Category: Technology

– Castor is supporting the next generation of digital therapeutics that can improve patient lives with disease-modifying potential

– Castor has worked with more than 30 DTx companies

HOBOKEN, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — #DTx—Castor, a leading provider of clinical trial technology to democratize clinical research, announced that it is powering the next generation of clinical trials with more than 30 digital therapeutics (DTx) studies ongoing. A new class of therapeutics is rapidly advancing medicine: digital therapeutics or “DTx”. These digital treatments have disease-modifying properties that are effective for a wide range of debilitating and deadly diseases.

Castor is supporting this fast-growing segment in clinical trials, as DTx is expected to have continued exponential growth with a CAGR of 30%, according to a recent industry report. Castor helps DTx companies overcome many of the unique challenges they face in clinical trials, from recruitment, screening, and informed consent to data capture – while integrating sensor and app data seamlessly through an open API.

MedRhythms, a digital therapeutics company based in Portland, Maine, uses sensors, music, and software to build evidence-based, neurologic interventions to measure and improve walking. Intended to be a rehabilitative device for walking improvement, MedRhythms’ first product intends to serve chronic stroke patients with walking difficulties, and seeks to improve the speed and quality of walking. MedRhythms selected Castor as their Clinical Data Platform, citing Castor’s transparency with cost predictions, user-friendliness, and the ability to try a full version of Castor before buying.

“Castor’s solutions were easy to navigate and intuitive to use, which is why we were interested in working with them,” said MedRhythms CEO & Founder, Brian Harris. “They were able to accommodate the amount of data from our multi-site randomized controlled trial, and our sites have expressed how much they have enjoyed using Castor as well.”

For MedRhythms, even monitoring, often one of the most cumbersome trial activities, turned into a seamless process since sites quickly grasped Castor’s user interface. With Castor, study teams found it easy to log in, add a participant and randomize with Castor’s built-in randomization tool.

“Castor is powering the future of medicine, a new category of prescription digital therapeutics at the forefront of revolutionizing healthcare,” said Derk Arts, Ph.D., M.D., CEO & Founder, Castor. “Healthcare is slowly moving away from traditional therapies or a physical medical device, and instead adopting software as a medical device (SaMD). This shift changes everything about how we need to approach a novel clinical study in digital therapeutics. We look forward to powering additional studies with Castor’s DCT and Hybrid Trial platform to advance the field of digital medicine.”

Register for DTx East on September 28th to hear how Castor is “Reshaping the Future of Clinical Trials for Digital Therapeutics.”

About Castor

Castor is a leading provider of decentralized and hybrid clinical trial solutions to democratize research. With the highest rated eClinical platform for decentralized and hybrid clinical trials, Castor’s plug and play platform offers rapid deployment at scale, enabling researchers to create a trial in a matter of clicks, with easy enrollment, consent and real-world data capture. Castor is bringing human-centered design to the clinical trial process, from recruitment to analysis, and improving the quality, security and reusability of data for researchers worldwide. For more information, visit www.castoredc.com. Follow us on Twitter at @castor.

Contacts

Media

Kimberly Ha

KKH Advisors

kimberly.ha@kkhadvisors.com

OLDWICK, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — AM Best and Best’s Insurance Professional Resources have released the latest installment of the Best’s Insurance Law Podcast series, which examines timely insurance issues from a legal perspective.

This episode looks at potential claims related to radio frequency radiation from cell phones and towers as 5G is rolled out, including preventative steps being taken and issues that may concern claims and risk managers.

The podcast features Attorney Michael Watza of the law firm Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & Sherbrook. Mr. Watza heads the governmental litigation and affairs department of the firm. His areas of expertise include litigated, legislative and administrative solutions on behalf of municipal, non-profit and private sector clients in the fields of telecommunications, energy, complex litigation and legislative consulting.

Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & Sherbrook is a qualified member of Best’s Insurance Professional Resources, an insurance industry resource that has featured qualified legal counsel, independent insurance adjusting services and expert service providers since 1929.

Listen or subscribe to the Insurance Law Podcast.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright © 2021 by A.M. Best Company, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Contacts

Christopher Sharkey
Manager, Public Relations
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159
christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

Jim Peavy
Director, Communications
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644
james.peavy@ambest.com

Multi-year collaboration to use fully controlled environments to unlock plant biology, understand climate impacts and explore novel production practices

MINNEAPOLIS & NEWARK, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — As part of ongoing efforts to build a more resilient and sustainable cocoa sector, Cargill has entered a multi-year research agreement with vertical farming pioneer and leader AeroFarms aimed at improving cocoa bean yields and developing more climate-resilient farming practices.

“Environmental challenges and growing demand for cocoa products are placing increased pressure on the global cocoa supply chain,” said Niels Boetje, managing director Cargill Cocoa Europe. “Through partnerships with research institutes, universities and innovative companies like AeroFarms, we are collaborating across sectors in bold experiments to bring greater productivity and resiliency to traditional cocoa farming operations. We look forward to sharing our findings with the farmer cooperatives in our cocoa supply chain to help ensure a thriving cocoa sector for generations to come.”

This latest research collaboration brings together AeroFarms’ expertise in controlled environment agriculture, with Cargill’s extensive knowledge of cocoa agronomy and production practices. Together, the two organizations will experiment with different indoor growing technologies including aeroponics and hydroponics, light, carbon dioxide, irrigation, nutrition, plant space and pruning to identify the optimal conditions for cocoa tree growth.

These findings will yield new insights, targeting factors such as faster tree growth and greater yields, accelerated development of varieties with enhanced pest and disease resistance, and unlocking the cocoa bean’s full flavor and color potential. These outcomes will help secure the future supply of cocoa beans in the face of climate change.

“AeroFarms shares a similar vision as Cargill to nourish the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way,” said David Rosenberg, Co-Founder & CEO of AeroFarms. “We have grown over 550 different crops, and we are excited to be working on another project with them, this time focused on cocoa. At AeroFarms we think of our proprietary technology as a platform to optimize plant biology, genetics, mechanical systems, operational systems, environmental systems and digital controls, data capture and analytics. Genetics and speed breeding is one of the verticals where we focus. Applying our platform to optimize cocoa growing is one way that AeroFarms can have a broader positive impact on the world.”

Initial exploratory work has already begun at AeroFarms global headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, and will soon expand to the company’s state-of-the-art AeroFarms AgX Research & Development indoor vertical farm in Abu Dhabi, UAE, which is slated to open in early 2022.

About Cargill

Cargill’s 155,000 employees across 70 countries work relentlessly to achieve our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Every day, we connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, and people and animals with the food they need to thrive.

We combine 155 years of experience with new technologies and insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial and industrial customers in more than 125 countries. Side-by-side, we are building a stronger, sustainable future for agriculture. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.

About Cargill’s global cocoa and chocolate business

Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate provides high quality cocoa and chocolate more sustainably throughout the world and brings our customers peace of mind, integrity and excitement. With balanced efforts on security of supply, sustainability projects and sensory expertise, we create a wide range of outstanding standardized and custom-made products and services. In addition, we provide our customers with extensive market knowledge. We grow a robust, fair and transparent supply chain, from bean to bar, eager to continuously shape industry standards. To ensure a more sustainable supply of quality cocoa beans, Cargill established our own sourcing and trading operations at origin in Brazil, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Indonesia. Our Cargill Cocoa Promise underlines our commitment to enable farmers and their communities achieve better incomes and living standards. Our team of 4,100 passionate cocoa and chocolate experts work across 57 locations and are part of Cargill’s 155,000 colleagues around the world. For more information, visit cargillcocoachocolate.com.

About AeroFarms

Since 2004, AeroFarms has been leading the way for indoor vertical farming and championing transformational innovation for agriculture. On a mission to grow the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity, AeroFarms is a Certified B Corporation with global headquarters in Newark, New Jersey. Named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company two years in a row and one of TIME’s Best Inventions in Food, AeroFarms patented, award-winning indoor vertical farming technology provides the perfect conditions for healthy plants to thrive, taking agriculture to a new level of precision, food safety, and productivity while using up to 95% less water and no pesticides ever versus traditional field farming. AeroFarms enables local production to safely grow all year round, using vertical farming for elevated flavor. In addition, through its proprietary growing technology platform, AeroFarms has grown over 550 varieties and has developed multi-year strategic partnerships ranging from government to major Fortune 500 companies to help uniquely solve agriculture supply chain needs. For additional information, visit: https://aerofarms.com/.

On March 26, 2021, AeroFarms announced a definitive business combination agreement with Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: SV). Upon the closing of the business combination, AeroFarms will become publicly traded on Nasdaq under the new ticker symbol “ARFM”. Additional information about the transaction can be viewed here: https://aerofarms.com/investors/

No Offer or Solicitation

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction in connection with a proposed potential business combination among Spring Valley and AeroFarms or any related transactions, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction where, or to any person to whom, such offer, solicitation or sale may be unlawful. Any offering of securities or solicitation of votes regarding the proposed transaction will be made only by means of a proxy statement/prospectus that complies with applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or pursuant to an exemption from the Securities Act or in a transaction not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “might,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “contemplate,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, including those regarding Spring Valley’s proposed acquisition of AeroFarms and the Special Meeting are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of the respective management of AeroFarms and Spring Valley and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of AeroFarms and Spring Valley. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political, and legal conditions; the inability of the parties to successfully or timely consummate the proposed transaction, including the risk that any regulatory approvals are not obtained, are delayed or are subject to unanticipated conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits of the proposed transaction or that the approval of the stockholders of Spring Valley or AeroFarms is not obtained; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction; risks related to the expansion of AeroFarms’ business and the timing of expected business milestones; the effects of competition on AeroFarms’ business; the ability of Spring Valley or AeroFarms to issue equity or equity-linked securities or obtain debt financing in connection with the proposed transaction or in the future, and those factors discussed in Spring Valley’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, final prospectus dated November 25, 2020 and definitive proxy statement/prospectus dated July 26, 2021 under the heading “Risk Factors,” and other documents Spring Valley has filed, or will file, with the SEC. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that neither Spring Valley nor AeroFarms presently know, or that Spring Valley nor AeroFarms currently believe are immaterial, that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Spring Valley’s and AeroFarms’ expectations, plans, or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. Spring Valley and AeroFarms anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause Spring Valley’s and AeroFarms’ assessments to change. However, while Spring Valley and AeroFarms may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Spring Valley and AeroFarms specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Spring Valley’s and AeroFarms’ assessments of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements.

Contacts

Media Contacts:
Kelly Sheehan, kelly_sheehan@cargill.com, 952-742-4204

Marc Oshima, marcoshima@aerofarms.com, 1-917-673-4602

AeroFarms Investor Relations Contact:
Jeff Sonnek, Jeff.Sonnek@icrinc.com, 1-646-277-1263

SOMERSET, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — SHI International, one of the world’s largest technology solutions providers, reaffirmed its Azure Expert MSP status in a rigorous third-party progress audit. After being recognized by Microsoft with the Azure Expert credential in 2020, this recent progress audit raised by bar by introducing new levels of criteria that needed to be met in order for SHI to maintain its Azure expertise.

To be acknowledged with the Azure Expert MSP status, Microsoft partners need to meet a set of strict requirements to confirm that they have the talent, technology, and services to guide customers in their cloud journey. This year, new criteria has been introduced, including maturity of practice and development of a Cloud Center of Excellence (CCoE), use of cutting-edge technology, and alignment to Microsoft methodology.

“With digital transformation and pressure for businesses to accelerate moving to the cloud, we’ve transcended our tools and processes to ensure every customer has a seamless transition,” said Cory Peters, AVP – Cloud & MSP – Advanced Solutions Group at SHI. “Our technical acumen, operational excellence, and evolution of our capabilities puts us in a unique position to be able to deliver solutions and services across complex environments for our customers.”

SHI offers multiple options for supporting or managing organizations’ Azure infrastructure. Services include a planning assessment, cost comparison, cloud adoption, and various options for organizations pursuing hybrid cloud, a data center lift and shift, and cloud backup and disaster recovery in the Azure cloud.

“This certification is an important milestone that confirms SHI’s technical knowledge, cloud skills and commitment to the Microsoft Azure platform,” said Thai Lee, President and CEO of SHI International. “It also demonstrates proven customer success and recognizes our direct engagement to Microsoft Support and Engineering groups.”

SHI’s professional support services deliver cloud architect expertise to organizations in need of technical support for design or issue resolution. The service includes a designated technical account manager for Azure customers and annual cloud architecture reviews to ensure best practices are in place.

For organizations looking for additional support, SHI’s Azure managed services can handle backups, monitoring, and day-to-day management of a customer’s environment. The service includes professional support as well as best practice configuration of Azure services, patch management, and deployment of new infrastructure.

Learn more about SHI’s Azure services.

ABOUT SHI

SHI International Corp. is a transformational technology solutions provider serving the needs of more than 15,000 corporate, enterprise, public sector and academic customer organizations around the world. It helps companies achieve business goals through the use of technologies ranging from software licensing and end user computing devices to innovative cloud and edge solutions. With over 5,000 employees worldwide, SHI is the largest Minority and Woman Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) in the U.S.

Press Resources:

SHI Corporate Website: http://www.SHI.com
SHI Blog: http://blog.SHI.com
SHI Twitter Handle: @SHI_Intl

Contacts

For SHI International

Gregory FCA

Matt McLoughlin

610-228-2123

New resource provides timely index of escalating cybercriminal tactics, practical resources for cybersecurity skill-building, and latest Active Directory and Azure Active Directory vulnerabilities

HOBOKEN, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — #ActiveDirectory—Semperis, the pioneer of identity-driven cyber resilience for enterprises, today announced the release of the Active Directory Security Halftime Report, the first in a periodic series of insights and practical skill-building resources for preventing and mitigating identity-related cyberattacks. The report addresses the surge in identity-related attacks and vulnerabilities—from the Colonial Pipeline breach to the Windows Print Spooler vulnerability—with expert advice on hardening identity security postures that have eroded through years of misconfigurations and lagging skillsets.

“Active Directory remains the beating heart of identity management—the core of the identity platform for most organizations—but everything around it has changed rapidly,” said Mickey Bresman, CEO at Semperis. “AD secure configuration was not as much of a concern 15 years ago, and many recommendations that were provided at the time proved to be insecure and have been completely revised since. A lot of the mistakes that were made then are the problems organizations now need to address.”

Bresman also calls out lagging skillsets at a time when conversations about protecting the business from cyberattacks are converging for identity and security teams.

“You have people that know AD extremely well, but their thinking is more operationally related,” said Bresman. “Or you have people that know red-teaming and security extremely well, but they are not AD experts. It’s not that simple to find that combination of skills in a single person.”

Against a backdrop of these escalating identity-related cyberattacks, the Active Directory Security Halftime Report highlights the essential areas of focus for identity and access management (IAM) teams, security teams, and CISOs responsible for guarding organizations’ identity systems.

More than two-thirds of the Halftime Report will provide how-to guidance from highly experienced identity experts (including longtime recognized Microsoft MVPs) for preventing, mitigating, and recovering from identity system cyberattacks. Identity systems continue to be a prime attack vector for cybercriminals despite well-known vulnerabilities—especially in Active Directory, the core identity store for 90% of businesses worldwide.

With an emphasis on fast-track skills-building for identity and security professionals, the Active Directory Security Halftime Report consolidates:

• Practical guidelines for hardening AD security by closing common gaps that can be uncovered with the free security assessment tool Purple Knight, built by Semperis identity and access management (IAM) experts;
• New perspectives on building a cyber-resilient organization by breaking down siloes between identity and security teams;
• Tips for managing security in increasingly complex hybrid identity systems, particularly across on-premises Active Directory and Azure Active Directory environments; and
• Trends in cybercriminals’ tactics for compromising identity systems, as highlighted in the monthly Semperis Identity Attack Watch series.

The Active Directory Security Halftime Report, available at https://pages.semperis.com/2021-ad-security-halftime-report/, will be updated on a periodic basis to serve as a timely, concise index of resources for organizations that have prioritized hardening their Active Directory and Azure Active Directory defenses against escalating cyberattacks.

Although the threat landscape is continually expanding, organizations can improve their security posture by methodically identifying and addressing the well-known identity-related vulnerabilities covered in the Active Directory Security Halftime Report.

“Regardless of the particular mix of on-premises and cloud systems and assets, every organization will need to protect the identity store,” said Bresman. “Identity is going to continue to play a huge role in the protection game that we are playing against the adversaries.”

About Semperis

For security teams charged with defending hybrid and multi-cloud environments, Semperis ensures integrity and availability of critical enterprise directory services at every step in the cyber kill chain and cuts recovery time by 90%. Purpose-built for securing Active Directory, Semperis’ patented technology protects over 40 million identities from cyberattacks, data breaches, and operational errors. The world’s leading organizations trust Semperis to spot directory vulnerabilities, intercept cyberattacks in progress, and quickly recover from ransomware and other data integrity emergencies. Semperis is headquartered in New Jersey and operates internationally, with its research and development team distributed between San Francisco and Tel Aviv.

Semperis hosts the award-winning Hybrid Identity Protection conference (www.hipconf.com). The company has received the highest level of industry accolades and was recently ranked the fourth fastest-growing company in the tri-state area and 35^th overall in Deloitte’s 2020 Technology Fast 500™. Semperis is accredited by Microsoft and recognized by Gartner.

Twitter https://twitter.com/SemperisTech

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/semperis

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SemperisTech

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCycrWXhxOTaUQ0sidlyN9SA

Contacts

Media
Jessica MacGregor

fama PR for Semperis

Semperis@famapr.com
617-986-5024