Four Inc. has been named a federal aggregator for Dun & Bradstreet, a leading global provider of business decisioning data and analytics. Under the agreement, Four Inc. will provide Dun & Bradstreet solutions to the public sector through Four Inc.'s NASA Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWPV), Information Technology Enterprise Solutions- Software 2 (ITES-SW2) contract, and its network of channel partners as part of Four Inc.'s boutique aggregation program. This collaboration brings together the expertise and capabilities of both organizations to deliver innovative data solutions tailored specifically for government agencies.

As a global leader in business decisioning data and analytics, Dun & Bradstreet equips government organizations with tools to make mission-critical decisions, mitigate risks, and undertake compliance processes efficiently. Among Dun & Bradstreet's solutions included in the agreement are D&B Investigate™, D&B Protect™ and D&B Fortify™, which provide a broad range of data and analytics through a single sign-on platform that leverages the Dun & Bradstreet Data Cloud containing more than 500 million total organizations, AI-driven technology, and business decisioning data and analytics. The platform enables government agencies to address complex challenges, optimize operations, and enhance citizen services by delivering deep business insights and enabling timely decision-making inside complex business environments.

Dun & Bradstreet's extensive experience in data and analytics, combined with Four Inc.'s comprehensive understanding of the government sector's unique challenges, creates a powerful synergy that will transform the way government agencies leverage data.

"We are excited about the strategic agreement with Dun & Bradstreet," said Chris Wilkinson, EVP of Sales at Four Inc. "By leveraging Dun & Bradstreet's robust data and analytics, our government clients can access insights and make informed decisions that lead to enhanced service delivery and better overall outcomes for the public."

Xoriant, (a ChrysCapital company), a Sunnyvale headquartered prominent digital engineering services company today announced it has achieved Select tier partner status from Snowflake, the Data Cloud company. As a Select partner, Xoriant can accelerate the digital transformation of its joint customers who can fully leverage the performance, flexibility, and near-infinite scalability of the Snowflake Data Cloud.

"Data is core to every modern enterprise. The partnership with Snowflake reflects our commitment to collaborate with Snowflake and the global community. We continue to explore new opportunities, build innovative technology solutions that help customers realize new revenue streams from their data investments and drive their business forward," said  Navneet Taneja, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Alliances & Partnerships, Xoriant.

Xoriant's team of skilled, experienced, Snowflake-certified engineers will continue collaborating closely to mobilize the world's data with Snowflake's Data Cloud, helping joint customers realize maximum value from their data and optimize the data stored in the cloud. As a Select tier partner, Xoriant will continue to deliver seamless complex migration, tech stack modernization, re-engineer enterprise data platforms, and ensure process and cost optimization for the global Snowflake community, including ISVs and enterprise customers.

"Xoriant's product engineering expertise combined with Snowflake's Data Cloud comprise a powerful combination of capabilities to streamline the data management and transformation for joint customers and support our mission to mobilize data in the service of the enterprise," said Katie Ecklund, Senior Director of Partner Sales - America, at Snowflake.

The Snowflake Partner Network unlocks the potential of the Data Cloud with a broad array of tools and partners. Partnerships and integrations enable customers to leverage Snowflake's flexibility, performance, and ease of use to deliver more meaningful data insights.

This combination creates a broad portfolio of industry-focused offerings, strengthens SAP® expertise and professional services talent, expands global reach and number of regional resources.

Syntax Systems , a global leader in technological solutions and services for implementing and managing cloud applications, and Montreal-based Solutions Beyond Technologies  today announced the successful conclusion of the acquisition. With this transaction, announced on October 3, 2023, Beyond – a professional services firm specializing in the integration of SAP® solutions and the optimization of business performance – joins the Syntax family.

The combination of Syntax and Beyond will create a team of more than 2,800 experts serving more than 900 clients in the mid-sized and large enterprise market globally, with 26 business locations located in the Americas, Europe , in Africa and Asia.  

“Bringing together the Syntax and Beyond teams is directly aligned with our strategy of providing industry-focused expertise. We see a great opportunity to create even more value for our customers through our combined expertise in manufacturing, natural resources, construction, retail, consumer products, life sciences and the public sector,” says Christian Primeau , Global CEO of Syntax. “Our respective partnerships with SAP, our corporate cultures and our shared values ​​will allow us to act quickly as a global team and thus quickly benefit from synergies in order to accelerate the growth of the new group. » Mr. Primeau will continue to lead Syntax as Global CEO.

“As a technology leader, you must continually ask yourself how to best serve customers' interests now and in the future,” says Luc Dubois , Partner and CEO at Solutions Beyond Technologies. “Being part of the Syntax family gives us this path for the future by increasing our geographic reach, our consulting services practice, and our solution offering in areas such as security, data and IoT. With Syntax as a partner, we have the advantage of retaining our nature as a boutique firm, but with the resources to deliver on a larger scale. »

Combined value of Syntax and Solutions Beyond Technologies 

• Industry-Focused Solutions:  Specializing in the mid to large enterprise market, including manufacturing, construction, natural resources, retail, consumer products, life sciences and the public sector. This specialization will continue to allow Beyond and Syntax to help their clients navigate the complexities these industries face every day. 
• International Practice and Local Commitment:  Together, Syntax and Beyond will have a global footprint that serves clients in 26 locations across the Americas, Europe , Africa and Asia. Joining these forces means clients will benefit from a flexible, international team serving local markets. 
• Business Transformation Consulting Services:  This combination leverages existing expertise in the SAP enterprise applications ecosystem. In June 2021, Syntax acquired Illumiti, now a Syntax Company, an integration and management consulting services firm. This transaction allowed Syntax to position itself as a leader in the North American market in SAP solutions and professional services. Beyond reaffirms this commitment and creates an even stronger SAP expertise base.  
• Complementary Values-Driven Cultures: Prior to the transaction, both organizations placed emphasis on creating a similar corporate culture, focused on entrepreneurial spirit and customer satisfaction through their business values.

“Today’s business world is constantly changing. Every company, regardless of its size, needs a technology partner to define transformation strategies and achieve its operational objectives,” says Pascal Tremblay , President and CEO, Managing Partner at Novacap. “The acquisition of Solutions Beyond Technologies by Syntax embodies our commitment to the success of our clients, the development of our partnerships, our actions as exemplary corporate citizens and our position as an employer of choice for technology talent. As a joint team, we are very optimistic about the potential to create value for all of us. »  

Syntax is a portfolio company of Novacap TMT, a private equity firm based in Montreal.

Partnership Brings Android and iOS Cyber Defense Automation Inside the JetBrains TeamCity CI/CD Pipeline

Appdome, the mobile app economy's one-stop shop for mobile app defense, today announced it has integrated its Cyber Defense Automation Platform with the CI/CD cloud-based service from JetBrains TeamCity allowing teams to automate the build, test and deployment of their mobile applications. JetBrains TeamCity is now part of the Appdome Dev2Cyber Agility Partner Initiative to advance the delivery of secure mobile apps globally.

Manual methods of cyber defense implementations in Android and iOS apps are complex, slow and brittle. Appdome's cyber defense automation platform streamlines delivery and accelerates release times by using technology to build cybersecurity defenses into iOS and Android apps – including runtime application self-protection (RASP), code obfuscation, mobile data encryption, jailbreak detection, root detection, man-in-the-middle attack prevention, on-device anti-malware, anti-fraud, anti-cheat, anti-bot and other protections. The new Appdome-JetBrains TeamCity partnership solves mobile brands' need for technology platforms to automate the delivery of cyber defense in mobile apps and to keep pace with modern DevOps pipelines.

"Our recent global survey shows that consumers' preferred way to interact with brands is mobile, which increases the urgency for development teams to create and update apps frequently to remain competitive. They're working in an environment that is continuous, agile and fast-moving," said Tom Tovar, Co-Creator and CEO of Appdome. "Development teams need a cyber defense solution for mobile app development that takes advantage of and integrates with mobile development best practices and tooling. In this way, they can deliver the protections end-users desire in their iOS and Android apps, build by build and release by release."

Today, global consumers demand more protection than ever in their mobile app experiences. Appdome's recent Global Consumer Expectations of Mobile App Security survey revealed that 94% of global consumers would promote a brand if the mobile apps protected them against security, fraud and malware risks. 68% also indicated they would abandon brands that offered no protection.

"JetBrains TeamCity is a key development platform for mobile apps, and developers using it need to be able to build security protections into their apps rapidly from within the platform," said Karen Hsu, SVP of Mobile DevOps and Security Solutions. "This integration with JetBrains TeamCity enables brands and their development teams to meet growing demands from mobile users for stronger protection."

Empowering Amazon Connect Contact Centers to Navigate the Complex World of Payment Compliance by outsourcing the payment capture services to SequenceShift.

SequenceShift, a global leader in Payment Card Industry (PCI) Compliance solutions for Contact Centers, is proud to announce enhanced payment capabilities in its esteemed Payline and Secure Payment IVR solutions. Building on its Amazon Connect Ready designation from AWS, which validates SequenceShift as an AWS Partner that provides solutions that integrate seamlessly with Amazon Connect software solutions, SequenceShift continues to innovate, now supporting not just credit and debit card capture but also Electronic Banking payments like Automatic Clearing House (ACH).

Built on AWS, this new offering comes in response to the evolving needs of the North American market for direct debit payment services, where ACH and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) hold significant weight, respectively. SequenceShift's initial release focuses on ACH payments to meet the demands of its U.S. customer base, with plans to support additional Electronic Bank Payments like EFT.

"NACHA, the governing body of the ACH network, imposes stringent and evolving security standards," said Dmitri Muntean, SequenceShift Managing Director. "This addition to our portfolio allows contact centers to securely capture sensitive electronic bank payment data without exposing their agents and contact center to this sensitive information." 

The integration of Electronic Bank Payments is an important addition to SequenceShift's outsourced compliance payment solutions, allowing businesses to securely capture customer card and bank data. This greatly mitigates their ACH compliance exposure, enabling them to focus on core business operations.

"We've always been dedicated to simplifying and accelerating the compliance journey for businesses," said Muntean. "The support for ACH payments is already being rolled out to customers, further validating our commitment to meet market demands."

The Generative AI tool will drive greater value for Basware customers

Basware, the leader in making AP automation and invoice processing happen, has come together with Microsoft and Zure to announce the launch of its generative AI tool which uses Microsoft Azure OpenAI ChatGPT. The tool, named AskMary, integrates ChatGPT technology to help Basware draft responses to customer inquiries. AskMary will empower Basware's customer support team to deliver a more accurate and faster support function for its customers.

Basware has teamed up with Microsoft and Zure to create a solution in the Microsoft Azure cloud computing platform. The collaboration allows Basware to leverage ChatGPT technology through Microsoft Azure's OpenAI service within Basware's own Microsoft Azure environment. This ensures the highest level of customer data security.

Customer inquiries in financial management can be complex and varied. AskMary uses Microsoft Azure OpenAI ChatGPT to provide tailored suggestions on engaging with customers, delivering what customers expect – fast, stress-free and helpful resolutions. The tool works by Basware's customer support team inputting customer inquiries via 'prompts' within the AskMary platform. The tool then returns detailed suggestions for customer responses. 

AskMary is named after communication expert Mary Gober, who has developed renowned methodologies around customer satisfaction and service excellence.

1. Enhanced Communication: Basware's enhanced customer support function will provide clear, consistent and timely responses, delivering greater customer satisfaction.
2. Customer Data Security: AskMary operates within a secure Microsoft Azure environment and enhances Basware's system on safeguarding customer data.
3. Human-led Support: The tool requires human input to create customer responses, which are then refined and sent by Basware's customer support team. It ensures that Basware personnel remain at the heart of customer interaction and allows them to refine their quality of customer interaction.
4. Ease of use: AskMary is easily accessible via an app within Basware's Microsoft Teams platform, increasing efficiency and reliability for Basware's customer support function.

For 40 years, Basware has streamlined the accounts payable (AP) function within organisations through its AP automation and e-invoicing platform. Basware uses AI and machine learning technology to automatically match invoices to purchase orders, approve and submit for payment, revolutionizing the way businesses manage their financial operations.

Implementation of the AskMary tool has received positive feedback and it opens up possibilities for Basware teams to utilize its benefits beyond customer support. 

Matthias Lippert, Chief Customer Support Officer at Basware, commented:

"Delivering customer value is one of our core objectives at Basware. As a platform built on AI and ML technology itself, we were relentless to introduce AI technology within a secure Microsoft Azure environment to enhance our customer service. In our early use of the tool, we have witnessed a transformation in our customer communications that maintains the human element and allows us to help customers better and faster.  

Basware's commitment to AI doesn't end with AskMary. Our goal is to learn from Microsoft Azure OpenAI ChatGPT's usage and by 2024, we expect to see a range of AI-powered solutions within our support function. We're working towards a goal where the best customer support is the one where there is a need for minimal customer support – as it all just happens."

ChatGPT was developed by OpenAI, which uses Generative AI technology to provide detailed responses to human queries. AskMary is built within Basware's Microsoft Azure environment, leveraging its OpenAI service.

Mari Tuominen, Director, Corporate and SMB Business at Microsoft Finland, commented on the collaboration with Basware:

"At Microsoft Azure, we take pride in empowering organizations to harness the full potential of AI. The collaboration with Basware is a testament to their dedication and our robust cloud computing platform. We are excited to see the positive impact it's having on Basware's customers."

Zure, an Azure-focused digital innovation company, worked with Basware to implement the technology in Basware's platform within a matter of weeks.

Sakari Nahi, CEO at Zure, commented on the implementation: 

We are pleased to have accelerated Basware's use of AI innovation in setting the standard for customer experience in the era of AI. With the help of Microsoft Azure, and as technology continues to evolve, we look forward to further collaborations that push the envelope of what's possible in enhancing customer experience, streamlining operations, and ensuring data security.

Earlier this year, Basware was recognized as a 2023 Gartner Peer Insights™ Customers' Choice for Procure-To-Pay Suites. Basware achieved a 4.6 out of 5 rating* based on reviews by customers that had used its solutions, taking into consideration support experience.

• IBM's deep engineering and AI expertise to deliver extended customer-focused functionality via NatWest's virtual assistant, Cora

• Collaboration is part of NatWest's broader generative AI approach, which leverages IBM's enterprise AI platform, watsonx

NatWest and IBM today announced enhancements to the bank's virtual assistant, Cora, that will use generative AI to provide customers with access to a wider range of information through conversational interactions. The bank will be among the first in the UK to deploy generative AI with a virtual assistant enabling a safe, intuitive, and accessible experience in its digital services.

Harnessing the power of responsible and ethical AI forms part of the bank's wider strategy, collaborating with IBM and other experts to help customers achieve financial wellbeing through personalised support. By leveraging IBM's enterprise grade AI and data platform, watsonx, teams are co-creating a digital concierge (Cora+) that evolves the chatbot's capability into a more interactive and conversational experience, where this benefits customers.

Personalised, conversational responses to complex customer queries 

This innovative capability has been designed to provide a more accessible and human interaction for customers looking to compare products and services across the product suite, or who are looking for information across the NatWest Group websites. 

Cora+ will be able to access information from multiple secure sources that were previously inaccessible through chat alone, such as products, services, information about the bank and career opportunities. Customers can ask questions and receive responses in a more natural, conversational style and are provided with links to requested information, which they can either view immediately or bookmark for later. Customers will continue to have the option to speak on the phone with branch representatives during business hours.

Wendy Redshaw, Chief Digital Information Officer of the NatWest Group's Retail Bank said: "We are a relationship bank in a digital world, building trusted, long-term relationships with our customers through meaningful and personalised engagement. 

Building on Cora's success over the last five years, we're working with companies like IBM to leverage the latest generative AI innovations that will help make Cora feel even more 'human' and, most importantly, a trusted, safe and reliable digital partner for our customers."

In a digital world, banks focus on fostering talent, technology and trusted collaborations

As banks increasingly become digital enterprises, attracting and retaining top technology talent has become an industry priority.  The importance of mindful innovation and safe exploration is key, and aligned to NatWest's Digital X Strategy, which focusses on three pillars: engineer, protect and operate. This provides the bank with opportunities to collaborate with specialist industry leaders, like IBM, and work together on cutting edge, emerging technologies to deliver what matters most for customers. 

To accelerate the pace of innovation and delivery, the IBM Client Engineering team worked alongside the NatWest business and technology teams to rapidly co-create, test, and validate the outcomes with the aim of safely and swiftly delivering a viable generative AI digital assistant. 

"NatWest and other forward-thinking leaders of financial institutions around the world are exploring the potential of AI technologies as part of their competitive business strategy," said John Duigenan, Distinguished Engineer and General Manager Global Financial Services Industry at IBM. "With the appropriate guardrails and governance in place ensuring that AI is open, trusted and targeted, banks can deliver an empowering value proposition enabling an even deeper level of customer loyalty. We're excited about the opportunity to collaborate with NatWest on their vision for customer care."

Banking industry leaders globally see value in generative AI and are selectively exploring how it can be used

According to a recent study by IBM's Institute for Business Value, CEO Decision-Making in the Age of AI, banking and financial markets CEOs are being selective and deliberate in their use of generative AI. They recognise its potential, with over 40% of the 360 banking and financial markets leaders responding that they expect generative AI, deep learning, and machine learning to help deliver financial results over the next three years. Talent, security and customer experience were cited the most frequently identified areas in which financial services leaders indicated interest in applying generative AI. Customer care was cited by 54% of these industry chiefs as among their highest technology priorities and a full three quarters (75%) of financial services CEOs surveyed believe that the competitive advantage will go to the institutions that have the most advanced use of generative AI.

WEX, the global commerce platform that simplifies the business of running a business, today announced that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of Payzer, a high-growth, cloud-based, field service management software provider.

“We are excited about this deal and to welcome the Payzer team to WEX,” said Melissa Smith, Chair and CEO, WEX. “We believe our combination will only strengthen and deepen our offerings to WEX’s Mobility customers – approximately 150,000 of which operate field service management companies – by providing them a new, scalable, and integrated business management software offering.”

WEX previously announced its entry into a definitive agreement to acquire Payzer on October 26, 2023.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements including statements regarding the expected benefits of the acquisition. Any statements in this press release that are not statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “will,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such words. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results or performance to be materially different from future results or performance expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, including WEX’s ability to successfully integrate the acquisition or to realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisition, as well as other risks and uncertainties identified in Item 1A of WEX’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on February 28, 2023, and WEX’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2023 and June 30, 2023, filed with the SEC on April 27, 2023 and July 27, 2023, respectively, and subsequent filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and undue reliance should not be placed on these statements. WEX disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.