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Azul to Deliver Monthly Critical Security Patch Updates for Java Across All Supported LTS Versions

Bangalore, July 2026 : A monthly security-only, stability-first cadence delivers speed without the regression riskAzul, the trusted leader in enterprise Java for today’s AI and cloud-first world, today announced that it will deliver monthly Critical Security Patch Updates (CSPUs) for Java Long-Term Support (LTS) versions for both Azul Core and Azul Prime, starting in August 2026. The traditional quarterly update cadence can no longer keep pace, as a serious vulnerability surfacing just after a scheduled update can sit unpatched for weeks before the next fix ships. Azul is moving to a monthly rhythm to close that exposure window, delivered with the production-grade stability enterprises depend on.Why Monthly, and Why NowThe shift reflects a broad change in the security landscape: AI now accelerates how quickly vulnerabilities are discovered and exploited — by defenders and attackers alike — and the volume of issues that must be addressed is rising. In that environment, waiting up to 90 days for the next quarterly update is increasingly untenable.A Predictable Monthly ScheduleAzul’s CSPUs will be released monthly, on the third Tuesday of each month, when a high-priority fix is warranted, giving organizations a predictable, plannable security cadence rather than waiting for the next quarterly update. Azul will provide CSPUs across all the LTS versions it supports — Java 8, 11, 17, 21 and 25 — as well as the current release (Java 26). Azul will also deliver CSPUs for the Java 6 and 7 versions it supports, extending the same monthly security cadence to organizations still running older Java versions in production.The Same Stability-First ModelAzul brings a proven model to this faster cadence. For years, it has delivered Java updates in two forms each quarter: Patch Set Updates (PSUs), which carry the full set of quarterly changes (typically measured in the hundreds), and Critical Patch Updates (CPUs), which deliver security fixes only, built on a stabilized, production-proven code base. Azul’s CSPUs extend that same security-only, stability-first CPU model to a monthly rhythm — targeted fixes for identified vulnerabilities tracked as Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs), without the unrelated changes that raise regression risk. Azul will continue to work within the OpenJDK community and the OpenJDK Vulnerability Group to advance Java security.“For years, the world’s most demanding enterprises have trusted Azul to deliver security and stability together, and on time,” said Scott Sellers, co-founder and CEO of Azul. “As AI sharply increases the volume of threats enterprises face, enterprises shouldn’t have to choose between the two. Monthly security-only updates are the new standard Azul is setting for how enterprises protect their Java estates.”Learn more about Azul’s Java support here.FAQsHow can enterprises keep pace with faster Java security update cycles without destabilizing production systems?Azul’s release infrastructure and validation processes are built to support a monthly Java security update cadence. As CSPUs are scheduled for release, Azul will evaluate, test and distribute the corresponding update with full enterprise-grade stability checks — ensuring high-priority vulnerabilities are patched promptly without introducing application regressions or disrupting production environments.What should organizations look for in a Java security update process as patch frequency increases?Azul scopes its security updates specifically to vulnerability fixes, avoiding the bundling of unrelated changes that raise regression risk. Each update undergoes rigorous stability validation before release, reducing the testing burden on internal development teams and allowing enterprises to apply critical patches with confidence across mission-critical systems.What is the best approach for managing monthly Java security patches across enterprise production environments?As Java security updates shift toward a monthly cadence, enterprises need a vendor that delivers both speed and stability. Azul’s Java platform is purpose-built to match the new security rhythm without increasing operational risk: targeted security fixes that are thoroughly tested and delivered with the production-safe reliability that organizations running mission-critical Java workloads depend on.About AzulAzul is the trusted leader in enterprise Java for today’s AI and cloud-first world. Its open source-based Java platform empowers organizations to optimize the entire Java lifecycle to accelerate performance, strengthen security, reduce licensing and cloud costs, and boost developer productivity. Azul powers mission-critical systems for 36% of the Fortune 100, 50% of the Forbes Top 10 World’s Most Valuable Brands and the world’s top 10 financial trading companies. Learn more at azul.com and follow @azulsystems.

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ITC Infotech and Google Cloud Join Hands to Scale Enterprise Agentic Transformation and AI Innovation

Bangalore, July 2026 : End-to-end deployment of Gemini Enterprise across ITC Infotech establishes the solutions provider as ‘customer zero’Joint Centers of Excellence will serve as launchpad for global customers to advance their agentic transformationsITC Infotech, a leading global technology services and solutions provider, today announced a strategic partnership with Google Cloud to propel its internal transformation to an agentic-first enterprise and drive accelerate AI-powered growth for its global customers.ITC Infotech will become its own “customer zero” for Gemini Enterprise by deploying, validating, and scaling Google's agentic AI platform across its organization before bringing proven implementation methodologies and technical blueprints to its customers. By embedding AI into its own operations first, ITC Infotech will offer customers implementation experience anchored on measurable business results."As enterprises move from AI experimentation to enterprise-wide adoption, they are looking for partners who have successfully navigated that journey themselves," said Manas Chakraborty, Managing Director & CEO, ITC Infotech. "Our wall-to-wall deployment of Gemini Enterprise anchors our own agentic-first strategy, driving non-linear, AI-led progress for our business. It also ensures we build deep operational expertise, and proprietary IP to deliver next-generation, AI-driven outcomes for our customers worldwide.”Driving velocity from within: elevating enterprise operations at scaleITC Infotech’s enterprise-wide deployment of Gemini Enterprise spans multiple layers of its global operations, focusing significantly on driving internal speed and efficiency:Accelerated software engineering: For ITC Infotech’s core developer teams, Antigravity will help optimize software development velocity, manage legacy code migration at scale, reduce code complexity, and speed up application modernization timelines.Autonomous workflows: Utilizing Gemini Enterprise, ITC Infotech is moving beyond simple AI prompts to building specialized AI agents and deploying multi-agent orchestration. These agents will collaborate across internal systems and data sources to execute complex corporate tasks autonomously, building valuable proprietary IP within a secure, sovereign AI environment.Corporate function automation: Gemini Enterprise is being integrated across administrative, HR, finance, and legal functions. This helps automate complex, time-consuming processes, including accelerating RFP drafting cycles, managing internal IT and HR service tickets, and streamlining financial invoice audits.Scaling insight and impact to global enterprisesBeyond internal productivity, this strategic partnership is designed to scale real-world agentic capabilities and take it to the wider business ecosystem. As ITC Infotech refines and validates these autonomous workflows internally, it will collaborate with Google Cloud to broaden market access to Gemini Enterprise through:Joint Centers of Excellence: ITC Infotech and Google Cloud will establish dedicated AI Centers of Excellence (CoEs) in different cities. These will serve as strategic innovation hubs focused on building deep Google Cloud AI capabilities, developing industry-specific AI blueprints with enterprise agent frameworks.Commercializing industry accelerators: ITC Infotech will combine its firsthand deployment experience with its domain expertise to build custom AI blueprints tailored for the consumer packaged goods (CPG), retail, hospitality, and manufacturing sectors.“ITC Infotech’s deployment of Gemini Enterprise across its entire strong workforce represents an exceptional commitment to operational excellence,” said Sashi Sreedharan, Managing Director, Google Cloud India. “By standardizing its daily workflows on Google Cloud AI, ITC Infotech is gaining deep, practical experience with advanced automation at scale. Through our close collaboration, we are combining this firsthand insight with Google Cloud's AI ecosystem to deliver market-ready solutions. Together, we are uniquely positioned to empower organizations worldwide to safely and effectively scale their own AI initiatives.”About ITC InfotechITC Infotech is a leading global technology services and solutions provider, led by Business and Technology Consulting. ITC Infotech provides business-friendly solutions to help clients succeed and be future-ready, by seamlessly bringing together digital expertise, strong industry-specific alliances and the unique ability to leverage deep domain expertise from ITC Group businesses. The company provides technology solutions and services to enterprises across industries such as Banking and Financial Services, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Consumer Goods, Travel and Hospitality, through a combination of traditional and newer business models, as a long-term sustainable partner.About Google CloudGoogle Cloud offers a powerful, optimized AI stack, including AI infrastructure, leading models like Gemini, data management capabilities, multicloud security solutions, developer tools and platform, as well as agents and applications, that enables organizations to transform their business for the Agentic Era. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted technology partner.

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Vertiv appoints Raghavendra Kale as channel leader for India

Bangalore, July 2026 : Position to strengthen channel-led growth strategy with focus on partner ecosystem expansion and market accelerationVertiv (NYSE: VRT), a global leader in critical digital infrastructure, today announced the promotion of Raghavendra Kale as channel leader for India. In this role, he will drive the company’s channel sales strategy in the region, focusing on expanding ecosystem reach, accelerating market penetration, and deepening engagement across key partner segments.Commenting on the appointment, Prashant Bhatia, vice president, sales at Vertiv India, said“Raghavendra’s journey with Vertiv reflects deep commitment, strong execution, and a consistent focus on partner success. His ability to build strong relationships and deliver business outcomes has been instrumental in strengthening our channel ecosystem.As we scale our presence in India, the channel will play a pivotal role in driving growth and market reach. Raghavendra’s leadership will help us deepen partner engagement and unlock new opportunities across key segments.”Over nearly three decades, Kale has built deep domain expertise and strong partner relationships across the industry. In his most recent role as director, West Zone, channel, he played a pivotal role in streamlining operations, strengthening the partner ecosystem, and driving consistent business performance across the region.In his new role, Kale will also drive the development of a scalable partner engine to nurture and grow strategic accounts, further strengthening Vertiv’s channel-led growth strategy in India.Speaking on his new role, Kale said, “I am honoured to take on this responsibility at a time when demand for resilient and scalable digital infrastructure is accelerating in India. I look forward to working closely with our partners to drive innovation, expand our reach, and deliver greater value to customers.”Vertiv continues to reinforce its commitment to a partner-first approach and continued growth in India. The company’s portfolio spans power, thermal management and IT infrastructure solutions, including uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, precision cooling, and integrated rack and enclosure offerings, complemented by software and services that give customers greater visibility and control across the data center lifecycle. As organizations across industries scale their digital and AI-ready infrastructure, this breadth of offerings enables partners to address a wide range of customer needs, from edge deployments to hyperscale environments, further reinforcing the channel's role as a key extension of Vertiv's go-to-market strategy in India.For more information about the Vertiv channel partners program visit Vertiv.com.# # #About VertivVertiv (NYSE: VRT) brings together hardware, software, analytics and ongoing services to enable its customers’ vital applications to run continuously, perform optimally and grow with their business needs. Vertiv solves the most important challenges facing today’s data centers, communication networks and commercial and industrial facilities with a portfolio of power, cooling and IT infrastructure solutions and services that extends from the cloud to the edge of the network. Headquartered in Westerville, Ohio, USA, Vertiv does business in more than 130 countries. For more information, and for the latest news and content from Vertiv, visit Vertiv.com.Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsThis release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27 of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act. These statements are only predictions. Actual events or results may differ from those in the forward-looking statements set forth herein. Readers are referred to Vertiv’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for a discussion of important risk factors concerning Vertiv and its operations. Those risk factors and risks related to the proposed transaction, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from historical performance Vertiv is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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AI Is Compressing Cyberattack Timelines and Targeting Ungoverned AI Identities, Sophos AI Security Report Finds

Bangalore, July 2026 : Sophos AI Security 2026 report finds attackers are moving beyond experimentation and operationalizing AI for attacksSophos today released its AI Security 2026 Report, finding that attackers are operationalizing artificial intelligence (AI) to collapse attack workflows from weeks to days. The report finds that AI’s most immediate impact on cybercrime is speed, as well as a rise in attacks using identity as the primary initial access vector (IAV), rather than inventing new attack types at this stage.“Attackers still need initial access, still move laterally, and still exfiltrate through observable channels. What has changed is the clock,” said John Peterson, Chief Technology Officer, Sophos. “For the first time we have observed AI being actively used as an operational force multiplier. While the tools and techniques were familiar, the speed of development, testing, and iteration was materially different. That is the AI threat that security teams need to prepare against. It means faster cycles and shorter windows to respond, with greater pressure on defenders to detect and contain activity before impact.”Key findings from the Sophos 2026 AI Security ReportAI is compressing attack timelines and accelerating operational readiness.Enterprise AI identities, OAuth tokens, agents, APIs, and development tools are becoming high-value targets.AI-assisted social engineering and deepfakes are now operational tools.Threat actors are incorporating AI into underground markets, recruitment, prompt engineering, jailbreaking, malware development workflows, and criminal services.AI development infrastructure and supply chains are being targeted.AI in the hands of attackersIn one of the report’s most significant findings, Sophos uncovered a campaign tracked as STAC6994, actively using AI to drive their operations; one of the first provable demonstrations of this happening.The threat actor was running a software development operation inside a customer’s network and using approximately 12 AI agents to write and test attacks against endpoint agents, including Sophos, CrowdStrike, and Microsoft Defender. They produced nearly 80 modules and more than 70 evasion techniques and turned what would have taken a human weeks into a few days. This dramatically accelerated the timeline of attack techniques reaching operational readiness.This intelligence collection effort meant that we could stay ahead of the threat, defeating attacks before they made it into the wild.AI identities become a new attack surfaceThe report identifies enterprise AI adoption as the fastest-growing source of new exposure. As coding agents, assistants, and open-weight models take on privileged access to core systems, attackers are targeting the trust, credentials and access permissions surrounding these systems. As a result, AI identities, agents, OAuth connections, and API keys are increasingly becoming a high-value attack surface, and governance is not keeping pace.Attackers are creating new pathways into enterprise networks by compromising OAuth tokens, AI service credentials, developer tools, and exposed AI infrastructure. This demonstrates that AI is now as much an identity, governance, and supply chain issue as it is a model security issue.This is also reflected in the recent Sophos 2026 State of Ransomware report which showed that, for the first time in more than three years, identity has become the primary IAV.AI-powered social engineering and deepfakes become operationalAI-assisted social engineering and deepfakes are making scams more scalable, more convincing across languages, and significantly cheaper to produce.Incidents highlighted in the report include an AI-themed investment scam which drew a UK-based victim into a fake AI-powered investment platform through months of AI-themed lessons and coordinated messaging. The victim ultimately lost hundreds of thousands of pounds.AI development infrastructure is also being targeted directly with attacks involving compromised developer tools and credential-stealing malware. Supply chain risks around model weights, training data provenance, MCP servers and inference infrastructure are also becoming more prolific.“This report makes clear that AI security is no longer just about model behavior or speculative future risks. AI is actively being absorbed into criminal workflows and social engineering operations, as well as into enterprise software development and identity systems within legitimate organisations. That means the threat is in the here and now,” said Peterson. “As frontier models continue to advance, the next few months will be defined by how quickly organizations can govern AI use, secure the identities and connections around it, and keep pace with attackers who are capable of rapidly adopting new capabilities.”The report is based on findings from Sophos X-Ops Managed Detection and Response (MDR) casework, SophosLabs analysis, Sophos Counter Threat Unit (CTU) intelligence, Sophos AI research, and endpoint and network observations across more than 625,000 customers worldwide.Download the full Sophos AI Security 2026 report here.About SophosSophos, a global cybersecurity leader, defends more than 625,000 organizations worldwide with Sophos Fusion, the industry's first and most complete AI-native cybersecurity defense system: a single, connected architecture where every control point operates as one. Powered by agentic AI and elite human expertise, Sophos detects, investigates, and neutralizes threats before they become business-disrupting events. Working alongside a global ecosystem of managed service providers, resellers, and technology partners, Sophos compounds intelligence from every threat encountered and every environment defended to make every customer's defense stronger than the last. Sophos is headquartered in Oxford, U.K. More information is available at www.sophos.com.

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Kobie Establishes India Tech Hub as Core to AI-Driven Business Growth and Innovation

Bangalore, July 2026 : Bengaluru expansion signals commitment to building teams that safely experiment with AI and drive next-generation loyalty solutionsKobie, a Forrester Leader in loyalty technology, today announced the establishment of a Tech Hub in Bengaluru as a cornerstone of its AI-enabled product strategy. The expansion reflects Kobie's belief that artificial intelligence is not a parallel initiative, it is central to how the company delivers business value and drives growth for its clients worldwide.The Kobie India team has grown to approximately 50 professionals and is actively expanding across Software Engineering, Data Science, Data Engineering, Cloud Engineering, MLOps, AI Engineering, AI Governance, Product Engineering, Production Engineering, and Production Support. This hiring reflects a strategic shift: AI capabilities are now woven into every layer of Kobie's technology organization, from how products are built to how data is leveraged and decisions are made.The company's investment in AI directly accelerates the development of next-generation, intelligent loyalty solutions that enable brands to anticipate customer needs, personalize at scale, measure loyalty outcomes with precision, and ultimately help Fortune 500 brands grow enterprise value through loyalty. The India Tech Hub is strategic to this mission. It houses the engineering depth and AI talent required to operationalize and pioneer the most innovative loyalty experiences that drive measurable business impact. Sustainable AI innovation, Kobie believes, requires both boldness in exploration and discipline in deployment, with governance, security, and ethics being woven in from day one, not retrofitted later."India is becoming an integral part of Kobie's business transformation," said Marti Beller, President, Kobie. "We're not treating AI as a separate function. It has a seat at the table in every product decision, every engineering initiative, and every customer outcome we drive. India is where we're building the teams that help lead that transformation."AI at Scale in Loyalty"Our goal in India is to create an environment where innovators solve complex business challenges by leveraging AI, while advancing their own professional development," said Raghuveer KS, AVP of AI Engineering and Kobie India Site Lead. "This means building teams that understand the business problem first, then design AI solutions intentionally. We'relooking for people who are curious, willing to test new approaches, and equally committed to doing it responsibly."Kobie is also establishing formal internship partnerships across four leading Indian universities, offering paid internships in AI Engineering, Data Science, and Product Engineering. These programs are designed to give emerging engineers real-world experience building at scale while contributing to production loyalty systems. For Kobie, these partnerships represent a long-term commitment to building not just a team, but a pipeline of talent deeply versed in the company's approach to responsible AI innovation.Culture as Competitive EdgeThe company is recognized for both its technology leadership and its workplace culture. As the only loyalty technology provider to earn third-party recognition for its culture, Kobie has been honored as a multi-year National Top Workplace, a Top Workplace in Tampa Bay, where Kobie is headquartered, and a Top Remote Workplace. These recognitions reflect the company's commitment to building an inclusive, flexible, and people-first organization where employees are empowered to grow."We're looking for individuals who want to build meaningful careers while contributing to some of the world's most innovative loyalty programs," said Jessica Sharp, AVP, Human Resources, Kobie. "Whether someone joins us in Bengaluru or Boston, they become part of a global team that values inclusion, collaboration, continuous learning, and the kind of psychological safety required to experiment responsibly."Kobie's culture emphasizes leadership development, diversity and inclusion, flexibility, collaboration, continuous learning, and employee wellbeing, enabling distributed teams to work together seamlessly while delivering measurable business impact for clients worldwide.For more about Kobie, please visit Kobie.comAbout KobieKobie delivers market-leading, end-to-end loyalty solutions for the world’s most successful brands. With tech that anticipates where loyalty is headed, Kobie is consistently named an industry leader by Forrester with a mission of growing value through loyalty. We turn complex customer data into actionable insights, leveraging human-guided AI and strategic services to enable loyalty outcomes across industries. Kobie Alchemy® Loyalty Cloud delivers and measures loyalty experiences that set brands apart. To learn more about partnering with Kobie and how we have been driving loyalty for more than three decades, visit?www.kobie.com.

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NeevCloud Launches Agentic Studio: A Sovereign, Secure Execution Environment for AI Agents

Bangalore, July 2026 : The managed sandbox for agentic AI workloads gives enterprises full control over how, where, and within whose borders their AI agents executeNeevCloud, an Indian sovereign AI cloud infrastructure company today announced the launch of Agentic Studio. This is a managed secure sandbox environment purpose-built for running AI agents and code execution workloads in isolated, on-demand compute environments. Agentic Studio enables organisations to deploy, test, and scale AI-driven workflows without exposing production systems, a capability that takes on strategic significance as enterprises across India and emerging markets accelerate their AI adoption under the imperative of digital and data sovereignty.Closing the Execution Gap in Agentic AIToday, the premise that agentic AI systems can reason, plan, and take autonomous action has outpaced the infrastructure required to run it safely. Most enterprises find themselves caught between two unacceptable options: running agents on local developer machines, with all the attendant security risks, or deploying directly into production environments, where errors carry real consequences.“The industry has spent two years making agents smarter. The unsolved problem is giving them somewhere safe to act. Agentic Studio is designed to bridge that gap” said Vijayakumar Nadar, Chief AI Officer of NeevCloud. Organisations can create a fresh sandbox in seconds, select a base compute template, configure resources, and run agents, scripts, file operations, and multi-step task workflows all without managing any underlying infrastructure. The result is a secure, reproducible, and fully controllable execution layer for AI at every stage of development and deployment.A Sovereign AI Execution Layer for India and BeyondAt a time when governments, regulators, and enterprises are scrutinising where AI workloads run and which jurisdictions they fall within, Agentic Studio offers a sovereign execution model. By providing a managed, isolated environment that operates within India's data infrastructure, NeevCloud enables organisations in regulated industries such as banking, financial services, healthcare, government to harness agentic AI without ceding control over their data or compute to foreign cloud providers."Sovereign AI is not just about where data is stored, it is about where intelligence acts," said Narendra Sen, Founder & CEO of NeevCloud. "Agentic Studio ensures that when an AI agent retrieves a document, executes a financial reconciliation, or automates a customer support workflow, every action happens within a controlled, auditable environment on Indian soil. That is what enterprise-grade sovereign AI looks like in practice."Platform CapabilitiesAgentic Studio provides a comprehensive execution framework for AI workloads:Isolated sandbox environments that run untrusted or agent-generated code without contaminating other systemsFilesystem snapshots, pause, restore, and fork capabilities for reproducible, stateful workflowsMulti-agent orchestration by assigning separate compute environments to planning, execution, validation, and reporting agentsBrowser and VNC templates for web automation and browser-based task agentsOn-demand compute with no infrastructure management, enabling teams to focus on building rather than provisioningBuilt for Real Enterprise WorkflowsAgentic Studio is designed for the breadth and complexity of enterprise AI deployment. Targeted use cases include:Customer support automation: agents can retrieve knowledge, analyze customer queries, and draft responses in isolated environments.Coding workflows: run tests, inspect repositories, automate bug triage, and validate code changes safely.Financial operations: process spreadsheets, reconcile reports, and run controlled data workflows without exposing core systems.Document-intensive industries: extract information from contracts, invoices, claims, and reports.Research and data operations: collect, structure, and analyze information across multiple sources.Education and developer platforms: run user-submitted code for assessments, sandboxes, and interactive coding tools.Multi-agent orchestration: assign planning, execution, validation, and reporting steps to separate sandboxes.DevOps and IT automation: execute repeatable operational workflows, validation checks, and scripted tasks in isolated environments.About NeevCloudNeevCloud AI Supercloud is enabling high-performance computing accessible, affordable, and sovereign. NeevCloud provides full-stack end-to-end AI infrastructure enabling enterprises and governments with Private AI and control on the data and compute. Our sovereign infrastructure powers a diverse range of critical use cases across the nation’s most vital sectors ranging from BFSI, Healthcare, Automotive, Startups and Research. With a vision to democratize AI for the next billion users, NeevCloud delivers compute costs 40-60% lower than global hyperscalers, ensuring that India remains a global powerhouse in the AI revolution.For more information, visit www.neevcloud.com

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Zendesk’s Momentum Shows Contact Centers are Racing to End Silos as Voice Volumes Climb

Bengaluru, July 2026 – Voice remains 40% of contact center volume, while 75% of leaders say legacy tools block omnichannel serviceIn its first year, Zendesk’s AI-native voice solution surpassed 100 opportunities, achieved competitive wins against legacy providers, and landed a 4,000-seat deploymentAs AI agents take on more of the customer journey, voice remains a critical channel for customer service. Zendesk research shows voice still represents 40% of contact center volume and is growing, while 75% of contact center leaders say legacy technology prevents them from delivering a true omnichannel experience. In the agentic era, the phone line isn't going away — businesses increasingly need AI to handle it natively.That gap between rising voice demand and aging infrastructure is pushing contact centers to rethink how they operate. Businesses are looking for more integrated, AI-first service models that connect voice with the same context and customer history as digital channels. Demand for AI-native voice is growing. One year after Zendesk acquired Local Measure and launched a native voice solution within the Zendesk Resolution Platform, Zendesk Contact Center has seen strong market response, particularly among customers in the 250 - 750 agent segment. In the past 12 months, it has:Secured over 100 contact center opportunities with businesses in every region.Achieved a string of competitive displacements against established legacy market leaders.Scaled across the enterprise, including wins in the strategic 600 - 1,000 agent tier and a landmark 4,000-seat deployment.Closed individual seven-figure annual recurring revenue (ARR) agreements.Earned official support for HIPAA-enabled accounts.The shift reflects a broader move toward integrated customer service, where voice shares the same context and customer history as digital channels. By reducing friction across channels, businesses can improve service in real time and turn traditional cost centers into engines for brand loyalty.At Zendesk Relate, customers highlighted the value of a unified experience as they scale. “The value of a single interface has been huge for us, especially as we scale,” said Bridget O’Sullivan, HR Manager at Five Iron Golf."Voice can no longer live in an isolated operational silo," said Tom Eggemeier, CEO of Zendesk. "Our incredible contact center momentum over the past year proves that businesses want voice natively woven into a single, AI-first resolution platform. By eliminating the friction of disconnected tools, we are giving organizations the exact foundation they need to run a modern, autonomous contact center workforce."Zendesk Contact Center combines global telephony infrastructure from Amazon Connect with Zendesk’s AI capabilities to provide a unified desktop for omnichannel service. To simplify procurement, Zendesk also offers a bundled commercial solution with AWS, bringing enterprise telephony, platform minutes, and AI features into a single arrangement billed by Zendesk."The future of service belongs to the unencumbered," said Jonathan Barouch, GM of Zendesk Contact Center. "By harmonizing deployment, support, and cutting-edge AI under one roof, we've removed the invisible boundaries that have held contact centers back for decades. This isn't just a milestone year for Zendesk — it's a defining moment for where the industry goes next."

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NTT DATA and Hyster-Yale Materials Handling Announce Breakthrough Physical AI Solution in Manufacturing

Bangalore, July 2026 :Physical AI embeds intelligence into quality assurance for critical assembly operationsWhen compared to legacy techniques, physical AI cuts deployment timelines from months to weeksCo-innovation improves product reliability and maintains quality standards at scaleNTT DATA, a global leader in AI, digital business and technology services, and Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. (HYMH), the manufacturer of Hyster® and Yale® lift trucks, today announced a breakthrough application of physical AI that embeds intelligence directly into manufacturing processes. This approach leverages sensor data to enable machines and systems to perceive, understand and act in real-time within real-world operations.Bringing this capability into practice introduces AI-driven quality assurance directly into HYMH’s manufacturing operations. This co-developed approach represents a first-of-its-kind use case of how physical AI can be applied in an industrial assembly environment by embedding intelligence into production workflows, helping to safeguard that products are built to consistently high standards.NTT DATA designed and developed the solution at HYMH’s manufacturing facility in Berea, KY, integrating vision sensors, edge AI that processes data on-site and advanced analytics into a critical assembly workflow.Together with partner Archetype AI, NTT DATA in collaboration with HYMH, adapted a physical AI model that analyzes assembly activity against expected production steps, validating that all parts are installed and assembly stages are completed, flagging deviations before the product moves to the next stage. By validating quality throughout the assembly process, the solution helps identify and address potential issues before products leave the factory floor.This initiative demonstrates a step-change in how AI can be applied in manufacturing environments. Combined with edge computing, the solution can run locally so all processing happens on-site, enabling faster rollout and quicker time-to-value. Early results showed that physical AI cuts deployment timelines from months to weeks when compared with legacy techniques, accelerating adoption and iteration across manufacturing operations.“Our confidence in physical AI continues to grow, and we’re starting to see the countless benefits that AI can bring to our global manufacturing operations,” said Barbara Binda, Director of Global Manufacturing Innovation, Hyster-Yale Materials Handling. “Working with NTT DATA allows us to leverage how physical AI can help our production teams maintain high-quality standards and deliver the most reliable products to our clients.”"This deployment shows what physical AI looks like in real production environments, not as a concept, but with tangible impact on the factory floor,” said Shahid Ahmed, Global Head of Edge Services, NTT DATA, Inc. "By combining real production data with physical AI models at the edge, we’re helping leading manufacturers like HYMH deliver high quality products, support frontline workers and apply AI in ways that deliver real-world outcomes.”As manufacturers accelerate automation, demand is rising for physical AI that can operate safely in complex environments, driving efficiency, quality and resilience. NTT DATA is uniquely positioned to deliver this capability at scale, combining industry expertise with end-to-end services to integrate AI across IT and operational technology environments, enabling intelligent, data-driven operations.Today’s news builds on a longstanding collaborative relationship between NTT DATA and HYMH. Together, the companies are advancing more adaptive and intelligent manufacturing processes and exploring how physical AI can be scaled to drive repeatable, high-quality production outcomes.About NTT DATANTT DATA is a $30+ billion business and technology services leader, serving 75% of the Fortune Global 100. We are committed to accelerating client success and positively impacting society through responsible innovation. We are one of the world’s leading AI and digital infrastructure providers, with unmatched capabilities in enterprise-scale AI, cloud, security, connectivity, data centers and application services. Our consulting and industry solutions help organizations and society move confidently and sustainably into the digital future. As a Global Top Employer, we have experts in more than 70 countries. We also offer clients access to a robust ecosystem of innovation centers as well as established and start-up partners. NTT DATA is part of NTT Group, which invests over $3 billion each year in R&D. Visit us at nttdata.comAbout Hyster?Yale Materials HandlingHyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc., designs, engineers, manufactures, sells and services a comprehensive line of lift trucks, parts and technology and energy solutions marketed globally primarily under the Hyster®, Yale®, Nuvera® and Maximal® brand names. The company’s subsidiary, Bolzoni S.p.A., is a leading worldwide producer of attachments, forks, masts and lift tables marketed under the Bolzoni®, Auramo® and Meyer® brand names.Hyster-Yale Materials Handling is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyster-Yale, Inc. (NYSE: HY).

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Nurix AI to Acquire Verloop.io, Expanding Conversational AI Platform Across Voice and Chat

Bangalore, July 2026 : The acquisition strengthens Nurix’s enterprise AI agent business with Verloop.io’s AI conversational deployment expertise, to create the broadest enterprise AI platform and accelerate AI adoption across India, the Middle East and beyond.Nurix AI, an enterprise AI company building autonomous AI software and agents for complex business workflows, today announced the acquisition of Verloop.io, one of India’s leading enterprise conversational AI companies, expanding its conversational AI capabilities across voice and chat for businesses in India and the Middle East.The acquisition builds on NuPlay, Nurix’s flagship voice AI platform for customer engagement, and adds Verloop.io’s chat automation expertise and regional customer base. Verloop.io currently powers more than 20 million+ customer interactions every month., with particular relevance for sectors aligned with Nurix’s focus, including financial services and retail. With this acquisition, Nurix AI and Verloop.io are uniquely positioned to help enterprises production-grade AI agents across voice, chat and emerging AI-native channels, delivering measurable business outcomes at scale.Nurix, founded by serial entrepreneur Mukesh Bansal, builds AI agents that help enterprises automate complex workflows and drive measurable business outcomes. Backed by General Catalyst, Accel and Prosus, the company has focused on helping enterprises move beyond AI pilots to production-grade deployments that improve efficiency, reliability and operational performance.“AI is becoming a core operating layer for enterprises, but its valuewill be measuredby real business outcomes, not pilots,” said Mukesh Bansal,founder and CEO of NurixAI. “Acquiring Verloop.io strengthens our ability to help enterprises move from experimentation to measurable ROI. Their expertise in chat automation, combined with Nurix’s work in voice AI, gives us a strongerplatform to automateworkflows across key customer touchpoints.”Founded by Gaurav Singh, Verloop.io built its business around helping enterprises automate customer conversations across digital channels across banking, fintech, retail and telecommunications. As part of Nurix AI, Verloop.io’s team and operations will support the company’s expansion acrosschat-led customer engagement use cases, particularly in markets where messaging-first interactions are central to how businesses serve customers. As part ofthe transaction, Gaurav Singh will join Nurix AI as part of the company's leadership team, helping shape productstrategy, enterprise go-to-market and the next generation of AI agents."Over the last decade we've learned that enterprises don't struggle to understand the possibilities of AI, but they struggle to deploy it reliably at scale. Togetherwith Nurix AI, we have exactly the kind of agentic platform we believe the market needs, and together we can dramatically accelerate how quickly enterprises adopt autonomous AI across the customer lifecycle.", said Gaurav.The acquisition expands Nurix’s abilityto support enterprises that need AI agents across both synchronous voice interactions and asynchronous chat-led journeys.Following the transaction, Verloop.io will become part of NurixAI. The companies are not disclosing further product integration plans at this time.About Nurix AINurix AI is an enterprise AI company building conversational AI agents that combine human-like engagement with enterprise-grade reliability. Led by Mukesh Bansal, founder of Myntra and Curefit, Nurix AI helps businesses deploy AI agents across customer engagement and operational workflows. The company is backed by investors including Accel, General Catalyst, and Prosus, and is focused on enabling enterprises to use AI to improve efficiency, customer experience, and business outcomes.About Verloop.ioVerloop.io is a conversational AI company that helps enterprises automate customer conversations across chat-based channels. Verloop has pioneered production-grade conversational AI for regulated industries including banking, fintech, retail and telecom, enabling businesses to deliver always-on, AI-powered customer experiences at scale. The company serves businesses across India and the Middle East and powers more than 20 million conversations per month. Verloop.io’s capabilities are particularly relevant for high-volume customer engagement use cases across sectors such as financial services and retail.

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Xebia Launches Xebia Axis, an Agentic Data Foundation for Preparing Enterprise Data for AI

Bangalore, July 2026 : The solution makes it possible for proprietary AI agents with advanced human data engineering teams to assess, migrate, monitor, and operate enterprise data platformsXebia, a global AI-first, digital transformation, and engineering leader, announced Xebia Axis: Agentic Data Foundation, a solution that gets enterprise data ready for AI with the speed of automation and the discipline of governed engineering. It combines proprietary AI agents with human data engineering teams to assess, migrate, monitor, and operate enterprise data platforms, completing migrations roughly three times faster than conventional, human-led delivery without trading away governance or data quality.The solution addresses a change in how enterprise data is consumed. Data platforms were designed for people who can work around inconsistencies. Autonomous AI agents act on data as they find it. Xebia Axis makes the data, governance, and controls that those agents rely on consistent, auditable, and production ready. Human teams set strategy and govern quality, while agents execute with roughly 10 times the leverage of a purely human-led team.At a GlanceWhat it is: An agentic data foundation that assesses, builds, migrates, monitors, and operates enterprise data platforms within a single solution.How it works: Human teams set strategy and govern quality. Proprietary AI agents perform assessment, migration, monitoring, and remediation tasks.Six modules: Readiness, Platform, Knowledge, Migration, Observability, and Operations.Timeline: Xebia Axis for Readiness produces a data readiness score and migration blueprint in two to four weeks. Traditionally, build and migration can run for several months.Governance: Access control, audit logging, data residency, and bias controls are part of the platform rather than added afterwards.Interoperability: Works across major cloud platforms and large language models; no single-vendor requirement.“Enterprises have spent years moving data to the cloud, but many still cannot put AI into production because the underlying data and governance are not ready,” said Anand Sahay, Chief Executive Officer, Xebia. “Xebia Axis closes that gap, so our clients can move AI into production faster than competitors still wrestling with legacy data platforms.” How Xebia Axis WorksXebia Axis covers the full data lifecycle in one solution rather than the separate tools enterprises typically assemble for each stage. Six modules run from initial assessment through ongoing operations: Readiness maps the data estate and produces a prioritized migration blueprint; Platform generates governed, policy-validated infrastructure as code; Knowledge converts content held in documents, email, and disconnected systems into a governed data layer for AI; Migration automates data and pipeline conversion with parity checks before cutover; Observability monitors data quality, service levels, and agent activity; and Operations performs root-cause analysis after go-live and submits fixes as pull requests for human review.Agents operate within controls for access, audit logging, and data residency, and data remains within the client’s environment. Xebia Axis works across major cloud platforms, including AWS Redshift, Google BigQuery, Databricks, Snowflake, and Microsoft Fabric, and major large language models, including Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, and Mistral AI.“The same agent technology that makes data debt urgent also makes it faster to resolve,” said Niels Zeilemaker, Xebia’s Global CTO Data & AI. “Xebia Axis puts purpose-built agents alongside senior engineers to build and run data platforms in production, with governance built into the platform itself.”Built on Partner PlatformsXebia Axis is built to run on the platforms enterprises already rely on. As a partner of Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Google Cloud, Databricks, and Snowflake, Xebia deploys it natively on each. It provisions governed environments, migrates workloads, and operates pipelines within the customer’s chosen stack. Because the solution is platform- and model-agnostic, organizations can integrate these clouds and data platforms with their preferred large language models and adapt as their architecture evolves.Early EngagementsEarly Xebia Axis: Agentic Data Foundation engagements span banking, travel, and retail, where the value at stake is well documented:A global bank used the solution to consolidate fraud and credit data from separate batch systems into one governed platform with real-time access for its detection models. Cloud data-platform modernizations for banks of this size and medium complexity typically reduce infrastructure costs by 30 to 50 percent within the first two years.'A global airline applied Xebia Axis to modernize fragmented operational and customer data. By automating estate discovery, code conversion, and validation, Axis completes migrations roughly three times faster than conventional means. It brings traditional migrations, which usually last 12 to 18 months, down to a few months.A global retailer used the solution to consolidate duplicate pipelines into a single, governed, continuously monitored platform to address data-quality failures. The retailer has benefited from more consistent, trustworthy data across its reporting and operations, with issues caught and resolved before they reach downstream systems.AvailabilityXebia Axis is available globally today. Organizations can begin with Xebia Axis for Readiness as a standalone assessment, which produces a data readiness score, estate inventory, and migration roadmap in two to three weeks; assessment fees are credited toward a subsequent migration. More information is available at: www.Xebia.AI/AxisRecently, Xebia launched Xebia Ace, an AI-Native Engineering solution. It is an AI-Native software engineering framework designed for pragmatic, outcome-driven modernization and digital transformation, which embeds AI across the entire SDLC to accelerate delivery by up to 40%.About XebiaXebia is a global AI-first, digital transformation, and engineering partner. With over 25 years of experience and a team of 4,500+ professionals across 16 countries, Xebia specializes in artificial intelligence, data and cloud, intelligent automation, and digital products and platforms. With a strong focus on engineering excellence and a people-first culture, they equip organizations to apply emerging technologies that accelerate business innovation and drive sustainable competitive advantage. Xebia leads with a responsible and human-centric approach to AI, ensuring organizations shape a better tomorrow for all.

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From Tata to Cleartrip: digiCloud Solutions Crosses 200 Salesforce Implementations Across 8 Sectors

Bangalore, July 2026 : Across deployments, company's clients have recorded measurable gains in sales productivity, forecast accuracy, case resolution times, and customer satisfaction, with improvements ranging from 27% to 42%.DigiCloud Solutions, a Pune-based Salesforce Select Partner founded in 2016, has completed 200+ Salesforce implementations for more than 120 enterprise clients since inception. The company operates across India, the United States, Singapore, Europe, and Australia and New Zealand, with India accounting for approximately 80% of its portfolio.The implementations span manufacturing, automotive, retail, logistics, chemicals, agrochemicals and fertilisers, real estate, professional services, and hi-tech sectors. Clients include Tata, Cleartrip, Synechron, Sterling Wilson, Crompton, Bharat Forge and group companies including Kalyani Techno Forge, BASF Agro, FinIQ, and Bluedart DHL, among others.The company's work covers the full Salesforce ecosystem, including consulting, implementation, integrations, managed support, training, and its growing Agentforce and AI practice. The team of 100 professionals collectively holds over 150 Salesforce certifications.Client outcomes across deployments point to measurable business impact. A manufacturing client recorded a 27% increase in sales productivity and 35% improvement in forecast accuracy following a Sales Cloud implementation. A technology provider achieved 42% faster case resolution and a 28% rise in customer satisfaction after a Service Cloud deployment. Across the broader client base, digiCloud has recorded approximately 30% improvement in sales efficiency, around 35% reduction in turnaround time for quotes and proposals, over 20% improvement in order capturing, and approximately 28% improvement in service revenue.Abhijeet Kate, Co-founder and Principal Consultant at digiCloud Solutions, said, “In our client conversations, the shift isn't from 'if' to 'when' on agentic AI; it's from 'how many agents' to ‘which ones actually stay on the payroll.’ We're seeing early adopters in BFSI and logistics move past pilot fatigue and start deploying autonomous agents for exception handling and reconciliation. But the real unlock, especially in manufacturing and healthcare, isn't the tech; it's redefining who owns the outcome when a machine makes a decision. The mid-market is waking up to that governance reality faster than the enterprise.”Nitin Kadam, Co-founder and Cloud CRM Architect at digiCloud Solutions, said, “Enterprise Salesforce adoption isn't failing on features; it's failing on flow. We've spent years building beautiful screens, but agents are now asking for something different: access to the context behind the record, not just the record itself. In conversational CRM, the real friction isn't the bot's response time; it's the time it takes to surface the right data across 30 different Salesforce objects. The enterprises that win are the ones who stop treating conversational AI as a front-end layer and start treating it as a data-layer problem.”digiCloud Solutions has sustained approximately 20% year-on-year growth since inception. In 2025, the company was named the Fastest Growing Micro Business in India at the ET MSME Awards and received the Big Impact Award in Pune for excellence in IT/ITES services as a Salesforce consulting partner.The company is led by co-founders Abhijeet Kate and Nitin Kadam, supported by a senior leadership team comprising Bhushan Jangada, Praful Ingole, and Sagar Sharma.About digiCloud SolutionsdigiCloud Solutions is a Salesforce Select Partner and digital transformation consultancy founded in 2016 and headquartered in Pune, India. The company specialises in Salesforce consulting, implementation, integrations, managed support, and its growing Agentforce and AI practice. Since inception, digiCloud has delivered over 200 Salesforce implementations for more than 120 enterprise clients across manufacturing, automotive, BFSI, retail, logistics, healthcare, real estate, and hi-tech sectors. The company operates across India, the United States, Singapore, Europe, and Australia and New Zealand, and has sustained approximately 20% year-on-year growth. Its team of 100 professionals holds over 150 Salesforce certifications collectively. In 2025, digiCloud was named the Fastest Growing Micro Business in India at the ET MSME Awards.

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Women in Cloud launches ICONIC Leadership Kickstarter Campaign; designed to build the next generation of leaders for AI economy The campaign is designed to be a global leadership movement aimed at developing 10,000 ICONIC Leaders worldwide

Bangalore, July 2026 : Kickstarter Campaign that is aimed at preparing professionals, executives, entrepreneurs, and ecosystem builders to develop the next generation of leaders, who will shape the AI economy through trust, collaboration, innovation, and economic access. The campaign is designed to be a global leadership movement, which is a part of the book launch of ICONIC Leadership that has been co-authored by Dee Dee Walsh and Chaitra Vedullapalli along with 20 others. The campaign will run for 60 days, concluding on September 15, 2026.The genesis of ICONIC Leadership Kickstarter campaign is deep rooted in the recent Economic Access Research conducted by Women in Cloud in 2026 that revealed a critical leadership challenge. The research highlighted that 92% of professionals know where to learn new skills but only 10% know how to access opportunity. ICONIC Leadership addresses this opportunity gap by shifting the conversation from technical excellence to opportunity creation, helping women and allies to build trust, expand influence, activate partnerships, and create lasting economic impact for others.The campaign also invites 1,000 Founding Members to help launch a global leadership movement focused on economic access, opportunity creation, and developing 10,000 ICONIC Leaders worldwide. These founding members will help establish the first ICONIC Leadership cohorts, leadership workshops, assessments, companion tools, and a worldwide community committed to democratizing economic access through leadership. The program also has insights from 20 accomplished global leaders.Commenting on ICONIC Leadership Kickstarter campaign, Chaitra Vedullapalli, Co-founder and President of Women in Cloud and co-author of ICONIC Leadership, said, "The world doesn't need more managers. It needs ICONIC leaders. AI can automate knowledge. It cannot automate judgment, trust, courage, or the ability to create opportunity for others."The first 1000, who would join as co-founders will get invitations to the inaugural ICONIC Leadership Workshop, exclusive founding member recognition, access to 20+ Co-Authors and Global Leaders through behind-the-scenes conversations and leadership experiences, special Kickstarter-Only Experiences, and get access to launch Celebration and Book Reveal Experiences available only during the campaign.The Kickstarter campaign has an initial funding goal of $20,000, which will support production of premium collector editions, educational experiences, leadership resources, and launch activities that bring the ICONIC Leadership framework to professionals around the world.About Women in CloudWomen In Cloud is a global network of 150,000 Women Tech Founders, Executives, Tech Professionals, and Allies in 100 countries who are committed to inspiring the tech ecosystem to be an inclusive force for change and take collective action by providing a powerful platform to collaborate, build community engagement and unlock $1B in new net economic access by 2030. Through events and initiatives, Women In Cloud also promotes conversations around its focus areas of Cloud Workforce Development, Civic Engagement via Policy Advocacy, Entrepreneurship and Cloud/AI Innovation and Global partnerships with corporations, community leaders, and policy makers. All of which are united by the ESG and UN Sustainable Development Goals that are driven by job creation, diversity and inclusion, technology innovation and sustainability, giving women a powerful platform to accelerate as industry leaders. We are fiscally sponsored by SDG Digital Foundation 501(3c) organization.