DIGITAL EDGE ANNOUNCES PLANS TO EXPAND PLATFORM FOOTPRINT IN SOUTH KOREA

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Bernama) -- Digital Edge (Singapore) Holdings Pte Ltd (Digital Edge) has announced plans to expand its regional footprint to South Korea by entering into a definitive agreement to acquire Sejong Telecom’s data centre assets in an all-cash transaction.

Digital Edge is a leading data centre platform, established to transform the digital infrastructure in Asia and backed by Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners.

At closing, Digital Edge will acquire one data centre in Gangnam, Seoul and a Cable Landing Station facility in Centum City, Busan, according to a statement.

The addition of these strategic assets, including their associated operations and customers, marks the Company’s initial entry into the Korean market and further strengthens its regional platform.

This transaction will allow Digital Edge to immediately offer interconnect and data centre solutions in the fast-growing Korean market and establish a solid foundation for future expansion in two key metros – Seoul and Busan.

Sejong Telecom’s data centres are strategically located and bring a wealth of connectivity options from existing customers.

Digital Edge plans to invest additional capital to expand the capacity and improve the energy efficiency of both facilities. Between the transaction and subsequent expansions, Digital Edge expects to invest over US$120 million. (US$1 = RM4.143)

The transaction is expected to close in this year's second quarter and is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

-- BERNAMA

DATASTAX LAUNCHES TOOL TO MIGRATE LIVE DATA WITHOUT DOWNTIME

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Bernama) -- DataStax recently announced general availability of a new tool to move workloads from self-managed Apache Cassandra™ instances to its fully managed serverless Cassandra offering, DataStax Astra, with no downtime.

According to a statement, the tool is named Zero-Downtime Cloud Migration.

The highly scalable Apache Cassandra open source database is often used for workloads that need to deliver massive amounts of data to users worldwide with extremely high reliability. 

As such, many Cassandra production applications are business critical, always on, and downtime is not an option.

With DataStax’s new migration tool, enterprises can easily migrate live production Cassandra or DataStax Enterprise workloads to the DataStax Astra database-as-a-service to quickly and easily take advantage of the cost savings and other benefits of fully-managed, serverless Cassandra.

One of the first companies to use DataStax's Zero-Downtime Migration tool was Liquid Analytics. In short order, the company has already realised performance gains.

The DataStax Zero-Downtime Migration tool is available for zero cost, and it comes with every DataStax Astra subscription.

To sign up to explore Astra with US$25 monthly in credits, go to https://astra.datastax.com/register. (US$1 = RM4.143)

-- BERNAMA

NUTOX LAUNCHES THE NEW AND IMPROVED RENEWING TREATMENT RANGE FOR BOOST OF RADIANCE AND CONFIDENCE

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Bernama) -- If there is one thing that most women desire, it’s radiant, healthy and hydrated skin. Unfortunately, skin concerns like dull, dehydrated and tired looking skin, uneven skin tone and clogged pores get in the way of those skin goals. Fortunately, now all those skin concerns can be resolved with the help of Nutox’s New and Improved Renewing Treatment range. The relaunch of Nutox’s enhanced range for youthful skin that looks radiant and glowy introduces brand new products that cater to all skin types.

 
The improved Nutox Renewing Treatment range aims to not only renew skin but to simultaneously promote hydration and radiance with Actistem Gold Nest and break-through technology of Tri-Lumines Complex™ designed specifically to reverse the process of skin deterioration. Each product is specially-formulated to help with skin concerns that come about from stress, lack of sleep and too much exposure to harsh environments. Additionally, two of the star products of this range - Moisturising Essence and Ampoule are clinically proven and dermatologically tested to ensure healthier, softer, and more hydrated skin for all.
 
The Nutox Renewing Treatment Moisturising Essence gives you an immediate moisture boost with it’s clinically proven moisturising properties that relieves dry and dehydrated skin. This essence instantly quenches the skin with deep hydration that lasts for up to 72 hours. Another key product is the Nutox Renewing Treatment Ampoule that acts as a multi-tasking saviour that helps exfoliate and refine pores. The formula is clinically proven to reveal instantly radiant skin upon 1st application. 
 
“As a brand that strives to redefine beauty through our range of skincare products, we understand the growing trends amongst our customers when it comes to their skin concerns and wanting to achieve their ideal results. With this in mind, we are excited to reintroduce our Nutox Renewing Treatment range that has been intricately formulated to tackle various skin concerns while ensuring longer lasting hydration that gives women a boost of radiance and confidence wherever they go,” shared Vicky Lim, Head of Marketing of Tohtonku Sdn Bhd.
 
The Nutox Renewing Treatment range retails from RM26.90 to RM88.90 and is available in-stores and online at Shopee, Lazada, Watsons and Guardian.
 
Find the full press kit here! 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=39719

AXA LAUNCHES FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND PLAN TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL RELIEF UPON TOTAL LOSS OF VEHICLE

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Bernama) -- In line with its commitment to provide peace of mind and protect what matters to customers, AXA Affin General Insurance Berhad (AXA) has launched Guaranteed Asset Protection – Return to Insured Value (GAP-RTIV), the first-of-its-kind plan in the market that protects the full value of a vehicle during any unforeseen total loss incident.

Emmanuel Nivet, Chief Executive Officer of AXA shared that a newly purchased car is estimated to depreciate around 10-20% after just one year.¹ Any accident will inevitably impact vehicle owners financially and emotionally. Realising that there is such protection gap in the market, AXA has enhanced its product solutions to support its customers.  

“In the event of a total loss, a car owner may not be able to get back the same amount that he has paid for his car due to the depreciation value. It is therefore our goal to protect vehicle owners against such sudden disruptions to ensure that they do not have to bear the burden of paying for the uninsured outstanding value of their vehicle, but in return recover quickly and purchase a new replacement vehicle,” Emmanuel added.

With GAP-RTIV, vehicle owners will be provided with financial relief and protection against any financial shortfall or possible outstanding hire purchase loan in the event of a total loss due to accidental damage, fire or theft. The plan covers the difference between the claim payout from comprehensive motor insurance policy and the insured value of vehicle at the time of purchase of GAP-RTIV policy, allowing car owners to purchase a NEW replacement vehicle again.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=39722

SYNCHRONOSS SELECTED FOR ALLSTATE PROTECTION PLANS CONSUMER DEVICE PROTECTION OFFERING

KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- Synchronoss Technologies Inc, a global leader and innovator of cloud, messaging and digital solutions has announced that Allstate Protection Plans has selected the Synchronoss Personal Cloud solution for integration into select device protection plan offerings.

The addition of personal cloud will give global customers the ability to back up and manage their valuable digital assets – contacts, photos, videos, music, documents, messages and more – from any protected Android or iOS device.

Expressing delight the two organisations would work together, Synchronoss President and Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Miller said in a statement: “Mobile devices serve as repositories for our most personal data and important documents, and having the ability to safely and easily back up and secure this content is increasingly important to customers.”

 “We look forward to collaborating with Allstate Protection Plans to help it take advantage of all that the Synchronoss Personal Cloud solution can bring to the table, including the flexibility to quickly add other value-added services.”

In addition to automatically backing up content based on subscriber preference, the Synchronoss-powered personal cloud gives device protection plan customers several ways to easily organise and interact with their content.

This include flashbacks, highlights and instant slideshows that present content in compelling and engaging formats; and, photo editing and sharing features that allow users to enhance and share memories with friends and family.

Allstate Protection Plans are purchased by customers from a wide range of channels, including major retailers, global operators and directly from the company.

Synchronoss’ personal cloud solutions have been adopted by mobile operators and other companies globally to deliver a high level of value to their customers and drive new revenue.

More details at www.synchronoss.com.

-- BERNAMA

MAJORITY ASIA-PACIFIC RISK MANAGERS OPTIMISTIC ON 2021 PROFESSION’S OUTLOOK - REPORT

KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- The Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) new report shows a majority of Asia-Pacific risk managers are optimistic about the profession’s outlook, with COVID-19 and economic uncertainty amplifying the need for strong organisational risk management.

In 2019, prior to the pandemic, Asia-Pacific risk managers reported the lowest percentage of bonuses or commissions among all surveyed regions, which included the Americas and EMEA, as well as the highest percentage of professionals earning less than US$100,000. (US$1 = RM4.15)

However, the report — comprising responses from over 800 APAC members of GARP’s risk community and 2,100 risk professionals overall — revealed that nearly 72 per cent of Asia-Pacific risk managers reported an increase in salary over the past year with 36 per cent saying they received pay raises of six per cent or more.

This compared with 29 per cent of their peers in EMEA and 21 per cent in the Americas. Furthermore, 18 per cent of APAC respondents indicated pay raises of anywhere from 11 per cent to more than 50 per cent.

In addition, 82 per cent of APAC respondents would recommend risk management as a profession. Of these, 49 per cent are ‘very likely’ to recommend it, exceeding responses of 43 per cent for those based in the Americas. Respondents from EMEA were the most likely to recommend risk management as a career (53 per cent).

According to a statement, a greater need for risk management has left some organisations understaffed. 

Throughout the pandemic, workloads either ‘increased significantly’ or ‘increased slightly’ for 71 per cent of all global respondents, with COVID-19, regulation, and new technology as the top factors driving this increase.

In addition, 54 per cent of global hiring managers reported feeling as if their risk department was insufficiently resourced for the demands being placed on it.

GARP is a non-partisan, not-for-profit membership organisation focused on elevating the practice of risk management.

-- BERNAMA

WALGREENS PARTNERS INCOMM PAYMENTS TO PROVIDE CONVENIENT, ACCESSIBLE FINANCIAL SERVICES OPTIONS

KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- Walgreens has announced an agreement with InComm Payments, a global payments technology company, to provide convenient and accessible financial services options for its customers. 

Together, the companies will launch a new bank account offering for its customers to be established at MetaBank with a Mastercard debit card that will serve Walgreens shoppers both in-store and online, allowing them to earn myWalgreens Cash rewards on all purchases as part of the new myWalgreens customer loyalty programme launched in November last year.

This agreement is part of Walgreens’ alternative profit strategy and recently announced broader initiative to launch new financial products and services that reinforce its ongoing commitment to offering differentiated services and benefits to its customers.

According to a statement, the new banking solution will complement Walgreens’ plans to continue its health and well-being focus and enhance its loyalty programme and customer personalisation.

In addition, the solution leverages InComm Payments’ modern digital banking-as-a-service platform.

Walgreens shoppers will be able to find the product in-store or sign up directly online and then easily manage their everyday finances in a new easy-to-use mobile banking app.

The bank account is expected to be available at nearly 9,000 Walgreens stores and online in the second half of 2021.

Walgreens and InComm Payments plan to relaunch the Walgreens-branded gift card programme. InComm Payments will oversee management of Walgreens’ existing physical gift card programme, launch Walgreens’ digital gift cards, and enable digital purchase and redemption on walgreens.com, among others.

The expansion further strengthens InComm Payments’ and Walgreens’ 12-year partnership while enhancing the Walgreens brand and customer experience in-store, online, and via mobile.

More details at www.walgreens.com.

-- BERNAMA