription billing and marketing to offer flexible subscription, pricing or product offerings to its customers. As a Salesforce Silver Partner, ION can deliver the alignment of the complete customer process to maximise customer value, improve communication, increase visibility, market segmentation, and better manage the customer lifecycle.

Combining Chargebee, a recognized leader in subscription management, with ION’s expertise in cloud accounting, data analytics, automation and CRM will unlock the power of automation in business, streamlining processes and empowering decision making across the businesses.

The ION approach aligns the entire business operations to allow for full visibility from lead to ledger. Verified partners of Chargebee and Salesforce Silver Partners, the ION team is made up of specialists in Cloud Accounting, Billing, CRM, and Automation. Ideal for mid-market or fast-growth businesses;

Chargebee’s leading subscription billing software powers end-to-end recurring billing subscription management and auto-invoicing for 2000+ SaaS companies. Everything is translated into increased customer retention, reduced failed payments and actionable insights that can be converted into new business opportunities. With the recently raised $55 million financing round, Chargebee’s next step is to accelerate its expansion in global markets.

"We are delighted to be partnering with Chargebee, combining our expertise to deliver financial transformation to the growing subscription and e-commerce market," stated Rob Mathieson, Managing Director. "Bringing together Chargebee’s leading revenue management platform, with our expertise in cloud accounting, data analytics, automation and CRM, we can deliver a complete lead-to-ledger offering, enabling our customers to unleash automation, improve efficiency and boost profitability."

"Our customers are looking to solve their big challenges around customers and revenue. Adding ION as a partner allows us to address the full lead-to-ledger solution that can supercharge productivity and scale their growth," said Eric Chan, Head of Partnerships at Chargebee.

About Chargebee

Chargebee automates revenue operations of high-growth, subscription-based business. Its SaaS platform helps SaaS, ecommerce and subscription-based businesses manage and grow their revenue by automating subscriptions, billing, invoicing, payments and revenue recognition processes and it provides key reports, metrics and insights into their subscription business. Founded in 2011, Chargebee is used by over 2,500 companies globally including businesses like Freshworks, and Study.com.

For more information, visit www.chargebee.com or follow us on Twitter @chargebee.

About ION

ION enables mid-market businesses to work smarter and faster, automating business processes and creating a scalable platform for growth. Founded in 2016, ION has delivered financial transformation for 100s of businesses, turning data into business insights to improve productivity and profitability.

For more information, visit www.ionhq.co.uk or follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/ion-industries-ltd

PR Newswire

Replika Software Secures Series A Financing from LVMH Luxury Ventures and L’Oréal BOLD Ventures to Power the Future of Social Selling

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NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2021 — Replika Software, the turnkey social selling solution enabling brands to empower their networks of social sellers to inspire and sell online, has completed its Series A financing round with LVMH Luxury Ventures and L’Oréal BOLD, both investment arms of their parent companies. The funding will enable Replika to aggressively expand its global footprint of brands and industries which can significantly benefit from creating new social selling channels. With this financing, the company plans to continue investing in its technology, introduce new breakthrough features and add to their team to support the rapid adoption of the platform. Representatives from LVMH Luxury Ventures and L’Oréal BOLD (Business Opportunities for L’Oréal Development) will be a part of Replika’s Board of Directors.

Replika Software Secures Series A Financing from LVMH Luxury Ventures and L’Oreal BOLD Ventures to Power the Future of Social Selling
Replika Software Secures Series A Financing from LVMH Luxury Ventures and L’Oreal BOLD Ventures to Power the Future of Social Selling

Kareen Mallet, Co-founder of Replika Software, said, "When we founded Replika, we envisioned a future where every brand would be able to benefit from the power of social selling. After concluding commercial arrangements with several Maisons of LVMH and brands of L’Oréal, it is tremendously satisfying to see that the investment arms of two of the world’s most forward-thinking companies have decided to invest in our vision. We’re thrilled to have their support as we enter this phase of growth and lead the industry towards humanizing online shopping."

Replika’s relationship with LVMH started in 2019 when the group discovered and selected the solution to be highlighted at the Vivatech Innovation Awards.  The company was then invited to participate in LVMH’s accelerator, "La Maison des Startups", at Station F and their business relationship has continued to expand ever since, with deployments in both Europe and the US. The journey with L’Oréal began when their Chief Digital Officer, Lubomira Rochet, a true advocate of Social Commerce, identified Replika out of over 1,000 startups exhibiting at Vivatech and she has continued to pave the way within the organization for brand deployments across all divisions, in countries around the world.

"The Series A financing builds on an exceptional year for Replika. We were able to rapidly grow a roster of clients across several verticals, introduced important programming and feature upgrades, while solidifying our management team with key executive appointments.  We believe this funding will help us shift the current online selling paradigm, not only in the fashion and beauty industries, but in the broader healthcare, entertainment, travel and electronics industries as well," -said Corey Gottlieb, Co-founder.

About Replika Software

Replika Software is an award-winning turnkey social selling software that enables brands to activate their network of social sellers to sell online, inspire on social media and connect with consumers anytime, anywhere. The company is based in New York and Paris, at Station F. with La Maison Des Startups/LVMH. Former Fashion Director from Neiman Marcus & Bergdorf Goodman, Kareen Mallet, along with Advertising Executive & Serial Entrepreneur, Corey Gottlieb, founded the company in 2016.   To learn more visit www.replikasoftware.com.

CONTACT: media@replikasoftware.com

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PR Newswire

The 2nd Hong Kong Game Enhancement and Promotion Scheme Launches the “Online Hong Kong Pavilion” in the “Taipei Game Show 2021”

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12 Selected Hong Kong Game Start-ups Promote Hong Kong Original Games to Global Market Amid COVID-19

HONG KONG, Jan. 27, 2021 — The 2nd Hong Kong Game Enhancement and Promotion Scheme (GEPS) organized by The Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association (The HKDEA) selected 12 Hong Kong game start-ups to receive holistic support, including the participation in the "Taipei Game Show 2021" held from 28th to 31st January 2021 to promote their game products to the global markets. 

“Taipei Game Show 2021” is held from 28th to 31st January 2021 at Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1.
“Taipei Game Show 2021” is held from 28th to 31st January 2021 at Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1.

The program under the 2nd GEPS lasts for one year, during which each of the 12 selected game start-ups receives promotional funding, trainings, professional guidance and two intern as game tester to support a newly launched original game (designated game), in addition to the promotion via the platform of "Taipei Game Show", with a view to enhancing the quality and profitability of these games and in turn further the development of Hong Kong’s game industry.

Due to the pandemic, The HKDEA set up the "Online Hong Kong Pavilion" in the "Taipei Game Show 2021" so that the 12 selected game start-ups could still promote their designated games without flying to Taipei in person. This could help them seize the opportunity to proactively promote their original games and Hong Kong’s game culture to game developers and publishers from other parts of the world and further widen the business opportunities for Hong Kong’s game industry.

Hong Kong’s game industry has always been known for its diversity, creativity and international flavour. As a world-class metropolis with an eclectic blend of Chinese and Western cultures, the city produces innovative games of all genres, drawing inspiration from East to West, and popular Hong Kong comics and animation titles. Besides targeting the local market, which has an annual turnover of about HKD 7 billion, many Hong Kong-made games have also made successful forays into the markets abroad with excellent results.

Mr. Gabriel Pang, Chairman of The HKDEA, said, "We are so glad to set up the ‘Online Hong Kong Pavilion’ in the ‘Taipei Game Show 2021’ despite the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Pavilion, the original games of 12 excellent Hong Kong game start-ups will be introduced in a round-the-clock manner. We expect that these game companies can have a fruitful cultural exchange online with their counterparts and meet the buyers and potential partners from other countries and regions, while providing a first-hand experience of Hong Kong’s creative original games to all the exhibitors and visitors of the ‘Taipei Game Show’."

The physical "Taipei Game Show 2021" is held from 28th to 31st January 2021 at Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1.

The 12 selected game start-ups of the 2nd GEPS showcase their designated original games in the "Online Hong Kong Pavilion" in the "Taipei Game Show 2021", with their company and game details as follows (in alphabetical order of the company names)

Company Name

Game Title

Type of the Game

Brief Description of the Game

Add Mission Workshop Limited

Kong-Fu Legends

Simulation / Role-playing

Kong-Fu Legends is a character raising game with great freedom and catchy moments. This is a nostalgic game set in the 1980s’ Hong Kong, and in the game  people from all walks of lives are secret kung fu masters. Players may take different role, through a series of tough decisions and conflicts, to make a name for themselves in the businesses and kung fu arenas.

Anxious Otter Games Limited

Idle Dragon Tycoon

Simulation / Role-playing

Idle Dragon Tycoon is a casual idle game created with reference to Idle Miner Tycoon and Tap Titans. The developer has added a unique element into the game (i.e. a dragon farm) in which players need to develop dragon farms on different planets to gather dragon souls and then upgrade their dragons. On different planets, the players can utilise the flying dragons obtained through lucky draws to gather the souls of the other dragons to further develop their farms.

Finifugu Games Limited

Otter Ocean

Simulation / Puzzle-video

Otter Ocean is a cute, pet and idle management game in which the players manage a team of otters to dive, discover mysteries and collect treasures – from the ocean depths, to otter space! On their journey, players can clean up and bring life back to various environments to build up the cuddliest otter empire! Collecting these lost artefacts, mysterious food and unknown otter species fill up a collection book which will then help the players unlock new zones to be explored. Players are required to feed and care for the cuddly critters to get them ready for underwater expeditions, put together diving teams and then send them to explore special ‘dive spots’ like coral reefs or sunken ships, based on the otters’ diving experience. The otters may bring some gifts when they return. These could be collectable treasures, a variety of strange food, new otter species or just trashes. Players can use these gifts to decorate their environment or interact with the otters.

Gameba Studio Limited

Micro Smash

Simulation / Role-playing

Micro Smash is a casual mobile action game with real-time matching and level battling in third person’s view. Players need to control slippery characters with special moving physics which simulate the movement of ‘microbe’. With unique storytelling and concise game control, the gameplay of Mirco Smash is modelled on a nostalgic game, the operation of which was ended many years ago. There were around 1.5 million players of such game in Taiwan and Hong Kong according to a news report. With more and more old games transplanted to mobile platforms nowadays, the game developer anticipates that many players of the old games will form a favourable niche market.

Genuine Studio Limited

Rainy Butcher

Adventure / Puzzle-video

Rainy Butcher is an adventure game in which players are reporters aspiring to become famous editors. They are required to investigate the crimes of serial killer irrespective of their personal risks. Players can change the endings by making different choices and, however, their common goal is to find out the serial killer.

Goblin Gamer Company Limited

Gate of Mobius

Action / Role-playing

Gate of Mobius (GOM) is a 3D fast-paced MMORPG mobile game. It adopt unique cartoon/anime rendering style to make it more attractive. GOM has a unique brand new story inspired by a combination of well-known fairy tales, such as snow white, little red riding hood, etc. Players can travel alone or team up with up to other two players to complete the missions and boss fights. In addition, the game has e-sport mode in which competition events will be available regularly and players can fight against others and compete for the honor and game resources.

As GOM is a combination of stories, it is extendable without limits by adding new stories, characters, costumes, skills and gears.

Minidragon Limited

Dungeon Warriors

Action / e-Sports

Dungeon Warriors is a hack and slash game for the mobile platform. Focusing on simple control, the game can be played in portrait mode with one hand so players can play anywhere. The innovative combat system allows the players to perform combo attacks and spells with easy swipes and taps. The game places a high emphasis on fighting large groups of enemies using physics-based combat interactions, for maximum satisfaction.

There are different hero archetypes for players to choose, which can reflect their personality and play style, such as the close-combat classic hero – Knight, and the glass cannon spellcaster – Mage.

Monetization model comes in the form of lucky draw where players can collect additional adventure game characters to become partners to add into their parties.

Original Workshop Company Limited

Idle Hollywood Tycoon

Simulation / Puzzle-video

Love movies? If you have ever dreamed of being a film producer and owning your entertainment kingdoms. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!  Players can star their own movies ranging from thrillers, amazing comedies, cute romances to bold western.  They can create, produce and star their own films! Players need to organize super star classes for celebrities, grow their careers, build levels of their own production houses, hire the stars and own their own halls of fame. The next goals of the players are of course to be award winning producers and become billionaires! Players just need to click the games to develop their greatest and brightest careers in Hollywood to amuse their audiences and make more money.

Paro Limited

Healing Spree

Simulation / Puzzle-video

Healing Spree is an insane couch co-op game for one to four players. The players and their partners need to collaboratively run a clinic, treat patients across the globe and defend against the overwhelming pandemic at all cost. Heaven or hell? It’s their choice. The game can let players dive into lives of being doctors and test their friendship.

Simplist Limited

Lilulu

Adventure / Puzzle-video

Lilulu is an exploration puzzle game by exploring the mental state of a little girl named Lilulu who has an unusual mental state.

Players are required to proceed stage by stage while chasing Lilulu in fantasy mazes.

Different mazes represent different memories of Lilulu. In these mazes, there will be a mysterious little girl evading the players’ chases. The use of different furnishings and mechanisms to catch Lilulu may cause different mysterious events and players can understand the entire story stage by stage.

The Ore Studio Limited

Defense Force

Action / e-Sports

This game may be the most out-standing hard-core game that the players ever played with on mobile devices. They can draw any line on the screens to provide a shield for their sightseeing spaceships. After that, players need to unlock every special spaceship, by learning unique character skills, collecting various gears, finding out their favourite best match, rebounding all attacks from the enemies! To have the strongest and the impenetrable defense force, players need not only weapons, but also the defense items which can rebound the attacks from their emeries! Players, amidst the assaults of the defense force, can enjoy their trips on the Earth.

 

Trefle & Co. Limited

Dashero: Sword & Magic

Action / Adventure

Dashero is a casual action mobile game officially released on both Android and iOS platforms in September 2020. This game is an elaborately crafted game using the team’s six years of experience in game creation and years of cumulative knowledge of action game system.

 

With swords and magic on hands, players will face a fantasy world full of monsters. They are required to explore and take adventures in various mazes, and challenge hundreds of dangerous monsters and big bosses.  In order to survive in the adventures, players should obtain different random skills, the combination of which can create countless possibilities and unique battle strategies for players to break through all of the challenges!

More details of the 2nd GEPS and further details of its 12 selected game start-ups and their games are available at: https://www.geps.hk.

More details of the "Online Hong Kong Pavilion" in "Taipei Game Show 2021" are available at: https://tgs.tca.org.tw/gamelinker/pavilion.php?p=a 

About The Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association (HKDEA)

Established in 1999, The HKDEA is a non-profit organization aiming to promote digital entertainment development in Hong Kong. Its mission points toward the achievement of the following goals – boosting prosperity of the digital entertainment industry by fostering cooperation among local developers; opening up and development of digital market; enhancement of local technology  so as to raise the competitiveness of Hong Kong production; promoting communication between digital entertainment industry and related ones such as toys, entertainment and visual games; building a favourable idea for digital entertainment; and protection of intellectual property rights and scrapping counterfeit products. The HKDEA’s website at www.hkdea.org

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PR Newswire

Veritas Extends Cloud Capabilities Across Its Platform

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Acquires HubStor to expand enterprise SaaS data protection in the cloud

SINGAPORE, Jan. 27, 2021 — Veritas Technologies, a global leader in data protection, availability and insights, is today announcing major updates to its Enterprise Data Services Platform to provide customers with a single platform for all of their cloud environment use cases. Today’s advancements include the acquisition of HubStor to enable powerful enterprise Backup as a Service capabilities. Veritas is also launching NetBackup™ 9 with significant new features that simplify operations and provide customers with flexibility and choice for deployment across edge, core and cloud.

Greg Hughes, CEO of Veritas, said: "Today, more enterprises than ever rely on cloud services such as Microsoft 365, Slack and Box. But too few companies realise that they are responsible for implementing their own data protection policies for SaaS applications.  Adding HubStor to the Veritas portfolio allows customers to protect all their data, now including SaaS data, from a single platform, whether in the cloud, in the data centre or at the edge."

With today’s announcements, Veritas is further cementing its position as the leader in data protection, availability and insights across the multi-cloud. Its Enterprise Data Services Platform supports over 800 different data sources, over 100 different operating systems, more than 1,400 storage targets, and more than 60 different cloud platforms. 

Acquisition of HubStor

The acquisition of HubStor enables expanded protection for a variety of SaaS-based applications, including Microsoft 365, Slack, Box and Google Workspace. HubStor is built on a modern API-first architecture that provides a clear path for integration with the unified Enterprise Data Services Platform to simplify operations and reduce risk as part of a holistic data protection strategy.

HubStor has been developed to overcome some of the biggest barriers to cloud data protection faced by enterprises. It is designed from the ground up to meet the high performance and scalability demands needed to protect, manage and restore enterprise data sets. The integration of HubStor technology into the Veritas portfolio will provide customers with a SaaS backup solution that lets them:

  • Customise and tailor configurations to a highly granular level – even down to individual items.
  • Recover data through a simplified self-service portal for end-users.
  • Comply with data sovereignty requirements with access to data centre locations globally.
  • Discover insights on their backup environment through dashboards and reporting. 

HubStor’s technology harnesses the power of Microsoft Azure, giving customers access to the Azure platform’s global footprint for data sovereignty and replication needs, the ability to leverage other Azure services, and the option to use their own Azure subscription.

Chris Barry, Vice President, WW Enterprise Commercial & Strategy, Microsoft, said: "Veritas has long partnered with Microsoft to help customers manage and protect their most important data in the cloud. HubStor’s acquisition and integration with Veritas takes full advantage of a SaaS solution built on the Azure platform and delivers a backup as a service solution to customers across the globe that benefits from the scale, security, reliability and flexibility that Azure provides."

Michelle Bailey, Group Vice President, General Manager and IDC Research Fellow, said: "Businesses everywhere are embracing a multi-cloud strategy, which includes a greater reliance on SaaS-based services. Enterprises are becoming increasingly aware that while hybrid-cloud architectures can deliver huge benefits, they can also introduce complexity and risk if they’re not properly protected. We are already starting to see the consequences of ransomware attacks or compliance breaches where there is a gap in a transforming cloud environment and insufficient protection, availability or analytics. A standardised, consistent architecture across the data estate is critical to simplify operations and lower overall business risk. 

For additional information about today’s announcements, please join the Veritas Conquer Every Cloud virtual conference on February 17 – 18.

About Veritas

Veritas Technologies is a global leader in data protection, availability and insights. Over 80,000 customers – including 87 percent of the Fortune Global 500 – rely on us to abstract IT complexity and simplify data management. The Veritas Enterprise Data Services Platform automates the protection and orchestrates the recovery of data everywhere it lives, ensures 24/7 availability of business-critical applications, and provides enterprises with the insights they need to comply with evolving data regulations. With a reputation for reliability at scale and a deployment model to fit any need, Veritas Enterprise Data Services Platform supports more than 800 different data sources, over 100 different operating systems, more than 1,400 storage targets, and more than 60 different cloud platforms. Learn more at www.veritas.com. Follow us on Twitter at @veritastechllc.

Veritas, the Veritas Logo and NetBackup are trademarks or registered trademarks of Veritas Technologies LLC or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

PR Newswire

Dematic Automates Landmark Group’s Premier Distribution Center

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Multinational Retailer Consolidates Its Fulfillment Operations — Sets New Logistics Benchmark for the Middle East Market

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 27, 2021 — Dematic announces the completion of a new automated distribution center for the Landmark Group in Dubai, UAE, allowing the multinational retailer to consolidate the logistics activities for part of its five existing manual distribution sites.

Dematic Automates Landmark Group's Premier Distribution Center
Dematic Automates Landmark Group’s Premier Distribution Center

"The automation solution designed by Dematic allows our supply chain network to now operate with enhanced efficiency, productivity and transparency. With this investment, we are advancing technological progress and taking a pioneering position in our region," said Mihin Shah, Chief Supply Chain officer of Landmark Group. The new distribution center is located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), close to DP WORLD Jebel Ali Port, one of the largest container ports in the world. From this location, the Landmark Group stores and distributes garments, furniture, toys, small goods and more to nearly 1,400 of its retail stores and thereafter directly to end consumers.

"Landmark presented us with an opportunity to go beyond consolidating their fulfillment operations to becoming a partner in transforming their business," said Hasan Dandashly, Dematic President and CEO. "They have experienced remarkable growth in a short amount of time to become one of the largest retailers in the Middle East, Africa, and India, supplying over 2,300 businesses in 24 countries. We take pride in being the kind of resource that Landmark would trust to streamline their operations both to meet current demand and prepare for future success."

A distinctive feature of the 265,000 sqm site is a pallet warehouse (43 meters high) with a silo design and up to 36,000 storage locations for receiving goods. Inventory not immediately needed for distribution are palletized, then stored and retrieved double-deep via four 41 meter stacker cranes (Model SR-U1500/1) with two telescopic forks. The climate-regulated high-bay warehouse stores temperature sensitive items and is equipped with a fire prevention system with an oxygen-reduced environment so even highly flammable goods can be stored.

The Dematic Multishuttle system handles faster moving goods with a patented Inter-Aisle Transfer feature that makes maximum use of space with aisle-spanning exchanges and double-deep storage. With several lifts per aisle and conductor rail-controlled shuttles for high performance acceleration and speed, one shuttle can serve between 700 and 800 storage locations. As a result, up to 15,000 totes per hour can be transported to the picking stations, making it the largest and fastest Dematic has ever installed. "With this distribution center, we have set a logistics benchmark for the entire Middle East," Shah said.

The facility also offers enormous capacities for hanging textiles: The Dematic GOH system can accommodate up to 2 million garments and can achieve high throughput rates of up to 250,000 items per day.

The overall solution has more than 200 workstations with specific applications, including value added services such as customizing goods for specific retailers by adding tags, branding or promotional offers. An 11-kilometer Dematic conveyor system for containers and pallets and a Dematic sortation system completes the operation.

Dematic iQ software ensures smooth and optimal material flow to meet delivery commitments Landmark makes to their retailers. The software operates as a Warehouse Management System (WMS) for stock management and includes a Warehouse Control System (WCS) and a Material Flow Controller (MFC). Goods are dynamically repositioned in four automated warehouse sections and the temperature-controlled manual warehouse, based on current and forecasted demand.

The Dematic iQ software also efficiently handles hanging and flat goods within a single system to meet customer requirements and desired sequencing. At the same time, the software ensures that the right product is at the right place at all times by balancing the workload among the subsystems. "Automation offers scalability and speed while at the same time improving work safety," Shah said. As a result of the consolidated and automated operation, Landmark’s B2B and B2C customers can now depend on even better service.

For more information about Dematic, visit dematic.com, check out the Dematic Connections blog, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

About Dematic

Dematic is an intralogistics innovator that designs, builds and supports intelligent, automated solutions for manufacturing, warehouse and distribution environments for customers that are powering the future of commerce. With engineering centers, manufacturing facilities and service centers located in more than 25 countries, the Dematic global network of 10,000 employees has helped achieve more than 6,000 worldwide customer installations for some of the world’s leading brands. Headquartered in Atlanta, Dematic is a member of KION Group, one of the global leaders in industrial trucks and supply chain solutions, and a leading provider of warehouse automation.

About Landmark Group

Founded in 1973 in Bahrain, the Landmark Group has successfully grown into one of the largest and most successful retail organizations in the Middle East and India. An international, diversified retail and hospitality conglomerate that encourages entrepreneurship to consistently deliver exceptional value, the Group operates over 2,100 outlets encompassing over 30 million square feet across the Middle East, North Africa, India and South East Asia.

Landmark Group has a strong workforce of over 55,000 employees and provides a value-driven product range for the family through its retail concepts: Centrepoint, Babyshop, Splash, SHOEMART, Lifestyle, Max, Shoexpress, Home Centre, Home Box, Emax and UAE’s first food discounter, VIVA. In addition to the brands developed in-house, the Group also holds the franchise rights for some of the world’s leading fashion and footwear brands in the countries where it operates.

The Group brands ensure the delivery of a seamless shopping experience to customers through a keen focus on their e-commerce and omni-channel capabilities.

The Group has also diversified in the leisure, food and hospitality with Landmark Leisure, Citymax Hotels, Fitness First and Foodmark, the restaurant division, which operates the Group’s own and franchise food outlets.

As a high-volume retailer, Landmark Group operates the MENA region’s largest privately-owned logistics and distribution hub. The company has now advanced to offer 3PL Logistics services with the launch its fully-automated Mega Distribution Centre at JAFZA, Dubai under the brand name of Omega Logistics.

Disclaimer:

This release and the information contained herein are for information purposes only and do not constitute a prospectus or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction. This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Future results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, e.g., changes in business, economic and competitive conditions (including with respect to further developments in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic), regulatory reforms, results of technical studies, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in litigation or investigative proceedings and the availability of financing. We do not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release.

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PR Newswire

AI-based Platforms Transform the Global Water Sector, Finds Frost & Sullivan

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Technological advancements that require minimal maintenance or human interference become key value proposition differentiators in the water sector

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 26, 2021 — Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis, Digitalization Powering the Global Water Market, 2020, finds that smart sensors with advanced artificial intelligence (AI)- and machine learning (ML)-based data analytics platforms are on the rise in the global water sector as they require minimal maintenance or human interference. The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the sector’s technological need following supply chain disruptions and a labor shortage during lockdowns, which adversely impacted the growth of the water market globally. Due to the pandemic, the global water market  declined to $805.31 billion in 2020 from $947.89 billion in 2019. The market was projected to reach $1,014.54 billion in 2020, registering an impressive growth of 7%.

Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan

For further information on this analysis, please visit: http://frost.ly/573

"The water market could witness more high-level consolidation of data analytics platforms in the water sector. Cellular communication technologies, such as narrowband Internet of Things (NB IoT) and long-term evolution for machines (LTE-M), could become key enablers of growth penetration and digital transformation," said Paul Hudson, Energy & Environment Research Analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "Going forward, the product-as-a-service business model would become the most subscribed among customers for its equal risk allocation and ability to provide high value to customers."

Hudson added: "Smart decentralized water and wastewater treatment solutions are disrupting the market significantly. Low OPEX and holistic economic sustainability have become key drivers that enable the growth of decentralized treatment systems. Value-add services and solutions such as decision and predictive intelligence, along with a smart product line and effectively leveraging e-commerce platforms, could improve customer relationships and increase loyalty. These features have gained precedence due to the pandemic."

Despite the pandemic’s adverse impact on the global water sector, market participants can focus on the following growth prospects:

  • Hydration treatment systems market:
    • Filter-as-a-service: For price-sensitive customers, smart hydration treatment systems and solutions providers could offer the filter-as-a-service business model.
    • Flavor pack: To enhance customer relationships and brand loyalty, hydration treatment systems providers could add flavor and mineral packs as a value-add to their product line.
  • Municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment systems market:
    • Smart operation: Market participants must embrace smart operation and AI-based virtual assistance platforms that can significantly reduce the OPEX cost of a treatment plant.
  • Irrigation systems and solutions market:
    • Investment/mergers and acquisitions (M&A): Smart irrigation solution providers should invest in research and development (R&D) or M&A to provide holistic smart irrigation solutions.
  • Bottled water hydration market:
    • Leading brands are introducing recycled PET bottles to reduce plastic waste generation. Startups are experimenting with degradable plastics and paper-based bottles. Products with sustainable packaging will be in high demand.

Digitalization Powering the Global Water Market, 2020 is the latest addition to Frost & Sullivan’s Energy & Environment research and analyses available through the Frost & Sullivan Leadership Council, which helps organizations identify a continuous flow of growth opportunities to succeed in an unpredictable future.

About Frost & Sullivan

For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models, and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion

Digitalization Powering the Global Water Market, 2020

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Kingdee Wins IDC’s 2020 SaaS Customer Satisfaction Award for ERP

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SHENZHEN, China, Jan. 26, 2021 — Kingdee International Software Group Company Limited ("Kingdee" or the "Group"; stock code: 00268.HK) received the IDC 2020 SaaS ERP Customer Satisfaction Award based on the results of IDC’s SaaSPath global survey (IDC #US46933620), and was the one and only Chinese SaaS vendor recognized by this Award.

The Customer Satisfaction Award Program (the CSAT Awards) seeks to recognize leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) vendors in each application market with the highest customer satisfaction scores based on IDC’s SaaSPath survey. SaaSPath is a global survey of approximately 2,000 organizations across all geographic regions and company sizes, where customers are asked to rate their vendors on more than 30 different customer satisfaction metrics.

Robert Xu, Chairman and CEO of Kingdee Group said, "It is our honor to be granted the IDC Customer Satisfaction Award, and truly grateful to our customers for their recognition and positive comments on Kingdee. It will be a beginning for us to uphold the philosophy of ‘Customer Orientation, Dedication as foundation and Long-term professionalism’, as to achieve customer direction connection and succeed with leading technology, best-in-class product and service, as well as innovation in enterprise management."   

SaaSPath is IDC Global’s first SaaS-specific industry survey, providing customer-side guidance for vendors on the SaaS buyers’ thinking and decision process. Coverage includes application adoption, deployment models, budget plans and replacement cycle timing, drivers and inhibitors, packaging and pricing options, and in-depth vendor reviews, ratings, spend, and advocacy scores for most leading vendors in each of the 15 functional application markets.

The SaaSPath survey is conducted across all company sizes around the world, including roughly 55% IT leaders and 45% line of business leaders, and its survey targets cover enterprises senior management. All respondents go through an extensive screening process to ensure they are familiar with the technologies they are being asked about, are current users, and have influence in their company’s technology buying decisions. Further, all customer satisfaction metrics and ratings are collected solely from current customers of the vendors being rated, to ensure scoring reflects up-to-date customer sentiment based on proper vendor familiarity and knowledge.

About Kingdee

Kingdee International Software Group Company Limited ("Kingdee International" or "Kingdee") was established in 1993. It is listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (stock code: 0268.HK) and headquartered in Shenzhen, the PRC. Adhering to the core values of "Acting in all Conscience, with Integrity and Righteousness", the Company is committed to helping businesses achieve their growth targets and let the sun shine on every company through dedicated services. It strives to provide them with the most trusted enterprise service platform.

Through persistent efforts to explore China’s Cloud enterprise service market, Kingdee has retained the largest share in the enterprise application software sector for fast-growing enterprises for 16 consecutive years according to IDC, and has grasped the biggest share in the enterprise-grade SaaS Cloud services industry in China for the second years, held the largest market share in SaaS ERM (Cloud ERP) and Financial Cloud for four consecutive years. Kingdee is currently the only SaaS cloud service provider of Chinese enterprises selected into Gartner’s market guide.

PR Newswire

Datto Named to Ransomware Task Force by Institute for Security and Technology

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Representing MSPs, Datto joins Microsoft, Rapid7, Citrix, and other global leaders to combat growing cyber threats

SINGAPORE, Jan. 26, 2021 — Datto Holding Corp. ("Datto"), (NYSE:MSP), the leading global provider of cloud-based software and technology solutions purpose-built for delivery by managed service providers (MSPs), today announced it was invited by the Institute for Security and Technology to join its Multi-Sector Ransomware Task Force. As a founding member, Datto joins other world-renowned experts in the fight against cybercrime and will represent the MSP community, focusing on the interests and needs of small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs).

"Cybercriminals learn from each others’ attacks by sharing information and continuously evolving their tradecraft," said Ryan Weeks, CISO at Datto. "All organizations – governments, enterprises, and SMBs – need to approach the serious threat of cyberattacks with the same collaborative concept. Working in silos against these sophisticated attackers is no longer an option. Threat actors have built successful businesses exploiting the fragile cyber defenses and recovery practices at many organizations. Only by working together across industries and sectors can we hope to make progress against these threat actors."

Cyberthreats, particularly ransomware attacks, are a growing concern to organizations across industries and the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting widespread shift to remote work, combined with the adaptability and sophistication of attacks created a perfect storm for a wide array of threat actors. In fact, the FBI claimed that cyberattacks have increased by more than 400% since the start of the pandemic¹.

"Security has been at the heart of Datto’s ethos from the start, both culturally and built into our technology. But we have learned that a focus on security is a lifetime journey and requires constant attention and investment. Entities must continuously raise their defenses and stay vigilant to escalating threats," said Tim Weller, CEO of Datto. "For these reasons, we are humbled to be a founding member of the Ransomware Task Force and to work alongside some of the brightest minds in arenas like policy making, law enforcement, and cyber insurance. We look forward to the conversations ahead, the policies we will influence, and to making cyber resilience more accessible to the MSP community."

MSPs are on the frontlines of a cyber war, protecting both their own infrastructure and the IT systems of the SMB customers they serve from threats such as ransomware. According to Datto’s 2020 Global Ransomware Report, ransomware remains the most common cyber threat to SMBs, with 60% of MSPs reporting their SMB clients were hit in the first half of 2020. As part of the Ransomware Task Force, Datto will help educate and empower SMBs to make cyber resilience a top priority in 2021. Only by taking the necessary precautions can SMBs avoid the costly downtime and disruptions that occur in the aftermath of an attack.

To learn more about ransomware, the challenges ahead and Datto’s role in the coalition, visit: https://www.datto.com/au/blog/datto-to-serve-on-the-institute-for-security-and-technologys-multi-sector-ransomware-task-force, and for more specifics about the Multi-Sector Ransomware Task Force visit: http://securityandtechnology.org/blog/a-broad-coalition-for-decisive-action-on-ransomware.

About Datto

As the world’s leading provider of cloud-based software and technology solutions purpose-built for delivery by managed service providers (MSPs), Datto believes there is no limit to what small and medium businesses can achieve with the right technology. Datto offers Unified Continuity, Networking, and Business Management solutions and has created a unique ecosystem of MSP partners. These partners provide Datto solutions to over one million businesses across the globe. Since its founding in 2007, Datto has won awards for its rapid growth, product excellence, superior technical support, and for fostering an outstanding workplace. With headquarters in Norwalk, Connecticut, Datto has global offices in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Canada, Australia, China, and Singapore. Learn more at www.datto.com/au.

Contacts

Yu Xiu Kueh
LEWIS
DattoSG@teamlewis.com 
+65 6571 9140

Related Links :

http://www.datto.com/au

PR Newswire

Wondershare MindMaster 8.5: Shape Mind Maps with Endless Possibilities

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MindMaster allows users to create mind maps, concept maps, timelines, and fishbone diagrams with a rich gallery of examples and templates.

VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 25, 2021 — Wondershare MindMaster has recently released its 8.5 version. The new version offers a faster loading speed of its online platform, more languages, and more advanced designing features such as the table insert and number bubble.

Wondershare MindMaster 8.5: Shape Mind Maps with Endless Possibilities
Wondershare MindMaster 8.5: Shape Mind Maps with Endless Possibilities

"The new updates are expected to resolve the growing mind mapping needs of our customers and help MindMaster generate more leads," said Edwin Wang, Product Director of Wondershare MindMaster. "We have integrated the advanced Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF) technology to make MindMaster’s cloud-based processing faster than ever."

MindMaster 8.5 version brings the following major updates:

  • Faster loading speed: With the integration of CEF technology, the loading speed of cloud documents and community pages has improved and is now 40% faster.
  • Table integration: In MindMaster 8.5, users can directly insert tables to their mind maps and customize their data display.
  • New themes and clipart: Users can also browse a wide range of newly added themes and clipart images to draw stunning mind maps like a pro.
  • Number bubble: To simplify complex mind maps, the new version supports a number bubble feature, which can collapse the sub-topics and depict the number of branches instead.
  • Support in other languages: Apart from English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese, and Italian, the 8.5 version added Korean and traditional Chinese to its offer, which makes a total of 10 supported languages.

As a full-featured collaborative mind mapping and brainstorming tool, Wondershare MindMaster includes various themes and multiple functions such as brainstorming, project management, knowledge management, business presentation, etc.

Users can work online or offline, any time and from anywhere with any device; MindMaster provides a completely flexible solution and has been recognized by many users and enterprises.

Compatibility and Pricing

Wondershare MindMaster is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and as a web-based platform, and the pricing starts from $59 USD for an annual plan.

For the latest product news and guides, please visit edrawsoft.com/mindmaster/ or follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

About Wondershare

Founded in 2003, Wondershare is a global leader in software development and a pioneer in the field of digital creativity. With powerful technology, the solutions we provide are simple and convenient, making Wondershare trusted by millions of people in more than 150 countries worldwide. We help our users pursue their passions so that, together, we can build a more creative world. www.wondershare.com   

Media Contact
Ellen Cheng
Wondershare
ellenc@wondershare.com  

Related Links :

http://www.wondershare.com

PR Newswire

Gridsum Holding Inc. to Hold Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders

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BEIJING, Jan. 22, 2021 — Gridsum Holding Inc. ("Gridsum" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:GSUM), a leading provider of cloud-based big-data analytics and artificial intelligence ("AI") solutions in China, today announced it has called an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders (the "EGM"), to be held on February 22, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. (Beijing time), at Gridsum, South Wing, High Technology Building, No. 229 North 4th Ring Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China, to consider and vote upon, among other things, the proposal to authorize and approve the previously announced agreement and plan of merger, dated September 30, 2020 (the "Merger Agreement"), among the Company, Gridsum Corporation, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands ("Parent"), and Gridsum Growth Inc., an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent ("Merger Sub"), the plan of merger (the "Plan of Merger") required to be filed with the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands in connection with the Merger (as defined below), and the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement and the Plan of Merger, including the Merger.

Pursuant to the Merger Agreement and the Plan of Merger, at the effective time of the Merger, Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company, with the Company continuing as the surviving company and becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (the "Merger"). If the Merger is completed, the Company will become a privately-held company, and, as a result of the Merger, the Company’s American depositary shares ("ADSs"), each representing one class B ordinary share of the Company, par value US$ 0.001 per share (the "Class B Ordinary Shares"), will no longer be listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market and the Company’s American depositary shares program will terminate. In addition, the ADSs and the Class B Ordinary Shares represented by the ADSs will cease to be registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 following the completion of the Merger.

The Company’s board of directors (the "Board"), acting upon the unanimous recommendation of a special committee of Board, composed solely of directors who are unaffiliated with any person participating as a buyer or rollover securityholder in the Merger or any member of the management of the Company, authorized and approved the execution, delivery and performance of the Merger Agreement, the Plan of Merger, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, and resolved to recommend that the Company’s Shareholders vote FOR, among other things, the proposal to authorize and approve the Merger Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger.

Shareholders of record at the close of business in the Cayman Islands on February 8, 2021 are entitled to attend and vote at the EGM or any adjournment thereof. ADS holders as of the close of business in New York City on January 27, 2021 will be entitled to instruct Citibank, N.A., the ADS depositary, to vote the Class B Ordinary Shares represented by the ADSs at the EGM.

Additional information regarding the EGM and the Merger Agreement can be found in the transaction statement on Schedule 13E-3 and the definitive proxy statement attached as Exhibit (a)-(1) thereto, as amended, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which can be obtained, along with other filings containing information about the Company, the proposed Merger and related matters, without charge, from the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov), or at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. In addition, copies of these documents can also be obtained, without charge, by contacting Eric Yuan, at +86-10-5900-1548 or by email at Eyuan@christensenir.com, or by contacting Mr. Tip Fleming, at +1 917 412 3333 or by email at tfleming@christensenir.com.

SHAREHOLDERS AND ADS HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY THESE MATERIALS AND OTHER MATERIALS FILED WITH OR FURNISHED TO THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE, AS THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY, THE PROPOSED MERGER AND RELATED MATTERS.

The Company and certain of its directors and officers may, under SEC rules, be deemed to be "participants" in the solicitation of proxies from the Company’s shareholders with respect to the proposed Merger. Further information regarding persons who may be deemed participants, including any direct or indirect interests they may have, is set forth in the definitive proxy statement relating to the Merger.

This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to purchase or the solicitation of an offer to sell any securities or a solicitation of any proxy, vote or approval with respect to the proposed transaction or otherwise, nor shall it be a substitute for any proxy statement or other filings that have been or will be made with the SEC.

About Gridsum

Gridsum Holding Inc. (NASDAQ: GSUM) is a leading provider of cloud-based big-data analytics and AI solutions for multinational and domestic enterprises and government agencies in China. Gridsum’s core technology, the Gridsum Big Data Platform and the Gridsum Prophet: Enterprise AI Engine, is built on a distributed computing framework and performs real-time multi-dimensional correlation analysis of both structured and unstructured data. This enables Gridsum’s customers to identify complex relationships within their data and gain new insights that help them make better business decisions. The Company is named "Gridsum" to symbolize the combination of distributed computing (Grid) and analytics (sum). As a digital intelligence pioneer, the Company’s mission is to help enterprises and government organizations in China use data in new and powerful ways to make better-informed decisions and be more productive.

For more information, please visit http://www.gridsum.com/.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "expects," "anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "likely to" and similar statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, duration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemically, uncertainties as to how the Company’s shareholders will vote at the extraordinary general meeting in connection with the Merger, the possibility that competing offers will be made, the possibility that financing for the Merger may not be available, the possibility that various closing conditions for the Merger may not be satisfied or waived, and other risks and uncertainties discussed in documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by the Company. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Gridsum undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

Investor Relations

Gridsum
ir@gridsum.com

Christensen

In China
Mr. Eric Yuan
Phone: +86-10-5900-1548
Email: Eyuan@christensenir.com

In U.S. 
Mr. Tip Fleming 
Phone: +1 917 412 3333 
Email: tfleming@christensenir.com

Related Links :

http://www.gridsum.com