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PR Newswire

Josys SaaS Management Platform Achieves SOC 2 Type 2 Certification

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PALO ALTO, Calif. and SINGAPORE, May 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Josys, the SaaS and device management platform that simplifies how IT works, is proud to announce that it has achieved SOC 2 Type 2 certification. This certification affirms Josys’ commitment to maintaining the highest standards of data security, confidentiality, and compliance within its operations.

The SOC 2 Type 2 certification, issued by Accorp Partners , validates that Josys’ systems have been thoroughly assessed and meet the stringent criteria for security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of customer data.

Earning a SOC 2 Type 2 certification is a significant milestone for Josys and underscores the company’s dedication to ensuring the utmost protection of customer information. This certification provides assurance to Josys’ customers and partners that their data is handled with the highest level of security.

“Achieving SOC 2 Type 2 certification reflects Josys’ unwavering commitment to safeguarding our customers’ sensitive data,” said Sanjay Rajasekhar, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Josys. “This certification is a testament to the dedication of our team to implement robust security measures and best practices throughout our global organization. We remain steadfast in our commitment to providing our customers with the highest level of trust and confidence in our SaaS management platform and services.”

In addition to SOC 2, Josys is ISO 27001 certified and remains devoted to maintaining top-tier security and compliance standards. The company continues to invest in technologies and processes to ensure the protection of customer data.

About Josys:

Josys is the SaaS & Device Management Platform that simplifies how IT works. Our holistic approach equips IT teams with 360-degree control over their SaaS applications and device inventory by making it easier to visualize user access, analyze utilization trends, and automate provisioning processes that will make IT operations run more efficiently. Learn more at: https://josys.com/. 

Contact:
Sylvia McKaige
PR, Salween Group
Sylvia.mckaige@salweengroup.com

PR Newswire

Agora Launches Advanced Video Technology to Enhance Live Stream Quality

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Agora’s Adaptive Video Optimization™ (AVO) technology dynamically optimizes performance at every step, from capture to playback, to deliver exceptional live video quality.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Agora, Inc. (NASDAQ: API), a pioneer and leading platform for real-time engagement APIs, today unveiled its latest innovation, Adaptive Video Optimization™ (AVO) along with support for the AV1 video codec. This advanced technology harnesses the power of machine learning to dynamically adjust parameters at every step from capture to playback to deliver an enhanced live video streaming experience.

In today’s fast-paced digital world, live video calling and streaming often encounters hurdles such as unstable network conditions, packet loss, and limited bandwidth. These challenges can result in freezing, stuttering, grainy video, and dropped connections, diminishing the real-time video experience and negatively impacting user engagement. Adaptive Video Optimization™ uses a series of advanced machine learning algorithms to address these common issues. By optimizing video quality in real time based on network conditions, device capabilities, and available bandwidth, AVO ensures the highest possible video quality and optimal performance even under varying network scenarios.

“Reliable and high-quality live streaming is essential in today’s video-dominated media landscape,” stated Tony Zhao, CEO and Co-Founder of Agora. “Our Adaptive Video Optimization technology enables smooth delivery of every video call and livestream—despite network variability, user’s location or device type. These improvements empower Agora’s customers to provide the highest-quality live video user experience.”

Agora’s commitment to delivering a seamless real-time video experience with AVO rests on three core pillars:

  • Optimized Image Quality: Ensures that every frame is crisp, with enhanced contrast and vibrant details that make the viewing experience clearer and more engaging.
  • Unmatched Video Fluency: Eliminates common streaming issues like buffering and stuttering, providing a smooth and natural flow.
  • Ultra-Low Latency: Allows users to interact in real-time, whether with hosts or other viewers, and enjoy quick loading times and instant first-frame rendering for seamless transitions between video streams.

AVO™ takes a comprehensive machine learning approach to ensure the highest quality video streaming experience by optimizing every stage of the video processing pipeline — pre-processing, encoding, transmission, decoding, and post-processing. A key component of this solution is Agora’s Coding Technology (ACT), designed to optimize user experiences by dynamically selecting the best video codec (like AV1 or VP9) based on device capabilities and interoperability requirements. By employing advanced techniques and cutting-edge compression methods, the technology adapts, configuring parameters dynamically and ensures crisp visuals, efficient bandwidth utilization, and a consistent, high-quality experience for all users, from the moment the video is captured to the final display on the viewer’s screen.

From video capture through playback, the technology continuously adapts to changing network conditions and device capabilities, guaranteeing a seamless streaming experience. Any imperfections that may arise during transmission are rapidly mitigated, and the final video is polished to provide lifelike clarity, delivering a superior real-time video experience for scenarios ranging from telehealth consultations to live shopping and social media.

“Agora’s Adaptive Video Optimization™ (AVO) drastically improved the real-time video experience in our app,” said Ellard Capiral, VP of Engineering at social live streaming app KUMU. “Users get smooth, high-quality video without freezes—even on slow connections and older devices. Since implementing AVO, we’ve seen a 30% increase in session length and engagement.”

To learn more about Agora’s Adaptive Video Optimization™ technology, check out this blog on Optimizing the Live Video User Experience and watch a side-by-side video comparison demonstrating superior real-time video quality.

About Agora 
Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Agora is a pioneer and global leader in Real-Time Engagement Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), providing developers with simple, flexible, and powerful application programming interfaces, or APIs, to embed real-time voice, video, interactive live-streaming, chat, whiteboard, and artificial intelligence capabilities into their applications.

Source: Agora, Inc.

PR Newswire

Easy Journey to the Cloud – Huawei Cloud Debuts HECS L

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SINGAPORE, April 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Transitioning to the cloud presents a crucial decision for enterprises, with selecting the ideal cloud server topping the priority list. Yet, for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), startups, and entry-level developers, this decision proves challenging due to high thresholds and deployment costs, alongside the ongoing maintenance and operational expenses of cloud servers.

In response to these challenges, Huawei Cloud introduces the Hyper Elastic Cloud Server Light (HECS L) today. This innovative cloud server distinguishes itself with four key advantages: no freezing, cost-effective, easy to use, and easy to manage. SMBs can now seamlessly embark on their cloud journey, benefitting from HECS L’s standout feature of “websites built in 3 steps with 2x the performance”.

HECS L is a silver bullet for building and managing various digital platforms, including websites, e-commerce stores, mini-games, business systems, and online test environments. Moreover, it streamlines cloud service setup, reduces expenses, and enhances overall efficiency.


QingTian Architecture + KooVerse: High Performance, Low Latency

The technical backbone of Huawei Cloud, QingTian Architecture, showcases two significant advancements: software-hardware synergy on the data plane and the Alkaid smart cloud brain on the management plane. On the data plane, QingTian doubles computing density and quadruples delivery efficiency. Its software-hardware synergy enables full offloading and acceleration for compute, storage, networking, and security resources, resulting in minimal storage and network latency. On the management plane, Alkaid facilitates global resource scheduling, dynamic governance, and intelligent computing power matching, ensuring efficient resource allocation and utilization. QingTian serves as the cornerstone for HECS L’s optimal performance, offering exceptional stability and speed, and zero freezing.

Complementing QingTian, KooVerse, Huawei Cloud’s global cloud infrastructure, elevates the efficacy of HECS L to new heights. With its unified architecture, KooVerse revolutionizes latency-sensitive operations such as audio/video streaming, real-time gaming, and online education. It enables HECS L users to experience a 50-ms latency circle, coupled with high security and stability.

Through the powerful synergy of QingTian and KooVerse, HECS L outperforms its counterparts in terms of efficiency and latency, emerging as the premier choice for agile services.


Better User Experience: Out-of-the-Box, Easy-to-Manage

Huawei Cloud HECS L not only boasts powerful capabilities but also prioritizes user-friendliness. Huawei Cloud researchers have meticulously identified the pain points users encounter throughout the cloud server lifecycle, addressing them with HECS L’s user-centric design. HECS L features low thresholds, visualized functions, centralized configurations, and a premium user experience. Specifically, it offers the following strengths:

  • Quick purchase: Streamlined cloud server setup process with various image and resource combinations.
  • Websites built in 3 steps: Effortlessly create websites, tools, systems, and environments in just three steps using preset images and scenario-specific templates.
  • Rollout in minutes: Provision resources with a few clicks and seamlessly orchestrate services, saving significant time.
  • Visualized management: All resources and connections accessible in one place, providing a comprehensive overview and detailed insights without navigating multiple tabs.
  • Simplified management: Timely reminders for resource status checks, facilitating easy renewal or cancellation.
  • Thorough guide: Comprehensive scenario-specific guides for step-by-step website setup, ensuring clarity throughout the configuration process.
  • Cost-effectiveness: Huawei Cloud’s commitment to cost reduction enables HECS L to offer competitive advantages and affordable prices. Users can easily find a cloud server with ideal specifications to suit their budget.


Huawei Cloud’s New-Offering Prime Season features enticing deals on HECS L. For just $10.79 USD, users can acquire a cloud server with 2 vCPUs, 1 GB memory for six months. For those requiring additional power, a cloud server with 2 vCPUs and 4 GB memory is available for only $80.26 USD for an entire year. For more information, visit Huawei Cloud’s official website.

More info: https://activity.huaweicloud.com/intl/en-us/prime-season.html

PR Newswire

SMOROBOT Launches Revolutionary Valor Series Intelligent Pool Cleaning Robots

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Unmatched Cleaning Experience with Advanced AI Technology

BEIJING, March 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — On 28 March 2024, SMOROBOT officially unveiled the ValorTM series of intelligent robotic pool cleaners (hereinafter “Valor”), setting a new standard in automated pool cleaning and maintenance.

With the continuous advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), robots have become an integral part of our daily lives. The introduction of cleaning robots for pool settings has significantly enhanced the modern lifestyle, offering a blend of intelligence, ease, and premium experience. Valor, a revolutionary intelligent cordless robotic pool cleaner from SMOROBOT, is forged from the accumulated experience and insights garnered from the Tank series. The new Valor lineup emerges from years of extensive technological expertise, industry insights, and creative industrial design. It represents a major leap forward in pool cleaning technology, ushering in transformative changes in functionality.


Autonomous Pool Cleaner with Powerful Suction and Underwater Vision System

Leveraging years of industry experience and innovation, SMOROBOT introduces the Valor Series Intelligent Cordless Robotic Pool Cleaner, a new model featuring a TornadoTM suction system with an impressive 8000GPH extreme suction motor, complemented by four roller brushes at both the front and rear, and a double-layer ultra-fine filter basket. The cleaner is engineered to capture every speck of debris in the pool – leaves, fine sand, algae, stones, hair, and more – ensuring comprehensive cleanliness. The groundbreaking anti-clogging runner design addresses the perennial issue of clogged filtration systems and cleaning pipes found in traditional pool cleaners, allowing for uninterrupted and efficient operation.

Valor stands out not only for boasting the most powerful cleaning suction system in the industry, but also for its innovative motor power adaptive deployment system. The system automatically adjusts the robot’s travel and brush rotation speeds when encountering dirtier pool areas, optimizing suction power for unparalleled cleaning performance.

Alongside the groundbreaking Valor, SMOROBOT debuts its TridentTM underwater vision system, a first-of-its-kind integration of cutting-edge underwater detection and visual recognition technologies. Trident sets a new standard with its capabilities, including underwater 3D mapping, stain identification and positioning, obstacle avoidance, and path planning. By seamlessly integrating cameras, lasers, sonar, IMU, and other sensors, it accurately identifies the type, intensity, and location of pool stains. Trident then automatically generates a 3D pool map uses intelligent algorithms to optimize cleaning paths for the pool’s floor, walls, waterline, and steps, elevating the cleaning process to new level of efficiency. Furthermore, the directional cleaning capabilities allow it to intelligently assess dirt levels and adjust the cleaning strategy accordingly, ensuring the highest degree of cleaning efficiency.

Reliable, All-Terrain Pool Cleaning for Diverse Settings

Henry Pu, CEO of SMOROBOT, commented, “Recognizing the complexities of pool cleaning, our mission has been to revolutionize this task through AI technology. Our products are crafted to elevate lifestyles around the globe, offering everyone the luxury of effortless Clean.”

With the launch of the Valor Series Robotic Pool Cleaner, SMOROBOT has significantly enhanced the user experience. The product has been meticulously designed and continuously optimized, not only in terms of its exceptional performance and reliability but also in the innovations of its hardware and software. Every detail underscores SMOROBOT’s unwavering commitment to pool cleaning technology, while every innovation reflects a deep understanding of user needs. Valor now sets a new standard for functionality among pool cleaning robots worldwide, revolutionizing the industry with its groundbreaking capabilities.

Valor demonstrates exceptional adaptability to all terrains, capable of handling cleaning duties in a wide array of pool shapes and sizes. No matter the contour, whether diamond-shaped, bowl-shaped, rectangular or for diving, the series adapts to fulfill the unique cleaning requirements of all users. The tracked drive chassis with brushes ensures efficient wall cleaning, while the adaptive suction system maintains robust adhesion to walls no matter the material. This adaptability addresses the cleaning requirements of both the wall and waterline in all pool types.

The 10,400mAh removable battery boasts an impressive running time of up to 180 minutes per charge. The wide range of cleaning modes cater to a wide range of scenarios, including a Weekly Timer Mode for a “charge once, clean for a week” convenience, along with Standard, Rapid, and Professional Cleaning modes tailored to specific pool environments. Activating and switching between modes is effortless, with a simple button click. Once the cleaning operation is complete, the robot automatically returns to its starting position, and users can conveniently track the cleaning status through the accompanying app.

Given the necessity of pool robots to operate underwater for extended periods, they must be highly reliable in navigating complex and sometimes unclear underwater environments. The Valor series has undergone rigorous testing, enduring over 1,000 hours of operation in dirty conditions. They have achieved numerous professional certifications, including CE, FCC, RCM, REACH and ROHS certifications, etc. The batteries come with a full suite of six safety features, including short-circuit protection, overcharge protection, discharge over-temperature protection, charging over-temperature protection, charging low-temperature protection, and water ingress protection, ensuring a safe, worry-free, and superior intelligent pool cleaning experience for users worldwide.

About SMOROBOT

Focused on the philosophy of “Power of Effortless Clean”, SMOROBOT specializes in pool cleaning, offering comprehensive solutions from R&D to commercialization. With long-term technical accumulation, industry experience, and product innovation, SMOROBOT has achieved cable-free, highly intelligent pool-cleaning robots with versatile, automated solutions for global customers. With design and maintenance centers in the US, Europe, and China, SMOROBOT ensures localized rapid customer services, continually delivering exceptional experiences and solutions worldwide.

For more information, please visit https://www.smorobot.com 

or contact us directly at our official email address: bd@smorobot.com  

PR Newswire

Veritas Backup Exec Strengthens Resilience Against Ransomware for SMBs

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Latest release of all-in-one data protection solution features new malware detection, role-based access control and faster backup and recovery

SINGAPORE, March 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Veritas Technologies, the leader in secure multi-cloud data management, today announced enhancements to Veritas Backup Exec, the unified backup and recovery solution trusted by more than 45,000 small and midsize businesses (SMBs) worldwide. The latest updates include malware detection capabilities, role-based access control and additional optimizations for fast backup and recovery of business-critical data.

With ransomware attacks on the rise, data security is a growing concern for all businesses. Veritas research found that over the last two years, 65% of businesses had fallen victim to a ransomware attack in which bad actors infiltrated their systems. A majority also said data security risks are increasing. Small businesses can be especially vulnerable to ransomware attacks, without the in-house expertise to manage the complexities of data security. Many also forgo cyber insurance with a mistaken assumption that by virtue of their smaller size, they are more likely to fly under the radar of cybercriminals.

Simon Jelley, general manager for Backup Exec at Veritas, said: “Make no mistake, SMBs face the same danger as large enterprises. Hackers target smaller companies just as frequently and with more devastating consequences. Only one thing can guarantee recovery if attackers get in – having a reliable backup system. Veritas Backup Exec provides a simple-to-use, all-in-one solution for protecting SMBs’ critical data wherever it lives – in SaaS or specialized applications and workloads, on premises or in the cloud.”

The unified design of Veritas Backup Exec eliminates the need for multiple point products and offers SMBs a powerful, cost-effective way to keep pace with the changing data and threat landscape. Customers can also manage their entire data estate from a single console. Veritas continuously strengthens the solution’s capabilities and defensive measures, adhering to a rapid development cycle. The latest release of Veritas Backup Exec introduces several new features:

  • Malware detection – Equips SMBs with another line of defense against viruses propagating within their data environment. Veritas Backup Exec malware detection, powered by Microsoft Defender, can be used to scan both VMware and Hyper-V backup sets at any time or prior to recovery.
  • Role-based security – Limits access to data based on a user’s specific role. In the event an account is compromised by hackers, the hackers can only corrupt the small volume of data associated with that specific user’s account.
  • Faster backup and recovery – Optimizes protection performance with forever incremental backup of VMware and Hyper-V. Protection of virtual machines is now faster with parallel backup of multiple virtual disks and the included ability to recover virtual machines instantly.

Steve Walcott, server administrator at WalCorp, said: “Ransomware attacks have become inevitable in today’s world. Veritas Backup Exec helps us stay prepared and ready to recover quickly. The all-in-one design is cost-effective and gives us everything we need to keep our data secure, making it simple to protect data across environments.”

Christophe Bertrand, practice director at Enterprise Strategy Group, said: “Whether they realize it or not, SMBs have a target on their backs. Hackers know they lack resources, and our research confirms that SMBs think ransomware is more complex than other attacks and are more likely to pay extortion demands. Veritas is aiming to ‘democratize’ cyber resilience through Backup Exec, giving SMBs data defense tools to help them detect and recover from ransomware attacks with full confidence.”

Veritas Backup Exec is available as a subscription service and can be installed in 10 minutes or less. Once installed, completing the first backup takes only five minutes. Find a Veritas-certified partner or sign up for the Veritas Backup Exec free 60-day trial. To learn more about how the solution helps SMBs, watch the webinar on pinpointing cyber threats and recovering quickly from ransomware attacks.

About Veritas 
Veritas Technologies is the leader in secure multi-cloud data management. Over 80,000 customers—including 91% of the Fortune 100—rely on Veritas to help ensure the protection, recoverability and compliance of their data. Veritas has a reputation for reliability at scale, which delivers the resilience its customers need against the disruptions threatened by cyberattacks, like ransomware. No other vendor is able to match Veritas’ ability to execute, with support for 800+ data sources, 100+ operating systems and 1,400+ storage targets through a single, unified approach. Powered by Cloud Scale Technology, Veritas is delivering today on its strategy for Autonomous Data Management that reduces operational overhead while delivering greater value. Learn more at Veritas.com. Follow us on X at @VeritasTechLLC.  

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

PR Newswire

ICZOOM Announces Upgrade The Risk Control Of The SAAS System To Improve Service Quality And Security

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HONG KONG, March 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — ICZOOM Group Inc. (Nasdaq: IZM) (the “Company” or “ICZOOM”), a B2B electronic component products e-commerce platform, announced today that the Company has upgraded the risk control of its SAAS system to enhance its customer service capabilities and improve the quality and security of customer transactions.

ICZOOM’s electronic trading platform has undergone a system upgrade to provide a more secured trading environment for clients on the trading platform by improving the company’s business risk deployment and control nodes. The update includes without limitation enhanced credential analysis on customers, behavior analysis on trading activities and adds-on of a number of risk control nodes. The Company believes that the update could significantly improve the security protection and efficiency of transactions for the customers, therefore advance the operation of the business.

ICZOOM’s CEO, Mr. Lei Xia, commented, “We are striving to help more small and medium-sized microelectronics enterprise customers purchase electronic components more conveniently, reduce procurement costs and improve procurement efficiency as well as enhancing the security protection by upgrading our own platform services. This system upgrade will help us build and consolidate our competitive advantage, and we intend to continue to invest in research and development, strive to improve the quality of our technology and services, and continue to create value for our shareholders.”

About ICZOOM Group Inc.

ICZOOM Group Inc. (Nasdaq: IZM) is primarily engaged in sales of electronic component products to customers in Hong Kong and mainland China through its B2B e-commerce platform. These products are primarily used by China based small and medium-sized enterprises (“SMEs”) in the consumer electronic industry, Internet of Things (“IoT”), automotive electronics and industry control segments. By utilizing latest technologies, the Company’s platform collects, optimizes and presents product offering information from suppliers of all sizes, all transparent and available to its SME customers to compare and select. In addition to the sales of electronic component products, the Company also provides services to customers such as temporary warehousing, logistic and shipping, and customs clearance. For more information, please visit the Company’s website: http://ir.iczoomex.com/index.html.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “continuing,” “ongoing,” “expect,” “we believe,” “we intend,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “could” and similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

For more information, please contact:

ICZOOM Group Inc.

Investor Relations Department

Email: investors@iczoom.com

Source: ICZOOM Group Inc.

PR Newswire

ZEGOCLOUD Delivers Industry-Leading Latency, Elevating Live Streaming Experiences and Bolstering Platform Revenues

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SINGAPORE, March 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — ZEGOCLOUD, a leading global cloud communication service provider, has made significant strides in delivering seamless, ultra-low latency experiences for live streaming and real-time video interactions.

With rigorous R&D and accumulated know-how in serving customer needs in real-time communication (RTC), ZEGOCLOUD has achieved a 90% success rate of millisecond-level experience in TTFF (Time to First Frame) globally. This translates into an exceptional TTFF of 79 milliseconds on average for live video calling and streaming platforms, supporting them in avoiding revenue losses associated with latency issues.

This optimization is crucial as it fosters positive first impressions, as the speed and fluidity of video loading and real-time engagement are pivotal for user satisfaction and retention on live streaming apps. “Studies show in live streaming, if it takes over two seconds to start, viewers start dropping off, and with each extra second, the platform is losing another 6% of the audience,” stated Kuk Jiang, co-founder of ZEGOCLOUD.

ZEGOCLOUD’s industry-leading TTFF optimization has proven successful in enabling businesses to enhance user connections, minimize churn rates, and ultimately increase revenue. With a success rate of over 95% for TTFF within 2 seconds in critical regions such as Europe, America, and Southeast Asia, ZEGOCLOUD’s solutions are poised to help platforms attract and retain users and drive substantial increases in revenue across various industries.

Purpose-built for industries from social entertainment to interactive live commerce, ZEGOCLOUD offers a full suite of real-time video engagement capabilities, including animated virtual gifts, in-app mini games, in-app chat, content moderation, beauty filters, cloud recording, and more. “By integrating ZEGOCLOUD, businesses can concentrate on their core operations and deliver high-quality live video to global audiences, streamlining the user experience and cutting down on costs and complexities associated with multiple third-party service integrations,” added Kuk.

ZEGOCLOUD’s specialized SDKs address common pain points like network complexity across regions and diverse device compatibility. Advanced features such as CDN live streaming, L3 acceleration, and customizable regional service settings provide robust, flexible solutions for different business scenarios.

About ZEGOCLOUD

ZEGOCLOUD revolutionizes virtual engagement with real-time interaction services for hassle-free cloud communication, connecting enterprises, teams, customers, and users. It lays the groundwork for businesses and developers to build RTI into their apps across the mobile internet and the metaverse.

Follow ZEGOCLOUD – https://www.linkedin.com/company/zegocloud/

Media Contact
Tanya Quan
tanya.quan@zegocloud.com 

PR Newswire

bolttech solidifies Japan presence, partners with Back Market

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The launch of the strategic partnership builds on bolttech’s growth momentum in the Japan market

TOKYO, March 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — International insurtech bolttech today announces its partnership in Japan with leading refurbished device marketplace, Back Market. The partnership, which marks one of bolttech’s first commercial launches in the country, will deliver embedded device protection to Back Market’s customers through a seamless online experience.

The jointly created device protection service ‘Back Up’ will provide Back Market’s customers with complimentary data recovery service for damaged phones and dedicated repair, ensuring minimal disruptions to their digital lives and an enhanced user experience. ‘Back Up’ offers comprehensive protection plans covering everyday risks such as breakage, corrosion, and liquid damage to extend the life of customers’ refurbished devices, with concierge services via a one-stop contact centre for added convenience. In turn, the repair services keep devices in circulation and out of landfills for a longer period.

Thibaud Hug de Larauze, Chief Executive Officer, Back Market said, “We set up a dedicated local team in Japan last year when we noticed a growing interest in refurbished smartphones in Asia Pacific, with customers keen to explore the benefits of the circular economy and creative ways to extend the lifespan of their devices. We’re excited to build on this partnership and celebrate the launch of ‘Back Up’ with bolttech in Japan. We hope this gives customers even greater peace of mind that their devices can be further protected against unwanted damage.”

Philip Weiner, Chief Commercial Officer, Asia and Europe, bolttech said, “As one of the leading insurance markets in the world, it’s exciting to see a growth in demand for insurtech solutions as customers in Japan seek more ways to protect the things they value. Back Market is an important partner for bolttech, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to celebrate this launch milestone with them.”

Headquartered in Singapore, bolttech is one of the leading embedded insurance and protection ecosystems globally, connecting 700 distribution partners and 230 insurance providers with millions of customers worldwide. bolttech’s first commercial launch in Japan follows its Series B fundraise last year, with lead investor Tokio Marine, Japan’s first insurance company with a 140-year history. The US$246 million funding round is the largest ever Series B for an insurtech.

PR Newswire

Philippines’ Metrobank partners with CBTW to transform its wealth management technology

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Metrobank and CBTW are implementing Temenos Wealth to improve Metrobank’s operational efficiency, elevate the customer experience, and accelerate business growth.

MANILA, Philippines, March 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Collaboration Betters The World – CBTW, a global tech and business solutions company, announces its strategic partnership with Metrobank, one of the Philippines’ leading universal banks, to assist the Bank in transforming its wealth management technology. CBTW will support Metrobank in enhancing its wealth management services by implementing Temenos Wealth.

With Temenos Wealth, Metrobank gains access to the most complete solution available in the market. The Temenos solution includes wealth analytics with embedded responsible AI, digital onboarding capabilities and self-service functions including robo-advisory and goal-based planning. A key aspect of the selection of Temenos’ advanced technology platform was its composable API-driven architecture which enables extensibility and simple integration with existing third-party applications, helping to reduce cost and risk while increasing business agility.

This move further cements Metrobank’s mark as the preferred partner for High Net Worth and Ultra High Net Worth clients. Known for its dynamic and holistic approach towards wealth management, Metrobank has been recognized as best in class and was recently awarded by Asiamoney as 2023 Best Domestic Private Bank in the Philippines for the second consecutive year and named as the Best Bank for the Ultra-High-Net-Worth clients.

From left: Metrobank Institutional Sales Head - Ric Pedrosa; Metrobank Information Technology Group - Bernie Ramos; Metrobank General Services Group - Christine Yang – Castillo; Metrobank Financial Markets Sector Group Head - Fernand Antonio Tansingco; CBTW APAC CEO - Pieter van Diermen; Temenos Wealth Specialist for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa - Eric Mellor; and CBTW Banking Technology Solutions Service Line Leader - Jon May
From left: Metrobank Institutional Sales Head – Ric Pedrosa; Metrobank Information Technology Group – Bernie Ramos; Metrobank General Services Group – Christine Yang – Castillo; Metrobank Financial Markets Sector Group Head – Fernand Antonio Tansingco; CBTW APAC CEO – Pieter van Diermen; Temenos Wealth Specialist for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa – Eric Mellor; and CBTW Banking Technology Solutions Service Line Leader – Jon May

Pieter van Diermen, CEO APAC, Collaboration Betters The World – CBTW, said: “With extensive experience in implementing Temenos solutions since 2012, a collaborative ethos, and a highly skilled software engineering team, CBTW is honoured to stand as Metrobank’s preferred partner in driving their digital transformation through the implementation of Temenos Wealth. With a longstanding presence in Manila, Philippines, as well as throughout the APAC region, CBTW is dedicated to delivering exceptional services to bolster Metrobank in their mission to provide an unparalleled banking experience and ensure their customers are in good hands.”

Fernand Antonio Tansingco, Financial Markets Sector Head, Metrobank, said: “We are excited to partner with CBTW and adopt Temenos’ technology to modernize our wealth management capability. As a Bank that prides itself in helping our clients preserve their wealth to build lasting legacies not just for themselves, but also their families, we are always in search for innovative solutions that will allow us to provide a better experience for our clients. With this initiative, we can continue to provide a highly personalized service to our customers.”

Ramki Ramakrishnan, Managing Director – Asia Pacific, Temenos, shared: “We are proud to partner with CBTW to support Metrobank with the digital transformation of their wealth management business. With clients among the largest global financial institutions and boutique firms, Temenos Wealth is the de facto software solution for the private wealth management industry. With proven solutions and a robust presence in the Philippines we are committed to support Metrobank and its future growth.”

About CBTW

Collaboration Betters The World – CBTW a global tech and business solutions company with a presence in 21 countries and a team of more than 3,000 professionals. We operate across nine service lines including Strategy & Governance, Product Design & Growth, Software Engineering, Data Analytics & AI, Cloud & Enterprise Platforms, Cyber Security, Banking Technology Solutions, Smart Industrial Solutions, and Life Sciences Solutions. As a trusted technology partner with over 20 years of experience in the APAC region, we pride ourselves on our ability to offer best-in-class software engineering services and banking technology solutions to help our clients hasten their digital transformation. For more information, please visit https://collaborationbetterstheworld.com/.              

About Metrobank

Metrobank is the country’s second largest private universal bank that empowers both retail and business clients with customized financial products and services fit to help reach their goals and full potential. It has an extensive consolidated network that spans over 940 domestic branches nationwide, more than 2,300 ATMs, and above 30 foreign branches, subsidiaries, and representative offices. The Bank believes that its robust capital position and balance sheet strength will provide ample support as it navigates through uncertain times. Capital ratios are among the highest in the industry, with total CAR at 18.3% and Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio at 17.4%. Consolidated assets stood at PHP3.1 trillion at the end of December 2023, making it one of the strongest and well-capitalized banks in the country. For more information, please visit: https://metrobank.com.ph. 

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Temenos is the world’s leading open platform for composable banking, creating opportunities for over 1.2 billion people around the world every day. We serve 3000 banks from the largest to challengers and community banks in 150+ countries by helping them build new banking services and state-of-the-art customer experiences. The Temenos open platform helps our top-performing clients achieve return on equity three times the industry average and cost-to-income ratios half the industry average. For more information, please visit www.temenos.com.

PR Newswire

Google-backed learning app QANDA Unveils its First U.S. Product, Prep.Pie

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  • Prep.Pie is a gen-ai-powered study tool designed to support U.S. college students’ exam preparation.

LOS ANGELES, March 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Mathpresso, creator of Asia’s leading learning app QANDA, unveiled their first U.S. targeted product today. Prep.Pie is a gen-ai-powered study tool designed to support U.S. college students’ exam preparation.

Google-backed learning app QANDA Unveils its First U.S. Product, Prep.Pie
Google-backed learning app QANDA Unveils its First U.S. Product, Prep.Pie

Prep.Pie leverages generative AI integrated with QANDA’s core engine to deliver a highly personalized study aid aimed at enhancing study productivity. Students can upload their study materials, and Prep.Pie will generate a comprehensive preparation package tailored to their exam needs. After conducting over 300 detailed interviews with students in its closed beta phase, Prep.Pie has officially launched for USC and UCLA students.

Key features of Prep.Pie include:

  • Prep Notes: Reorganizes all key content based on the study materials uploaded for the upcoming exam and provides an easy-to-grasp overview.
  • Prep Sets: Offers practice exams, detailed solutions, and relevant concept explanations.
  • Quick Solver: Employs QANDA’s text and image recognition technologies to instantly solve problems using the QANDA database.

Additional features, including Prep Cards and Additional Explanations, will be introduced to the product in the first half of the year.

Prep.Pie is developed by Mathpresso, a developer of MathGPT, a math-specific large language model that broke the world record in various mathematical benchmarks last December. QANDA, its flagship app, is the largest AI-powered learning platform in Asia, incorporating OCR and LLM technologies to provide detailed solutions and study guides. This approach has cultivated a self-enforcing data flywheel, boasting over 90M registered users and handling 4-8 million queries daily. 90% of its user base is located outside Korea, with predominant clusters in Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. Mathpresso raised $130 million to date from various partners including Google, ByteDance, Samsung Ventures, SBVA, Mirae Asset Venture, Goodwater, and GGV Capital.

Mathpresso aims to create the world’s premier AI tutor by enhancing AI capabilities and transforming it into a 1:1 tutor. Given the localized and diverse nature of educational content, influenced by hyperlocal factors such as teaching styles and school systems, there’s a risk of AI delivering content that lacks personalization. Prep.Pie focuses on the hyper-local aspects of education, addressing the specific needs of different schools, curriculums, and instructors.

Prep.Pie is now available by monthly subscription at USC and UCLA, with plans to expand to other West Coast universities for the first half of the year and a nationwide rollout by year’s end. It delivers unparalleled coverage and results in STEM and business subjects – domains where QANDA’s proficiency in numerical knowledge is prominently displayed.

“With the launch of Prep.Pie, we’re taking a major step forward in transforming how students study,” said Jake Yongjae Lee, CEO of Mathpresso. “By blending cutting-edge AI with our extensive experience as an edtech leader in Asia, we’re ready to bring a personalized educational experience in the US that is truly hyperlocal.”

About QANDA (Mathpresso)

Seoul-based edtech startup Mathpresso (QANDA) operates the AI-powered learning platform, QANDA. The app has gained 10 million monthly active users globally including South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. Leveraging QANDA’s vast database and traffic, Mathpresso plans to integrate its LLM-based AI tutor into its vertical services, including QANDA Tutor for tablet-based individual tutoring, and QANDA B2B & B2G SaaS, ensuring a deeply personalized educational experience for all students. Since 2015, Mathpresso has secured investments from Google, ByteDance, SBVA, and Samsung Venture Investment.