Lucid Software, the leader in visual collaboration software, today announced significant enhancements to its AI features for the Lucid Visual Collaboration Suite. These new innovative enhancements to Collaborative AI are yet another step in Lucid's ongoing commitment to further effective collaboration, faster alignment and better decision-making.

"Since establishing the visual collaboration market over a decade ago, we've consistently defined new ways of collaborating for all knowledge workers," said Dan Lawyer, Chief Product Officer of Lucid Software. "As we build upon our robust, patent-backed Intelligence Platform, we continue to define how intelligence can be used to improve how teams work together, furthering Lucid's longstanding history of being the most intelligent visual collaboration platform on the market."

Lucid's Collaborative AI, available in the Lucid Visual Collaboration Suite, includes an updated user experience, along with enhancements that further users' ability to generate, expand upon, sort and summarize ideas. With an emphasis placed on customer collaboration and feedback throughout the beta launch, significant improvements include helping users more easily integrate AI into their brainstorms and workflows and added support for more tailored output options to better suit a variety of use cases.

Additionally, Lucid is expanding its interoperability with large language models (LLMs) across its platform with new features:

• AI Prompt Flow - With the AI Prompt Flow extension, users can build and experiment with prompts in existing workflows in Lucidchart, insert their API key to get started without writing code and rapidly test different models, prompts and inputs to see what works best.
• ChatGPT Plugin - Users can add a prompt into ChatGPT+ for what they'd like to visualize and a Lucidchart diagram will be automatically created within seconds. It can then be edited and modified within Lucidchart and further enhanced by utilizing Lucid's robust feature set and library of integrations, allowing users to visualize complex ideas faster, clearer and more collaboratively.

With a focus on providing best-in-class user enablement, Lucid is also rolling out AI-focused training content to Lucid Training Labs. Beginning with a course on how to best utilize Lucid's AI capabilities, teams can learn how to generate and expand ideas quickly and make impactful decisions using Collaborative AI. Lucid's AI-focused course builds on already-existing interactive courses and live training workshops on visual collaboration to help users get started or dive deeper into how Lucid can help teams align quicker and achieve greater outcomes.

Along with its well-established capabilities that automate the creation of visuals and connect visuals with data, these additional AI enhancements continue to emphasize Lucid's commitment to building the most intelligent visual collaboration platform that provides teams with increased productivity and efficiency gains as they see and build the future together.

Integrate, the leader in‥B2B Precision Demand Marketing (PDM), today announced the launch of Data Guardian, an enhanced data protection offering that ensures marketing leads are high-quality and compliant in today's increasingly regulated world. Data Guardian combines AI-powered trust scoring and rigorous auditing to offer protection against privacy violations, improve visibility into media partner performance, and optimize spend.

Data privacy rules have become increasingly stricter since the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect in 2018 and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) became enforceable in 2020. Currently, 150 of 194 countries have enacted data protection and privacy laws, 35 out of 50 states in the U.S. have considered data privacy regulation, and 13 states have passed new data privacy legislation. As a result, according to management consultancy, the Winterberry Group, the number one concern of B2B marketers deploying omni-channel marketing is data and privacy.

"Data privacy isn't just a compliance checkbox; it's the cornerstone of trust in our digital age," said Jeremy Bloom, co-founder and CEO of Integrate. "Data Guardian provides an extra layer of data protection to safeguard your customer's information, your brand integrity, and long-term success."

In a world where some of the world's leading brands have faced over $4.1 billion in data privacy penalties in 2023 alone, Data Guardian serves as a shield against potential legal pitfalls. Data Guardian's algorithms analyze lead data to assess lead quality and credibility. Lead data undergoes rigorous compliance audits to ensure adherence to emerging privacy regulations. These efforts create a paper trail documenting a brand's best good-faith efforts to maintain privacy standards in an increasingly complex digital world.

Data Guardian offers:

Cognizant and Vianai will leverage conversational Large Language Model capabilities to help clients better explore their data, predict outcomes and unlock actionable insights

Cognizant and Vianai Systems, Inc. today announced the launch of a global strategic go-to-market partnership to accelerate human-centered generative AI offerings. This partnership leverages Vianai's hila™ Enterprise platform alongside Cognizant's Neuro® AI, creating a seamless, unified interface to unlock predictive, AI-driven decision making. For both companies, this partnership is expected to enable growth opportunities in their respective customer bases, and through Cognizant's plans to resell Vianai solutions.

Vianai's hila Enterprise provides clients a platform to safely and reliably deploy any large language model (LLM), optimized and fine-tuned to speak to their systems of record – both structured and unstructured data, enabling clients to better analyze, discover and explore their data leveraging the conversational power of generative AI.

In addition, the LLM monitoring capabilities within hila Enterprise (vianops) is a next-generation monitoring platform for AI-driven enterprises, which monitors and analyzes LLM performance to proactively uncover opportunities to continually improve the reliability and trustworthiness of LLMs for clients.

"In every business around the world, there is a hunger to harness the power of AI, but serious challenges around hallucinations, price-performance and lack of trust are holding enterprises back. That's why we built hila Enterprise, a platform that delivers trusted, human-centered applications of AI," said Dr. Vishal Sikka, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Vianai Systems. "In Cognizant, we have found a strategic partner with a distinguished history of delivering innovative services. Together we will deliver transformative applications of AI that businesses can truly rely on, built on the trusted foundation of hila Enterprise and Cognizant's Neuro AI platform."

"Being able to monitor and improve LLM performance is critical to unlocking the true power of generative AI," said Ravi Kumar S, Cognizant's Chief Executive Officer. "With Vianai's platform and our Neuro AI platform, we believe we will be able to offer our clients a high-quality solution to support seamless data analysis with predictive decision-making capabilities."

Prakash Guda to drive strategic product development and marketing initiatives, leveraging his extensive wireless technology expertise

Morse Micro, a fast-growing fabless semiconductor company focused on Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, today announced the appointment of Prakash Guda to its executive team as Vice President of Marketing and Product Management. Based in Silicon Valley, Prakash will spearhead Morse Micro's product development and marketing strategies, ensuring that the company's pioneering Wi-Fi HaLow solutions reach their maximum potential in the rapidly evolving IoT market.

"I am excited to join the Morse Micro leadership team as we embark on the journey to redefine IoT connectivity with Wi-Fi HaLow technology," said Guda. "Morse Micro's Wi-Fi CERTIFIED HaLow solutions have the potential to unlock unparalleled opportunities in the IoT and reshape the long-range, low-power wireless connectivity landscape in the years ahead."

"We are thrilled to welcome a visionary like Prakash to our leadership team," said Phil Kumin, SVP of Global Sales and Business Development of Morse Micro. "Prakash's unique blend of expertise will align perfectly with our ambition to elevate our brand, product strategy and lead the IoT connectivity revolution with Wi-Fi HaLow. As we set our sights on greater milestones, Prakash's presence will further solidify our commitment to innovation and customer excellence."

Prakash Guda has more than two decades of experience in the wireless technology sector and a track record of creating industry-leading products in multiple vertical markets. He excels in leading multi-disciplinary global teams through the complete product lifecycle, from concept to customer support. Prior to joining Morse Micro, he was the senior director of engineering for wearable devices at Stryker, a medical technology leader, and at Vocera Communications (now a part of Stryker). Previously, he was the director of wireless hardware at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company.

Guda holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.

Morse Micro's comprehensive Wi-Fi HaLow portfolio includes the industry's smallest, fastest and lowest power IEEE 802.11ah compliant SoCs. The MM6108 SoC supports 1, 2, 4 and 8 MHz bandwidth and can deliver tens of Mbps throughput to support streaming HD video. Morse Micro's Wi-Fi HaLow SoCs provide 10x the range, 100x the area and 1000x the volume of traditional Wi-Fi solutions.

Live Demonstrations at the 2023 OCP Global Summit Showcase Axiado's Industry-Leading Partnerships

2023 OCP Global Summit — Axiado, a leading innovator in AI-enabled hardware secure solutions, today announced  its readiness to deploy its TCU (Trusted Control/Compute Unit) platform security solution for the world of cloud, 5G and network switching technologies.

"Cloud security is going through an inflection point. Axiado's comprehensive approach to secure platforms at the hardware level and their commitment to collaborative partnerships position them as a key player in shaping the future of this space," said Patrick Moorhead, CEO and Chief Analyst, Moor Insights & Strategy.

Axiado's is responding to today's disruptive market landscape by offering a turnkey solution by showcasing the following key milestones:

• Open Compute Project (OCP)-compliant modules: Axiado has launched innovative DC-SCM 2.0 (Data Center Secure Control Module) modules in both horizontal and 1U vertical form factors – an industry first. The portfolio also includes network compute modules (NCMs) to accelerate secure network processing. This offering enables complex hardware interoperability, making it easier and more efficient for engineers to develop and deploy secure solutions.
  
  
• ODM/OEM strategic partnerships: Axiado has worked closely with ODM/OEM industry leaders to build complete systems integrated with essential security and control features, ensuring that Axiado's solutions meet the full requirements of end customers. Demos of these TCU-based ODM/OEM systems for each of the target applications (cloud, 5G and enterprise switching) will be unveiled at the OCP Global Summit.
  
  
• Collaboration with trusted firmware players: Axiado is collaborating with industry-leading software companies such as Insyde and AMI, ensuring integration of Axiado solutions into the software ecosystem.
  
  
• Engagement with the OCP community: Selected by OCP to be part of its new Startup Program, Axiado is actively engaging with the OCP community to introduce a vertical version of DC-SCM2.0 / 1U. In addition, Axiado is adopting Caliptra Silicon root of trust (RoT) as an option on its TCU platform and will demonstrate the use of Caliptra to perform silicon RoT with a CPU host.
  
  
• Go-to-market acceleration: Turnkey kits, including full software for management and security running on the TCU while interfacing to a host CPU, are available now for proof-of-concept, system integration and key security implementation.

"Axiado's mission is to provide engineering excellence and innovative solutions that empower the industries of tomorrow," said Gopi Sirineni, President and CEO, Axiado. "We believe that by addressing the complex challenges faced in the cloud, 5G and network switching markets, we are enabling our customers to achieve their goals more efficiently and securely."

Demonstrations at OCP Summit 2023

Axiado, in collaboration with its partners AEI, AMD, Gigabyte, Sanmina, Senao, Tyan, VVDN and Wiwynn, will demonstrate its full platform security solution at the 2023 OCP Global Summit on October 17-19. In addition, at Station 4 at the OCP Experience Center, Axiado will showcase a DC-SCM2.0 demonstration for Caliptra silicon RoT alongside Tyan and AMD.

Supporting Quotes: What Industry Leaders are Saying about Axiado's Platform Security Solution

Harry Soin, Senior Director of Technical Marketing, Advanced Energy

"Employing the latest advances in security is mandatory to protect next generation cloud computing. I've seen Axiado, with its TCU building block, be a good match with our power products to enhance the level of security and protection of our customer's server power systems."

Srivatsan Ramachandran, Vice President and General Manager, Global Strategic Business, AMI

"AMI has been a driving force behind modern compute environments, providing scalability, security, and sustainability. We're thrilled to team up with the cybersecurity innovators at Axiado, integrating AI-infused hardware solutions to embrace the next wave of technological change. Together, we're shaping the future of tech."

Daniel Hou, General Manager, Giga Computing

"The enterprise server market is demanding advanced security features that require a new breed of chip solutions and AI-driven approaches. The Axiado TCU AX2000/AX3000 family offers a fresh and new approach to platform security. Early adoption of innovative technologies like Axiado's will enable a continued leadership position for GIGABYTE with our enterprise customer base."

Stephen Gentile, Chief Marketing Officer, Insyde Software

"As a leading independent firmware supplier, Insyde Software fully understands the evolving security and management landscape and the importance of continual innovation in this area. That's why we are thrilled to collaborate with innovative newcomers like Axiado, ensuring our mutual customers have best-in-class platform security solutions."

Bou Lin, President, Senao

"Our clients consistently express the need for enhanced security protection in our next-generation product line, including enterprise-class top-of-rack switches. By integrating the Axiado TCU into Senao's leading enterprise switches, we can deliver the enhanced security features our clients demand today."

Eric Kuo, Vice President of MiTAC Computing Technology Corporation's Server Infrastructure Business Unit, Tyan Computer Corporation

"TYAN is a strong believer in modularized server systems for enterprise customers as well as cloud service providers. We therefore work closely with silicon players like Axiado to ensure a new wave of platform security solutions can fit well within OCP's DC-SCM2.0 specifications. Our engineering teams collaborate to ensure interoperability between TCU - based DC-SCM and TYAN's industry leading Host Processor Modules."

William Lin, President of Enterprise & Networking Business Group, Wistron Corp.

"Wistron is a key proponent for OCP based initiatives such as DC-SCM as it aligns well with our end customers in the Enterprise and CSP markets. We are therefore excited to look for opportunities to collaborate with chip-level disruptors such as Axiado which complement our go-to-market vision and provide new innovations in platform security.

Steven Lu, Executive Vice President, Wiwynn

"The collaboration between Wiwynn and Axiado signifies a critical leap forward for the cloud service provider and enterprise markets. This shift toward modular systems aligns perfectly with the industry's trajectory and reinforces Wiwynn's position as a Tier 1 player."

New hire signals Commvault's continued commitment to redefining cyber resilience and securing modern hybrid enterprises

Commvault^®, an enterprise data protection leader for today's global businesses, announced that veteran security leader Alex Janas has joined the company as its new Field Chief Technology Officer overseeing security. With Janas' appointment, Commvault is doubling down on its commitment to redefine data protection and deliver cyber resilience with industry-leading threat detection and rapid recovery capabilities.

"The line between IT operations and security operations is blurring, creating an IT collision of new vulnerabilities that enterprises need to properly control," said Rahul Pawar, CTO, Global Services and Solutions, Commvault. "Alex's experience going head-to-head with the toughest cyber threats out there gives us the invaluable insight to develop an offensive security posture and help keep our customers safe from these ongoing, pervasive autonomous threats."

Janas comes to Commvault with nearly 20 years of private sector cybersecurity experience, as well as offensive security skills he developed as an Analyst, Operator, and Technical Director while working at the National Security Agency. He is a proud recipient of the Master Operator designation, a prestigious honor bestowed upon a select cadre of Computer Network Operations (CNO) personnel. His career stands as a testament to his deep expertise, unwavering commitment to national security, and protection of the private sector while leading and mentoring other experts in the continually evolving field of cybersecurity.

"The rapidly evolving threat landscape forces defenders to react and respond on their adversaries' timetable and magnitude," said Janas. "To effectively challenge this asymmetry, we need to create strategies that increase the operational risks and costs for attackers and minimize the fallout for victims, while also scaling and keeping pace with an attacker's adaptations. Being a part of Commvault allows me to apply my offensive cybersecurity experience to enhance a product that is a pivotal layer in a company's overarching cybersecurity strategy."

While boardroom alarms ring louder, the C-Suite's involvement in cyber preparedness is often still notably absent

Commvault, a leading provider of data protection and cyber resilience solutions for hybrid cloud organizations, today released a new IDC report commissioned by Commvault entitled, "The Cyber-Resilient Organization: Maximum Preparedness with Bullet-Proof Recovery Survey." 

In this report, IDC surveyed more than 500 security and IT operations leaders worldwide to get a current view of how organizations are perceiving modern security threats and approaching cyber resilience. Many of the key findings of this report can be broken down into three areas: C-level engagement in cyber preparedness initiatives; fears around data loss and vulnerable workloads; and the need for automation.

Cyber resilience starts in the C-suite – or does it?

The research shows that in many cases, senior executives/line-of-business leaders are minimally engaged in their company's cyber preparedness initiatives — only one-third (33%) of CEOs or managing directors and less than a quarter (21%) of other senior leaders are heavily involved. According to the research, the majority (52%) of senior leaders have no involvement in their company's cyber cases.

In addition to a lack of executive engagement, there is also often confusion between ITOps and SecOps teams in terms of who is doing what when it comes to cyber preparedness. Only 30% of SecOps teams fully understand ITOps' roles and responsibilities for cyber preparedness and response, and similarly, only 29% of ITOps teams fully understand what falls to SecOps.

According to IDC, business leaders need to play a key role in ensuring companies prioritize cyber preparedness. Additionally, organizations must ensure there is complete alignment between ITOps and SecOps teams as not doing so can make organizations more prone to successful attacks or lengthy recoveries.  

Data loss is a big concern, and some workloads are more vulnerable than others 

Sixty-one percent of respondents believe that data loss within the next 12 months is "likely" to "highly likely" to occur due to increasingly sophisticated attacks. Of the respondents surveyed, on-premises workloads were thought to be more vulnerable than cloud workloads. On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being highly vulnerable, respondents rated on-premises data repositories a 2.8 and physical workloads a 2.77 – higher than that of cloud workloads (2.67).

Data exfiltration remains the preferred tactic, and manual detection processes are falling short

The research also shows that data exfiltration attacks – when malware or a malicious actor carries out an unauthorized data transfer – occur almost 50% more often than encryption attacks, where hackers aim to decode encrypted data. Respondents ranked phishing as the most concerning threat to address, given that most ransomware attacks begin with a successful attack on user credentials.

Additionally, as cyber attackers deploy more clever tactics, relying on manual detection and reporting processes are very likely to result in missed anomalies and successful attacks. A potential solution – automation – could lead to faster detection to mitigate the intrusion impact. However, most organizations (57%) have limited automation for key functions, increasing their chances of missing a threat before it happens; only 22% report being fully automated. 

"Cyber attackers never rest and are constantly discovering ways to exploit vulnerabilities. A truly effective cyber resilience strategy must go beyond just backup and recovery. It's crucial that organizations adopt a new approach that spans prevention, mitigation, and recovery," said Phil Goodwin, Research Vice President, Infrastructure Systems, Platforms and Technologies Group, IDC. "Whether on-premises, in the cloud, or in a hybrid environment, they must integrate multiple layers of defense. With AI now a tool for both defense and offense, the urgency for comprehensive cyber resilience has never been more evident."

"We are beyond just reacting to cyber threats. The C-suite must ensure teams are prioritizing proactive defense, real-time threat intelligence, and robust risk management to pave the way for genuine cyber resilience," said Javier Dominguez, CISO, Commvault. "It's also critical that SecOps and ITOps teams work closely together to look holistically at their security posture, end-to-end. With Commvault, resilience isn't an afterthought – it's the blueprint."  

Cloud Peritus, a vanguard in digital transformations, embarks on a pivotal journey into the Health and Life Sciences (HLS) domain, leveraging Salesforce. Acknowledging the intricate demands of this industry, the firm has brought on board Nao Lo, a seasoned expert with a Big 4 background, as their Senior Vice President & Principal Solutions Architect. His history of nurturing practices and achieving client successes sets him apart in the consulting industry.

"Having known Nao for close to a decade for creating a work environment that is both positive and inclusive, we are very excited to have him on board", said Siva Ramesh, EVP & Chief Architect, Cloud Peritus. "He champions the cause of team spirit and views the collective strength of a team as the bedrock of every significant achievement which greatly resonates with the culture at Cloud Peritus. More importantly, he brings in the best of both Boutique (Cloud Sherpas) and the Big 4 experience. Having successfully delivered Salesforce programs for multiple enterprises in both worlds, he greatly aligns with Cloud Peritus' unique perspective and consulting model that focuses on delivering tailored solutions with agility, innovation at scale that ensures customer success & satisfaction. Furthermore, his extensive involvement in practice-building, fortified by market accelerators and innovative solutions across major clients, makes him the ideal leader to build the practice."

Salesforce's transformative potential for the HLS sector is no secret. From advancing patient care with real-time data, to optimizing supply chain management, the promise is vast and palpable. Cloud Peritus' decision to venture into this space signals their commitment to delivering state-of-the-art HLS solutions that not only address the industry's current needs but also anticipate and solve for future challenges.

But why HLS and why now? 

Simply put, the HLS sector, especially in the context of Medical Technology companies, faces multifaceted challenges ranging from intricate client engagement processes, complex supply chain management, order management, and often convoluted integrations into ERPs. With Cloud Peritus' focus on innovation & client success combined with Salesforce's robust platform, we aim to radically simplify these challenges, offering seamless solutions that drive efficiency, growth, and unparalleled business value.

"I believe in the power of exceptional service to create customer loyalty and satisfaction. Every interaction must be crafted to radiate positivity, ensuring the clients' absolute satisfaction. The team at Cloud Peritus shares that same passion with unwavering dedication. Together we will champion this vision of premier 'White Glove' service to our clients." said Nao Lo Senior Vice President & Principal Architect

In the field of healthcare services & medical technology, Nao Lo has consistently addressed challenges with practical solutions. At the heart of his success lies a deep understanding of the unique pain points that HLS & MedTech companies face. Whether it's crafting strategies to improve client engagement or developing systems to streamline servicing, logistics & operations management. In the HLS sector, especially MedTech, technology plays a pivotal role in addressing real-world challenges and aspirations.

"The ultimate goal is to enhance accessibility and efficiency with client engagement and servicing. Leveraging technology, medical device manufacturing & supply/distribution, healthcare servicing, payer, pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms can gain efficiencies in servicing and empowering their customers through the use of Salesforce's clouds.  With Cloud Peritus, I'm eager & committed to explore and expand what's achievable within HLS: MedTech" said Nao

Envisioning the Future with Cloud Peritus in HLS: MedTech

Cloud Peritus, with Nao Lo at its helm, is poised to redefine HLS: MedTech solutions by leveraging Salesforce's robust capabilities combined with Nao's industry acumen. Stakeholders can anticipate tailored and innovative solutions that are both effective and impactful while accelerating time to market and reducing the overall cost. Particularly, Nao's expertise in seamlessly integrating MedTech operations with ERPs and QMS systems will be a game-changer, promising enhanced operational flow, informed decision-making, and an uptick in ROI.

The Cloud Peritus Promise

Deeply rooted in innovation and excellence, Cloud Peritus has always been at the forefront of digital transformations right from their inception. As they venture into HLS through MedTech, their ethos remains unshaken – continuing to deliver solutions that are built with a focus on human-centric design that scale and support our clients' growth. With Nao Lo leading the way, Cloud Peritus' journey into HLS looks promising, transformative, and above all, impactful.