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Emerging Stronger with Adaptable HR: Alight Solutions’ State of HR Transformation Study 2021

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 11 May 2021 – After releasing three insightful editions, we are delighted to bring to you the fourth edition of the Alight Solutions‘ State of HR Transformation Study in partnership with People Matters.

The study, which was launched during the People Matters TechHR SEA, is themed around Emerging Stronger and sheds light on how some organisations are ahead of the curve in emerging stronger. A key finding was the positive sentiment that organisations in Asia have for the coming 12 months. Amongst them, adaptable organisations have reported that they are 1.5 times more likely to see positive growth in revenues and profits. The HR function has certainly proved its mettle in this case and shown how well it can manage disruption and guide organisations to emerge stronger.

Last year, Alight brought forward the construct of Adaptable HR as a guide to navigating the increasingly uncertain business and talent landscape in the midst of the biggest crisis faced. Exploring the anchors of adaptability in HR functions, Alight has consistently observed that HR Operating Model (interchangeably referred to as HR Service Delivery or Business Model) plays an important role in driving confidence on execution and productivity. When complemented with the right HR technology strategy, the results are amplified further.

Talking about this year’s study, Vikrant Khanna (Sr. Director and Advisory Lead at Alight Solutions), exclaimed, “We are delighted to see how Adaptable HR function led organisations are recovering from the impact of the pandemic. While there is still quite a bit of uncertainty in the environment, the construct of Adaptable HR acts as a lighthouse for organisations to emerge stronger.”

This year, as we continue to face new challenges and uncertainties posed by the pandemic, Alight found that organisations with Adaptable HR are emerging stronger to:

Lead in being digital: Adaptable HR report twenty times the NPS on technology satisfaction as compared to market averages. This is due to the digital success enabled by leveraging HR Technology to complement the HR Operating Model. In addition, 50% of Adaptable HR have advanced along their adoption journey of robotics and cognitive technologies to drive efficiencies and improved experience for employees.

Enable shifts in the way we work: Adaptable HR functions are three times more likely to be proactive in driving institutional change, new ways of working, and adoption of work technologies. In fact, Adaptable HR functions report the use of up to 5 forms of work technologies. Factors that enabled quick adoption include investment priorities and the right efforts in helping adoption through investments in manager/ leader enablement.

Reimagine HR: Adaptable HR functions are three times more likely to succeed in delivering closer partnership with the business through their operating model and capabilities. The specific capabilities demanded in Adaptable HR functions are what sets them apart and enables the organisation to be agile by design.

Shape and deliver value: Adaptable HR functions are almost three times more confident in their HR strategy and execution. This foundation and investment priorities enables them to be better equipped to address complexities and more proactive in responding to changes.

The world of work too has undergone drastic transformation in these times. Adaptable HR functions have proven that HR is truly at the forefront of shaping and delivering value to stakeholders, enabling us to adopt new ways of working, and enable digital success. Throughout this report, observations were shared in terms of how Adaptable HR organisations have paved ways for new co-creations and solutions for people and organisations to emerge stronger.

It is an accumulation of all individual behaviour changes and the larger organisation change which leads to business success. It is no surprise that organisations with Adaptable HR functions are 1.5 times more likely to have favourable growth in revenues and profit before tax in the coming 12 months.

Shaswat Kumar (Vice President and Asia Leader, Alight Solutions) shares, “This year’s findings demonstrate that Adaptable HR function led organisations are likely to succeed in their change agenda. This will enable organisations, not only to compete better, but also to deliver the right value to its constituents and shareholders.”

Certainly, the future belongs to organisations that are able to continue their journey of Adaptable HR, lead transformation and emerge stronger!

The State of HR Transformation 2021, is the fourth edition of the Alight Solutions’ flagship study on this subject. The study data was captured between Jan 2021 and Apr 2021 through an online survey. The insights combine data captured via a survey that saw participation from over 1,700 respondents (which were filtered down to 1,022 based on completeness and accuracy of responses), and observations of Alight Solutions in the space of HR Transformation.

About Alight Solutions

With an unwavering belief that a company’s success starts with its people, Alight Solutions is a leading cloud-based provider of integrated digital human capital and business solutions. Leveraging proprietary AI and data analytics, Alight optimises business process as a service (BPaaS) to deliver superior outcomes for employees and employers across a comprehensive portfolio of services. Alight allows employees to enrich their health, wealth and work while enabling global organisations to achieve a high-performance culture. Alight’s 15,000 dedicated colleagues serve more than 30 million employees and family members.

We deliver next level transformation at alight.com

Click here to download the exclusive report now. Let’s emerge stronger together!

Limited-time 7-Eleven x Crayon Shinchan Themed Stores now open!

Use our exclusive Instagram filter to take a selfie with Shinchan

 

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 11 May 2021 – 7-Eleven’s collaboration with Crayon Shinchan goes deeper than just a collectible programme. Building on the success of its recently launched “Let’s Take a Brick” promotion – a series of Brick Stores created in partnership with BANBAO bricks and some well-known brands – 7-Eleven has transformed three of its stores into first-of-their-kind Crayon Shinchan themed stores for a limited time only!

Buy limited-edition Crayon Shinchan merchandise

Located in Quarry Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui and Tseung Kwan O, the stores have been totally taken over by cheeky Shinchan and his friends and offer exclusive décor, activities and merchandise. The colourful, fun-filled environment makes for a uniquely enjoyable shopping experience and a perfect backdrop for pictures with friends and colleagues! The themed store in Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui features an impressive display showcasing the complete set of Brick Stores from the “Let’s Take a Brick” collectible programme.

Each of the three themed stores carries a unique, limited-time range of Crayon Shinchan products. Crayon Shinchan fans will love the choice of items ranging from mini figurines to character cushions, and will want to bring the whole lot home with them!

Take a selfie with Crayon Shinchan and the gang

Each 7-Eleven x Crayon Shinchan themed store is jampacked with fun photo opportunities and feature mischievous Shinchan and his friends as well as his parents, Hiroshi and Misae Nohara, throughout the store. You can even take a picture with Shinchan and his friends with a limited-edition Instagram filter. Head down to any of the themed stores and enjoy a totally immersive experience and make some mischief with Shinchan and the gang!

Themed Store Exclusive Crayon Shinchan Products’ Details:

Pyjama Shinchan Cushions – Red/Blue/Green/Yellow ($108 each, Height 14 in)

These four cushions feature a pyjama-clad Shinchan in a different pose on the front and a brightly coloured panel on the back. Choose from a yawning Shinchan (red back panel), Shinchan pulling his pants up (blue back panel), Shinchan in a nightcap (green back panel) or Shinchan cuddling Shiro (yellow back panel). These comfy cushions are silky soft and make ideal back pillows or decorative cushions.

Shiro Sitting Plushes

($69 each, Height 13cm)

There are two versions of Shinchan’s fluffy pup to pick from – one with his cute signature expression or a more bashful version with blushing cheeks and bearing a sweet love letter.

Shinchan Buddy Mascots

($45 each, Height 15cm)

These little mascots come with a handy strap so you can attach them to your handbag or backpack. Whether you choose Shinchan or Shiro, their adorable little faces will be sure to put you in a good mood anytime, anywhere!

Crayon Shinchan Bouncing Ball

($149, 13cm x 13cm)

Kids and adults alike will love this cute bouncing ball with a Shinchan twist! You won’t be able to resist playing with this ball that’s super soft to the touch and plays, the catchy soundtrack from one of Shinchan’s animated series when you bounce it.

Shinchan Drawstring Bags ($36 each)

This drawstring bag comes in two sizes – rectangular (11x19cm) and square (16x18cm). Each eyecatching bag features Shinchan and Shiro on a bright patterned background and has both red and blue drawstrings. Cute and practical, they can be used to store your precious belongings such as lipsticks, hand creams and more!

Shinchan Two Way Tote Bag

($169, 33cm W x 27cm H x 12cm D)

This useful blue and white tote bag is designed with a sturdy handle and helpful drawstring so you can conveniently keep its contents secure. The bag is also printed with a pattern featuring Shinchan and the gang in a variety of poses

Shinchan Cartoon Shiro Plush ($89, Height 25cm)

This super cuddly Shiro plush is soft and fluffy and can be used as a pillow or a cushion

7-Eleven x Crayon Shinchan Themed Store locations:

Themed Store 1: Shop 4015-6, Level 4, Gateway Arcade, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

Themed Store 2: Shop 5 & 6D, Ground Floor, Hoi Kwong Court, Nos.13-15 Hoi Kwong Street, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong

Themed Store 3: Shop No. G41-42 on G/F., East Wing, Hau Tak Shopping Centre, Hau Tak Estate, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories

#7ElevenHK #CrayonShinchan

Hong Kong Baptist University and Cornell University jointly develop a novel nano-carrier that increases the efficacy of Chinese medicine treatment for breast cancer

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 11 May 2021 – Researchers from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), in collaboration with Cornell University, have developed a novel targeted therapy for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) that uses a specially-designed nano-carrier to deliver the Chinese medicine compound gambogic acid (GA). The invention enhances the anti-cancer effect of GA and reduces its damage to off-target organs. The invention has the potential to become a more effective therapeutic option for TNBC.

A research team led by Professor Bian Zhaoxiang (left) and Dr Kwan Hiu-yee(right) of HKBU’s School of Chinese Medicine collaborates with Cornell University to develop a nano-carrier that increases treatment efficacy of gambogic acid for TNBC.

The study was supported by the Vincent and Lily Woo Foundation, and the research findings have been published in the international medical journal Frontiers in Oncology.

GA as a breast cancer treatment and its limitations

TNBC accounts for 10-24% of all breast cancer cases and it also grows and spreads faster than other types of breast cancer. There are limited treatment options for TNBC and it has a high risk of recurrence and metastasis. In the advanced stage of the disease, the five-year relative survival rate is only about 12%.

GA is a herbal compound isolated from a dry, brownish resin called gamboge, which is derived from Garcinia hanburyi, a plant with a long history of medicinal use in Southeast Asia. Previous studies have shown that GA can inhibit the growth of cancer cells. However, its clinical application is limited by the fact that it is rapidly eliminated from the circulation system and has poor water solubility, which makes it difficult for GA to reach the cancer cells. Furthermore, high dosages of GA can cause damage to off-target organs due to its toxicity.

Nano-carrier increases treatment efficacy of GA

In the search for a more effective treatment protocol for TNBC when compared to existing options, Professor Bian Zhaoxiang, Director and Tsang Shiu Tim Endowed Professor in Chinese Medicine Clinical Studies of the Clinical Division of HKBU’s School of Chinese Medicine (SCM) and Dr Kwan Hiu-yee, Assistant Professor of the Teaching and Research Division of SCM, together with the research team of Professor Chu Chih-Chang at Cornell University, designed a novel nano-carrier to enhance GA’s efficacy as a TNBC treatment and reduce its off-target toxicity.

The researchers made a bio-degradable nano-carrier out of polyester urea urethane (PEUU), and they decorated it with folate (also known as vitamin B9) and arginine (an amino acid). Folate receptors are highly expressed in TNBC cells, and they can serve as a target for therapy. Arginine is a positively charged amino acid, and it can attract the nano-carrier to the negatively charged tumour surface. These features enable the nano-carrier to target and deliver GA effectively to TNBC cells.

Treatment efficacy tested in mice

The research team tested the efficacy of the GA-loaded nano-carrier as a TNBC treatment in a series of mouse experiments. Two groups of mice with TNBC were treated with the same dosage of GA, one in the form of the GA-loaded nano-carrier, and the other in the form of free GA. After 17 days of treatment, the average reduction in tumour weight of the GA-loaded nano-carrier group was 67.6% higher than the free GA group. The results showed that the GA-loaded nano-carrier is more effective at shrinking the tumours than the free GA.

In addition, the group treated with the GA-loaded nano-carrier had 0.23 μg/mL of GA in their tumours two hours after injection, and the tumour GA concentration of the GA-loaded nano-carrier group was three times of the free GA group, showing that GA is being delivered to TNBC cells more effectively with the nano-carrier. Also, the concentration of GA in the plasma of the GA-loaded nano-carrier group two hour after injection was nearly three times of the free GA group, showing that the GA carried by the nano-carrier stays in the circulation system for longer.

Reduced off-target damage to other organs

Furthermore, when compared with free GA, the GA delivered by the nano-carrier caused less damage to the off-target organs of the mice including their hearts, livers and lungs. It also caused minimal damage to their kidneys and spleens as relatively low levels of GA were detected in these two organs.

“As demonstrated in our study, the novel nano-carrier for GA offers many benefits when it comes to treating TNBC,” said Dr Kwan Hiu-yee.

“The application of nanotechnology in this study modernises the delivery of Chinese medicine, thereby enhancing its therapeutic efficacy. We believe that our nano-carriers have great clinical potential to treat TNBC and other types of cancer,” said Professor Bian Zhaoxiang.

#HKBU

Chinese Medical Personnel Assist Northern Provinces in Fight Against Covid-19

Chinese Medical Personnel Assist Northern Provinces in Fight Against Covid-19

A team of Chinese medical personnel is working closely with the Lao Ministry of Health to assist in the battle against Covid-19.

CrowdSec raises $5M to transform the global communications landscape with a collaborative solution

The power of Open Source innovation ensures that the worldwide internetworked community can now maintain its own safety

 

PARIS, FRANCE – Media OutReach – 11 May 2021 – CrowdSec, which puts online security into the hands of users themselves and has already helped to identify hundreds of thousands of malicious IP addresses worldwide, has announced a US$5 million round of seed investment from European VC Breega.

Making the internet a safer place, and empowering everyone with a rock-solid, free, first line of defense, whether they are individuals, institutions, SMBs or larger companies is the mission of European start-up CrowdSec, who is aiming to rethink cybersecurity by creating a collaborative endpoint detection and response (EDR) system, empowering a novel open-source strategy to combat attacks on any network, anywhere. This new round of funding will allow the company to expand its global community of users and contributors, including in China and Asia, to enhance its functionality, and to recruit new talents to fuel its expansion.

Collaboration and global focus are keys to CrowdSec’s open-source approach, as outlined by Philippe Humeau, CEO and co-founder, CrowdSec. “Every year, states, banks, businesses and institutions spend billions of dollars to protect themselves”, Humeau commented. “They are nevertheless hacked by groups with much lesser means. This cyberwar is asymmetrically favorable to hackers, who benefit from time, use stolen resources and mainly open-source software, and face increasingly fragmented and permeable perimeters, including Cloud drives, SaaS, VMs, containers, and VPNs. Our goal is to rebalance the cyber-security game by creating innovative, free and collaborative software in order to fight, together, hacking on a global scale.”

This is an approach that suits the Europe-based CrowdSec, where the business community is diverse and steeped in a rugged individualism developed over centuries. At the heart of CrowdSec is an independent, open culture that is founded upon its collaborative inclusivity.

China and global growth

Open source code has been an essential for the rapid growth of China’s tech sector and today China is one of the biggest consumers and contributors of of open source technology. China tech companies such as JD.com, the world’s third largest internet company by revenue, were early adopters and it is this pioneering spirt that has attracted CrowdSec to expand its footprint in China. Through close collaboration with the open source community in China, CrowdSec is seeking to assist the worldwide internetworked community to now maintain its own safety.

CrowdSec’s team is expected to grow within 18 months. Launched in December 2020, its solution has already been adopted in more than 90 countries, with a very rapid acceleration of the daily adoption rate. CrowdSec’s vision is international in scope and extends across all continents, including Asia and Greater China. As part of this growth, CrowdSec is the process of reaching out to key open-source influencers in China and other parts of Asia.

The company is currently in discussions with large customers, hosting companies, cloud makers and private companies globally. It will officially launch its commercial offering later this year, but will remain entirely free for its community. It has already reported several hundred thousand IP addresses as dangerous.

The arrival of the largest real-time map of hacking

The ‘bad guys’ of the IT world, the hackers hidden on the ‘Dark Web’ and elsewhere, use the IP addresses of machines they compromised to anonymously attack IT assets. CrowdSec’s open-source filtering software blocks these attacks and tracks IP addresses used against members of its community in order to redistribute them and thus deactivate the attackers’ strike capability.

When a CrowdSec agent detects an attack, its report is curated by the platform and, if legitimate, shared with all users so that they can also protect themselves. This community generates, in real time, one of the largest IP blocklists in the world.

Being able to protect each other without having to trust one another is also a key benefit. When system administrators, DevOps and SecOps join forces, they far outnumber hackers. CrowdSec provides them with the tool to federate. CrowdSec not only locally defends IT assets based on IP behavior, but also generates the largest real-time hacking map on the Internet. A new generation of distributed Cyber Threat Intelligence that reshuffles the deck in the defense of Internet-exposed IT resources.

A solution adapted to modern constraints

Designed for modern environments, such as public clouds and containers as well as bare-metal or virtualized architectures in enterprises, CrowdSec’s software provides a strong first line of defense of unprecedented efficiency and versatility. The different types of remediation offered range from simple access prohibition to two-factor authentication, CAPTCHAs, rights limitation, transmission of information to a SIEM or to SecOps desks, for example.

CrowdSec can block port scans, web scans, password attacks, identity theft attempts, as well as application denial of service, bots, credit card stuffing or fraud, among many other classes of attacks. By not exporting logs and collecting only the minimum amount of data (time stamp, attacking IP and recorded behavior) CrowdSec complies with the European GDPR and, more generally, respects data privacy.

Emphasizing the culture match behind the US$5 million investment, Breega Partner and Co-Founder Maximilien Bacot explains, “Digital has become a natural extension of our lives and we need to provide an answer to the societal problem posed by mass hacking. The techniques (or trends) developed over the last 30 years have clearly failed to address this problem. So, it seems logical to us to propose a community-based approach, which has already proven effective in so many other areas, yet has not been applied to cybersecurity… until now.”

About CrowdSec

CrowdSec is the open-source massively multiplayer firewall enabling you to respond to attacks and share signals across the community. Security should be available to everyone. We make it happen. For free. www.crowdsec.net

#CrowdSec

Laos Confirms 35 New Cases of Covid-19 Bringing the Total to 1,362

Covid-19 update

Laos has confirmed 35 new cases of Covid-19, with Bokeo province confirming the highest number of new cases.

Fluxergy Announces Improved Clinical Performance of Its CE-IVD COVID-19 PCR Test

IRVINE, CA. – News Aktuell – 11 May 2021 – Fluxergy, Inc., a U.S. medical diagnostic point-of-care platform company with a detection technology solution capable of multiplexity and multimodality, is further announcing improved clinical performance of its CE-IVD COVID-19 RT-PCR test. The CE marking for its one-hour COVID-19 Test Kit allows healthcare professionals to use its in vitro diagnostics (IVD) assay for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. Fluxergy’s innovative testing platform is approved for IVD use in the European Union market and any other markets that accept CE marking as valid regulatory approval.

The Fluxergy Diagnostic System: The Fluxergy Analyzer, which conducts the testing; the Fluxergy Card, a single-use test cartridge and its reagents; and the FluxergyWorks software, to manage the test data. The Fluxergy Test Kit COVID-19 is only available for purchase in the European Union market and any other markets that accept the CE-marking as valid regulatory approval. COURTESY: FLUXERGY, INC.

The simple workflow of the Fluxergy platform allows for a NP swab sample collected in a VTM or UTM vial and mixed with the Fluxergy Reaction Mixture within three minutes. This can then be immediately loaded onto the Fluxergy Card and inserted into the Fluxergy Analyzer for qualitative real-time PCR results within one hour. The platform is ideal for rapid testing applications such as emergency testing and delivery ward testing, as well as community reopening testing where expedited turnaround times are critical.

In the most recent clinical performance comparison study conducted by Fluxergy using ninety-five U.S. clinical specimens collected from November 2020 to March 2021, the COVID-19 Fluxergy Test Kit was 100% concordant with Cepheid’s Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 (the gold standard for COVID-19 RT-PCR at the Point-of-Care, approved for CE-IVD and other regions).

About Fluxergy

Fluxergy, Inc. launched in 2013 with funding support from principal investor and Kingston Technology co-founder John Tu. The Fluxergy system uses patented microfluidics and highly integrated sensor systems to produce a more flexible and cost-effective multimodal testing platform. Fluxergy is ISO 13485 and MDSAP certified for IVD manufacturing. Fluxergy’s manufacturing facility is 30,000 m2 with the potential infrastructure to produce up to 3,000,000 test cards per month.

Trend Micro Named A Leader By Independent Research Firm

Independent analysis recognizes company as a leader in enterprise email security

 

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 11 May 2021 –Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global cybersecurity leader, today announced it has been named a leader, in The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise Email Security, Q2 2021 report. Trend Micro is a leader among the 15 evaluated vendors, scoring second highest in the Current Offering category and tying for the highest score in the Strategy category, two of the three main categories evaluated.

Email security is a key layer of security provided by Trend Micro’s cybersecurity platform. At the heart of the platform is Trend Micro Vision One, which delivers visibility and XDR for faster detection of attacks, using telemetry from email security in addition to the other components of the platform including endpoint, servers, cloud workload and networks.

Click here to read the full report from Forrester: https://resources.trendmicro.com/AMEA-Forrester-Wave-Email.html

The Forrester report assessed that “Trend Micro delivers advanced, integrated email security” noting that “Enterprises seeking an email security solution with strong endpoint integration (especially for Trend Micro-protected endpoints) and [incident response] capabilities should evaluate Trend Micro.”

“The validation of our email security is critically important to our overall platform security offering,” said Wendy Moore, vice president of product marketing for Trend Micro. “In 2020, 91% of threats blocked by Trend Micro were email borne. Email remains the number one cyber threat facing organizations today, and a key area of focus with continued innovation and investment.”

In its profile of Trend Micro, the Forrester report notes, “Trend Micro offers a broad portfolio of security solutions, including network, cloud, and endpoint security. Its Apex Central provides centralized monitoring for the vendor’s endpoint, email, and other solutions. Email security is part of Trend Micro’s aggressive Vision One XDR strategy, which combines endpoint, network, and email for threat detection and response.”.

Trend Micro received the highest possible scores (5/5) in the Forrester report in eleven criteria including:

  • Deployment Options
  • Incident Response
  • Support and Customer Success
  • Product Strategy
  • Installed Base

Across all 15 participating vendors, Trend Micro scored among the highest in the Strategy category. Trend Micro believes, it is well positioned to help customers respond to the dynamic threat landscape and tackle new and advanced threats in the future.

Trend Micro also scored the second highest in the Current Offering category, which it believes proves its offering provides customers a comprehensive security solution.

Trend Micro delivers a layered approach to email security to protect against simple phishing and spam as well as advanced targeted attacks, using pre-execution machine learning, macro analysis, exploit detection, and dynamic sandbox analysis for files and URLs.

At a cloud application layer, Trend Micro also offers unique AI-powered Writing Style DNA capabilities to better spot BEC attacks, and computer vision technology to recognize and block phishing URLs.

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro’s cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. www.trendmicro.com.hk

#TrendMicro