Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, revamped its hybrid cloud strategy to focus on bringing compatibility, security, compliance, scalability and reliability with its newly upgraded product offerings and its Hybrid Cloud Partner Program. To help businesses, especially small medium enterprises (SME), transform digitally and take advantage of public cloud’s highly elastic, scalable and available characteristics, new appliances are also launched to support enterprises private cloud utilisation needs. 

To support timely and cost-effective hybrid cloud backup, Alibaba Cloud launched a physical server to integrate with Hybrid Backup Recovery (HBR) solution with embedded backup capabilities to public cloud. The appliance acts as a bridge between customers’ on-premise servers and the public cloud without compromising network security and efficiency. Its dual power source, network ports and hot backup disc also ensures a safe and stable operating environment for users without consuming extra computing resources.

The Hybrid Cloud Storage Array (HCSA) appliance is an enterprise level storage. It blends in with the Alibaba Cloud storage service thereby connecting the local storage with the elastic, scalable and unlimited public cloud storage to create a smooth hybrid cloud environment with ease of operation. HCSA supports multiple hybrid cloud modes such as cloud caching, replication, tiering and snapshots with its fully redundant hardware design to ensure there is no single point of failure during operation. With HCSA, customers can easily implement cross team file management and collaboration, unified heterogeneous storage management, and storage extension from local server to public cloud.

To enable joint innovation and service delivery with hybrid cloud partners, Alibaba Cloud launched its Hybrid Cloud Partner Program to provide an ecosystem for capable partners to plan, design, and resell services to propel customers’ hybrid cloud adoption journey. Alibaba Cloud will also offer free technical resources to qualified partners under the program including free ZStack licenses with unlimited CPU cores.

Current partners include global partners DXC Technology, Equinix, HPE, NCS, Whale Cloud; European partners Arrow Electronics, Softline Group and APAC partners AsiaPac, B&Data, Blue Power Technology, Cloudify, CTC Global, DiGiCOR, and Sen Spirit.

Kevin Li, Hybrid Cloud Business General Manager, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, said: “A key observation from 2020 is that hybrid cloud deployments will accelerate in the time to come as it expedites the digital transformation requirements of businesses everywhere. At Alibaba Cloud, we are committed to making it easier for enterprises of any scale to accelerate their digital transformation requirements. We want to create an ecosystem for hybrid cloud partners so that together we can allow businesses to compete in the digital era.”

Zhenzhong Cao, Chief Digital Consultant, Whale Cloud International, said: “Whale Cloud, after partnering with Alibaba Cloud for the last two years, has witnessed great progress in our own operations adopting digital technology and cloud. We firmly believe the potential cloud can bring and strive to deliver best digital tools and telco BSS/OSS to our customers by leveraging Alibaba Cloud’s Hybrid solutions. Enterprise digital transformation has just begun and, together with Alibaba Cloud, we’ll help enterprises adopt digital tools and cloud infrastructure, actively participate in the digital economy, and create better products and services.”

James Wong, Vice President, Global Business of NCS, said: “We are excited about the partnership and business opportunities with Alibaba Cloud in Singapore, China and the Asia Pacific region. Our NEXT Digital Solution and Cloud Service Delivery experts are embracing the latest cloud operating model to support and enable digital transformation and cloud migration journey of our clients. The partnership with Alibaba Cloud can further enhance our ability to harness leading technologies in serving our Government and Enterprise clients.”

Richard Huang, DiGiCOR Co-founder & CEO, said: “We are excited to partner with Alibaba Cloud, APAC’s largest cloud service provider to extend their core IT infrastructure footprint in Australia and NZ with DiGiCOR’s core infrastructure. This partnership will allow us to provide robust cloud infrastructure such as Alibaba Cloud ZStack, to best match our clients’ requirements across a broad range of industry sectors. The deliverables from this partnership is able to bring cost-effective and class leading services to customers across the region.”

Christanto Suryadarma, Senior Director and General Manager - APAC Channels, Mid-market & SMB, Alibaba Cloud Partnership, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, said: “Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has successfully collaborated with Alibaba Cloud since 2018 to deliver the next generation of hybrid cloud and drive customer success in sectors such as telecommunications, financial services, aviation and the public sector. We are pleased to take our partnership with Alibaba Cloud to the next level as an Alibaba Hybrid Cloud Partner. Through our Global Channels ecosystem and innovation portfolio, we will accelerate collaboration with Alibaba Cloud Solutions and create new synergies to help customers accelerate their digital transformations, harness the full power of their information, wherever it resides, and benefit from a modern cloud experience on-premises through our unique consumption offering and as-a-service vision.”

Michael Tsang, Senior Director, Partner Account Management, Equinix Asia-Pacific, said: “We have a long history of collaboration with Alibaba Cloud to meet digital leaders’ evolving needs for hybrid multicloud architecture. Through Equinix Fabric™, enterprises can establish direct and scalable connections to Alibaba Cloud in 17 metros across the globe. Combining Alibaba Cloud’s solutions, including ZStack and Storage Array, with our global network and robust ecosystems of 2,900+ cloud and IT service providers, we enable enterprises to fast-track their digital advantage with an agile, secure and cost-efficient IT infrastructure.”

In addition to the hardware appliances, Alibaba Cloud also upgraded its ZStack, a light-weight hybrid cloud solution which can be easily deployed to manage hardware in data centres, servers on the edge, and hybrid cloud environments across on-premises and Alibaba Cloud resources. Compared with traditional private and hybrid cloud solutions, Alibaba Cloud ZStack is more cost-efficient and scalable, and can be deployed from as few as a single node in 30 minutes and easily scale out to hundreds of servers when needed.

Auriga, a global provider of technology solutions for the omnichannel banking and payments industries, today announced a ground-breaking new agreement to provide a complete ATM as a service solution to create and run a new shared state of the art ATM infrastructure for Belgium’s four largest retail banks.

The initiative is called Batopin (Belgian ATM Optimization Initiative), which is supported by Belfius, BNP Paribas Fortis, ING and KBC, and aims at providing 95% of Belgians access to a modern ATM service within five kilometres of their home or business.

To help achieve the goals for Batopin, Auriga will be providing complete end-to-end management of the new ATM network including software development and management, maintenance, security and other managed services. This includes comprehensive monitoring of the ATMs, transaction processing, cash management and asset management. To protect the new ATM network, there will be an advanced state-of-the-art ATM security solution as well as a full incident management system.

Batopin’s new ATM infrastructure will run on a single software platform based on Auriga’s multivendor integrated ATM acquiring solution called Auriga WinWebServer (WWS). This will take advantage of Auriga’s unique cloud-based concept for managing all channels consistently and with minimal effort, regardless of the manufacturer of the ATM or self-service device. As result, Batopin will be able to replace existing machines with the latest network neutral self-service machines, and fully leverage how Auriga WWS can enable the development of new revenue generating services alongside traditional cash withdrawal and deposit services.

Kris De Ryck, CEO at Batopin, says: “We’re responding to how our customers want easy access to cash. By partnering with Auriga who have unrivalled deep expertise and knowledge in next generation ATMs, we can optimise Batopin’s internal operations and minimize the total cost of ownership while ensuring our banks’ consumers remain delighted with their self-service experience.”

Vincenzo Fiore, CEO at Auriga, comments: “Batopin is a hugely significant initiative that sets a high standard for how European banks can answer customer demands for access to self-service banking. We’re proud to be a key partner in helping to realise this project and deliver a truly 21^st century ATM infrastructure that’s designed to maximise how banks can deliver value and service excellence innovations for today and well into the future.”

MonetaGo, the fintech pioneering fraud prevention across financial services, has partnered with Singapore-based GUUD. The partnership will bring together MonetaGo’s Secure Financing platform which prevents fraud in trade finance, and GUUD’s vast ecosystem of trade finance stakeholders across Asia.

GUUD streamlines trade processes including compliance, shipping, financing, and payments via an ecosystem of trade technology platforms. Working with governments and enterprises, the company provides businesses with greater access to global markets and financing options, as well as the ability to meet global logistical and trade standards. GUUD has deployed platforms in a number of countries including Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Kenya, and other African countries.

GUUD’s solutions will be bolstered by MonetaGo’s Secure Financing platform which prevents double financing and other types of trade fraud. The Secure Financing platform leverages R3’s best-in-class blockchain technology and has already facilitated over 1 million transactions worth billions of dollars.

MonetaGo and GUUD’s alliance advances trade finance fraud prevention in the APAC region and facilitates expansion across the rest of Asia. These efforts have also received the official support of Japanese megabank SMBC.

MonetaGo has hired Tat Yeen Yap as Head of Product APAC to support the company’s rapid growth in the region. Tat Yeen brings with him 30 years of experience at top banks, including leading Trade Finance for Société Générale Singapore and trade finance leadership positions with Citibank and ABN AMRO.

Tat Yeen Yap, said: “MonetaGo is leading the charge in trade fraud prevention and no other company in the world has a stronger track record. This digital platform is finally bringing together the elements for which so many have been searching.”

Shinichiro Yamazaki, Global Head of Trade Innovation, Global Trade Finance Department APAC for SMBC, said: “The integration of digital fraud prevention in Trade Finance across Asia is a critical component of increasing access to capital and SMBC is supporting this effort in various markets.”

Desmond Tay, CEO, GUUD, said: “We look forward to collaborating in our joint pursuit to help businesses work seamlessly and efficiently to secure trade finance, and ultimately put an end to the trade fraud scandals which have hindered the growth of so many for too long.”

DocuSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: DOCU), which offers the world's #1 eSignature solution as part of the DocuSign Agreement Cloud, today announced results for its fiscal quarter ended October 31, 2020.

"As companies accelerate the digital transformation of their business and agreement processes, DocuSign's role as an essential cloud platform continues to grow," said Dan Springer, DocuSign CEO. "Our Q3 results reflect that tailwind, as well as the immediate and long-term value that customers see from eSignature and our broader Agreement Cloud."

Third Quarter Financial Highlights

·         Total revenue was $382.9 million, an increase of 53% year-over-year. Subscription revenue was $366.6 million, an increase of 54% year-over-year. Professional services and other revenue was $16.3 million, an increase of 43% year-over-year.

·         Billings were $440.4 million, an increase of 63% year-over-year.

·         GAAP gross margin was 74% compared to 75% in the same period last year. Non-GAAP gross margin was 79% in both comparative periods.

·         GAAP net loss per basic and diluted share was $0.31 on 186 million shares outstanding compared to $0.26 on 178 million shares outstanding in the same period last year.

·         Non-GAAP net income per diluted share was $0.22 on 206 million shares outstanding compared to $0.11 on 191 million shares outstanding in the same period last year.

·         Net cash provided by operating activities was $57.4 million compared to $1.9 million net cash used in operating activities in the same period last year.

·         Free cash flow was $38.1 million compared to negative $14.1 million in the same period last year.

·         Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and investments were $675.6 million at the end of the quarter.

A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures has been provided in the tables included in this press release. An explanation of these measures is also included below under the heading "Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Other Key Metrics."

Operational and Other Financial Highlights

·         DocuSign Agreement Cloud 2020 Product Release 3. DocuSign announced more than a dozen new product capabilities to help customers get remote work done faster and easier. This includes:

·         eSignature for Slack which enables users to send and sign important documents from directly within Slack;

·         Drawing which streamlines processes by enabling a sender or signer to upload an image and leave free-form markups on the image;

·         Agreement Actions which allow admins to easily configure rules to automate common post-signature actions; and

·         iOS App Updates which includes an improved user experience and new features (including drag-and-drop tagging) for DocuSign's eSignature app for iOS.

·         New Products. DocuSign continues to expand the Agreement Cloud with new products that make agreement processes smarter, faster, and more secure.

·         DocuSign Analyzer helps customers negotiate better agreements, faster. It applies the AI-powered advanced contract analytics of DocuSign Insight to incoming contracts, accelerating contract review and negotiation while helping to manage risk.

·         DocuSign CLM+ adds AI-driven analytics from DocuSign Analyzer and Insight to DocuSign's market-leading CLM solution. This combination empowers organizations to automate manual tasks, orchestrate complex workflows and eliminate unnecessary risks intelligently by embedding analytics and machine learning across every stage of the agreement lifecycle.

·         DocuSign Monitor helps protect agreements with round-the-clock activity tracking. It uses advanced analytics to provide near real-time alerts—empowering security teams to detect unusual account activity, investigate incidents and respond to verified threats.

·         DocuSign Quote Gen for Salesforce CPQ+ allows Salesforce CPQ customers to leverage Gen for Salesforce as their document-generation solution within CPQ+.

Outlook

The company currently expects the following guidance:

▪  Quarter ending January 31, 2021 (in millions, except percentages):

▪  Year ending January 31, 2021 (in millions, except percentages):

The company has not reconciled its expectations of non-GAAP financial measures to the corresponding GAAP measures because stock-based compensation expense cannot be reasonably calculated or predicted at this time. Accordingly, a reconciliation is not available without unreasonable effort.

Webcast Conference Call Information

The company will host a conference call on December 3, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. PT (4:30 p.m. ET) to discuss its financial results. A live webcast of the event will be available on the DocuSign Investor Relations website at investor.docusign.com. A live dial-in will be available domestically at 877-407-0784 or internationally at 201-689-8560. A replay will be available domestically at 844-512-2921 or internationally at 412-317-6671 until midnight (ET) December 17, 2020 using the passcode 13713254.

XMLdation, a leading provider of solutions for payments file validation, testing and simulation, has announced the appointment of Tricia Balfe as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), as part of the company’s ambitious growth plans.

Tricia is a payments industry expert, with deep market experience in financial messaging and API technology. Tricia served as Head of Product and Services after she joined the firm when her own technology start-up was merged into XMLdation, and she has played a key role in our expansion in Europe, and into North America.

“XMLdation has made great strides in the last 3 years, and we now have active clients across three continents. Our SaaS platform serves banks, central banks and other critical financial service providers. As CEO, I’ll continue to work with the great team at XMLdation, and together we will build further on our success,“ said Tricia Balfe.

Juha Keski-Nisula, founder of XMLdation, said: “Tricia has a combination of industry expertise, knowledge and experience with the firm. She has worked closely with every one of our customers, and is a fantastic choice to ensure our continued success and growth. With all the changes coming in financial messaging, we see a big opportunity.”

For the fifth consecutive year, Red Hat has released its annual Global Tech Outlook. This survey of IT leaders covers the top IT challenges and funding priorities for the coming year.

Surveying more than 1,400 IT professionals from July through September (respondents include both Red Hat customers and the broader market globally, mostly from companies with more than £70 million in annual revenue), the report covers the following four key areas: digital transformation, funding priorities, culture and the state of cloud.

Key findings include:

Digital transformation

Many companies are accelerating their transformation and optimisation efforts because of the pandemic, although some companies have had to stall their initiatives.

• 85% of respondents are actively pursuing digital transformation initiatives.
• Only 5% of organizations surveyed have not yet started their digital transformation or are just beginning.
• 65% of respondents say that they're well into their digital transformation efforts, specifically in the "transforming" phase or beyond.
• Integration issues (27%) are the top barrier to digital transformation, followed by security and compliance (26%), and talent gaps (25%)

Cloud adoption

While most are looking at a hybrid cloud strategy, more customers are also shifting to a multicloud strategy.

• More than a quarter of the respondents (27%) described their cloud strategy as "hybrid cloud" for the next 12 months, with 17% saying they had  a private cloud-first strategy and only 12% planned to standardize on a single public cloud.
• Use of three or more clouds in the next 12 months is expected to jump significantly, 51% say that they plan to use three or more cloud platforms in the next 12 months.
• The biggest shifts are in the Latin American and the Asia-Pacific regions, where they plan to at least triple their usage to four or more clouds.

Priorities for next year

• The top priorities for digital transformation cited by this year's respondents are innovation (23%), security (19%), user experience (13%) and cost reduction (11%).
• IT security (45%) is the top IT funding priorities next year, followed by IT and cloud management (39%), cloud infrastructure (34%), optimisation of existing IT (29%) and IT automation (26%).

Culture

• 27% of respondents say a cultural change is an important part of digital transformation.
• Only 6% of respondents say evolving their culture is their top priority for digital transformation.

About the report

Each year, Red Hat surveys information technology (IT) leaders and decision makers to learn where they are in their digital transformation journey and what their technology goals and priorities are for the coming year.

CryptoCompare, a global leader in digital asset data, and the University of Sussex Business School today announced the launch of the Bitcoin Volatility Index (BVIX). 

A first of its kind for digital assets, the index measures the implied volatility of bitcoin - the view on volatility over the next 30 days held by sophisticated bitcoin option traders - which is the standard gauge of market sentiment. Other VIX indices are used for settlement prices of volatility futures contracts in traditional markets and have paved the way to the creation of a diverse set of leveraged, direct and inverse volatility ETFs and other exchange-traded products.

BVIX is derived from the volatility implied from market prices of bitcoin options. The index represents a valuable tool for institutional investors to price bitcoin volatility risk, and hedge and trade on bitcoin volatility. CryptoCompare uses proprietary methods to live stream the BIVIX following the research design of leading industry expert Prof. Carol Alexander and her team at the University of Sussex Business School.

“We have created the Bitcoin Volatility Index (BVIX) so that investors can use a reliable and transparent barometer to monitor and eventually hedge against bitcoin volatility,” said Quynh Tran-Thanh, Head of Indices and Investable Instruments of CryptoCompare. “By bringing together our indexing capabilities and Carol Alexander’s expertise, we are delighted to introduce the first bitcoin implied volatility index to digital asset market participants” she continued.

Carol Alexander, Professor of Finance at the University of Sussex Business School, commented: “Live-streaming a well-known market sentiment index like the VIX has been an intellectual challenge made pleasurable by working with Quynh and her fabulous team at CryptoCompare. And the University of Sussex Business School is delighted to recognise the practical implementation of my research with Arben Imeraj, published in the Journal of Alternative Investments.”