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Inspur Information Breaks Record for SPC-1 Price-Performance With AS2200G2 Storage Platform

Inspur Information Breaks Record for SPC-1 Price-Performance With AS2200G2 Storage Platform

Inspur Information’s storage platform AS2200G2 sets a new world record for price performance in the latest SPC-1 Benchmark™ report with a score of $75.77/KIOPS

SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Inspur Information, a leading IT infrastructure solutions provider, today announced that its storage platform AS2200G2 has set a new world record for price performance in the latest SPC-1 Benchmark™ report issued by the Storage Performance Council (SPC) with the score of $75.77/KIOPS (13,198 IOPS per $1,000). Inspur’s top ranking on the list follows its breaking of the 16-controller and 8-controller performance records earlier this year.

According to the SPC-1 report, 10 products from six global mainstream storage providers (Inspur, TTA, Fujitsu, Lenovo, Dostor and NetApp) were included in the Top 10 price-performance list. Inspur’s AS2200G2 ranked first with an outstanding score of US$75.77/KIOPS.

Established in 1999, SPC is one of the most well-known professional measurement organizations in the storage industry. The SPC-1 Benchmark is the most actively tested program, and aims to assess the performance of storage systems that handle complex requests and large volumes of data as well as provide scientific considerations of the economic efficiency of storage systems. Due to the fairness and objectivity of the evaluation standards, SPC-1 has attracted the participation of dozens of leading storage providers worldwide including Dell, Fujitsu, HPE, HDS, IBM, Inspur, NetApp and Oracle.

“The record-breaking performance result indicates that Inspur has done everything we can do to deliver extreme performance for our storage products,” said Li Hui, general manager of storage production at Inspur Information. “The extra word ‘extreme’ means a lot in the current market. High-performance storage products only meet the basic requirements of users, but storage products that deliver extreme price performance can surprise and delight users and even accelerate the development of the storage industry.”

Today, less than 10 percent of enterprises’ massive data has been truly analyzed and processed, so while enterprises face the challenges of massive data analysis and processing, the demand for data economy also increases rapidly. As a result, price performance has become a key aspect of the market competitiveness of storage products.

AS2200G2 is an easy-to-use, flexible and efficient unified storage platform that is built to meet the storage requirements of different applications, such as database, file sharing and cloud computing by supporting iSCSI and FC. AS2200G2 also delivers high availability through its fully redundant architecture, a fully modular, redundant cache, and active-active controller design. It also delivers high scalability with its support for up to 577 hard drives and a maximum cache of 64GB.

The top ranking of Inspur’s storage products indicates that Inspur not only provides the best-performing products among its competitors, but also enables enterprises to save on purchasing costs, maximizing the return on their investment. The price performance of Inspur’s storage system is rated at 370,000 IOPS, which is higher than the second and third-ranked systems by 19 percent and 32 percent respectively. In addition, the price per KIOPS of Inspur Storage is about $75.77, lower than the second and third-ranking products by 12 percent and 18 percent respectively, making it the preferred choice for enterprises requiring massive and real-time data processing.

In a market where there is always a trade-off between high performance and low cost, Inspur has been able to achieve upward performance and downward costs through a series of innovations in hardware and software. At the hardware level, Inspur’s AS2200G2 adopts a compact design of disk-controller integration and is powered by an Intel Xeon CPU and 64GB cache for every controller at the front, and 25 SSD disks of all-flash configurations at the back, greatly improving data response speed. At the software level, Inspur’s use of the high-end iTurbo intelligent engine enables the storage system to automatically match with different data processing strategies according to the front-end application, in order to drive hundreds of thousands of IO instructions and data blocks to transfer and flow at high speed within the storage system. With these optimizations of both hardware and software, Inspur achieves the highest level of performance for its storage products in the industry with the same product configuration.

For more information on Inspur’s SPC-1 Benchmark™ report, please visit

http://www.spcresults.org/benchmarks/results/top10/price/spc1/3.

About Inspur

Inspur Electronic Information Industry Co., LTD is a leading provider of data center infrastructure, cloud computing, and AI solutions, ranking among the world’s top 3 server manufacturers. Through engineering and innovation, Inspur delivers cutting-edge computing hardware design and extensive product offerings to address important technology arenas like open computing, cloud data center, AI and deep learning. Performance-optimized and purpose-built, our world-class solutions empower customers to tackle specific workloads and real-world challenges. To learn more, please go to www.inspursystems.com.

McKenna Bloomquist

Allison+Parnters

[email protected]

Fiona Liu

Inspur Information

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: California United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Technology Nanotechnology Audio/Video Telecommunications Software Internet Hardware Electronic Design Automation Semiconductor Data Management Security Consumer Electronics Satellite VoIP

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Announcement to the Market – Itaú Unibanco included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index 2020/2021

PR Newswire

SÃO PAULO, Nov. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. announces to its stockholders and the market in general that it has been selected for the 21st consecutive time to be part of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) in its 2020/2021 edition. Itaú Unibanco is the only Latin American bank to be part of this index since its creation in 1999.

DJSI World comprises companies that are global leaders in sustainability, representing 13% of the 2,500 largest companies of the S&P Global BMI index with the best rating in long-term economic, environmental and social factors. The new portfolio includes 323 companies from 30 countries from the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania, representing 24 economic segments. Of these companies, only seven are Brazilian.

Itaú Unibanco, in this edition, obtained the best rating in the Social and Environmental Reporting, Climate Change, Financial Stability and Systemic Risk, Anti-crime Policy & Measures and Financial Inclusion categories.

Additionally, Itaú Unibanco has been selected to be part of the portfolio of the Dow Jones Sustainability Emerging Markets Index.

Inclusion in DJSI World reflects the long-term commitments of Itaú Unibanco to the ethical conduct of business, transparency and focus on sustainable performance. These commitments became even more prominent in 2020, with the launch of two important initiatives: “Todos pela Saúde” (All for Health) and the Amazon Plan.


ALEXSANDRO BROEDEL


Group Executive Finance Director and Head of Investor Relations


ITAÚ UNIBANCO HOLDING S.A.

Itaú Unibanco – Comunicação Corporativa
(11) 5019-8880 / 8881 – [email protected]

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SOURCE Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A.

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AMMO, Inc. Reports Fiscal Second Quarter 2021 Results

– Fiscal Second Quarter 2021 Revenue Increases 307% to $12 Million –

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Nov. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AMMO, Inc. (OTCQB: POWW) (“AMMO” or the “Company”), a premier American ammunition and munition components manufacturer and technology leader, has reported financial results for its fiscal second quarter ended September 30, 2020.

Financial Summary for Fiscal Second Quarter 2021 vs. Fiscal Second Quarter 2020

  • Total revenue increased 307% to $12.0 million compared to $2.9 million.
    • Ammunition revenue increased 564% to $8.7 million.
    • Casing revenue increased 100% to $3.3 million.
  • Net loss improved $1.1 million to $2.3 million compared to a net loss of $3.4 million.
  • Adjusted EBITDA improved $2.0 million to $426,000 compared to $(1.6) million.

“The demand momentum experienced at the end of fiscal year 2020 has certainly continued to accelerate for fiscal 2021,” said Fred Wagenhals, AMMO’s CEO. “We continue to make further progress with the manufacturing capabilities, infrastructure and capacity improvements deployed in fiscal year 2020 and 2021. As a result, we achieved our first ever quarter of adjusted EBITDA profitability during the second quarter.”

To view detailed financial results for the second quarter ended September 30, 2020, please refer to the Form 10-Q filed on November 13, 2020. The Company’s reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission may be found at www.sec.gov.

Forward Looking Statements

This document contains certain “forward-looking statements”. All statements other than statements of historical fact are “forward-looking statements” for purposes of federal and state securities laws, including, but not limited to, any projections of earnings, revenue or other financial items; any statements of the plans, strategies, goals and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning proposed new products and services or developments thereof; any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance; any statements or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing.

Forward looking statements may include the words “may,” “could,” “estimate,” “intend,” “continue,” “believe,” “expect” or “anticipate” or other similar words, or the negative thereof. These forward-looking statements present our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this report. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the dates on which they are made. We do not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that arise after the dates they are made. You should, however, consult further disclosures and risk factors we include in Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Reports filed on Form 8-K.

Investor Contact:

Rob Wiley, CFO
AMMO, Inc.
Phone: (480) 947-0001
[email protected]



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MSCI launches public tool to help corporates and industry stakeholders understand its ESG Ratings model

MSCI launches public tool to help corporates and industry stakeholders understand its ESG Ratings model

  • The new MSCI ESG Industry Materiality Map explores ESG risks by industry and demonstrates how various ESG Risk exposures factor into companies’ ESG Ratings
  • The Map reflects the latest ESG Ratings model enhancements and follows the launch of three additional public search tools over the last 12 months to provide transparency into fund, index and company ESG performance

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
MSCI Inc. (NYSE: MSCI), a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community, today launched the MSCI ESG Industry Materiality Map, a public tool which explores the key Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Issues by GICS®1 sub-industry or sector and their contribution to companies’ overall ESG Ratings.

The map is a continuation of MSCI’s mission to increase transparency and educate companies, investors and industry stakeholders of the value of ESG data and ratings. The educational tool provides a window into the dynamic and industry-specific MSCI ESG Rating model and allows users to delve into key E, S and G issues that impact different industries. It follows the launch of three public search tools over the last 12 months that provide public access to fund, index and company ESG and climate characteristics.

The Materiality Map also showcases some recent ESG Ratings model enhancements, which include a heightened focus on corporate behaviours, such as fraud and anti-competitiveness practices, across all sectors, assigning greater weight to governance, alongside environmental and social considerations. The updates take into consideration input from some of the world’s largest institutional investors as part of MSCI ESG Research’s annual Ratings model consultations. Regular model updates play an important role in capturing evolving ESG risks and opportunities. A recent MSCI study found that an industry-specific weighted approach to constructing ESG Ratings, which changed weightings over time, showed the strongest performance over a 13-year period.2

“MSCI is continuously investing to expand and improve our ESG and climate solutions to support the evolving and complex needs of the investment community. Our new public industry Materiality Map underlines our commitment to transparency and our strong belief that we have the most robust models in the market for capturing short and longer term ESG risks that help our clients build better portfolios,” said Linda-Eling Lee, Head of ESG Research at MSCI.

For more information, please visit msci.com.

About MSCI Inc.

MSCI is a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community. With over 45 years of expertise in research, data and technology, we power better investment decisions by enabling clients to understand and analyze key drivers of risk and return and confidently build more effective portfolios. We create industry-leading research-enhanced solutions that clients use to gain insight into and improve transparency across the investment process.

The information contained herein (the “Information”) may not be reproduced or redisseminated in whole or in part without prior written permission from MSCI ESG Research. The Information may not be used to verify or correct other data, to create any derivative works, to create indexes, risk models, or analytics, or in connection with issuing, offering, sponsoring, managing or marketing any securities, portfolios, financial products or other investment vehicles. Historical data and analysis should not be taken as an indication or guarantee of any future performance, analysis, forecast or prediction. MSCI ESG Research is provided by MSCI Inc.’s subsidiary, MSCI ESG Research LLC, a Registered Investment Adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. MSCI ESG Research materials, including materials utilized in any MSCI ESG Indexes or other products, have not been submitted to, nor received approval from, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or any other regulatory body. None of the Information or MSCI index or other product or service constitutes an offer to buy or sell, or a promotion or recommendation of, any security, financial instrument or product or trading strategy. Further, none of the Information is intended to constitute investment advice or a recommendation to make (or refrain from making) any kind of investment decision and may not be relied on as such. The Information is provided “as is” and the user of the Information assumes the entire risk of any use it may make or permit to be made of the Information. NONE OF MSCI INC. OR ANY OF ITS SUBSIDIARIES OR ITS OR THEIR DIRECT OR INDIRECT SUPPLIERS OR ANY THIRD PARTY INVOLVED IN THE MAKING OR COMPILING OF THE INFORMATION (EACH, AN “INFORMATION PROVIDER”) MAKES ANY WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS AND, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, EACH INFORMATION PROVIDER HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING AND TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL ANY OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDERS HAVE ANY LIABILITY REGARDING ANY OF THE INFORMATION FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, CONSEQUENTIAL (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS) OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. The foregoing shall not exclude or limit any liability that may not by applicable law be excluded or limited. Privacy notice: For information about how MSCI ESG Research LLC collects and uses personal data concerning officers and directors, please refer to our Privacy Notice at https://www.msci.com/privacy-pledge.

1 GICS, the global industry classification standard jointly developed by MSCI and S&P Global.

2Giese G, Nagy Z and Lee L, (2020) Deconstructing ESG Ratings Performance: Risk and Return for E, S and G by Time Horizon, Sector and Weighting

Media Inquiries

[email protected]

Sam Wang, +1 212 804 5244

Melanie Blanco, +1 212 981 1049

Investor Inquiries

[email protected]
Salli Schwartz, +1 212 804 5306

MSCI Global Client Services

EMEA Client Service, + 44 20 7618.2222

Americas Client Service, +1 888 588 4567 (toll free)

Asia Pacific Client Service, + 852 2844 9333

KEYWORDS: New York United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Finance Consulting Banking Professional Services Other Professional Services

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Inspur Announces at SC20 that Its AI Servers Support the Latest NVIDIA A100 80GB GPU

Inspur Announces at SC20 that Its AI Servers Support the Latest NVIDIA A100 80GB GPU

Inspur’s AI servers NF5488A5 and NF5488M5-D, which provide support for the latest NVIDIA A100 80G GPU, are now available globally in mass production, delivering a 15% performance increase in AI model training with tens of billions of parameters.

SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Inspur Information, a leading IT infrastructure solutions provider, today announced at Supercomputing Conference 2020 (SC20) that its AI servers NF5488M5-D and NF5488A5, which provide support for the latest NVIDIA A100 80G GPU, are now available globally in mass production.

The NF5488M5-D and NF5488A5 accommodate eight pieces of the next-generation A100 80G GPU with HBM2e memory, doubling the memory capacity and delivering a 30 percent increase in memory bandwidth of the GPU. The AI servers are designed to process larger amounts of data in a single node that could significantly reduce memory overhead in the communication between data or models in parallel, ultimately delivering a 15 percent performance increase in AI model training with tens of billions of parameters.

Inspur’s self-developed NF5488 is a next-generation series of AI servers that accommodate eight third-generation NVLink interconnected A100 GPUs in a 4U chassis, demonstrating a 234 percent performance increase compared with that of the previous generation. The NF5488 series provides users with leading AI computing power and mature ecosystem support for the most challenging AI applications, including intelligent customer service, financial analysis, smart cities, and natural language processing.

Recently, Inspur’s AI server NF5488A5 set 18 performance records in one fell swoop in the latest MLPerf Benchmarks, including the world record of 549,000 inferences per second for the ResNet50 inference task – a three-fold increase on the 2019 single-server performance record.

As the leading brand in AI computing, Inspur contains one of the most robust and extensive product portfolios in the industry. Inspur provides full-stack AI scenarios such as model training, machine reasoning, and edge computing, as well as the development of full-stack AI capabilities such as AI framework optimization, AI development management, and application optimization.

About Inspur

Inspur Electronic Information Industry Co., LTD is a leading provider of data center infrastructure, cloud computing, and AI solutions, ranking among the world’s top 3 server manufacturers. Through engineering and innovation, Inspur delivers cutting-edge computing hardware design and extensive product offerings to address important technology arenas like open computing, cloud data center, AI and deep learning. Performance-optimized and purpose-built, our world-class solutions empower customers to tackle specific workloads and real-world challenges. To learn more, please go to www.inspursystems.com.

Press:

McKenna Bloomquist

Allison+Partners

[email protected]

Fiona Liu

Inspur Information

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: California United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Data Management Consumer Electronics Technology Software Networks Hardware

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Lifestyle Hotel Brand TRYP by Wyndham Takes its Inaugural Trip to New Zealand

Wyndham deepens relationship with Safari Group with signing of two new TRYP by Wyndham hotels

PR Newswire

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Nov. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest hotel franchising company with approximately 9,000 properties across 90 countries, today announced plans to introduce its TRYP® by Wyndham brand to New Zealand with the development of two new hotels: the 212-room TRYP by Wyndham Remarkables Park Queenstown and the 76-room TRYP by Wyndham Tory Street Wellington.

Under development by Safari Group, Wyndham’s longstanding franchise partner in New Zealand, the design-centric hotels are the latest in a series of new projects for Wyndham’s growing lifestyle brand. In just the last year, TRYP by Wyndham has announced new hotels planned for key cities across Australasia including Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth, as well as in key international markets like Orlando, Florida and Manaus, Brazil, to name just a few.

“We are delighted to collaborate with the Safari Group on the launch of our TRYP by Wyndham brand in New Zealand,” said Joon Aun Ooi, president, Asia Pacific, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. “New Zealand is a beautiful destination that enchants travelers with its stunning scenery and outdoor adventures. Prior to the pandemic, arrivals to the country were on the rise for six consecutive years. As the world reopens, Wyndham will be ready to welcome travelers back with industry-leading brands in the world’s most sought-after destinations.”     

“TRYP by Wyndham, is a perfect fit for Queenstown and Wellington, both lively destinations filled with distinct experiences,” said Andy Flaig, vice president, business development, South East Asia and Pacific Rim, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. “With its vibrant design, distinct personality, and connection with local culture, TRYP by Wyndham is ideal for travelers seeking authentic, local experiences. Not only will these hotels stand out from the crowd and appeal to a new generation of travelers, they’ll make the perfect complement to our established Ramada® by Wyndham and Wyndham Garden® hotels in the country.”

Expected to start construction in late 2021 with plans to open in 2023, TRYP by Wyndham Remarkables Park Queenstown is a stylish new hotel that will put guests in the heart of one of the world’s most exciting destinations. The hotel will feature a collection of 212 contemporary guestrooms and serviced apartments boasting panoramic views of the mountains and ski slopes. Guests can also expect a range of food and beverage amenities as well as social spaces to mingle after an exhilarating day exploring the scenic region.

The hotel will form part of the mixed-use development precinct Remarkables Park, which will also offer upscale residences, retail outlets, restaurants and office space. Perfectly positioned just two minutes’ drive from Queenstown Airport and seven minutes from Queenstown’s Central Business District, the hotel is the ideal base for guests to discover the best local experiences the area has to offer.

The TRYP by Wyndham Tory Street Wellington will commence construction early next year and is expected to open in March 2022. The 76-room hotel will reflect a 1920’s art deco theme reminiscent of “old Chicago,” and offer conference space, a fitness room and a rooftop deck and spa. The hotel is ideally positioned close to the waterfront and is a five-minute walk from Cuba Street’s famous entertainment strip of restaurants, bars and vibrant nightlife, for which Wellington was dubbed ‘the coolest little capital in the world’ by Lonely Planet.

“The launch of TRYP by Wyndham in New Zealand marks another major milestone in the long-term relationship between Safari Group and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts,” said Robert Neil, director, Safari Group. “We are incredibly proud to work with Wyndham, one of the world’s leading hospitality companies, as we work to advance New Zealand’s tourism industry. We look forward to celebrating many more achievements in future.”

The above signings mark the latest projects announced in cooperation between Wyndham and Safari Group. Earlier this year, the two companies announced plans to open the LQ Hotel by Wyndham Remarkables Park Queenstown, which will mark the debut of the La Quinta® by Wyndham brand in New Zealand. In 2019, they announced the opening of three Ramada by Wyndham hotels in New Zealand, including the Ramada Hotel & Suites by Wyndham Queenstown Central.

TRYP by Wyndham is now present in many of the world’s most dynamic urban areas, including New York City, Dubai, Frankfurt, Istanbul and Sao Paulo.

All of Wyndham’s hotels in Australasia participate in Wyndham Rewards®, the world’s most generous hotel rewards program with more than 30,000 hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals worldwide.

About TRYP by Wyndham

Part experience and part destination, TRYP® by Wyndham hotels set the stage for the inside traveler – because there’s no better way to get to know a city than experiencing it like a local. With close to 100 hotels tucked in the heart of the world’s most exciting cities, from bucket-list staples like Abu Dhabi, Brisbane, Istanbul, Barcelona and New York to must-see travel hotspots and up-and-coming destinations, each TRYP by Wyndham hotel is steeped in the local culture of its city. Hotels offer unique local flavors and amenities, all united by the brand’s Mediterranean roots and chic, urban style. For more information about developing a TRYP by Wyndham hotel, visit development.wyndhamhotels.com. You can also follow TRYP by Wyndham on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) is the world’s largest hotel franchising company by the number of properties, with approximately 9,000 hotels across approximately 90 countries on six continents. Through its network of 804,000 rooms appealing to the everyday traveler, Wyndham commands a leading presence in the economy and midscale segments of the lodging industry. The Company operates a portfolio of 20 hotel brands, including Super 8®, Days Inn®, Ramada®, Microtel®, La Quinta®, Baymont®, Wingate®, AmericInn®, Hawthorn Suites®, Trademark Collection® and Wyndham®. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is also a leading provider of hotel management services. The Company’s award-winning Wyndham Rewards® loyalty program offers 85 million enrolled members the opportunity to redeem points at thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally. For more information, visit www.wyndhamhotels.com.

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SOURCE Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

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Healix Sentinel Enables Businesses to Get People Moving Again

The integrated range of security and risk management solutions gives risk managers peace of mind for international operations

Boston, Nov. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — There’s no question that the landscape for international business travel has changed beyond recognition. Recent research by the Institute of Travel Management found that 38% of corporate travel managers expect their firm’s travel plans and budgets for 2021 to be down by 25% to 50% compared to 2019. However, for many organizations that operate with an international footprint, it is imperative to get employees moving again, and for ex-pat workers to be located abroad. With this requirement comes all the usual risks – in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Security and health risk management leader, HX Global/Healix International, has developed a new suite of tools to give risk managers vital control while meeting their ever-evolving duty of care obligations. Healix Sentinel brings together five solutions to provide global organizations with essential tools to stay informed of the risks their employees and operations may face and take appropriate action wherever they are across the globe. 

“This year has been extraordinary and organizations around the world are adjusting to a new way of working to ensure business continuity and productivity,” explained Mike Webb, CEO of Healix International/HX Global. “But remote working can only go so far and it is critical for many businesses that travel resumes. While COVID-19 brings a new dynamic, all the other risks associated with working abroad, such as earthquakes, terrorist activities, or staff experiencing other health-related emergencies, remain.

“Whether it is risk associated with COVID-19, or a country’s political landscape, we understand the importance of balance. Excessive risk management programs can be burdensome and costly, while inadequate cover leaves an organization vulnerable to operational disruption, reputational damage, and potential litigation.”

Developed by experts in crisis management and risk mitigation, the Healix Sentinel suite of services goes beyond the traditional travel risk space to focus instead on “people risk management,” whether they are traveling or not.. Another refreshing way the Sentinel platform stands out is the way the client risk manager – rather than the employee – is seen as the primary stakeholder. As Mike Webb adds; “Often the client only has a small team, or a single individual, responsible for risk mitigation. That’s a heavy burden. The Sentinel platform addresses that by making their lives easier and acting as a force multiplier.”

Risk managers can tailor Healix Sentinel to fit their own specific requirements, choosing the mix of services that will complement and support existing security resources. Alternatively, Healix International/HX Global can provide a fully managed 24/7 “virtual” security department, delivering timely, actionable intelligence using cutting-edge technology to provide location-specific insights and monitoring of incidents. In doing so,, it gives risk managers peace of mind that they are providing employees with the highest possible level of duty of care.

“Our holistic approach encompasses planning, preparing and taking appropriate action as and when required. By providing a solution scalable to specific needs, this new suite of offerings allows risk managers to capitalize on opportunities in challenging environments within their own risk parameters,” concluded Mike Webb.

“As well as helping tackle an organization’s risk management concerns and giving peace of mind, Healix Sentinel helps an organization maintain a competitive advantage and will enhance its reputation as a secure and compliant organization.”

The Healix Sentinel range includes:



Healix Sentinel Protect



The flagship service gives risk/security managers 24/7 access to a team of crisis and risk management experts. From travel security briefings and situation updates to incident and crisis response and evacuations, it is a virtual 24/7 Global Security Operations Center (GSOC). Risk managers benefit from tailored analysis, second opinions and bespoke risk assessments to proactively mitigate risks before they become problematic, and expert assistance when incidents do occur. Furthermore, the service can be tailored to be, or support, an organization’s in-house resources.



Healix Sentinel Tracker



This tool allows risk/security managers to seamlessly monitor and account for their globally mobile workforce via integration with the Healix Sentinel Travel Oracle mobile app. Security alerts and notifications are issued in a timely manner and managers can quickly locate and communicate with employees during a critical incident to ensure their safety.  With “Location Services” activated by employees on their app, risk managers are provided with an accurate, real-time global view of their employees on an interactive map.



Healix Sentinel Critical Watch



Providing a cost-effective solution to extend a security team’s capabilities, Healix Sentinel Critical Watch is ideal for organizations that may lack the in-house resources to monitor employees’ safety around-the-clock. The Healix International/HX Global team provides 24/7 monitoring of global incidents. In the immediate aftermath of a critical incident, the team reaches out to employees in the vicinity who could be impacted. Their safety is ascertained, and appropriate action can be taken according to the situation.



Healix Sentinel Travel Oracle App



Available on Android and iOS, the Healix Sentinel Travel Oracle app is an invaluable travel safety companion for a global workforce. Through alerts and comprehensive background travel and security briefings on over 200 countries, it provides instant access to critical insight and support before and during overseas assignments. The app also provides current travel safety information, advice and real-time alerts on breaking news, and has a tracking function that enables travelers to share live location data or manually “check-in” at previously agreed upon milestones with a direct feed into the Healix Sentinel Tracker platform.



Healix Sentinel Intelligence Portal



This portal is designed to provide risk managers with up-to-date intelligence on global risks that could impact their operations. The dashboard displays a concise summary of information relating to ongoing incidents, risk levels and trends. Alerts are updated to the platform in real-time by our risk analysts who monitor, verify, and assess the impact of incidents as they happen.

The Intelligence Portal also has detailed intelligence summaries on every country worldwide, providing risk managers with in-depth contextual information. A number of different reports can be accessed such as a weekly forecast, evacuation watch and threat report.

# # # 

HX Global is the US division of Healix International, a leading global provider of travel risk management and international medical, security and travel assistance services. The HX Global team works on behalf of multinationals, governments, NGOs and insurers they look after the welfare of expatriates, travelers, offshore workers, and local nationals in every country of the world. We provide a comprehensive, integrated range of solutions to help safeguard the health and security of their clients’ employees, providing a single point of contact to access the expertise and help they may need, wherever they are in the world, 24/7.



For more information please contact the HX Global Press Office:
Stephanie Miller
[email protected]
+1 617 750 7907

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ibi Receives Top Ratings in BARC’s “The BI and Analytics Survey 21” for the Seventh Consecutive Year

Survey results give ibi 22 #1 rankings and 34 leadership positions, with top marks in customer experience, customer satisfaction, implementer support, price-to-value, and operational BI KPIs

NEW YORK, Nov. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Information Builders, Inc. (ibi), a leading end-to-end data and analytics software company, today announced that it received numerous high marks in the Business Application Research Center’s (BARC) BI and Analytics Survey 21. The research concluded that ibi is a leader in 34 categories, receiving 22 top-rankings in its peer groups, including #1 in the customer experience, customer satisfaction and support, price-to-value, and operational BI KPIs for the peer group ‘Large global enterprise BI platforms.’

ibi is featured in three peer groups, including large global enterprise business intelligence (BI) platforms, large international BI vendors, and embedded analytics-focused products. According to those surveyed, ibi provides broad BI and analytics functionality that performs well in “modern” scenarios, such as operational, embedded, or mobile BI – all while maintaining a customer orientation that includes strong vendor support and sales experience.

“ibi achieved excellent results in this year’s The BI and Analytics Survey by providing a high level of benefits and delivering solid and reliable products to its customers,” said Dr. Carsten Bange, founder and CEO, BARC. “Because operational analytics is a particular focus and strength of the ibi platform, customers seem more likely to adopt it throughout the organization than users of competing products. Survey results also demonstrate that ibi is one of the best large, global BI vendors in terms of providing a high level of customer support.”

The report cites comments from ibi customers on what they like most about the company and its products, including:

  • Always evolving to fit needs
  • Handling large volumes of data and returning valuable answer sets quickly
  • Making anything possible through its robust platform
  • Allowing large numbers of users and activity through a non-persistent connection
  • Providing a wide range of functions in one platform instead of several smaller tools, with extensive possibilities for designing reports
  • Supporting low administration effort, including automated job scheduling and web services
  • Affording ease of use and robustness

“We are excited to be once again recognized as an industry leader in BI innovation, product functionality, and customer support,” said Eric Raab, senior vice president, Engineering, ibi. “It’s especially gratifying to receive these stellar reviews from our customers for helping to solve their most complex data and analytics challenges.”

ibi’s modern data and analytics platform provides organizations with the ability to turn all types of data into actionable insights for real business outcomes. Powered by ibi Cloud, customers gain the speed, cost-savings, and flexibility that is crucial for today’s business needs while driving innovation via cloud-native technology. Whether in the ibi Cloud or private cloud, either fully managed or self-managed, ibi products and services deliver leading-edge capabilities to unlock growth through better data and analytics.

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About The BI & Analytics Survey

The BI and Analytics Survey 21 is based on findings from the world’s largest and most comprehensive survey of business intelligence end users, conducted from March to June 2020. In total, 2,591 people responded to the survey, with 2,136 answering a series of detailed questions about their use of a named product. Altogether, the study analyzes 33 products (or groups of products) in detail. For more information, go to www.bi-survey.com.

About ibi

ibi is a data and analytics software company that embeds intelligence into ― everything. From the beginning, ibi has known the importance of data and insights to make better decisions. We help organizations get their complex and disconnected data in order, so they can build, embed, and automate intelligence in everything they do. By preparing organizations for the future and turning them into builders ― information builders, everyone can use enterprise-trusted data at scale to drive their growth. Whether our customers use pre-built applications or build their own solutions for their data and analytics challenges, ibi powers their innovation and reinvention. ibi’s open platform and industry-specific building blocks accelerate speed-to-market, improve operational efficiency, and enhance their customers’ experience.

Visit us at ibi.com, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and visit our LinkedIn page.

Press Contacts

Michael Kornspan
Information Builders
(917) 339-5734
[email protected]

Holly Langbein
Highwire PR
(916) 769-2199
[email protected]



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$2b Wirehouse Team Joins LPL Financial, Gladstone Wealth Partners

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LPL Financial LLC, a leading retail investment advisory firm, independent broker-dealer and registered investment advisor (RIA) custodian, today announced that financial advisors John Gallagher and Mark Levin, ChFC®, of the newly-minted Maverick Partners Wealth Management, have joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer and corporate RIA platform, in addition to leveraging LPL as a custodian. They aligned with Gladstone Wealth Partners, a large enterprise supporting LPL-affiliated advisors. The pair of advisors reported having served approximately $2 billion in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets*. They join from Morgan Stanley.

“To make this move now, during a global pandemic and in the midst of market uncertainties, was a huge, carefully calculated decision. We are entrepreneurs at heart and have decided to build a business that is our own, where we can be fiduciaries and keep our clients’ best interests at the forefront of everything we do,” said Gallagher, who like his business partner Levin, has spent his entire career with the same company. They chose their firm’s name, Maverick, given its definition: “independent-minded.”

With the new affiliation, Gallagher and Levin chose to move their office to Marlton, N.J., about 25 minutes from downtown Philadelphia. With a combined 65 years of industry experience, the advisors work with high-net-worth families, foundations and business organizations, helping them to grow and maintain their wealth. Both recognized as Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors for the past three years (2018-2020), Gallagher and Levin have been partners since 2013, complementing each other with their like-minded strategies and business approach. They are assisted by a four-member office support staff.

Levin said their partnership with LPL and Gladstone gives them a platform to build a high-end, boutique firm that can support their clients’ comprehensive financial needs. “We take great pride in helping people. We love being part of our clients’ core financial team, and we are excited to be in a fiduciary role where we can build out the practice and expand relationships with CPAs and attorneys. The open architecture of LPL’s platform, along with the ability to choose our own partners, allows us to extend our team of experienced professionals to provide clients with a total package for all their financial needs,” Levin said. 

Gallagher and Levin worked with Richard Frick, managing partner and CEO at Gladstone Wealth Partners, at Morgan Stanley. Their relationship played a large role in their decision to join Gladstone and LPL. “We have confidence in Rick and trust his team implicitly,” Gallagher said. “We know that the entire Gladstone team understands the unique challenges and opportunities facing the modern advisor and our clients, and they are here to support us, both now and in the future.”

Frick stated, “All of us at Gladstone Wealth Partners congratulate Mark and John on their transition to independence. They have been one of the premier teams at Morgan Stanley for decades. Their move to independence represents the continuing trend of successful, high-net-worth teams gaining independence to have more control over how they run their businesses and how they serve their clients. They chose to align with Gladstone for the personalized support and dedicated resources we provide to transitioning advisors, backed by LPL’s size, scale and innovative capabilities. I have worked with and have known Mark and John for years, and I am excited to support the launch of their independent business and help them grow.”

Rich Steinmeier, LPL Financial managing director and divisional president, Business Development, said, “We extend a warm welcome to John, Mark and the entire Maverick team, and we congratulate Gladstone on growing its network of quality advisors. As a partner with scale, we are committed to supporting our advisors’ ability to meet their clients’ expectations for superior service and access to sophisticated wealth management solutions. We also deliver the resources and services that help these independent business owners operate efficiently, differentiate their practices and build a business with value. We look forward to a long-lasting partnership with Maverick Partners Wealth Management.”

Read about other firms that recently joined LPL in the LPL Financial News and Media section of LPL.com.

Advisors, find an LPL business development representative near you.


About LPL Financial


LPL Financial (https://www.lpl.com) is a leader in the retail financial advice market and the nation’s largest independent broker-dealer**. We serve independent financial advisors, professionals, and financial institutions, providing them with the technology, research, clearing and compliance services, and practice management programs they need to create and grow thriving practices. LPL enables them to provide objective guidance to millions of American families seeking wealth management, retirement planning, financial planning and asset management solutions.

Maverick Partners Wealth Management, Gladstone Wealth Partners and LPL Financial are separate entities.

*Based on prior business and represents assets that would have been custodied at LPL Financial, rather than third-party custodians. Reported assets and client numbers have not been independently and fully verified by LPL Financial.

**Based on total revenues, Financial Planning magazine June 1996-2020

Throughout this communication, the terms “financial advisors” and “advisors” include registered representatives and/or investment adviser representatives affiliated with LPL Financial LLC, an SEC registered broker-dealer and investment adviser.

The Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisor ranking, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on in-person and telephone due diligence meetings and a ranking algorithm that includes: client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, including: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Portfolio performance is not a criterion due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receives a fee in exchange for rankings. 


Media Contact:


Lauren Hoyt-Williams
(980) 321-1232
[email protected]



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ComEd Urges Customers to Be Aware of Energy-Related Scams Over the Holidays

ComEd Urges Customers to Be Aware of Energy-Related Scams Over the Holidays

On National Scam Awareness Day, ComEd provides customers with tips to help identify scammers looking to steal money and personal information

CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
As the holiday season approaches, ComEd recognizes Utility Scam Awareness Day, Nov. 18, by reminding customers to be on the lookout for imposters using energy-related scams to steal money and personal information.

Since 2017, customer reports of scams and scam attempts into ComEd’s call center have increased 60 percent. With the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, imposters are taking advantage of the situation to also pressure families and businesses who may be struggling with past-due balances.

“Every year, imposters get more sophisticated in their attempts to steal money or financial information from our customers,” said Nichole Owens, ComEd vice president of customer channels. “Utility Scam Awareness Day shines a national spotlight on ways customers can protect themselves from fraudulent activity that could jeopardize their electric service or financial information, especially during the holidays when many people are focused on family and social commitments.”

Common schemes involve imposters posing as ComEd employees to gain entry to a customer’s home to steal belongings. Some scammers, using technology to make their calls appear to come from a ComEd phone number, threaten to turn off a customer’s service unless they make a direct payment with a prepaid cash card. In other attempts, scammers send emails to businesses and request that they send ComEd payments to bogus payment sites.

Here are some tips to help identify scams

1. ComEd will never come to a customer’s home or business to:

  • Demand a payment.
  • Ask for immediate payment with a prepaid cash card.
  • Ask for their ComEd account number or other personal information, such as a driver’s license number.

2. ComEd will never call a customer to:

  • Ask for their account number.
  • Ask for personal information such as their Social Security number or bank information.
  • Ask them to make a direct payment with a prepaid cash card.

3. To identify an actual ComEd employee, remember:

  • All ComEd field employees wear a uniform with the ComEd logo, including shirt and safety vest.
  • ComEd employees visibly display a company ID badge with the ComEd logo and employee’s name.

A ComEd worker may knock on a customer’s door if they are unable to access equipment, such as the meter or pedestal transformer. If any customer is unsure whether a visitor or caller is a ComEd employee or believes he or she has been a target or victim of a scam, call 1-800-EDISON-1 (1-800-334-7661) immediately. To learn more, visit ComEd.com/ScamAlert.

Tips for business customers

ComEd is also seeing an increase in energy-related scam attempts targeting businesses. Offenders impersonate the names of ComEd and other trusted organizations in email or other communications. Their intention is to deceive businesses into providing personal and financial information or acting on urgent requests for payment.

To help protect a business from cyber-scams:

  • Carefully review emails originating from outside your organization’s network.
  • Check the name of the sender and business and make sure it matches the name and business in the email address. Look for misspellings or slight alterations.
  • Make a call to verify the email was sent from a trusted source. Use a phone number from the business’ records or the sending company’s official website and not the number provided in the email.
  • Confirm that everything looks legitimate especially when a request can have major effects for your company, such as transferring large amounts of money.
  • Hover over website links before clicking to confirm the legitimacy of the site.

Bill-payment assistance to help customers avoid scam attempts

“ComEd also understands that COVID-19 continues to create economic hardship for many customers,” said Owens. “This is why we continue to suspend service disconnections for low-income customers and those who express a financial hardship through March 31, 2021.”

ComEd also offers a number of bill-payment assistance programs, including flexible payment options, financial assistance for past-due balances and usage alerts for current bills. Any customer who is experiencing a hardship or difficulty with their electric bill should call ComEd immediately at 1-800-334-7661 (1-800-EDISON-1), Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to learn more and enroll in a program. For more information, visit ComEd.com/PaymentAssistance.

ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 100 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

ComEd Media Relations

312-394-3500

KEYWORDS: United States North America Illinois

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Energy Utilities Oil/Gas

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