Gold Turns Silver: Bob Gold & Associates Celebrates a Quarter Century of Communications Excellence

August 31, 2022 Beth Braen
The internationally recognized, data-driven public relations and marketing agency, Bob Gold & Associates (BG&A) is thrilled to announce that we recently celebrated 25 years of helping launch and grow nearly 250 clients ranging...

Research from Commit Reveals How Tech Start-Ups Are Addressing Talent Shortages, Team Building and The Future of Work

April 19, 2022 Beth Braen
Commit, the leading global tech services company focused on custom software and IoT solutions recently released an in-depth report on the 2022 State of Tech Staffing. The survey polled 200 US senior leaders at hi-tech start-ups who had received a Seed, Round A, or Round B investment round of $1M or more over the past six months and included CTOs, CEOs and leadership in HR, Recruitment or Talent, as well as VPs in R&D, Engineering or Technology.     The report addresses the many critical challenges and opportunities faced by tech start-ups today when staffing for success – from talent supply and demand issues to the benefits of remote work, talent sourcing and much more.    Findings that surfaced included that outsourcing for software development at start-ups is expected to increase by 70% between 2022 and 2023. Furthermore, 99% of senior technology and HR leaders today recognize the benefits of remote teams, with 3 of every 4 (75%) seeing an increase in productivity from their remote staff, a clear indication that concerns about remote teams are all but gone.    “The increasing gap between supply and demand for developer talent, along with emerging trends like the growing gig economy, more remote work and the great resignation are driving a need and opportunity to rapidly outsource skilled talent,” said Max Nirenberg, Chief Revenue Officer and Managing Director of Commit USA. “This is especially true for startups, who now face enormous growth potential but struggle to scale quickly and efficiently.”    READ MORE: Software Development Outsourcing To Grow 70% by 2023: Report | Toolbox Tech HR Tech Series

Staffing for Success: 6 Questions Every CTO Should Ask

March 8, 2022 Beth Braen
With every tech advancement comes greater complexity, presenting new challenges for chief technology officers.  Ironically, the answer to carrying businesses forward with technology is people, people, people — and orchestrating people can be just as challenging as tech. To help ensure your next development project goes off seamlessly, Commit CRO and Managing Director of North America, Max Nirenberg recently shared his perspective with the Forbes Business Council on six questions every CTO should ask when building a team.   Six Questions Every CTO Should Ask When Staffing For Success (forbes.com)

VIAMEDIA’S QTT® Launches Data-Driven Linear TV Marketplace

August 30, 2021 Beth Braen
  AdTech innovator, QTT, Viamedia’s cloud-based television advertising platform, has launched a marketplace to enable automated activation of data-driven linear video advertising inventory, without changing existing workflows or technologies. QTT Marketplace is an open-platform destination for advertisers and agencies accustomed to digital platforms to directly access a wealth of premium, curated local and national television inventory – and for television inventory owners to tap more directly into the rapidly growing digital ad pool.   Initial TV participants include A+E Networks, FOX, Reelz with Magnite the first participating SSP.   “The last mile to activate linear TV advertising through existing digital platforms is finally here,” said John Piccone, president of QTT.   The launch follows the completion of a family of QTT patents delivering seminal steps in the integration of the pan-device digital and linear television advertising ecosystems.   Read more on Broadcasting & Cable here. Check out the full news release on BusinessWire.

Cisco Reinforces Commitment to Bridging the Digital Divide

July 30, 2021 Beth Braen
Availability and speed of internet connectivity for individuals or households can greatly affect the quality of education, healthcare, and economic opportunities they receive, as well as access to critical public services.   The pandemic exacerbated the digital divide and brought this urgent problem to the forefront. Cisco and its public and private sector partners believe now is the time for the industry to get together to solve this complex challenge. Recently, Cisco held two panel sessions with industry leaders and partners to discuss the urgent need to close the digital divide and released Cisco U.S. Municipal Infrastructure Index 2021, a report on the infrastructure priorities and challenges facing U.S. municipal leaders. Read more about Cisco's commitment here. Cisco Rural Broadband Innovation Center: Open for Customers and Partners In June, Cisco announced the opening of their Rural Broadband Innovation Center in North Carolina to demonstrate to service providers how they can improve availability and affordability of internet access. Through the Center, Cisco is committed to bridging the gap between commercial viability of technology solutions offered by service providers and the cost of serving rural Americans.   On Monday July 19, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins and Senior Vice President and General Manager Cisco Mass-Scale Infrastructure Jonathan Davidson were joined by FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina, and TruVista COO and President, Carla French, to share more about the Innovation Center, and discuss how the private sector and government can change the economics of broadband access in the U.S. Throughout the conversation, it became clear that broadband inequity comes down to two factors: access and cost.   Bridging the Digital Divide with Municipalities   On Thursday July 22, Cisco brought together municipal leaders and technology decision-makers who are working to bridge the digital divide in the U.S. and abroad, ensuring that everyone has equal access to a reliable internet connection. Cisco’s Michael Beesley, Vice President and CTO, Mass-Scale Infrastructure Group, moderated a discussion with Antoinette Meier, Director of Mobility and Innovation at San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), Eugene Mejia, Deputy CTO for Town of Gilbert, Arizona, and Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA).   The panelists discussed the challenges they face as municipal leaders and technology decision-makers. Antoinette Meier noted that reliable data is difficult to come by, and this data is critical to paint a holistic picture of the problem for leaders to address. Broadband is more than being able to access your favorite websites. Technology has fundamentally changed transportation, healthcare, and education, and data is needed to hold leaders accountable to communities. Every panelist discussed funding hurdles while reiterating that connectivity and access are essential to quality of life.   Private-public partnerships present additional opportunities for collaboration of people and organizations with the same goal. With that in mind, SANDAG and Cisco announced a new partnership focused on bridging the digital divide, supporting the development of SANDAG’s Regional Digital Equity Strategy and Action Plan, which seeks to improve high-speed internet access and adoption in areas where there are gaps. Cisco will support SANDAG as a consultant to help identify barriers to broadband expansion and develop strategies and solutions for addressing these barriers in the form of an actionable roadmap. Watch a replay of the virtual roundtable New Research: Cisco U.S. Municipal Infrastructure Index 2021   Cisco released new research to provide a data-driven look at where broadband infrastructure is being prioritized for municipalities across the country. The study, conducted by Probolsky Research, polled local government executives from cities, counties, towns, and Tribal governments of all sizes, in regions across the U.S. Of those surveyed, 80% said broadband is “critical infrastructure” and placed connectivity improvements and upgrades near the top of their priority project list, underscoring the pressing need to close the digital divide.   So, what’s stopping them? The answer will not surprise you: the primary barrier to reliable broadband connectivity is a lack of funding. More than three quarters of officials are concerned about the high cost of broadband for their residents, and 70% said they have ready-to-go projects just waiting for funding allocation.   Read the full report: Cisco: U.S. Municipal Infrastructure Index 2021

Joyn Insurance Partners With Commit USA to Help Develop Advanced Insurtech Platform

May 21, 2021 BG&A Staff
Joyn’s Platform Utilizes Real-time Data to Simplify and Streamline Underwriting for Small and Middle Market Risks     Commit USA, a global technology and custom software solutions company, and Joyn InsuranceSM, a New York City-based InsurTech startup, today announced a partnership to support the development of Joyn’s new platform, which is slated to launch this year.   Commit was tapped to help with both design and development of the new platform’s user experience. The company’s expert development team has been fully integrated alongside Joyn’s existing engineering team members and partners to ensure seamless collaboration and rapid development throughout the project.   Commit was selected for its comprehensive range of engineering and data capabilities, development expertise and customer-centric approach, which were critical to addressing the unique complexities and usability challenges of developing Joyn’s solution.   “Joyn is bringing big ideas to the insurance industry and is backed by brilliant executives and innovators who have already helped shape the world of InsurTech. It’s exciting to support their vision and be part of this transformation,” said Max Nirenberg, CRO & Managing Director, Commit USA. “Joyn’s platform is truly a best-in-class solution that addresses the biggest pain points experienced by underwriters and brokers in the commercial insurance industry. It’s the future of underwriting for Small and Middle markets.”   Joyn is an innovative, data-centric, technology-driven managing general agent (“MGA”) that provides commercial insurance to the highly fragmented U.S. Small and Middle Markets. Leveraging real-time data, automation and a robust technology stack, the platform can significantly improve the commercial insurance experience, by streamlining and bringing consistency to underwriting processes and decision making. Joyn’s platform can greatly expedite response times for quotes, increase transparency during the underwriting process, and provide a policy at bind.   “This segment of the commercial insurance market is fragmented and rife with inefficiencies, redundancies and lost opportunities for brokers and their clients. Data and technology are the keys to solving these issues,” said Ed McGough, CTO and Co-Founder, Joyn Insurance. “Partnering with an organization like Commit, who have both scale and a startup mindset was an easy decision. We have access to top engineering talent in multiple geographies, without the complexity of managing a global team and operation. Max and his team work seamlessly with Joyn and our existing partners.”   Joyn Insurance was founded by a unique team of insurance executives that are both industry veterans, and technology advocates, including CEO Seraina Macia and CTO Ed McGough. The team at Joyn will work with retail brokers to provide insurance services across a range of industries, including real estate, manufacturing, services, retail, wholesale and contracting.   Integral to Commit operations is its proprietary Flexible R&D methodology, which offers the firm’s multidisciplinary development services via a unique on-demand model. Commit’s approach often reduces development costs by over 40% for its startup clients and has helped 90% release their projects ahead of schedule.   For more information, please visit: https://www.commit.us or https://www.joyninsurance.com/  

NiceLabel launches global partner program

March 27, 2019 Robert Brownlie
New program will help drive digital transformation of labeling industry NiceLabel, a leading global developer of label design software and label management systems, has announced the launch of its global partner program. NiceLabel has designed the program to help channel partners meet the customer demand for the digital transformation of on-demand label printing.   The launch of the program follows NiceLabel’s significant year on year growth. It is driven by the evolution of the labeling software industry, characterized by an increased demand from customers for streamlined, more agile and efficient ways of managing their labeling requirements.   The program brings together a large community of new and existing partners across the globe in a structured and more collaborative way. Members of the program gain access to high levels of technical and marketing support to assist them in generating sales opportunities and position themselves as trusted advisors to their customers. Program members also enjoy wider benefits such as product discounts, access to NiceLabel sales teams and the use of demo and trial licenses.   “The labeling software market is maturing to the point where a partner program is essential to bring structure, set expectations, and provide incentives and rewards,” explains Paul Vogt, Channel Marketing Director, NiceLabel. “We have an existing partner base stretching across the US, Europe and APAC and by formalizing this we are delivering on our promise to help our partners increase their margins and become more consultative. The technical and marketing support available, as well as access to NiceLabel skills and resources, helps partners support their customers’ digital transformation requirements and ultimately empowers users across industries.”   “What makes a relationship with NiceLabel compelling? Our software is ideal for the channel community: Auto ID VARs, Print Automation Specialists and Production System Integrators find real success implementing NiceLabel as part of their solution portfolio. NiceLabel puts them in pole position to win the sales of new hardware, services, and supplies. There is a high demand for our flagship solution, Label Management System, available both as on-premise and Label Cloud (SaaS) solution – VARs tell us that it enables them to bring a compelling message of improved print productivity to their end users and to demonstrate a clear ROI to their customers.”   The new program is three-tiered — NiceLabel Integrator, NiceLabel Partner and NiceLabel Reseller. The top two tiers, Integrators and Partners, are differentiated by their investment in technical competence. They have skills to configure, manage and deploy advanced NiceLabel-based solutions.   For more information on the new partnership program visit www.nicelabel.com/partners/partner-program .

Video: Ooyala, Paramount Execs Offer ‘Business of Video’ Insights at CES 2019

January 24, 2019 Robert Brownlie
By Chris TribbeyConnections January 23, 2019 Before the show floor opened for CES 2019 in Las Vegas, online video platform and workflow management system specialist Ooyala hosted a private “Business of Video” panel, featuring Ted Schilowitz, futurist with Paramount Pictures, Laura Martin, senior analyst with Needham & Co., Belsasar Lepe, founder and CTO of Ooyala, with the trio tackling everything from direct-to-consumer models to the influx of amateur-made video. Video of the panel is now available here, and you can read the Media & Entertainment Services Alliance’s (MESA) coverage of the panel here.

SVG On Demand: Advancing Hollywood and Sports Tech Innovation – A SVG Panel Conversation with Cisco

December 6, 2018 Robert Brownlie
Execs from The Walt Disney Company, SWR, Arena TV, and Cisco share their vision for the future of video workflow   By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital Wednesday, December 5, 2018 - 7:49 am Print This Story   At this year’s IBC Show, SVG partnered with Cisco on a panel discussion looking at the future of video technology in the worlds of sports and entertainment. The session dove into examples of how major media organizations from around the globe in terms of how they transmit and archive important video assets on a cloud-based network, how much focous and resources are dedicated to security, how automated IP networking for live broadcasting open new opportunities, how AI, AR, and VR will play a key role in the business, and much more.   The conversation featured: Benjamin Havey, VP, Technology Innovation at The Walt Disney Studios Markus Ostertag, Director of Engineering and Production at SWR Dafydd Rees, Deputy Director of Operations at Arena TV Roger Sherwood, Global Director Media & Entertainment at Cisco The discussion was moderated by Brandon Costa, Director of Digital at SVG.

Ooyala Joins SRT Alliance

November 15, 2018 Robert Brownlie
New Industry Partnership Commits to Driving Adoption of SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) Protocol for Low-Latency Streaming Workflows Ooyala today announced that it has joined the SRT Alliance, a collaboration to continuously develop the SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) protocol and technology stack for low-latency video streaming across any network. Ooyala will fully support the SRT Open Source Project helping drive greater access and adoption of the SRT protocol to improve digital video delivery and video workflows around the world.   SRT is an open source video transport protocol that enables the delivery of high-quality and secure low-latency video across the public internet. SRT optimizes streaming performance across unpredictable networks with secure streams and easy firewall traversal, in order to bring the best-quality live video over even the worst-quality networks. SRT accounts for packet loss, jitter, and fluctuating bandwidth, maintaining the integrity and quality of a video stream.   “Ooyala fully supports the SRT Alliance’s goals; we are all about driving innovation and collaboration to overcome the challenges to achieving consistently low-latency video streaming,” said Belsasar Lepe, Ooyala founder and CTO. “Providing the best digital video experience is a major part of our mission, and we’re fully committed to delivering just that – reliable video quality unfettered by latency issues, stuttering and dropouts. This industry-wide collaboration is a key step in giving viewers TV-grade performance, with the added benefits unique to online.”   With more than 170 members including Ooyala, a leading provider of OTT, content production and digital distribution solutions, the SRT Alliance works collaboratively to increase industry-wide awareness and adoption of SRT as a common standard for low-latency video transport over the internet.   "Ooyala is a trusted partner and recognized leader in the broadcast industry for quality OTT video delivery,” said Sylvio Jelovcich. “We are more than excited to have Ooyala involved, which will ultimately create even broader support, enthusiasm and adoption of SRT in the future.”   SRT, open source, royalty free and available to everyone on GitHub, is the fastest growing video streaming movement. SRT has the support of VideoLAN’s VLC, Wireshark, FFmpeg, and the GStreamer open source projects in addition to the growing commercial support of the SRT Alliance member companies.
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