New website and educational resources bring three generations of staffing experience to the forefront as agency owners navigate changing financial and operational demands.

CLEVELAND, Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As the staffing industry shows signs of renewed growth, agency owners face an increasingly complex challenge: securing the capital, operational support, and expertise needed to turn new business opportunities into sustainable growth.

Encore Funding, a family-owned funding partner serving staffing entrepreneurs, today announced the launch of its refreshed brand and website, reflecting the company's continued evolution alongside the businesses it supports.

The announcement comes as the American Staffing Association reports that U.S. staffing industry revenue increased 3.3% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, with staffing employment also recording gains. While these figures signal improving industry activity, staffing entrepreneurs must continue to balance growth opportunities against payroll obligations, client payment cycles, and the operational demands of running their businesses.

For staffing firms, growth often creates a unique financial challenge. Employees must be paid weekly or biweekly, while customers may take 30, 60, or even 90 days to settle invoices. As agencies expand their client relationships and workforce, access to working capital becomes an important part of their ability to deliver.

Encore believes the relationship between staffing entrepreneurs and their funding partners must extend beyond financing alone.

"The staffing industry has changed significantly over the years, but one thing hasn't changed. Entrepreneurs need a partner who understands what it takes to build and grow a staffing business," said Chad Eberly, General Manager at Encore Funding. "We've spent three generations working alongside staffing owners, helping them navigate challenges, take advantage of opportunities, and build stronger businesses. This next chapter is about bringing that experience forward and making sure we're continuing to evolve alongside the entrepreneurs we serve."

More than funding: Supporting the business behind the business

Encore's refreshed positioning reflects an approach built around three principles: personal relationships, removing operational complexity, and applying decades of staffing industry experience to help entrepreneurs navigate what comes next.

Through its combination of payroll funding, back office support, and strategic guidance, Encore works as an extension of its clients' businesses, allowing agency owners to spend more time building client relationships, placing talent, and pursuing growth opportunities.

The company's new website brings that approach together through clearer messaging, improved access to information, and a greater emphasis on helping staffing entrepreneurs understand the financial and operational decisions involved in running their agencies.

"When a staffing owner lands a major new client, that's an exciting moment. But it also brings questions about payroll, cash flow, compliance, and whether the business has the infrastructure to support that growth," said Dane Adelman, VP Business Development at Encore Funding. "Our job is to help take those challenges off their plate. We want entrepreneurs to know they have real people they can call, people who understand their business and are invested in helping them succeed."

Bringing three generations of knowledge to the next generation of staffing entrepreneurs

A central part of Encore's brand evolution is making its industry expertise more accessible to both established agency owners and entrepreneurs entering the staffing market.

Through Encore U and its educational masterclass series, the company is placing greater emphasis on providing practical guidance around the questions staffing founders face, from understanding payroll funding and managing cash flow to building the operational foundation needed for long-term growth.

The educational initiative reinforces Encore's belief that helping staffing entrepreneurs succeed means providing knowledge and support, not simply financing their invoices.

"We've seen firsthand what it takes to start a staffing company, what can go wrong, and what separates businesses that grow sustainably from those that struggle," added Chad. "We want to share that knowledge more openly. If we can help an entrepreneur make a better decision, avoid a common mistake, or feel more confident about their next stage of growth, we're doing what we've always believed a good partner should do."

As technology, workforce expectations, and business models continue to evolve, Encore's refreshed brand represents a commitment to adapting while maintaining the personal relationships and staffing expertise that have defined the company across three generations.

"The new brand and website are an important step, but this is about much more than a new look," added Dane. "It's about making it easier for staffing entrepreneurs to understand who we are, what we can help them accomplish, and why having the right partner matters as their business evolves."

The refreshed Encore Funding website and educational resources are available at www.encorefunding.com

About Encore Funding

Encore Funding is a family-owned business that partners exclusively with staffing entrepreneurs to help them build stronger businesses. Backed by three generations of staffing industry experience, Encore combines payroll funding, back-office support, and strategic guidance with the speed, flexibility, and personal attention agency owners need. By becoming an extension of its clients' businesses, Encore helps staffing entrepreneurs navigate operational complexity and focus on serving clients, placing talent, and growing with confidence.

Media contact

Don Provident, Marketing Manager

[email protected] 216-998-9900

encorefunding.com

SOURCE Encore Funding

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Scientific Games Earns 2026 Communitas Award for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility

Company's Unique Wooden Shipping Pallet Recycling Project in Germany Partners with Social Service Organization Serving Disabled Community

ATLANTA, Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Scientific Games was recognized with a 2026 Communitas Award for Excellence in Corporate Responsibility. The global lottery company earned the international award in the category of Ethical and Environmental Responsibility: Green Initiatives for a unique wooden shipping pallet recycling project. The initiative partnered with the v. Bodelschwingh Foundations Bethel, one of Germany's largest social service organizations, to give wooden shipping pallets a second life while creating meaningful work opportunities for people with disabilities.

"We are honored to be recognized with a Communitas Award for this project, which is a great example of our global efforts to invest in locally led initiatives that create measurable environmental and social impact, strengthen communities and deliver lasting value," said Andrew Jackson, VP, Corporate Responsibility for Scientific Games.

The partnership began with Scientific Games donating hundreds of wooden pallets used to ship lottery scratchcards to German lotteries. Eliminating waste to landfill, the untreated wood was transformed into birdhouses and toys handcrafted by members of the disabled community at Bethel's Kracks Workshop. The new wooden items were sold in Bethel's retail shop, generating revenue to support the organization's programs, workshop operations, and future initiatives benefiting people with disabilities.

"Our team initiated an innovative opportunity to put a valuable material back to work in the community," said Dunja Vukotic-Finkler, Director, Instant Tickets & Service Operations, Scientific Games. "Through our partnership with Bethel, these pallets are becoming products that support skills development and employment for people with disabilities. We are proud to see an initiative rooted in our everyday operations recognized for environmental and social benefits."

The ongoing partnership reduces landfill waste while extending the useful life of natural materials. Regular material contributions are helping Bethel expand its woodworking capabilities and prepare for larger, more complex projects.

Jürgen Hoff, head of Bethel's Kracks Workshop, noted that donations of quality wood are especially valuable during economically challenging times when charitable contributions are declining. The donated materials allow participants to make products that fund additional programs and help people build skills through meaningful work.

The 2026 recognition follows two Communitas Awards Scientific Games received in 2025 for the SG Tech Project, which donates refurbished technology to local schools, and its volunteer participation in a STEAM career mentoring program for young women.

With a company mission focused on serving communities worldwide, Scientific Games helps government-regulated lotteries generate tens of billions of dollars annually to fund their good cause programs, including health and welfare, education and environmental initiatives. The Communitas Awards are inspired by the vision for a better world through volunteerism, investment and ethical, sustainable business practices.

Scientific Games provides retail and digital games, technology, analytics and services to 150 lotteries in 50 countries around the globe, including 16 lotteries in Germany. The company is the world's largest creator, producer and manager of lottery games and a global leader in lottery and sports betting technology systems, digital lottery games, mobile apps and player loyalty programs.

© 2026 Scientific Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

About Scientific Games

Scientific Games is a global leader in retail and digital games, technology, analytics and services that drive profits for government-sponsored lottery and sports betting programs. From enterprise gaming platforms to exciting entertainment experiences and trailblazing retail and digital solutions, we elevate play every day. We are industry pioneers in instant games, data analytics, retail solutions and iLottery. Built on a foundation of trusted partnerships since 1973, Scientific Games combines relentless innovation, performance and unwavering security to responsibly propel the industry forward. For more information, visit scientificgames.com.

SOURCE Scientific Games, LLC

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- Vuzix Causeway evaluation units available to qualified partners exploring optical interconnects for AI data centers

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Vuzix® Corporation (NASDAQ: VUZI), a supplier of AI-powered smart glasses, waveguides and advanced optical components, today announced that it is participating in the 2026 OCP Global Summit, October 12–15 in San Jose, California, and will participate in the PECC Summit, October 20–21 in Sunnyvale, California. Vuzix will host meetings to review its Vuzix Causeway™ waveguide optical interconnect evaluation platform and discuss evaluation opportunities with AI data center, semiconductor, photonics and advanced packaging companies.

Vuzix Causeway applies proprietary waveguide technology to route thousands of parallel optical pathways through a compact substrate, offering a new approach to high-density optical connectivity for co-packaged optics (CPO), near-package optics (NPO) and AI computing. The current evaluation platform has demonstrated 19,200 parallel optical pathways across an approximately 30 mm optical path. Future communications implementations are projected to support multi-terabit aggregate bandwidth, subject to source, detector and system integration performance. Vuzix Causeway waveguide structures can be tailored to source wavelength and illumination approach for custom architectures using microLED or VCSEL sources.

Vuzix is making Vuzix Causeway evaluation units available to qualified industry partners to characterize optical performance and assess integration requirements. Engineers can evaluate optical loss, crosstalk, channel density, and coupling and alignment. These evaluations are intended to inform potential custom optical designs and future manufacturing opportunities, drawing on Vuzix's existing waveguide design and U.S.-based production capabilities.

"AI infrastructure needs to move more data with greater efficiency and density. Vuzix Causeway gives industry partners a practical platform to evaluate waveguide-based optical routing for those requirements," said Paul Travers, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vuzix. "We bring nearly two decades of waveguide development, custom optical design and high-precision nanoimprint replication to this opportunity. Our goal is to help partners move from evaluation toward custom optical interconnect designs that can be manufactured at our Rochester, New York facility."

Interested parties attending OCP who would like to review the Vuzix Causeway platform or discuss potential evaluation opportunities with Vuzix may contact Warren Russell at [email protected] to arrange a meeting on Wednesday, October 14 or Thursday, October 15.

Following OCP, Vuzix will participate in the PECC Summit – Optica+APC Photonic-Enabled Cloud Computing Summit, October 20–21 at the HPE Aspiration Dome in Sunnyvale, California. The event brings together leaders from across the photonics supply chain to address optics deployment in AI and cloud infrastructure, including optical interconnects, packaging, manufacturing and scale-up challenges. Both events provide opportunities for Vuzix to discuss partner evaluation needs and potential integration paths for Vuzix Causeway.

About Vuzix Corporation

Vuzix is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of AI-enabled Smart Glasses for enterprises as well as waveguides and advanced optical components for OEM and ODMs for their products in the defense, security, medical and AI glasses markets along with optical interconnect components for AI computing applications. Founded in 1997, Vuzix holds more than 500 patents and patents pending, along with numerous IP licenses covering optics, head-mounted displays and augmented reality wearables, and has received more than 20 Consumer Electronics Show awards for innovation. The Company is publicly traded on Nasdaq under the symbol VUZI and maintains operations in Rochester, New York, and Japan. For more information, visit the Vuzix website, X and Facebook pages.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer

Certain statements contained in this news release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements contained in this release include, among others, statements regarding the potential applicability of the Company's waveguide design and manufacturing capabilities to optical interconnect applications; the potential performance, bandwidth or scalability of waveguide-based optical interconnect architectures; the anticipated timing and value of partner feedback; and the Company's expectations regarding evaluation programs. They are generally identified by words such as "believes," "may," "expects," "anticipates," "should" and similar expressions. Readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are based upon the Company's beliefs and assumptions as of the date of this release. The Company's actual results could differ materially due to risk factors and other items described in more detail in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Reports and MD&A filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and applicable Canadian securities regulators (copies of which may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). Subsequent events and developments may cause these forward-looking statements to change. The Company specifically disclaims any obligation or intention to update or revise these forward-looking statements as a result of changed events or circumstances that occur after the date of this release, except as required by applicable law.

Vuzix Media and Investor Relations Contact:

Ed McGregor, Director of Investor Relations,

Vuzix Corporation

[email protected]  

Tel: (585) 359-5985

Vuzix Corporation, 25 Hendrix Road, West Henrietta, NY 14586 USA,

Investor Information – [email protected]  www.vuzix.com 

SOURCE Vuzix Corporation

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The collaboration connects capability validation, Ukrainian partner relationships, and U.S. customer engagement with PDW's engineering and industrial capacity.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- American defense technology company Performance Drone Works (PDW) and Revenant Technologies have entered into a memorandum of understanding to identify, evaluate, and accelerate the U.S. integration and transition to production of selected battle-proven Ukrainian defense technologies.

Revenant will contribute capability validation and selection, Ukrainian partner relationships, U.S. customer engagement, and warfighter integration. PDW will contribute systems engineering, supply chain localization, product integration, testing, and scalable U.S. production. The companies expect initially to evaluate mutually selected opportunities across unmanned systems, counter-UAS, electronic warfare, sensors, and mission-critical components.

The collaboration advances PDW's strategy to bring battle-tested capabilities to American and allied warfighters: identify superior technology wherever it originates, adapt it to U.S. requirements, and establish the qualification, production, and support needed to field it at scale.

"The best solution for the warfighter will not always originate inside our company or our borders," said James Slider, CEO of PDW. "Revenant brings relationships with Ukrainian innovators and a practical understanding of how their technologies can meet U.S. operational needs. PDW brings the engineering and industrial capacity to help turn selected capabilities into systems and components American forces can field and sustain."

Connecting battlefield technology with U.S. operational requirements

This collaboration is intended to give U.S. customers a pathway to evaluate relevant capabilities while helping Ukrainian technology developers establish domestic integration, manufacturing, and support. Opportunities may include complete systems and critical components, with further development and production decisions informed by customer requirements and technical readiness.

Advancing PDW's domestic industrial strategy

The collaboration advances PDW's goals of bringing battle-tested capabilities to American and allied warfighters: identify superior technology wherever it originates, adapt it to U.S. requirements, and establish the qualification, production, and support needed to field it at scale.

"We founded Revenant to bridge battle-tested capabilities to American warfighters," said Brendan Reilly, Revenant CEO. "Revenant's strategic partnership with PDW creates a framework for delivering Ukrainian technology through American production lines. PDW's manufacturing capacity and investment in American supply chains enables rapid, scaled delivery. This powers ARENA, Revenant's force-on-force training environment, where U.S. warfighters face a thinking adversary armed with the best uncrewed systems in the world – and the methodologies that make them work in combat. Our warfighters get the fight they need before the fight that counts."

PDW's engineering and manufacturing capabilities are anchored by Drone Factory 01, its 90,000-square-foot facility in Huntsville, Alabama. By connecting prospective technology partners and U.S. customer needs with that industrial capacity, the Revenant collaboration is intended to help identify capabilities for potential domestic integration and production.

The MOU establishes a non-binding framework. Specific technology partnerships, manufacturing commitments, and other commercial activities remain subject to evaluation, applicable regulatory requirements, and separate definitive agreements.

PDW at AUSA

PDW will host customer, partner, and media meetings during AUSA 2026, October 12–14 in Washington, D.C., to discuss its aircraft portfolio, partner technologies, and domestic industrial strategy. To request a meeting, visit https://info.pdw.ai/ausa.

About Performance Drone Works

Headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, Performance Drone Works is an American defense technology company developing multi-mission aerial robotic systems and the software, communications, payload, training, and manufacturing capabilities that keep them relevant in the field. PDW develops proprietary systems and works with selected partners to bring proven technology into U.S. qualification, production, and support pathways. From Drone Factory 01, PDW designs, engineers, manufactures, fields, and sustains mission-ready capability for defense, government, public safety, and allied customers. Its mission is decisive airpower in the hands of every operator.

About Revenant Technologies

Revenant Technologies bridges battle-tested global technologies to U.S. customers through compliant market entry, customer engagement, operational demonstrations, integration, and domestic manufacturing. Owned and operated by U.S. veterans, Revenant works with international technology partners to adapt proven capabilities to U.S. operational requirements, with a focus on scalable production and sustained support. For more information, visit www.revenant.tech.

SOURCE Performance Drone Works, LLC

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Strength across operational risk analytics supports banks and financial services firms

CARY, N.C., Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Chartis Research has named SAS a Category Leader for Operational Risk Analytics in its report on integrated governance, resilience and compliance (iGRC) solutions.

The report cited the combined capabilities of SAS® Governance and Compliance Manager (GCM) and the SAS Viya® platform and SAS' best-in-class, analytically consistent and governed coverage across multiple risk domains.

This recognition comes as iGRC transcends traditional compliance and reporting to serve a more strategic role in business decision-making. As operational, regulatory, cybersecurity and technology risks become increasingly interconnected, financial institutions need integrated risk intelligence that allows them to act quickly and decisively without sacrificing oversight and control.

"SAS Governance and Compliance Manager treats operational risk as a data and analytics challenge, not simply a workflow, documentation or reporting exercise," said Michael Versace, Research Director at Chartis. "This gives risk leaders the context needed to identify emerging exposure, understand control effectiveness and direct action toward the areas of greatest potential loss."

SAS Governance and Compliance Manager helps organizations identify, assess, monitor and manage risk while creating a unified view of risk exposure across the enterprise. Built on the cloud-native SAS Viya platform, it brings risk, control, compliance, audit and issue-management data together in a governed environment, applying AI and advanced analytics to uncover emerging threats and deliver timely, decision-ready insights.

Per Chartis, "SAS' ability to bridge the gap between operational and technical risk intelligence and executive decision-making is a distinct competitive advantage."

"Organizations often regard governance as a handbrake on innovation, but evidence indicates just the opposite," said Stu Bradley, Senior Vice President of Risk, Fraud and Compliance Solutions at SAS. "Our latest AI study shows that banks with comprehensive governance programs are 6.6x more likely to report strong AI ROI. Robust governance gives institutions the confidence to innovate faster, with a clearer, more integrated view of intersecting risks. That's the foundation SAS delivers."

From risk data to risk intelligence

In its analysis, Chartis spotlighted the strength of the SAS risk management platform in seven key areas, rating SAS' capabilities as best-in-class or leading for:

- Risk Coverage. SAS GCM works across diverse risk domains – operational, credit, market, liquidity, fraud, financial crime, model risk and more – helping organizations connect and govern risk signals that are often managed in silos.

- Mapping and Transformation. GCM maps risk data into a common risk taxonomy for more reliable analytics, faster reporting and stronger audit and regulatory defensibility.

- Data Management. A foundational feature of GCM, this ensures that risk, compliance and audit decisions are as reliable as the underlying data. GCM leverages the data management capabilities of the Viya platform.

- Analytics Tools. SAS turns fragmented risk, control, incident and audit data into intelligence for continuous operational risk monitoring, earlier intervention and more informed decisions.

- Workflows. SAS integrates operational risk analytics, risk indicators, alerting and decision logic into business workflows, helping governance, risk and compliance teams prioritize cases, incidents or remediation actions.

- Architecture. Built on SAS Viya, GCM is a cloud-native, service-oriented evolution of the SAS platform that can process high-volume event data and perform interactive analysis.

- Visualization. GCM is supported by a common repository that gives an enterprise-wide view of internal control performance for risk managers, compliance and audit staff.

Chartis' analysis of SAS and its update to the RiskTech Quadrant for Operational Risk Analytics were included in its report, Integrated Governance, Resilience and Compliance Solutions – Financial Services, 2026: Quadrant Update, published in June 2026.

Industry leadership

SAS has fared well in other Chartis rankings, including recently placing No. 3 overall in the Chartis RiskTech100®, 2027, the industry's most established and comprehensive annual ranking of the world's foremost risk technology providers. In the RiskTech100, SAS also topped a company record 12 solution awards categories, including ALM Analytics, Balance Sheet Risk Management, Behavioral Modeling, Capital Optimization, Credit Risk and Model Risk Management, among others.

In addition to GCM, SAS risk management solutions include Asset & Liability Management, Credit Risk Management, Enterprise Stress Testing, Expected Credit Loss, Risk Governance and Insurance Risk. Each SAS solution helps banks and financial institutions establish a risk-aware culture, optimize capital and liquidity, and efficiently meet regulatory demands.

About Chartis Research

Chartis Research is an independent research and advisory firm that provides market intelligence, analysis and benchmarking on risk, compliance, governance and financial technology. Its reports and vendor assessments deliver actionable insight to help institutions evaluate solutions, manage risk, and make strategic technology and vendor-selection choices.

About SAS

SAS is a global leader in data and AI. With SAS software and industry-specific solutions, organizations transform data into trusted decisions. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW®.

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. ® indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright © 2026 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.

Editorial Contact:

Mike Nemecek

[email protected]

919-531-5140

SOURCE SAS

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Cisco Advances Scalability and Openness at OCP 2026

Delivers the resilient, open Ethernet foundations required to connect and scale massive, distributed AI factories

News Summary

- Cisco and NVIDIA plan to develop an open industry specification for a next-generation 400G-per-lane pluggable optics design, increasing bandwidth density while preserving serviceability and customer choice.

- Cisco advances open infrastructure across silicon, systems and optics to meet the demands of AI workloads, spanning high-density scale-out and distributed scale-across networks.

- The Cisco Silicon One portfolio continues to expand to serve all AI builders, with the first G300-powered systems shipping to customers, new 1.6T G302 silicon, and P200-powered systems now deployed in production hyperscale environments.

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at the Open Compute Project (OCP) Global Summit 2026, Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) introduced new silicon, systems and optical innovations that advance open AI infrastructure from rack-scale compute to distributed AI capacity. Together, the announcements demonstrate how Cisco is engineering the network as a coherent, programmable architecture while preserving the openness and choice customers expect in the super intelligence era. The new capabilities deepen Cisco's continued commitment to deliver an open stack from silicon to Kubernetes, required to connect the AI foundations for hyperscalers, neoclouds and enterprises. Strong market adoption validates Cisco's leadership and underscores deep customer trust as demand for AI compute capacity rapidly accelerates.

"AI is redefining what it means to scale infrastructure. It's no longer just about individual data centers or clusters, but how we connect compute at massive scale without compromising performance or resilience. Cisco's strength across silicon, networking, optics,systems and security puts us in a unique position to deliver the open infrastructure customers need as AI continues to evolve," said Kevin Wollenweber, SVP and General Manager of Data Center and Internet Infrastructure, Cisco.

"Scale-Across" Connects the World's AI Capacity

Scale-across extends coordinated AI workloads across facilities, building on traditional data center interconnect (DCI) technologies while introducing significantly different workload requirements. When accelerators across sites participate in the same coordinated job, congestion, latency and recovery can directly affect compute utilization and job progress. Cisco draws on its silicon, routing and optical networking leadership to address those requirements as one packet-to-optical architecture.

Cisco's scale-across architecture brings together Silicon One P200, deep-buffered systems and coherent optics to connect AI fabrics across locations to act as a unified cluster. It provides customers a single, unified compute fabric enabled by the performance, deep programmability and embedded security of the Silicon One architecture. Cisco is the first in the industry to announce its 51.2T systems, powered by the Silicon One P200, are deployed in a production environment by leading hyperscalers.

"Microsoft and Cisco share a longstanding partnership rooted in engineering collaboration and innovation. We are pleased to announce that today, Microsoft has moved into production on systems powered by the Cisco Silicon One P200. As our infrastructure demands grow, the P200's robust architecture provides the speed and enhanced buffering capabilities necessary to address the increasing scale of our cloud and high-performance services. This milestone reflects the next stage in our long-term collaboration, ensuring we continue to deliver the performance and reliability required for the modern digital era," said Anand Ramakrishna, Corporate Vice President, Engineering, Microsoft.

"Alibaba is proud to announce a major milestone for our next-generation backbone network, eCORE. We have deployed our in-house Quantum Cat router at massive scale, powered by the Cisco Silicon One P200. These routers bring 51.2 Tbps of routing capacity to our infrastructure. They feature a fully shared deep-buffer architecture, high programmability, and excellent power efficiency. This setup provides the exact performance and scale needed for today's heavy cloud and AI workloads. We paired Cisco's silicon with Alibaba's custom systems and the SONiC operating system. This combination proves the true value of open networking. It delivers the flexibility and operational power required for some of the world's most demanding networks. We look forward to deepening our work with Cisco, the Open Compute Project (OCP), and the SONiC community. Together, we will continue to advance open, high-performance networking for the AI era," said Dennis Cai, Vice President, Head of Network Infrastructure, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group

Scaling AI from Rack to Fabric for the 1.6T Era

Inside the data center, AI scale is driving the same need for greater bandwidth, density and power efficiency across silicon, systems and optics. To meet the radical bandwidth requirements of the next generation of AI, Cisco's Silicon One portfolio is delivering the next level of network performance designed for massive AI scale. As a member of OCP's ESUN, Cisco is committed to advancing open, interoperable, high-performance AI networking at scale and collaborating actively with ESUN on the 1.0 and future specifications for scale-up workloads.

Announced earlier this year, the 102.4T Silicon One G300 is now available for customer sampling, and the first G300-powered systems are currently shipping to customers. Cisco is also expanding the Silicon One portfolio with the first 51.2T switching silicon with 200G SerDes designed for top-of-rack (ToR) deployments. The new Silicon One G302 delivers 51.2T capacity and features Cisco 1.6T optics and direct-to-chip liquid cooling integration to drive efficiency gains. The G302 is built to power ToR switch systems, which sit at the rack level and gather traffic from servers and connect it efficiently to the larger data center network. This optimizes how servers are linked and integrated, delivering unprecedented front-end scale, density, and throughput for hyperscalers. The G302 is planned to begin shipping to customers before the end of 2026.

Cisco and NVIDIA Introduce New Pluggable Optics 

Together with NVIDIA, Cisco also unveiled plans to develop the Ultra-Dense Small Form Factor Pluggable (USFP), a new high density 400Gb/s-per-lane capable optical module. Compared to other approaches to increasing the bandwidth of optical modules, USFP relies on a proven operating model to scale to 400Gb/s-per-lane. USFP is expected to deliver 4x the bandwidth density and 1.3x the power efficiency of 200Gb/s-per-lane optics, improving the efficiency and scalability of AI factories without sacrificing serviceability, deployment flexibility or the operational simplicity of today's pluggable optics. To drive broad industry engagement and adoption, Cisco and NVIDIA plan to create an open industry specification for USFP through an upcoming community-led multi-source project.

Expanding Secure AI Networking

SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud) is the open-source operating system that forms the foundation of many hyperscaler and now neoclouds, service providers and enterprise deployments, across the AI builder ecosystem. Cisco customers can adopt Cisco-validated SONiC with Nexus One, a next generation data center architecture, embracing an open approach for multi-site to rack-scale environments. This support will be extended with Live Protect for customers starting mid-year 2027. Utilizing Cisco runtime technology, Live Protect reduces the exposure customers would typically face between a vulnerability disclosure and a patch on supported Cisco products and releases. Live Protect will give Cisco SONiC customers time to test and deploy the permanent software fix without disrupting operations.

Control and Recovery at AI Scale

Out-of-band management systems form a network operators rely on to provide remote access even when the production network is down, allowing for fixes during a blackout or cyber incident. But at AI scale, out-of-band management systems can become a patchwork of legacy systems, tools and proprietary interfaces, making thousands of GPU nodes harder to manage and fix. The Cisco 8001, a new Silicon One A100-powered management system available as 10G or 1G , solves this challenge by upgrading performance and bringing SONiC to this critical network. Operators can use familiar APIs, automation and operating practices from the fabric to the rack, without building and maintaining a separate management environment. Customers can now deploy a simpler, programmable management network that scales with AI infrastructure, and remains available when it is needed most.

Cisco Silicon One: The Industry's Most Scalable and Programmable Unified Networking Architecture

Cisco Silicon One is the industry's most scalable and programmable unified networking architecture, offering a complete portfolio of networking devices across AI, hyperscaler, data center, enterprise, and service provider use cases. Introduced in 2019, Cisco Silicon One is playing critical roles in major networks around the world. With today's innovations, Silicon One proves its ability to scale  from 100G to 100T with a single, unified silicon architecture.

Supporting Resources:

- Executive Blog Post: Cisco and NVIDIA Announce USFP: Expanding the Path to AI Connectivity

- Executive Blog Post: SONiC's Next Chapter with Cisco: Open Choice, Production Confidence

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that is revolutionizing the way organizations connect and protect in the AI era. For more than 40 years, Cisco has securely connected the world.

Syrenis Named a Niche Player in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Privacy UX

Enterprise consent and preference management helps marketing teams know exactly what customer data they can use, and for what purpose

ATLANTA, Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Syrenis, the enterprise consent and preference management company, today announced it has been named a Niche Player in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Privacy UX. This is the first Magic Quadrant Gartner has published for the Privacy UX market.

Gartner defines the privacy user experience (UX) as "the components of an organization's privacy program that directly touch an individual." For enterprise marketing teams, customer consent determines how much of their data they can put to work. That information is usually scattered across CRM, marketing automation, web and data platforms. As a result, campaigns stall in review, audiences shrink to whatever feels safe, and every new channel raises the same question about what the team is allowed to use.

The Syrenis Platform answers that question. It records every consent and preference by purpose, channel and brand, and keeps that record in sync across the systems where campaigns are built. Global enterprises in automotive, pharmaceuticals, life sciences and more use Syrenis to run multi-brand, multi-jurisdiction preference programs from a single source of truth.

"Most marketing leaders can't say with confidence which customer data they're cleared to use, and that uncertainty costs them growth," said Adam Binks, CEO of Syrenis. "We've built the Syrenis Platform around solving that one problem, so every choice a customer makes is captured accurately, honored in every system and ready for the marketing team to act on. We believe being named a Niche Player reflects that focus, and it's where we'll keep investing."

Syrenis expanded into North America in 2026 with a dedicated U.S. go-to-market team in Atlanta, serving enterprises managing consent across multiple brands and jurisdictions.

To read a complimentary copy of the report, visit syrenis.com/gartner-mq-privacy-ux.

Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Privacy UX, Shadrock Roberts, Stefan Dumitrescu, Bernard Woo, 6 October 2026.

Gartner does not endorse any company, vendor, product or service depicted in its publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's business and technology insights organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this publication, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

GARTNER is a trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. Magic Quadrant is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

About Syrenis

Syrenis is an enterprise consent and preference management platform, built for depth. Rather than spreading across every corner of privacy, Syrenis focuses on the part individuals actually experience: their consent, their preferences and their privacy rights.

Designed for complex, regulated global environments, the Syrenis Platform orchestrates consent, preferences and privacy rights across brands, jurisdictions and tech stacks in real time. It gives privacy, marketing and IT teams an auditable, scalable and customizable foundation they can trust, and gives privacy leaders the control and visibility to turn compliance into a driver of growth.

Syrenis believes privacy can be an engine for growth: a foundation for better buying journeys, lasting customer trust and loyalty. Today Syrenis manages almost 2 billion data records worldwide and works with some of the most complex, highly regulated enterprises in the Fortune 500. The company is headquartered in Daresbury, U.K., with a US office in Atlanta, Georgia.

For more information, visit www.syrenis.com.

Media contact:

Lindsay Mahaney

[email protected]

SOURCE Syrenis

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Conner Style, DO Joins OCLI Vision in Lake Success & Manhasset

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- OCLI Vision is pleased to welcome Conner Style, DO, a dedicated ophthalmologist specializing in comprehensive eye care, advanced surgical procedures, and the management of ocular emergencies. Dr. Style will begin seeing patients on October 12, 2026, at OCLI Vision's Lake Success and Manhasset locations, providing advanced medical and surgical eye care with a focus on straightforward, technology-driven solutions and positive long-term outcomes.

Dr. Style's clinical practice encompasses comprehensive ophthalmic care, advanced surgical procedures, and the evaluation and management of ocular emergencies. He is particularly focused on incorporating technology-driven solutions into patient care, helping patients more easily understand and follow their recovery plans to support successful long-term outcomes.

Recognized for his leadership and commitment to continued education, Dr. Style has led clinical journal clubs focused on the analysis of landmark ophthalmic studies and has delivered numerous grand rounds presentations to faculty and peers. His approach to patient care emphasizes clear communication, practical solutions, and individualized treatment plans designed to help patients navigate their eye care with confidence.

Dr. Style earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his ophthalmology residency training across diverse clinical settings at St. John's Episcopal Hospital in New York and the University of Colorado Anschutz. During his academic career, Dr. Style was a recipient of the Dorothy and David Cooper Scholarship at Rutgers University–New Brunswick in recognition of his research efforts.

Dr. Style is an active member of several professional organizations, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. His combination of broad clinical training, academic engagement, and commitment to technology-driven patient care further strengthens OCLI Vision's ability to provide comprehensive ophthalmic services to patients across Long Island.

"I am excited to join OCLI Vision and look forward to caring for patients throughout the Long Island community," said Dr. Style. "I look forward to working alongside a team committed to providing high-quality, personalized eye care and helping patients achieve the best possible outcomes."

Appointments with Dr. Style are available at OCLI Vision's Lake Success and Manhasset offices:

To learn more or schedule a consultation, visit www.ocli.net.

About OCLI Vision:

Founded in 1997, OCLI Vision (http://www.ocli.net) is one of the leading ophthalmology practices in the United States. The practices of OCLI Vision offer eye care services at locations throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. OCLI Vision is led by a large group of highly skilled ophthalmologists and optometrists in each major sub-specialty of eye care who provide comprehensive eye care services, including treatment for cataracts, corneal disease, glaucoma, retinal disease, oculoplastics, and refractive surgery.

About Spectrum Vision Partners:

Spectrum Vision Partners ("SVP") (https://www.spectrumvisionpartners.com) is a leading management services organization, serving the ophthalmology sector. With over 1,400 employees providing world-class practice management and administrative solutions to a network of nationally renowned, multi-specialty ophthalmologists in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, SVP supports over 60 clinic locations, five state-licensed ambulatory surgery centers, and over 150 surgeons, doctors and other medical professionals. SVP provides a comprehensive set of business support functions, including billing and collections, credential services, marketing, physician recruitment, ASC development, financial and accounting services, benefits and payroll management and information technology. The company's corporate service center is located at 825 East Gate Boulevard, Suite 111, Garden City, NY 11530.

SOURCE OCLI Vision

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Chicken Bacon Ranch and Italian Trio Pizza launch simultaneously for the first time in brand history

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Hunt Brothers® Pizza, the largest branded pizza program in the convenience store industry, is celebrating its 35th anniversary with its first-ever dual Limited Time Offer (LTO). Beginning October 12, two favorite fan-favorite pizzas, Chicken Bacon Ranch and Italian Trio Pizza will be available for a limited time at participating Hunt Brothers Pizza locations.

"As we celebrate 35 years, we're proud to continue the tradition of families serving families, supporting our store partners while giving consumers more reasons to choose Hunt Brothers Pizza," said Erin Hunt Ferguson, CEO of Hunt Advantage Group, LLC, a Hunt Brothers Pizza master distributor. "This dual LTO builds on the excitement our limited-time offerings generate while bringing two proven favorites back to stores together for the first time."

"Offering two LTOs at once reflects the strength of the program and the operational support behind it," said Robinson Hunt, President of DBH Distributing, a Hunt Brothers Pizza master distributor. "It's a great example of how we keep evolving while staying true to the simplicity and consistency our store partners count on."

The Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza features Hunt Brothers Pizza's original crust, covered with creamy ranch sauce, all-natural chicken breast, and then topped with a blend of 100% natural part-skim mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, crispy bacon and the brand's signature Just Rite Spice™. It will be available at participating locations in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., North Dakota and South Dakota.

The Italian Trio Pizza combines Hunt Brothers Pizza's original crust with savory marinara sauce, a blend of 100% natural part-skim mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheeses, pepperoni, Italian sausage and sliced Italian-style meatballs, finished with Hunt Brothers Pizza's signature Just Rite Spice™. It will be available at participating locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.

Both LTOs will be available as a whole 12-inch pizza or the grab-and-go Hunk A Pizza® (1/4 of a 12-inch pizza), while supplies last.

To learn more about Hunt Brothers Pizza and its offerings, visit HuntBrothersPizza.com or download the app to find a location near you. Follow Hunt Brothers Pizza on Facebook, X and Instagram for company news and promotions.

About Hunt Brothers Pizza:

With more than 11,000 locations nationwide, Hunt Brothers Pizza is the largest made-to-order pizza brand in the convenience store industry. Family owned and operated for over 35 years; Hunt Brothers Pizza provides a proven, turn-key, foodservice solution designed specifically for convenience stores. Our store partners can expect high quality products, unmatched support, and strong brand recognition among customers. Hunt Brothers Pizza is not a franchise and does not charge franchise, royalty, or marketing fees.

SOURCE Hunt Brothers Pizza

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WITEX 2027 to Debut in Düsseldorf, Connecting Global Physical AI Innovators with European Industry

DÜSSELDORF, Germany, Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- WITEX 2027 (World Intelligent Technology Exhibition), a new B2B exhibition dedicated to the Physical AI industry value chain, will take place May 12–14, 2027, at Messe Düsseldorf, Germany. Organized by the World AIoT Innovation Alliance (WAIA), the exhibition aims to connect global technology providers with European industrial buyers and accelerate the real-world adoption of Physical AI.

As AI expands beyond digital applications into the physical world, industries increasingly need integrated solutions that combine perception, decision-making, execution and optimization. WITEX 2027 will bring together technologies and solutions across this value chain, addressing applications in manufacturing, logistics, energy, healthcare and commercial services.

Building on Europe's established industrial base and growing demand for intelligent automation, WITEX aims to provide a dedicated platform for technology providers to engage with industrial decision-makers and explore opportunities for cross-border collaboration.

With the support of more than a dozen industry organizations worldwide, including IoT Italy and AIoT Canada, WITEX 2027 expects to welcome more than 300 technology providers and 15,000 trade visitors. Target attendees include executives and technical decision-makers from manufacturing, logistics and warehousing, energy and utilities, and commercial services.

The exhibition will feature four core technology segments:

- Perception & Connectivity: RFID and automatic identification (Auto ID), machine vision, positioning technologies, industrial sensors, IoT communications and gateways.

- Computing & Reasoning: Large-scale AI models, AI chips, computing hardware, industry-specific AI solutions and AI agents.

- Execution & Interaction: Robotic components, industrial and mobile robots, specialized and service robots, humanoid robots and intelligent interactive terminals.

- Simulation & Optimization: Industrial digital twins, system simulation, predictive maintenance and AR/VR solutions.

The exhibition will also host the Global Physical AI Industry Summit, Sino-European business matchmaking sessions, the release of the Global Physical AI Innovation Whitepaper, and new product launches, providing opportunities for knowledge exchange, business networking and international partnerships.

The WITEX Organizing Committee said: "WITEX is designed to bridge the gap between technology and real-world industrial applications. By bringing IoT, AI and robotics together across the Physical AI value chain, we aim to help buyers identify integrated solutions and enable technology providers to connect with potential industrial customers in Europe."

Exhibition stand bookings and visitor pre-registration are now open. For further information and partnership opportunities, visit www.witex.global or contact the WITEX 2027 Organizing Committee.

WITEX 2027 will take place May 12–14, 2027, at Messe Düsseldorf, Germany.

WITEX 2027 Organizing Committee:

WhatsApp: +852 57923169, +852 57871902

Email: [email protected] 

SOURCE WITEX 2027 World Intelligent Technology Expo

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