Keeper now fully supports passkey management for desktop and web browsers, offering an easy and secure passwordless experience on supported sites

Keeper Security, the leading provider of cloud-based zero-trust and zero-knowledge cybersecurity software protecting passwords, secrets, connections and privileged access, today announces expanded support for passkey management across all desktop browsers and for every customer. With Keeper, passkeys are stored and managed in the Keeper Vault, and can be used to log in to websites and applications across all desktop web browsers and operating systems with ease. Passkeys can replace passwords on supported sites and can also be used for step-up authentication or multi-factor authentication for sites that support the use of FIDO2 WebAuthn. Passkeys can also be shared between family members and business teams.

"Keeper's mission is to provide individuals, families and businesses with the easiest and most secure way to log into their apps and websites," said Craig Lurey, CTO and Co-founder of Keeper Security. "As passkeys bring us closer to a passwordless future, Keeper remains committed to ensuring safe storage and access to all of your credentials, regardless of how you want to authenticate, and to ensure a seamless experience across all platforms and devices."

A passkey is a cryptographic key that lets users log in to accounts and apps without having to enter a password - akin to a digital version of a keycard that's stored on a phone, tablet or computer. Apple, Google and Microsoft have incorporated passkey support into their operating systems, while website and application developers are responsible for building passkey support into their sign-in flows. Because passkeys only work on websites and platforms that support them, Keeper has created a Passkey Directory to provide users with a current list of where they can be used. Keeper will also support passkeys for mobile devices when Android and iOS roll out their passkey APIs for 3rd party credential managers later this year.

Passkeys are both easier to use than many traditional methods of authentication, as well as phishing-resistant, making it possible for users to log in to supported websites seamlessly and more securely. The passwordless technology, first introduced in 2022, is built on industry standards by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the FIDO Alliance, and is backed by Apple, Google, Microsoft, Paypal, eBay and more. Keeper is now a member of the FIDO Alliance, which promotes the development of, use of and compliance with standards for authentication and device attestation.

The Keeper browser extension saves and auto-fills passkeys, much like a password-based login, and the passkey is stored within a record in the Keeper Vault. A record can contain any type of information such as passkeys and traditional passwords, as well as payment cards, identification, photos, files and more. The Keeper Vault also provides management of the passkeys, such as being able to share them with friends and family.

Bonfire Analytics, a startup offering AI-driven lead scoring and claims-based targeting, has just closed its pre-seed funding round with over a million in investment.

 New York-based healthtech startup, Bonfire Analytics, has just become venture-backed as they close a pre-seed round with one million in investment. The company was recently founded in 2022 and has achieved tangible success for both itself and its clients.

Bonfire Analytics is a company that enables digital health, medical device, and biotech organizations to identify qualified leads through machine learning and analytics. By knowing which providers match ideal customers from the start, sales teams can triple sales efficiency.

The practice of ‘spraying and praying’ or sending thousands of emails to prospective clients and hoping for a response is no longer needed with Bonfire Analytics. The company’s proprietary platform leverages millions of data points involving demographics, disease prevalence, social risk factors, and claims information to equip sales representatives with the most accurate lead scores.

Utilizing Bonfire Analytics’ insights is much simpler than working with competing products since the platform is specifically designed to assist healthtech sales teams. Lead scores and claims-based targeting can also be accessed directly through commonly used CRMs since Bonfire Analytics has built-in integrations.

Funding within healthtech can be difficult due to the competitiveness of the industry. However, Bonfire Analytics was able to secure capital with the help of two experienced investors that understood the vision of the company. Bonfire Analytics plans to open its seed round within the next few weeks. The team expects its previous investment to be doubled during this time.

Bonfire Analytics has emerged as a disruptor within healthtech because of its novel solutions, acclaimed advisors, and its experience at a leading startup accelerator.

With its funding, Bonfire Analytics plans to perfect the product experience and acquire high value data sets that will make their predictions more accurate. The team will soon hire customer success, sales representatives, and data engineers to widen support the growing demand the company is encountering. The overall goal of Bonfire Analytics is to create a product that eliminates customer problems and fits the market needs.

Bonfire Analytics was founded by Vinay Nagaraj and Jaya Pokuri in 2022 to resolve the inefficient process of lead generation in healthtech. Vinay was inspired to create the company because of his personal experience working in healthtech. He shared this idea with his close friend Jaya because he specialized in data science, which would be the key to unlocking an optimized sales pipeline for any company in the industry.

"Current sales tools are failing to optimize efficiency especially in healthcare, which is causing representatives to feel frustrated and unmotivated. This problem is present in every sector of healthcare because the lead generation process is extremely expensive, time consuming, and ultimately cumbersome. With bonfire analytics, our proprietary technology ensures that sales teams have access to the most accurate and valuable leads, which helps companies grow and exceed their revenue goals rapidly,” says co-founder and CEO Vinay Nagaraj.

Deloitte becomes the first global systems integrator to join the Google Cloud Ready - Sustainability Program

Today, Deloitte announced a groundbreaking new initiative with Google Cloud that will help clients mitigate climate risks, adopt green solutions and unlock the value of low carbon products and services utilizing revolutionary technologies like generative AI and geospatial data. 

Deloitte also announced its recognition as the first global systems integrator with the Google Cloud Ready (GCR) – Sustainability designation, a program that validates Google Cloud-aligned organizations with business-ready technology to help customers achieve their sustainability goals. As part of the program, Deloitte is harnessing the power of its vast industry and domain knowledge, combined with Google Cloud's market-leading technology and platforms, to help public and private organizations transition to a sustainable future.

Accelerating the transition to zero emission vehicles

Deloitte and Google Cloud are working with clients around the world to help create an economic pathway to zero emissions. 

Deloitte's Electrified Fleet solution, the first of many offerings soon to be available on Google Cloud, helps companies with the end-to-end electrification of their vehicular fleets. Joint customers will be able to utilize an interactive dashboard to help easily map out their entire electrification journey — encompassing the integration of global fleet telematics data, resource optimization and ongoing impact monitoring.

The Electrified Fleet Solution has already helped Purolator, a leading integrated freight, package and logistics solutions provider in Canada, to become a leader in net-zero transportation. In 2022, the company set a goal to reduce its absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 42% by 2030 and put Purolator on a path to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. In order to achieve these goals, Deloitte developed a strategic roadmap, assessing vehicle types and usage patterns, and energy and infrastructure options. As a result, Purolator is on track to meet its emissions reduction goals and electrify 60% of its last-mile delivery vehicles by 2030.

"Deloitte's Electrified Fleet solution has been a tremendous asset to Purolator as we identify ways to reduce our emissions in the near-term and fuel our long-term success by contributing to a better and more sustainable tomorrow," said Cindy Bailey, corporate sustainability officer at Purolator.

Mitigating climate risk in financial services

Deloitte and Google Cloud have also joined forces to leverage Google Earth Engine and their ecosystem relationships to support financial services companies around the world in using the power of geospatial analytics to bring improved visibility and new insights to climate risks across lending and investment portfolios.

National Westminster Bank (NatWest), a major bank in the United Kingdom, recently worked with Google Cloud, Deloitte and Climate Engine to utilize Google Earth Engine and help NatWest leverage geospatial data to capture climate-related data points across its commercial banking portfolio — with the first use-case focused on agriculture customers. For example, geospatial technology provided new data points and insights to assist NatWest with its climate reporting obligations — e.g., the EU Taxonomy and Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) — as well as support for their customers' own climate and nature data collection. This information will also allow farmers to build a tailored picture of the challenges facing them, such as flood, drought, fire and biodiversity risks, all at a field-specific level.

Tackling the biggest climate challenges

Moving forward, Deloitte and Google Cloud's sustainability, climate and equity-focused global initiative will help clients tackle major challenges. These include transitioning to zero emission energy sources, tapping into sustainable capital markets, scaling sustainable products and services, accelerating regenerative agriculture, decarbonizing digital business models and building sustainable and equitable communities.

"We are excited to be working with Google to take purposeful action to help mitigate climate risks, unlock the value of sustainable products and services, build green communities and green jobs and accelerate our progress toward a global net-zero future," said Jamie Sawchuk, partner and global sustainability leader for the Alphabet Google alliance, Deloitte Canada.

"Through this program, Deloitte and Google Cloud can leverage our unique roles to help bolster the momentum to address climate change with cloud-based technologies and AI," said Justin Keeble, managing director for global sustainability, Google Cloud. "We're eager to work alongside Deloitte and our clients to accelerate action on climate in this urgent decade of delivery."

Board Initiates CEO Search Process

Yancey Spruill to Step Down as CEO Once Successor Appointed

Warren Adelman Appointed Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors

DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: DOCN) (“DigitalOcean” or “the Company”), the cloud for startups and SMBs, today announced its implementation of a leadership succession plan to identify the Company’s next CEO. Yancey Spruill will continue to serve as Chief Executive Officer until a successor has been appointed, at which point he will step down from his role and as a member of the Board.

The Board has convened a Search Committee to identify DigitalOcean’s next CEO, and the search process is already underway. The Board has also retained Spencer Stuart, a leading executive search firm, to assist in the process.

The Company also announced that Warren Adelman, who has served on the Board since 2020 and as lead independent director since 2022, has been appointed Executive Chairman of the Board, effective immediately.

“As we considered how to best position DigitalOcean for long-term success and scalable growth, the Board and Yancey agreed that now is the right time to prepare for our next phase of leadership,” said Adelman. “As the search for DigitalOcean’s next CEO progresses, we are focused on identifying a candidate with deep cloud technology and operational expertise to execute the strategic initiatives underway and deliver strong results.”

Adelman continued, “We appreciate Yancey’s significant contributions and dedicated years of service to DigitalOcean, including his successful efforts in taking our Company public. We are grateful to have the benefit of Yancey’s continued leadership as we search for DigitalOcean’s next CEO and ensure a smooth transition for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

“It’s been an honor to serve as DigitalOcean’s CEO for the past four years,” said Spruill. “I’d like to thank our talented and growing team of 1,200 employees around the world for their passion for and commitment to DigitalOcean’s mission to simplify cloud computing. I look forward to partnering with the Board during this transition period to continue to build on our strong foundation and extend our market leadership.”

“Warren is a deeply experienced technology leader and has been an instrumental member of the Board for nearly three years,” said Pueo Keffer, Director of the DigitalOcean Board. “On behalf of the Board, we’re pleased to have Warren assume the role of Executive Chairman as we focus on identifying a new CEO and working closely with the executive team to drive value for our shareholders.”

The Company today reaffirmed its financial outlook for the third quarter and full year 2023, as provided on August 11, 2023.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Any forward-looking statements contained in this release are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that may cause actual results or outcomes to be materially different from any future results or outcomes expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Further information on these and additional risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those included in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements contained in this release are included under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, and other filings and reports we make with the SEC from time to time.

We operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all risks and uncertainties that could have an impact on the forward-looking statements contained in this release. The results, events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur. The forward-looking statements made in this release relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. We assume no obligation to, and do not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release.

Moloco’s enterprise software enables retailers and e-commerce marketplaces to build and grow an ads business powered by machine learning

Moloco, a leader in operational machine learning (ML) and performance advertising, today announced the addition of Moloco Retail Media Platform (RMP) to Google Cloud Marketplace. The availability of Moloco RMP on Google Cloud Marketplace brings an enhanced level of convenience and accessibility, enabling retailers and e-commerce marketplaces to build and grow an ads business powered by machine learning.

Moloco RMP is an enterprise software solution powered by ML that delivers relevant ads, enables measurable advertiser ROI, and streamlines ad operations. Moloco’s advanced ML engine processes first-party user events such as search, browse, shopping cart, and purchase activity, in order to serve the most relevant ads at the right bid price by predicting a user’s likelihood to buy. Moloco’s platform enhances the overall user buying experience with personalized ads that can deliver high margin revenue to the overall business.

“Moloco has enabled retailers and e-commerce marketplaces to activate over 10,000 advertisers in a single day due to our automated advertiser onboarding systems and powerful machine learning models,” said Bill Michels, General Manager, Retail Media Platform, Moloco. “Thanks to Google Cloud, building and scaling an ads business is an even more accessible path to profitability for many companies.”

Retailers and e-commerce marketplaces who are Google Cloud customers can now manage procurement, purchasing, and fulfillment more quickly and easily thanks to the convenience and accessibility of Google Cloud Marketplace. This makes it even easier for Google Cloud customers to integrate with Moloco’s advanced machine learning technology.

“Many merchants and e-commerce marketplaces are seeking solutions that help them better support consumers along their purchasing journey," said Dai Vu, Managing Director, Cloud Marketplace & ISV GTM Programs, Google Cloud. “With its Retail Media Platform now available on Google Cloud Marketplace, Moloco is enabling companies to create better user experiences through personalized ads, drive performance, and generate increased sales."

Moloco RMP can provide modular options for the largest global e-commerce platforms within their existing software stack or can equip customers with the convenience of an end-to-end solution. By providing advertisers with self-serve tools to increase sales, customers can use proven ML models that improve performance and sales, while also improving the user experience. Retailers and e-commerce platforms can use Moloco’s self-serve interface to empower advertisers at scale, drive personalization, and access multiple ad formats to suit unique advertiser needs. Moloco RMP is powered by ML, which leverages first-party user data to deliver personalized ads, maximizing both advertiser goals and the platform's ads revenue.

Generative AI Solutions Corp., announces that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding (the "Memorandum of Understanding") which is expected to result in the addition of approximately 17 million hours per year of AI compute time resources to be sold as services to an arm's length third party resulting in the sale of approximately 85 million AI compute hours over the next five years.

The Company previously announced in its July 13, 2023 press release that its wholly owned subsidiary, MAI Cloud Solutions Inc. ("MAI Cloud"), had entered into a purchase agreement dated July 12, 2023 (the "Supply Agreement") with an arm's length third-party customer headquartered in Silicon Valley (the "Customer"), pursuant to which, among other things, MAI Cloud agreed to provide the Customer with access to approximately 350,000 hours per year of AI ("Artificial Intelligence") compute services (the "Services") using H100 graphics processing units (the "Equipment") for a period of up to seven years subject to the terms and conditions of the Supply Agreement.

In consideration for Services, the Customer agreed to pay MAI Cloud a fee of approximately $70,000 per month ("Revenue"). If the terms of the Supply Agreement are completed for the full term, it is anticipated that MAI Cloud will receive an aggregate of approximately $6 million in Revenue at a gross margin of approximately $3.5 million. Approximately $850,000 in Revenue will be paid in the first 12 months of the term at a gross margin of approximately $500,000. Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Supply Agreement, the Customer agreed to pay 10% of the first year's Revenue within 14 days of the Equipment being made available for use by the Customer, which is anticipated to be within the next 30-45 days. In accordance with the terms and conditions of the Supply Agreement, the Customer is obligated to pay for the Services for the first 12 months (the "Initial Term") following the effective date of the Supply Agreement (the "Effective Date"), provided that the Equipment and Services continue to meet the requirements specified in the Supply Agreement.

The Company is pleased to announce that it has now entered into the Memorandum of Understanding with the Customer dated August 24, 2023 pursuant to which the Customer has agreed to negotiate commercially reasonable terms with the Company to increase the AI compute time supplied by the Company to the Customer through the provision of approximately 2,000 (two-thousand) GPUs (the "Required GPUs"), which has the potential to provide approximately 17 million hours of AI compute time per annum.

Pursuant to the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, the parties will use commercially reasonable efforts to negotiate a form of definitive agreement (the "Proposed Agreement"), and the Company and MAI Cloud will use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain the Required GPUs within six months of the date of the MOU.

The term of the Proposed Agreement is expected to be five years, extendable for an additional two years, from its execution, which is expected to occur in the next 30 days.

Grasp Technologies announced the official release of graspANALYTICS, a new visualization solution designed to help businesses make informed decisions. graspANALYTICS leverages the underlying graspDATA platform for clean, normalized, and complete data along with the familiarity and fluid visualization of the Microsoft PowerBI platform.

"Our goal is to provide companies with the ability to make strategic decisions from the data analyzed across sources, including expense, HR, booking tools, and corporate card data, as well as data from multiple TMCs, systems, or subsidiaries," said Erik Mueller, CEO of Grasp. "The solution provides comprehensive insights into areas such as forecasted trends across spend; potential areas for increased savings; vendor analysis; CO2 emissions report for ESG initiatives; traveler wellbeing reports; and what-if analysis that scopes out the impact of potential changes to your business."

graspANALYTICS leverages the non-proprietary technology of Microsoft PowerBI along with the proprietary technology of graspDATA for clean, trusted data and the knowledge of the travel data experts at Grasp. And as future visualization components evolve within the PowerBI platform, those will become available to graspANALYTICS customers.

"graspANALYTICS shines in many areas, especially in showing insights on multi-faceted questions that are not easily answerable by out-of-the-box AI today. The ability to access valuable insights from across various datasets allows you to make more informed decisions without having to call your data science team 24/7, empowering all departments to elevate above the minutiae of data wrangling," said Chris Smith, CTO at Grasp. "With advanced analytics and robust reporting capabilities, companies can achieve greater savings through enhanced negotiation strategies, plus better program management and control."

Turning Analytics into Action

With graspANALYTICS, businesses can leverage data to make well-informed, evidence-based decisions. The platform can transform extensive datasets into interactive maps, charts, and graphs which quickly identify patterns and trends in a glance.

Quality, clean, reliable data as a starting point enables business objectives and initiatives to be driven by evidence and insights. graspANALYTICS empowers companies to:

• Further increase savings and efficiency
• Make better strategic decisions
• Manage risk and compliance
• Setting up AI and machine learning for success
• Prepare for the future and support business growth

Better Together with TMCs

graspANALYTICS furthers a new era in travel and expense management by embracing a multifaceted approach that augments already vital TMC data with a variety of other sources like payment, expense, and sustainability. By recognizing the power of TMC data while leveraging additional sources, graspANALYTICS empowers corporations to make informed decisions, enhance compliance, improve employee satisfaction, and achieve overall efficiency in travel and expense management.

Scality, a global leader in reliable, secure, and sustainable data storage software, has partnered with Colombo-based value-added distributor Plexus to deliver cyber-resilient, scalable storage solutions to enterprises across Sri Lanka, Maldives, Singapore, and India.

With Scality ARTESCA and RING, Scality helps Plexus capture market demand for effective strategies to defend against ransomware risk and manage unprecedented growth in data volumes.

Plexus is slated to showcase Scality's object storage solutions at the Plexus Inspire 2023 event scheduled for August 24 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

International Data Corporation (IDC) expects that unstructured data will account for 80-90% of enterprise data by 2025. The basic architecture of object storage is designed to enable the scalability and simplicity that this explosion of unstructured data demands.

Positioned by Gartner^® as a leader in the Magic Quadrant™ for Distributed File Systems & Object Storage for seven years in a row, Scality's file and object storage solutions help the channel build effective, secure, and scalable strategies for customers managing unstructured data growth.

A leading value-added distributor in the region, Plexus provides transformative IT solutions and services to elevate customer business to the next level. The company is known for its unparalleled business support across the technology supply chain.

Marie-Laure Retureau, Scality Regional Director, said: "We are delighted to partner with Plexus to bring state-of-the-art storage solutions to end users across some of the fastest growing markets in South Asia. With a sizable footprint in the region, deep knowledge of the IT storage market, and partnerships with HPE, Veeam, and Commvault, Plexus shares our commitment to deploying cost-effective and flexible solutions that deliver performance, scalability, and security."

Nirmith Wanigaratne, Plexus Vice President of Technology, said: "Our partnership with Scality will help us meet customer demand for cost-effective storage systems, particularly where object storage can help them to stay ahead of ever-expanding data volumes. In the face of growing ransomware threats, the immutability and cyber resiliency built into Scality's products will protect data as part of a 3-2-1-1-0 modern data backup strategy."