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CSG Names Liz Bauer Executive Vice President

CSG

DENVER, May 24, 2021 – CSG (NASDAQ: CSGS) today announced the appointment of one of its top leaders, Liz Bauer, to executive vice president and chief marketing and customer officer. A creative and innovative industry leader, Bauer has been instrumental in developing and growing CSG’s business success over the last two decades. Previously senior vice president, chief investor relations and communications officer, Bauer’s influence at CSG has stretched across the company’s growth strategy, values-based culture, investor and analyst relations, communications and marketing, and its customer-first business approach. CSG president and CEO Brian Shepherd knows Bauer’s passion for building strong and successful teams coupled with her expansive track record of cross-functional accomplishments continue to distinguish her journey at CSG. “I’ve been extremely fortunate to work shoulder-to-shoulder with Liz since 2016 and know first-hand the impact she’s made on the company, our people, and our customers. From helping CSG make a bigger impact in the communities and industries we serve, to bringing a customer-obsessed approach to everything we do, to strengthening our culture and accelerating our growth, Liz is a critical member of the CSG executive leadership team,” Shepherd said. “I feel privileged to have played a part in the company’s evolution and growth over the years,” Bauer said. “We’ve done this by investing in and amplifying CSG’s strengths, which include our people, our domain expertise and our history of delivering on our commitments. “CSG’s success is the result of our decades-long commitment to understanding our customers and aligning our strategy, our employees and our industry-leading technology platforms around putting them first. I’m excited to continue our work in this critical area of differentiation for CSG, as we work hard to elevate both our culture and the business.” As chief customer officer, Bauer and her team work side-by-side with CSG’s other business functions todeliver a differentiated customer experience, deepen its customer relationships, and win more new business. In addition, in her role as chief marketing officer, Bauer will continue to position and differentiate the CSG brand through multiple channels and stakeholders in the marketplace, with a focus on accelerating growth in existing and new verticals. In addition to her work at CSG, Bauer is a current member of the World 50 CXO 50 community. She served on the board of the National Investor Relations Institute, the founding board of West Denver Preparatory Charter School and previously chaired the Rocky Mountain WICT Gala. Bauer is based in and works out of the company’s global headquarters in Denver. 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, Microsoft, Mobily, MTN, New Leaf Service Contracts, State of California DMV, 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. ### Contacts: Tammy Hovey Global / North America / Asia-Pacific Public Relations CSG +1 (917) 520-275 tammy.hovey@csgi.com Kristine Østergaard Europe / Middle East / Africa Public Relations +44 (0)75 0051 8412 kristine.ostergaard@csgi.com John Rea Investor Relations +1 (210) 687 4409 john.rea@csgi.com Contact Details CSG Tammy Hovey +1 917-520-2751 tammy.hovey@csgi.com Company Website https://www.csgi.com

May 24, 2021 06:00 AM Mountain Daylight Time

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The Future of Indoor Air Quality

YourUpdateTV

While concerns over indoor air quality are nothing new, the COVID-19 pandemic has made people realize just how important clean, indoor air is to our health. As states continue to fully reopen, facilities around the country are turning to new technologies to help keep indoor spaces safe. Recently, Dr. Ken Thorpe, a scientific advisor to Integrated Viral Protection, participated in a nationwide satellite media tour to discuss the impact of these new technologies and what the future holds for indoor air quality. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/wrtkcmLQ5pY As more states begin to fully reopen, Houston-based Integrated Viral Protection (IVP) is helping businesses do so safely with their IVP Biodefense Indoor Air System. The air filter system instantaneously catches and kills airborne COVID-19 and other RNA viruses and has been granted emergency use authorization by the FDA. IVP is playing an integral role in reopening businesses such as hotels and restaurants and keeping children in schools around the country safe and is positioned to be the standard going forward, promoting clean and healthy air in all spaces. IVP is installed in health care settings across the U.S. to include over 100 healthcare facilities, including COVID-19 specialty hospitals, neuro-psych facilities, rehabilitation hospitals and tertiary centers. The game changing technology works by forcing air through a heated filter that captures and kills contaminants, including airborne pathogens, instantaneously, without changing the ambient air temperature significantly. IVP has been endorsed by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers as one of five top technologies in the world to combat COVID-19, and was recently named a top 25 Newsmaker of the Year by the Engineering News Record. Integrated Viral Protection (IVP) has also launched a new portable air purifying unit that instantaneously kills COVID-19 and other airborne pathogens. The compact travel unit, ideal for spaces up to 250 square feet, quietly cleans the air anywhere, including in hotel rooms, meeting rooms, residential spaces and more. The unit is also perfect for hotel and dorm rooms or common areas of a home. This protection against viruses and airborne pathogens is especially valuable when visiting high-risk individuals or hosting indoor gatherings. For more information, visit ivpair.com About Dr. Ken Thorpe, Ph.D.: Kenneth E. Thorpe, Ph.D., is the Robert W. Woodruff Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Policy & Management, in the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. As a respected health care expert, Dr. Thorpe regularly testifies before committees in the U.S. Congress and in front of governments around the world on aspects of health care reform, and he is a frequent national presenter on issues of health care financing, insurance and health care reform at health care conferences, television and the media. About Integrated Viral Protection Solutions: IVP is playing an integral role in reopening businesses such as hotels and restaurants and keeping children in schools around the country safe and is positioned to be the standard going forward, promoting clean and healthy air in all spaces. IVP is installed in health care settings across the U.S. to include over 100 healthcare facilities, including COVID-19 specialty hospitals, neuro-psych facilities, rehabilitation hospitals and tertiary centers 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

May 21, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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News Release

Apple Named in Federal Antitrust Lawsuit Filed by Entertainment Company

Primary Productions, LLC

Primary Productions LLC recently charged Apple with antitrust violations of the Sherman Act, alleging restraint of trade for how the technology giant inhibits developer access to Apple’s App Store and userbase. The suit seeks class-action status on behalf of millions of software developers that are blocked from the App Store in favor of apps developed by Apple and its cronies. The complaint states it is first-to-file such a case protecting developers of free apps. In 2018, the group developed an app designed to educate the public about blockchain wallets by distributing hundreds of millions of dollars of free digital blockchain encryption currency, aka cryptocurrency. Apple killed the app before release because it allegedly threatened Apple’s low-price gaming Apple Arcade. Anticompetitive exclusion from a marketplace, such as that of smartphone enhanced internet commerce, is prohibited by civil and criminal code formalized as the Sherman Act of 1890. The lawsuit states that “Apple has so far distanced the independent developer from direct access to his or her audience, that critical commerce is restrained in violation of the Sherman Act.” The lawsuit further states that “in 2021 alone, as of filing, Apple has already rejected one million apps, representing millions of person-hours of lost work, all to appease the Apple giant.” “Apple is a monopsony retail buyer of apps, and hence underpays developers, even those of free apps, when it disallows them or suppresses their ranking on the App Store,” said attorney Keith Mathews. “Broader than existing Apple antitrust litigation, this case finally protects independent developers of free apps.” As for solutions beyond monetary damages, which could exceed $100 billion, the lawsuit demands an injunction requiring Apple to permit due process before denying an app, via an “App Court” to act independently and thereby avoid the problem of favoritism and cronyism. Attorney Mathews’ firm, Associated Attorneys of New England, seeks to join the New Hampshire-based Coronavirus Reporter app lawsuit to create a multi-district national litigation effort. That app, despite being designed by Dr. Robert Roberts, who consulted for NASA, developed the quantitative test that has been used to diagnose heart attacks, and chaired the prestigious Fields Medal committee, was blocked by Apple from being the first COVID-19 app in February 2020. Download a copy of the complaint here and at www.LawsuitPressRelease.com. Contact Details LawsuitPressRelease.com John P. David +1 888-859-6637 john@lawsuitpressrelease.com

May 20, 2021 03:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Phase 4 Services Taps MCR Labs Operations Director for CFO Role

MCR Labs

Adding to their roster of cannabis industry and laboratory operations experts, Phase 4 Services, a laboratory management and consulting firm, has hired Ross Gutman to serve as vice president & chief financial officer. Gutman has served as director of business operations at MCR Labs, one of the oldest and most well-known cannabis testing labs on the East Coast, for nearly six years. He will draw on the knowledge and experience he’s gained while growing MCR Labs into a multimillion-dollar operation to assist Phase 4 clients with establishing effective finance, accounting, and administrative processes. Gutman will continue to guide business operations at MCR Labs while he takes on additional duties of strategic planning and process improvement for Phase 4 and their clients. “This is an important opportunity for Ross,” said Michael Kahn, president and founder of MCR Labs. “His work for us was the turning point in going from being a great local testing lab to becoming an organization capable of scaling operations and expanding at the same pace as the rest of the cannabis industry.” Phase 4 Services works with cannabis testing labs in both the marijuana and hemp industries to streamline administrative processes, advance testing capabilities, and scale operations to meet the ever-growing demand for reliable compliance testing. About Phase 4 Services: Phase 4 Services is a scientific consulting and laboratory management firm dedicated to growing, supporting, and enhancing hemp and cannabis testing laboratories. Founded by experts in analytical testing, pharmaceutical chemistry, business administration, and development strategy, our team is equipped with the knowledge and experience necessary to ensure partner laboratories are successful in their pursuit of advancing public health and safety for cannabis patients and consumers. For more information visit http://phase4services.com. Contact Details Phase 4 Services Joe Crinkley +1 857-230-0839 pr@phase4services.com Company Website https://phase4services.com/

May 20, 2021 07:47 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Cyvatar Wins Two Coveted Global InfoSec Awards at RSA 2021

Cyvatar

Cyvatar today announced two more prestigious industry award wins, this time as 2021 Global InfoSec award winners for the Cutting-Edge in Cybersecurity-as-a-Service (CSaaS) and the Most Innovative SecOps-as-a-Service, by Cyber Defense Magazine--the industry’s leading electronic information security magazine. This year marks Cyber Defense Magazine’s ninth year of honoring global InfoSec innovators. Its submission requirements are for any startup, early-stage, later stage, or public companies in the information security space who have a unique and compelling value proposition for their product or service. “We’re thrilled to receive one of the most prestigious and coveted cybersecurity awards in the world from Cyber Defense Magazine,” said Cyvatar Co-Founder and Chief Executive Corey White. “We knew the competition would be tough, and with top judges who are leading infosec experts from around the globe, we couldn’t be more pleased.”. Award judges are CISSP, FMDHS, CEH, certified security professionals who voted based on their independent review of the company submitted materials on the website of each submission including but not limited to data sheets, white papers, product literature, and other market variables. “We scoured the globe looking for cybersecurity innovators that could make a huge difference and potentially help turn the tide against the exponential growth in cybercrime, said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine. “Cyvatar is absolutely worthy of these coveted awards and consideration for deployment in your environment.” CDM has a flexible philosophy to find more innovative players with new and unique technologies, than the one with the most customers or money in the bank. CDM is always asking “What’s Next?” so we are looking for Next Generation InfoSec Solutions. Whether you’re a small business starting from scratch or need to amplify your existing security investments, Cyvatar is here for you. Get started for free or reach out to Cyvatar at CYVATAR.AI. About Cyber Defense Magazine With over 5 Million monthly readers and growing, and thousands of pages of searchable online infosec content, Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of IT Security information for B2B and B2G with our sister magazine Cyber Security Magazine for B2C. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and special editions exclusively for the RSA Conferences. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com and visit https://www.cyberdefensetv.com and https://www.cyberdefenseradio.com to see and hear some of the most informative interviews of many of these winning company executives. Join a webinar at https://www.cyberdefensewebinars.com and realize that infosec knowledge is power. 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 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/

May 19, 2021 12:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Unisantis unveils Dynamic Flash Memory as DRAM alternative

Unisantis Electronics

Unisantis® Electronics Singapore Pte. Ltd., today unveiled the company’s developments in Dynamic Flash Memory (DFM)® technology, a leap forward in the industry’s search for alternatives to DRAM for future low-cost high-density embedded or standalone memory applications. DFM is able to offer faster speeds and higher density when compared to DRAM or other types of volatile memory. DFM was presented this week for the first time at the 13th IEEE International Memory Workshop (IMW), by its inventors, Drs. Koji Sakui and Nozomu Harada from Unisantis. DFM was well received by the IMW’s Scientific Committee, for having demonstrated not only performance benefits but also for its strategy of having been developed as an easy-to-implement DRAM replacement. Dr. Sakui’s paper entitled “ Dynamic Flash Memory with Dual Gate Surrounding Gate Transistor (SGT)”, was presented publicly on the 18th May. DRAM is a volatile, capacitor-based, destructive-read form of memory – and its challenge has long been to continue packing in more storage for lower cost, without increasing power consumption. DFM takes a revolutionary approach to overcome limitations of conventional volatile memory such as DRAM, with its inherent short, regular and power-hungry refresh cycles, as well as destructive read processes. DFM is also a type of volatile memory, but since it does not rely on capacitors it has fewer leak paths, it has no connection between switching transistors and a capacitor. The result is a cell design with the potential for significant increases in transistor density and, because it not only offers block refresh, but as a Flash memory it offers block erase -- DFM reduces the frequency and the overhead of the refresh cycle and is capable of delivering significant improvements in speed and power compared to DRAM. By utilizing TCAD simulation, Unisantis has proven DFM has a substantial potential to increase density 4X compared to DRAM. The scaling of DRAM has almost stopped at 16Gb, according to recent IEEE ISSCC (International Solid-State Circuits Conference) papers. Modelling DFM at 4F 2 cell density shows how perfectly structured DFM is ( see 4F2 cell image here ). The design and development of DFM means significant Gb/mm 2 improvements, and today’s limits on DRAM (currently 16Gb) could immediately see increases to 64Gb memory using DFM’s radically enhanced cell structure. Replacing DRAM is a major challenge for the industry, not only because DRAM today accounts for over 50% of the current market demand for memory ( Yole Development, 2020). Forecasts also suggest the need for this type of low cost, high density DRAM by 2025 will continue to grow and exceed $100Bn. But technology challenges also lie ahead presented by some of the proposed replacements, including capacitor-less DRAM, ZRAM or simplistic GAA and Nanosheet approaches, all which have their own limitations compared to DFM. Unisantis is a transformative semiconductor company, with a patented surround gate transistor (SGT) technology, a 3D transistor design which offers significant system design and performance advantages to the manufacturers of memory and image sensor semiconductors and is essential for the high-tech industry as it scales to very small nodes. The company is built on a history of successes in the memory semiconductor market, having been established by Dr. Fujio Masuoka in Singapore in 2008 following his ground-breaking work in developing Flash memory at Toshiba. Dynamic Flash Memory was developed by Unisantis with the proven technological principles of SGT Technology building on that work and the company’s innovations, particularly in memory semiconductors. Koji Sakui, Unisantis and co-inventor of DFM, commented “The memory industry has long-since accepted DRAM technology is nearing the end of its life, but its significant market means any replacement technologies must provide the right balance of performance, costs and future scalability. After significant internal research and testing, we are delighted to unveil DFM to the market as the leading long-term viable option to DRAM.” Following today’s unveiling, the company is now seeking to further its own technical development, and in parallel, to testing and demonstrating the features and fuller potential of DFM externally with a series of memory and foundry partnerships. Further details on DFM and the application of Unisantis SGT Technology will be shared at future events. Links to images available online: Main features of Dynamic Flash Memory Simple cross-point structure (4F2) Structure of Dynamic Flash Background information DFM: not another ZRAM, and not an Emerging Memory Attempts to develop DRAM without capacitors have been unsuccessful, as seen in ZRAM where the margins between 1 and 0 have been too narrow – both ZRAM and DFM approaches are Gain Cells but in DFM the PL gate eliminates the FB (Floating Body), and with a significant increase in the “1” and “0” margin results in noticeably increased speeds and improvements in the reliability of the memory cell. It does this by using the PL (Plate Line) gate to ‘stabilize’ the FB (Floating Body) and by separating 1” Write and “0” Erase modes, allows for the widest possible margin – avoiding issues with noise and the fluctuation of the FB. The wide margin in DFM will offer other design benefits which Unisantis will be announcing in the near future. Unlike the so-called ‘emerging memory technologies’ (MRAM, ReRAM, FRAM, PCM) DFM does not involve adding additional materials on top of a standard CMOS process – an approach that drives up the cost, prohibitively. About Unisantis Unisantis Electronics Singapore Pte Ltd (Unisantis®) is a transformative semiconductor R&D company, with a patented surround gate transistor (SGT) device technology which offers significant cost, density and power advantages to the designers and manufacturers of leading-edge logic and memory technologies. The Company was established in 2008 to transform the semiconductor industry by developing a vertical surrounding gate transistor, work that was successfully spearheaded by Dr. Fujio Masuoka, who is widely regarded as the inventor of Flash memory during his time at Toshiba. Surrounding Gate Transistors or SGT Technology® today are covered by over 700 Unisantis international patents, and represent the ultimate evolution in 3D transistor design, essential for modern electronics as the industry scales to very small nodes. SGT technology has multiple use-cases for memory design including SRAM, DRAM, MRAM, RRAM/ReRAM as well as logic circuits and CMOS image sensors. For further information, visit: www.unisantis.com Contact Details Unisantis contact SVP, James Ashforth-Pook jamesap@unisantis.com Or media enquiries representing Unisantis Electronics David Marsden, Communications Director +447968407739 davidm@unisantis.com Company Website http://www.unisantis.com/

May 19, 2021 06:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

COVID-19 crisis will lead to a new period of rapid, transformative growth and prosperity: Studio 44 reveal 10 key insights for business leaders

Stockwood Strategy

As we recover from the COVID pandemic, environmental, social and technological trends are converging, leading to rapid, disruptive and transformative change, the likes of which we have not experienced for more than a generation, argues Simon Sear, CEO and founder of Studio 44. Leaders need to ensure that they and their organisation are ready to innovate and transform. Sear said: “The COVID crisis will lead to a new period of rapid, transformative growth and prosperity just like the First World War led to the roaring twenties, the Second World War to the golden age of capitalism and the recession of the late 1970s to the expansive growth of the 1980s. Spring always follows winter.” Combining with this natural economic cycle are major tailwinds, such as society’s demand for more progress on racial and gender equality, social mobility and mental wellbeing, Studio 44 argues. Governments and wider society have reached a tipping point on progress with environmental sustainability, while technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), hyper-automation and the Internet of Things (IoT) are supercharging change. These converging trends will result in rapid, disruptive and transformative change, the likes of which we have not experienced for more than a generation. Sear added: “Economists are predicting record growth and leaders need to ensure that their organisations are bold, more agile and quicker to change than at any time in history in order to deliver competitive performance in terms of cost efficiency, revenues and return on capital” Studio 44 has identified ten key insights by working with leaders during the challenging times of COVID, ranging from experimentation to mindset, technology to organisational culture. Sear concluded: “The crisis has highlighted many insights into how leaders can prepare for this next phase of growth and the journey ahead. They are at a once in a generation inflection point, opportunity is coming, and they need to ensure that they and their organisation are ready to innovate and transform.” Here is a summary of Studio 44’s top ten insights: Create a common mission: Often, in non-crisis times, organisations pay lip service to their mission. It’s written down, but no one really buys it. If the crisis did one thing very well, it was to provide a focus. The need for speed: The pace of change had been increasing, but the crisis supercharged this. Leaders need to focus their organisation on being able to respond quicker and with more agility than ever before. Change the corporate mindset: Many companies have long-held beliefs that limited their ability to respond and transform assumptions that need to be put in the bin. Make bold investments: The successful businesses of the last 12 months were the ones that had historically invested in new ways of working and bold new propositions. Experiment: In a decade that will be defined by rapid change and transformation, inexpensive, fast experimentation needs to be in the DNA of an organisation. Allocate your best people to your best opportunities: The pace of change is becoming ever faster and the war for talent continues to heat up. Leaders need to balance the need for transparency and fairness with quickly getting the right people in the right roles to optimise the chances of an organisation’s success. Teach more than new digital skills: In building on the successes of working from home and a period of change and disruption, it's crucial to teach employees new cognitive strategies and behaviours to enable them to adapt. Break the silos: During the COVID crisis innovative leaders gathered a multi-skilled team, incentivised them all for success in the same way and gave them the space to make it happen. Many leaders are now thinking about how they can maintain this kind of operating model and not return to older ways of working and the inefficiencies they create. Keep communicating: The pace of disruption and uncertainty in the next decade means that people will often feel unsettled and will seek reassurance. These are the same needs team members faced during the COVID crisis. Practice stakeholder capitalism: Leaders need to take a cooperative model into the next period of transformation. They need to take a long-term view, to have a strategy that not only ensures financial performance in the short term, but invests, and is seen to invest, in longer-term positive outcomes for all stakeholders. About Studio 44 Studio 44 is creating the future. It is a next generation consultancy that helps senior business leaders create step-out growth, disrupt markets and transform their culture and ways of working. It brings together smart people from tech, the arts, business and science with a common mission to create growth for clients with a focus on people and the planet. By bringing diverse thinking and the spirit and energy of a start-up to corporate clients Studio 44 radically shifts the operating model of a traditional consultancy. Contact Details Studio 44 Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://studio44.io/

May 19, 2021 05:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Digital transformation evades businesses that mismanage data

Stockwood Strategy

Data is poorly understood, inadequately valued and badly managed by global businesses costing them and their investors billions of dollars every year, according to a report published today by Anmut, the data valuation specialists. This is a big problem because it means most businesses are running on data that isn’t fit for purpose. The Anmut Data Leadership Report compiled data and anecdotal evidence from almost 100 Chief Data Officers from organisations headquartered on five continents whose collective annual revenues total over $1 trillion. The report finds that 91% of business leaders believe data is critical to the success of their businesses. However, only one in three (34%) of their companies manage their businesses’ data assets with the same disciplines as other business assets. These companies spend their allocated data management budget on creating value from their data that in turn helps them scale their businesses and develop their strategies. The remaining two thirds (66%) are using half of their data budgets to fix problems and errors identified within the data itself. According to the report, the average global business spends between 4% and 7% of annual operating expenses on managing its data. For a global financial services brand, that amounts to as much as $1.5-3 billion annually. “Time and again we’re seeing international businesses and household name brands coming under fire for reasons that seem preventable with hindsight,” says Herman Heyns, CEO of Anmut. "Those that succeed do so because they really understand the value of their data, and therefore prioritise and manage it well." Three quarters of respondents (76%) say their businesses are investing in large-scale data and digital transformation strategies. And, 63% say data is more critical than technology to achieve business transformation. Yet, Anmut's report also finds that technology investment regularly overshadows data investment. Technology gets three times the attention (73%) and five and a half times (88%) the budget as data. This is in spite of the fact that technology is dependent on reliable data to run well. Heyns adds: “The preference to invest in technology over data throws up a fascinating question about what digital transformation really means for businesses all over the world. Digital transformation is a term that’s used everywhere, in every annual report and corporate strategy document. Digital transformation is what companies do to become data-driven. The advances many companies make might be digital in name, but to create the transformation they're aiming for, they cannot lose sight of the data.” Chief Data Officers (CDOs) interviewed for the report regularly cite the challenge to make data something that everyone in their businesses understands, values and knows how to manage. The report finds that one third of company boards (33%) don’t consider data a ‘material asset’. 9 in 10 CDOs (87%) say putting a monetary value on data would enable people within the business to manage that data better. Heyns adds: “A critical issue for businesses’ data leaders is winning senior buy-in. When the board doesn’t appreciate the value of data to a company’s future performance, it’ll lack investment further down the business. That’s where data valuation comes into play. When the value of data assets are set out in pounds and pence, data can be thought of as a business asset. Then it climbs up the food chain, gets taken more seriously, impacts C-suite decision-making more readily, and receives greater investment. When data is treated like any other asset by assigning a monetary value to it, businesses can make better strategic decisions.” Anmut, whose clients include Smith & Nephew and Highways England, advises international companies across all sectors on how to manage, measure and value the data within their businesses. Intangible assets make up 90% of the total market value of the world’s largest companies. Anmut’s most conservative estimates put data at 20% to 30% of that. With only a third of companies managing that value well, it’s not a surprise that companies who do manage data well - the FANGS - have become the most valuable companies in history in the shortest time. In March, the UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) published its report: Increasing Data Access across the UK Economy in which they commit to creating a framework within which the government may have the ability to make interventions into private and third sector organisations to unlock the full value of their data. DCMS follows governments in several leading economies including the US and Germany that are taking the lead to enforce better data management in business. About Anmut Consulting Anmut is the only data asset management company that makes the value of data unignorable, comparable and manageable for businesses investing in digital transformation. Anmut believes in the power of data-driven decisions to make people’s lives better, be they customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, local communities or future generations. Contact Details Anmut Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://www.anmut.co.uk/

May 19, 2021 04:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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iTradeNetwork Launches Advanced Food Traceability Tools Now Providing Instant Notification For Food Contamination

iTradeNetwork

Speed is critical when removing unsafe food from the supply chain to prevent illness and save lives. Since the beginning of May alone, there have been eight food safety recall events in the US. According to the US Department of Agriculture, about 48 million episodes of foodborne illness and 3,000 deaths occur per year in the US. The most common foodborne pathogens cause an estimated annual burden of $14 billion to $36 billion. iTradeNetwork (ITN), the global provider of supply chain management solutions and traceability for the food and beverage industry, has added new capabilities that instantly identify specific recalled products and simultaneously notify suppliers and buyers. These traceability tools help remove recalled products from the supply chain more quickly, whether they are in route from supplier to buyer, at a distribution center or at the final point-of-sale/consumption. These functions are unique in the industry and built on the strength of iTradeNetwork's 8,000 customers and integrated FDA/CDC alerts. “Food safety has never been more important,” explained iTradeNetwork’s CEO Rhonda Bassett-Spiers. “Our new traceability tools allow for instant and simultaneous notification about food recalls and provides the food’s exact location across the entire supply chain with surgical precision. Traceability also reduces food waste, saves money and protects brands. It is not overstating to say that this innovation will contribute to saving lives and livelihoods.” HOW IT WORKS iTradeNetwork’s new advanced traceability modules include: Incident and Recall Management: FDA/CDC alert integration is a new standard for the industry, combining system-level monitoring with machine learning accessible online or through a mobile app. Growers/suppliers and retailers can be notified of a food safety incident the moment it is suspected and isolate affected products whether they are pre-shipment, in-transit or in-store. This allows for immediate action to protect consumers and brand integrity. Recalls can be issued within seconds to protect customers and save lives. Label-less Trace: For protein providers, suppliers of lower risk produce commodities and high-volume produce operations not currently using PTI or item labeling, this technology enables alerts, notifications and food safety incident management based on purchase order data, not labels. iTradeNetwork is in a unique position to provide unparalleled supply chain visibility, processing millions of transactions annually for its network of more than 8,000 global customers. EDUCATIONAL WEBINARS iTradeNetwork is hosting a series of educational webinars to provide further information about traceability. Register here: Next-Level Traceability: A Live Solution Showcase Series Transforming Traceability: The Urgent Need for Food Safety Solutions Wednesday, May 19, 11am PST Traceability Without Labels: A Food Safety Breakthrough Solution for Fresh Produce Tuesday, May 25, 11am PST Traceability Without Labels: A Breakthrough for Protein-Related Recalls Thursday, May 27, 11am PST Label Traceability/Incident Alert & Recall Management Tuesday, June 1, 11am PST Palletized Advanced Shipment Notice (ASN) Traceability Solution Thursday, June 3, 11am PST ### ABOUT ITRADENETWORK iTradeNetwork, Inc. is the leading global provider of supply chain management solutions for the food and beverage industry, with more than 8,000 active customers. Suppliers and resellers connect on iTradeNetwork’s technology platform to create active partnerships and easily transact. The platform also provides one-stop-shopping for freight, food traceability, fresh inspection and supply chain compliance, which creates efficiencies for buyers and sellers alike. For more information, visit: www.itradenetwork.com. Media please note: Visual assets, including photos, are available. To interview ITN's CEO Rhonda Bassett-Spiers or for other interview requests, please contact Robin Carr at (415) 971-3991 or itn@landispr.com. Contact Details Robin Carr +1 415-971-3991 itn@landispr.com Company Website https://www.itradenetwork.com/

May 18, 2021 09:03 AM Pacific Daylight Time

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