June 27, 2023

Zoom brings together in-office and remote employees with the launch of Intelligent Director for Zoom Rooms

AI-powered Intelligent Director enhances connection and optimizes the conference room experience for hybrid work, using multiple cameras to give every participant their own space in Zoom Meetings

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) announced the launch of the award-winning Intelligent Director for Zoom Rooms. For hybrid meetings with a Zoom Room, Intelligent Director uses AI and multiple cameras to provide the best image and angle of participants in the room so remote participants can see each person clearly, even in large conference rooms.

“As more people return to the office, it’s no longer enough to deliver the best remote worker experience; every business needs a solution to deliver the best hybrid meeting experience,” said Smita Hashim, chief product officer at Zoom. “Even with some employees in the office, oftentimes other team members are dispersed, so meeting equity and inclusion become more important than ever. Intelligent Director is the solution that can bring employees together, regardless of location, so they can truly connect face-to-face.”

Intelligent Director is specifically designed for medium- to larger-sized rooms and helps avoid the “bowling alley effect.” Intelligent Director can individually frame up to 16 participants in a Zoom Room using multiple cameras, choosing the best video stream via a Zoom-designed AI, and send that stream to the gallery view of the Zoom Meeting.

An evolution of Zoom’s Smart Gallery feature, which uses a single camera and AI to give each person in a small to medium-sized room their own space in a Zoom Meeting, Intelligent Director takes this same technology to the next level for larger conference rooms.

For bigger meeting spaces, it is easier to be hidden by others when only using a single camera, so Intelligent Director’s multi-camera configuration and use of video AI technology provide meeting equity to everyone in the room, selecting the best view of each individual, even if they move around or turn their heads. Remote participants can now have face-to-face conversations with each Zoom Rooms participant, allowing in-room participants to be seen and heard.

Intelligent Director is made possible through the support of Zoom’s hardware partner ecosystem. Manufacturers, including Apple, AVer, Dell, HP | Poly, Intel, Logitech, and Yealink have supported Zoom with the computer, controller, and camera solutions necessary to produce this major advancement.

About Zoom
Zoom is an all-in-one intelligent collaboration platform that makes connecting easier, more immersive, and more dynamic for businesses and individuals. Zoom technology puts people at the center, enabling meaningful connections, facilitating modern collaboration, and driving human innovation through solutions like team chat, phone, meetings, omnichannel cloud contact center, smart recordings, whiteboard, and more, in one offering. Founded in 2011, Zoom is publicly traded (NASDAQ:ZM) and headquartered in San Jose, California. Get more info at zoom.com.

Zoom Public Relations
Lacretia Taylor
press@zoom.us

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8865322

June 27, 2023

IAVI Starts First-in-Human Phase I Clinical Trial of Single-Dose Sudan Virus Vaccine Candidate

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / June 27, 2023 / IAVI announced today that the first participants have been vaccinated with a Sudan virus (SUDV) vaccine candidate in a first-in-human Phase I clinical trial in the U.S. The IAVI-sponsored trial is funded by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Known as IAVI C108, this first-in-human study is designed to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of an investigational SUDV vaccine candidate donated to IAVI by Merck (known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada) to supplement IAVI’s ongoing SUDV vaccine development program. This investigational SUDV vaccine candidate was produced for IAVI from existing investigational bulk drug substance previously manufactured by Merck. IAVI is the vaccine candidate’s regulatory sponsor. IAVI is responsible for all aspects of the candidate’s future development, including demonstrating equivalence between this SUDV vaccine candidate and IAVI’s other SUDV vaccine candidate, which utilizes the same viral vector but is manufactured using a new production platform.

The SUDV vaccine candidate being evaluated in IAVI C108 uses the same recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) viral vector platform as ERVEBO®, Merck’s single-dose Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV) vaccine which is licensed in the U.S., U.K., European Union, Canada, Switzerland, and 10 African countries. rVSV is also the platform technology utilized in IAVI’s portfolio of emerging infectious disease (EID) candidates.

“IAVI C108 represents an important first step toward generating the data needed for eventual licensure of an rVSV-SUDV vaccine. The development and licensure of ERVEBO® has resulted in an important tool in Ebola Zaire outbreak response. If proven effective, we’re hopeful that a vaccine candidate built on the same viral platform will be similarly important in future SUDV outbreaks,” said Swati Gupta, Ph.D., vice president and head of emerging infectious diseases and epidemiology at IAVI. “In parallel, we must continue accelerating efforts toward the adequate availability of candidate vaccine doses for evaluation during and ahead of outbreaks with key partners, collaborators, and funders. We’re grateful to Merck for donating the doses that will be used in IAVI C108 and to BARDA for its support of this trial.”

IAVI C108 will take place at two U.S.-based clinical trial sites, where the study vaccine will be administered intramuscularly at three dosage levels. This is a placebo-controlled, single-blind study, meaning that only the researchers conducting the study will know whether a participant has received a vaccine dose or a placebo dose until after the trial is over. Approximately 36 healthy adults will be enrolled and will be followed for six months after vaccination to monitor their safety and immune responses to the vaccine candidate.

Like ZEBOV, SUDV is responsible for recurring viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks, which have had lasting impacts on health security and geopolitical stability across sub-Saharan Africa. The estimated case fatality ratios of SUDV disease have varied from 41% to 100% in past outbreaks[1]. Despite high morbidity and mortality, there are no vaccines or therapeutics licensed for the prevention and treatment of SUDV. Existing ZEBOV vaccines and treatments are not effective against SUDV. Data being generated from ongoing studies suggest that rVSV could be a safe and effective platform for responding to SUDV and other related pathogens[2].

IAVI’s rVSV-based EID portfolio includes a SUDV vaccine candidate supported by BARDA; a Lassa fever virus vaccine candidate currently in a Phase I trial and supported by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership; a Marburg virus vaccine candidate supported by BARDA and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD); and an intranasal SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate supported by DOD DTRA and the Japan Ministry of Finance.

The rVSV platform has been used extensively in adults and children[3]. The underlying vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is a common animal virus that does not cause serious illness in humans and has been investigated extensively as a vaccine vector. In the vaccine platform, it is engineered to encode a surface protein from a target pathogen – in this case, SUDV – to prompt the body to mount an immune response.

Much of the research and development on IAVI’s rVSV platform is performed at the IAVI Vaccine Design and Development Lab (DDL) in Brooklyn, New York. The DDL is located at the bioscience center in the historic Brooklyn Army Terminal. Since its founding in 2008, the IAVI DDL has become one of the world’s leading viral vector vaccine research and development labs, known for innovation and generation of novel vaccine design concepts.

Scientists with IAVI’s Human Immunology Laboratory (HIL) in London, U.K., are involved in processing participant samples and developing the analytical assays needed to evaluate IAVI C108 participants’ immune responses. Established in 2001, the HIL is fully integrated into the Infectious Disease department within the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London and serves as the clinical immunology reference laboratory for IAVI and the network of clinical research centers with which IAVI collaborates worldwide.

Media Contact
Rose Catlos
Rcatlos@iavi.org
212-847-1049

About IAVI
IAVI is a nonprofit scientific research organization dedicated to addressing urgent, unmet global health challenges including HIV, tuberculosis, and emerging infectious diseases. Its mission is to translate scientific discoveries into affordable, globally accessible public health solutions. Read more at iavi.org.

Follow IAVI on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, and subscribe to our news updates.

About IAVI’s rVSV vaccine candidates
IAVI holds a nonexclusive license to the rVSV vaccine candidates from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). The vector was developed by scientists at PHAC’s National Microbiology Laboratory.

IAVI initially developed its rVSV vector for HIV vaccine candidates and has since expanded its use to the development of vaccines addressing emerging infectious diseases (Lassa Fever, Marburg, Sudan ebolavirus, and COVID-19).

Funders who have made the development of IAVI’s rVSV-vectored vaccine candidates possible include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; the Government of Canada; the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Government of Japan; the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation; the U.K Department for International Development; the U.S. National Institutes of Health; and through the generous support of the American people from the United States Agency for International Development.

This project is funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services; Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority under contract number 75A50121C00077.

[1] https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2022-DON410

[2] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11262-017-1455-x

[3] https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/blue-print/who-vaccine-prioritization-report-uganda-ebola-trial-nov-16-2022.pdf

SOURCE: IAVI

June 27, 2023

SAP Fioneer lança produto bancário personalizado para PMEs

WALLDORF, Alemanha, June 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A SAP Fioneer, fornecedora líder global de soluções e plataformas de software de serviços financeiros, anunciou o lançamento de sua Fioneer SME Banking Edition. A solução permitirá que bancos e neobancos ofereçam recursos bancários em uma abordagem digital e orientada por dados, adaptada às necessidades financeiras de pequenas e médias empresas (PMEs) – um segmento de mercado historicamente carente.

O setor das PMEs é um componente vital da economia global, representando 99% das empresas do Reino Unido e da UE e empregando cerca de 16,4 milhões e 84 milhões de pessoas, respectivamente.* Apesar de representarem uma proporção significativa do PIB e da mão de obra, as PMEs têm tradicionalmente lutado para aceder a serviços financeiros que satisfaçam as suas necessidades específicas, uma vez que os riscos e custos associados percebidos são considerados demasiado elevados.

A Fioneer SME Banking Edition aborda esses desafios conectando bancos a fontes de dados externas, como Open Banking, registro central de empresas, comércio eletrônico e dados de Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), para produzir informações úteis que ajudam significativamente as PMEs a se manterem na vanguarda. Isso proporcionará às PMEs uma elevada transparência quanto ao fluxo de caixa e fornecerá informações aos bancos, permitindo, por exemplo, opções de financiamento inteligentes, oferecendo mais variedade e aumentando o número de empresas que os bancos podem atender.

Como uma solução única de ponta a ponta, a Fioneer SME Banking Edition abrange recursos front-to-back e se integra perfeitamente a qualquer sistema bancário central. Ele permite que os bancos ofereçam serviços que vão além dos produtos bancários tradicionais, como empréstimos e depósitos. Os bancos poderão ampliar sua oferta com serviços integrados e aconselhamento financeiro mais sólido diretamente para as PMEs. A solução também pode ser facilmente integrada e conectada a ecossistemas por meio de APIs pré-configuradas.

Charlie Platt, Diretor Executivo de Bancos da SAP Fioneer, comenta sobre o lançamento: “As PMEs representam a força vital da economia e é fundamental que elas possam acessar os serviços financeiros que merecem. Através da nossa SME Banking Edition, os bancos poderão criar experiências bancárias comercialmente viáveis, exclusivas e melhores para as PMEs que as ajudarão a manter-se na vanguarda em um ambiente económico desafiador.”

“O lançamento da nossa Fioneer SME Banking Edition reforça significativamente a forma como os bancos interagem com as PMEs. Utilizando nossa tecnologia comprovada, estamos ajudando os bancos a atenderem melhor as PMEs em um cenário econômico dinâmico. Inspirando-nos no mercado B2C, estamos capacitando os bancos a aumentar suas ofertas de serviços para PMEs”, acrescenta Dirk Kruse, CEO da SAP Fioneer.

*Estimativas da população empresarial para o Reino Unido e regiões 2022 (Governo do Reino Unido), Statista 2022

Sobre a SAP Fioneer

A SAP Fioneer foi lançada em 2021 como uma joint venture entre a líder global de tecnologia SAP e o investidor empreendedor Dediq para se tornar a fornecedora líder mundial de soluções e plataformas de software para serviços financeiros. Com um amplo ecossistema de parceiros, mais de 800 clientes de serviços financeiros e mais de 1.000 funcionários, a SAP Fioneer é uma empresa global presente em 17 países na Europa, América do Norte e Latina, Oriente Médio e Ásia-Pacífico.

Ao combinar a velocidade e a agilidade de uma start-up com os recursos comprovados de uma empresa de software de primeira linha, a SAP Fioneer permite que bancos, seguradoras e concorrentes executem, transformem e cresçam enquanto atendem às suas necessidades de velocidade, escalabilidade e eficiência de custos por meio de inovação de negócios digitais, tecnologia em nuvem e soluções que cobrem processos bancários e de seguros de ponta a ponta.

Para mais informações, visite www.sapfioneer.com Siga a SAP Fioneer no Twitter e no LinkedIn.

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press@sapfioneer.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000827118

June 27, 2023

SAP Fioneer lance une offre bancaire sur mesure pour les PME

WALLDORF, Allemagne, 27 juin 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SAP Fioneer, l’un des principaux fournisseurs mondiaux de solutions et de plateformes logicielles pour les services financiers, a annoncé le lancement de Fioneer SME Banking Edition, sa solution bancaire pour les PME. La solution permettra aux banques et néobanques d’offrir des capacités bancaires dans le cadre d’une approche privilégiant le numérique, axée sur les données et adaptée aux besoins financiers des petites et moyennes entreprises (PME), un segment du marché historiquement négligé.

Or, le secteur des PME est une composante essentielle de l’économie mondiale, représentant 99 % des entreprises du Royaume-Uni et de l’UE et employant environ 16,4 millions et 84 millions de personnes respectivement.* Bien qu’elles représentent une part importante du PIB et de la main-d’œuvre, les PME ont traditionnellement eu du mal à accéder à des services financiers répondant à leurs besoins uniques, les risques perçus et les coûts associés étant jugés trop élevés.

La solution Fioneer SME Banking Edition relève ces défis en connectant les banques à des sources de données externes telles que l’Open Banking, le registre du commerce et des sociétés, et aux données de commerce électronique et de planification des ressources de l’entreprise (ERP), afin d’obtenir des informations exploitables qui aident réellement les PME à tirer leur épingle du jeu. Les PME bénéficieront ainsi d’une transparence claire sur leurs flux de trésorerie, ce qui permettra aux banques par exemple de disposer d’options de financement intelligentes, d’offrir une plus grande variété et d’augmenter le nombre d’entreprises que les banques peuvent servir.

En tant que solution unique de bout en bout, Fioneer SME Banking Edition couvre les capacités front-to-back et s’intègre de manière transparente avec tout système bancaire de base. Elle permet aux banques d’offrir des services qui vont au-delà des produits bancaires traditionnels tels que les prêts et les dépôts. Les banques pourront élargir leur offre en proposant des services intégrés et des conseils financiers plus solides directement aux PME. La solution peut également être facilement intégrée et connectée aux écosystèmes grâce à des API préconfigurées.

Charlie Platt, Directeur général des services bancaires chez SAP Fioneer, commente le lancement : « Les PME sont le moteur de l’économie et il est essentiel qu’elles puissent accéder aux services financiers qu’elles méritent. Grâce à la solution bancaire Fioneer pour les PME, les banques seront en mesure de créer pour les PME des expériences bancaires uniques, commercialement viables et de meilleure qualité, qui les aideront à conserver une longueur d’avance dans un environnement économique difficile ».

« L’introduction de notre solution Fioneer SME Banking Edition renforce considérablement la façon dont les banques collaborent avec les PME. Grâce à notre technologie éprouvée, nous aidons les banques à mieux servir les PME dans un environnement économique dynamique. En nous inspirant du marché B2C, nous permettons aux banques d’améliorer leur offre de services aux PME », ajoute Dirk Kruse, PDG de SAP Fioneer.

* Estimation du nombre de salariés des entreprises au Royaume-Uni et dans les régions 2022 (Gouvernement du Royaume-Uni), Statista 2022

À propos de SAP Fioneer

Lancée en 2021, SAP Fioneer est une coentreprise entre le leader mondial de la technologie SAP et l’investisseur et entrepreneur Dediq, qui vise à devenir le premier fournisseur mondial de solutions et de plateformes logicielles pour les services financiers. Grâce à un vaste réseau de partenaires, plus de 800 clients dans le secteur des services financiers et plus de 1 000 collaborateurs, SAP Fioneer est une entreprise mondiale présente dans 17 pays en Europe, en Amérique du Nord, en Amérique latine, au Moyen-Orient et en Asie-Pacifique.

En conjuguant la vitesse et l’agilité d’une start-up avec les capacités éprouvées d’un éditeur de logiciels de premier plan, SAP Fioneer permet aux banques, aux compagnies d’assurance et aux challengers de fonctionner, de se transformer et de se développer tout en répondant à leurs besoins de rapidité, d’évolutivité et de rentabilité grâce à l’innovation commerciale numérique, à la technologie cloud et à des solutions qui couvrent les processus bancaires et d’assurance de bout en bout.

Pour plus d’informations, consultez www.sapfioneer.com. Suivez SAP Fioneer sur Twitter et sur LinkedIn.

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GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000827118

June 27, 2023

MICT launches Internet Universality Indicators assessment

Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology (MICT), Emma Theofelus, launched the Namibia National Assessment on Internet Universality Indicators on Tuesday.

The assessment framework was developed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) and has been adopted by member states as an assessment tool for internet development at multiple levels.

“Namibia has embraced this opportunity to allow this voluntary assessment that will provide us with evidence as to where we are in our policy and development of our internet systems, particularly considering the human rights aspects, openness, accessibility, and the role and governance of multiple stakeholders,” Theofelus said in her remarks at the launch.

She also said that the framework recognises gender, disability, youth, and artificial intelligence as diverse intersectional issues that ought to be paid attention to in the selection, utilisation, and practice of technology.

The deputy minister further said ICT remains a key catalyst for development and is consequently reflected across various indicators and performance areas. She noted that only 51 per cent of Namibians have access to the internet, and that the MICT, along with other partners, is rolling out a national digital literacy programme aimed at empowering those without internet access with some digital skills.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

June 27, 2023

Don’t blackmail fellow citizen to get position in government – Group tasks politicians

The Centre for Accountability and Good Governance, a civil society group, has cautioned politicians against blackmailing fellow citizens to get political appointments.

The group made the call in a statement issued by its Secretary General, Mr Olamide Badmus, on Monday in Abuja.

Badmus said the recent online media report of an alleged corruption against a former Permanent Secretary, Dr Mohammed Dikwa, was malicious and cheap blackmail.

He said the former permanent secretary was one of Nigeria’s most outstanding public servants.

According to him, all the allegations raised in the said publication against Dikwa by the online medium accusing him of conniving with a female staff of NDIC to hide and launder money in an apartment in Abuja is totally false and malicious.

Badmus said: “For the avoidance of doubt, we want to make it categorically clear that we have been interacting with Dr Dikwa for years, and we can vouch for him.

“He is a man of impeccable character and his clean and excellent track record in the Borno and the Federal Civil Service has been consistent.

“There was never a time that the name of Dr Dikwa, who retired as a permanent secretary, was mentioned in any case of corruption or official recklessness.”

“We hereby use this medium to caution those behind the malicious story to retract it with immediate effect.

“One doesn’t need to blackmail and tarnish the image of an individual simply because the individual poses a threat to his or her ambition.

“It is wrong to try people on pages of newspaper for offences they never commit simply because we do not like or hate them. This trend has to stop,” he cautioned.

Badmus said the fact that the author of the story waited till 2023 before talking about event that they alleged to have happened in 2020 showed the real intention of the writer.

“We call on Nigerians to disregard the story and see it as the handiwork of desperate politicians lobbying for appointment and using Machiavellian tactics to eliminate those who pose a threat to their ambitions,” he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria