Day: March 17, 2022

Seventh Annual Honors for Employers and HR Professionals is Accepting Nominations

FAIRFAX, Va., March 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Stevie Awards has issued the call for entries for the seventh annual Stevie® Awards for Great Employers, which honor the world’s best companies to work for and the human resources teams, professionals, suppliers, and new products and services that help to create and drive great places to work.

All individuals and organizations worldwide – public and private, for-profit, and non-profit, large and small – may submit nominations to the Stevie Awards for Great Employers. The early-bird entry deadline, with reduced entry fees, is April 27. The final entry deadline is June 8, but late entries will be accepted through July 7 with payment of a late fee. Entry details are available at www.StevieAwards.com/HR.

Juries composed of scores of executives around the world will determine the Stevie Award winners. Winners will be announced on August 8. Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be presented their awards at a gala event at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on September 17.

The Stevie Awards for Great Employers recognize achievement in many facets of the workplace. Categories include:

• Employer of the Year Awards
• HR Achievement Awards
• HR Individual Awards
• HR Team Categories
• Solution Provider Awards
• Solutions, Implementations, and Training Programs or Media Awards
• COVID-19 Response Awards

There are new categories in 2022 for Thought Leadership including Achievement in Thought Leadership Skills, Achievement in Thought Leadership Talent, Achievement in Thought Leadership for Recruitment, Achievements in Internal Thought Leadership, and HR Thought Leader of the Year.

Fourteen of the 16 HR Individual categories do not require payment of entry fees.

Winners in the 31 industry-specific Employer of the Year categories will be determined by a unique blend of public votes and professional ratings. Public voting will take place from July 11 – August 1.

Stevie Award winners in 2021 included Allied Irish Banks (Ireland), Bank of America (USA), IBM (USA), Dell Technologies (USA), Everise (Singapore), Fullscript (Canada), Globe Telecom (Philippines), MGM China (China), PT. Bank Central Asia Tbk (Indonesia), Rakuten USA, Salary.com (USA), Turkcell İletişim Hizmetleri A.Ş. (Turkey), Upwork (USA), and many more.

About the Stevie® Awards:
Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 nominations each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com.

Marketing Contact:
Nina Moore
Nina@StevieAwards.com

Growth accelerates as complex hybrid IT and multi-cloud environments become the norm

ALPHARETTA, Ga., March 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Stonebranch, a leading provider of service orchestration and automation solutions, today published the inaugural Stonebranch 2022 Global State of IT Automation report. Developed in partnership with IEEE Computer Society, the premier technical education organization, this study collects the perspectives of automation-focused IT professionals worldwide.

Respondents, all from companies with over 1000 employees, shared their views about automation and orchestration as it relates to cloud, data pipelines, IT operations, self-service enablement, and more.

“Stonebranch is proud to share this important report — the first of its kind in the IT automation industry,” said Giuseppe Damiani, CEO at Stonebranch. “This research serves as a window into how the best and brightest industry practitioners plan to evolve their IT automation programs. Most importantly, the report illustrates a shift from IT automation to IT orchestration, which is driven by the continued growth of cloud, multi-cloud, and overall hybrid IT environments.”

The research indicates that orchestration is critical for successful hybrid IT environments, which have taken the lead for mid-size and large enterprises alike. Nearly half (46%) of respondents work in a hybrid IT environment comprised of on-premises, private cloud, public cloud, and containerized microservices. This number far exceeds on-premises only (31%) and cloud-only (23%) environments.

“Siloed automation programs may have worked when only targeting on-premises servers, mainframes, and applications,” said Peter Baljet, CTO at Stonebranch. “However, the cloud — both public and private — added a whole new layer of complexity, requiring organizations to think through how they orchestrate automated workflows that span between both on-premises and cloud environments.”

Additional key findings in the Stonebranch 2022 Global State of IT Automation report include:

• Automation growth is driven by cloud adoption. Most enterprises (69%) automate cloud applications and platforms, as well as containers.
• Multi-cloud environments are the norm. 92% of enterprises use more than two public cloud service providers in day-to-day operations. Additionally, 91% automate data transfers between multiple public cloud providers.
• Service orchestration and automation platforms (SOAP) have grown in popularity. 43% of enterprises will invest in SOAP by the end of 2022, only two years after Gartner coined the SOAP category in 2020.
• Self-service automation creates citizen automators. 93% of enterprises have a centralized IT automation team. 84% offer a self-service IT automation portal to business users, data teams, and developers.
• Data pipeline orchestration relies heavily on cloud. 90% of enterprises have more than half of their data tools in the cloud.
• Integration is key to orchestration. 78% of enterprises change data sources or tools that they automate at least quarterly, if not more often.

There are two ways to explore all the findings in the research:

• Download the full Stonebranch 2022 Global State of IT Automation report.
• Watch the on-demand report findings webinar hosted by Stonebranch and IEEE.

Report Methodology

The data in this report comes from a global online survey conducted by IEEE in January and February 2022. The survey generated 366 responses from IT professionals (primarily team leads, managers, and directors) involved in IT automation. Respondents reported responsibility for IT Ops, DataOps, CloudOps, PlatformOps, IT Service Management, and Application Development in enterprises with more than 1000 employees. A cross-section of industries including technology, banking and finance, insurance, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and government are represented, as are locations across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

About Stonebranch

Stonebranch builds IT orchestration and automation solutions that transform business IT environments from simple IT task automation into sophisticated, real-time business service automation. No matter the degree of automation, the Stonebranch platform is simple, modern, and secure. Using the Stonebranch Universal Automation Platform, enterprises can seamlessly orchestrate workloads and data across technology ecosystems and silos. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with points of contact and support throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia, Stonebranch serves some of the world’s largest financial, manufacturing, healthcare, travel, transportation, energy, and technology institutions.

About IEEE

IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice in a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers, and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power, and consumer electronics.

Contact
Scott Davis
Vice President of Global Marketing, Stonebranch
scott.davis@stonebranch.com

Wasder Announces Partnership with NFT Comic Book Art Collection on the Wasder Battlepass

STOCKHOLM, March 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Wasder, a global gamified social microverse for gamers, announced its collaboration with Alien Samurai Dino Warriors – an NFT art collection based on an upcoming comic book novel created by Dimitri “Vegas” Thivaios (of chart-topping EDM duo Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike) under the mentorship of Michael Uslan, originator and executive producer of the Batman movie franchise, and his son, David Uslan, an expert in the animation and graphic novel field.

The series revolves around a group of teen dinosaurs who defend a modern-day Earth through martial arts. The dinosaurs, who follow the code of the Samurai, are armed with glowing weapons that are powered by a mysterious crystal.

Alien Samurai Dino Warriors will be featured on the upcoming Wasder Battlepass in the Game of Wasder, the gamified portion of the social microverse platform. It allows each person to earn rewards for one month only. The game will offer exclusive rewards only available to Wasder users who participate in the Battlepass. Users will then be able to display their rewards/NFTs on their interactive user profiles, a new way of expressing both themselves and their reward stash in the community.

To celebrate the partnership, exclusive NFTs will be “airdropped” to the Wasder and Dino Warrior communities, and users will have a chance to win an interaction with Dimitri and challenge him in a game of his choice. The challenge will be streamed on the Wasder Twitch channel.

“For Wasder, this solidifies exactly what we envisioned our Game of Wasder would be – strong, innovative brands and amazing teams connected to them. I grew up on comic books, and to now be able to present a partnership with Dimitri and his team is full circle for me. Our Battlepass is featured for a full month, and this is our first exclusive feature we are announcing,” says Thomas Gronnevik, CEO of Wasder.

“I think our users will be very happy with the celebratory NFT airdrop we’re doing. The NFTs can of course be shown in our upcoming user profile showroom, together with future features and drops we will do. I also look forward to the streaming challenge with Dimitri and whoever wins the right to challenge him,” he adds.

Also on the Dino Warriors team is comic book writer Erik Burnham (Ghostbusters, Back To The Future, Transformers, A-Team, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics) and has artists like Jim Starlin (the creator of Marvel’s Infinity War Thanos and Guardians Of The Galaxy’ Draw & Gamorra ) working on art. Dimitri himself is appearing next summer in the upcoming Jurassic World: Dominion blockbuster, as well as in his first lead role in the European movie ‘Hazard’.

We’re starting to see a huge uptick between the crossing of entertainment and gaming as music artists look to expand their brand and use their creativity in other ways. Alien Samurai Dino Warriors was born from Dimitri Vegas’ childhood passion for comic books and cartoons.

“I had the privilege to grow up in a world of Saturday morning cartoons and stores filled with comic books. My goal is to bring some of that golden age to a new generation of kids and have Dino Warriors claim their place in pop culture history. Looking forward to connecting with the Wasder fans and bringing some awesome content to their Battlepass,” says Dimitri.

About Wasder 

Wasder is a global gamified social microverse for gamers with a multitude of tools that solve the biggest challenges they face with approximately 530,000 users. With features like Matchmaking, Communities, Party Chats, Game Spaces, and a personalized feed, it’s easy to both find new friends to play with and to stay in touch and up-to-date with them. The ecosystem is built on blockchain technology, which enables true ownership of in-game items like NFTs, and for players to showcase items from different games and metaverses in their interactive profile. Wasder believes that continuously innovating this ever-growing industry is imperative for its growth. Partnerships with cutting-edge organizations such as Solana, Chainlink and more allow them to stay ahead of the curve.

By providing a framework to millions of gamers, Wasder gives the industry access to what they need — a unified target audience and a framework where their offering makes it easier for users to access quickly. This provides real value to both industry and consumers by strengthening the engagement for everyone involved. By providing this framework, Wasder becomes an authority on everything gaming and a must-be space to be in it.

About Alien Samurai Dino Warriors

Alien Samurai Dino Warriors is an entertainment franchise created in 2021 by actor and electronic music artist Dimitri “Vegas” Thivaios. It follows five dinosaur siblings from another reality, trained in bushido and fighting crime in Los Angeles.

The two-time #1 DJ of the world has been building an all-star creative team around the property, including acclaimed producer David Uslan and his renowned father Michael Uslan, the originator and executive producer of the Batman movie franchise from 1989’s Batman by Tim Burton, through to Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, the Oscar-winning The Joker to 2022’s The Batman.

The first Alien Samurai Dino Warriors graphic novel series was written by Dimitri and Erik Burnham, one of IDW Publishing’s most critically acclaimed writers, best known for writing Ghostbusters, Back to The Future, Transformers, A-Team, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics.

The book will introduce the world to the cornerstones of ASDW mythology and the dinosaur’s first adventures. The concept for Dino Warriors was born from Dimitri’s passion for comic books and is a love letter to the ’80s & ’90s golden age of Saturday Morning Cartoons. Next to his countless global hits and appearing as a character in videogames such as Mortal Kombat 11 and Garena’s Free Fire, Dimitri is set to star in his first lead role in the European action movie HAZARD and the forthcoming blockbuster Jurassic World: Dominion, the final installment of the Jurassic Saga.

Press contact: Nabeela Aysen, nabeela@nabeelapr.com

Related Images

Image 1: Alien Samurai Dino Warriors and Wasder

Image 2: Alien Samurai Dino Warriors and Wasder

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment

• Alien Samurai Dino Warriors and Wasder

NAIROBI, Kenya, March 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Co-Impact is proud to officially launch its second fund, the Gender Fund, and share the growing pool of partners, funders and advisors coming together to advance the organization’s model of collaborative giving for systems change.

The Gender Fund, aiming to raise US $1bn to advance gender equality and women’s leadership, unites philanthropists, foundations, locally-rooted program partners, advisors and private sectors from around the world.

The distinct potential of the Gender Fund comes from the diversity, leadership and collaboration between supporters, including Cartier Philanthropy, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, The Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation, MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett, Melinda French Gates and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Thankyou Charitable Trust, Target Foundation, Tsitsi Masiyiwa/ Delta Philanthropies, and others.

The Fund, run by Co-Impact, will benefit from a world-class Advisory Group – experts in women’s rights, finance, social change and advocacy including Anita Zaidi, Crystal Simeoni, Elizabeth Yee, Lakshmi Sundaram, Mabel van Oranje, Rebeca Gyumi, Tara Abrahams, Theo Sowa, Vidya Shah and Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg.

While funding for gender equality has been rising over the last decade, only 1% of that funding has reached women’s organizations. The Gender Fund will bring significant resources into a grossly underfunded space and address “gendered systems” – the underlying norms, laws, practices, sanctions, and decision-making processes that lead to systematic barriers and persistent discrimination against women and girls.

The Gender Fund will unblock pathways for women and girls to exercise their power, agency and leadership at all levels – from household and community to institutions and government. It will fund locally-rooted partners to ensure that health, education, and economic systems work and are accountable to those they are intended to serve.

The urgency for this Fund is more significant than ever as the Covid-19 pandemic has laid bare the deep realities of gender inequality and discrimination in our systems, institutions, and societies. Women continue to face entrenched barriers such as violence, restricted reproductive rights, workforce discrimination, and unequal representation in leadership.

Commenting on the launch of the Fund, Olivia Leland, Founder and CEO of Co-Impact, said:

“To make progress on gender equality, we need systemic change in the structures, laws, and policies and processes of government, in how markets function, and how social norms are shaped and enforced. 

“The mission of the Gender Fund is to deliver on the ambition of a world where systems and societies are just and inclusive, and where all women have the opportunity to exercise power, agency, and leadership at all levels.” 

The Gender Fund aims to raise and grant US $1 billion over the next decade to provide predominantly women-led, locally-rooted organizations in Africa, Asia and Latin America with large, long-term, and flexible funding. To date, financial contributions to the Fund have totalled over US $320 million, and grantmaking across the three regions is already underway.

Melinda French Gates, global advocate for women and girls and the Co-Founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said:

“By partnering with Co-Impact, we’re able to identify programs that address the barriers, blocking women from reaching their full potential as leaders.

“We need change to happen at every level of society. And it starts with opening more doors for women to step into their power and craft policies that lift others up like them. This is our once-in-a-generation chance to rebuild our systems to finally work for women and girls.”

Co-Impact is committed to increasing the overall funding being directed to advancing gender equality. Working collaboratively with women’s rights and grassroots organizations, feminist networks and funders is key to breaking down power dynamics and advancing gender equality. Co-Impact will provide at least 10% of the funds raised to feminist and women’s rights groups and movements.

Tsitsi Masiyiwa, Co-Founder of Delta Philanthropies and Higherlife Foundation, said:

“There is no ‘one’ intervention, organization, or solution that can address every single barrier that is preventing women from living equitable and fulfilling lives.

“Gender inequality exists and manifests differently in every country, sector, and society around the world. The idea is that each component of the wider ecosystem has its part to play and is therefore eligible for Gender Fund support.”

A range of grants are available for a broad ecosystem of actors working to advance gender equality and women’s leadership through tangible actions. Co-Impact will also support organizations to generate, curate and disseminate research and learning on how to advance gender equality.

The Fund began sourcing and awarding an initial set of 15 grants for initiatives addressing major barriers to gender equality. These include gender-based violence, maternal health, gender-inclusive education and women’s leadership across the three regions.

Over the next decade, Co-Impact aims to grow the Gender Fund and support initiatives in 13 focus countries, including India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Brazil, Peru, and Mexico.

Media contacts

For media enquiries, please contact:

Renee Olende

media@co-impact.org

BB Partners Advisory

Co-Impact@bbpartners.co.uk

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.