Cisco today announced platform innovations for Cisco® HyperFlex(TM) with the 3.0 software release that delivers performance and simplicity for any application, on any cloud, at any scale.   Enhancements include support for Microsoft Hyper-V, stretch clusters, containers, and new multicloud services that enable applications to be deployed, monitored and managed in any cloud. The result is a platform that uniquely enables development and deployment of both traditional and cloud-native applications on a common hyperconverged platform.

Cisco HyperFlex: The Power to Simplify More
Other hyperconverged solutions neglect the crucial roles that networking and distributed file systems play in the performance and scaling of clustered servers. Cisco redefined hyperconvergence with a complete end-to-end approach that engineers high performance server and networking technology, with a purpose-built filesystem. The result is industry leading performance that enables customers to efficiently support a broader array of applications, including databases and mission critical ERP workloads. 

HyperFlex's approach enables high performance of Microsoft SQL and Oracle databases and critical applications with faster delivery of the environment, lower costs, and more effective management," said Edivaldo Rocha, CEO, CorpFlex.

The latest release of HyperFlex builds on this superior architecture and expands the opportunity for customers to simplify more.  "Customers tell us they need operational simplicity, effortless scalability, and the ability to serve the unique needs of each of their applications," said Liz Centoni, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco's Computing Systems Product Group.  "The new HyperFlex platform underscores our commitment to continuously simplify and improve data center operations and help organizations thrive in a multicloud world."

Run Any Application
The HyperFlex 3.0 software release delivers significant advancements for mission critical and cloud-native workloads:

• Multi-hypervisor Support. In addition to VMware ESXi, HyperFlex adds hypervisor support for Microsoft Hyper-V.
• Container Support. Data platform enhancements include a FlexVolume driver to enable persistent storage for Kubernetes managed containers, enabling development and deployment of cloud-native applications on HyperFlex.
• Enterprise Application Validations. HyperFlex is ready for a wide range of workloads with workload profiling and sizing tools available to support application migration projects. In addition to design and deployment guides for Virtual Server Infrastructure (VSI) and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) , Cisco design guides are now available for mission critical databases, analytics and ERP applications - including Oracle, SQL, SAP, Microsoft Exchange, and Splunk.

On Any Cloud
Organizations today require workload mobility and application monitoring across public and private clouds.  HyperFlex is the platform for the multicloud era featuring new service integrations with Cisco's multicloud software portfolio:

• Application Performance Monitoring. AppDynamics with HyperFlex enables performance monitoring of hybrid applications running on HyperFlex and across multiple clouds.
• Application Placement. Cisco Workload Optimization Manager (CWOM) for HyperFlex assists customers with automated analysis and workload placement.
• Cloud Management. Introduced last year, CloudCenter for HyperFlex enables workload lifecycle management across one to many private and public clouds.
• Private Cloud. CloudCenter for HyperFlex simplifies the deployment and management of VM's, containers and applications, making it easy for developers and administrators to consume private clouds.

At Any Scale
Only Cisco enables customers to power rapidly growing workloads with comprehensive resiliency while enjoying the global reach of cloud-based systems management.

• Greater Scalability and Resiliency On-prem. Supporting customers with higher virtual machine density,  HyperFlex clusters now scale to 64 nodes with added resiliency through fully-automated availability zones. 
• Stretch Clusters Across Datacenters. To meet data protection and high availability requirements, HyperFlex can now be configured into stretch clusters for campus and metro mission critical availability.
• Cloud-based Management Across Datacenters.   Cisco Intersight now supports HyperFlex Cloud Deployment, extending simplified deployment and management to any remote location.

Applications are at the heart of digital transformation.  The changing application landscape demands support for both traditional, monolithic workloads as well as distributed microservices architectures. In addition, the ability to enable a multicloud operating environment is quickly becoming a data center requirement. According to IDC's July 2017 CloudView Survey, 85 percent of respondents are evaluating or using public cloud, while among current cloud users 87 percent have taken steps towards a hybrid cloud strategy and 94 percent plan to use multiple clouds.

Organizations are rapidly adopting hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) to help simplify their environments.  HCI is one of the fastest growing segments in the data center space with a 5-year CAGR (2016-2021) of 30.2 percent (Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Converged Systems Forecast Tracker, 3CQ17).  Cisco HyperFlex is being adopted as the platform of choice for enterprise IT, accelerating this market transition with more than 2000 customers globally.

Tender Armor, LLC, a global fraud prevention payments technology provider, today announced the closing of a multi-million-dollar Series A investment led by private investors Aubrey Strul and Barry Beck, with additional funding through Strul Logistics and Technology LLC. The Series A round enables Tender Armor to drive new business and product innovation, expand its workforce, and meet increasing demand by financial institutions for its multi-patent-pending CVV+ solution. 

The CVV+ solution addresses the growing threat of card-not-present (CNP) fraud and the consumer worries it creates. Fraudulent CNP charges cause undue stress to cardholders while burdening them with repairing the damage. It also results in significant losses for financial institutions such as replacement card costs, countless lost purchase dollars, and perhaps most painful, customer attrition. CVV+ works to prevent fraud from occurring before it happens, unlike other solutions that don’t detect fraud until the transaction is being processed.

Tender Armor’s investors are motivated by its unique and simple approach to CNP fraud prevention. “We immediately fell in love with Tender Armor’s exceptional management and compelling, multi-patent-pending technology. Tender Armor is a recognized leader in the fraud prevention payments space and is ideally positioned to stem the tide of fraudulent CNP transactions,” explained the company’s first outside investors Aubrey Strul and Barry Beck. “We not only invest in great companies, but also have other highly experienced investors who work with companies to help make them best in class. This was an easy investment for us to make as all of the value drivers were in place.” Beck continued: “The culture at Tender Armor is fantastic and we look forward to a great relationship with an exceptional team.”

With the advent of EMV chip cards, fraudsters are following the path of least resistance by attacking CNP fraud which includes purchases made online, through mobile devices and over-the-phone. CNP fraud has led to billions of dollars in losses and expenses for financial institutions and retailers, and the problem is only expected to worsen. In the U.S. alone, CNP fraud is anticipated to increase by 68 percent from 2016 to 2018, according to U.S. Payments Forum.

According to American Express, nearly half of consumers who shop online report they have been the victim of payment fraud, representing nearly 80 million online shoppers. Fraudulent CNP transactions impact consumers by creating cardholder anxiety that negatively affects their online shopping behaviors. In fact, a consumer survey, conducted by Sparks Research and Tender Armor, found that 55 percent of cardholders decrease online shopping, reduce payment card usage, and close payment card accounts after experiencing a fraudulent event.

The benefits of the CVV+ solution provide immeasurable value to both cardholders and bank card issuers. The solution empowers consumers by protecting against ecommerce fraud, lost and stolen cards, retailer breaches and unauthorized use of their credit, debit, and prepaid cards. For financial institutions, CVV+ helps reduce CNP charge-off losses, curtails cardholder attrition and decreased card usage, and minimizes payment card re-issues while avoiding costly reputational damage.

The easy-to-use solution works by anonymously authenticating the cardholder everywhere payment cards are accepted including through mobile devices, online, and over-the-phone by generating a security code that only the cardholder can obtain. The cardholder can choose to receive the code daily or use the solution as a one-time passcode. Cardholders can securely receive their CVV+ code via a mobile app, text-on-demand, a daily SMS message, email, or through their card issuer’s banking site. To complete the transaction, the dynamic CVV+ code is used by the cardholder in place of the static security code printed on the payment card.

“Three years ago, the market void in fraud prevention solutions was evident as it still is today. We set out to create a highly effective payment fraud prevention tool that deputizes cardholders to protect them from fraudsters,” said Madeline K. Aufseeser, CEO of Tender Armor. “This Series A investment validates our CVV+ technology, go-to-market strategy, and competitive edge in the payment card fraud prevention arena. Now, with the support of investors, Tender Armor enters the next phase of growth, expanding our product and workforce, and driving new business within the payments industry and beyond.”

Yolt, the smart money app owned by ING has become the first third party provider to complete a successful connection under the new Open Banking system.

Ahead of the official Open Banking launch on the 13 January 2018, Yolt has been working with the Open Banking Implementation Entity (OBIE) and CMA9 banks to set up APIs that will enable its users to benefit from new services.
The first successful test connection was made on 17^th January between Yolt and Lloyds Banking Group, making Yolt the first third party provider to work with a CMA9 current account provider under the new rules.

As Open Banking’s managed roll out ends in early March, Yolt users will be able to use the app to see more information about their accounts through Open Banking, giving them more insight and control over their money. This will help make it easy to compare and find the best deals available to them.

This follows an integration via API with Starling Bank last year. Yolt also has partnerships with energy comparison platform, Runpath, and international money exchange FinTech, Moneytis.

Leon Muis, COO, Yolt, says: "We're extremely proud to announce that Yolt was the first third party provider to successfully introduce an API in the new Open Banking environment, designed to provide consumer with more choice and control over their money. We look forward to continue working with other current account providers to give their customers the opportunity to unthink money and enjoy life more."‎

Imran Gulamhuseinwala, Implementation Trustee at Open Banking, says: “We can confirm that Yolt became the first third party provider to integrate with a member of the CMA9 earlier this month. These are the first, small steps towards genuine revolution in banking in the UK.”

Diamond Mines, Caprice, Ahava cosmetics and others are among the first businesses in the Middle East to offer instore payments with Alipay’s digital wallet.

Tel Aviv, Israel, Israel Credit Card (ICC, CAL) and OneBill have announced they will be cooperating with Chinese payment market leader Alipay to facilitate payments for Chinese visitors to Israel.

The availability of Alipay means Israel becomes the first country in the Middle East in which it can be used for instore payments. This follows Alipay’s extensive international expansion in recent years. The service is available for Chinese tourists and business travelers visiting Israel.

Israeli businesses are showing great interest in the economic benefits of Chinese tourism, and many have already announced they will enable payments through Alipay. National Airline El-Al and James Richardson Duty Free chain stores will soon accepet Alipay, with Diamond Mines prestigious jewelry chain stores launching Alipay powered payments last week. 

According to information received from the Ministry of Tourism and the Israel-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the volume of Chinese arrivals to Israel increased 45% year-on-year in 2017. Last year, over 123,000 Chinese tourists visited Israel. The typical Chinese tourist visits Israel for an average period of 9 days, during which each tourist spends approximately $300 daily.

Mr. Doron Sapir, CEO of CAL said "The significant increase in Chinese tourism made us realize that we had to move quickly, and in less than six months we are announcing today the launch of Alipay’s wallet platform in Israel. This alliance with the leading global brand Alipay constitutes a significant step forward in the credit sector, which will increase clientele for Israeli businesses and expose them to a new market."

“Our users are travelling to Israel to see the unique heritage of this country, enjoy local experiences, make lifetime memories and bring home high quality local products,” said Ms Li Wang, Head of EMEA at Alipay. “Chinese travelers are seeking to travel and pay with only their mobile phone when they are abroad - just as they do when they are in China. So we are excited to see our partners bringing Alipay to the Middle East for Israeli experiences, local shops and in-flight payments.”

Objectway, one of the leading European players in the development and production of software solutions for wealth and investment management, has gained access to the first collective bond issue – ELITE Basket Bond – issued by Borsa Italiana.

The issue amounts to 122 million euro, whose highest share is Objectway's, with a 18 million euro bond. 

Ten companies are part of the deal, diversified across markets and geography, but all part of ELITE, the international platform of Borsa Italiana – LSEG, started in 2012 in collaboration with Confindustria and the Ministry of Economy to support growth and fundraising by high-potential firms.

Banca Finint is the structurer (through the controlled company FISG) and distributor of the basket bond, while Banca Europea per gli Investimenti (BEI) and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) are Lead Investors.

“We successfully passed the selection thanks to our respect of the economic and financial reliability requirements made by the pool of investors,” said Luigi Marciano, CEO of Objectway. “It's an important opportunity for us, to accelerate our initiatives of product innovation and international growth.”

Trace Software International is thrilled to announce that the newest version of its electrical calculation software elec calc™ 2018 is here to empower the user experience and to guarantee the success of the project.

Since 1987 Trace Software International has been a global leader in industrial engineering, with a unique expertise in the design of electrical installations within Manufacturing, Energy, Building, Medical, Process & Plant and Transportation industries.

“Empowering Electrical Solutions” has been the company mission since the early beginnings.

elec calc ™ is the CAE software solution dedicated to the sizing of electrical installations, the only one in the world that allows to integrate the management of high and low voltage in the same project and in compliance with international standards.

Even more performance

In a more and more demanding market, characterized by ultra-competitiveness, the latest software version guarantees excellent results in terms of precision, time and productivity, including flawless installation.

The latest evolutions of elec calc™ enables the user to save design time, enhance the performance and empower the accuracy of the calculations to provide a project as close as possible to the production conditions. Real assets that make the difference and bring real added value to your projects.

Among the latest developments:

• New management features of the schema library: by means of drag and drop and / or contextual menus, the standard plans can be arranged, prioritized and presented in various ways.
• Improved presentation of calculated values: the calculated values have been reviewed and updated. The displayed values depend on the type of component and enable to know all the data useful to the dimensioning of the component.
• Display of calculation results on the line diagram: a new display option enables the visualization of some results on the diagram

– Maximum short-circuit currents at the output of sources and transformer

– Maximum short circuit currents seen by a distributor and input voltage drops

– Minimum short circuit currents and voltage drops on the receivers

• Management of discrimination tables between protection devices: these tables are supplied by the manufacturers and therefore only concern the discrimination between devices of the same manufacturer. The project configuration includes a checkbox for controlling discrimination by table. If this box is checked, the software displays an alert message on any non-selective circuit-breaker with the upstream protection.
• Improvement of the search interface in the catalogues: addition of a filter on the range of a material, addition of 2 columns of information in the list of circuit breaker bases (nominal current and number of poles), addition of a filter to choose a valid breaking capacity either directly or by cascading.
• New data items in the calculation report.  The following items have been added to the calculation report

–  Simplified power balance

–  Detailed power balance

– Simple list of short-circuit currents

– Detailed list of short-circuit currents

– Printing of time/current curves previously recorded in the line diagram

• Management of cables having several methods of installation: when the method of installation of a cable varies along the path, the standard requires sizing according to the most restrictive installation mode. It is possible to define several installation modes for the same cable. The software provides the most restrictive mode end to ensure reliability of the installation.

• Integration of new manufacturers references in the catalogues: + 6200 new references, taking into account manufacturers discrimination tables.

• Customization of the calculation report: each product document can be customized in terms of quantity (choice of components) and qualitative (choice of data processed in the document – report, bill of material, curves, …). These different choices can be saved for re-editions

These new features are in addition to those already present in previous versions of the software, including:

• Management of High and Low voltage in the same project
• Simpler and more flexible design interface
• Calculations of the installation in real time: any modification of the installation is considered, and any anomalies are immediately reported.
• Possibility to link external documents to the project or to add notes on the components to accompany the monitoring of the project.
• Management of an unlimited number of operating modes.
• Fast and ergonomic data entry
• Management of discrimination curves to make reliable projections as close as possible to production conditions at all levels of the installation.
• Possibility for the user to enter his own catalogues.

It is easy to get started. You can now learn more about this cutting-edge design software solution and download a free trial version: FREE TRIAL.

Customers with an active subscription will be able to download this new version directly from the software. Purchase options include flexible subscription terms to fit your needs and personalized customer experience and support.

Synechron, the global financial services consulting and technology services provider, has today announced Pankaj Gupta will be joining the Synechron Business Consultancy (SBC) team in the UK as Managing Director and Head of UK Business Consulting reporting to London Managing Director Tony Clark.

Pankaj Gupta will be joining Synechron’s team in London, having previously spent over a decade at Infosys Consulting; he brings more than 20 years of financial services experience with Infosys, Booz.Allen and Arthur Andersen on topics including transaction advisory services, regulatory compliance, business architecture and operating models, business change enablement and digital / technology industrialization. He will leverage his past capital markets experiences to expand the profile of the business consulting team. He will also help to expand Synechron’s market presence with global clients.

“Synechron is committed to delivering end-to-end Consulting, Technology, and Digital services to our clients, and a strong Business Consulting approach is a critical aspect of how we build and operationalize use cases for our clients. Pankaj has an incredibly impressive career working with banks to develop regulatory, compliance, and business operations and architectures that I am confident will help compliment that mission,” said Faisal Husain, Co-founder and CEO of Synechron.“

Pankaj Gupta said: “Regulatory changes, enhanced digital capabilities and technology innovation are huge drivers for financial services firms, as they transform their business models in search of sustainable revenues and efficient cost structures.  Synechron is well-positioned to provide inception-to-execution services in these unique times for our clients. I am excited to become part of Synechron’s journey, with the aim of furthering its differentiated client services agenda through content-led expertise, and strong strategic execution.”

eGain (NASDAQ:EGAN), the leading provider of cloud customer engagement solutions, today announced that the company will showcase knowledge and AI-guided omnichannel engagement for the Avaya contact center infrastructure-eGain Solve(TM) for Avaya-at Avaya ENGAGE® 2018, scheduled for January 28-31, 2018 at New Orleans. eGain will be at booth #720 in the Solutions Expo at the event.

Proven in world-class deployments, eGain Solve suite helps companies simultaneously elevate the customer experience (CX), business experience (BX), and agent experience (AX) to make digital transformation of experiences (DX) easy and successful. The solution dramatically improves metrics such as NPS (Net Promoter Score), CSAT (Customer Satisfaction), FCR (First-Contact Resolution), AHT (Average Handle Time), speed to agent competency, training time, and compliance.

"Knowledge and artificial intelligence can be a tremendous boon to the experiences of customers, agents, and operations leaders alike. AI solutions like eGain, integrated with Avaya, can truly make smart contact centers even smarter," said Eric Rossman, vice president, Alliances and Partnerships, Avaya.

A member of Avaya's DevConnect and Select Partner Programs, eGain will exhibit how eGain Solve for Avaya delivers digital-first omnichannel engagement, guided by knowledge and AI. The solution can be deployed in a matter of hours by leveraging an ingenious hybrid cloud model that is highly secure, scalable, and compliant with PII, PCI, HIPAA, and Safe Harbor standards as well as GDPR.

Visa  in partnership with DragonPass today launched a new programme for its European clients. The new ‘Airport Companion Programme’ is now available to financial institutions throughout Europe, enabling them to provide their customers with an array of exclusive services to enhance the airport travel experience for their Visa cardholders. 

When financial institutions sign up to Airport Companion, their cardholders will have access to more than 1,000 airport lounges worldwide as well as exclusive airport restaurant discounts. Financial institutions also have the option to add other premium features such as transportation, spa, fast track and digital coupons for free meals or beverages. The Programme enables cardholders to manage their membership through their banking app allowing them to make payments, receive smart recommendations and more. 

“We are constantly looking for new ways to add value for Visa cardholders, whilst simultaneously supporting the commercial interests of our clients,” said Mike Lemberger, senior vice president, products and solutions, Visa in Europe. “Our new partnership with DragonPass is an excellent example of delivering a valued service globally to differentiate our offering and utilizing mutual assets in doing so. We know Visa cardholders regularly travel through airports and this new partnership will provide consumers in Europe with a one-stop shop of exclusive benefits to enhance their travel experience worldwide”. 

The DragonPass offering is powered by the Visa Developer Platform https://developer.visa.com, using Visa APIs (Application Programming Interface) to enable seamless account verification and programme eligibility, making it easier for banks to integrate the service into their own apps and tailor services to their specific customer base and commercial interests. A simplified digital on-boarding process gives financial institutions the ability to deploy services quickly and effectively to suit their requirements. DragonPass also enables financial institutions to run bespoke segmented campaigns to optimise the service - driving acquisition, retention and increased customer value. 

DragonPass’ global footprint is growing rapidly with more than 1,000 airport lounges and over 2,000 airport restaurant discounts available to users worldwide. The Programme offers discounts at a range of outlets from Caviar House in Malaga to Los Clos in Dubai, as well as access to lounges such as the Maple Leaf lounge in Frankfurt and the Plaza Premium Lounge in London’s Heathrow Airport.

“We are delighted to team up with Visa to provide an innovative set of travel solutions designed to give more value back to Visa customers through enriched Visa payment propositions,” said Andrew Harrison Chinn, global managing director for DragonPass. “Our approach and services are always designed at simplistically linking an often complex and multifaceted airport ecosystem to provide the customer with a more enjoyable travel experience.”