Category Archives: Business

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Business: Executives

SIUE’s Sinan Onal is IISE/DAIS President-Elect for 2021-22

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SIUE’s Sinan Onal, associate professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering.

DAIS envisions becoming the leading division in IISE by increasing networking and partnership between its members and promoting forums to engage, share and recognize innovative ideas in the field of data analytics and information systems


EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (PRWEB)

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Sinan Onal, PhD, has been elected as the new president-elect of the Data Analytics and Information Systems (DAIS) Division of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE). His term will begin June 1, 2021, and he will serve through May 30, 2022.

“Dr. Onal is an outstanding member of our industrial engineering faculty,” said SIUE School of Engineering (SOE) Dean Cem Karacal, PhD. “His recognition for such a key leadership role in the industrial engineering (IE) community is a testament to his professional accomplishments. This is an important recognition for Dr. Onal, our IE program, School of Engineering and SIUE.”

Onal is an associate professor in the SOE Department of Industrial Engineering. As DAIS president, Onal expects to continue implementing and strengthening activities and novel practices that support the meaningful work of the data analytics and information systems community. His objective is to create special interest groups that will attract research expertise into the heart of DAIS activities.

“DAIS is the largest division within IISE and aims to bring together members from academia, industry and government who share a common interest in topics related to the research and practice of data analytics and information systems,” Onal said.

DAIS is primarily interested in the theory, methodology and practice in all technical areas that develop or apply DAIS, including network science and complex systems, data analytics and statistical learning, system informatics and optimal control, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and decision support systems.

“DAIS envisions becoming the leading division in IISE by increasing networking and partnership between its members and promoting forums to engage, share and recognize innovative ideas in the field of data analytics and information systems,” Onal said.

In March 2019, the SIUE Graduate School presented its 2020-22 Hoppe Research Professor Award to Onal. The Hoppe Award recognizes and supports faculty members whose research or creative activities have the promise of making significant contributions to their fields of studies.

Onal’s latest research endeavor, entitled Gait Alterations in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), uses the University’s state-of-the-art motion capture and analysis system, along with kinematic, kinetic and electromyography data to investigate whether the gait cycle or muscle activity in children with ASD is distinct from that in other children.

The SIUE School of Engineering is one of the largest engineering schools in the region. It offers comprehensive and affordable engineering programs with eight undergraduate degrees, five master’s degrees and two cooperative doctoral programs. Students learn from expert faculty, perform cutting-edge research, and participate in intercollegiate design competitions. Companies in the metropolitan St. Louis area provide students challenging internships and co-op opportunities, which often turn into permanent employment. Students gain hands-on experience in the School’s state-of-the-art facilities, including the new Fowler Student Design Center.

Photo: SIUE’s Sinan Onal, associate professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering.

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Business: Executives

CSU Global president to lead educational innovation at Colorado State University System

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CSU_System_logo

The CSU System is home to three universities: the flagship Colorado State University campus in Fort Collins, CSU Pueblo, and CSU Global.

Dr. Takeda-Tinker is an outstanding leader who has built a unique business model in higher education at CSU Global – and she’s ready to move forward and spearhead a new level of collaboration and partnership with industry, government, and within academia.


DENVER (PRWEB)

The Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System (csusystem.edu) today announced that Dr. Becky Takeda-Tinker, Colorado State University Global’s first president, will transition to a new role as chief educational innovation officer for the System.

CSU Global is unique as the first fully online, fully accredited public university in the country. Given this uniqueness and the desire to ensure continuity in leadership, the Board will conduct an internal search for the next president, with the goal of naming the new president at its August Board meeting.

“If the recent pandemic has taught us anything in higher education, it is that there are profound and untapped opportunities to deliver learning in new ways that provide a measurable return on investment for students and industries, particularly when it comes to workforce education,” CSU System Chancellor Tony Frank said. “Dr. Takeda-Tinker is an outstanding leader who has built a unique business model in higher education at CSU Global – and she’s ready to move forward and spearhead a new level of collaboration and partnership with industry, government, and within academia.”

The CSU System is home to three universities: the flagship Colorado State University campus in Fort Collins, CSU Pueblo, and CSU Global. The System also is building an educational complex, Spur, focused on food, water, and health at the National Western Center complex in Denver.

Takeda-Tinker joined CSU Global in 2008 as dean of academic affairs and a faculty member in organizational leadership and business management. She became president of the university in July 2010 and led it to become an industry leader in providing high-quality, workplace-relevant, online education.

“Becky has an exceptional track record as an innovator in education, along with more than two decades of leadership in business and management in the private sector,” Board Chair Nancy Tuor said. “We want to put that expertise to work for the citizens we serve in new ways that can return real value to Colorado. We are delighted she is willing to step into this new role, and confident we have a strong, capable leadership team at CSU Global who will keep the university moving forward and delivering great value to our students.”

The Evaluation Committee of the Board of Governors will function as the search committee for the new president. That committee includes all the voting members of the Board, and they will be joined by the student and faculty representatives to the Board from the Global campus. The search committee will solicit applications by July 3 in preparation for the announcement of a new president in August.

Takeda-Tinker, who holds a Ph.D. in organization and management and a master’s degree in finance, had a successful career in private industry and as a consultant on strategic and financial planning for corporations and nonprofits prior to joining CSU Global.

Highlights of Takeda-Tinker’s tenure at CSU Global include:

  • Growing CSU Global’s active student body to more than 20,000 in less than a decade.

  • Successfully completing and graduating more than 20,000 students through career-relevant bachelor’s and master’s programs, which have provided a measurable ROI for each of the university’s completed cohorts over the last 12 years.

  • Becoming the first 100% online state university in the U.S. with independent accreditation.

  • Helping the university pay back its origination loan ahead of schedule and making the university self-sustaining without the use of state funding, which it cannot receive by state statute.

  • Maintaining a highly affordable model for students. CSU Global operates only through student tuition and yet it has not raised tuition rates since 2011 and has never charged student fees.

  • Assisting with the passage of numerous legislative bills that allow CSU Global to serve all U.S. citizens with access to high-quality continued education programs, regardless of age or location.

  • Serving the U.S. Military, Colorado National Guard, as well as state and federal government employees with programs specifically designed for their unique career goals and needs.

  • Innovating online higher education by creating a highly accountable and adaptive organization that can address the specific needs of modern learners and businesses alike. This includes the creation and expansion of alternative credit options such as self-study and prior-learning assessments to allow students to customize their degree programs, partnering with over 3,000 corporate affiliates with tuition discounts and custom curricula to help upskill America’s workforce, and creating future-forward academic programs that are revised every year to ensure students are getting relevant and current industry knowledge and skills.

  • Leading a unique partnership with Aurora Public Schools that allows for lease payments of its headquarters to be used for scholarships, tuition discounts, and professional development of APS students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

“It has been an honor to serve as CSU Global’s president. I am deeply grateful to the many members of the CSU System Board of Governors who have served during my presidency, and to the State of Colorado’s leadership for their unceasing support of the impactful work CSU Global has been able to deliver over the years,” Takeda-Tinker said. “I am very excited to now be able to work more closely with Chancellor Tony Frank as the entire CSU System team prevails beyond one of the most challenging times in history.”

About Colorado State University System

Colorado State University System is comprised of three distinct universities: CSU, a leading public research university and the state’s only land-grant institution, located in Fort Collins; CSU Pueblo, a regional-serving campus and federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution; and CSU Global, the nation’s first fully accredited online university. The CSU System’s institutions serve nearly 60,000 students annually. Learn more about the CSU System and its institutions, projects, and partnerships at csusystem.edu.

About Colorado State University Global

Colorado State University Global (CSU Global) offers career-relevant bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and certificate programs for working adults and ontraditional learners. As the first and only 100% online, fully accredited, state university in the United States, CSU Global is focused on studentsuccess as its number one priority. Embracing the land-grant heritage as part of the Colorado State University System, CSU Global sets the standard for quality and innovation in higher education through its expert faculty, who are recognized as industry leaders and trained in working with adults in an online learning environment. CSU Global offers a streamlined enrollment process with accelerated eight-week courses that start every four weeks. Visit CSUGlobal.edu or call 1-800-920-6723 for more information.

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Business: Executives

Tinoco Joins LightWork® Software a Perryman Company

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“LightWork® Software is at the forefront of enabling companies to unlock their full potential through proper employee utilization and development, Tinoco said. We offer companies and their owners profitable solutions to improve their bottom-line.”


DELAND, Fla. (PRWEB)

LightWork® Software announces Donna Tinoco, APR has joined the team as head of its operations and business development. She brings to LightWork Software significant expertise in organizational development, branding, integrated marketing and public relations.

An award winning writer and strategist, she served as communication director as NASA’s Johnson Space Center’s Technology Transfer and Advanced Planning Offices, where she had the opportunity to work with leading technologists, inventors and scientists for innovation and business development initiatives. Since relocating to Florida, Tinoco has worked as a communications consultant and business development advisor to a number of Florida-based businesses including Space Coast start-ups, as well as a number of Florida destinations and attractions. She has assisted in raising capital, creating awareness and building business. She is an accredited in Public Relations (APR), and a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), and a former board member for the Florida Public Relations Society Volusia/Flagler Chapter. She also serves as an accreditation adjudicator for PRSA. Her career industry reach includes professional and legal services, manufacturing, medical and healthcare, higher education, real estate, finance, performing and fine arts, aerospace, technology and hospitality, travel and tourism.

“LightWork Software is an up and coming force in the human capital management (HCM) arena. LightWork Software’s suite of people, performance and learning management modules, coupled with its time and attendance, recruitment and analytics solutions provides companies and their human resources professionals the ability to make a difference in the growth and trajectory of their business,” said Tinoco.

LightWork Software is a Perryman Company, and was founded more than 20 years ago in DeLand, Florida. “LightWork is at the forefront of enabling companies to unlock their full potential through proper employee utilization and development, Tinoco said. We offer companies and their owners profitable solutions to improve their bottom line.”

LightWork Software HCM full suite includes, People Management, Time, Performance Management, Recruiting and Onboarding, Learning Management and Alerts and Workflow.

About LightWork Software

LightWork Software, a Perryman Company, empowers organizations and individuals to deliver more and be more. Headquartered in DeLand, Florida and serving clients since 1993 in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean, LightWork Software’s focus is on people. Its human capital management (HCM) software solutions help companies grow and nurture employees. To learn more about LightWork Software visit: http://www.LightWorkSoftware.com.

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Business: Executives

Managing Partnerships Between Large and Small Organizations, Tailoring Your Alliance

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BOSTON (PRWEB)

Vantage Partners, a global consulting and training firm, announced that Vantage executives will lead three sessions at the June 23-25, virtual 2020 ASAP Global Alliance Summit. Vantage is a Platinum Sponsor of the event.

“Managing Power Imbalances: How to Navigate Partnerships between Large and Small Organizations,” is the topic of a livestreamed panel discussion moderated by Jessica Wadd, partner at Vantage Partners. Panelists will represent views from across both big and small companies across the Pharma and Technology industries.

“Partnerships between large organizations and smaller firms can generate massive value, but often bring unique management challenges,” according to Wadd. “Differently sized firms need to confront initial alliance misalignment across several key dimensions, including in perceived and real power, appetite for risk, execution speed, and autonomy. What’s the right alliance operating model to enable success? It looks good on paper, but will it hinder execution?”

“Alliance Management Skill-Building: Case Studies Across Industries,” is a session led by Wadd and Ben Siddall, partner at Vantage Partners.

“Unfortunately, many alliance management functions fail to implement a skill-building program that is right-sized and designed according to the specific needs, structure, and maturity of their partnering organization,” Siddall said.

Wadd and Siddall plan to draw real-world insights from multiple case studies of designing fit-for-purpose training programs to build alliance management competency in organizations from different industries and of different maturities. The session includes several interactive modules and activities, and tools to enable attendees to begin developing a plan for their own skill-building program.

“Big Pharma M&A and Alliance Portfolios: What’s at the End of the Rainbow?” is a panel moderated by Adam Kornetsky, engagement leader at Vantage Partners.

The past decade saw a frenzy of pharmaceutical deals, mergers, and acquisitions involving some of the biggest names in the industry. Kornetsky will lead a discussion among veteran alliance leaders about management of an alliance portfolio throughout an M&A process. Questions to be explored include: What are strategic considerations for acquirers—and the acquired? How is the value of the alliance portfolio characterized and communicated within large-scale M&As? How do you unlock and maximize this value?

Visit Vantage Partners’ 2020 Summit overview page to receive a 30% registration discount courtesy of Vantage. Learn more and register for the event at http://www.asapsummit.org.

ABOUT VANTAGE PARTNERS

Vantage Partners is a consulting and training firm that helps companies innovate more quickly, execute with greater discipline, and collaborate more effectively, for sustained impact and growth. Headquartered in Boston, Vantage serves clients worldwide, across multiple industries including biopharmaceuticals, healthcare, energy, financial services, technology, and manufacturing. The firm combines three decades of practical experience with an ongoing commitment to thought leadership. Vantage’s founders have served on the faculties of Harvard University, the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and have published award-winning books and multiple articles in the Harvard Business Review and other leading journals. The Vantage Insights Center offers on-demand articles, research, case studies, white papers, and presentations. Learn more about the firm at http://www.vantagepartners.com.

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Business: Insurance

OMERS Selects Vision Critical to Uncover Insights that Strengthen the Pension Experience

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Omers + Vision Critical

Partnering with Vision Critical allows us to deeply engage them in new channels, more often and in more meaningful ways. Ultimately, OMERS and its members are co-creating a better pension experience together with the help of Vision Critical, and we look forward to continuing to innovate with them.


TORONTO (PRWEB)

Vision Critical, a continuous customer insights solution provider, today announced that OMERS, one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension plans, has selected its Sparq digital insights platform and Touchpoint cloud-based app to uncover member insights that unlock real-time feedback to build a better pension experience, deliver better services, and achieve better business outcomes.

“Our members are the reason we exist, and we want to deliver the best pension experience possible,” said Jordan Ostapchuk, Vice President of Innovation, OMERS. “Partnering with Vision Critical allows us to deeply engage them in new channels, more often and in more meaningful ways. Ultimately, OMERS and its members are co-creating a better pension experience together with the help of Vision Critical, and we look forward to continuing to innovate with them.”

Touchpoint is Vision Critical’s new cloud-based application that enables brands to create quick and engaging interactions with broader customer bases while also extending the already deep functionality within the Sparq platform to collect actionable customer insights. The app allows companies to connect with their current and prospective customers where they spend time already, whether web, eCommerce, social media, or messaging platforms, providing powerful engagement with individuals to collect broad feedback and then recruit them into an insight community through Sparq.

Vision Critical’s flagship digital insights platform, Sparq, helps companies get the richest insights into their customers’ behaviors and attitudes on a regular – and immediate – basis. Sparq helps proactively drive informed actions and better business outcomes based on customer insights, as well as build customer trust and lifetime value by showing customers how their feedback is being applied.

The insights platform also gives brands the power to connect live/virtual experiences with digital customer feedback to inform their critical business decisions. Integrating with technologies such as Zoom, brands are able to form an even deeper personal connection with their customers.

OMERS has been a true partner in innovation,” said Ross Wainwright, CEO of Vision Critical. “Our collaboration exemplifies the respect they have for their members and their focus to build exceptional pension experiences. This partnership will only accelerate that journey by uncovering invaluable insights that create long-standing outcomes for their entire member and retiree base.”

OMERS will also utilize Jumpstart, Vision Critical’s new streamlined onboarding program which provides a fully remote launch experience for customers. The program focuses on empowering new users to launch their services and insights communities in just 5 days.

Vision Critical is on an aggressive growth path with a relentless focus on the customer experience. Starting 2020 with a new executive leadership team on board, the company continues to make bold moves as it transforms into a value-based CXM leader. You can expect to see more from Vision Critical as it helps create a world where customers are respected as experts and treated as individuals.

About Vision Critical

Vision Critical is a continuous customer insights solution provider that enables organizations to drive better business outcomes while ensuring world-class customer journeys. By combining deep insight with broad feedback, Vision Critical empowers some of the most powerful brands in the world to improve customer experience. Over 750 leading brands including BuzzFeed, LinkedIn, and GoDaddy are building better products and fostering customer loyalty with Vision Critical. To learn more about Vision Critical, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, or visit us at http://www.visioncritical.com

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Business: Executives

Jeff Hawkins, Veteran Retail Real Estate Expert Joins Blue Butterfly as Managing Director, Global Real Estate

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We recognize that right now the marketplace needs an efficient solution to deliver new tenants and to help retailers recover and prosper. Jeff joining our team cements Blue Butterfly’s position as the market’s go to resource.


SCITUATE, Mass. (PRWEB)

Blue Butterfly, a strategic consultancy for the retail real estate industry, announces the appointment of Jeff Hawkins as the Managing Director, Global Real Estate. Hawkins will be responsible for global leasing at Blue Butterfly.

“Jeff’s deep experience in both specialty leasing and retail enables him to develop creative deal making opportunities for our clients during this unprecedented time. We recognize that right now the marketplace needs an efficient solution to deliver new tenants and to help retailers recover and prosper. Jeff joining our team cements Blue Butterfly’s position as the market’s go to resource,” said Michael Brielmann, Partner at Blue Butterfly.

Commenting on his new role, Hawkins said, “I am thrilled to be part of the Blue Butterfly senior management team. I am in a unique position to help both landlords and retailers develop strategies to capitalize on today’s opportunities. Blue Butterfly has built a strong and durable business model that has produced outstanding results for their clients. I look forward to building upon the team’s success.”

Hawkins has more than forty years of experience in the retail real estate industry. He joins Blue Butterfly from Simon Property Group, where he most recently served as SVP, Retailer Development. Simon is a global leader in retail real estate, and an S&P 100 company. Simon’s 209 properties are located around the globe and fall under three brands including Simon Malls, Simon Premium Outlets®, and The Mills®. During his twenty-two year tenure at Simon, Hawkins was responsible for negotiating thousands of deals, and leasing millions of square feet with iconic brands, start-up entrepreneurs, service providers, and pure play e-Tailers seeking first time brick-and-mortar locations.

“Blue Butterfly’s mission is twofold: propelling our clients’ growth, and proactively addressing and solving industry challenges. With Jeff’s extensive connections in the industry and his vast experience, we will have a much wider network that will lead to innovative new opportunities for our clients and the industry. It is very exciting to see our team grow,” said Patricia Norins, Partner at Blue Butterfly.

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Business: Insurance

New Level Partners Expands Veruna’s User Education Experience VerunaU

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PRINCETON, N.J. (PRWEB)

New Level Partners’ (NLP), a leader in learning management and instructional design for the insurance industry, is pleased to announce a new partnership with Veruna, developer of the insurance industry’s only agency management system (AMS) built on the Salesforce platform, which will utilize NLP’s instructional design capabilities to accelerate the curation and development of user educational assets.

“As Veruna grows, we’ve realized an increasing need for top quality training tools,” said Jennifer Carroll, CEO of Veruna. “Veruna’s mission is to revolutionize the way modern insurance agencies do business. Our innovative approach to agency management utilizes technology to help our agency partners streamline operations and customize workflows for maximum productivity. Our new and existing customers need training resources designed to fit a variety of learners’ needs, and that is where the NLP team has become an important partner, providing online courses, videos, and job aids as a part of VerunaU.”

In business since 2001, NLP focuses on the development of customized training solutions specifically for the property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry. Under this agreement, the NLP team has collaborated with Veruna’s technical experts to produce a wide range of educational tools which will further decrease the training time necessary to gain proficiency with the Veruna solution.

“The resources we contributed to the Veruna online university were produced with the end-user in mind,” said Jaime Foran, director of learning and development solutions for NLP. “This project required an analysis of Veruna’s processes to create a range of learning objects applicable to the users’ needs. The NLP team used a variety of instructional software options to produce micro-courses and job aids. The end result was a beautiful, meaningful library now available to Veruna’s agent users.”

# # #

About New Level Partners (NLP)

New Level Partners (NLP), founded in 2001, specializes in training solutions for the Property and Casualty Insurance Industry. NLP designs, develops and delivers customized and interactive training programs, both instructor-led and web-based. A wide range of instructional design tools and technologies ensure NLP’s programs are the most interactive and effective on the market. Learn more at http://www.newlevelpartners.com.

About Veruna

Veruna delivers the insurance industry’s only modern agency management system (AMS) built on the Salesforce platform and capable of driving quicker decisions using real-time data, robust analytics, and automated workflows with increased mobility, flexibility, customization, and integration all backed by the expansion capabilities inherent to the Salesforce AppExchange. For more information, please visit http://www.veruna.com.

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Business: Executives

Network Funding Loan Officer Julie Velasco Ranks Among the Best in the Nation By Mortgage Lending Publications

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SAN ANTONIO (PRWEB)

Julie Velasco, a Loan Officer at Network Funding, LP, was named as a Top Producer by the mortgage lending publications Scotsman Guide and Mortgage Executive Magazine.

“Julie joined Network Funding this year and is already a top performer within our company,” said Network Funding Vice President of Sales Richard Jefferson. “We are proud of her work as it aligns with the mission and values of our business.”

Scotsman Guide recognized Julie Velasco for Top Dollar Volume, Most Loans Closed, Top Purchase Volume, Top FHA Volume and Top VA Volume. Additionally, Julie Velasco was ranked in the publication’s Top Women Originators at #485 with a total $46,042,136 in production with 203 closed loans. To view Scotsman Guide’s “Top Producers,” visit scotsmanguide.com.

Mortgage Executive Magazine ranked Julie among the Top 1% of Producers in the nation. To view Mortgage Executive Magazine’s “Top Originators,” visit mortgageexecutivemagazine.com.

About Network Funding

Network Funding, LP, NMLS #2297, is a private residential mortgage lending company that operates branches across the country. Since it was founded in 1998, Network Funding has financed more than 121,500 homes at more than $22.6 billion, making the American Dream a reality for its customers. Network Funding’s key standards are based on integrity, reliability and simplicity and aims to empower its customers through educating and equipping them for the home-buying process. Network Funding consistently ranks as a “Top 50 Mortgage Companies to Work For” by Mortgage Executive Magazine and a “Top Mortgage Lender” by Scotsman Guide. To learn more about Network Funding, visit http://www.nflp.com or for career opportunities, visit join.nflp.com.

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Business: Insurance

Senior Citizens Can Save Money on Their Car Insurance Premiums

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“Senior drivers can easily lower their car insurance premiums if they follow several money-saving methods”, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.


LOS ANGELES (PRWEB)

Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that explains how senior citizens can get better car insurance rates.

For more info and free quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/top-tips-for-the-elderly-to-get-better-car-insurance/.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the frequency of crashes increases for drivers that are 70-year-old or more. As a result, insurers place seniors in the high-risk category.

Senior drivers that are looking for better car insurance premiums can follow the next tips:

  • Look for a low-mileage discount. Insurance companies offer significant discounts for drivers that drive less. Senior citizens that just got retired are no longer required to commute to work, so they usually drive fewer miles.

  • Graduate a defensive driving course. Senior citizens will find out how medications and aging affect driving and how to better accommodate to these changes. Also, classes are cheap and will provide significant discounts after graduation.

  • Install anti-theft devices. Senior citizens can install noisy alarms, ignition kill switches, steering wheel locks, vehicle tracking systems or other anti-theft devices to prove their insurer they want to keep their vehicle safe. Depending on what safety device is installed, insurance companies will offer various discounts.

  • Look for a cheaper car to insure. Senior citizens are recommended to insure slightly used cars that already have several safety features installed.

  • Pay for the whole policy at once. Senior citizens can save between 5% to 10% if they pay for the full policy at once. This way senior citizens won’t have to pay for monthly interest charges and administration fees.

  • Keep a clean driving record. Senior citizens that maintain a clean driving record can qualify for a good driver discount. This way they can lower their insurance premiums even further.

  • Check online insurance quotes. By comparing multiple online insurance quotes, senior citizens can decide if to remain with the same insurance provider or switch to another one that provides better insurance rates.

For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/.

Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc.

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Business: Insurance

ReFirm Labs Announces Spring 2020 Release of its IoT Firmware Security Platform to Address Growing Compliance Demands

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IoT firmware is the next big attack vector. Yet IoT device manufacturers and users alike struggle to demonstrate compliance with these emerging standards and regulations due to the complicated, time intensive and expensive cybersecurity assessment process for these products.


FULTON, Md. (PRWEB)

ReFirm Labs, a provider of the industry’s first proactive IoT and firmware security solutions, today announced the Spring 2020 release of its flagship Centrifuge Platform®. Centrifuge vets, validates and continuously monitors the security of firmware – the software that runs IoT devices – to protect against emerging cyber threats. With this new release, Centrifuge continues to enhance the capabilities of its platform and introduces automated compliance reporting to address the rapidly increasing number of IoT industry standards and regulatory requirements.

Widely recognized as a pressing cybersecurity issue, firmware is a major unprotected attack surface that hackers use to get a foothold and move laterally into corporate or critical infrastructure networks. A host of emerging standards and regulations are being developed to address this threat by enforcing proper cyber hygiene by IoT device manufacturers. Recently both the US Cyberspace Solarium Commission and the NIST Cybersecurity for IoT Program released reports recommending stronger regulatory enforcement and clearer baseline standards and guidance for IoT device manufacturers and their supply chains in order to defend the country against cyberattacks. The Solarium report recommended Congress pass laws making device manufacturers liable for delivering products with known vulnerabilities.

“IoT firmware is the next big attack vector. Yet IoT device manufacturers and users alike struggle to demonstrate compliance with these emerging standards and regulations due to the complicated, time intensive and expensive cybersecurity assessment process for these products. Device manufacturers also need visibility into the security of third-party components from their supply chain. Automation of these assessments and validation early in the development process is the key to trust and managing risk throughout the IoT ecosystem,” said Derick Naef, CEO of ReFirm Labs.

He adds, “Just as organizations require a show of security and compliance due diligence for their enterprise applications, so should they be doing for their IoT devices.”

The Spring ’20 release of ReFirm Labs’ Centrifuge Platform introduces major new capabilities that expand the firmware security analysis platform to help automate and address the compliance and certification needs of embedded systems. Updates include:


  • Security Policy and Standards Compliance Validation: To help IoT device manufacturers integrate security policies into their quality checks and development process, these security policies can be defined and automatically checked against the Centrifuge analysis results. The new Centrifuge Policy Engine quickly determines if a product release is compliant, which saves time and money before starting an expensive and time consuming certification process. In addition, manufacturers can now enforce security compliance when receiving code from third parties before they accept new releases. And product security teams can quickly evaluate compliance before that equipment is placed on the network. Security policies can be customized and mapped to any one of the emerging security standards to verify standards compliance.

  • Firmware Comparison for Supply Chain Visibility: To address Cyber Supply Chain Risks, Centrifuge now supports firmware differencing. Product security teams can get a detailed view of what has changed between releases or within equipment in the field. This reduces the time required to conduct product security assessments. Now security analysts can focus on just those components that changed or identify changes they were not expecting. Automated firmware differencing provides a key capability to organizations standing up Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management programs as required by emerging industry regulations.

Other key improvements to Centrifuge’s core security analysis capabilities include:

  • Speed: Dramatically improved firmware extraction & analysis speed in some cases 10x faster

  • Expanded vulnerability coverage: 10 new analyzers for detecting known vulnerabilities in open source components, including Bluetooth, UPnP, and a variety of SSL security libraries

  • Expanded exploit coverage: 4 new detectors to identify exploits, including CABLEHAUNT and HiSilicon backdoors

  • PowerPC support: Binary analysis of firmware built for the PowerPC CPU architecture

  • Enhanced security: Support for two-factor authentication

Highly scalable, automated and cloud-based, the Centrifuge Platform is a simple and reliable way for monitoring security across an entire system of deployed IoT devices without the need for agents or access to the network itself. Centrifuge has been proven to increase productivity for security teams while reducing the number of breaches on internet-connected devices.

For more information about Centrifuge Platform®, go to https://www.refirmlabs.com/centrifuge-platform.

About ReFirm Labs

ReFirm Labs provides the industry’s first IoT and firmware security solutions that proactively vet, validate and continuously monitor IoT devices from hidden threats. Its flagship product, Centrifuge Platform®, detects and reports potential zero-day vulnerabilities, hidden crypto keys, backdoor passwords and known vulnerabilities in IoT devices without needing access to source code. ReFirm Labs’ technology has been proven to provide the insight and intelligence needed for users to proactively defend connected devices and maintain compliance and the integrity of supply chain security. Founded by a team of former NSA offensive cyber operators, ReFirm Labs is trusted by government agencies and Fortune 500 companies that operate in a wide variety of industries, including: telecommunications, cloud infrastructure and data centers, automotive, health care, utilities, and manufacturing. For more information, visit https://www.refirmlabs.com or follow on Twitter @ReFirmLabs.

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