Wednesday, August 21, 2019

TASCENT DELIVERS TOP PERFORMANCE IN DHS TEST OF COOPERATIVE FACE RECOGNITION

Company’s new InSight Face product scores highest accuracy, efficiency, and customer satisfaction



LOS GATOS, Calif., Aug 21 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tascent, Inc.,the leader in intuitive biometrics, today announced that it has received top performance marks in all categories in the US Department of Homeland Security’s 2019 Biometric Technology Rally. Benchmarked against a total of 14 leading products, Tascent’s InSight Face cooperative face recognition solution delivered the highest accuracy, highest efficiency, and highest customer satisfaction of all competitors, and was the only solution to meet all of DHS’s goals for the evaluation.

In its second year, the DHS Biometric Technology Rally sought to compare the performance of various capture devices, algorithms, and modalities in a realistic use case that mimics airline boarding or comparable high throughput travel facilitation environments. For each device under test, users representing a broad demographic distribution were instructed to walk through an 8-foot long capture zone, follow any instructions provided, and provide feedback on the user experience. The resulting facial biometric images were then compared against an enrolled gallery and assessed for matching performance.

The DHS official test results, which refer to Tascent by team code name “Teton,” show that Tascent InSight Face delivered a 0.0% Failure to Acquire Rate, a 99.5% True Identification Rate, a 98.1% Satisfaction Rating, and an average throughput (“Efficiency”) of 2.7 seconds, including the transit through the 8-foot zone. These results were unmatched in any category by the other test participants. Official results can be found at https://mdtf.org/Rally2019/Results2019.

“We’re thrilled to have the results from the 2019 Biometric Technology Rally validate our perspective that a biometric system can deliver on convenience, accuracy, user experience, and inclusion without compromise,” said Dan Potter, VP of Research and Development at Tascent. “With biometric authentication increasingly recognized as a critical technology enabler, this holistic approach to biometric performance will be crucial both for businesses and government organizations.”

InSight Face, Tascent’s fifth-generation high throughput biometric system, will be released in late 2019. It combines the award-winning industrial design of Tascent InSight One with a seamless “on-the-move” face recognition capture capability that works with individuals or small groups. As opposed to a surveillance or CCTV-based face recognition solution, InSight Face is a cooperative system that actively engages users to deliver an intuitive and welcoming experience.

“Biometrics is already transforming air travel on a global scale, delivering new levels of efficiency, personalization, and convenience to airlines, airports, and travelers,” said Alastair Partington, Founder and Co-CEO of Tascent.  “The level of performance and usability we’re now seeing positions biometric authentication to disrupt not just air travel, but every industry that values positive customer engagement and streamlined customer experiences.  We’re excited for this new generation of cooperative biometric solutions to give individuals more options in how they choose to interact with organizations – securely, conveniently, and with confidence.”

About Tascent

Tascent harnesses the power of biometrics to enable frictionless experiences in a connected world. We focus on creating intuitive hardware, software, and services, providing comprehensive capabilities for tailored identity solutions. Through partnerships, we deliver the strength of trusted identity to positively impact travel, financial services, ticketing and events, workplace access, government services, and humanitarian efforts.

While many biometric companies offer products that are complex and unintuitive, Tascent makes it easy for our partners to integrate and deploy approachable yet robust multimodal biometric identity systems. Today, our biometric devices and solutions serve tens of millions of people each year in some of the most challenging environments. We strive to innovate and create products that address unmet needs for critical-yet-routine identity processes, making lives simpler and easier.

Based in Silicon Valley, CA, Tascent supports customers and partners globally through our offices in Washington DC, Dubai, London, and Singapore.

www.tascent.com 

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/72d1ca66-9694-445b-8178-316a70bf9283 

The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress

info@tascent.com 408-335-4700

SOURCE : Tascent, Inc.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Aviation Week Network takes Urban Air Mobility conferences to Asia Pacific, Europe

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 -- Aviation Week Network, the largest multimedia information and services provider for the global aviation, aerospace, and defence industries has expanded its Urban Air Mobility (UAM) conference series.
The conferences include Urban Air Mobility Asia-Pacific on Sept 25, in Singapore and Urban Air Mobility Europe on Oct 16, in London, said a statement.
The UAM conferences bring together manufacturers, regulators, disruptors, technology innovators, municipal leaders, and the infrastructure and investment community to create on-demand electrification and aviation for smart cities.
“We expanded the Urban Air Mobility series based on demand from our partners in Asia and Europe who are players in this transformative industry,” said Aviation Week Network, Managing Director (Events), Lydia Janow.
“Attendees and speakers are the pioneers in urban air mobility and they are looking forward to gathering to learn, share knowledge and make valuable contacts,” added Janow.
The sector is now at a stage where prototypes are being invested in to prepare for commercialisation and deployment worldwide. Leaders in the urban air industry will offer attendees a peek into the future of air taxis and other new types of air transportation.
For more information, visit https://aviationweek.com.
-- BERNAMA

AM Best gives China BOCOM Insurance Company Limited solid rating

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ‘a-’ of China BOCOM Insurance Company Limited (CBIC), Hong Kong.

The stable outlook of these credit ratings reflects CBIC’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorised as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

It also reflects the wide range of support that the company receives as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bank of Communications Co Ltd (BOCOM), a large state-owned banking group in China and CBIC’s strategic importance to the group.

The company has generated net operating profits consistently over the past five years, which contributed to its capital growth through full profit retention and helped mitigate capital volatility arising from changes in the market value of its investment assets.

It maintains a diversified but small underwriting portfolio in Hong Kong’s non-life market and receives extensive business development and distribution support from BOCOM’s banking network in Hong Kong, mainland China and overseas.

While positive rating actions are unlikely to occur over the near term, negative rating actions could occur if there is a substantial decline in CBIC’s risk-adjusted capitalisation, a material deterioration in its operating performance or if support from BOCOM weakens notably.

AM Best is a global rating agency and information provider with a unique focus on the insurance industry. More information at http://www.ambest.com.

-- BERNAMA

Thursday, August 8, 2019

FUSIONEX TIES UP WITH GOOGLE CLOUD TO HELP SMES ON THEIR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY

SINGAPORE, Aug 8 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Fusionex, a multi-award-winning, leading software solutions provider specializing in Big Data Analytics (BDA), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0 technologies announced that it is building its product and services offerings on Google Cloud Platform technologies to help small medium enterprises (SMEs) across Asia-Pacific in their digital transformation journey.
 
Fusionex has built its “Giant BDA” suite of solutions that are specially tailored for SMEs on Google Cloud Platform (GCP). GCP allows customers to build, test and deploy applications on a highly scalable and reliable infrastructure with offerings that span storage, networking, data, analytics, app development and machine learning tools and APIs.
 
As a Google Cloud Services Partner, Fusionex also offers training programs and consulting services for SMEs, enabling them to build their competencies around Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to advance their business.
 
“This collaboration will see joint investments from both companies, empowering SMEs to take up BDA, AI, and IR4.0 initiatives,” said Fusionex Managing Director for New Technologies, Jacob Isaac. “Google is a household name and its offerings inspire confidence among businesses, regardless of shape or size. Fusionex solutions can in turn empower SMEs with AI automation that will allow them to increase productivity and reduce operational costs.”
 
“Fusionex brings a wealth of experience helping customers make data-driven business decisions – from providing analytical software and custom tools, to even providing in-person training, and we’re proud to collaborate with them to deliver deep value to customers across a wide range of technologies and business challenges,” mentioned Ash Willis, Head of Partnerships and Alliances for Google Cloud in Asia Pacific.
 
A McKinsey report states the adoption of cloud computing helps standardize and automate tasks that can reduce IT overhead costs by 30% to 40%. The report notes that “cloud computing can help scale IT processes up and down as needed, optimizing IT asset usage. It can improve the overall flexibility of IT in meeting business needs such as more frequent releases of business features. Cloud service providers are increasingly offering much more sophisticated solutions than basic computing and storage, such as big data and machine-learning services.”
 
Fusionex’s suite of solutions – built on its Giant BDA platform – allows businesses to take advantage of organizational and market data trends without having to worry about the technical complexities of coding or the underlying technology. Fusionex’s AI and IR 4.0 solutions use next-gen cognitive technology and offer cutting-edge functions including computer vision, augmented reality, robotics, and drone management, which complements human talent to enhance decision-making accuracy.
 
About Fusionex
 
Fusionex is an established multi-award winning data technology provider specializing in Analytics, Big Data, IR 4.0, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence. Its offerings are focused on helping clients unlock value and derive insights from data. Featured on Forbes, Bloomberg, Gartner, IDC, Forrester, Edison, and Huffington Post, Fusionex is the largest Big Data Analytics company and market leader in ASEAN, bringing state-of-the-art, innovative, and breakthrough data-driven platforms to its stable of clientele (including Fortune 500, FTSE companies, large conglomerates, as well as a wide array of small and medium enterprises [SMEs]) that spans across the United States, Europe, as well as Asia Pacific. Fusionex is also a MDEC Global Acceleration and Innovation Network (GAIN) company as well as an MSC R&D MGS award recipient.
 
Gartner’s 2018 report on Modern Analytics and Business Intelligence shortlisted and commended Fusionex’s data technology platform. In addition, Fusionex has been identified as a Major Player in IDC’s MarketScape Report for Big Data & Analytics. Fusionex is the only ASEAN-based company to be featured in both reports, cementing its credentials in the data technology market for this region.
 
To learn more about Fusionex, visit www.fusionex-international.com.
 
About Google Cloud
Google Cloud is widely recognized as a global leader in delivering a secure, open and intelligent enterprise cloud platform. We’re focused on building solutions in five key categories - Infrastructure Modernization, Data Management, Smart Business Analytics, AI and Machine Learning, and Collaboration - and are concentrating our efforts in ~15 global markets. Today, customers across more than 150 countries trust Google Cloud to modernize their computing environment for today’s digital world. We are helping thousands of organizations, including many of the world’s largest companies, transform their businesses.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190807005321/en/
 
Contact
Media: 
Angie Lim 
angie@adv-fusionex.com
 
Source : Fusionex
 
--BERNAMA

JPMorgan chase invests in America´s FreshBooks

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8 (Bernama) -- JPMorgan Chase & Co has made strategic investment in America’s leading small business accounting software, FreshBooks.

As part of the investment, a JPMorgan Chase representative will join FreshBooks’ board of directors.

The investment follows two previous institutional funding rounds for FreshBooks, namely a US$30 million Series A funding round in July 2014, and US$43 million Series B funding round in July 2017. (US$1=RM4.21)

FreshBooks chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder, Mike McDerment said: “Our mission is to reshape the world to suit the needs of self-employed professionals and their teams.

“We see a significant opportunity to combine the strength and scale of JPMorgan Chase’s banking and payment capabilities with FreshBooks’ expertise in software design to create mass adoption for small businesses, and propel us closer to achieving that world.”

Meanwhile, according to Chase Merchant Services SMB Product head, Bill Clerico, FreshBooks is one of the smartest, easiest-to-use software options for small businesses.

Clerico is also CEO of WePay, the integrated payment business of JPMorgan Chase.

-- BERNAMA