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Cloud Conventions 2021 Redefines the Attendee Experience

Convey Services

Engagement will be the big focus of the Cloud Conventions 2021 virtual trade expo, as channel partners and professionals from across the telecom/cloud, mobility, MSP and IT services industries converge one of the largest and most innovative virtual events, May 12-14, 2021. Unlike other industry tradeshows that have failed to deliver attendee engagement and promised sales leads for exhibitors, Cloud Conventions 2021 is built on the next generation virtual event platform that redefines the exhibitor experience to allow companies to provide easy access to in-depth product information, showcase their brand with graphics and videos, create calls to action and generate immediate sales leads. "Everyone had to quickly pivot to virtual events in 2020, but there was a lack of focus on motivational design that resulted in boring, uninspired attendee experiences,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Convey Services, the platform provider for Cloud Conventions 2021. “Virtual events often deliver a stream of self-promoting webinars packaged and sold as a virtual event, when they’re really just a bunch of webinars. Cloud Conventions 2021 provides one of the most unique vendor showcase environments, coupled with content devoted to business strategy and opportunities for attendees to connect with their peers and exhibitors. Effective events need to inform, educate and engage, not just lecture. We keep attendees engaged and interested, connect them to others and give all parties a return on investment for both their time and money.” Under the umbrella of Community™, Convey’s suite of proprietary engagement tools, attendees have searchable attendee and exhibitor directories, access to discussion forums and a way to filter results to find the best match. Coupled with a message center to organize communications, booths feature one-on-one text chat along a one-click links to enter a live video discussion with booth staff. “2020 was a learning experience for everyone in what audiences expect from a virtual event,” added Bradfield. “We have to elevate our game in 2021 as tradeshows and conferences continue to have a virtual or hybrid component. Cloud Conventions 2021 makes the most of the virtual event platform powered by Convey Services. It incorporates motivational design to turn attendees and exhibitors into active participants. Attendees are invited to engage in forums, roundtable discussions, participate in networking events, register for prizes and access live or on-demand content.” Cloud Conventions 2021 is co-sponsored by TR Publications and managed by the MCI Group. MCI Group is committed to growing the Cloud Conventions 2021 event and returning in the spring of 2022 with a live and hybrid industry expo. Attendance at Cloud Conventions 2021 is free to qualified industry professionals. Exhibitors and attendees can sign up at Cloud Conventions 2021. The Cloud Conventions 2021 expo is hosted and managed on the industry-leading Cloud Conventions virtual event platform, powered by Convey Services. About TR Publications TR Publications reaches 50,000 telecom/cloud professionals from across the communications delivery community: enterprise end users, channel partners, MSPs, carriers and CLECs. It is the only publication that penetrates deeply into the core UC markets, both channel and IT management: 37,000 readers monthly by hard copy, 1,800 readers daily by online, 13,000 readers every week by eBulletin, 2,500 listeners each week by podcast. Channel readership represent the twelve largest OEM and solution providing communities, together reflecting 96% of all UC sales by revenues on equipment, services, premises, hosted, software solutions and other platforms. www.telecomreseller.com. About MCI Group MCI is a global engagement and marketing agency. We design human-centric solutions that unleash the power of people to deliver innovation and growth for our clients. Our offering includes live & virtual events, strategic & digital communications, consulting & community solutions. We help brands, companies, associations and not-for-profits solve their challenges, bringing their people together to shape their tomorrow. MCI is an independently owned company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with a global presence in 60 offices across 31 countries. www.mci-group.com About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions is a Virtual Trade Show and Conference Platform from Convey Services that brings new capabilities to a marketplace looking for solutions to replace the thousands of live trade shows, annual conferences and association meetings cancelled in the wake of COVID-19. Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, attendee registration, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Contact Details Convey Services Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

March 10, 2021 02:15 PM Eastern Standard Time

Velocity Global Report: Tech companies push remote work global

Velocity Global

65% of U.S. companies will increase or maintain global remote workforces this year 61% of U.S. companies to increase or maintain domestic remote teams Growth companies compete with enterprises for global talent Technology companies seek more global remote talent as a result of COVID-19 according to a new report from Velocity Global, the leading provider of global expansion solutions. Responses from 1,000 U.S. and UK tech company decision-makers highlight that 65% of U.S. tech companies and 46% of UK tech companies will maintain or increase their global remote workforce this year. “The global pandemic forced the biggest workforce shift in modern history as businesses adopted remote work en masse overnight, and the changes are permanent,” said Velocity Global founder and CEO Ben Wright. “The worker fundamentally separated from the workplace, including transcending borders. Companies now use the tech tools and manage remote teams almost exclusively. The comfort level rose in 2020 and companies seek top talent around the world like never before.” Remote Work By the Numbers The switch to remote work in response to the pandemic inspired lasting change for tech companies to seek and employ talent outside of their headquarters or employee centers. Remote work at home. Tech companies immediately enabled work from home with the onset of the pandemic. With the tools in place, 61% of U.S. tech companies and 52% of UK tech companies intend to maintain or increase a domestic remote workforce. Scale aids global remote shift. Of the U.S. tech companies (65%) and UK tech companies (46%) with plans to maintain or increase a global remote workforce, large companies lead the charge. However, smaller companies are not far behind. 34% of tech businesses with more than 500 employees are more likely to hire remote workers overseas 27% of companies with 200-500 employees 21% for companies with 100-199 employees 10% for companies with fewer than 100 employees “The global scale of the pandemic forced large enterprises to invest in remote work at scale, but smaller companies are positioned to accelerate the trend going forward,” added Wright. “Growth companies are built with agility to compete with larger companies in all facets of business, and these numbers indicate they must compete for top global talent. That competition forces businesses of all sizes to hire quickly and compliantly in any global market.” Benefits of a Remote Workforce The shift to remote work increases productivity, supplements the bottom line, and engages employees. Employee preference. 74% of U.S. employees prefer to work from home at least two days per week once COVID-19 is no longer a concern, according to a PwC survey this year. Nearly a third (29%) prefer to work remotely five days per week. In the UK, only 7% of UK workers want to return to the office following pandemic restrictions, according to leading international research data and analytics group, UK YouGov. Improved productivity. More than half (52%) of executives in the PwC research report an increase in productivity for remote teams during the stress of the pandemic. Culturally diverse teams earn better returns. Geographically dispersed teams bring diversity of culture, race, and ethnicity. Companies that rank higher in diversity are 35% more likely to see above-average financial performance in their industries, according to longstanding research by McKinsey & Company. Access to skilled talent. Access to the global talent pools allows companies to hire the best candidate for the position, not the candidates closest to the office. Increased recruitment and retention. Remote work improves recruitment and retention for employers. A recent LiveCareer study of remote employees during the pandemic found that 62% stated that in the future they will give preference to employers who offer remote work; while 29% said they will leave their current job if they are not allowed to continue working remotely. Lower costs. A company can save tens of thousands of dollars annually per remote worker who telecommutes half of the time. Last year Global Workplace Analytics found that companies identified real estate savings with full-time telework to equal $10,000 per employee (annually). That research points to companies like Sun Microsystems that saves $68 million annually in real estate costs due to its telecommuting policy. “The benefits of a global remote workforce span business metrics from the employee experience to the bottom line, which go hand in hand” said Wright. “The past year introduced a widespread benefit to employees - work from anywhere. Spend more time with family or friends, save time and money on a commute, live anywhere and get a job in any market. When that benefit matches increased productivity, retention, and lower costs businesses must move quickly to implement remote teams on a global scale or risk losing talent to competitors.” Download the complete infographic here. Methodology Velocity Global surveyed 500 U.S. and 500 UK decision-makers from companies with 50-1,000 employees, focused on the IT, software, hardware, and technology industries. Respondents are director level and above, including C-suite, in the following job functions: business development, legal and business management, finance, operations, and HR. Independent survey consultant, Censuswide, conducted the research. ABOUT VELOCITY GLOBAL Velocity Global helps companies grow globally. Founded in 2014, Velocity Global’s clients rely on its expertise and global infrastructure in 185 countries to hire compliantly around the world, increase revenue, scale efficiently, and access global talent. Named a “Leader” in Global Employer of Record services by prominent analyst firm NelsonHall, Velocity Global is a strategic partner to its clients with comprehensive services led by its core offering of International PEO as well as Immigration, Entity Setup and Support, Global Talent Acquisition, and Consulting. Velocity Global is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with regional headquarters in Amsterdam and Singapore, and local employees in 14 countries. Contact Details Velocity Global John Hall +1 720-650-4348 johnhall@velocityglobal.com Company Website https://velocityglobal.com/

March 10, 2021 07:01 AM Mountain Standard Time

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SFAA Strongly Supports Bill Providing Essential Protections on All Federally Financed Projects Receiving TIFIA Funds

The Surety & Fidelity Association of America

The Surety & Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) commends Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD), Congressman Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Congressman Troy Balderson (R-OH) for the introduction of the “Promoting Infrastructure by Protecting Our Subcontractors and Taxpayers Act.” This legislation provides essential protections for workers, suppliers and contractors by requiring payment protection on federally financed infrastructure projects receiving Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loans, including public-private projects (P3s). “Bonding TIFIA-financed P3 projects will protect taxpayers’ dollars, ensure project completion, protect local small business contractors and workers, and promote economic growth,” said Lee Covington, president and CEO of the Surety and Fidelity Association of America. “TIFIA should be modernized to include the same payment and performance requirements that protect all other federally funded infrastructure projects.” P3 projects have increased in popularity over the years, however the lack of clarity for requiring payment and performance protections on P3 projects can force taxpayers to absorb additional costs of rebidding a project, and subcontractors and workers are often left unpaid for extended periods of time if the contractor defaults. By ensuring a bond requirement, P3 projects will offer the same payment and performance protections that have been in place on public infrastructure projects, protecting our nation’s construction industry and taxpayers alike. “Construction is a risky business, and for over 100 years, the federal and state Miller Acts have protected against the risk of loss by requiring payment and performance bonds,” continued Covington. “SFAA looks forward to working with Congress, on a bipartisan basis, for the passage of this essential bill.” A list of co-sponsors organizations and additional information can be found here. ### The Surety & Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) is a trade association of more than 425 insurance companies that write 98 percent of surety and fidelity bonds in the U.S. SFAA is licensed as a rating or advisory organization in all states and it has been designated by state insurance departments as a statistical agent for the reporting of fidelity and surety experience. www.surety.org Contact Details SFAA Peter Roth +1 703-401-0676 proth@surety.org Company Website https://www.surety.org/

March 10, 2021 08:45 AM Eastern Standard Time

Fintech MarketFinance reaches profitability as it returns a record start to the year

Stockwood Strategy

Fintech business lender MarketFinance has kicked off 2021 with a significant increase in lending volumes. Year to date, MarketFinance has deployed over £64m in business loans and invoice finance to businesses across the UK. This is up 50% from the same period last year. As a CBILS accredited lender by the British Business Bank, MarketFinance has been at the forefront of supporting SME businesses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Profit landmark MarketFinance has played a pivotal role in supporting SMEs. It has provided over £2bn to the most underserved businesses, giving them access to the working capital they need. MarketFinance announced that it turned profitable in February 2021 and will continue to grow at pace as the business scales products and operations. Anil Stocker, CEO at MarketFinance said: “The pandemic has sped up digital adoption across large parts of our society. Business lending is no different. We are seeing a continuing need to provide fast, easy-to-access, digitally available funding solutions to SMEs across all sectors within the UK. Fintech lenders such as MarketFinance are well placed to help power the post-Covid economic recovery across the country.” Partnerships In reaching a wide range of businesses, MarketFinance has deepened its 2018 partnership with Barclays Bank helping more of their business banking customers with invoice finance funding. In September 2020 MarketFinance also partnered with fellow fintech Ebury to ensure SMEs across the UK were able to quickly access the emergency lending, offering loans and revolving credit facilities to Ebury’s UK SME base. Aligning with their £10m BCR commitments, MarketFinance is continuing to partner with high-street banks and business platforms to enable more businesses to access the right financial solutions for them. Anil Stocker added: “A key part of our strategy is partnering with organisations who want to improve access to finance for their business customers. Our mission has always been to give SMEs a fair playing field for them to get access to working capital. We’re now working with partners to embed our finance technology within their platforms, allowing their customers quicker and easier access to the working capital they need.” ENDS Notes to the Editor About MarketFinance MarketFinance is a busi ness finance company with offices in London and Manchester. The online platform enables businesses to access a range of flexible finance solutions - quickly and easily. This smart technology is backed by help from real people so business owners can save time and focus on growing their business. Since 2011, MarketFinance has cumulatively advanced over £3 billion to companies across a range of sizes and sectors, providing working capital and finance for everything from paying staff and suppliers to launching new products or services and accelerating growth. MarketFinance is backed by Barclays, Mouro Capital, European venture capital fund Northzone (invested in Klarna, iZettle and Trustpilot), and private equity group MCI Capital (also invested in iZettle, Azimo and Gett). Contact Details MarketFinance Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@marketfinance.com Company Website https://marketfinance.com/

March 10, 2021 05:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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The Big Business of Esports

YourUpdateTV

Esports have burst into the mainstream in recent years, transforming from a vibrant niche to a central form of entertainment around the world. Last year, there were more than 1.2 billion hours of esports consumed, with audience numbers expected to double by the year 2023. Sponsors have taken notice. Verizon’s recent sponsorship deal with Riot Games, maker of popular game League of Legends, is just another indication that esports is here to stay. Recently, Naz Aletaha, Head of Global Esports Partnerships & Business Development at Riot Games, participated in a nationwide satellite media tour to discuss the rise of Riot Games’ esports titles globally. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/pKnRoHYSYCo Riot Games announced that two of its biggest esports events of the year will take place back-to-back this May in Reykjavík, Iceland. Additionally, as Riot Games continues to expand its esports footprint, the company has expanded its partnership with Verizon as the Official 5G Partner, supporting both LoL Esports Global Events and VALORANT Esports. This partnership just serves as the latest iteration of Verizon’s consistent support of Riot’s esports business. Since 2020, Verizon has been the Official 5G wireless network provider for the League Championship Series (LCS), providing support for LCS through original video content and in-broadcast sponsored segments. Their support extended to VALORANT First Strike: North America, the first official tournament for Riot's premier tactical shooter, as well as The Wild Rift Invitational - the world’s first Wild Rift esports event featuring LCS players and celebrities. Fans can follow @lolesports on Twitter and visit lolesports.com for more info on MSI, including a list of qualified teams and broadcast schedule. The latest information about Masters 2 and the VALORANT Champions Tour can be found at @valorantesports and playvalorant.com. Naz Aletaha: As head of global esports partnerships at League of Legends publisher Riot Games, Aletaha has helped take esports from a niche competition to the fastest-growing global sport, drawing interest and investment from the traditional sports and entertainment industries. Aletaha has secured sponsorship agreements with some of the most valuable world-class brands including Louis Vuitton, Red Bull, State Farm, and Mastercard, as well as the single biggest media-rights agreement in the history of esports. The first-generation daughter of Iranian immigrants, Aletaha applied her passion for gaming and entertainment at Sony Motion Pictures and Activision prior to her current role at Riot Games. About LoL Esports™: LoL Esports is a premier global sport that has attracted the attention of millions of fans around the world since 2010. More than 800 players on 100+ professional League of Legends esports teams compete across a dozen leagues globally. Within each regional league, teams compete against one another over the course of two seasonal splits in hopes of earning regional titles and championship points. Regional placements and championship points are used to qualify teams for the two major international competitions: the Mid-Season Invitational and the World Championship (known as Worlds). To close out a season, fans vote for their favorite players from each league to attend the All-Star Event where players enjoy a weekend of friendly competition. For further information, visit: www.lolesports.com and www.lolesportsmedia.com. About the VALORANT Champions Tour: After a record-breaking closed beta that saw more than 1.7 million peak concurrent viewers on Twitch, VALORANT quickly established itself as the fastest growing esport of 2020. To support the competitive scene, Riot Games launched the VALORANT Champions Tour, a year-long, global circuit featuring three levels of competition: Challengers, Masters, and Champions. Teams compete through regional Challengers events, then qualify into international Masters events, with the goal to earn a spot at Champions, a two-week long tournament where one team is crowned the VALORANT Global Champion. The season-long competition tour will feature competitions in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

March 09, 2021 03:00 PM Eastern Standard Time

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News Direct Cutting-Edge, Cloud-Based Technology Helps Protect Clients From Latest Cybersecurity Crisis

News Direct

News Direct today announced that it has not been impacted by the latest cybersecurity crisis revelation that at least 60,000 global users of Microsoft's Exchange email platform have been hacked by a Chinese group that Microsoft refers to as "Hafnium". News Direct cites its reliance on cloud-based systems, part of its "lean architecture" strategy, as a primary reason why it has not been affected by this breach. Leveraging a highly economical, cloud-based technological infrastructure for both its client-facing platform and its internal systems such as e-mail, News Direct is able to provide its users with an array of modern advantages. These include a custom-built, automated workflow and operating a state-of-the-art news and content distribution platform devoid of the high overhead costs of the past, thereby allowing those savings to be passed through to the customer. But perhaps most importantly, this approach enables the company to more effectively respond to today's unique security challenges. "As too many have learned the hard way, nobody is bullet-proof, and it would be foolish to claim otherwise. Nonetheless, we believe that News Direct is the safest news distribution platform available today," noted Gregg Castano, Founder/CEO. "As a cloud service provider, our belief in using cloud-based technology for both our own platform and for our internal systems was a fortuitous strategy which has enabled us to avoid getting caught up in this most recent breach." About News Direct News Direct provides news and content distribution for PR, IR, Corporate Communications and Marketing professionals. Our automated platform delivers a completely-reimagined, intuitive workflow, industry-leading security, transparent, flat-rate pricing and actionable analytics. Further, News Direct has deployed an array of innovation including advanced automation, isolation cloud technology and custom software for the most dynamic, efficient and flexible platform available today. To learn more visit newsdirect.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. Contact Details Martha Pearlstone +1 203-295-7566 martha.pearlstone@newsdirect.com Company Website http://www.newsdirect.com

March 09, 2021 02:42 PM Eastern Standard Time

DistroScale Breaks the Barrier to Entry for Streaming TV Channel Creation, Monetization, and Distribution with New DistroTV Platform Services™

DistroTV

DistroScale, a leading media technology company with the industry’s most comprehensive video platform for webs, apps, and streaming, today announced its new DistroTV Platform Services™ unit, aimed at publishers, content creators, video libraries, brands and agencies. This new offering significantly lowers the barrier to market entry for any media brand interested in creating, monetizing, and distributing its own streaming TV channel. “Channel creation used to only be accessible to content owners with big budgets and infrastructure,” said Navdeep Saini, co-founder and CEO of DistroScale, parent company to DistroTV. “Given how quickly streaming evolved from a niche to a standard media consumption platform, we saw a need to create a solution that would reduce any perceived cost, complexity, and risk barriers that were preventing media brands from making the leap to OTT.” With no upfront fees, DistroTV Platform Services offers a comprehensive range of tools necessary to develop and execute successful streaming video platforms, from technical infrastructure and curation to monetization and distribution. 40-plus content brands have piloted the new Platform Services offering including Black Enterprise, which turned to DistroTV Platform Services to transform and monetize its video library into its first ad-supported streaming channel, as well as partners Us Weekly, Lone Star, Best of British TV (BoB TV), Pinoy Box Office (PBO), and more. The new business-to-business unit complements the company’s consumer-facing DistroTV platform, the leading, independent FAST (free, ad-support streaming TV). DistroTV’s growing, multicultural content lineup targets a diverse lineup of independent programming for passionate viewers in the US, Canada, and the UK. DistroTV provides today’s brands an opportunity to build a direct-to-consumer relationship with DistroScale and its network partners. Since its launch in 2019, DistroTV has seen rapid growth concerning its breadth of content and global audience figures. In the last six months, viewership quadrupled and total watch time multiplied eight times over. The platform focuses on building a robust network that delivers news, entertainment, music, sports, and lifestyle programming to audiences globally. “We bring expertise and efficiency to our approach, so that content companies no longer have to invest millions to be ‘streaming-ready’,” said Saini. “Our business model is unique and rooted in a solid and continuously improving technical infrastructure. We assume the risk so our content partners and brands can focus on leveraging our platform to execute their audience objectives. Extending our platform to put the power of streaming in reach of more voices and more content partners is a big part of our mission and equally a big part of why we have built the largest truly independent streaming TV service. Our diverse content line-up resonates with audiences who can’t find what we offer on any other platform.” Through Platform Services, interested media companies, publishers, content creators, video libraries, and brands and agencies can: Create and build a streaming TV strategy. Build, manage, and program linear and VOD streaming channels with a full-featured, cloud-based platform that is both easy to use and affordable. Monetize with dynamic ad insertion technology. This allows media companies, creators, and brands to simply leverage advertising demand and earn revenue from the DistroScale Marketplace, or run their own advertising. Opt for syndicated distribution. DistroTV offers syndicated distribution to make it easy for channel partners to reach tens of millions of new users, with a flexible cost structure that saves thousands as compared to similar services. To learn more on DistroTV Platform Services, visit here. To become a DistroTV viewer, visit https://www.distro.tv or install DistroTV on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS or Android. About DistroTV DistroTV is the largest, independent, free, ad-supported streaming television service on the market. Launched in 2019 by parent company DistroScale, the platform caters to a multicultural, rapidly expanding, globally-minded audience of passionate viewers in the US, Canada, and UK. Satisfying the growing demand for premium video content in multiple languages, DistroTV delivers premium video content from producers globally across North America, the UK, Bollywood, Latin America, China, Southeast Asia, and growing. With more than 150 channels plus thousands of Video on Demand (VOD) shows, DistroTV cultivates content that covers a broad spectrum of topics to connect with people’s passion points around Entertainment, Lifestyle, Sports, News, Documentaries and International Content in live, linear and video-on-demand formats. DistroTV is available on the web, as well as through Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and iOS and Android devices. About DistroScale DistroTV is the first direct-to-consumer offering from DistroScale, a technology company founded in 2013 and known for providing a global clientele of thousands of media properties with the industry’s most comprehensive video platform for web, apps, and streaming. DistroScale is an all-in-one solution providing infrastructure, content delivery, curation, analytics and a full suite of monetization options. Video enabled by DistroScale reaches more than 250 million visitors per month. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. To become a DistroTV viewer, visit www.distro.tv. More information on DistroScale & DistroTV is available at www.distroscale.com. Contact Details Kite Hill PR Mackenzie Gavel +1 631-739-5716 mackenzie@kitehillpr.com Company Website https://www.distroscale.com

March 09, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

News Release

Statement from Nick Desai: Co-Founder of Heal

Nick Desai

The following is a statement from Nick Desai, Co-Founder of Heal: " It's with great sense of appreciation and high hopes for the future that I announce I've stepped down as CEO of Heal. As I catch my breath from Heal, I am thinking about who's going to create the healthcare solution that is used not by 100,000 or one million, but rather 100 million Americans. In the six years of building Heal and my 30+ year professional career, I know more than anything that education and equal access - especially to Americans who are economically or demographically disadvantaged, ethnic minorities and others who struggle with getting even the most basic healthcare - are desperately needed and my hope is to help improve access to innovations and information that will help them, most of all. It was recently reported that 85% of telehealth users come from households with an income over $150,000 - meaning much work remains in creating truly accessible, effective solutions that are equally and easily available to those who need it most. As of now, I am an entrepreneur again. And, of course, I am an enthusiastic supporter of Heal, its team and mission. I am incredibly proud of what my wife and Co-Founder, Renee, and I built at Heal. We transformed healthcare with innovat ive solutions like doctor house calls, one-touch telehealth and upfront price transparency, that enable better healthcare for all. Looking back and seeing things we invented as industry standard best practices is very gratifying. While my role as CEO has been passed on to my successor Scott Vertrees, Renee remains the Chief Medical Officer of Heal and driving force of Heal's continued innovations and of the excellent, life-changing patient care Heal delivers every day. More than the awards Heal won, or the investors I brought to Heal, such as Lionel Richie, Fidelity, Breyer Capital and Humana, or the 250,000 patients we have served, I am most proud of the dozens of letters, postcards and emails from everyday Americans saying we saved the lives of their parents, kids and loved ones. Thank you to everyone who's contributed to the growth and success of Heal. Looking back, I can barely imagine we went from Renee and I going house to house to Heal being available to nearly 150MM Americans in 11 US States. I look forward to the future and know Heal will continue to do great things as I focus on helping solve more problems impacting healthcare in America." Contact Details NRPR Group Nicole Rodrigues +1 424-421-9610 nicole@nrprgroup.com

March 09, 2021 05:00 AM Pacific Standard Time

Telenor Global Services Selects CSG to Accelerate Its Digital Transformation

CSG

CSG® (NASDAQ: CSGS) today announced an extension of their multi-year agreement with Telenor Global Services. As part of the expanded engagement, CSG will deploy its innovative, cloud-based digital wholesale solution suite to simplify and streamline Telenor’s operations. “To enhance customer experience and foster a more efficient business model, our goal is to be fully cloud-based this year,” said Tone Snellingen, chief sales officer, Telenor Global Services. “Using CSG’s digital wholesale solution suite, we can increase quality, speed, and responsiveness for our customers, while driving efficiencies through development and process improvements. Our relationship with CSG will not only help accelerate our digital transformation, but also leverage the cloud to reduce complexities and simplify our network operations.” CSG is shifting Telenor’s on-premise wholesale network to a cloud-based SaaS system that will optimise the operator’s routing, enable hands-on control, increase visibility in its intercarrier business, and lower capital and operating expenditures. In addition, CSG’s digital wholesale solution: • Drives efficiencies and new functionalities: Uses one single point of contact, allowing Telenor to focus on the business of trading and routing traffic while driving efficiencies and providing new functionality. • Grows revenue: Provides full support for origin-based routing and optimised features for network provisioning, positioning Telenor to stay on top of their cost base, grow revenue, and quickly update numbering plans. • Enhances customer experience (CX): CSG will support Telenor in creating bespoke customer products and the ability to react quickly to customer demands for individual routing and pricing. “As Telenor looks to extend its industry leadership, we are excited to leverage our digital wholesale expertise to help them automate their business processes, manage risk, and control costs,” said James Kirby, head of CSG's EMEA business. “We are thrilled to be expanding our 15-year relationship with Telenor by delivering this critical transformation and helping to move their wholesale business into the cloud and into the future.” CSG is a leader in the global communications market with a long-standing track record delivering innovative digital wholesale solutions in disciplines including trading, routing, QoS assurance and inter-carrier billing and settlement. The company serves more than 300 operators and service providers worldwide, including more than half of companies that make up the ITW Global Leaders’ Forum. # # # About CSG For more than 35 years, CSG has simplified the complexity of business, delivering innovative customer engagement solutions that help companies acquire, monetize, engage and retain customers. Operating across more than 120 countries worldwide, CSG manages billions of critical customer interactions annually, and its award-winning suite of software and services allow companies across dozens of industries to tackle their biggest business challenges and thrive in an ever-changing marketplace. CSG is the trusted provider for driving digital innovation for hundreds of leading global brands, including Airtel Africa, América Móvil, AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, DISH, Formula 1, Hutchison 3 Indonesia, Inmarsat, Mastercard, Maximus, Mediacom, Microsoft, Mobily, MTN, New Leaf Service Contracts, State of California, TalkTalk and Telstra. To learn more, visit our website at csgi.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Copyright © 2021 CSG Systems International, Inc. and/or its affiliates (“CSG”). All rights reserved. CSG® is a registered trademark of CSG Systems International, Inc. All third-party trademarks, service marks, and/or product names which are referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners, and all rights therein are reserved. About Telenor Telenor Group connects its 182 million customers to what matters most. Connecting the world has been Telenor’s domain for more than 160 years and we currently operate across Scandinavia and Asia. We are committed to responsible business conduct and driven by the ambition of empowering societies. Telenor Global Services is the international communication provider of Telenor Group, connecting countries and offering global reach with managed quality to customers worldwide. We deliver high quality interconnect solutions within Voice, Roaming and Messaging; providing you with the world at hand wherever you are. To learn more please visit www.telenor.com/globalwholesale. Contact Details CSG Global, North America, Asia-Pacific Brad Jones +1 303-200-3001 brad.jones@csgi.com CSG Europe, Middle East, Africa Kristine Østergaard +44 (0)79 2047 7204 kristine.ostergaard@csgi.com CSG Investor Relations John Rea +1 (210) 687 4409 john.rea@csgi.com Telenor Global Services Anne Gundersen +47 94107894 Anne.gundersen@telenor.com Company Website https://www.csgi.com

March 09, 2021 01:00 AM Mountain Standard Time

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