Toronto-based software-as-a-service platform Darwin CX announces the general availability of its Customer Data Platform (CDP) in response to client demand and an evolving market landscape. Darwin CX's CDP has been providing several beta clients with data collection, data warehousing, and identity resolution capabilities since October 2022, and is now available to all clients.

With sources predicting that 50% of the world's data will be stored in the cloud by 2025, it has become increasingly important for companies to identify a safe harbour for their business's data. "Topping the list of things to consider when sourcing a CDP is finding a solution that not only lets you gather and centralize disparate sources of data in one place, but also allows various members of your organization to access and leverage that data in ways that fit your business needs," says Darwin CTO Michael Smith. "Different industries will benefit from different feature sets. For example, Darwin's CDP will appeal most to recurring revenue businesses, such as those in the subscription-based economy."

Like most CDPs, Darwin's platform stores customer, transactional, demographic, engagement, third-party, and even on-site behavioural data. "Where our CDP provides the most value for our clients," adds Smith, "is in its seamless integration with the broader Darwin CX platform where they can easily leverage their data in smart, customer-centric ways."

As marketers add new customer journeys, omni-channel touchpoints, and third-party tools, new data islands are created. Unless companies invest in a solution that allows them to aggregate these disparate data sets, these islands can proliferate at a rate that outpaces the business's ability to track them appropriately.

One of Darwin CX's earliest CDP clients was Irish Central, which recently used the platform to add a new revenue stream to its business. "As we began our data aggregation journey, the issue of data hygiene became increasingly apparent to us," says Kathy Hickey, Irish Central's CEO. "Darwin's AI-based deduplication capabilities allow us to resolve customer identities, regardless of where the data originates, leaving us with a unified customer profile that we feel confident in. That, in turn, allowed us to launch omnichannel experiences."

Darwin CX's commitment to providing high-value, client-informed quarterly releases enables them to continuously extend their technology leadership position that serves the recurring revenue industry. 

CISO Global, an industry leader as a managed cybersecurity and compliance provider, has strengthened its security management platform Argo to increase the effectiveness of security teams who now can access real-time data across tool sets to make better informed decisions. The platform is able to aggregate data in real time from a client's entire environment, including network asset information, currently deployed cyber tools, security operations center (SOC) services, vulnerability management, secure managed IT and penetration testing data. Using information from across all cyber tools and services, enterprises can build individual risk profiles for each network asset to better prioritize cybersecurity threats based on asset value.

Argo seeks to address multiple concerns of today's enterprises. CISO Global experts have found many organizations complain of a lack of time, understaffing, overwhelming task lists, too many tools and ongoing security incidents. Rates of attack supported their concerns of ineffectiveness in what they were doing. One of the major contributors to the problem, observed CISO's consultants, was the fact that IT directors and security managers are often forced to make somewhat blind decisions, due to system, operational and data silos.

Argo was designed to provide relief for enterprises experiencing cybersecurity overload that can lead to cyber ineffectiveness. The platform helps clients better understand their entire cybersecurity program through dynamic visualizations.

"With ongoing increases to cyberattack frequency, impact, and costs of an average breach, it's very clear that the cybersecurity industry is suffering from a widespread ineffectiveness problem," said Chief Technology Officer Jerald Dawkins, Ph.D., CISO Global. "Argo seeks to address that issue by aggregating and curating security data from across the enterprise to not only provide context for metrics, but to pull the right information, making it actionable for our clients' internal decision makers."

Argo Security Management is currently in use with many CISO clients and supports CISO Global's end-to-end portfolio of solutions, incorporating both proprietary IP and data from a host of trusted partners. The platform currently integrates with and visualizes data from Azure Sentinel, AlienVault, Chronicle SOAR (formerly Siemplify), SentinelOne, Microsoft Defender, Stellar Cyber, Nucleus, Nessus, SecPod Technologies, Datto, Veeam, KnowB4, ZenGRC, and Autotask.

While Argo is extremely powerful in its existing state, the company is heavily focused on expanding data ingestion capabilities, applying data science to cybersecurity data, as well as research and development of AI in the cybersecurity space. The Intellectual Property for Argo Security Management is an essential part of the company's growing portfolio.

"To be effective, security leaders and IT directors need actionable information," said CISO Global CEO David Jemmett. "You would never make expensive decisions in any other part of your business without evidence. Yet, CISOs all over the world have to base decisions on limited data visibility, and it's making their jobs much more challenging than they need to be. The average enterprise has over 75 security toolsets, meaning they're toggling between dozens of reports, dashboards, and portals. And, all those visualizations were designed by vendors to promote use of their own tools. We are changing that, to empower our clients to significantly increase their effectiveness in protecting their critical data assets, which is a huge issue for today's enterprise."

Solution to boost productivity, lower costs, and accelerate innovation among data teams

Ascend.io, the global leader in Data Pipeline Automation, announced today that it will offer free data ingest services into the Databricks Lakehouse Platform, offered by Databricks, the data and AI company. The integration of Ascend's data management capabilities with Databricks' Lakehouse Platform caters to the diverse needs of today's data professionals while eliminating the cost of loading and syncing data.

Despite the decrease in IT infrastructure costs due to the widespread adoption of the cloud, data ingestion costs have soared. Companies often find themselves in a predicament: the need for ingestion as the pivotal first step in data value realization is hampered by traditional ingest providers' inflexible and costly contracts. Ascend's Free Ingest for Databricks changes the game, providing teams with the agility and speed necessary to thrive in the modern data age, all without the steep costs.

"The widespread adoption of cloud technology has helped decrease IT infrastructure costs, but data ingestion costs have continued to soar," said Ascend's Founder and CEO, Sean Knapp. "Free Ingest for Databricks brings us one step closer to a future where data orchestration is frictionless and intuitive, empowering businesses to transform data into actionable insights more quickly than ever."

"Databricks Lakehouse Platform is already well-known for its ability to streamline data management and drive innovation," said Roger Muff, VP of Technology Partners. "With Ascend providing free data ingestion, our customers can extract more value from their data and focus on executing data-driven strategies without shouldering steep costs."

Designed from the ground up for the modern cloud era, Ascend's architecture offers enterprise-grade security and supports both SaaS and private deployment models, with enterprises receiving a fully dedicated instance inside their own cloud account and network. This ensures that data from sources inside their network never leaves their security perimeter until it is loaded into Databricks.

Earlier this month, Ascend announced an integration with Databricks that enables joint customers to take advantage of Databricks as a cloud data compute platform, allowing users to leverage Ascend's DataAware™ control plane within their Databricks Lakehouse. In addition, Ascend released a new free, full-featured developer tier for Databricks so that Ascend customers can take advantage of the latest Databricks capabilities.

Eventbrite (NYSE: EB), a global events marketplace, today announced the appointment of Dr. Pilar Manchón to the company’s Board of Directors, bringing with her an extensive background in artificial intelligence (AI), including expertise in generative, conversational, and responsible AI. Currently, Dr. Manchón is the Senior Director of Engineering, Research Strategy at Google AI.

“Pilar has been a leading voice in the AI industry for over 25 years. Her diverse combination of extensive industry knowledge, entrepreneurial experience, and strategic vision will help accelerate success for both Eventbrite and our community of global event organizers as we continue to build innovative tools that help them reach larger audiences,” said Julia Hartz, CEO and Co-founder of Eventbrite.

In her current role, Dr. Manchón architects moonshots in generative AI and leads teams of research scientists, engineers and UX researchers across multiple projects. Previously, she has held various executive and leadership positions at companies, including Roku, Amazon, and Intel. Additionally, she was the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Intelligent Dialogue Systems, and serves on multiple boards for companies across industries including AI, cancer diagnosis and cryptocurrency. She holds an MSc. in Cognitive Science and Natural Language and a PhD in Computational Linguistics on Intelligent Dialog Systems.

“As one of the world’s largest marketplaces for live events, Eventbrite is an industry leader with an outsized impact on culture,” said Dr. Manchón. “I look forward to bringing my passion and knowledge to a team who constantly strives to innovate for their customers.”

The appointment of Dr. Manchón underscores the company’s commitment to help creators grow their businesses. It also comes on the heels of Eventbrite's recent launch of AI-powered tools that help creators auto-create event descriptions, summaries, and much more, enabling creators to save time and do more of what they love: curate and create indelible memories at unforgettable events.

The industry-leading productivity tool with over two million monthly users expanded its product offering to include meeting scheduling with efficacy, attendance and courtesy at the forefront

Boomerang, the leading provider of thoughtful productivity tools to help you focus on what matters, announced its first foray into the enterprise meeting market. While individual users have had access to Boomerang’s one-on-one meeting scheduling capabilities via its Bookable Schedules and Suggest Times product offerings, Boomerang now offers teams and enterprises the ability to schedule meetings among entire teams with an unlimited number of attendees.

This new feature allows administrators to automatically customize and manage team working hours, reducing tedious tasks that slow productivity, while allowing team members to manage meetings directly in their email with an unlimited number of connected calendars. Boomerang is also SOC2 Type 2 certified and GDPR compliant, increasing security and reducing company exposure to attacks.

Boomerang’s meeting scheduling capabilities differ from traditional scheduling tools in a few key ways. While other scheduling tools send a link to each recipient, forcing the receiver to cross-reference their own schedule and adding unnecessary back and forth for the attendee, the Boomerang team focused on creating a tool that combated the inherent power dynamic that comes with link-enabled meeting schedulers.

Boomerang's proprietary Magic Live Calendar is the foundation of their scheduling features, which creates a clickable, always-live image directly in the email to provide one-click scheduling, removing unnecessary steps for the attendee. New features exclusively for Teams include Collective and Round-Robin Schedules, which allows teams to consolidate or rotate availability, based on their needs, and present as one schedule. Combined with the Magic Live Calendar, these new features will eliminate the back-and-forth of scheduling meetings for various teams.

Over 1 million businesses are already powered by Boomerang, and this new focus on team and enterprise scenarios enables teams to streamline scheduling round robin or collective meetings. Round robin rotates through large teams, generally for meetings like product demos, to evenly route potential customers based on team member availability. Collective meetings allow team members to combine availability and automatically offer times when everyone is open to meet.

Currently, Boomerang’s team meeting scheduling features are available for Google Workspace for those requesting meetings, while recipients are able to use any email app they choose. Boomerang plans to bring its team meeting function to Outlook later this year.

“At Boomerang, we don’t believe in productivity for productivity’s sake,” said Aye Moah, Co-founder and CEO of Boomerang. “We believe in productivity so our users can have extra time to do what they love. This launch is a furtherance of that mission, booking meetings more frequently in less time, without sacrificing the courtesy and consideration missing from other scheduling tools.

Kinetic Managed Detection and Response (MDR) unifies standalone security services into one fully managed threat management solution

Kinetic Business, a leading network technology provider, has launched a new cybersecurity product, Managed Detection and Response (MDR), designed exclusively for business customers. The all-in-one security solution protects business data, network, applications, and users from evolving and sophisticated cyber threats.

As cyberattacks become more frequent and complex, companies of all sizes are struggling to keep up with the ever-changing threat landscape. Kinetic MDR unifies stand-alone services, including firewalls, content filtering, and a 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC) into one robust threat management system, making network security easy and accessible for businesses.

Kinetic MDR provides a proactive approach to cybersecurity by continuously monitoring and analyzing network activity, detecting and responding to potential threats, and providing remediation strategies. It takes the burden of security management off a business by integrating a firewall, intrusion prevention, and continuous monitoring. This offers the reporting and compliance posture businesses need.

“In today’s digital world, data security has to be a top priority for companies, no matter their size, industry, or location,” said Marc Dyman, executive vice president of Kinetic Business and Kinetic Wholesale. “We know cyberattacks are on the rise and that it’s not a question of if an attack will happen, but when. Companies need to have sufficient security measures, but they don’t have to go it alone. We’re proud to offer a comprehensive solution backed by global leaders in the security sector.”

Kinetic MDR features an award-winning firewall and a dedicated Security Operations Center (SOC) from SilverSky, a leader in the cyber defense space.

Kinetic Business customers can benefit from:

• Monitoring: Complete visibility and control over cyber threats, backed by a dedicated team of experts (SOC) available 24/7/365
• Management: Upgrades and patch management for hardware, weekly reporting, and a user-friendly customer portal

• Response: An intrusion prevention system, security information and event management, as well as web content filtering for malware and bad actors
• Automated security services (anti-virus) to stop advanced threats and disruptions

“The consequences of a data breach can be devastating for a small business, including loss of revenue, damage to reputation, and legal liability,” said Cary Conrad, president of SilverSky. “Kinetic’s offering not only secures data and reduces the risk of hacks and breaches; it also reduces the daily burdens and activities of a company’s IT team.”

DrivenIQ helps businesses and marketers build one-to-one relationships with their ideal customers through quality first party data and meaningful marketing strategies.

DrivenIQ, a global leader in audience data and advertising technologies, is proud to announce the release of "The Ultimate First Party Data Strategy Playbook." This comprehensive guide equips brands, marketers, and agencies with essential knowledge and tools to harness the power of first party data in an increasingly cookieless world.

As the marketing landscape undergoes profound transformations, the importance of first party data has never been more significant. With the deprecation of third party cookies and a growing focus on data privacy, companies must embrace a data strategy centered on building authentic relationships with their customers. "The Ultimate First Party Data Strategy Playbook" by DrivenIQ contains important information to help businesses achieve this goal.

Available for free download at https://www.driveniq-data-strategy.com, the playbook consists of over 40 pages of invaluable insights, strategies, and best practices to leverage first party data for maximum impact across all media channels. Inside the playbook, readers will discover:

• The Importance of First Party Data in a Cookieless World: Understand the pivotal role first party data plays in enhancing customer experiences and driving marketing success.
• Best Practices to Manage and Activate First Party Data: Learn how to effectively collect, organize, and utilize first party data to deliver personalized experiences that resonate with consumers.
• State-of-the-Art Audience Technologies: Explore cutting-edge technologies transforming the world of marketing and enabling businesses to connect with their target audience more effectively.
• Tips and Advice for Future-Proofing Your Business: Unlock the power of personalization to create lasting relationships with customers and stay ahead of the competition.
• Key Digital Marketing Trends: Get informed on the the latest trends and developments shaping the digital marketing landscape.

“Today, first party data is the bedrock of successful marketing strategies,” said Albert Thompson, founder and CEO of DrivenIQ. “It's not just a valuable asset, it's an absolute necessity. As the digital landscape evolves and consumer expectations soar, companies must recognize that the power lies in truly understanding their customers. First party data and technologies that activate audiences across all media channels provide the key to unlock insights, build authentic relationships at scale, and deliver personalized experiences that resonate with individuals on a profound level.”

The playbook also presents crucial statistics that cannot be ignored:

• 91% of consumers surveyed said they are more likely to shop with brands that recognize, remember, and provide them with relevant offers and recommendations(1).
• 75% of consumers said they are more likely to buy from brands offering personalized online experiences(2).
• 97% of marketers witnessed a rise in business outcomes because of personalization(3).
• Two-thirds (63%) of digital marketing leaders admitted they continue to struggle with personalization(4).

Despite its importance, personalization has become a paramount challenge for modern marketers with the significant media and device fragmentation that exists today. "The Ultimate First Party Data Strategy Playbook by DrivenIQ" offers helpful solutions, empowering businesses to navigate toward a zero party data strategy that begins with quality first party data.

“By harnessing the potential of first party data, businesses can navigate the complexities of today's marketing landscape with confidence, and most importantly, put the customer at the heart of every decision, ensuring a future of enduring success,” said Thompson.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to unlock the full potential of your data strategy. Download "The Ultimate First Party Data Strategy Playbook" by DrivenIQ today at https://www.driveniq-data-strategy.com/ and embark on a journey to unparalleled marketing and business success.

Capstone (OTC: CATG), a company that acquires, operates, and organically develops disruptive technologies, acquired an initial minority interest in DrivenIQ and has since invested additional capital to further access small, medium, and large businesses across various industries.

iconik, Backlight’s MAM solution, provides cloud-native media management and collaboration tools

Global media and entertainment technology company Backlight announced the availability of iconik on Google Cloud Marketplace. Google Cloud customers now have access to Backlight’s Media Management solution which enables users to easily search, share and collaborate on media from anywhere.

With iconik, Google Cloud customers can manage their rich media assets as well as collaborate with lightweight review and approval tools, including comments and annotations. The iconik media management hub allows users to share files from any storage and enrich media with metadata for high searchability with tools like Google Cloud’s Video Intelligence and Vision APIs, all with great ease and the ability to scale to serve solo creators or large global teams.

“At Google Cloud Marketplace, we’re committed to providing our customers with access to the best solutions available on the cloud, so we’re excited to welcome iconik.io to the Marketplace,” said Kip Schauer, Global Head of Media & Entertainment and Gaming Partnerships at Google Cloud. “Iconik.io offers extensive expertise in cloud-based media management, collaboration, and video workflows across many industries and use cases. We’re thrilled to offer our customers this latest addition to the Marketplace’s growing ecosystem of cutting-edge solutions.”

Google Cloud customers now have access to the following benefits:

• Flexibility: Find, share and collaborate on media from anywhere. A powerful, comprehensive API can connect iconik to any workflow.
• Ease of use: Easy to set up, easy to scale, easy to execute tasks like find content or exchange feedback.
• Breadth: Media management, file sharing and review and approval – all in one platform and API.
• Security: Trusted by the cloud providers themselves, the largest enterprises and the most savvy tech firms.

"We're excited for this partnership with Google Cloud and to provide Google Cloud customers with a new way to quickly access our award-winning MAM solution," said Mike Green, Backlight CGO. "With iconik, Google Cloud’s customers have visibility into where all of their media is, who has access to media, and what edits or collaboration are in progress. Teams speed up review and post-production workflows, making them more efficient and able to deliver content on time.”