SIOUX FALLS — In the opening round of the South Dakota State Class A Volleyball Tournament at the Premier Center in Sioux Falls, the Dakota Valley Panthers dropped the first set before they defeated the Mount Vernon-Plankinton Titans, 19-25, 25-22, 25-28, 25-14. The Titans started the match fast, claiming a 9-0 lead before Dakota Valley knew what hit them. MVP capped off their run at 16-4 before the Panthers used their final timeout of the first set. Dakota Valley was able to respond with an 11-1 run of their own, but it was too little too late as the Titans took set one, 25-19. “About halfway through that first set we said you know this isn’t our set and that’s fine,” Dakota Valley head coach Erik Krenz said. “But we told them we need to build momentum to carry it over into the rest of the match.” MVP looked to start the same way in the second set and took another quick four-point lead. But this time the Panthers were ready and rallied off nine points to retake the lead. The two squads kept the set within striking distance, but a huge swing from Claire Munch tallied the 24th point of the set for Dakota Valley before capturing set two, 25-22. “My team helped me a lot,” Munch said. “It’s much easier to swing when I’m getting great passes.” The momentum seemed to carry over for the Panthers, as they forced an early timeout from Mount Vernon-Plankinton due to a 6-1 run to open the third set. Munch continued to dominate for the Panthers and gave them a 16-13 lead on another powerful kill. Dakota Valley never looked trailed in the third set and took set three, 25-18 after an MVP attacking error. With their backs against the wall, the Titans did their best to keep the match within reach, but Dakota Valley was firing on all cylinders and held a comforting 9-5 lead before an MVP timeout. The remainder of the set was all Dakota Valley, as they took the fourth set handedly, 25-14. Munch ended her afternoon with 24 kills followed by Samantha Kimbell with 16. Madelyn Munch tallied 46 assists in the four-set win over MVP. The Panthers (30-5) will square off against Sioux Falls Christian (26-12) in the semifinal match on Friday at 5 p.m. Dakota Valley won both meetings this season against the seven-time defending Class A champions, 3-2 on Sept. 26 and 2-0 on Sept. 28 at the Pentagon Invitational. Either Sioux Falls Christian or Dakota Valley has won the Class A volleyball title every year since 2010. The Panthers won in 2013 and 2016. “They’re a good team,” Krenz said. “We’ve seen them twice this year already, and I think we have a pretty good game plan on how we are going to approach that match.” Follow @Alex_kopf30 on X (Twitter)It's time for the holidays, which means robust family conversations and seemingly never-ending courses of food. But for the more tech-savvy among us, the journey home could also mean we'll be called on to provide a backlog of tech support to parents, grandparents and other family members. And with generative AI being used to supercharge some major cyber scams this year, it's also a good time to teach and not just fix. Here are some tips on how to manage your tech encounters this holiday season: Whether it's Windows, macOS, iOS or Android, simply keeping your operating system and apps up-to-date will help protect your family's computers and devices against a surprising number of security threats, such as malware, viruses and exploits. Most operating systems, especially those for mobile devices and their app stores, typically have auto-updates turned on by default. Be sure to double-check the device to make sure it has enough storage space to carry out the update. (More on this below.) Keeping apps updated may also reduce the number of "Why isn't this app working?" type of questions from your relatives. Chances are someone in your family is going to have a completely full mobile device. So full, in fact, that they can no longer update their phone or tablet without having to purge something first. There are many approaches to freeing up space. Here are a few you can easily take without having to triage data or apps. According to some admittedly unscientific studies, the average person has hundreds of passwords. That's a lot to remember. So as you help your relatives reset some of theirs, you may be tempted to recycle some to keep things simple for them. But that's one of the bad password habits that cybersecurity experts warn against. Instead, try introducing your forgetful family member to a password manager. They're useful tools for simplifying and keeping track of logins. And if you want to impress a more tech-savvy cousin or auntie, you could suggest switching to a more secure digital authentication method: passkeys. As scammers find new ways to steal money and personal information, you and your family should be more vigilant about who to trust. Artificial intelligence and other technologies are giving bad actors craftier tools to work with online. A quick way to remember what to do when you think you're getting scammed is to think about the three S's, said Alissa Abdullah, also known as Dr. Jay, Mastercard's deputy chief security officer "Stay suspicious, stop for a second (and think about it) and stay protected," she said. Simply being aware of typical scams can help, experts say. Robocalls frequently target vulnerable individuals like seniors, people with disabilities, and people with debt. So-called romance scams target lonely and isolated individuals. Quiz scams target those who spend a lot of time on social media. Check our AP guide on the latest scams and what to do when you're victimized. Home internet speeds are getting faster, so you want to make sure your family members are getting a high-speed connection if they've paid for one. Run a broadband speed test on your home network if they're still rocking an aging modem and router. Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!
MANY companies are perpetually transforming to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced business environment. To navigate the complexity, fatigue, and risk that often accompany these efforts, organizations are increasingly turning to managed services. In fact, according to the KPMG and HFS Research Managed Services Outlook, this operating model accounts for more than half of service delivery across most business functions, and usage is expected to increase on average by 10 percent in the next one to two years. But what exactly is managed services? This type of outsourcing can often be seen as the Wild West, with a market that includes tech firms, management consultants, staffing agencies, specialty vendors, and legacy offshore players focusing on labor arbitrage for back-office work. Managed services goals, likewise, can range from tactical targets like error rates and response times to strategic outcomes like resilience, trust, and growth. WITH most companies using the terms outsourcing and managed services interchangeably, the joint market study shows that perceptions of managed services are changing. More than 80 percent-up from 62 percent last year—see modern managed services as the delivery of key processes or sub-processes on an outcome-based, as-a-service subscription, in contrast to more piecemeal outsourcing. As companies navigate a crowded managed services market, they continue to seek a new kind of managed services provider; one that goes beyond the transactional activities that keep the lights on. They also want to shine a new light on the future – with proactive collaboration that enables ongoing, accelerated transformation. PERFORMANCE improvement is usually about increasing productivity in existing processes: doing them faster, better, and with less labor where possible. A transformation, by contrast, is a fundamental change in a process, operating model, or business model that delivers significant impact throughout an organization—from enabling new-market expansion to reimagining stakeholders’ experience. And in a world of constant flux, transformation is not a one-time event. Progressive companies strive to continually transform, with flexible operating models that keep evolving. “Organizations are increasingly turning to managed services for their ability to go beyond small improvements and take on crucial and knowledge-intensive processes. By leveraging advanced technology, expertise, data-driven insights and leading practices, managed services enable organizations to unlock transformative outcomes,” said R.G. Manabat & Co. Technology Consulting Director Kirby O. Caliao. MANY organizations are redefining managed services by prioritizing factors beyond cost reduction and generic process capability, which have been the focus of traditional models. Ninety-three percent of respondents agree that a modern managed service requires embedded process and tech proficiency to enable ongoing transformation. Because processes can change significantly from one sector to the next, a key component of domain expertise is deep industry experience – cited by 87 percent of respondents as a defining ingredient of managed services. WHEN it comes to the selection of managed services providers, buyers point to the following as the most essential criteria: – Access to advanced technology – Access to global talent; Predictable costs – Multi-year contract Interestingly, regarding access to talent, respondents plan to focus more on capability than cost in the next two years, as only 19 percent intend to utilize low-cost talent as part of their future managed services delivery, compared with 42 percent today. This indicates that the market is shedding its ‘your-mess-for-less’ perceptions about managed services. Instead, companies are focusing their managed services talent profile in the next two years on these hard-to-find roles: – Technical experts – Data and analytics experts – Process/domain experts – Creative problem solvers MODERN managed services combine Al and other sophisticated technologies with embedded domain expertise, sector-specific knowledge, consulting capabilities, and proactive collaboration—all packaged in a multi-year, as-a-service subscription with predictable costs. These services are typically delivered remotely and take responsibility for knowledge-intensive processes in the front, middle, and back office. In addition to reducing costs, transformational managed services drive enterprise outcomes such as accelerated innovation, accurate forecasting, regulatory risk management, stakeholder trust, and agile adaption to market change. KPMG professionals believe that business transformation is now a necessity—and that successful transformation requires the right tech and best processes with people whose insights are as broad as they are deep. KPMG firms have worked at the heart of global businesses for many decades, helping clients realize the full potential of their people and technology, and working together to achieve real-world outcomes. Because when people and technology are in harmony, great things happen. This excerpt was taken from the KPMG Thought Leadership publication: https://kpmg.com/xx/en/our-insights/transformation/accelerating-business-transformation.html . © 2024 R.G. Manabat & Co., a Philippine partnership and a member firm of the KPMG global organization of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Limited, a private English company limited by guarantee. All rights reserved. For more information, you may reach out through ph-kpmgmla@kpmg.com, social media or visit www.home.kpmg/ph . This article is for general information purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice to a specific issue or entity. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the BusinessMirror , KPMG International or R.G. Manabat & Co.
ボストン発, Dec. 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 損害保険および一般保険の未来を定義するグローバルなインテリジェントソリューションプロバイダーであっるダック・クリーク・テクノロジーズが、同社および顧客の成長と変革を推進することを目的に、熟練した3名の幹部をグローバル上級リーダーシップチームに任命した。これらの幹部は、北米営業担当シニアバイスプレジデントのウィリアム・マゴーワン (William Magowan)、EMEA担当マネージングディレクターのエロディ・ヒルデラル (Elodie Hilderal)、APAC担当マネージングディレクターのクリスチャン・エリクソン (Christian Erickson) である。彼らは、ダック・クリークの世界中の顧客やパートナーに世界クラスの体験を提供しつつ、組織全体と連携して拡大と収益成長の新たな機会を切り拓くために取り組む。 ウィリアム、エロディ、クリスチャンは、ダック・クリークを含む保険テクノロジー分野で豊富な経験を有している。 ウィリアム・マゴーワン は、 北米営業担当シニアバイスプレジデント としてダック・クリークに再入社した。同氏は保険テクノロジー業界における20年以上の営業リーダーとしての経験を持っている。彼は、高パフォーマンスの営業チームの開発とリーダーシップ、商品の革新推進、そして確かな顧客価値の提供において優れた実績を示してきた。 エロディ・ヒルデラル は、 EMEA担当マネージングディレクター に任命された。これは、ダック・クリークの営業担当バイスプレジデントとして大いに成功した役割に続くものである。エロディは、保険および再保険のエンタープライズソフトウェア業界で15年間にわたり営業、プロフェッショナルサービス、カスタマーサクセスの分野でリーダーシップを発揮してきた経験を持つ優れたリーダーである。 クリスチャン・エリクソン は、新たな APAC担当マネージングディレクター として、エンタープライズソフトウェア、クラウド、サイバーセキュリティ、プロフェッショナルサービスにおける25年以上の経験をもたらす。ダック・クリークに入社する前、クリスチャンはコグニザント (Cognizant) やアクセンチュア (Accenture) を含む複数の企業で金融サービスおよび保険部門のゼネラルマネージャーを務め、成長、カスタマーサクセス、プロフェッショナルサービスの責任を担っていた。 「ウィリアム、エロディ、そしてクリスチャンの任命は、ダック・クリークにとって重要な転換点となります。彼らのリーダーシップスキルと業界の専門知識により、2025年にこれまでにない成長を遂げ、グローバルな展開を拡大することができると確信しています」と、ダック・クリーク・テクノロジーズの最高経営責任者であるマイク・ジャコウスキー (Mike Jackowski) は述べている。「ダック・クリークは保険テクノロジーのパイオニアであり、当社の顧客は、展開するソリューションから届ける顧客体験に至るまで、卓越性の基準を設定することを期待しています。この3人の幹部はいずれも、ダック・クリークが業界をリードし続け、保険会社と保険契約者に長期的な利益をもたらすために必要な背景、ノウハウ、そして実績を備えています」。 ダック・クリーク・テクノロジーズについて ダック・クリーク・テクノロジーズは、損害保険業界および一般保険業界の未来を定義するインテリジェントソリューションのプロバイダーである。最新の保険システムを構築するためのプラットフォームであり、保険業界がクラウドのパワーを活用し、俊敏でインテリジェントな常勝のオペレーションを実行することを可能にする。ダック・クリークの中核を成すのは信頼性、目的、透明性であり、個人や企業が最も必要とするタイミング、場所、方法で保険が提供されるべきだと考えている。市場をリードする同社のソリューションは、スタンドアロンでも フルスイート でも利用可能であり、すべて ダック・クリーク・オンデマンド (Duck Creek OnDemand) で利用できる。詳しくは、 www.duckcreek.com を参照されたい。最新情報については、 LinkedIn および X のソーシャルチャネルでダック・クリークをフォローされたい。 報道関係者向け問い合わせ先: マリアンヌ・デンプシー (Marianne Dempsey) /タラ・ストレッド (Tara Stred) duckcreek@threeringsinc.comLondon, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pixalate , the global market-leading ad fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics platform, today released the November 2024 Brazil Publisher Trust Indexes for Websites and Mobile Apps. The Publisher Trust Indexes are a global approach to quality measurement and monthly rankings of the world’s websites and apps, bringing unprecedented transparency to the open programmatic advertising ecosystem. Pixalate uses its proprietary algorithms to measure quality metrics, including invalid traffic (IVT or ad fraud), Made For Advertising (MFA) risk, brand safety, ad density, viewability, reach, and more. The Publisher Trust Indexes spans rankings for 235+ countries across all four global regions: North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM, and provides breakdowns by 20+ different IAB taxonomy website categories. Pixalate’s data science team analyzed over 35 billion global programmatic ad impressions across websites and over 12 million mobile apps to compile the research in the November 2024 Publisher Trust Indexes. Brazil Website PTI Rankings (November 2024) globo.com imgur.com researchgate.net Download the full rankings here . Brazil Mobile PTI Rankings (November 2024) Apple App Store Meitu-Photo & Video Editor Flightradar24 Sofascore Download the full rankings here . Google Play Store Poco Launcher Mi Video Yoosee Download the full rankings here . Pixalate’s data science team analyzed over 30 billion global open programmatic ad impressions across 12.5 million websites, Google Play Store and Apple App Store mobile apps, and connected TV (CTV) apps across Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, and Apple TV app stores in November 2024 to compile the global Publisher Trust Indexes. About Pixalate Pixalate is a global platform specializing in privacy compliance, ad fraud prevention, and digital ad supply chain data intelligence. Founded in 2012, Pixalate is trusted by regulators, data researchers, advertisers, publishers, ad tech platforms, and financial analysts across the Connected TV (CTV), mobile app, and website ecosystems. Pixalate is accredited by the MRC for the detection and filtration of Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT). pixalate.com Disclaimer The Publisher Trust Index (PTI) reflects Pixalate’s opinions with respect to factors that Pixalate believes November be useful to the digital media industry. Our reports and indexes examine programmatic advertising activity on mobile apps and Connected TV (CTV) apps. Any insights shared are grounded in Pixalate’s proprietary technology and analytics, which Pixalate is continuously evaluating and updating. Any references to outside sources in the Indexes and herein should not be construed as endorsements. Pixalate’s opinions are just that, opinions, which means that they are neither facts nor guarantees. This report is not intended to impugn the standing or reputation of any person, entity or app. Per the MRC , “'Fraud' is not intended to represent fraud as defined in various laws, statutes and ordinances or as conventionally used in UK Court or other legal proceedings, but rather a custom definition strictly for advertising measurement purposes. Also per the MRC , “‘Invalid Traffic’ is defined generally as traffic that does not meet certain ad serving quality or completeness criteria, or otherwise does not represent legitimate ad traffic that should be included in measurement counts. Among the reasons why ad traffic November be deemed invalid is it is a result of non-human traffic (spiders, bots, etc.), or activity designed to produce fraudulent traffic.” .
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