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CMMC Center of Excellence Announces Engagement Agreement with DRAGOS

Interoperability Clearinghouse

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

March 15, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Cyvatar Brings Home the Gold in the 2021 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards

Cyvatar

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

March 11, 2021 11:45 AM Eastern Standard Time

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

CSG

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

March 11, 2021 06:00 AM Mountain Standard Time

Cloud Conventions 2021 Redefines the Attendee Experience

Convey Services

Engagement will be the big focus of the Cloud Conventions 2021 virtual trade expo, as channel partners and professionals from across the telecom/cloud, mobility, MSP and IT services industries converge one of the largest and most innovative virtual events, May 12-14, 2021. Unlike other industry tradeshows that have failed to deliver attendee engagement and promised sales leads for exhibitors, Cloud Conventions 2021 is built on the next generation virtual event platform that redefines the exhibitor experience to allow companies to provide easy access to in-depth product information, showcase their brand with graphics and videos, create calls to action and generate immediate sales leads. "Everyone had to quickly pivot to virtual events in 2020, but there was a lack of focus on motivational design that resulted in boring, uninspired attendee experiences,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Convey Services, the platform provider for Cloud Conventions 2021. “Virtual events often deliver a stream of self-promoting webinars packaged and sold as a virtual event, when they’re really just a bunch of webinars. Cloud Conventions 2021 provides one of the most unique vendor showcase environments, coupled with content devoted to business strategy and opportunities for attendees to connect with their peers and exhibitors. Effective events need to inform, educate and engage, not just lecture. We keep attendees engaged and interested, connect them to others and give all parties a return on investment for both their time and money.” Under the umbrella of Community™, Convey’s suite of proprietary engagement tools, attendees have searchable attendee and exhibitor directories, access to discussion forums and a way to filter results to find the best match. Coupled with a message center to organize communications, booths feature one-on-one text chat along a one-click links to enter a live video discussion with booth staff. “2020 was a learning experience for everyone in what audiences expect from a virtual event,” added Bradfield. “We have to elevate our game in 2021 as tradeshows and conferences continue to have a virtual or hybrid component. Cloud Conventions 2021 makes the most of the virtual event platform powered by Convey Services. It incorporates motivational design to turn attendees and exhibitors into active participants. Attendees are invited to engage in forums, roundtable discussions, participate in networking events, register for prizes and access live or on-demand content.” Cloud Conventions 2021 is co-sponsored by TR Publications and managed by the MCI Group. MCI Group is committed to growing the Cloud Conventions 2021 event and returning in the spring of 2022 with a live and hybrid industry expo. Attendance at Cloud Conventions 2021 is free to qualified industry professionals. Exhibitors and attendees can sign up at Cloud Conventions 2021. The Cloud Conventions 2021 expo is hosted and managed on the industry-leading Cloud Conventions virtual event platform, powered by Convey Services. About TR Publications TR Publications reaches 50,000 telecom/cloud professionals from across the communications delivery community: enterprise end users, channel partners, MSPs, carriers and CLECs. It is the only publication that penetrates deeply into the core UC markets, both channel and IT management: 37,000 readers monthly by hard copy, 1,800 readers daily by online, 13,000 readers every week by eBulletin, 2,500 listeners each week by podcast. Channel readership represent the twelve largest OEM and solution providing communities, together reflecting 96% of all UC sales by revenues on equipment, services, premises, hosted, software solutions and other platforms. www.telecomreseller.com. About MCI Group MCI is a global engagement and marketing agency. We design human-centric solutions that unleash the power of people to deliver innovation and growth for our clients. Our offering includes live & virtual events, strategic & digital communications, consulting & community solutions. We help brands, companies, associations and not-for-profits solve their challenges, bringing their people together to shape their tomorrow. MCI is an independently owned company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with a global presence in 60 offices across 31 countries. www.mci-group.com About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions is a Virtual Trade Show and Conference Platform from Convey Services that brings new capabilities to a marketplace looking for solutions to replace the thousands of live trade shows, annual conferences and association meetings cancelled in the wake of COVID-19. Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, attendee registration, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Contact Details Convey Services Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

March 10, 2021 02:15 PM Eastern Standard Time

Rand McNally Selects Industrial Defender to Secure Its Industrial Internet of Things

Industrial Defender

Industrial Defender, a pioneer in operational technology (OT) security, today announced that Rand McNally has chosen their Automation Systems Manager® (ASM) platform as their IIoT cybersecurity solution. Rand McNally will layer the ASM into their enterprise security ecosystem, creating a Defense-in-Depth strategy to better protect their cyber-physical systems from threats. The ASM platform will provide the in-depth asset data the company needs to strengthen its overall corporate risk management strategy and also help the security team reduce the mean time to respond (MTTR) to a potential intrusion within their OT systems. “Industrial Defender’s third layer of protection on Rand McNally’s corporate network helps ensure that we are effective in battling the growing threats of hacking and unwanted intrusions,” said Joseph Roark, Chairman of Rand McNally. “With the recent uptick in cyber threat activity, manufacturing companies should be prioritizing cybersecurity, and Rand McNally is leading the pack,” said Jim Crowley, CEO at Industrial Defender, “We’re honored to partner with them to secure their Industrial Internet of Things.” Rand McNally selected Industrial Defender because of its comprehensive asset management and threat detection capabilities, flexible service packages, proven pedigree in the OT security space, and commitment to supply chain security for their customers. Industrial Defender develops 100% of its software in the United States and enforces stringent cybersecurity standards for its development team. To learn more about how Industrial Defender safely collects, monitors, and manages OT security data at scale, visit https://www.industrialdefender.com/. About Industrial Defender Since 2006, Industrial Defender has been solving the challenge of safely collecting, monitoring, and managing OT asset data at scale, while providing cross-functional teams with a unified view of security. Their specialized solution is tailored to complex industrial control system environments by engineers with decades of hands-on OT experience. Easy integrations into the broader security and enterprise ecosystem empower IT teams with the same visibility, access, and situational awareness that they’re accustomed to on corporate networks. Learn more at www.industrialdefender.com. About Rand McNally Chicago-based Rand McNally has been transforming travel and transportation for 165 years. Today, Rand McNally provides innovative fleet management and commercial transportation solutions, connected vehicle technology, and consumer travel and education products. Learn more at randmcnally.com and fleet.randmcnally.com Contact Details Industrial Defender Erin Anderson +1 617-675-4206 eanderson@industrialdefender.com Company Website https://www.industrialdefender.com

March 10, 2021 09:18 AM Eastern Standard Time

Velocity Global Report: Tech companies push remote work global

Velocity Global

65% of U.S. companies will increase or maintain global remote workforces this year 61% of U.S. companies to increase or maintain domestic remote teams Growth companies compete with enterprises for global talent Technology companies seek more global remote talent as a result of COVID-19 according to a new report from Velocity Global, the leading provider of global expansion solutions. Responses from 1,000 U.S. and UK tech company decision-makers highlight that 65% of U.S. tech companies and 46% of UK tech companies will maintain or increase their global remote workforce this year. “The global pandemic forced the biggest workforce shift in modern history as businesses adopted remote work en masse overnight, and the changes are permanent,” said Velocity Global founder and CEO Ben Wright. “The worker fundamentally separated from the workplace, including transcending borders. Companies now use the tech tools and manage remote teams almost exclusively. The comfort level rose in 2020 and companies seek top talent around the world like never before.” Remote Work By the Numbers The switch to remote work in response to the pandemic inspired lasting change for tech companies to seek and employ talent outside of their headquarters or employee centers. Remote work at home. Tech companies immediately enabled work from home with the onset of the pandemic. With the tools in place, 61% of U.S. tech companies and 52% of UK tech companies intend to maintain or increase a domestic remote workforce. Scale aids global remote shift. Of the U.S. tech companies (65%) and UK tech companies (46%) with plans to maintain or increase a global remote workforce, large companies lead the charge. However, smaller companies are not far behind. 34% of tech businesses with more than 500 employees are more likely to hire remote workers overseas 27% of companies with 200-500 employees 21% for companies with 100-199 employees 10% for companies with fewer than 100 employees “The global scale of the pandemic forced large enterprises to invest in remote work at scale, but smaller companies are positioned to accelerate the trend going forward,” added Wright. “Growth companies are built with agility to compete with larger companies in all facets of business, and these numbers indicate they must compete for top global talent. That competition forces businesses of all sizes to hire quickly and compliantly in any global market.” Benefits of a Remote Workforce The shift to remote work increases productivity, supplements the bottom line, and engages employees. Employee preference. 74% of U.S. employees prefer to work from home at least two days per week once COVID-19 is no longer a concern, according to a PwC survey this year. Nearly a third (29%) prefer to work remotely five days per week. In the UK, only 7% of UK workers want to return to the office following pandemic restrictions, according to leading international research data and analytics group, UK YouGov. Improved productivity. More than half (52%) of executives in the PwC research report an increase in productivity for remote teams during the stress of the pandemic. Culturally diverse teams earn better returns. Geographically dispersed teams bring diversity of culture, race, and ethnicity. Companies that rank higher in diversity are 35% more likely to see above-average financial performance in their industries, according to longstanding research by McKinsey & Company. Access to skilled talent. Access to the global talent pools allows companies to hire the best candidate for the position, not the candidates closest to the office. Increased recruitment and retention. Remote work improves recruitment and retention for employers. A recent LiveCareer study of remote employees during the pandemic found that 62% stated that in the future they will give preference to employers who offer remote work; while 29% said they will leave their current job if they are not allowed to continue working remotely. Lower costs. A company can save tens of thousands of dollars annually per remote worker who telecommutes half of the time. Last year Global Workplace Analytics found that companies identified real estate savings with full-time telework to equal $10,000 per employee (annually). That research points to companies like Sun Microsystems that saves $68 million annually in real estate costs due to its telecommuting policy. “The benefits of a global remote workforce span business metrics from the employee experience to the bottom line, which go hand in hand” said Wright. “The past year introduced a widespread benefit to employees - work from anywhere. Spend more time with family or friends, save time and money on a commute, live anywhere and get a job in any market. When that benefit matches increased productivity, retention, and lower costs businesses must move quickly to implement remote teams on a global scale or risk losing talent to competitors.” Download the complete infographic here. Methodology Velocity Global surveyed 500 U.S. and 500 UK decision-makers from companies with 50-1,000 employees, focused on the IT, software, hardware, and technology industries. Respondents are director level and above, including C-suite, in the following job functions: business development, legal and business management, finance, operations, and HR. Independent survey consultant, Censuswide, conducted the research. ABOUT VELOCITY GLOBAL Velocity Global helps companies grow globally. Founded in 2014, Velocity Global’s clients rely on its expertise and global infrastructure in 185 countries to hire compliantly around the world, increase revenue, scale efficiently, and access global talent. Named a “Leader” in Global Employer of Record services by prominent analyst firm NelsonHall, Velocity Global is a strategic partner to its clients with comprehensive services led by its core offering of International PEO as well as Immigration, Entity Setup and Support, Global Talent Acquisition, and Consulting. Velocity Global is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with regional headquarters in Amsterdam and Singapore, and local employees in 14 countries. Contact Details Velocity Global John Hall +1 720-650-4348 johnhall@velocityglobal.com Company Website https://velocityglobal.com/

March 10, 2021 07:01 AM Mountain Standard Time

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SFAA Strongly Supports Bill Providing Essential Protections on All Federally Financed Projects Receiving TIFIA Funds

The Surety & Fidelity Association of America

The Surety & Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) commends Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD), Congressman Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Congressman Troy Balderson (R-OH) for the introduction of the “Promoting Infrastructure by Protecting Our Subcontractors and Taxpayers Act.” This legislation provides essential protections for workers, suppliers and contractors by requiring payment protection on federally financed infrastructure projects receiving Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loans, including public-private projects (P3s). “Bonding TIFIA-financed P3 projects will protect taxpayers’ dollars, ensure project completion, protect local small business contractors and workers, and promote economic growth,” said Lee Covington, president and CEO of the Surety and Fidelity Association of America. “TIFIA should be modernized to include the same payment and performance requirements that protect all other federally funded infrastructure projects.” P3 projects have increased in popularity over the years, however the lack of clarity for requiring payment and performance protections on P3 projects can force taxpayers to absorb additional costs of rebidding a project, and subcontractors and workers are often left unpaid for extended periods of time if the contractor defaults. By ensuring a bond requirement, P3 projects will offer the same payment and performance protections that have been in place on public infrastructure projects, protecting our nation’s construction industry and taxpayers alike. “Construction is a risky business, and for over 100 years, the federal and state Miller Acts have protected against the risk of loss by requiring payment and performance bonds,” continued Covington. “SFAA looks forward to working with Congress, on a bipartisan basis, for the passage of this essential bill.” A list of co-sponsors organizations and additional information can be found here. ### The Surety & Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) is a trade association of more than 425 insurance companies that write 98 percent of surety and fidelity bonds in the U.S. SFAA is licensed as a rating or advisory organization in all states and it has been designated by state insurance departments as a statistical agent for the reporting of fidelity and surety experience. www.surety.org Contact Details SFAA Peter Roth +1 703-401-0676 proth@surety.org Company Website https://www.surety.org/

March 10, 2021 08:45 AM Eastern Standard Time

Fintech MarketFinance reaches profitability as it returns a record start to the year

Stockwood Strategy

Fintech business lender MarketFinance has kicked off 2021 with a significant increase in lending volumes. Year to date, MarketFinance has deployed over £64m in business loans and invoice finance to businesses across the UK. This is up 50% from the same period last year. As a CBILS accredited lender by the British Business Bank, MarketFinance has been at the forefront of supporting SME businesses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Profit landmark MarketFinance has played a pivotal role in supporting SMEs. It has provided over £2bn to the most underserved businesses, giving them access to the working capital they need. MarketFinance announced that it turned profitable in February 2021 and will continue to grow at pace as the business scales products and operations. Anil Stocker, CEO at MarketFinance said: “The pandemic has sped up digital adoption across large parts of our society. Business lending is no different. We are seeing a continuing need to provide fast, easy-to-access, digitally available funding solutions to SMEs across all sectors within the UK. Fintech lenders such as MarketFinance are well placed to help power the post-Covid economic recovery across the country.” Partnerships In reaching a wide range of businesses, MarketFinance has deepened its 2018 partnership with Barclays Bank helping more of their business banking customers with invoice finance funding. In September 2020 MarketFinance also partnered with fellow fintech Ebury to ensure SMEs across the UK were able to quickly access the emergency lending, offering loans and revolving credit facilities to Ebury’s UK SME base. Aligning with their £10m BCR commitments, MarketFinance is continuing to partner with high-street banks and business platforms to enable more businesses to access the right financial solutions for them. Anil Stocker added: “A key part of our strategy is partnering with organisations who want to improve access to finance for their business customers. Our mission has always been to give SMEs a fair playing field for them to get access to working capital. We’re now working with partners to embed our finance technology within their platforms, allowing their customers quicker and easier access to the working capital they need.” ENDS Notes to the Editor About MarketFinance MarketFinance is a busi ness finance company with offices in London and Manchester. The online platform enables businesses to access a range of flexible finance solutions - quickly and easily. This smart technology is backed by help from real people so business owners can save time and focus on growing their business. Since 2011, MarketFinance has cumulatively advanced over £3 billion to companies across a range of sizes and sectors, providing working capital and finance for everything from paying staff and suppliers to launching new products or services and accelerating growth. MarketFinance is backed by Barclays, Mouro Capital, European venture capital fund Northzone (invested in Klarna, iZettle and Trustpilot), and private equity group MCI Capital (also invested in iZettle, Azimo and Gett). Contact Details MarketFinance Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@marketfinance.com Company Website https://marketfinance.com/

March 10, 2021 05:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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The Big Business of Esports

YourUpdateTV

Esports have burst into the mainstream in recent years, transforming from a vibrant niche to a central form of entertainment around the world. Last year, there were more than 1.2 billion hours of esports consumed, with audience numbers expected to double by the year 2023. Sponsors have taken notice. Verizon’s recent sponsorship deal with Riot Games, maker of popular game League of Legends, is just another indication that esports is here to stay. Recently, Naz Aletaha, Head of Global Esports Partnerships & Business Development at Riot Games, participated in a nationwide satellite media tour to discuss the rise of Riot Games’ esports titles globally. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/pKnRoHYSYCo Riot Games announced that two of its biggest esports events of the year will take place back-to-back this May in Reykjavík, Iceland. Additionally, as Riot Games continues to expand its esports footprint, the company has expanded its partnership with Verizon as the Official 5G Partner, supporting both LoL Esports Global Events and VALORANT Esports. This partnership just serves as the latest iteration of Verizon’s consistent support of Riot’s esports business. Since 2020, Verizon has been the Official 5G wireless network provider for the League Championship Series (LCS), providing support for LCS through original video content and in-broadcast sponsored segments. Their support extended to VALORANT First Strike: North America, the first official tournament for Riot's premier tactical shooter, as well as The Wild Rift Invitational - the world’s first Wild Rift esports event featuring LCS players and celebrities. Fans can follow @lolesports on Twitter and visit lolesports.com for more info on MSI, including a list of qualified teams and broadcast schedule. The latest information about Masters 2 and the VALORANT Champions Tour can be found at @valorantesports and playvalorant.com. Naz Aletaha: As head of global esports partnerships at League of Legends publisher Riot Games, Aletaha has helped take esports from a niche competition to the fastest-growing global sport, drawing interest and investment from the traditional sports and entertainment industries. Aletaha has secured sponsorship agreements with some of the most valuable world-class brands including Louis Vuitton, Red Bull, State Farm, and Mastercard, as well as the single biggest media-rights agreement in the history of esports. The first-generation daughter of Iranian immigrants, Aletaha applied her passion for gaming and entertainment at Sony Motion Pictures and Activision prior to her current role at Riot Games. About LoL Esports™: LoL Esports is a premier global sport that has attracted the attention of millions of fans around the world since 2010. More than 800 players on 100+ professional League of Legends esports teams compete across a dozen leagues globally. Within each regional league, teams compete against one another over the course of two seasonal splits in hopes of earning regional titles and championship points. Regional placements and championship points are used to qualify teams for the two major international competitions: the Mid-Season Invitational and the World Championship (known as Worlds). To close out a season, fans vote for their favorite players from each league to attend the All-Star Event where players enjoy a weekend of friendly competition. For further information, visit: www.lolesports.com and www.lolesportsmedia.com. About the VALORANT Champions Tour: After a record-breaking closed beta that saw more than 1.7 million peak concurrent viewers on Twitch, VALORANT quickly established itself as the fastest growing esport of 2020. To support the competitive scene, Riot Games launched the VALORANT Champions Tour, a year-long, global circuit featuring three levels of competition: Challengers, Masters, and Champions. Teams compete through regional Challengers events, then qualify into international Masters events, with the goal to earn a spot at Champions, a two-week long tournament where one team is crowned the VALORANT Global Champion. The season-long competition tour will feature competitions in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

March 09, 2021 03:00 PM Eastern Standard Time

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