Category: Machine Learning

  • MIL-OSI: Societe Generale: shares & voting rights as of 30 April 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NUMBER OF SHARES COMPOSING CURRENT SHARE CAPITAL AND TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTING RIGHTS AS OF 30 APRIL 2025

    Regulated Information

    Paris, 7 May 2025

    Information about the total number of voting rights and shares pursuant to Article L.233-8 II of the French Commercial Code and Article 223-16 of the AMF General Regulations.

    Date Number of shares composing current share capital Total number of
    voting rights
    30 April 2025 800,316,777

    Gross: 888,385,614

    Press contacts:

    Jean-Baptiste Froville_+33 1 58 98 68 00_ jean-baptiste.froville@socgen.com
    Fanny Rouby_+33 1 57 29 11 12_ fanny.rouby@socgen.com

    Societe Generale

    Societe Generale is a top tier European Bank with around 119,000 employees serving more than 26 million clients in 62 countries across the world. We have been supporting the development of our economies for 160 years, providing our corporate, institutional, and individual clients with a wide array of value-added advisory and financial solutions. Our long-lasting and trusted relationships with the clients, our cutting-edge expertise, our unique innovation, our ESG capabilities and leading franchises are part of our DNA and serve our most essential objective – to deliver sustainable value creation for all our stakeholders.

    The Group runs three complementary sets of businesses, embedding ESG offerings for all its clients:

    • French Retail, Private Banking and Insurance, with leading retail bank SG and insurance franchise, premium private banking services, and the leading digital bank BoursoBank.
    • Global Banking and Investor Solutions, a top tier wholesale bank offering tailored-made solutions with distinctive global leadership in equity derivatives, structured finance and ESG.
    • Mobility, International Retail Banking and Financial Services, comprising well-established universal banks (in Czech Republic, Romania and several African countries), Ayvens (the new ALD I LeasePlan brand), a global player in sustainable mobility, as well as specialized financing activities.

    Committed to building together with its clients a better and sustainable future, Societe Generale aims to be a leading partner in the environmental transition and sustainability overall. The Group is included in the principal socially responsible investment indices: DJSI (Europe), FTSE4Good (Global and Europe), Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, Refinitiv Diversity and Inclusion Index, Euronext Vigeo (Europe and Eurozone), STOXX Global ESG Leaders indexes, and the MSCI Low Carbon Leaders Index (World and Europe).

    For more information, you can follow us on Twitter/X @societegenerale or visit our website societegenerale.com.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: IT Nation Unveils Agenda for 2025 Secure Conference

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TAMPA, Fla., May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — IT Nation, a global community of peers, thought leaders, and experts dedicated to elevating the IT ecosystem to new heights, recently announced the agenda for its annual IT Nation Secure™ Conference. The event brings MSP cybersecurity community members together for three days of sessions led by experts from ConnectWise and other leading cybersecurity organizations, hands-on workshops, and networking opportunities, all of which will provide insights into the latest technologies, tools, and best practices. IT Nation Secure will be held on June 2-4 at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida.

    “At IT Nation Secure, MSPs come together to gain the latest insights and exchange ideas to enhance their readiness and response capabilities against cyber threats,” said Peter Kujawa, Executive Vice President & General Manager, IT Nation & Service Leadership. “We’re looking forward to this year’s conference and empowering our community to fortify their defenses and shape a more secure future.”

    Each session is tailored to further enhance cybersecurity capabilities, safeguard clients, and expand cybersecurity offerings. IT Nation Secure is designed to empower MSPs to become their clients’ go-to cybersecurity experts. Some of the key learning track themes include:

    • AI & Hyperautomation for Cybersecurity – Explore how artificial intelligence and hyperautomation are changing cybersecurity, enhancing threat detection, and streamlining security operations.
    • Governance, Risk, Compliance – Understand the frameworks and best practices for managing organizational oversight, assessing and mitigating risks, and ensuring adherence to regulatory standards.
    • Management & Leadership – Develop leadership skills and strategies for managing cybersecurity teams, driving security sales growth, and fostering a culture of security.

    “The cyber threat landscape is ever-changing as attack methods evolve and become increasingly sophisticated,” said Patrick Beggs, Chief Information Security Officer, ConnectWise. “IT Nation Secure helps the MSP community fine-tune their skills and better understand these evolving threats.”

    The event will feature exciting keynote speakers and sessions, such as the opening night keynote with a panel including:

    • Kyle Hanslovan, Chief Executive Officer, Huntress
    • Jon Murchison, Chief Executive Officer, Blackpoint
    • Jay Ryerse, Senior Director, Global MSSP, SentinelOne
    • Patrick Beggs, CISO, ConnectWise
    • Neil Wyler’s keynote, “Inside Black Hat: Lessons Learned While Depending One the ‘Most Hostile Networks in the World’”
    • Additional Highlights: Industry thought leaders from Microsoft, ThreatLocker, Pax8, accomplished MSPs, cybersecurity innovation announcements, and more.

    “ConnectWise’s dedication to MSP success is unwavering, empowering them with the essential tools, actionable insights, and robust community support required to not just succeed, but to lead,” said Manny Rivelo, Chief Executive Officer, ConnectWise. “IT Nation Secure is where our community and partners come together to future-proof their businesses by ensuring they are expertly equipped to combat the evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats for themselves and their customers.”

    If you’re interested in learning more about IT Nation Secure, please visit: https://itnation.connectwise.com/secure

    About IT Nation
    The IT Nation is a vibrant and inclusive community that brings together the brightest minds from Managed Solution Providers (MSPs) and IT channel vendors worldwide. Our shared culture, rooted in the Go-Giver philosophy, enables us to harness collective wisdom for mutual growth. Our mission is to empower individuals who align with this worldview by providing purpose-built tools and success frameworks. These resources are designed to help our members define goals, create strategic plans, and execute with precision. At IT Nation, we are dedicated to cultivating an environment where innovation, education, planning, accountability, and celebration serve as the pillars of success. The IT Nation inspires excellence, collaboration fuels advancement, and shared success drives us toward our mission: Wise Together, Rise Together. Learn more at theitnation.com.

    Media Contact
    Keith Giannini
    connectwise@inkhouse.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: L’École de Gestion d’Actifs et de Capital Launches Lumicoin IA, Shaped by Marc Leclerc’s Educational Vision

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Paris, France, May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In a move to transform financial learning through innovation and empathy, L’École de Gestion d’Actifs et de Capital has officially expanded access to its flagship intelligent platform, Lumicoin IA, under the direction of its founder, Marc Leclerc. This launch marks a new chapter in the institution’s mission to make financial understanding more intuitive, inclusive, and human-centered.

    Developed through years of applied research and supported by Interactive Brokers, Lumicoin IA offers a seamless and interactive educational experience. It combines artificial intelligence with pedagogical clarity, allowing users to visualize, evaluate, and build strategies without needing prior financial or technical knowledge.

    At the heart of Lumicoin IA is a simple but powerful concept: every financial strategy becomes a smart, visual asset. These “intelligent learning tokens” can be viewed in real time, scored based on performance metrics, combined into custom portfolios, and automatically rebalanced by the system. The platform’s intuitive dashboard requires no coding and is designed to foster deep learning through interaction and observation.

    Marc Leclerc, a veteran of the financial industry with nearly three decades of experience, created Lumicoin IA to reflect not only his professional insights but also his personal philosophy. After facing the highs and lows of financial life, his vision today centers on restoring meaning and accessibility to finance.
     “We are not just building a platform—we are building a learning environment that respects people’s pace, emotions, and aspirations,” he says. “With Lumicoin IA, we’re turning complexity into clarity and giving people the chance to grow with confidence.”

    Lumicoin IA includes a range of features:

    Strategy simulation and backtesting via visual tokens

    Real-time IQ scoring and adaptability monitoring

    Portfolio creation with automated balancing

    Sentiment analysis from social and economic news

    User-friendly, code-free graphical interface

    Beyond its technological strengths, the platform promotes educational equity by inviting individuals, communities, and institutions to learn side by side. It encourages users to engage with financial learning not as a challenge, but as a progressive journey—one built on simplicity, feedback, and empowerment.

    As part of its open launch, L’École de Gestion d’Actifs et de Capital will continue collecting insights from users to refine Lumicoin IA’s capabilities and foster a global learning community.

    For those seeking a smarter, more humane approach to financial education, Lumicoin IA offers a clear starting point.

    Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Flipido Trading Center Launches ‘Flipido Learn’ Platform to Empower Crypto Investors Through Education

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Arvada, CO, May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Flipido Trading Center has launched a dedicated educational platform, Flipido Learn, to help users better understand digital assets, trading strategies, and market dynamics. This new initiative reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to responsible trading and financial literacy in the fast-growing crypto sector.

    Flipido Learn offers a structured curriculum of multimedia resources, including video tutorials, interactive quizzes, market explainers, and live webinars hosted by industry experts. Topics range from blockchain fundamentals and asset security to advanced technical analysis and decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols.

    “Education is the cornerstone of a healthy trading environment,” said Valerie, Head of Community Engagement at Flipido Trading Center. “Flipido Learn is designed to give users the tools they need to make informed decisions and navigate crypto markets with confidence.”

    To meet the needs of a global user base, the platform is multilingual and segmented into beginner, intermediate, and advanced learning tracks. Users can progress at their own pace and earn digital certificates upon completion of each module.

    In addition to self-paced courses, Flipido Learn includes weekly live sessions with analysts, portfolio managers, and fintech researchers. These sessions offer real-time insights into market trends, regulatory developments, and emerging technologies shaping the crypto landscape.

    The launch of Flipido Learn complements the platform’s existing security and trading infrastructure, which includes an AI-powered risk control engine, institutional-grade custody, and millisecond-level order matching. By integrating education with technology, Flipido aims to bridge the knowledge gap and promote long-term user engagement.

    Flipido also plans to collaborate with universities, nonprofit organizations, and regional fintech associations to extend access to blockchain education in underserved communities. The company has announced an upcoming scholarship program for students pursuing careers in digital finance and data science.

    With scams and misinformation still prevalent in the crypto space, Flipido Learn provides a reliable and neutral knowledge base for both novice and experienced investors. As digital asset adoption expands, the initiative is expected to enhance user trust and market participation.

    Flipido Trading Center continues to position itself as more than just a trading platform—it is a gateway to the broader digital economy, built on transparency, innovation, and user empowerment.

    Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Increasing wetlands in Alberta

    Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)

    MIL OSI Canada News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China highly appreciates Spain’s special attention to developing bilateral relations – Chinese Foreign Ministry

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua) — China appreciates the Spanish government’s strong focus on developing relations with China and its consistent promotion of practical cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Wednesday.

    The Chinese diplomat made this statement at a regular briefing, commenting at the request of one of the journalists on the recently published Spanish Foreign Policy Strategy for 2025-2028, which, in particular, emphasizes the need to deepen Spanish-Chinese relations of a comprehensive strategic partnership.

    Recalling Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s recent visit to China, Lin Jian said the two countries jointly issued an action plan to strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership and proposed building a comprehensive strategic partnership with greater strategic determination and greater development vigor.

    The official representative indicated that, in addition to this, the parties signed a package of documents on cooperation in the areas of economics, trade, education, science and technology, and also achieved important results in cooperation in such areas of the new energy sector as electric vehicles and traction batteries.

    China hopes to work with Spain to further deepen open cooperation, especially in areas such as green development, artificial intelligence and digital economy, to improve the well-being of the peoples of both countries and give further impetus to China-EU relations, Lin Jian concluded. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI: Zoom and ServiceNow Announce Strategic Integration to Elevate Customer and Employee Experiences

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LAS VEGAS, May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zoom Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) and ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW), the AI platform for business transformation, today announced plans to integrate Zoom CX with ServiceNow CRM and IT Service Management (ITSM). The integration, announced as part of Knowledge 2025, ServiceNow’s annual customer and partner event, will deliver a turnkey, AI-first solution for customer service and IT support in the contact center.

    “This integration unites the power of Zoom’s AI-first omnichannel contact center platform with ServiceNow’s CRM and Industry workflows, bringing voice, video, and digital interactions directly into the flow of work for service teams, making the experience more seamless and robust,” said Kentis Gopalla, head of product for Zoom CX. “This partnership underscores our commitment to providing solutions that drive business success and simplify customer and employee interactions.”

    “Customer experiences should be easy, personalized, and fast — not stalled by disconnected systems or unhelpful bots,” said Michael Ramsey, GVP, Product Management, CRM and Industry Workflows at ServiceNow. “With ServiceNow CRM and Zoom CX coming together in one unified experience, we’re eliminating the need to swivel between tools and giving CX teams the context, data, and AI they need to resolve issues faster and create deeper customer connections.”

    Key Benefits of the Zoom + ServiceNow Integration

    • A Unified Workspace That Puts Agents in Control
      With Zoom CX embedded inside the ServiceNow Agent Workspace, agents manage every interaction, whether voice, video, or chat, without leaving the platform. Instead of toggling between systems, they can stay focused on the customer, supported by real-time access to CRM data, interaction history, entitlements, and open cases.

      Combined with ServiceNow’s Industry workflows, agents can take action in context, triggering the right processes, resolving issues faster, and delivering a more tailored experience, whether it’s helping a patient reschedule an appointment, a banking client check on a loan application, or a retailer process a return.

    • Personalized, AI-First Experiences That Scale
      Combining Zoom’s AI capabilities with ServiceNow’s automation and CRM intelligence enables organizations to scale support without sacrificing personalization. Zoom Virtual Agent can handle customer issues with context-aware responses. Agents benefit from AI Expert Assist to provide real-time sentiment analysis, smart note-taking, and automatic call dispositioning, keeping them focused on high-value interactions instead of repetitive tasks.

      Additionally, Zoom’s AI-first quality management can automatically score every interaction and generate coaching opportunities to drive continuous optimization.

    • Accelerate Resolution Through Seamless Collaboration
      Support doesn’t always end with the first agent. Sometimes it takes a team, from billing to field service to engineering. With Zoom’s collaboration tools accessible within ServiceNow, agents can bring in the right expert without switching tools or losing context, helping them resolve issues faster and with the right team.

    Availability

    Unified Engagement from Zoom CX and ServiceNow will be available later this year through the ServiceNow Store.

    About Zoom

    Zoom’s mission is to provide an AI-first work platform for human connection. Reimagine teamwork with Zoom Workplace — Zoom’s open collaboration platform with AI Companion empowers teams to be more productive. Together with Zoom Workplace, Zoom’s Business Services for sales, marketing, and customer experience teams, including Zoom Contact Center, strengthen customer relationships throughout the customer lifecycle. Founded in 2011, Zoom is publicly traded (NASDAQ:ZM) and headquartered in San Jose, California. Get more information at zoom.com.

    About ServiceNow 
    ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) is putting AI to work for people. We move with the pace of innovation to help customers transform organizations across every industry while upholding a trustworthy, human centered approach to deploying our products and services at scale. Our AI platform for business transformation connects people, processes, data, and devices to increase productivity and maximize business outcomes. For more information, visit: www.servicenow.com.   

    © 2025 ServiceNow, Inc. All rights reserved. ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other company names, product names, and logos may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

    Zoom Public Relations
    Karen Modlin
    press@zoom.us

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Cabo Verde’s Digital Transformation in full expansion with African Development Bank Support

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

    PRAIA, Cabo Verde, May 7, 2025/APO Group/ —

    • Technology Park positioned to make Cabo Verde a global digital hub with world-class facilities 
    • AfDB President honored with Cabo Verde’s highest public service award for a decade of transformative leadership 

    Cabo Verde marked a significant milestone in its digital transformation journey on Monday, 5 May, with the official inauguration of TechPark CV (https://apo-opa.co/4iSRdLU), a strategic infrastructure project backed by the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org).  

    The island nation’s Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva and African Development Bank Group head Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, led the inauguration of the facility at a ceremony attended by hundreds of government officials, international partners, entrepreneurs, and academia. The celebration, held at TechPark CV’s main campus in Praia, continued in Mindelo on Tuesday. 

    The EUR 51.85 million project, developed in two phases with EUR 45.5 million in African Development Bank financing, has rapidly evolved from concept to a thriving technology center since operations began in November 2023. Within just 18 months, the park now hosts 23 companies from 7 countries, employs 311 young professionals, and has reached full occupancy of its 52 office spaces. 

    Prime Minister Correia e Silva emphasized the park’s world-class facilities: “The tech park is a good environment to connect startups and more mature companies. I have visited many tech parks around the world, and this one is not behind any of them. In fact, it is one of the best. With 311 professionals employed here across 23 companies serving international markets, and state-of-the-art infrastructure, this speaks directly to our vision of turning Cabo Verde into a Digital Island for the globe.”  

    He outlined two main objectives – the first, to position Cabo Verde as a digital hub for Africa and the rest of the world, exporting quality digital services, and the second, to create quality jobs and attract diaspora talents. He highlighted the fact of Cabo Verde’s strong diaspora, which cannot be ignored, and the government’s role in leveraging its skills to build and reinforce capabilities at the Tech Park.    

    The Prime Minister added, “We also know that the state is an important economic agent. We can either facilitate or complicate it. So, we choose to facilitate, not complicate it. We would like to build a very solid foundation to sustain this digital ecosystem, reinforcing education and strengthening our informal economy with digital commerce and skills because we know that Digital is transversal.” 

    Dr. Adesina, who led a delegation from the African Development Bank Group to the event, highlighted the strategic importance of the technology park. 

    “This is a great day for Cabo Verde, to celebrate the success of your vision to transform the country into a ‘Cyber Island,’ a digital hub, a digital gateway to West Africa — an important digital hub to attract tech businesses from around the world. The future is very bright for innovative young entrepreneurs in Africa. This is driven by the rapid expansion of the digital economy, which will add $180 billion to Africa’s GDP by 2025 and $712 billion by 2050,” he said. 

    “You had doubters, with some questioning the rationale of a small country like Cabo Verde having a technology park. Some even said this was going to be a white elephant project. But you were undaunted. You stayed true to your vision. Well, time has proven you right! The white elephant is running, full steam,” he added. 

    The TechPark CV includes fully equipped facilities such as a Data Centre, Disaster Recovery Site, Business Center, Incubation Center, Civic Event Center, and Training and Qualification Center across its Praia and Mindelo campuses. Operating as a special economic zone, it offers tax exemptions on technology imports and income tax to attract companies. 

    The park has expanded its training programs from 6 in 2023 to 50 in the first quarter of 2025, upskilling 2,769 people in cutting-edge fields such as Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, and software development. Since opening, the park’s operational revenue has grown by more than 4,300%. 

    The African Development Bank is the largest development partner in ICT in Cabo Verde through the Praia Technology Park, for which it has provided $57 million for Phases 1 and 2 project.   

    The Bank’s investment in Cabo Verde’s Technology Park aligns with its Digital Transformation Action Plan, focusing on scaling inclusive digital infrastructure, investing in digital entrepreneurship and skills, and driving sectoral adoption of digitalization. 

    During the ceremony Adesina was awarded Cabo Verde’s highest public service medal in recognition of his decade of transformative leadership at the African Development Bank and his unwavering support for Cabo Verde’s development initiatives.   

    The three-day program will include panel discussions on digital transformation, workshops on emerging technologies, and a startup pitch competition, showcasing Cabo Verde’s pioneering role in Africa’s digital landscape. 

    MIL OSI Africa

  • MIL-OSI: Lucinity and Creditinfo Partner to Integrate PEP Screening Seamlessly into AI Workflows

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    REYKJAVIK, Iceland , May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lucinity, a global leader in AI-driven compliance software, has partnered with Creditinfo, a trusted and leading provider of credit and risk intelligence solutions, to integrate access to localized Know Your Customer (KYC) data from Creditinfo directly into Lucinity’s end-to-end compliance platform. This strategic partnership enables financial institutions to automate KYC checks—including PEP screening, watchlist monitoring, reliability assessments, and UBO insights—across onboarding, ongoing monitoring, and investigations, all within a single, intuitive interface.

    Until now, many compliance teams have struggled with fragmented workflows when it comes to Know Your Customer (KYC) checks. They’ve had to rely on standalone systems, manually reconcile KYC data with their case investigations, and perform periodic re-checks without automation.

    Lucinity and Creditinfo are solving these challenges by embedding high-quality, localized KYC data from Creditinfo—including PEP screening, watchlist monitoring, reliability assessments, and UBO information—into Lucinity’s holistic Case Management and Transaction Monitoring systems, powered by AI. Within Lucinity’s AI workflows, KYC data becomes an actionable input—automatically adjusting risk scores, triggering alerts, and adapting recommendations as new information becomes available.

    Through the integration with Creditinfo’s API, financial institutions can automate checks during onboarding, schedule periodic refreshes, and run on-demand lookups for counterparties. Key KYC indicators—such as PEP status—are also flagged directly in Case Management and Customer 360, helping analysts make better-informed decisions without switching between systems.

    Already offering real-time fraud detection through a partnership with Sift and real-time sanctions screening through Neterium and Facctum, Lucinity continues to build a network of integrations that simplify compliance while strengthening effectiveness. By consolidating tools that were previously siloed, Lucinity helps financial institutions cut costs, reduce context-switching, and focus on high-value investigations.

    Guðmundur Kristjánsson, founder and CEO of Lucinity, shared his perspective: “We kept hearing the same story from our customers — they had great separate financial crime tools, but none of them were connected with each other. This integration with Creditinfo brings the data and workflow together so compliance teams can focus on analysis, not data gathering.”

    Creditinfo brings its strengths in reliable, frequently updated, and geographically relevant PEP data, with a special emphasis on regional accuracy in markets like Iceland with their proprietary Icelandic PEP database. This partnership reflects Creditinfo’s growing role as an essential data provider in the global compliance ecosystem. Hrefna Ösp Sigfinnsdóttir, CEO of Creditinfo in Iceland, commented, “We believe compliance shouldn’t be complicated. By partnering with Lucinity, we’re putting the right data exactly where it’s needed.”

    About Lucinity

    ​​Lucinity is an AI software company for financial crime operations, designed to accelerate compliance teams. Lucinity enhances intelligence gathering, analysis, and decision-making, allowing institutions to streamline operations and reduce costs.

    About Creditinfo

    Creditinfo is a global provider of credit information and risk management services, helping financial institutions, businesses, and governments make data-driven decisions with confidence. Its proprietary PEP data service delivers accurate, regularly updated insights tailored to local markets.

    Contact
    celina@lucinity.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Digital government can benefit citizens: how South Africa can reduce the risks and get it right

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Busani Ngcaweni, Visiting Adjunct Professor, Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand

    The digital revolution is reshaping governance worldwide. From the electronic filing of taxes to digital visa applications, technology is making government services more accessible, efficient and transparent.

    South Africa is making progress in its digital journey. In 2024 it climbed to 40th place out of 193 countries, from 65th place in 2022, in the United Nations e-Government Index. This improvement makes the country one of Africa’s digital leaders, surpassing Mauritius and Tunisia.

    South Africa has identified more than 255 government services for digitisation. Already, 134 are available on the National e-Government Portal. This achievement is remarkable. Nevertheless, the shift to digitisation comes with challenges and risks.

    Some countries have weakened the state’s role by rapidly outsourcing key government functions. But South Africa has the opportunity to build a model of digital transformation that strengthens public institutions rather than diminishes them.

    New technologies must bring tangible benefits for citizens. Digital transformation can improve public administration. But, if mismanaged, it could burden taxpayers with costs.

    Benefits

    Digital transformation comes at a cost. This is particularly true if the state fails to use its procurement power to negotiate reasonable prices. Infrastructure upgrades, cybersecurity measures, software licensing and system maintenance require substantial financial investment.

    The question is whether these expenses are a necessary step towards a more efficient and accessible government.

    Two South African examples illustrate that digital transformation can save money and enhance service delivery quality.

    The first is the South African Revenue Service. Its goal is to ensure that taxpayers and tax advisers can use the service from anywhere and at any time. The changes made more than a decade ago show that digital systems can yield substantial financial gains. After introducing e-filing in 2006, the revenue service streamlined tax processes, reduced inefficiencies and led to higher compliance rates. Ultimately this led to improved revenue collection.

    Similarly, digitising social grant payments has had a number of positive effects. In a chapter of a recent edited volume on public governance, my colleagues and I wrote a case study about how the South African Social Security Agency used basic technologies and platforms like WhatsApp and email to process a grant during the COVID pandemic. It allowed over 14 million people to apply, paid grants to over 6 million beneficiaries during the first phase of the project.

    South African Social Security Agency annual reports show that over 95% of grant beneficiaries receive their payouts electronically through debit cards, instead of going to cash points. This improves security and lets beneficiaries decide when to get and spend their money.

    There are fears that automation could result in massive job losses. But global experience has shown that digitalisation does not necessarily lead to large-scale retrenchments. Instead it can shift the nature of work to other responsibilities.

    The South African Social Security Agency provides a compelling case. Its transition to digital grant payments did not lead to job losses. Similarly, the expansion of e-filing at the revenue service has not resulted in workforce reductions. In both cases efficiencies improved.

    These cases highlight that digital transformation is reshaping roles rather than displacing employees. Public servants are moving into areas such as cybersecurity, data analysis and AI-driven decision-making.

    Shortcomings and pitfalls

    A number of inefficiencies are at play in government services.

    Firstly, most government digital operations still work with outdated paper-based systems. The lack of a uniform digital identity creates bureaucratic inefficiencies and delays.

    Secondly, fragmented procurement of equipment in government has led to duplicated efforts, increased costs and fruitless expenditure.

    Thirdly, different departments often use isolated and incompatible digital systems. This reduce the mutual benefits of digital transformation. The State IT Agency has been blamed for inefficiencies, procurement failures and questionable spending.

    Fourthly, South Africa’s public service remains fragmented. Citizens still struggle to access government services seamlessly. They often move between departments to complete what should be a single transaction.

    Without a centralised system, departments operate in isolation, duplicating efforts, increasing costs and eroding public trust.


    Read more: South Africa’s civil servants are missing skills, especially when it comes to technology – report


    Fifth, a lack of skills. Increasing reliance on digital tools requires expertise in data analytics, cloud computing and automation. Many public servants lack the training to take on these new roles. The National Digital and Future Skills Strategy was introduced in September 2020 to bridge this gap, but its effectiveness depends on its implementation.

    Introducing it in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic forced government to make digital leaps which otherwise might have taken longer. To sustain services, technology had to be rapidly adopted, including basic things like holding Cabinet meetings online, using a system rapidly developed by the State Information Technology Agency.

    Sixth, security concerns complicate the transformation. As government systems become digital, they become vulnerable to cyberattacks. South Africa must put in place cybersecurity infrastructure to prevent identity theft, data breaches and service disruptions. A cyberattack on one department could affect the entire public sector.

    What needs to be done

    Government must streamline procurement, improve coordination and eliminate inefficiencies to ensure interdepartmental collaboration.

    A single, integrated e-government platform would:

    • cut red tape

    • reduce queues

    • increase efficiency.

    Government needs to upskill civil servants and improve their digital literacy.

    Government must create a seamless e-government system that connects services while protecting citizens’ personal information. The success of digitalisation depends on technological advancements as well as the level of trust citizens have in government systems. Without strong security measures, transparency and accountability, even the most sophisticated digital tools will fail to gain public confidence.

    South Africa has the chance to demonstrate that a strong, capable state can successfully integrate technology while safeguarding public interests. It should take full advantage of offers by Microsoft, Amazon and Huawei to support digital skills training in the public sector in a way that does not advantage one company’s technologies over others. Choices of technology must be user-centric, not based on preferences of accounting officers and chief information officers. Leaders of public institutions must be measured on their ability to digitally transform their organisations.

    – Digital government can benefit citizens: how South Africa can reduce the risks and get it right
    – https://theconversation.com/digital-government-can-benefit-citizens-how-south-africa-can-reduce-the-risks-and-get-it-right-254089

    MIL OSI Africa

  • MIL-OSI Global: Digital government can benefit citizens: how South Africa can reduce the risks and get it right

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Busani Ngcaweni, Visiting Adjunct Professor, Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand

    The digital revolution is reshaping governance worldwide. From the electronic filing of taxes to digital visa applications, technology is making government services more accessible, efficient and transparent.

    South Africa is making progress in its digital journey. In 2024 it climbed to 40th place out of 193 countries, from 65th place in 2022, in the United Nations e-Government Index. This improvement makes the country one of Africa’s digital leaders, surpassing Mauritius and Tunisia.

    South Africa has identified more than 255 government services for digitisation. Already, 134 are available on the National e-Government Portal. This achievement is remarkable. Nevertheless, the shift to digitisation comes with challenges and risks.

    Some countries have weakened the state’s role by rapidly outsourcing key government functions. But South Africa has the opportunity to build a model of digital transformation that strengthens public institutions rather than diminishes them.

    New technologies must bring tangible benefits for citizens. Digital transformation can improve public administration. But, if mismanaged, it could burden taxpayers with costs.

    Benefits

    Digital transformation comes at a cost. This is particularly true if the state fails to use its procurement power to negotiate reasonable prices. Infrastructure upgrades, cybersecurity measures, software licensing and system maintenance require substantial financial investment.

    The question is whether these expenses are a necessary step towards a more efficient and accessible government.

    Two South African examples illustrate that digital transformation can save money and enhance service delivery quality.

    The first is the South African Revenue Service. Its goal is to ensure that taxpayers and tax advisers can use the service from anywhere and at any time. The changes made more than a decade ago show that digital systems can yield substantial financial gains. After introducing e-filing in 2006, the revenue service streamlined tax processes, reduced inefficiencies and led to higher compliance rates. Ultimately this led to improved revenue collection.

    Similarly, digitising social grant payments has had a number of positive effects. In a chapter of a recent edited volume on public governance, my colleagues and I wrote a case study about how the South African Social Security Agency used basic technologies and platforms like WhatsApp and email to process a grant during the COVID pandemic. It allowed over 14 million people to apply, paid grants to over 6 million beneficiaries during the first phase of the project.

    South African Social Security Agency annual reports show that over 95% of grant beneficiaries receive their payouts electronically through debit cards, instead of going to cash points. This improves security and lets beneficiaries decide when to get and spend their money.

    There are fears that automation could result in massive job losses. But global experience has shown that digitalisation does not necessarily lead to large-scale retrenchments. Instead it can shift the nature of work to other responsibilities.

    The South African Social Security Agency provides a compelling case. Its transition to digital grant payments did not lead to job losses. Similarly, the expansion of e-filing at the revenue service has not resulted in workforce reductions. In both cases efficiencies improved.

    These cases highlight that digital transformation is reshaping roles rather than displacing employees. Public servants are moving into areas such as cybersecurity, data analysis and AI-driven decision-making.

    Shortcomings and pitfalls

    A number of inefficiencies are at play in government services.

    Firstly, most government digital operations still work with outdated paper-based systems. The lack of a uniform digital identity creates bureaucratic inefficiencies and delays.

    Secondly, fragmented procurement of equipment in government has led to duplicated efforts, increased costs and fruitless expenditure.

    Thirdly, different departments often use isolated and incompatible digital systems. This reduce the mutual benefits of digital transformation. The State IT Agency has been blamed for inefficiencies, procurement failures and questionable spending.

    Fourthly, South Africa’s public service remains fragmented. Citizens still struggle to access government services seamlessly. They often move between departments to complete what should be a single transaction.

    Without a centralised system, departments operate in isolation, duplicating efforts, increasing costs and eroding public trust.




    Read more:
    South Africa’s civil servants are missing skills, especially when it comes to technology – report


    Fifth, a lack of skills. Increasing reliance on digital tools requires expertise in data analytics, cloud computing and automation. Many public servants lack the training to take on these new roles. The National Digital and Future Skills Strategy was introduced in September 2020 to bridge this gap, but its effectiveness depends on its implementation.

    Introducing it in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic forced government to make digital leaps which otherwise might have taken longer. To sustain services, technology had to be rapidly adopted, including basic things like holding Cabinet meetings online, using a system rapidly developed by the State Information Technology Agency.

    Sixth, security concerns complicate the transformation. As government systems become digital, they become vulnerable to cyberattacks. South Africa must put in place cybersecurity infrastructure to prevent identity theft, data breaches and service disruptions. A cyberattack on one department could affect the entire public sector.

    What needs to be done

    Government must streamline procurement, improve coordination and eliminate inefficiencies to ensure interdepartmental collaboration.

    A single, integrated e-government platform would:

    • cut red tape

    • reduce queues

    • increase efficiency.

    Government needs to upskill civil servants and improve their digital literacy.

    Government must create a seamless e-government system that connects services while protecting citizens’ personal information. The success of digitalisation depends on technological advancements as well as the level of trust citizens have in government systems. Without strong security measures, transparency and accountability, even the most sophisticated digital tools will fail to gain public confidence.

    South Africa has the chance to demonstrate that a strong, capable state can successfully integrate technology while safeguarding public interests. It should take full advantage of offers by Microsoft, Amazon and Huawei to support digital skills training in the public sector in a way that does not advantage one company’s technologies over others. Choices of technology must be user-centric, not based on preferences of accounting officers and chief information officers. Leaders of public institutions must be measured on their ability to digitally transform their organisations.

    Busani Ngcaweni is affiliated with the National School of Government, Wits and Johannesburg Universities.

    ref. Digital government can benefit citizens: how South Africa can reduce the risks and get it right – https://theconversation.com/digital-government-can-benefit-citizens-how-south-africa-can-reduce-the-risks-and-get-it-right-254089

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Global: Digital clones of real models are revolutionizing fashion advertising

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Luana Carcano, Lecturer, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University

    Driven by advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and metaverse technologies, digital clones are transforming fast-fashion marketing. Always available, ageless and adaptable to any setting, these virtual figures enable brands to create immersive, cost-effective campaigns that resonate with today’s digital-first consumers.




    Read more:
    Fake models for fast fashion? What AI clones mean for our jobs — and our identities


    Virtual influencers — digitally created personas used to provide entertainment, generate content and endorse brands — are becoming increasingly influential, especially among Gen Z and digital-first audiences.

    These virtual figures vary in form: some, like Lil Miquela and Shudu, are entirely computer-generated, while others, such as Hatsune Miku, incorporate human elements like voice or motion.

    Hybrid influencers blend real and virtual components, allowing for brand-specific customization. These virtual influencers boost brand visibility, drive engagement and influence market performance.

    Real persons, virtual personas

    The estimate for global influencer market size for 2024 was valued at over US$24 billion and is projected to grow to over US$32 billion in 2025. The rise of virtual influencers is particularly prominent in Asia.

    This trend is also reshaping the US$2.5 trillion modelling industry, according to The Business of Fashion. AI-generated avatars and digital clones enable brands to cut production costs and accelerate campaign development. As a result, companies such as Levi Strauss & Co. are partnering with AI modelling firms to integrate these virtual personas into their marketing strategies.

    Digital twins

    Digital twins — virtual replicas of real people — are gaining traction in marketing to enhance personalization, streamline content creation and deepen customer engagement.

    In the fashion world, they provide a means to maintain a sense of human connection while using AI for precision and volume purposes. Fast-fashion retailer H&M recently introduced AI-generated digital twins of real-life models for advertising and social media content. Positioned as a creative and operational aid rather than a replacement for human talent, the initiative has ignited industry-wide debate.




    Read more:
    AI clones made from user data pose uncanny risks


    While the brand highlights the advantages — lower production costs and faster catalogue development — some critics have raised ethical concerns regarding representation and transparency.

    These digital twins fall into the category of “front-of-camera” tools: static avatars used in visual content without independent personas or social media presence. Unlike virtual influencers, they do not interact with audiences or build followings. Instead, they function strictly as visual stand-ins for traditional models, who are compensated for the use of their likenesses, similar to conventional campaigns.

    As these avatars do not speak, endorse or engage directly with consumers, they remain subject to traditional advertising regulations — not influencer marketing laws.

    Digital models are used for operational efficiency: testing and refining creative strategies before rollout, reducing costs and potentially offering immersive digital experiences to enhance customer connection and brand loyalty.

    Authenticity and other challenges

    In July 2024, fast-fashion retailer Mango launched its first advertising campaign featuring AI-generated avatars to promote a limited-edition collection for teenaged girls.

    These AI-generated influencers and digital twins introduce numerous ethical and legal challenges. These innovations raise difficult questions about the displacement of human talent — including models, make-up artists, hairstylists and photographers — and broader implications for creative industries.

    Key concerns centre on consent and compensation. The unauthorized use of an individual’s likeness, even in digital form, poses a risk of exploitation and underscores the importance of clear standards and protections. The legal landscape regarding image rights and intellectual property is still evolving, which makes compliance both essential and complex.

    As the lines between reality and digital fabrication blur, brands risk eroding consumer trust. The authenticity that audiences value can be undermined if AI-generated content seems deceptive or inauthentic.

    Companies must tread carefully, balancing innovation with transparency.

    Diversity is another critical issue. While AI offers customization, it can also perpetuate biases or create an illusion of inclusivity without genuine representation.

    An Associated Press report on AI models and diversity.

    As the use of AI proliferates, ensuring that digital models support, rather than hinder, meaningful advancement in representation will be essential.

    Ultimately, brands must implement ethical frameworks to ensure that AI enhances creativity while maintaining integrity, inclusivity and legal accountability.

    Strategic considerations

    Digital clones provide fast-fashion brands with a powerful tool to create personalized shopping experiences and enable greater representation of diverse body types and style preferences. This degree of customization can significantly enhance customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

    To ensure ethical integration, transparency is crucial. Brands must clearly disclose when digital models appear in campaigns. These digital representations should encompass a wide variety of demographics to genuinely promote inclusivity and engage with a broader audience.

    Establishing ethical and legal safeguards is equally important. Creating digital clones requires explicit consent and careful attention to intellectual property rights. Without clear guidelines and permissions, brands risk violating privacy, misusing likenesses and facing legal repercussions.

    Luana Carcano does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    ref. Digital clones of real models are revolutionizing fashion advertising – https://theconversation.com/digital-clones-of-real-models-are-revolutionizing-fashion-advertising-254244

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI: Nutanix and Pure Storage Partner to Deliver Greater Customer Choice with New Integrated Solution for Mission-Critical Workloads

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WASHINGTON and SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nutanix (NASDAQ: NTNX), a leader in hybrid multicloud computing, and Pure Storage® (NYSE: PSTG), the IT pioneer that delivers the world’s most advanced data storage platform and services, today announced a partnership aimed at providing a deeply integrated solution that will allow customers to seamlessly deploy and manage virtual workloads on a scalable modern infrastructure.

    This integrated solution comes at a pivotal time for customers as the virtualization market evolution is top of mind. IT leaders are focused on helping their organizations maintain pace with the rapidly changing technology landscape while simultaneously implementing greater operational effectiveness. Gartner predicts that “by 2028, cost concerns will drive 70% of enterprise-scale VMware customers to migrate 50% of their virtual workloads1.”

    With this collaboration, the Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure solution, powered by the Nutanix AHV hypervisor along with Nutanix Flow virtual networking and security, will integrate with Pure Storage FlashArray over NVMe/TCP to deliver a customer experience uniquely designed for high-demand data workloads, including AI.

    Key Benefits:

    •     Scalable, Modern Infrastructure – This partnership will provide customers with access to high-performance, flexible, and efficient full-stack infrastructure to power their most business-critical workloads through the simplicity and agility of Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure for virtual compute, and the consistency, scalability, and performance density of Pure Storage all-flash systems.
    •     Built-in Cyber Resilience – Customers will be able to strengthen their end-to-end cyber-resilience posture by leveraging native Nutanix capabilities, such as Flow micro-segmentation and disaster recovery orchestration, alongside Pure Storage FlashArray capabilities, such as data-at-rest encryption and SafeMode.
    •     Freedom of Choice – Customers want agility and control of their mission-critical environments. The combination of Nutanix and Pure Storage will offer a resilient and easy-to-use alternative to existing market options.

    “We’re thrilled to see Nutanix and Pure Storage joining forces. Their collective expertise, innovative technologies, and shared commitment to reliability and performance will deliver a compelling solution that directly addresses critical needs in the market,” said Anthony Jackman, Chief Innovation Officer at Expedient. “Expedient is proud to be an early design partner, collaborating closely with both companies to ensure this solution elevates the quality of service we deliver, ultimately enhancing the value and experience for our clients nationwide.”

    “This new solution will help Nutanix and Pure Storage reach more customers together and help them better manage and modernize their mission-critical applications,” said Tarkan Maner, Chief Commercial Officer at Nutanix. “Our integrated solution will be ideally suited for companies with storage-rich environments looking for choices in modernization.”

    “With more than 13,500 global customers, I’m hearing more than ever that organizations of all shapes and sizes have a growing need for efficient, flexible, and high-performance solutions that can also scale to support their most critical, data-intensive applications,” said Maciej Kranz, General Manager, Enterprise at Pure Storage. “Nutanix and Pure Storage are both known for pushing the boundaries of traditional infrastructure, driving innovation, and enabling unmatched agility. With this easy-to-manage solution, our joint customers will have the power of a virtual infrastructure that’s truly built for change.”

    This solution will be supported on major server hardware partners that currently support Pure Storage FlashArray, including Cisco, Dell, HPE, Lenovo and Supermicro, for both existing and new deployments.

    Additionally, Cisco and Pure Storage are expanding their partnership of more than 60 FlashStack validated designs to include Nutanix in the portfolio – further simplifying full-stack delivery.

    “The future of infrastructure is defined by flexibility,” said Jeremy Foster, SVP and General Manager, Cisco Compute. “That’s exactly what this next evolution of FlashStack delivers. With nearly a decade of joint innovation with Pure Storage, and an expanded partnership and co-development roadmap with Nutanix, we’re offering a proven platform backed by Cisco validated designs, a world-class joint support model, and deep integration with Cisco Intersight – providing unified visibility across both Pure Storage and Nutanix clusters for a more complete view of the operating environment. This level of integration, insight, and support is what will set FlashStack with Nutanix apart in the market.”

    The solution is currently under development and is expected to be in early access by the summer of 2025 and generally available at the end of this calendar year through both Nutanix and Pure Storage channel partners.

    For more information and to sign up for early access visit Nutanix and Pure Storage.

    About Nutanix

    Nutanix is a global leader in cloud software, offering organizations a single platform for running applications and managing data, anywhere. With Nutanix, companies can reduce complexity and simplify operations, freeing them to focus on their business outcomes. Building on its legacy as the pioneer of hyperconverged infrastructure, Nutanix is trusted by companies worldwide to power hybrid multicloud environments consistently, simply, and cost-effectively. Learn more at www.nutanix.com or follow us on social media @nutanix.

    © 2025 Nutanix, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutanix, the Nutanix logo, and all Nutanix product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or unregistered trademarks of Nutanix, Inc. (“Nutanix”) in the United States and other countries. All other brand names or marks mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their respective holder(s). This press release is for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes a warranty or other binding commitment by Nutanix. This release contains express and implied forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements regarding our plans and expectations about the partnership and its expected benefits, the new integrated solution and its expected benefits, capabilities, features and technology, and the timing of the availability of the new integrated solution. Such statements are not historical facts and are instead based on Nutanix’s current expectations, estimates and beliefs. The accuracy of such statements involves risks and uncertainties and depends upon future events, including those that may be beyond Nutanix’s control, and actual results may differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to any inability to develop, or any unexpected difficulties, delays or disruptions in developing, releasing or distributing, the new integrated solution in a timely or cost-effective basis. Any forward-looking statements included herein speak only as of the date hereof and, except as required by law, Nutanix assumes no obligation to update or otherwise revise any of such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Certain products and features or functionalities described herein, including the new integrated solution and its features and functionalities, remain in varying stages of development and will be offered on a when-and-if-available basis. The development, release, and timing of any such products, features or functionalities are subject to change. Nutanix will not have any liability for any failure to deliver or delay in the delivery of any such products, features or functionalities. Any future product or product feature information is intended to outline general product directions, and is not a commitment, promise or legal obligation for Nutanix to deliver any functionality. This information should not be used when making a purchasing decision.

    About Pure Storage

    Pure Storage (NYSE: PSTG) delivers the industry’s most advanced data storage platform to store, manage, and protect the world’s data at any scale. With Pure Storage, organizations have ultimate simplicity and flexibility, saving time, money, and energy. From AI to archive, Pure Storage delivers a cloud experience with one unified Storage as-a-Service platform across on-premises, cloud, and hosted environments. Our platform is built on our Evergreen architecture that evolves with your business — always getting newer and better with zero planned downtime, guaranteed. Our customers are actively increasing their capacity and processing power while significantly reducing their carbon and energy footprint. It’s easy to fall in love with Pure Storage, as evidenced by the highest Net Promoter Score in the industry. For more information, visit www.purestorage.com.

    Pure Storage, the Pure Storage P Logo, and the marks in the Pure Storage Trademark List are trademarks or registered trademarks of Pure Storage, Inc., in the U.S. and/or other countries. The Trademark List can be found at purestorage.com/trademarks. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.


    1Gartner, Market Guide for Server Virtualization, Michael Warrilow, Philip Dawson, Tony Harvey, Elaine Zhang, 28 August, 2024. GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Nutanix Announces Cloud Native AOS to Extend the Enterprise Value of its Data Platform to Kubernetes Anywhere

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WASHINGTON, May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — .NEXT Conference — Nutanix (NASDAQ: NTNX), a leader in hybrid multicloud computing, today announced the Cloud Native AOS solution, which extends Nutanix enterprise storage and advanced data services to hyperscaler Kubernetes® services and cloud-native bare-metal environments – without requiring a hypervisor.

    As data becomes more distributed, users are looking for a consistent way to protect, replicate, and restore data across Kubernetes infrastructure in data centers, bare-metal edge locations and cloud-native hyperscalers. What’s been missing is a common data platform that can run across bare-metal, virtualized, and containerized infrastructure.

    Cloud Native AOS completes this puzzle with storage and data services that can run directly on cloud-native infrastructure anywhere, in the cloud or on bare metal. By eliminating the need for a hypervisor, this new solution allows users to consolidate storage management across the distributed hybrid cloud.

    This new solution simplifies day two intelligent operations for Kubernetes applications and their data – anywhere. Cloud Native AOS extends Nutanix’s proven and resilient AOS software – the backbone of its platform for data, Platform-as-a-Service, and AI – to stateful, native Kubernetes clusters in the cloud and bare-metal environments.

    “Nutanix has built a complete platform for enterprise-grade infrastructure with advanced data services in virtualized data centers,” said Thomas Cornely, SVP, Product Management at Nutanix. “Now we are extending the reach of our platform to users of cloud-native infrastructure on Kubernetes service in public clouds and on bare metal, delivering enterprise resiliency, day 2 operations, and security.”

    Key benefits include:

    • Ready-to-Use Resilience for Any Application – Cloud Native AOS provides resilience for Kubernetes infrastructure by protecting containerized applications and their data with integrated disaster recovery between availability zones, clouds and on-premises.
    • Cloud-Native Mobility – Customers can build and deploy cloud-native applications with seamless migration of applications and data optimally located across sites, including the ability to move applications back to on-premises containerized environments.
    • Integrated Data Management – The solution empowers developers to use Kubernetes APIs to automate and provide self-service control over all aspects of data management for their applications.

    “Networld is focused on container application runtime platforms. By utilizing Cloud Native AOS, not only can we enhance application portability and enable data storage across cloud availability zones and regions, but it also facilitates data migration and disaster recovery, including on-premises environments,” said Issei Tsuruzono, Corporate Officer and Head of Technology Division of Networld. “We expect this product to be groundbreaking for containerized applications. In addition, we are also planning to provide support to our partners in Japan.”

    “Participating in the Early Access Program for Cloud Native AOS has been a great experience for us,” said Manfred Pichlbauer, IT Consultant at Bacher Systems.” Cloud Native AOS platform sets a new standard for speed, scalability, and reliability and is designed for the most demanding workloads. It empowers organizations to move faster, store smarter, and scale effortlessly—unlocking new levels of performance without compromise.”

    Cloud Native AOS is currently in early access on Amazon EKS and will be generally available this Summer. Early access for on-premises containerized environments on bare-metal servers is expected to be available by the end of this calendar year.

    For more technical information on Cloud Native AOS, see the technical blog.

    “Enterprises are increasingly adopting Kubernetes for application orchestration and are challenged with integrating these cloud-native applications into existing workflows while meeting business SLAs,” said Dave Pearson, Infrastructure Research VP at IDC. “Cloud Native AOS helps to close this gap by bringing data mobility and disaster recovery to the data persistence layer of cloud-native applications and delivering a new deployment model for the AOS storage system.”

    About Nutanix
    Nutanix is a global leader in cloud software, offering organizations a single platform for running applications and managing data, anywhere. With Nutanix, companies can reduce complexity and simplify operations, freeing them to focus on their business outcomes. Building on its legacy as the pioneer of hyperconverged infrastructure, Nutanix is trusted by companies worldwide to power hybrid multicloud environments consistently, simply, and cost-effectively. Learn more at www.nutanix.com or follow us on social media @nutanix.

    © 2025 Nutanix, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutanix, the Nutanix logo, and all Nutanix product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or unregistered trademarks of Nutanix, Inc. (“Nutanix”) in the United States and other countries. Kubernetes is a registered trademark of The Linux Foundation in the United States and other countries. All other brand names or marks mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their respective holder(s). This press release is for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes a warranty or other binding commitment by Nutanix. This release contains express and implied forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements regarding our plans and expectations about Cloud Native AOS and its expected benefits, capabilities, features and technology, and the timing of the availability of Cloud Native AOS. Such statements are not historical facts and are instead based on Nutanix’s current expectations, estimates and beliefs. The accuracy of such statements involves risks and uncertainties and depends upon future events, including those that may be beyond Nutanix’s control, and actual results may differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to any unexpected difficulties, delays or disruptions in developing, releasing or distributing Cloud Native AOS in a timely or cost-effective basis. Any forward-looking statements included herein speak only as of the date hereof and, except as required by law, Nutanix assumes no obligation to update or otherwise revise any of such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Certain products and features or functionalities described herein, including Cloud Native AOS and its features and functionalities, remain in varying stages of development and will be offered on a when-and-if-available basis. The development, release, and timing of any such products, features or functionalities are subject to change. Nutanix will not have any liability for any failure to deliver or delay in the delivery of any such products, features or functionalities. Any future product or product feature information is intended to outline general product directions, and is not a commitment, promise or legal obligation for Nutanix to deliver any functionality. This information should not be used when making a purchasing decision.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Nutanix Enables Agentic AI Anywhere with Latest Release of Nutanix Enterprise AI

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WASHINGTON, May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — .NEXT Conference — Nutanix (NASDAQ: NTNX), a leader in hybrid multicloud computing, today announced the general availability of the latest version of the Nutanix Enterprise AI (NAI) solution, adding deeper integration with NVIDIA AI Enterprise, including NVIDIA NIM microservices and the NVIDIA NeMo framework, to speed the deployment of Agentic AI applications in the enterprise.

    NAI is designed to accelerate the adoption of generative AI in the enterprise by simplifying how customers build, run, and securely manage models and inferencing services at the edge, in the data center, and in public clouds on any Cloud Native Computing Foundation® (CNCF)-certified Kubernetes® environment.

    The latest NAI release extends a shared model service methodology that simplifies agentic workflows, helping to make deployment and day two operations simpler. It streamlines the resources and models required to deploy multiple applications across lines of business with a secure, common set of embedding, reranking, and guardrail functional models for agents. This builds on the NAI core, which includes a centralized LLM model repository that creates secure endpoints that make connecting generative AI applications and agents simple and private.

    “Nutanix is helping customers keep up with the fast pace of innovation in the Gen AI market,” said Thomas Cornely, SVP of Product Management at Nutanix. “We’ve expanded Nutanix Enterprise AI to integrate new NVIDIA NIM and NeMo microservices so that enterprise customers can securely and efficiently build, run, and manage AI Agents anywhere.”

    “Enterprises require sophisticated tools to simplify agentic AI development and deployment across their operations,” said Justin Boitano, Vice President of Enterprise AI Software Products at NVIDIA. “Integrating NVIDIA AI Enterprise software including NVIDIA NIM microservices and NVIDIA NeMo into Nutanix Enterprise AI provides a streamlined foundation for building and running powerful and secure AI agents.”

    NAI for agentic applications can help customers:

    • Deploy Agentic AI Applications with Shared LLM Endpoints – Customers can reuse existing deployed model endpoints as shared services for multiple applications. This re-use of model endpoints helps reduce usage of critical infrastructure components, including GPUs, CPUs, memory, file and object storage, and Kubernetes® clusters.
    • Leverage a Wide Array of LLM Endpoints – NAI enables a range of agentic model services, including NVIDIA Llama Nemotron open reasoning models, NVIDIA NeMo Retriever and NeMo Guardrails. NAI users can leverage NVIDIA AI Blueprints, which are pre-defined, customizable workflows, to jumpstart the development of their own AI applications that leverage NVIDIA models and AI microservices. In addition, NAI enables function calling for the configuration and consumption of external data sources to help AI agentic applications deliver more accurate and detailed results.
    • Support Generative AI Safety – This new NAI release will help customers implement agentic applications in ways consistent with their organization’s policies using guardrail models. These models can filter initial user queries and LLM responses to prevent biased or harmful outputs and can also maintain topic control and jailbreak attempt detection. For example, NVIDIA NeMo Guardrails are LLMs that provide content filtering to filter out unwanted content and other sensitive topics. These can also be applied to code generation, providing improved reliability and consistency across models.
    • Unlock Insights From Data with NVIDIA AI Data Platform – The Nutanix Cloud Platform solution builds on the NVIDIA AI Data Platform reference design and integrates the Nutanix Unified Storage and the Nutanix Database Service solutions for unstructured and structured data for AI. The Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure platform provides a private foundation for NVIDIA’s accelerated computing, networking, and AI software to turn data into actionable intelligence. As an NVIDIA-Certified Enterprise Storage solution, Nutanix Unified Storage meets rigorous performance and scalability standards, providing software-defined enterprise storage for enterprise AI workloads, through capabilities such as NVIDIA GPUDirect Storage.

    NAI is designed to use additional Nutanix platform services while allowing flexible deployments on HCI, bare metal, and cloud IaaS. NAI customers can also leverage the Nutanix Kubernetes Platform solution for multicloud fleet management of containerized cloud native applications, and Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) and Nutanix Database Service (NDB) as discrete data services, offering a complete platform for agentic AI applications.

    “Customers can realize the full potential of generative AI without sacrificing control, which is especially important as businesses expand into agentic capabilities,” said Scott Sinclair, Practice Director, ESG. “This expanded partnership with NVIDIA provides organizations an optimized solution for agentic AI minimizing the risk of managing complex workflows while also safeguarding deployment through secure endpoint creation for APIs. AI initiatives are employed to deliver strategic advantages, but those advantages can’t happen without optimized infrastructure control and security.”

    To learn more about how to get started with the latest NAI version and new NVIDIA capabilities, visit our latest blog post.

    NAI with agentic model support is now generally available.

    About Nutanix

    Nutanix is a global leader in cloud software, offering organizations a single platform for running applications and managing data, anywhere. With Nutanix, companies can reduce complexity and simplify operations, freeing them to focus on their business outcomes. Building on its legacy as the pioneer of hyperconverged infrastructure, Nutanix is trusted by companies worldwide to power hybrid multicloud environments consistently, simply, and cost-effectively. Learn more at www.nutanix.com or follow us on social media @nutanix.

    © 2025 Nutanix, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutanix, the Nutanix logo, and all Nutanix product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or unregistered trademarks of Nutanix, Inc. (“Nutanix”) in the United States and other countries. Kubernetes is a registered trademark of The Linux Foundation in the United States and other countries. All other brand names or marks mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their respective holder(s). This press release is for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes a warranty or other binding commitment by Nutanix. This release contains express and implied forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements regarding the latest NAI release and its expected benefits, capabilities, features and technology. Such statements are not historical facts and are instead based on Nutanix’s current expectations, estimates and beliefs. The accuracy of such statements involves risks and uncertainties and depends upon future events, including those that may be beyond Nutanix’s control, and actual results may differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied by such statements. Any forward-looking statements included herein speak only as of the date hereof and, except as required by law, Nutanix assumes no obligation to update or otherwise revise any of such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Glen Burnie Bancorp Announces First Quarter 2025 Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    GLEN BURNIE, Md., May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Glen Burnie Bancorp (“Bancorp”) (NASDAQ: GLBZ), the bank holding company for The Bank of Glen Burnie (“Bank”), today reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025. Net income for the first quarter was $153,000, or $0.05 per basic and diluted common share, as compared to net income of $3,000, or $0 per basic and diluted common share for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024.   On March 31, 2025, Bancorp had total assets of $358.0 million. Bancorp is the oldest independent commercial bank in Anne Arundel County.

    “The Company continues to pursue growing loans and deposits to improve revenues, margins and, ultimately, profitability. That said, we are aware of headwinds that could result in a slowing economy. We continue to emphasize disciplined lending practices, focusing on growing new client relationships, safety, and margin. Our allowance for credit losses stood at $2.7 million at March 31, 2025, representing 1.30% of total loans. Our non-performing assets remained at minimal levels consistent with previous quarters, underscoring the strength of our underwriting standards and ongoing credit monitoring,” said Mark C. Hanna, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our team is committed to our customers and communities, and we continue to focus on growing funding sources, growing earning assets and building the infrastructure needed to grow customer relationships. These strategic priorities drive all areas of revenue and expense control, with the goal of expanding both return on assets and return on capital for the long term. While markets have been volatile recently, our Company remains financially strong, sound, and secure as reflected in our capital levels, asset quality, diversified deposit base and access to multiple liquidity sources.”

    Highlights for the First Three Months of 2025

    Net interest income decreased $8,000, or 0.31% to $2.56 million through March 31, 2025, as compared to $2.57 million during the prior-year first quarter. The decrease resulted from a $233,000 increase in interest expense, offset by a $224,000 increase in interest income. The increase in interest on deposits was driven by increased deposit balances in the money market products. The increase in interest and fees on loans was driven by the $30.0 million higher average balance and 0.27% higher yield on loan balances.

    The Company expects that its strong liquidity and capital positions will provide ample capacity for future growth.

    Return on average assets for the three-month period ended March 31, 2025, was 0.17%, as compared to 0% for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024. Return on average equity for the three-month period ended March 31, 2025, was 3.22%, as compared to 0.06% for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024.   Release of provision for credit allowance on loans and unfunded commitments primarily drove the higher return on average assets and average equity.

    On March 31, 2025, liquidity remained strong due to managed cash and cash equivalents, borrowing lines with the FHLB of Atlanta, the Federal Reserve and correspondent banks, and the size and composition of the bond portfolio.

    Balance Sheet Review

    Total assets were $358.0 million on March 31, 2025, a decrease of $1.0 million or 0.27%, from $359.0 million on December 31, 2024.   Cash and cash equivalents decreased $788,000 or 3.22%, from December 31, 2024, to March 31, 2025. Investment securities were $106.6 million on March 31, 2025, a decrease of $1.3 million or 1.23%, from $107.9 million on December 31, 2024.   Loans, net of deferred fees and costs, were $207.4 million on March 31, 2025, an increase of $2.2 million or 1.06%, from $205.2 million on December 31, 2024.   Loan balances increased 16.52% over the last four quarters, growing from $178.0 million on March 31, 2024 to $207.4 million on March 31, 2025. With the $20 million reduction in short term borrowings over the past twelve months, average earning-asset balances declined slightly to $356.2 million on March 31, 2025, as compared to $362.0 million during the prior-year first quarter.

    Total deposits were $317.3 million on March 31, 2025, an increase of $8.1 million or 2.61%, from $309.2 million on December 31, 2024. Noninterest-bearing deposits were $104.5 million on March 31, 2025, an increase of $3.7 million or 3.71%, from $100.7 million on December 31, 2024.   Interest-bearing deposits were $212.8 million on March 31, 2025, an increase of $4.4 million or 2.08%, from $208.4 million on December 31, 2024. Total borrowings were $20.0 million on March 31, 2025, a decrease of $10.0 million, or 33.33% from $30.0 million on December 31, 2024.

    As of March 31, 2025, total stockholders’ equity was $19.2 million (5.36% of total assets), equivalent to a book value of $6.61 per common share. Total stockholders’ equity on December 31, 2024, was $17.8 million (4.96% of total assets), equivalent to a book value of $6.14 per common share. The increase in the ratio of stockholders’ equity to total assets was due to an increase in equity from the decline in the market value loss of the Company’s available-for-sale securities portfolio. Included in stockholders’ equity on March 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024, were unrealized losses (net of taxes) on the Company’s available-for-sale investment securities totaling $17.8 million and $19.0 million, respectively. This decrease in unrealized losses primarily resulted from decreasing market interest rates during the first quarter of 2025, which increased the fair value of the investment securities. Changes in unrealized losses on the investment portfolio are attributed to changes in interest rates, not credit quality. The Company does not intend to sell, and it is more likely than not that it will not be required to sell any securities held at an unrealized loss.

    Asset quality, which has trended within a narrow range over the past several years, remains sound on March 31, 2025. Nonperforming assets, which consist of nonaccrual loans, restructured loans to borrowers with financial difficulty, accruing loans past due 90 days or more, and other real estate owned, represented 0.32% of total assets on March 31, 2025, as compared to 0.10% on December 31, 2024, demonstrating positive asset quality trends across the portfolio.   The allowance for credit losses on loans was $2.7 million, or 1.30% of total loans, as of March 31, 2025, as compared to $2.8 million, or 1.38% of total loans, as of December 31, 2024. The allowance for credit losses for unfunded commitments was $110,000 as of March 31, 2025, as compared to $584,000 as of December 31, 2024. The $474,000 decrease was primarily driven by the utilization of 1.33% lower loss rates during the first quarter of 2025 as compared to the fourth quarter of 2024.

    Review of Financial Results

    For the three-month periods ended March 31, 2025, and 2024

    Net income for the three-month period ended March 31, 2025, was $153,000, as compared to net income of $3,000 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024.   The increase is primarily the result of a $315,000 decrease in the allowance for credit loss and $474,000 decrease in the allowance for unfunded commitments included in other noninterest expenses, partially offset by a $209,000 increase in salary and employee benefits costs, a $129,000 increase in legal, accounting and other professional fees, and a $203,000 decrease in income tax benefit.  

    The Company is taking steps to reduce non-interest expenses in future periods which include the January 2025 closure of our Linthicum branch office, the planned closing of our Severna Park branch office in May of 2025, and the recent announcement of an early retirement program.

    Net interest income for the three-month period ended March 31, 2025, totaled $2.56 million, as compared to $2.57 million for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024. The $8,000 decrease in net interest income was primarily due to the $439,000 increase in interest expense related to higher balances on money market deposits, $193,000 lower interest and dividends on securities due to principal paydowns, and $77,000 lower interest on deposits with banks due to lower cash balances, offset by $494,000 higher interest income on loans due to higher yields and balances, and $206,000 lower interest on short term borrowings due to lower borrowing balances.

    Net interest margin for the three-month period ended March 31, 2025, was 2.92%, as compared to 2.86% for the same period of 2024, an increase of 0.06%. The increase in the net interest margin is primarily due to increases in the yield on loans, offset by increases in yields on interest-bearing deposits and borrowed funds. Loan yields increased from 5.06% to 5.34% between the two periods while the cost of interest-bearing liabilities increased from 1.51% to 1.89% between the two periods.  

    The average balance of interest-earning assets decreased $5.8 million while the yield increased 0.35% from 3.78% to 4.13%, when comparing the three-month periods ended March 31, 2025, and 2024, respectively. The average balance of interest-bearing funds increased $7.6 million during these same periods. The average balance of noninterest-bearing funds decreased $12.9 million, and the cost of funds increased 0.31%, when comparing the three-month periods ended March 31, 2025, and 2024.

    The release of credit loss allowance on loans for the three-month period ended March 31, 2025, was $146,000, as compared to a provision of credit loss allowance of $169,000 for the same period of 2024. The decrease for the three-month period ended March 31, 2025, when compared to the three-month period ended March 31, 2024, primarily reflects the use of a lower loss rate. Noninterest income for the three-month period ended March 31, 2025, was $205,000, as compared to $229,000 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024.

    For the quarter ended March 31, 2025, noninterest expense totaled $2.8 million, a decrease of $69,000 compared to $2.9 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. On a year-over-year comparative basis, noninterest expenses decreased due to a $474,000 decrease in the credit allowance for unfunded commitments, partially offset by a $209,000 increase in salary and employee benefits and $129,000 increase in legal, accounting, and other professional fees. Salary and employee benefits expenses increased primarily due to increased employee wages and the cost of incentive programs.

    For the three-month period ended March 31, 2025, income tax benefit was $29,000, as compared with $232,000 for the same period a year earlier.   The $232,000 income tax benefit included $87,000 associated with amended Maryland tax returns for tax years 2022 and 2021.

    Glen Burnie Bancorp Information

    Glen Burnie Bancorp is a bank holding company headquartered in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Founded in 1949, The Bank of Glen Burnie® is a locally owned community bank with seven branch offices serving Anne Arundel County. The Bank is engaged in the commercial and retail banking business including the acceptance of demand and time deposits, and the origination of loans to individuals, associations, partnerships, and corporations. The Bank’s real estate financing consists of residential first and second mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit and commercial mortgage loans. The Bank also originates automobile loans through arrangements with local automobile dealers. Additional information is available at www.thebankofglenburnie.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    The statements contained herein that are not historical financial information may be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company’s actual results in the future to differ materially from its historical results and those presently anticipated or projected. These statements are evidenced by terms such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “should,” “expect,” “believe,” “intend,” and similar expressions. Although these statements reflect management’s good faith beliefs and projections, they are not guarantees of future performance and they may not prove true. For a more complete discussion of these and other risk factors, please see the Company’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

             
    GLEN BURNIE BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARY
    CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
    (dollars in thousands)
               
      March 31,   March 31,   December 31,
        2025       2024       2024  
      (unaudited)   (unaudited)   (audited)
    ASSETS          
    Cash and due from banks $ 1,792     $ 9,091     $ 2,012  
    Interest-bearing deposits in other financial institutions   21,884       33,537       22,452  
       Total Cash and Cash Equivalents   23,676       42,628       24,464  
               
    Investment securities available for sale, at fair value   106,623       128,727       107,949  
    Restricted equity securities, at cost   1,201       246       1,671  
               
    Loans, net of deferred fees and costs   207,393       177,950       205,219  
    Less: Allowance for credit losses(1)   (2,689 )     (2,035 )     (2,839 )
       Loans, net   204,704       175,915       202,380  
               
    Premises and equipment, net   2,609       2,928       2,678  
    Bank owned life insurance   8,877       8,700       8,834  
    Deferred tax assets, net   8,088       8,255       8,548  
    Accrued interest receivable   1,243       1,281       1,345  
    Accrued taxes receivable   159       363       148  
    Prepaid expenses   474       460       471  
    Other assets   319       367       468  
       Total Assets $ 357,973     $ 369,870     $ 358,956  
               
    LIABILITIES          
    Noninterest-bearing deposits $ 104,487     $ 115,167     $ 100,747  
    Interest-bearing deposits   212,770       194,064       208,442  
    Total Deposits   317,257       309,231       309,189  
               
    Short-term borrowings   20,000       40,000       30,000  
    Defined pension liability   338       327       330  
    Accrued expenses and other liabilities   1,197       2,183       1,620  
       Total Liabilities   338,792       351,741       341,139  
               
    STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY          
    Common stock, par value $1, authorized 15,000,000 shares, issued and outstanding 2,900,681, 2,887,467, and 2,900,481 shares as of March 31, 2025, March 31, 2024, and December 31, 2024, respectively.   2,901       2,887       2,901  
    Additional paid-in capital   11,037       10,989       11,037  
    Retained earnings   23,035       23,575       22,882  
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss   (17,792 )     (19,322 )     (19,003 )
       Total Stockholders’ Equity   19,181       18,129       17,817  
       Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity $ 357,973     $ 369,870     $ 358,956  
               
    GLEN BURNIE BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARY
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF (LOSS) INCOME
    (dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
    (unaudited)
             
         Three Months Ended
    March 31,
          2025       2024  
    Interest income        
    Interest and fees on loans   $ 2,709     $ 2,215  
    Interest and dividends on securities     745       938  
    Interest on deposits with banks and federal funds sold     175       252  
    Total Interest Income     3,629       3,405  
             
    Interest expense        
    Interest on deposits     841       402  
    Interest on short-term borrowings     225       431  
    Total Interest Expense     1,066       833  
             
    Net Interest Income     2,563       2,572  
    (Release) provision of credit loss allowance     (146 )     169  
    Net interest income after credit loss provision     2,709       2,403  
             
    Noninterest income        
    Service charges on deposit accounts     31       38  
    Other fees and commissions     131       148  
    Income on life insurance     43       43  
    Total Noninterest Income     205       229  
             
    Noninterest expenses        
    Salary and employee benefits     1,827       1,618  
    Occupancy and equipment expenses     309       331  
    Legal, accounting and other professional fees     383       254  
    Data processing and item processing services     256       250  
    FDIC insurance costs     41       38  
    Advertising and marketing related expenses     37       23  
    Loan collection costs     45       5  
    Telephone costs     38       40  
    Other expenses     (146 )     302  
    Total Noninterest Expenses     2,790       2,861  
             
    Loss before income taxes     124       (229 )
    Income tax beneift     (29 )     (232 )
             
       Net income   $ 153     $ 3  
             
    Basic and diluted net income per common share   $ 0.05     $  
             
    GLEN BURNIE BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARY            
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
    For the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024            
    (dollars in thousands)                  
                         
                    Accumulated    
            Additional       Other   Total
        Common   Paid-in   Retained   Comprehensive   Stockholders’
    (unaudited) Stock   Capital   Earnings   Loss   Equity
    Balance, December 31, 2023 $ 2,883   $ 10,964   $ 23,859     $ (18,381 )   $ 19,325  
                         
    Net income           3             3  
    Cash dividends, $0.10 per share           (287 )           (287 )
    Dividends reinvested under dividend reinvestment plan   4     25                 29  
    Other comprehensive loss                 (941 )     (941 )
    Balance, March 31, 2024 $ 2,887   $ 10,989   $ 23,575     $ (19,322 )   $ 18,129  
                         
                         
                    Accumulated    
            Additional       Other   Total
        Common   Paid-in   Retained   Comprehensive   Stockholders’
    (unaudited) Stock   Capital   Earnings   (Loss) Income   Equity
    Balance, December 31, 2024 $ 2,901   $ 11,037   $ 22,882     $ (19,003 )   $ 17,817  
                         
    Net income           153             153  
    Other comprehensive income                 1,211       1,211  
    Balance, March 31, 2025 $ 2,901   $ 11,037   $ 23,035     $ (17,792 )   $ 19,181  
                         
    GLEN BURNIE BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARY
    SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
    (dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
                     
        Three Months Ended   Year Ended
        March 31,   December 31,   March 31,   December 31,
          2025       2024       2024       2024  
        (unaudited)   (unaudited)   (unaudited)   (unaudited)
                     
    Financial Data                
    Assets   $ 357,973     $ 358,956     $ 369,870     $ 358,956  
    Investment securities     106,623       107,949       128,727       107,949  
    Loans, (net of deferred fees & costs)     207,393       205,219       177,950       205,219  
    Allowance for loan losses     2,689       2,839       2,035       2,839  
    Deposits     317,257       309,189       309,231       309,189  
    Borrowings     20,000       30,000       40,000       30,000  
    Stockholders’ equity     19,181       17,817       18,129       17,817  
    Net income (loss)     153       (39 )     3       (112 )
                     
    Average Balances                
    Assets   $ 353,308     $ 366,888     $ 358,877     $ 363,994  
    Investment securities     132,805       136,868       163,618       148,037  
    Loans, (net of deferred fees & costs)     205,868       204,703       175,914       192,646  
    Deposits     312,030       314,046       305,858       309,838  
    Borrowings     20,215       30,323       31,667       32,721  
    Stockholders’ equity     19,258       20,664       19,124       19,169  
                     
    Performance Ratios                
    Annualized return on average assets     0.17%       -0.04%       0.00%       -0.03%  
    Annualized return on average equity     3.22%       -0.75%       0.06%       -0.58%  
    Net interest margin     2.92%       2.98%       2.86%       2.98%  
    Dividend payout ratio     0%       0%       9426%       -773%  
    Book value per share   $ 6.61     $ 6.14     $ 6.28     $ 6.14  
    Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share     0.05       (0.01 )           (0.04 )
    Cash dividends declared per share     0.00       0.00       0.10       0.30  
    Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding     2,900,681       2,900,681       2,885,552       2,893,871  
                     
    Asset Quality Ratios                
    Allowance for loan losses to loans     1.30%       1.38%       1.14%       1.38%  
    Nonperforming loans to avg. loans     0.55%       0.18%       0.21%       0.19%  
    Allowance for loan losses to nonaccrual & 90+ past due loans     236.9%       789.1%       549.1%       789.1%  
    Net charge-offs (recoveries) annualize to avg. loans     0.01%       -0.04 %     0.66%       0.08%  
                     
    Capital Ratios                
    Common Equity Tier 1 Capital   N/A     15.15%       17.14%       15.15%  
    Tier 1 Risk-based Capital Ratio   N/A     15.15%       17.14%       15.15%  
    Leverage Ratio   N/A     9.97%       10.43%       9.97%  
    Total Risk-Based Capital Ratio   N/A     16.40%       18.30%       16.40%  
                     

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: UPDATE – Abundance Energy, SOLRITE Energy, and sonnen Develop Residential Battery-Enabled Virtual Power Plants in Texas

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga., May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Abundance Energy, sonnen, SOLRITE Energy, and Energywell Technology Licensing, LLC (“Energywell”) are joining forces to power the future of energy through the development of behind-the-meter, battery-enabled Virtual Power Plants (“VPP”) in Texas.

    The collaboration empowers Abundance Energy customers to use their sonnenConnect home batteries to support grid stability, ensure reliable energy delivery, and lower electricity costs while driving the development of smart, sustainable energy solutions.

    Enabled by SOLRITE Energy’s innovative virtual power plant purchase agreement (VPA) financing model, participants can install solar panels and sonnen battery systems at no upfront cost, lowering barriers to entry for this VPP program. sonnen and SOLRITE first introduced this novel VPA structure to the Texas market in January 2025.

    Optimized through the integration of Energywell’s Proton platform with sonnen’s advanced control technology, each battery is continuously managed in response to market price signals, customer usage, and solar generation. Networked together, these batteries create a VPP, dynamically balancing energy supply and demand to maximize value for both the grid and the customer. Under the VPA financing model, SOLRITE owns and manages all the customer solar and sonnen energy storage systems and customers in turn receive the benefit of low energy costs and reliable back-up power.

    “Our mission is to empower homeowners with smarter, more sustainable energy solutions,” said Thomas Mandry, CEO of Abundance Energy. “By combining sonnen’s best-in-class battery technology, Energywell’s market expertise through its Proton platform, and SOLRITE’s unique financing model, we are delivering an innovative VPP model that benefits both customers and the Texas grid.”

    sonnen’s VPP technology intelligently manages energy supply and demand, ensuring stored solar or grid energy is strategically deployed when needed most. “Our VPP solutions enable customers to actively participate in the energy market while maintaining resilience in their homes,” said Blake Richetta, Chairman and CEO of sonnen. “With Abundance Energy, SOLRITE, and Energywell, we’re setting a new standard for residential energy management.”

    “At SOLRITE, we believe financial innovation is key to unlocking the full potential of distributed energy,” said Regan George, CEO of SOLRITE Energy. “By eliminating upfront costs for solar and battery installations, we enable more homeowners to participate in this VPP program, delivering clean, reliable power to customers and adding value to the grid.”

    Energywell’s Proton platform provides advanced forecasting and optimization tools to ensure batteries are dispatched in alignment with market opportunities. “The Texas energy landscape is evolving, and this partnership exemplifies the future of distributed energy,” said Michael Fallquist, CEO of Energywell. “By optimizing stored energy, we are reducing reliance on fossil fuels and lowering carbon emissions, building a smarter, cleaner, and more flexible grid.”

    This VPP initiative aligns with Texas’ growing demand for resilient, customer-driven energy solutions and paves the way for further innovation in the residential energy sector.

    About SOLRITE

    SOLRITE Energy is a clean energy financing company pioneering new ways to make solar and battery storage accessible to homeowners. Its flagship Virtual Power Plant Power Purchase Agreement (VPA), developed with sonnen, provides solar panels and home battery systems at no upfront cost in exchange for a low, fixed energy rate. By partnering with retail electric providers and technology companies, SOLRITE makes sustainable energy solutions accessible while supporting grid reliability. Visit solriteenergy.com for more information.

    About Abundance Energy

    Abundance Energy is a digital-native Retail Electric Provider (REP) startup licensed for operations in Texas. Abundance’s products include transparent fixed-rate residential plans and multi-meter Continuous Service Agreement plans for vacant property management with a built-to-purpose CSA customer platform. Abundance is part of the Quext family of companies that includes next-generation LoRaWAN proprietary IoT thermostats and smart locks for the multifamily market. Visit abundanceenergy.com for more information.

    About sonnen

    sonnen is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of smart energy storage systems for residential applications, and a pioneer of the residential battery based virtual power plant. The sonnen VPP is nationally recognized as a blueprint for the decentralized, digitalized, decarbonized energy system of the future. sonnen is one of the most experienced and fastest growing VPP energy storage companies in the world. sonnen has received many internationally recognized awards celebrating our technological achievement. sonnen products and services are used by the sonnenCommunity, a collection of visionaries around the world who share our vision of clean and affordable energy for everyone. In Texas, sonnen partners with SOLRITE Energy to bring their flagship Virtual Power Plant Power Purchase Agreement (VPA), to provide solar panels and home battery systems at no upfront cost.

    sonnen’s offices are located in Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, and the USA. sonnen is a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell. Learn more at: https://sonnenusa.com/en

    About Energywell

    Energywell is an energy technology company powering the sustainable energy transition. Energywell combines the financial strength of funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. and capital and commodities expertise from Hartree Partners L.P. with proprietary technology and a seasoned team of energy industry veterans. Visit Energywell.com for more information.

    About Proton

    Energywell’s Proton platform delivers real-time energy insights and seamless device integration, empowering businesses and customers to optimize energy more sustainably. Proton uses cloud-native, event-driven architecture to ensure energy solutions scale quickly while maintaining the highest standards of security, including SOC 2 Type 2 compliance. Proton is available for licensing for third parties looking to accelerate their own energy management capabilities. Visit Energywell.com for more information.

    Media contact:

    FischTank PR

    sonnen@fischtankpr.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Africa: SA to host Second G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting 

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Wednesday, May 7, 2025

    Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille will address delegates and the media at a ceremony to mark the Second G20 Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting that will get underway on Sunday.

    “The Second G20 TWG meeting will bring together senior officials, authorities and experts in tourism to engage on the G20 Tourism Priorities that are poised to drive sustainable tourism growth among the member countries,” said the Department of Tourism.

    The Second G20 TWG meeting will take place from 11 till 13 May 2025, in KwaZulu Natal.

    It will bring together senior officials, authorities and experts in tourism to engage on the G20 Tourism Priorities that are poised to drive sustainable tourism growth among the member countries.

    “At the first virtual G20 TWG meeting in March 2025, the member countries agreed on four priorities that will inform the G20 action plan on tourism development, namely: A People-Centered Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Innovation to enhance Travel and Tourism Start-Ups and SMMEs; Tourism Financing and Investment to Enhance Equality and Promote Sustainable Development; Air Connectivity for Seamless Travel, and an Enhanced Resilience for Inclusive, Sustainable Tourism Development,” said the department.

    The Director-General of the department, Nkhumeleni Victor Vele, will chair the second meeting that will foster an exchange of knowledge and best practice among the member countries. 

    “The technical meeting will engage on the G20 Tourism Priorities to enable the development of a G20 Tourism Action Plan that will contribute to the multisector policy driven solutions of the G20 Agenda,” it said. 

    At the first G20 Tourism Working Group meeting, De Lille urged the G20 to find ways to use tourism to change the lives of communities around the world.

    READ | SA hosts first G20 Tourism Working Group meeting 
    SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Tourism key to youth jobs and economic growth

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Tourism isn’t just about breath-taking landscapes and unforgettable experiences — it’s also a powerful engine for job creation and economic growth. 

    This was the message from Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille at the opening of the Middle East Africa (MEA) Future Leaders Challenge South Africa, held this week in Johannesburg.

    “Tourism plays a significant role in our economy and has the potential to create many more jobs,” de Lille told attendees, which comprised tourism entrepreneurs, students, and industry experts. 

    “But to truly unlock that potential, we need a skilled, adaptable workforce, especially among our youth,” the Minister said.

    De Lille believes a big part of the solution to youth unemployment lies in bridging the skills gap through targeted education and innovation.

    “We must develop and harness critical skills like digital literacy, AI-driven customer service, digital marketing, data analytics, and sustainability. These are no longer optional; they are essential,” she said.

    The event, which brought together rising stars from 18 tourism and hospitality schools, is part of the G20 Tourism Hackathon, aimed at finding creative, tech-forward solutions for the tourism industry. According to De Lille, initiatives like these are vital to preparing the next generation of tourism leaders.

    “We must empower our youth not just with skills, but with mentorship and real leadership opportunities. Let’s transform our young people into the job creators of tomorrow.”

    The Department of Tourism is currently reviewing training and development strategies in line with the National Tourism Sector Strategy and other national growth frameworks. A key focus is ensuring that education aligns with industry needs, particularly in a post-pandemic world where digital nomadism and remote work are reshaping global travel trends.

    “South Africa must learn from countries like the UAE, Brazil, Ethiopia, and India, who are embracing Digital Nomad Tourism. We need reliable infrastructure—think seamless mobility, fast internet, and remote work hubs. These are deal-breakers for modern travellers,” De Lille explained.

    She emphasized that this transformation cannot happen in isolation.

    “Public-private partnerships are vital. We need businesses, universities, and government to collaborate, invest in skills training, and create jobs. This isn’t just about tourism; it’s about our future.”

    With the rise of experiential travel and the global shift toward working while exploring, South Africa has a golden opportunity to position itself as a top destination for digital nomads and skilled young professionals alike.

    “The world is changing. Let’s ensure our youth are ready to lead that change,” said De Lille. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa

  • MIL-OSI: AI Uncovers $27B Risk in Appraisals: Restb.ai White Paper Finds Flawed Condition and Quality Adjustments

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DALLAS, May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A new Restb.ai White Paper released today analyzes more than 1,200 real estate appraisals to reveal for the first time over $27 billion in potential hidden financial risk tied to flawed property condition and quality adjustments – exposing a major blind spot in the real estate and mortgage ecosystem.

    The new Restb.ai study uncovers widespread inconsistencies and transparency issues in how appraisers assess and adjust for a property’s physical condition and quality, two factors that directly impact property valuation, borrower equity, and lender risk. Crucially, the White Paper provides deep insight into how appraisers can leverage computer vision to mitigate risks using objective image-based scoring to detect and justify condition and quality adjustments with greater precision.

    The study’s findings echo recent warnings from Fannie Mae, which identified condition and quality misreporting as one of its top three appraisal quality concerns.

    “The scale of flawed condition and quality adjustments in appraisals is bigger than most people realize,” said Nathan Brannen, Chief Product Officer at Restb.ai. “Most AMCs and lenders simply don’t have a quick and easy way to check for these issues, so they ignore the problem and hope for the best. AI finally offers a solution to efficiently manage this risk.”

    Unlocking new findings from appraisals
    Using its proprietary computer vision technology, Restb.ai analyzed 1,271 appraisals and 6,495 comparable properties and uncovered:

    • 1 in 3 appraisals contains a major risk tied to condition or quality adjustments that don’t match the actual property.
    • Nearly 3 out of 4 appraisals show warning signs of inconsistencies that could lead to inaccurate valuations.
    • Most homes were lumped into just two categories for condition (86%) and quality (97%), making it difficult to identify the real differences that could affect property value.
    • Adjustments were made even when properties had identical condition or quality scores – 11.8% for condition and 5.3% for quality – raising questions about consistency and transparency.

    The study warns that these patterns can lead to systematic overvaluations or undervaluations, which carry legal, reputational, and financial risks for lenders and appraisal management companies.

    Supporting appraiser empowerment to reduce risk
    The Restb.ai White Paper on quality and condition findings come at a pivotal moment as the GSEs advance appraisal modernization and shift toward component-based scoring. The study provides indisputable statistical evidence demonstrating that AI-powered computer vision is a vital resource for appraisers – helping them tackle one of the industry’s most persistent and historically costly challenges with greater consistency, precision, and confidence.

    “Automated, scalable risk detection is no longer a luxury – it’s now a necessity,” said Tony Pistilli, President, Valuation at Restb.ai. “By integrating computer vision into appraisal workflows, high-risk files can be flagged by lenders earlier, protect against repurchase claims, and promote fairer outcomes for consumers.”

    The White Paper shows that implementation of AI tools can improve appraisal quality, enhance compliance, and align with evolving GSE requirements, ultimately supporting a more stable and equitable housing finance system.

    A free copy of the Restb.ai White Paper on conditions and quality is available at blog.restb.ai/impact-of-condition-and-quality-on-appraisal-accuracy.

    About Restb.ai
    Restb.ai, the leader in AI-powered computer vision for real estate, provides image recognition and data enrichment solutions for many of the industry’s top brands and leading innovators in the mortgage industry with AI solutions for valuations and appraisals. Its advanced AI-powered technology automatically analyzes property imagery to unlock visual insights at scale – including property conditions – empowering mortgage, valuation, and appraisal firms with relevant and actionable property intelligence. Its proprietary artificial intelligence technology transforms property imagery into actionable insights, helping clients unlock new value from visual data and providing deep insight into each of the 1 million property photos uploaded daily.

    Media contacts:
    Restb.ai
    Maya Makarem | maya@restb.ai
    or
    Kevin Hawkins | WAV Group
    206-866-1220
    kevin@wavgroup.com

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/06854f8f-7e94-4319-84a9-9f75e4140b23

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0eb40f78-8077-41c3-af8a-7eca62a476b7

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8aee103a-cb72-47f4-9848-12af60ac4113

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: MadCap Software Debuts MadCap Flare Online, the Next-Generation Documentation Platform for the AI-Driven Future of Content

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Denver, CO, May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MadCap Software, Inc., the leader in multi-channel content authoring, management and publishing, backed by global investment firm Battery Ventures, today introduced MadCap Flare Online—the industry’s only documentation platform combining full desktop authoring with real-time cloud collaboration and artificial intelligence (AI) powered content generation and optimization. As a result, documentation teams no longer need to choose between cloud flexibility and authoring power. With MadCap Flare Online, they get everything needed to write, manage and publish state-of-the-art, AI-enhanced content anywhere.

    Now available, MadCap Flare Online combines the power of MadCap Flare with MadCap Central and access to advanced AI assistance. MadCap Flare is the industry’s leading desktop authoring software for technical communications professionals—trusted by thousands of organizations worldwide to produce single-source content for multiple channels, including modern documentation websites, online Help, print brochures, knowledge bases, support sites, training and development resources, and compliance reporting, among others. MadCap Central is the widely adopted, cloud-based content management platform that complements MadCap Flare by delivering robust functionality for publishing, project management, collaboration, translation, hosting, analytics, and AI-powered assistance.

    MadCap Flare Online is the next-generation documentation platform that is built on and replaces MadCap Central. Key new capabilities include:

    • Concurrent authoring with near-desktop-level functionality to enable collaboration while meeting most modern technical communications and documentation demands.
    • A MadCap Flare desktop install with seamless Flare Online integration, providing both the flexibility to work offline and features for advanced, specialized use cases.
    • Access to advanced AI functionality via MadCap Syndicate, including AI tool integration, semantic search, and retrieval augmented generation (RAG) chatbot support.

    “For years, enterprise documentation teams have had to choose between the collaboration and flexibility of cloud platforms and the robust advanced technical authoring features provided by desktop software. With MadCap Flare Online, there’s no longer a need to compromise,” said Anthony Olivier, MadCap Software founder and CEO. “By bringing the best of MadCap Flare and Central into a unified, next-generation documentation platform, Flare Online simplifies content development and delivery from start to finish without sacrificing control, scalability or structure. It’s flexible enough for technical authors, structured enough for enterprise teams, and smart enough for the AI-driven future of content.”

    Collaborative, Cloud-Based Authoring
    MadCap Flare Online makes it easier than ever for team members to collaborate. It allows authors and subject matter experts (SMEs) to create and edit content concurrently, leveraging the best-in-class technical authoring capabilities of MadCap Flare in the cloud. Meanwhile, a new intuitive interface designed for all skill levels makes it easy for anyone in the organization to create, contribute and review content.

    Using MadCap Flare Online, enterprises can maximize content reuse, streamline the creation of technical documentation, and enable single-source multi-channel publishing. The platform promotes modular writing for consistent, scalable documentation via robust topic-based authoring and snippet management, and it provides customizable project templates to help teams get started quickly. MadCap Flare Online also maintains full support for Flare desktop projects—including conditional text, variables, and tables of contents (TOCs)—so existing MadCap Flare projects can be pushed to the cloud and edited with full fidelity. 

    Additionally, MadCap Flare Online automatically includes a desktop installation of Flare with the online version. This unique hybrid model of online and desktop authoring gives teams the flexibility to work online or offline—no Internet connection required for continued productivity. The MadCap Flare desktop version also handles complex, advanced authoring tasks not supported by cloud authoring tools. These include importing and leveraging existing content from across the organization, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, etc.; building events and batch targets; integrating documentation with continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) workflows; and extending functionality via advanced scripting and plugin support.

    “Flare Online makes it easy for authors and SMEs to collaborate in real time, through the web on any device,” said Scott DeLoach, ClickStart founder. “Whether you’re conducting technical reviews or need to make a quick update, Flare Online is fast, efficient, and built for today’s content management workflows.”

    Comprehensive Content Management and Publishing
    The comprehensive, cloud-based MadCap Flare Online documentation platform complements Flare authoring features with robust functionality for publishing, project management, collaboration, translation management, AI-assisted authoring, hosting and analytics. The result is an all-in-one solution that enables teams to author, manage and publish content directly from their browsers—no downloads or installations required.

    • One-click, multichannel publishing provides the power to instantly push updates live to desired channels, such as HTML5 and other responsive outputs, PDF, ePub, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft PowerPoint, among others.
    • Role-based permissions enable organizations to maintain control with user roles and collaborative workflows.
    • Version control and review empower teams to track changes and maintain governance throughout the content lifecycle.
    • Content usage analytics provide insights on how to improve content quality and users’ experiences.
    • Advanced translation management reduces the cost and complexity of localizing content.

    MadCap Flare Online also gives enterprises a future-proof approach for creating, delivering and managing content.

    • Built for scale: MadCap Flare Online provides the ability to adapt to teams as they evolve, from a solo writer to a global documentation department.
    • Freedom from lock-in: Both MadCap Flare Online and MadCap Flare are based on open industry standards, so unlike proprietary products, there is no vendor lock-in.

    AI-Driven Assistance and Insights
    MadCap Flare Online also features AI Assist, which allows customers to leverage ChatGPT from within the Flare Online interface. For example, using AI Assist, authorized users can train ChatGPT on their existing content to receive responses in the company’s voice; edit and format the ChatGPT responses in the AI Assist interface; click to insert the text directly into a document in Flare Online; view the difference between original content and text edited by ChatGPT; and translate content directly in the Content Editor. Importantly, MadCap Flare Online allows administrators to control how much or whether to use AI Assist at all, depending on their corporate policies.

    In addition to AI Assist, MadCap Flare Online provides access to the advanced AI features provided by MadCap Syndicate, an enterprise-scale, cloud-based content delivery and aggregation platform. Using the Publish to Syndicate feature, teams can publish content directly from Flare Online to Syndicate. Once the content is stored in MadCap Syndicate:

    • AI tool integration is supported through the ability to feed Flare content into large language models (LLMs).
    • AI-powered semantic search lets teams use natural language to find the content most relevant to their needs across all their organization’s content, even if there are no exact text matches.
    • RAG chatbot support allows RAG chatbots to leverage Flare content in a secure, access-controlled way without exposing it to external AI services, such as ChatGPT.

    Beyond the AI capabilities, MadCap Flare Online customers with Publish to Syndicate can also take advantage of Syndicate for advanced search and content filtering, seamless integration with other systems and applications, role-based permissions and content governance, enhanced analytics, and robust compliance support.

    Availability and Pricing
    MadCap Flare Online is available today. Product pricing is based on team size and implementation. Visit MadCap Software at https://www.madcapsoftware.com, or contact MadCap Software at sales@madcapsoftware.com or +1 (858) 320-0387 to learn more.

    About MadCap Software        
    MadCap Software powers the world’s leading companies with state-of-the-art content creation and AI-readiness knowledge management solutions. Our products and services streamline content creation, management, delivery, translation, and syndication for both technical documentation and learning assets—ensuring mission-critical knowledge is always accurate and up to date. By optimizing content for AI and maximizing reuse across the enterprise, we help organizations reduce costs, improve efficiency, and accelerate productivity. Explore how MadCap Software helps enterprises harness AI, streamline content operations, and transform their content strategies at www.madcapsoftware.com. Connect with us on LinkedIn, X and Facebook.

    MadCap Software, the MadCap Software logo, MadCap Central, MadCap Flare, MadCap Syndicate, and Publish to Syndicate are trademarks or registered trademarks of MadCap Software, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other marks are the properties of their respective owners.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI China: New direct air route links south China’s Haikou, London

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    HAIKOU, May 7 — A new direct air route linking Haikou, capital city of China’s southernmost island province of Hainan, and London in Britain was launched on Wednesday.

    The route is operated by Hainan Airlines using a Boeing 787 wide-body aircraft, with one round trip per week scheduled.

    Outbound flight HU7911 departs from Haikou Meilan International Airport at 13:45 Beijing Time on Wednesday and arrives at London Heathrow International Airport at 19:30 local time the same day. Return flight HU7912 departs from London Heathrow at 22:00 local time and arrives in Haikou at 16:55 the following day, Beijing Time.

    Meanwhile, the airport authority also revealed that it plans to further increase the frequency of flights between Haikou and Kuala Lumpur, capital city of Malaysia, and between Haikou and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, as part of its aim to continuously expand its network of both international and regional routes.

    These efforts aim to accelerate the airport’s development into a regional aviation hub serving destinations in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, while supporting the growth of Hainan as an international tourism and consumption center.

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI China: Half century on, China-EU economic ties deepen amid global uncertainties

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, May 7 — As China and the European Union (EU) mark 50 years of diplomatic ties in 2025, their economic partnership is showing renewed strength and resilience, even against the backdrop of mounting global uncertainties.

    Bilateral trade has expanded more than 320-fold over the past five decades, now standing at around 780 billion U.S. dollars, according to China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC).

    In the first quarter (Q1) of this year, trade between the two sides reached 1.3 trillion yuan (about 180.5 billion U.S. dollars), up 1.4 percent year on year. This translates to over 10 million yuan in trade every minute.

    Behind these figures lies not just massive trade volume, but increasingly diversified and innovation-led cooperation.

    In Q1, China’s imports of advanced equipment from the EU jumped 30.4 percent to 64 billion yuan, accounting for nearly a third of China’s total imports in this category. Meanwhile, China’s exports of industrial robots and high-end machine tools to the EU surged 81.9 percent and 11.7 percent, respectively.

    For many European multinationals, these trends are translating into long-term investment decisions and expanded innovation footprints in China.

    Oliver Zipse, chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, told Xinhua in a recent interview that China is not only BMW’s largest single market but also a vital hub for innovation.

    Highlighting China’s growing role in innovation, particularly in AI, Zipse said BMW plans to integrate AI technology from Chinese startup DeepSeek into its latest models in China later this year.

    Likewise, European companies across various sectors are also strengthening their local presence.

    Earlier this year, German industrial giant Siemens opened its first industrial ecosystem hub in western China. Leading Danish energy efficiency solution provider Danfoss officially launched its new campus in Nanjing, the company’s very first carbon-neutral factory in China, in line with China’s green development drive.

    These moves came as China takes concrete steps to expand high-standard opening-up. Despite mounting protectionism and geopolitical tensions, the country has remained focused on building a market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environment for foreign firms.

    According to this year’s government work report, China will ensure national treatment for foreign-funded enterprises in areas such as access to production factors, license application, standards setting, and government procurement.

    Earlier this year, China released a new action plan to stabilize foreign investment. It includes 20 targeted measures to further expand market access, encourage foreign equity investment, and expand pilot programs to open up fields such as telecommunication and medical services.

    China’s unwavering efforts to open up, as well as the steady growth of the Chinese economy, have strengthened many European multinationals’ determination to tap win-win opportunities in the world’s second-largest economy.

    Danfoss President and CEO Kim Fausing told Xinhua that the company is confident in China’s market, citing its strong growth in sectors like data center, marine, and energy storage achieved last year.

    He added that the company looks forward to deepening cooperation with Chinese partners to accelerate the green transition in China, and at the same time for the purpose of shared wins.

    Wang Lingjun, deputy head of the GAC, said that China and the EU remain each other’s most important trading partners, with highly complementary economies and closely intertwined interests.

    “In a world marked by economic instability and growing uncertainties, China and the EU, with close communication and cooperation, jointly uphold free, open trade and investment, and maintain stable industrial and supply chains in the world, which will bring more stability and certainty to both sides and the global economy,” Wang said.

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI: LPL Financial Welcomes Women-Led West Texas Investments

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN DIEGO, May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LPL Financial LLC announced today that financial advisors Stephanie Stewart, Debra Hedgcoth, CFP®, RICP®, and Madison Wentland, CPA, of West Texas Investments have joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer, Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and custodial platforms. They reported serving approximately $170 million in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets* and join LPL from B. Riley Wealth Advisors, Inc.

    Based in Lubbock, Texas, Stewart founded West Texas Investments in 2012 with her late partner, David Barber. Hedgcoth joined the team in 2018 following a 25-year career with the IRS, and Wentland joined two years later in 2019. With more than 40 years of combined industry experience, the all-female team takes a holistic and team approach to helping clients work towards their fiscal goals.

    “We understand that finances are a deeply personal topic, and we use a ‘Discover, Design and Deliver’ approach to help our clients pursue their financial goals,” Hedgcoth said. “First, we take the time to understand our clients’ dreams, goals and values. Then we work with them to design a financial plan with those in mind. After we share their customized plan, we work with them every step of the way, making changes as necessary, to help them work towards realizing their short- and long-term financial vision.”

    Looking to enhance their offerings and provide an elevated client experience, the West Texas Investments team turned to LPL.

    “I was taught that you design your own life, and part of that means working towards a future that aligns with your values and aspirations. Moving our business to LPL will help us achieve that goal,” Wentland said. “With LPL’s impressive integrated and streamlined technology and their extensive back-office services, like Marketing and Paraplanning Solutions, I am confident we will be able to provide our clients with a next-level customer experience.”

    Stewart added, “Our transition to LPL has been seamless, and I have been impressed with the constant communication and step-by-step instructions we’ve received from our transition team as we move our accounts over and answer our clients’ questions. It’s been a best-in-class experience.”

    Scott Posner, LPL Managing Director, Business Development, said, “We welcome Stephanie, Debra and Madison to LPL and look forward to helping them with this next chapter of their business. Just as the West Texas Investments team walks in lockstep with their clients to help them meet their goals, we are committed to helping our advisors differentiate themselves and enhance the client experience. We look forward to supporting the West Texas Investments team for years to come.”

    Related
    Advisors, learn how LPL Financial can help take your business to the next level.

    About LPL Financial

    LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LPLA) is among the fastest growing wealth management firms in the U.S. As a leader in the financial advisor-mediated marketplace, LPL supports nearly 29,000 financial advisors and the wealth management practices of approximately 1,200 financial institutions, servicing and custodying approximately $1.7 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets on behalf of approximately 6 million Americans. The firm provides a wide range of advisor affiliation models, investment solutions, fintech tools and practice management services, ensuring that advisors and institutions have the flexibility to choose the business model, services, and technology resources they need to run thriving businesses. For further information about LPL, please visit www.lpl.com.

    Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial LLC (“LPL Financial”), a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. West Texas Investments and LPL Financial are separate entities.

    Throughout this communication, the terms “financial advisors” and “advisors” are used to refer to registered representatives and/or investment advisor representatives affiliated with LPL Financial.

    We routinely disclose information that may be important to shareholders in the “Investor Relations” or “Press Releases” section of our website.

    *Value approximated based on asset and holding details provided to LPL from end of year, 2024.

    Media Contact: 
    Media.relations@LPLFinancial.com 

    Tracking #734052

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: While AI makes writing code easier than ever, CodeAnt AI secures $2M to make it easy to review

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    California, May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AI might be great at helping engineers write code, but it’s creating a new problem – all that code still needs to be reviewed by humans. CodeAnt AI is stepping in with a solution that uses AI to tackle the review process itself, raising $2 million in seed funding to help engineering teams move faster without sacrificing quality or security.

    The funding, CodeAnt AI’s first institutional round, values the company at $20 million. It will be used to expand the engineering and business development teams and to scale CodeAnt AI’s code quality and application security platform. For engineering teams already feeling the pressure to ship faster, the investment comes at the perfect time.

    The funding round was led by Y Combinator, VitalStage Ventures, and Uncorrelated Ventures, and with participation from DeVC, Transpose Platform, Entrepreneur First, and a number of marquee angel investors.

    CodeAnt AI founders: Amartya Jha and Chinmay Bharti.

    “As AI-driven coding becomes widespread, the real bottleneck isn’t writing code — it’s reviewing it,” said Amartya Jha, Co-founder and CEO of CodeAnt AI. “Today, when a developer submits a change request, it often sits idle for hours or even days waiting for peer review. And even when a reviewer does pick it up, they rarely have full context of the code change. This is a critical risk point: most software bugs and vulnerabilities slip through at the peer review stage, where issues could have been caught early and cheaply.”

    AI Code Review In Action with CodeAnt AI.

    CodeAnt AI’s platform plugs right into GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps, giving developers instant feedback on their code across more than 30 programming languages. More impressively, it doesn’t just find problems – it suggests fixes that developers can apply with a single click, turning reviews that used to take hours into proactive quick, five-minute sessions. For companies racing to get products out the door, this means fewer delays and higher quality code. It also means cost savings – fixing problems during code reviews costs 10x less compared to fixing them later during CI/CD or after production deployments. 

    CodeAnt AI dashboard. 

    “We now have a new team member: CodeAnt AI. It sees our entire codebase in seconds, catches what linters miss, and suggests optimizations, refactors, even typos. It’s fully integrated into our on-prem GitLab — and the whole team adopted it instantly” said Michel Naud, Head of IT Solutions, Autajon Group. While, Sundaraman Venkataramani, Tech Lead at Motorq added:“At Motorq, speed, quality and precision are paramount. CodeAnt AI’s Agile team mirrors our fast-paced environment, delivering rapid iterations and responsive support. Their AI-driven code reviews, real-time feedback and robust security features have streamlined our development process allowing us to focus on core domain challenges. With CodeAnt AI, We’ve already been able to enhance code quality, security and are pushing our boundaries of innovation”.

    The company was founded by Amartya Jha and Chinmay Bharti, who both saw the same problem from different angles. Jha worked on scaling infrastructure at Zeta and ShareChat, where he noticed how easily critical bugs slipped through when reviews weren’t thorough. Bharti, with a master’s specialising in AI from IIT Bombay, faced similar issues while building high-frequency trading software at Blu Analytics – where a single bug could have serious financial consequences. Together, they built CodeAnt AI and were accepted into Y Combinator.

    What makes CodeAnt AI different is the technology under the hood. The company built  a proprietary language-agnostic AST engine that actually understands how different parts of a codebase connect, letting it spot issues that isolated code reviews would miss. The platform also pulls in data from major security databases and lets companies set up their own rules based on their specific needs. For security-conscious organizations, CodeAnt AI can run entirely within their own infrastructure, ensuring code never leaves their environment.

    “In today’s AI-driven environment, enterprises need solutions that either replace aging systems or deliver clear productivity gains,” added Amartya Jha. “CodeAnt AI is built to do both — helping companies move faster and stay competitive without compromising on security or code quality.”

    Tom Blomfield, Partner at Y Combinator added: “With more and more code being generated by AI, code review has never been more important. CodeAnt fits into your CI/CD pipeline and ensures that only high-quality code makes it into production. Not AI-generated slop!”

    Pricing starts at $10 per developer per month for the basic AI code review features, with a full package including code quality, security, and compliance tools available for $40 per developer per month.

    As AI continues to transform how code gets written, CodeAnt AI is positioning itself as the bridge to a future where code can be both rapidly created and confidently deployed. The founders envision a world where AI doesn’t just help developers write code faster, but also ensures that every line shipped to production is secure, efficient, and ready for the real world – giving engineering teams the confidence to move at the speed their businesses demand.

    Meanwhile, early investor at Hubspot Brian Shin, Managing Partner for VitalStage Ventures, commented: “CodeAnt AI is redefining one of the most critical — and often overlooked — parts of modern software development: the code review. In a world where AI is rapidly democratizing code generation, the bottleneck has shifted to validation. CodeAnt’s platform slashes review time by over 50%, ensuring not just speed, but quality, security, and reliability at scale. This leap forward empowers engineering teams to ship faster while catching issues earlier — a foundational advantage in today’s software-driven economy.”

    Code review and code quality are becoming super critical for teams to measure, track and improve. Especially with the rapid pace of adoption of AI for code generation. CodeAnt AI has built a great product that many engineering leaders swear by already added Aakash Kumar, General Partner at DeVc.

    “I love that CodeAnt stands on the shoulders of giants such as Sonar,” said Salil Deshpande, General Partner at Uncorrelated Ventures. “CodeAnt not only integrates into enterprise environments to help deliver clean, consistent, and reliable code, but also dramatically speeds up code reviews by identifying and fixing issues early during the review process — one of the most manual and critical parts of software development today.”

    Alex Bangash, Partner at Transpose Platform commented: “CodeAnt is enabling software engineering focused on creativity and innovation, not time consuming mundane yet important tasks. The automation is slick but they are keeping human reviewers in the loop. For a future where many PRs will be written by coding assistants, having a software engineering “empowerment” platform like CodeAnt will become even more critical to ensure performant, secure, and innovative software solutions.”

    Ends 

    Media images can be found here.

    About CodeAnt AI
    CodeAnt AI is an AI code reviewer that fixes code quality issues and security vulnerabilities. It’s proven to help enterprises reduce manual code review time by over 50%. 

    CodeAnt AI integrates directly across the development workflow—from IDEs to pull requests to CI/CD—offering one-click fixes for code quality and security issues. CodeAnt AI does this via: 

    • AI Code Review: Automatically reviews each pull request, summarizes changes, flags issues, and offers one-click fixes.
    • Code Quality Platform: Continuously scans the entire codebase for code smells, dead/ duplicate/ complex code, adds docstrings, and provides real-time quality insights.
    • Code Security Platform: Continuously monitors code, infra, and dependencies, detects vulnerabilities and secrets, and offers real-time security insights.

    CodeAnt AI is SOC 2 & HIPAA compliant and trusted by teams ranging from small startups to large unicorns. For more information please visit https://www.codeant.ai/ or follow via X or LinkedIn.

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  • MIL-OSI: Introducing the Wix Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server for Seamless AI-Driven Web App Development

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    With Wix MCP Server, users can leverage natural language prompts to seamlessly connect Wix’s comprehensive business functionality with their preferred compatible AI-powered tools, enabling them to build custom experiences on top of Wix or manage their Wix-based business

    NEW YORK – Wix.com Ltd. (NASDAQ: WIX), the leading SaaS website builder platform globally, today announced the launch of the Wix Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server. This enables anyone—from developers to business owners— to deliver production-ready Wix business solutions seamlessly through AI coding assistants and LLMs, ensuring they can generate code for a vast array of needs and manage Wix businesses using natural language. 

    The Wix MCP Server provides access to a wide range of Wix’s business solution functionalities, enabling users to manage their Wix-based business and generate code through AI assistants including Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf. Whether it’s a developer building a custom integration or a business owner chatting with Claude, the MCP provides the context and intelligence to get things done without coding or manual setup required. These powerful tools include inventory management, staff scheduling, secure checkouts, ticketing, a flexible CMS, and more. It also offers built-in CRM capabilities to capture and manage leads, such as  through forms, and comes with comprehensive back-office management as part of the Wix ecosystem, making it a robust platform for running, integrating, and building various aspects of your business.

    The Wix MCP Server is  a bridge between MCP-compatible AI clients and Wix’s robust headless infrastructure simply by using natural language prompts. Developers can operate directly from familiar Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), minimizing the need for manual integration and extensive documentation. Moreover, it is designed to cater to various user groups, including freelance web developers, agency teams, in-house development specialists, and AI automation experts.

    “We continue to invest in tools for developers, building on the momentum of our launch of Wix Studio. The addition of the Wix MCP Server expands this offering, making our powerful business solutions even more accessible to developers through instant, effective tools backed by Wix’s enterprise-grade infrastructure. This framework not only enhances productivity but also provides access to a wide variety of APIs and services, enabling the creation of seamless, cross-vertical solutions such as integrated commerce, blogs, scheduling, and events,” said Yaniv Even Haim, CTO at Wix. “As we step into the world of LLM-powered code generation, the quality and completeness of our APIs become one of our most important assets. Developers can now easily generate code that seamlessly integrates with Wix’s infrastructure, ensuring efficiency and reliability. This empowers them to provide secure, scalable solutions for their clients while harnessing the full potential of Wix’s headless platform. This initiative underscores the importance of continuing our efforts to open more APIs and enhance our documentation, marking just the beginning of a larger strategy to facilitate AI disruption within the industry.” 

    Wix will demonstrate the capabilities of the Wix MCP Server for payments at today’s Stripe Sessions. Developers will see firsthand how to generate reliable code for fully functional payment solutions using LLMs, creating a complete service website that accepts online payments via credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay through Wix Payments and Stripe.

    Developers can start coding with the MCP at no cost with the option to upgrade to a Premium Plan for extended functionality for business operations including accepting online payments.  Learn more about the Wix MCP here.

    About Wix.com Ltd.
    Wix is the leading SaaS website builder platform1 to create, manage and grow a digital presence. Founded  in 2006, Wix is a comprehensive platform providing users – self-creators, agencies, enterprises, and more – with industry-leading performance, security, AI capabilities and a reliable infrastructure. Offering a wide range of commerce and business solutions, advanced SEO and marketing tools, the platform enables users to take full ownership of their brand, their data and their relationships with their customers. With a focus on continuous innovation and delivery of new features and products, users can seamlessly build a powerful and high-end digital presence for themselves or their clients. 

    For more about Wix, please visit our Press Room
    Media Relations Contact:  PR@wix.com  

    1 Based on number of active live sites as reported by competitors’ figures, independent third-party data and internal data as of H1 2024.

    Attachments

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  • MIL-OSI: Micropolis Delivers on Vision of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Intelligent Systems at Make it in the Emirates 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DUBAI, May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Micropolis Holding Co. (“Micropolis” or the “Company”) (NYSE American: MCRP), a UAE-based pioneering force in robotics, AI, and autonomous mobility, today announced its participation in Make it in the Emirates 2025, the UAE’s premier manufacturing event, taking place May 19-22, 2025 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). The event brings together manufacturers, innovators, policymakers, and global investors to explore industrial growth opportunities within the UAE.

    At the exhibition, a series of daily showcases will display two of Micropolis’s innovative robotics portfolios—an agriculture robot and a container cleaning robot—demonstrating the power of its autonomous mobile robots and AI to enhance productivity and lower customers’ operating costs.

    To take part in Micropolis’s display and experience the excitement of their robotic solutions, please visit the Company at ADNEC May 19-22 in Booth 6-AM30.

    For more information or to schedule a meeting with Micropolis’s management team, please email Micropolis@kcsa.com.

    About Micropolis Holding Co.
    Micropolis is a UAE-based company specializing in the design, development, and manufacturing of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), AI systems, and smart infrastructure for urban, security, and industrial applications. The Company’s vertically integrated capabilities cover everything from mechatronics and embedded systems to AI software and high-level autonomy.

    For more information please visit www.micropolis.ai.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements may include words such as “anticipate”, “estimate”, “expect”, “project”, “plan”, “intend”, “believe”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “can have”, “likely” and other words and terms of similar meaning. Forward-looking statements represent Micropolis’ current expectations regarding future events and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the uncertainties related to market conditions and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of the registration statement filed by the Company with the SEC. For these reasons, among others, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional factors are discussed in the Company’s filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof.

    Investor Contact:
    KCSA Strategic Communications
    Valter Pinto, Managing Director
    PH: (212) 896-1254
    Valter@KCSA.com

    Media Contact:
    Jessica Starman
    media@elev8newmedia.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/276fe904-a544-478a-ab28-f317c2a4065f

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: MKS Breaks Ground on New Chemical Manufacturing and TechCenter Facility in Thailand

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ANDOVER, Mass., May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MKS Instruments. Inc. (NASDAQ: MKSI) (“MKS”), a global provider of enabling technologies that transform our world, announced today the groundbreaking of its cutting-edge Atotech chemical manufacturing and TechCenter facility at the Asia Industrial Estate Suvarnabhumi, located east of Bangkok, Thailand. This strategic investment aligns with MKS’ commitment to grow alongside its customers and deliver localized expertise to accelerate technological advancements across the region. The new facility also underscores MKS’ dedication to fostering Thailand’s growing role within the printed circuit board (“PCB”) industry.

    “This facility represents a major milestone for MKS, as we expand our footprint in Southeast Asia,” said John T. C. Lee, President and CEO of MKS Instruments. “By bringing world-class manufacturing, cutting-edge technology, and specialized laboratory services to Thailand, we are reinforcing our ability to support Southeast Asia’s fast growing PCB manufacturing and semiconductor advanced packaging sectors, as well as the region’s top specialty industrial manufacturers. This investment demonstrates our long-term vision for growth and innovation in the global electronics and plating industries.”

    The facility will be located on a 11.7-acre plot, spanning approximately 27,000 square meters and just 30 minutes from Bangkok International Airport. The facility will feature:

    • A state-of-the-art manufacturing space dedicated to producing chemicals for surface treatments and plating, serving industries such as Electronics and Automotive.
    • A TechCenter featuring advanced Electronics and General Metal Finishing plating equipment, along with laser machinery for innovative applications.
    • Fully equipped laboratories for analytics, quality control, and material science, supporting customer ramp-ups, ensuring high standards and continuous innovation.
    • Comprehensive technical service capabilities, including maintenance, spare parts, and support for new IIoT and software solutions tailored to the region’s installed equipment base.
    • A modern main office building designed to efficiently support administrative and operational functions.

    Dedicated to driving innovation and operational excellence, the facility will focus on producing process chemicals, providing customer service and application work for advanced electronics and industrial markets. With a total production capacity of 18,500 tons per year, this new MKS site represents an investment of $40M+ and operations are set to begin in the second half of 2027.

    Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, regarding MKS’ construction of a chemical manufacturing and TechCenter facility in Thailand, as well as the projected features and the projected timeline for completion of the facility. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact should be considered to be forward-looking statements. Actual events or results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements set forth herein, including as a result of the factors described in MKS’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. MKS is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.

    About MKS Instruments

    MKS Instruments enables technologies that transform our world. We deliver foundational technology solutions to leading edge semiconductor manufacturing, electronics and packaging, and specialty industrial applications. We apply our broad science and engineering capabilities to create instruments, subsystems, systems, process control solutions and specialty chemicals technology that improve process performance, optimize productivity and enable unique innovations for many of the world’s leading technology and industrial companies. Our solutions are critical to addressing the challenges of miniaturization and complexity in advanced device manufacturing by enabling increased power, speed, feature enhancement, and optimized connectivity. Our solutions are also critical to addressing ever-increasing performance requirements across a wide array of specialty industrial applications. Additional information can be found at www.mks.com.

    About the Atotech Brand

    Atotech is a brand within the Materials Solutions Division of MKS Instruments. Atotech’s portfolio consists of leading process and manufacturing technologies for advanced surface modification, electroless and electrolytic plating, and surface finishing. Applying a comprehensive systems-and-solutions approach, the Atotech portfolio includes chemistry, equipment, software, and services for innovative and high-technology applications. These solutions are used in a wide variety of end-markets, including datacenter, consumer electronics and communications infrastructure, as well as in numerous industrial and consumer applications such as automotive, heavy machinery, and household appliances.

    With its well-established innovative strength and industry-leading global TechCenter network, MKS delivers pioneering solutions through its Atotech brand – combined with unparalleled on-site support for customers worldwide. For more information, please visit us at www.atotech.com.

    Contacts:

    Bill Casey
    Vice President, Marketing Communications
    Telephone: +1 (630) 995-6384
    Email: press@mksinst.com

    Kelly Kerry, Partner
    Kekst CNC
    Email: kerry.kelly@kekstcnc.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: VERB CEO Rory J. Cutaia Interview Live from the Floor of the NY Stock Exchange on Cheddar TV’s Power Players

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LAS VEGAS, May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Verb Technology Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: VERB) (“VERB” or the “Company”), Transforming the Landscape of Social Commerce, Social Telehealth and Social Crowdfunding with MARKET.live, VANITYPrescribed, GoodGirlRx, and the GO FUND YOURSELF TV Show, today announced that CEO Rory J. Cutaia was featured on Cheddar TV’s Power Players live from the floor of the NY Stock Exchange on an episode that airs Friday, May 9, 2025, at 8PM ET.

    Hosted by J.D. Durkin, Power Players dives deep with business leaders to uncover the motivations, strategies, and defining decisions that shape today’s most influential companies. In this segment, Cutaia discusses his motivation for creating the innovative crowd funding TV show GO FUND YOURSELF, VERB’s original television series that blends real-time interactivity with investment access and product discovery — ushering in a new era for retail investing and consumer engagement, currently airing its first season on Cheddar TV. He will also provide a candid look into VERB’s ambitious growth plans — including its recent acquisition of Lyvecom, the popular new AI technology social commerce innovator for big brands.

    Here’s a sneak peek at the segment on Cheddar.com.

    Broadcast Information
    Power Players featuring Rory J. Cutaia
    Friday, May 9, 2025, at 8PM ET on Cheddar TV
    Encore presentations to air throughout the weekend and following week.

    About VERB
    Verb Technology Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: VERB), is transforming the landscape of social commerce, social telehealth and social crowdfunding with MARKET.live, LyveCom, VANITYPrescribed, GoodGirlRx, and the GO FUND YOURSELF TV Show. The Company operates multiple business units, each of which leverages the Company’s social commerce technology and video marketing expertise.
    MARKET.live, together with recently acquired AI social commerce technology innovator LyveCom, is a multi-vendor, livestream social shopping platform that allows brands and merchants to deliver a true omnichannel livestream shopping experience across their own websites, apps, and social platforms. Advanced AI capabilities power real-time user-generated-content creation, automated video content repurposing for high conversion video ads, and AI-powered virtual live shopping hosts that are virtually indistinguishable from human hosts, capable of real-time audience engagement. Brands utilize the Company’s proprietary AI model trained on tens of thousands of video commerce interactions to automate content creation and intelligent tools designed to optimize merchandising strategies and increase conversion rates. 
    GO FUND YOURSELF TV show is a revolutionary interactive social crowd funding platform for public and private companies seeking broad-based exposure for their crowd-funded Regulation CF and Regulation A offerings. The platform combines a ground-breaking interactive national TV show with MARKET.live’s back-end capabilities allowing viewers to tap, scan or click on their screen to facilitate an investment, in real time, as they watch companies presenting before the show’s panel of “Titans”. Presenting companies that sell consumer products are able to offer their products directly to viewers during the show in real time through shoppable onscreen icons.
    VANITYPrescribed.com and GoodGirlRx.com are telehealth portals, intended to redefine telehealth by offering a seamless, digital-first experience that empowers individuals to take control of their healthcare needs. They were designed and developed to disrupt the traditional healthcare model by providing tailored healthcare solutions at affordable, fixed prices – without hidden fees, membership costs, or inflated pharmaceutical markups. GoodGirlRx.com, a partnership with Savannah Chrisley, a well-known lifestyle personality and advocate for health and wellness, offers customers access to convenient, no-hassle telehealth services and pharmaceuticals, including the new weight-loss drugs, with fixed pricing regardless of dosage, breaking away from the industry’s traditional model of excessive pricing and pharmaceutical gatekeeping.
    The Company is headquartered in Las Vegas, NV and operates full-service production and creator studios in the Los Angeles, California vicinity.
    For more information, please visit: www.verb.tech

    Follow VERB here:

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VerbTechCo

    X: https://twitter.com/VerbTech_Co

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/verb-tech

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0eCb_fwQlwEG3ywHDJ4_KQ

    Sign up for E-mail Alerts here: https://ir.verb.tech/news-events/email-alerts

    FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

    Statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “designed,” “expect,” “may,” “will,” “should” and other comparable terms. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding VERB’s intentions, beliefs, projections, outlook, analyses or current expectations and the other risk factors and other cautionary statements included in VERB’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and its subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including subsequent periodic reports on Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. All forward-looking statements made in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on management’s assumptions and estimates as of such date. Except as required by law, VERB undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events, changed conditions or otherwise after the date of this press release.

    Investor Relations Contact: investors@verb.tech
    Media Contact: info@verb.tech

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Fortinet Expands Hybrid Mesh Firewall Portfolio with FortiGate 700G

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

    Fortinet® (NASDAQ: FTNT), the global cybersecurity leader driving the convergence of networking and security, today announced the FortiGate 700G series, a next-generation firewall (NGFW) purpose-built for the modern campus. Powered by Fortinet’s proprietary Network Processor 7 (NP7), Security Processor 5 (SP5) ASIC, and FortiOS, Fortinet’s unified operating system, the FortiGate 700G series delivers up to 7x higher firewall throughput, 4x better threat protection, and 7x lower power consumption than competitor offerings. With support for advanced networking, FortiGuard AI-Powered Security Services, and new FortiOS enhancements, including post-quantum cryptography readiness, FortiAI-Protect for AI-driven threat detection, and generative AI (GenAI) risk assessment, the FortiGate 700G helps organizations reduce risk, optimize performance, and future-proof hybrid IT environments.

    “With the FortiGate 700G series, we’re delivering more than just industry-leading performance that customers have come to expect from Fortinet—we’re equipping organizations with advanced capabilities to stay ahead of current and emerging cyberthreats,” said Nirav Shah, Senior Vice President, Products and Solutions, at Fortinet. “From AI-powered threat detection and GenAI risk mitigation with FortiAI-Protect to post-quantum cryptography readiness built into FortiOS, this new next-generation firewall series helps our customers consolidate infrastructure, reduce cyber risk, and confidently build for the future.”

    FortiGate 700G: Industry-leading Performance with AI-Powered Security
    Today’s enterprises are under pressure to scale operations, secure expanding attack surfaces, and manage increasingly sophisticated cyberthreats while reducing costs and maintaining efficiency. The FortiGate 700G series is engineered to meet these demands, offering:

    • Unmatched performance and security: Delivering 7x higher firewall throughput (164 Gbps) and 4x better threat protection (26 Gbps) than the industry average, the FortiGate 700G series ensures businesses maintain high-speed, secure operations.
    • Energy resilience through ultra-efficient design: The FortiGate 700G series enables continuous security even in energy-constrained or sustainability-focused environments. Consuming 7x fewer watts per Gbps than the industry average, the FortiGate 700G series sets the standard for energy efficiency and significantly reduces operational costs.
    • Enhanced threat detection and response with AI-powered security: As attackers increasingly weaponize AI and automate cyberattacks, FortiGuard AI-Powered Security Services, enhanced by FortiAI-Protect, enables organizations to detect and block emerging, unknown, and increasingly sophisticated threats. FortiAI-Protect also delivers contextual risk assessments and enforces access controls for third-party GenAI applications, providing visibility into shadow AI usage across business groups and helping improve the overall data security posture of organizations.
    • Post-quantum cryptography readiness: New FortiOS capabilities help protect sensitive data against quantum-era threats by enabling quantum-resistant encryption, algorithm stacking for enhanced protection, and a seamless transition to post-quantum security, ideal for organizations in finance, healthcare, government, and other sectors handling long-term sensitive information.
    • Support for a wide range of network interfaces, ranging from 5GE to 25GE: Ensuring the flexibility to connect various devices and topologies, the FortiGate 700G series enables organizations to seamlessly adapt to developing technologies and accommodate future upgrades without costly overhauls.
    • Deeper protections for critical system files: FortiSentry is a unique out-of-band hardware module that provides continuous, non-intrusive file-system monitoring, adding another layer of protection to detect and prevent unauthorized access to critical system files.
    Specification FortiGate
    700G
    series
    Security
    Compute
    Rating
    Industry
    Average
    Palo Alto
    Networks
    PA-3410
    series
    Check
    Point
    6700
    Cisco
    Secure
    Firewall
    3110
    Firewall Throughput 164 Gbps 7x 23.3 Gbps 14.0 Gbps 38.0 Gbps 18.0 Gbps
    IPsec VPN Throughput 55 Gbps 7x 7.7 Gbps 6.6 Gbps 4.6 Gbps 12.0 Gbps
    Threat Protection 26 Gbps 4x 6.7 Gbps 7.5 Gbps 5.8 Gbps
    Concurrent Sessions 16M 3x 6.5M 1.4M 16M 2M
    Connections/Second 700K 3x 231K 145K 250K 300K
    Power Consumption FortiGate
    700G
    series
    Energy
    Efficiency
    Industry
    Average
    Palo Alto
    Networks

    PA-3410
    series
    Check
    Point
    Quantum
    9200
    series
    Cisco
    Secure
    Firewall
    3100 series
    Watts/Gbps Firewall Throughput 1.8 W 7x 12.7 W 12.1 W 3.7 W 22.2 W
    Watts/Gbps IPsec VPN Throughput 5.4 W 6x 29.9 W 25.8 W 30.6 W 33.3 W
    • Threat Protection performance is measured with Firewall, IPS, Application Control and Malware Protection, and Logging enabled.
    • The numbers for competitive solutions are based on publicly available sources. Other vendors may have different testing methodologies.
    • All power consumption values are taken from external data sheets and hardware system guides using maximum power consumption.

    Fortinet Security Fabric: Powering a Unified and Scalable Cybersecurity Platform

    At the core of Fortinet’s approach is the belief that effective cybersecurity starts with the convergence of networking and security. The Fortinet Security Fabric, an integrated platform built on a common operating system and purpose-built technologies like the FortiGate 700G series, delivers consistent protection across hybrid environments. It empowers organizations with centralized management, automated threat intelligence, and real-time visibility. With seamless integration across Fortinet and third-party solutions, the Fortinet Security Fabric helps customers confidently scale from foundational network protection to advanced capabilities like SASE and AI-driven security operations. Fortinet continues to innovate and enable businesses to simplify complexity, reduce risk, and evolve their cybersecurity strategy with a platform approach that grows with them.

    Additional Resources

    About Fortinet
    Fortinet (Nasdaq: FTNT) is a driving force in the evolution of cybersecurity and the convergence of networking and security. Our mission is to secure people, devices, and data everywhere, and today we deliver cybersecurity everywhere our customers need it with the largest integrated portfolio of over 50 enterprise-grade products. Well over half a million customers trust Fortinet’s solutions, which are among the most deployed, most patented, and most validated in the industry. The Fortinet Training Institute, one of the largest and broadest training programs in the industry, is dedicated to making cybersecurity training and new career opportunities available to everyone. Collaboration with esteemed organizations from both the public and private sectors, including Computer Emergency Response Teams (“CERTS”), government entities, and academia, is a fundamental aspect of Fortinet’s commitment to enhance cyber resilience globally. FortiGuard Labs, Fortinet’s elite threat intelligence and research organization, develops and utilizes leading-edge machine learning and AI technologies to provide customers with timely and consistently top-rated protection and actionable threat intelligence. Learn more at https://www.fortinet.com, the Fortinet Blog, and FortiGuard Labs.

    Copyright © 2025 Fortinet, Inc. All rights reserved. The symbols ® and ™ denote respectively federally registered trademarks and common law trademarks of Fortinet, Inc., its subsidiaries and affiliates. Fortinet’s trademarks include, but are not limited to, the following: Fortinet, the Fortinet logo, FortiGate, FortiOS, FortiGuard, FortiCare, FortiAnalyzer, FortiManager, FortiASIC, FortiClient, FortiCloud, FortiMail, FortiSandbox, FortiADC, FortiAI, FortiAIOps, FortiAgent, FortiAntenna, FortiAP, FortiAPCam, FortiAuthenticator, FortiCache, FortiCall, FortiCam, FortiCamera, FortiCarrier, FortiCASB, FortiCentral, FortiCNP, FortiConnect, FortiController, FortiConverter, FortiCSPM, FortiCWP, FortiDAST, FortiDB, FortiDDoS, FortiDeceptor, FortiDeploy, FortiDevSec, FortiDLP, FortiEdge, FortiEDR, FortiExplorer, FortiExtender, FortiFirewall, FortiFlex FortiFone, FortiGSLB, FortiGuest, FortiHypervisor, FortiInsight, FortiIsolator, FortiLAN, FortiLink, FortiMonitor, FortiNAC, FortiNDR, FortiPAM, FortiPenTest, FortiPhish, FortiPoint, FortiPolicy, FortiPortal, FortiPresence, FortiProxy, FortiRecon, FortiRecorder, FortiSASE, FortiScanner, FortiSDNConnector, FortiSIEM, FortiSMS, FortiSOAR, FortiSRA, FortiStack, FortiSwitch, FortiTester, FortiToken, FortiTrust, FortiVoice, FortiWAN, FortiWeb, FortiWiFi, FortiWLC, FortiWLM, FortiXDR and Lacework FortiCNAPP. Other trademarks belong to their respective owners. Fortinet has not independently verified statements or certifications herein attributed to third parties and Fortinet does not independently endorse such statements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, nothing herein constitutes a warranty, guarantee, contract, binding specification or other binding commitment by Fortinet or any indication of intent related to a binding commitment, and performance and other specification information herein may be unique to certain environments.

    The MIL Network