IDrive Adds Microsoft Entra ID Backup to Strengthen Identity and Access Protection for Microsoft 365 Organizations

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- IDrive, a leading provider of cloud backup and storage solutions, today announced the addition of Microsoft Entra ID Backup to its IDrive Microsoft Office 365 Backup solution. The new capability helps organizations protect critical identity and access management data against accidental deletion, misconfiguration, unauthorized changes, and other incidents that can disrupt access to business-critical resources.

Microsoft Entra ID serves as a central control plane for workforce identities, applications, and privileged access. However, native retention and recovery capabilities may not provide comprehensive protection for critical Entra ID configurations and objects. The loss or modification of users, groups, applications, roles, policies, or devices can disrupt sign-ins and require time-consuming manual reconstruction.

"Microsoft Entra ID is fundamental to how organizations manage identities and access to their digital environments," said Raghu Kulkarni, CEO of IDrive. "With Microsoft Entra ID Backup, IDrive is extending comprehensive Microsoft 365 data protection to the identity layer, helping organizations maintain business continuity and quickly recover from accidental or malicious changes."

Protect Critical Microsoft Entra ID Objects

IDrive Microsoft Entra ID Backup automatically backs up critical Entra ID objects and settings to the IDrive cloud. Supported objects include users, groups, roles and administrators, administrative units, app registrations, enterprise applications, devices, policies, sign-in logs, audit logs, device configurations, device compliance policies, and BitLocker recovery keys.

Key capabilities include:

- Automated Entra ID backups: Frequent snapshots preserve critical objects, settings, and relationships for more complete recovery.

- Change tracking and visibility: Historical snapshots and comparison views help administrators identify changes across users, groups, roles, and policies.

- Granular and bulk recovery: Restore individual users, groups, applications, policies, or multiple Entra ID objects together while preserving relationships.

- Point-in-time restore: Recover objects to an earlier known-good state to help mitigate the effects of accidental changes, misconfigurations, and attacks.

- Centralized management: Manage Microsoft Entra ID and Microsoft Office 365 backups from a single web console.

- Secure cloud storage: Entra ID backup data is stored in the IDrive cloud with AES-256 encryption and retention capabilities.

Comprehensive Microsoft 365 Protection

With the addition of Microsoft Entra ID Backup, IDrive provides organizations with protection across a broad range of Microsoft 365 services from a centralized platform. IDrive Microsoft Office 365 Backup already supports backup of OneDrive, Outlook, SharePoint, Teams and Groups, and related Microsoft 365 data.

The solution provides automated backups, snapshot-based point-in-time recovery, granular restore capabilities, and centralized administration to help organizations protect Microsoft 365 environments from data loss and operational disruption.

Microsoft Entra ID Backup is available for $10 per Entra ID seat per year with unlimited storage.

About IDrive

IDrive Inc. is a privately held company specializing in cloud storage, cloud backup, file sharing, remote access, compliance and related technologies. Core services include IDrive®, RemotePC™ and IBackup. The company's services help over 5 million customers back up over 1 Exabyte of data.

SOURCE IDrive Inc.

Share this article

Belle AI Dispatch and Belle AI Assistant are the two newest jobs handled by Belfry's in-platform AI teammate. Belfry Recruiting is now available as an add-on for all customers.

NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Belfry Software, the all-in-one operating platform built for security guard services companies, today announced two new capabilities for Belle, its in-platform AI teammate, and the launch of Belfry Recruiting, an applicant tracking system now live for Belfry customers.

Belle works inside the Belfry platform as one teammate with distinct jobs. Belle AI Dispatch watches shift exceptions in real time and reaches out to officers. Belle AI Assistant answers operators' questions about their business in plain language.

Security firms run a small back office behind a large field workforce, often eight or more officers per administrative employee. Every new contract adds more routine work: shifts to confirm, clock-ins that never happen, posts that go quiet, open shifts to fill, and data to pull when a client asks.

"The firms we work with aren't short on capability. They're short on time. Belle picks up some of the constant, routine work that used to land on the back office, and Belfry Recruiting brings hiring into the same system as everything else. Both give operators more time for the two things that set them apart: exceptional client service and a great place for officers to work."

-- Jordan Wallach, Co-Founder & CEO, Belfry Software

Belle AI Dispatch Watches Shifts in Real Time

Belle AI Dispatch builds on Belfry's real-time monitoring to help teams resolve urgent issues as they happen. Belle handles first-touch officer outreach on the exceptions that consume dispatcher attention: missed clock-ins, unconfirmed shifts, abandoned posts, early clock-outs, and shifts with no recent activity.

For firms of every size, dispatch keeps client people and property safe, drives client retention, and is expensive to staff at the level needed to cover every exception.

Jason Fellows, founder of Minneapolis-based LincRo Security Solutions, has grown his operation to 120 officers and counting without hiring a back-office dispatcher. Belle has responded to 2,719 missed clock-ins at LincRo, and 2,343 of them, roughly 86 percent, ended with the officer on the clock.

"We can rest easy knowing Belle is watching the schedule for us. We let her do her thing, and if she escalates something to me or my team, that's when we step in and start making calls. Until then, we know she has it covered."

— Jason Fellows, Founder, LincRo Security Solutions

Belfry is also extending Belle AI Dispatch beyond text to reach officers by voice, giving firms a more direct channel for time-critical exceptions. Belle operates under rules the operations team defines and escalates only when it can't resolve an exception on its own. The design goal is triage, not autonomy: routine cases close themselves, and the few that need a human decision arrive clearly flagged.

Belle AI Dispatch is available as a paid add-on to the Belfry platform.

Belle AI Assistant Lets Operators Chat With Their Data

Security firms generate a steady stream of operational data across scheduling, timekeeping, payroll, and billing. Historically, turning that data into an answer meant pulling exports into spreadsheets or waiting on a report someone else had to build.

With Belle AI Assistant, an operator types a question the way they'd ask a colleague and gets an answer built from their own Belfry data. Operators can ask, for example, which sites had the most missed clock-ins last month, where overtime is concentrated this pay period, or which officers have a license or certification expiring in the next 60 days.

Because Belle is built on Belfry's data model for the security industry, it already understands posts, shifts, billable hours, and the other terms operators use, with no setup. Insights that used to take a report request now take a question.

Belfry Recruiting Brings Hiring Into the Same Platform

Belfry Recruiting adds applicant tracking to the platform firms already use to schedule, pay, and manage their officers. Hiring has historically lived in spreadsheets, inboxes, or a separate system disconnected from operations. With Belfry Recruiting, firms can post open roles and distribute them to job boards through Belfry's integration with JobTarget, track candidates in a single pipeline, and move a new hire into onboarding, scheduling, and payroll seamlessly.

About Belfry Software

Belfry Software is the all-in-one operating platform purpose-built for security guard services companies, bringing recruiting, scheduling, timekeeping, payroll, billing, HR, dispatch, and field operations into a single system. Hundreds of security firms across the United States run on Belfry. Learn more at belfrysoftware.com.

SOURCE Belfry

Share this article

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- "My newborn struggled to sleep without nursing. I thought there should be a pacifier that would mimic a mother and her natural scent to help calm and soothe a baby," said an inventor, from Weaver, Ala., "so I invented the NIPLI. My design would give babies unmatched comfort and bonding, even when the mom was not near."

The invention provides a modified pacifier to help soothe a baby. In doing so, it offers an alternative to traditional pacifiers that lack the natural look, feel, and scent of a real nursing experience. As a result, it increases comfort and bonding. It also may reduce separation anxiety. The invention features a unique design that is easy to use so it is ideal for parents with babies. Additionally, a prototype model and technical drawings are available upon request.

The original design was submitted to the Birmingham sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 25-BTK-452, InventHelp, 100 Beecham Drive, Suite 110, Pittsburgh, PA 15205-9801, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

SOURCE InventHelp

Share this article

GREENVILLE, S.C., Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Senior Helpers, the nation's premier provider of in-home senior care services, is the first private duty in-home care provider in the United States to be Age-Friendly Care at Home certified by Community Health Accreditation Partners (CHAP). On August 27, 2026, locally owned Senior Helpers Greenville joined the list of Senior Helpers CHAP Age-Friendly Care at Home Certified locations.

"Senior Helpers' achievement as the pioneering Age-Friendly Care certified home care organization is truly remarkable. Their proactive approach in implementing numerous tools to enhance care for older adults, even before receiving the AFC certification, speaks volumes about their commitment to excellence," said Teresa Harbour, COO of CHAP. "Their use of LIFE Profile to reduce the risk of hospitalizations, their Senior Gems program for dementia care, and their Centers for Excellence for staff training and competency set them up for success, so adding the Age-Friendly Care at Home Certification was a logical next step."

Owner, Brandy Alexander stated, "Age Friendly Care has become part of our team culture and how we approach each client's care plan. This certification is truly a remarkable achievement that is a result of our amazing team's dedication and commitment to be the best in home care."

What is Age-Friendly Care at Home?

The first-of-its-kind certification was created to help meet the demand for high-quality care for older adults and showcases companies that use all-encompassing, person-centered care to address the unique needs of every individual. The focus is on the 4Ms (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility), a research-backed and evidence-based approach to care. To receive the CHAP certification, Senior Helpers Greenville worked to ensure that the 4Ms Framework is an integral part of operations and daily interactions with clients.

- What Matters puts clients at the center of care and empowers them to be involved in goal setting and preferences for their care.

- Medication should be used in an age-friendly way that does not interfere with What Matters to the client.

- Mentation focuses on preventing, identifying, treating, and managing depression and dementia.

- Mobility ensures older adults move safely and maintain function so they can do What Matters to them.

CHAP provides training, certification, and accreditation for senior care providers, ensuring quality and compliance with the highest standards of care using the 4M Framework and other guidelines.

Senior Helpers Elevates Care Standards for Seniors

In addition to the CHAP certification, Senior Helpers Greenville elevates its care for clients through three key programs: the proprietary LIFE Profile assessment tool, the Senior Gems® program, and the Center of Excellence training spaces.

LIFE Profile is a research-based technology tool that uses data to identify a client's risk of being hospitalized.

The Senior Gems® program provides effective strategies for supporting and caring for loved ones from normal aging through late-stage dementia, focusing on what is precious and unique about each senior at each stage.

The Senior Helpers Center of Excellence is a training space designed to simulate a client's home, allowing caregivers to learn and train in a real-world environment and demonstrate their ability to provide the highest quality of care in a client's home.

Senior Helpers Greenville provides in-home care for seniors to help them age in place and live quality lives. They provide personalized care, including chronic disease care, Alzheimer's, dementia and Parkinson's care, transportation, end-of-life care, and more.

To learn more about Senior Helpers Greenville services, visit www.seniorhelpers.com/sc/greenville/.

About Senior Helpers® and Senior Helpers Greenville

Senior Helpers® is the nation's premier provider of in-home senior services ranging from specialized care for those with diseases such as dementia, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's to personal and companion care to help individuals looking for a little assistance with daily activities. Locally owned Senior Helpers Greenville is proud to serve the needs of seniors and their families in the greater Greenville area. Learn more by visiting www.seniorhelpers.com/sc/greenville/ 

About CHAP:

CHAP is an independent, nonprofit organization accrediting providers of home and community-based care. Founded in 1965, CHAP was the first to recognize the need for and value of home and community-based care standards and accreditation. As a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)–approved accrediting organization, CHAP surveys organizations providing home health, hospice, and home medical equipment services to establish if Medicare Conditions of Participation and DMEPOS Quality Standard are met and recommend certification to CMS. CHAP's purpose is to partner with organizations nationwide to advance quality in the delivery of care and services in the home and community.

Lauren Lawder

Director of Marketing

Senior Helpers

[email protected]

SOURCE Senior Helpers

Share this article

Annual National Staffing Employee Week Celebration Kicks Off

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- National Recruiting Consultants' Dr. Aline Milfort, Psy.D., LP, LSP, a licensed school psychologist serving 10 campuses across North Houston, TX, has been named the American Staffing Association 2027 National Staffing Employee of the Year. The program is sponsored by StaffPro 3, a division of PMC Insurance Group.

The announcement marks the start of National Staffing Employee Week, Sept. 14–20, and highlights the achievements of the millions of temporary and contract employees employed by U.S. staffing agencies each year.

After graduating with a doctor of psychology degree in 2022, Dr. Milfort has worked with NRC since 2023, a staffing agency that places professionals in special education departments across school districts. Through her work, she ensures that every child gets the support they need to thrive.

Her work as a contractor for Aldine Independent School District gives her the flexible schedule she needs to pursue her career goals while supporting children, families, and communities.

Dr. Milfort's influence extends beyond the classroom. She co-founded and currently serves as director of marketing for the Black School Psychologists Network; she also received the Texas Association of School Psychologists 2025 Outstanding School Psychologist Award at the doctoral level.

Dr. Milfort also was featured by the National Association of School Psychologists in November 2025 as a standout early career professional; she shared her perspectives on professional self-care, supporting school communities, and preparing for the next generation of school psychologists.

"Aline's story demonstrates how staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions firms provide talented professionals with opportunities to grow their careers while making impacts in their communities," said Stephen Dwyer, president and chief executive officer of ASA. "Every day, outstanding professionals are partnering with staffing firms to sharpen their expertise, demonstrate leadership, and build successful careers."

Dr. Milfort is also the 2027 ASA National Staffing Employee of the Year All-Star for the health care sector. The four other sector-specific All-Stars are

Engineering, IT, and Scientific Sector All-Star

Evan Nedwick

Staffmark Group

Evan Nedwick has built a more than 10-year career with Advantage Technical, a Staffmark Group company, turning a staffing assignment into a career at Ford Motor Co. After beginning his career at a Ford dealership, Nedwick joined Advantage Technical in 2015 on the prior approval team at Ford.

When that position was later eliminated during a restructuring, Advantage Technical helped him transition into a new opportunity that built on his automotive expertise while challenging him to develop new skills. Since 2021, he has worked as a mobile service technician.

Most recently, Nedwick played a key role in Ford Mobile Service's Enhanced Dealer Upfit Program, a next-generation mobile service van capable of performing both oil changes and tire replacements. He served as a technical expert during the pilot—testing tire equipment and helping develop tool kit requirements for technicians. His technical knowledge and collaboration helped contribute to the program's success.

Industrial Sector All-Star

Destiney Woods

Labor Finders International

Destiney Woods knows how to face a challenge head-on—and win. After learning she had cancer, Destiney faced resistance from potential employers who couldn't see past the diagnosis.

"Every job I put in, they said, 'are you disabled?'," Woods said. "I of course was honest and said [I was fighting] cancer, and they wouldn't hire me."

Woods turned to staffing firm Labor Finders, who has placed her in roles that allow her flexibility to work while receiving treatments. According to Labor Finders, "Destiney has looked upon every assignment as a way to prove she could beat not only cancer, but also those who had doubted her value." Her incredible work ethic and attitude have resulted in a list of clients asking for her to return.

"Labor Finders has given me hope, has given me my life back," Woods said. "I have me back."

Office–Administrative Sector

Faith Ngana

JOHNLEONARD

Faith Ngana used temporary staffing to break into the U.S. legal profession. Despite her prior legal experience and master of laws (LL.M.) degree from Boston University School of Law, Ngana was having a difficult time finding a role that would provide her with the work-life balance to both study for the bar exam and visit her family in Kenya.

By partnering with JOHNLEONARD, she found work as a paralegal for the Massachusetts Advocacy for Children organization. Ngana has now passed the Massachusetts bar exam on her first attempt and will soon be sworn in as a lawyer in the Bay State.

Professional–Managerial Sector

Stephanie Jerrell

Matern Staffing

By working with a staffing agency, Stephanie Jerrell gained an internship that led to a full-time job. After graduating in May 2025 with a degree in marketing and a minor in communications and digital studies, Jerrell had a difficult time finding the right fit at the right job; the number of job offers for recent college graduates had declined by nearly 32% since 2022..

Jerrell turned to Matern Staffing, who helped her get her foot in the door as an intern with a public utility company. Jerrell took advantage of the opportunity, quickly excelling at creating social media copy and developing email campaigns and Amazon Marketplace strategies. At the end of her internship, she was offered a full-time position and now serves as a brand content specialist.

Contact:

Megan Sweeney

[email protected]

SOURCE American Staffing Association

Share this article

Expanded Services Give Clients More Flexible and Personalized Ways to Support How They Feel, Function and Age

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Prime IV Hydration & Wellness, the nation's leading IV therapy franchise, is expanding its menu of advanced wellness services with Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) and Niagen®, now available at select locations, giving clients even more personalized ways to support hormone health, cellular energy, recovery, healthy aging and overall well-being.

"Our mission at Prime IV has always been to help people feel their best through personalized, medically guided wellness solutions," said Amy Neary, Founder and CEO of Prime IV Hydration & Wellness. "With the addition of BHRT and Niagen, we're expanding the ways we can support our clients with more precision, more flexibility, and more innovative tools to help them improve how they feel, function and age."

The service additions build on Prime IV's continued commitment to bringing science-backed, medically guided wellness solutions to local communities through innovative treatments tailored to individual health goals.

A More Personalized Approach To Wellness

Each new offering is designed to meet clients at different points in their wellness journey.

BHRT is a physician-guided, symptom-driven bioidentical hormone program designed to help restore how the body functions, not just normalize lab values. Prime IV's program uses compounded bioidentical hormones that are molecularly identical to those naturally produced by the body and delivered through a 100% USDA Certified Organic, solvent-free topical base for rapid absorption with minimized risk of transfer.

The program includes an initial consultation, personalized treatment planning, ongoing provider access, and continued optimization to help address symptoms commonly associated with hormonal imbalance, such as fatigue, mood changes, sleep disruption, brain fog, low libido, weight changes, and decreased vitality. Because hormone health looks different for everyone, Prime IV offers tailored membership options for both men and women, each designed to support the symptoms most commonly linked to their respective hormonal changes, including perimenopause and menopause in women and andropause in men.

Energy, Clarity and Healthy Aging with Niagen®

Niagen® represents the next evolution in NAD+ therapy. Rather than delivering NAD+ directly, Niagen supports the body's natural production of NAD+ through nicotinamide riboside, a patented form of vitamin B3 that the body converts into NAD+ through natural cellular pathways. Niagen is designed to support cellular energy, mental clarity, healthy aging, metabolism, and recovery, with additional advantages including shorter infusion times, a more comfortable infusion experience, and compatibility with a wide range of micronutrient therapies.

Prime IV now offers Niagen in flexible delivery formats, including IV infusions, injections, and IV add-ons, empowering clients to customize their experience based on their goals.

As consumer demand continues to grow for proactive, personalized health solutions, Prime IV is focused on evolving its service offerings to meet a wide range of wellness needs through a premium, client-centered experience.

Prime IV currently operates more than 215 locations nationwide, with over 315 franchises sold across 42 states. From IV therapy and micronutrient injections to advanced wellness services like BHRT and Niagen, Prime IV continues to set a new standard for personalized wellness in a spa-like, medically guided setting.

For more information about Prime IV Hydration & Wellness or to find a location near you, visit www.primeivhydration.com.

About Prime IV Hydration & Wellness

Founded in 2017 by Amy Neary, Prime IV Hydration & Wellness is a nationally recognized, award-winning wellness franchise with more than 215 open locations nationwide. Prime IV offers personalized IV therapy, micronutrient injections, and NAD+ therapy in an elevated, spa-like setting, with Niagen®, peptide therapy, lab testing, and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy available at select locations. Ranked No. 1 in the IV Therapy category by Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 for three consecutive years from 2024 through 2026 and named to the Inc. 5000 in 2024, 2025 and 2026, Prime IV is recognized for its growth and leadership in the wellness industry. Through medically guided, personalized programs, Prime IV supports clients' goals related to hydration, energy, recovery, cellular health, healthy aging, and overall well-being, helping them look, feel, and perform their best.

SOURCE Prime IV Hydration & Wellness

Share this article

Storiad and Bitta AI Partner to Turn Books Into Interactive Marketing and Sales Assets

New partnership gives authors and publishers a new way to engage prospective readers, demonstrate the value of their books, and create new opportunities to generate book sales

CHARLESTON, S.C., Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Storiad, the Author Marketing Operating System for published authors, and Bitta AI, creator of the Living Book, today announced a strategic partnership designed to give authors and publishers a new economic tool for marketing and selling books.

Through the partnership, eligible Storiad authors and publishers will be able to transform their book into an AI-powered Living Book, creating an interactive experience that allows prospective readers to engage directly with the book before deciding whether to buy it.

Unlike traditional book marketing assets such as advertisements, excerpts, reviews, and social media posts, a Living Book gives a prospective reader an opportunity to experience the book itself.

A nonfiction reader might ask questions about an author's ideas, practice a sales or negotiation technique described in the book, or apply the author's methodology to a real-world situation.

A fiction reader can interact with characters and explore elements of the author's story universe.

The result is a new kind of book-marketing asset: one that does more than describe the book. It lets the reader experience the book.

Creating More Economic Value From Every Book

Authors invest significant time and money creating, publishing, and marketing their books. Yet most book-marketing tools operate outside the book itself.

The Storiad and Bitta partnership is intended to change that.

A Living Book can become a reusable marketing asset that authors can incorporate into their existing promotional campaigns, websites, social media, email marketing, publicity efforts, presentations, and other reader-outreach activities.

Instead of simply asking a prospective reader to buy a book, authors can give that reader a reason to experience the book first.

That creates a potentially valuable new step between awareness and purchase.

See a book → Interact with the book →

Experience the value of the book → Buy the book.

For authors selling knowledge-based books, the economic opportunity may be particularly significant. A book about leadership, sales, negotiation, business, personal development, or other practical subjects can demonstrate its value by allowing a prospective reader to actually use the author's ideas.

For fiction authors, the opportunity is different but equally compelling: an interactive experience can create a deeper connection with a book's characters and world, potentially turning a passive book sample into an active reader experience.

From Book Marketing to Book Engagement

More than 250,000 new titles are released in the United States each year, creating an enormous challenge for authors trying to capture attention and convert that attention into sales.

Traditional marketing gives authors limited opportunities to demonstrate what makes a book worth buying.

A Living Book introduces another option.

Readers can:

Talk to the book

Ask questions about passages and explore the author's ideas.

Practice with the book

Apply concepts and methods from the book to realistic situations.

Bring their own situation

Use their own information or circumstances to explore how the author's framework applies.

Step inside the story

For fiction, interact with characters and explore the author's story world.

Create a reader relationship

Reader interactions can provide authors with insights into what readers are asking about and where they are engaging with the material.

That last element is particularly important to Storiad.

"The economics of book marketing are pretty simple," said Ramzi S. Hajj, Founder and CEO of Storiad. "Authors spend money and time trying to get people to notice their books, understand their books, and ultimately buy their books. A Living Book gives them something fundamentally different. Instead of just telling someone why they should buy a book, we can give them a way to experience the book before they buy it."

A New Asset for the Author Marketing OS

Storiad was built around a straightforward objective: helping authors plan, execute, and manage the marketing of their books.

The partnership with Bitta expands the types of assets authors can use within that process.

A Living Book can potentially be incorporated into multiple stages of a Storiad marketing campaign, including:

- Lead generation

- Author websites

- Email campaigns

- Social media

- Publicity

- Media outreach

- Book launches

- Reader engagement

- Book promotion campaigns

This creates an opportunity for authors to get more economic value from a single piece of intellectual property: their book.

"The book has always been the author's primary product," said Siyuan Guo, CEO of Bitta AI. "We're creating a way for that product to become interactive. The goal is not to replace the book. It is to give readers another way to discover its value."

See the Living Book in Action

A Living Book goes beyond a traditional excerpt or sample chapter.

A nonfiction reader can ask questions about the author's ideas, practice concepts from the book, or apply the author's methodology to a real-world situation. For fiction, readers can eventually interact with characters and explore elements of the author's story world.

Watch a Living Book demonstration:

The Opportunity for Authors and Publishers

The partnership is initially focused on nonfiction titles that teach a skill, with fiction applications following.

Authors and publishers interested in participating can register for the Bitta AI release through Storiad:

https://bitta.ai/partners/storiad

Participating authors will be on-boarded as Living Book experiences become available.

About Storiad

Storiad is the first Author Marketing Operating System, built to help published authors plan, execute, and manage the entire lifecycle of marketing a book in one place.

Storiad combines marketing planning, campaign management, AI-powered assistance, author marketing tools, and a database of more than 50,000 media contacts, reviewers, and influencers.

Founded by Ramzi S. Hajj and headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, Storiad's mission is simple: help authors sell more books.

Learn more at www.storiad.com.

About Bitta AI

Bitta AI is the home of the Living Book, a new interactive format that allows readers to converse with, practice with, and learn from books and other written content.

Bitta's technology transforms books, textbooks, and methodologies into interactive experiences designed to deepen reader engagement while providing insights back to authors.

Bitta AI is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Learn more at www.bitta.ai.

Media Contacts

Ramzi S. Hajj

Founder & CEO, Storiad, Inc.

[email protected]

Siyuan Guo

CEO, Bitta AI

[email protected]

SOURCE Storiad, Inc.

Share this article

Record 2Q 2026 WLAN Shipments Drive Market to Double-Digit Growth

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recently published report from Dell'Oro Group, the trusted source for market information about the telecommunications, security, networks, and data center industries, vendors sold over 10 billion Access Points (APs) in 2Q 2026, setting an industry-wide record for the volume of AP shipments.

"WLAN average selling prices (ASPs) increased only moderately, while AP shipments soared," said Siân Morgan, Senior Director at Dell'Oro Group. "Enterprises have squeezed in orders before prices rise further. We expect ASPs to rise throughout the year, reflecting the growing cost of memory components due to the AI build-out."

"Sales of Wi-Fi 7 accounted for over half the market in 2Q26. We expect to see some revenue from Wi-Fi 8 as early as next year, but Wi-Fi 7 adoption will continue to rise into 2028," added Morgan.

Additional highlights from the 2Q 2026 Wireless LAN Quarterly Report:

- With the shortage of memory components still not resolved, we expect prices to continue rising, and equipment lead times to be variable in a supply-driven market.

- Vendors shipped the highest number of access points with multi-gig and 10 Gbps interfaces ever.

- The WLAN market grew by double digits across all regions, with the highest growth in Europe.

- Revenue from Outdoor APs has outpaced the market for 7 of the last 8 quarters.

About the Reports

The Dell'Oro Group Wireless LAN Quarterly Report offers complete, in-depth coverage of the Enterprise Outdoor and Indoor markets, Wireless LAN Controllers and Licenses, with tables containing manufacturers' revenue, average selling prices, and unit shipments by the following wireless standards: 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7), 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6 and 6E [6 GHz]), 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) Wave 1 vs. Wave 2, 802.11n, and historic IEEE 802.11 standards. The Enterprise market is segmented by Public Cloud vs. Premises and Private Cloud deployments, by geographic region, and by ten Vertical markets.  To purchase these reports, please contact us by email at [email protected].

About Dell'Oro Group

Dell'Oro Group is a market research firm that specializes in strategic competitive analysis in the telecommunications, security, enterprise networks, and data center infrastructure markets. Our firm provides in-depth quantitative data and qualitative analysis to facilitate critical, fact-based business decisions.  For more information, contact Dell'Oro Group at +1.650.622.9400 or visit www.delloro.com.

SOURCE Dell'Oro Group

Share this article

NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- KPS Capital Partners, LP ("KPS") announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its portfolio company Metra (the "Company") to Grupa Kęty S.A. ("Grupa Kęty", WSE: KTY), a Warsaw-listed Polish industrial group operating in the global aluminum extrusion, architectural and sun protection systems, and flexible packaging industries, for €645 million. Completion of the transaction is expected in the first quarter of 2027 and is subject to customary closing conditions and approvals.

Metra is a leading global, vertically integrated manufacturer of extruded aluminum profiles and related value-added services, including painting, oxidation, machining, welding and assembly. The Company offers a full range of extruded aluminum profiles, which are used primarily in rail, industrial and building & construction end-markets across Europe and North America. Metra is headquartered in Rodengo Saiano, Italy, and has nine global manufacturing facilities and approximately 1,400 employees.

KPS acquired Metra in July 2021. KPS and Metra's management team successfully transformed the Company into a leading, global aluminum extrusion solutions provider by capitalizing on its extensive technical, operational and value-added services capabilities. Metra's management team successfully executed an aggressive organic and inorganic growth strategy to expand in high-growth geographies and end-markets including rail, energy distribution and building & construction. Under KPS' ownership, the Company made significant investments in the Metra platform, including completing five highly synergistic add-on acquisitions, investing in new press and value-added services capabilities and manufacturing capacity expansions, and instilling a culture of operational excellence throughout the Company's global operations.

Pierre de Villeméjane, a Partner and Co-Head of KPS Mid-Cap Investments, said, "The success of our investment in Metra exemplifies KPS' investment strategy of seeing value where others do not, buying right and making businesses better, across economic and business cycles, geographies and industries. We are proud of Metra's extraordinary transformation under our ownership. Metra demonstrates our ability to partner with world-class management teams to build industry-leading manufacturing companies on a global basis. We view the Company's success as a direct result of KPS' commitment to, and investment in, Metra's operations, strategic growth initiatives and its people."

Mr. de Villeméjane added, "We congratulate and thank Enrico Zampedri, Metra's Chief Executive Officer, along with the Company's senior leadership team and the entire organization, for their strategic vision and tremendous execution, which resulted in the Company's significant value creation under our ownership. Metra is well-positioned for continued growth and industry leadership under Grupa Kęty's ownership."

Enrico Zampedri added, "Our partnership with KPS was exceptional. KPS recognized the underlying potential of Metra and actively supported the entire leadership team through a significant business transformation over the past five years. Under KPS' ownership, Metra improved its market positioning in the extrusion sector by investing material resources in our workforce and operations, focusing on manufacturing excellence and providing world-class product quality and support to our customer base. We thank our customers, suppliers and employees for their contributions to our success. Metra expects to continue its positive trajectory as an integral part of Grupa Kęty. On behalf of the entire Metra management team, we are extremely excited about Metra's future under Grupa Kęty's ownership. This combination will provide additional scale, technical depth, value-added services capabilities and a broader global footprint to allow the combined Company to better serve our customers. We are eager to embark on our next chapter of growth with the Grupa Kęty team."

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as legal counsel and BofA Securities and Barclays Capital Inc. served as financial advisors to KPS and Metra.

About Metra

Metra is a global, vertically integrated manufacturer of extruded aluminum profiles and related value-added services, including painting, oxidation, machining, welding and assembly.  The Company offers a full range of extruded aluminum profiles, which are used primarily in rail, industrial and building & construction end-markets across Europe and North America.  Metra is headquartered in Rodengo Saiano, Italy, with nine global manufacturing facilities and has approximately 1,400 employees.  More information can be found at www.metra.eu/en.

About KPS Capital Partners, LP

KPS, through its affiliated management entities, is the manager of the KPS Special Situations Funds, a family of investment funds with approximately $19.1 billion of assets under management (as of June 30, 2026).  For over three decades, the Partners of KPS have worked vigorously to realize significant capital appreciation by making controlling equity investments in manufacturing and industrial companies across a diverse array of industries, including basic materials, branded consumer, healthcare and luxury products, automotive parts, capital equipment and general manufacturing.  KPS seeks to create value for its investors by working constructively with talented management teams to make businesses better, and generate investment returns by structurally improving the strategic position, competitiveness and profitability of its portfolio companies, rather than primarily relying on financial leverage.  The KPS Funds' portfolio companies currently generate aggregate annual revenues of approximately $26.1 billion, operate 277 manufacturing facilities in 25 countries, and have approximately 62,000 employees, directly and through joint ventures worldwide (as of June 30, 2026).  The KPS investment strategy and portfolio companies are described in detail at www.kpsfund.com.

KPS Mid-Cap targets the same type of investment opportunities and utilizes the same investment strategy that KPS' flagship funds have employed for over three decades. KPS Mid-Cap aims to leverage and benefit from KPS' global platform, reputation, track record, infrastructure, best practices, knowledge and experience. The KPS Mid-Cap investment team is managed by Partners Pierre de Villeméjane and Ryan Harrison, who lead a team of experienced and talented professionals.

About Grupa Kęty S.A.

Headquartered in Kety, Poland, Grupa Kęty is a publicly-listed leading producer of aluminum profiles and components across a variety of applications like facade systems, doors and windows, internal structures, external aluminum roller shutters, and roller gates for construction markets. It also produces and sells pergolas, external blinds, awnings, reflex screens, and sunbreakers in addition to printed flexible packaging and BOPP films for food manufacturers and other sectors. Founded in 1953, Grupa Kęty was formerly known as Zaklady Metali Lekkich 'Kęty' and changed its name to Grupa Kęty S.A. in 2000.  Further information is available at https://grupakety.com.

Disclaimer 

Past performance is not indicative of future results. There can be no assurance that KPS or any of its funds or investments will achieve their objectives or avoid significant losses. 

Certain statements herein reflect the opinions of KPS as of the date hereof and are based on a variety of assumptions and estimates that are subject to various risks and change. There is no guarantee that such opinions will be realized.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements", including statements regarding the contemplated transaction. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "potential," "seek," "should," "think," "will," "would" and similar expressions, or they may use future dates. Forward-looking statements in this document include, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's expectations as to the completion, timing and anticipated impacts of the contemplated transaction. These forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions, risks and uncertainties that may change at any time, and readers are therefore cautioned that actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, among other things: the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the definitive agreement or could otherwise cause the transaction contemplated herein to fail to close; the inability of the Company, KPS or Grupa Kęty to satisfy the conditions to closing; and other risks and uncertainties. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as expressly required by law. All forward-looking statements in this document are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

Statements By Portfolio Company Executives 

Certain statements about KPS made by portfolio company executives herein are intended to illustrate KPS' business relationship with such persons, including with respect to KPS' abilities as a business partner, rather than KPS' capabilities or expertise with respect to investment advisory services.  Portfolio company executives were not compensated in connection with the communication of such statements, although they generally receive compensation and investment opportunities in connection with their portfolio company roles, and in certain cases are also owners of portfolio company securities and/or investors in KPS-sponsored vehicles.

FOTON Showcases Its Full Product Portfolio in Hannover, Advancing a New Model for the Global Expansion of China's Commercial Vehicle Value Chain

BEIJING, Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 14, IAA TRANSPORTATION 2026 opened in Hannover. BAIC FOTON presented complete vehicles and self-developed components, with several overseas debuts. It shared its European strategy, global milestones and new flagship products, moving from traditional exports to a full-value-chain international model.

13 Million Vehicles Delivered, Marking a New Milestone in FOTON's Global Development

BAIC FOTON delivered its 13 millionth vehicle worldwide—the GALAXUS 9, tested in Spain—marking progress in Europe's premium long-haul market. FOTON operates in over 140 countries. Its 2030 targets: new energy 50% of sales and international sales 40%. Europe is a key hub. Under "In Europe, For Europe," FOTON focuses on localized products, ecosystem capabilities and partnerships. It offers battery electric, hybrid and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles—heavy trucks, buses, light commercial vehicles and pickups. It plans a localized new-energy ecosystem, sales in nearly 20 European markets, 300+ service outlets, a German parts center and local assembly by 2028. Its BROCK subsidiary supports connected services.

CAVAN BEACON Makes Its Global Debut, Setting A New Benchmark For Zero-Carbon Intelligent Heavy-Duty Trunk Transport

CAVAN BEACON, a zero-carbon intelligent long-haul heavy truck, debuted globally. Its platform supports 15 variants across battery electric, battery swapping, gaseous and liquid hydrogen. Megawatt fast charging reaches 20–80% in 18 minutes; electric range exceeds 600 km; hydrogen range exceeds 1,000 km. It features ICA/HWP driver assistance, 22 functions and readiness for Level 4. Energy consumption drops 15%; the 6×4 electric uses 115 kWh/100 km. The cab adds comfort, AI voice assistant, dual screens and a 1,000 mm sleeper berth.

A Full Product Lineup On Display, Showcasing FOTON's Technological Capabilities From Multiple Perspectives

FOTON displayed seven vehicles—GALAXUS R9 PHEV, CAVAN BEACON, eGALAXUS D3, DAYSTAR, CAVAN C1, TUNLAND V9 PHEV, eAURORA—and six key components, including batteries, e-controls, e-axles and megawatt charging. The lineup covers multiple powertrains and global scenarios.

As the industry transforms, BAIC FOTON advances internationalization, new energy and intelligent development, aiming to become a world-class commercial vehicle company.

Share this article