Opkey Launches Design Studio for ERP Implementation Planning
Opkey introduced Design Studio, an AI‑driven module within its application lifecycle automation platform that streamlines ERP and HCM implementation planning. The visual canvas embeds more than 20 domain‑specific AI agents to automate discovery, requirements capture, process mapping, and configuration design. Early adopters report up to 50% faster Oracle and Workday project timelines thanks to reduced manual effort and enhanced traceability. Integrators receive a dedicated Argus instance, allowing them to train the agents on proprietary methods while keeping data isolated.
Nasdaq Leads a Rocky Risk-On Rally: Stock Market Today
The Nasdaq Composite posted the strongest advance among U.S. indexes, rising 0.8% as risk‑on sentiment persisted amid solid earnings and encouraging economic data. Federal Reserve officials remain divided on rates, while housing starts jumped 6.2% to a five‑month high and...
Every Trend Looks the Same in a Dashboard (Until You Zoom Out)
The article argues that standard post‑level dashboards flatten very different content behaviors—short‑term spikes, campaign arcs, and compounding formats—into identical metrics, leading marketers to chase fleeting reach. By grouping content by theme, intent, or format and evaluating it over weeks or...
The Rise of the Experience Brand Marketer
Experience brand marketers focus on selling feelings, memories and milestones rather than tangible products. Leaders like Sydney Zoo and Luna Park use hyper‑personalisation to create multigenerational connections. Content becomes the primary vehicle for repositioning, seasonality, endorsements and relationship building. This...
Airbnb Tests Loyalty Benefits. Chesky Says Program ‘Could Be a Massive Accelerant’
Airbnb has begun testing a suite of loyalty‑program benefits that avoid traditional points structures, signaling a strategic shift toward more personalized guest incentives. The company previously explored a “Superguest” program but never launched it, and now it is evaluating models...
Generative AI Reduces M&A Costs by 20%, McKinsey Says
McKinsey reports that generative AI has slashed M&A costs by roughly 20% and accelerated deal timelines by 10% to 30%. The technology enables faster target identification, due diligence, and integration, especially amid geopolitical and supply‑chain disruptions. Bain finds one in...
Why Hiring Has Slowed Without Mass Layoffs
White‑collar job openings in the United States have slowed sharply, falling about 15% year‑over‑year, even as mass layoffs remain limited. Professor Peter Cappelli attributes the cooling to investor‑driven cost‑cutting, lingering economic uncertainty, and a surge of AI washing that inflates...
It’s “Grow-Time” For Omnicom Group And Its Customers
The episode examines Omnicom Group’s post‑IPG acquisition landscape, highlighting its expanded scale, lingering operational hurdles, and the strategic opportunities it presents for CMOs. It outlines three growth levers: leveraging Omnicom’s AI investments to offset martech costs, revitalizing creative output through...
Arista Hints at In-the-Works Telemetry Tools to Manage AI Fabrics
Arista Networks announced extensions to its telemetry stack aimed at AI‑driven environments, adding host‑level data such as RDMA counters, NIC buffering, and flow‑control metrics to its CloudVision platform. The new capabilities will merge in‑network and host telemetry into a single,...
Albertsons Outlines Top 4 AI Priorities
Albertsons announced four AI priorities for fiscal 2026—digital customer experience, merchandising, labor, and supply chain—backed by a full cloud migration and unified data platform. Chief technology officer Anuj Dhanda emphasized these are long‑term investments already delivering measurable impact, such as...
2026 Global Bond Credit Outlook: Q&A
European investment‑grade credit remains resilient in early 2026 despite a 2% YoY dip in EBITDA growth and modest leverage creep. Interest‑coverage ratios have stabilised and rating upgrades in Spain and Italy bolster the sector’s outlook. Spreads have tightened to historic...
‘Mass Layoffs’ at PeaceHealth Include Hospice Staff
PeaceHealth announced a systemwide reduction of 94 positions, affecting less than 1% of its Washington workforce and including hospice staff, nurse practitioners, and administrative roles. The cuts trigger Washington's WARN Act, requiring a 60‑day notice before mass layoffs. This is...
Forest Lawn Builds an Integrated Procure-to-Pay Backbone by Connecting Vroozi, NetSuite, and Shopify
Forest Lawn Memorial Parks & Mortuaries has built a fully integrated procure-to-pay backbone by linking Vroozi’s procurement platform with NetSuite ERP and Shopify e‑commerce. The integration automates inventory replenishment, accounts payable, and even service procurement, allowing real‑time updates across systems....
Why Leaders Are Putting a Renewed Focus on PTO Policies
A new WTW survey shows 73% of U.S. employers will enhance paid‑leave programs within two years. Leaders cite employee experience, talent attraction, and retention as primary drivers. Caregiver leave is projected to jump from 22% to 39%, while parental and...
Yu-Lan Chan: An Operational Gun Who Keeps ACT Government Wheels Turning
Yu‑Lan Chan, a senior public servant in the Australian Capital Territory, is portrayed as an "operational gun" who ensures the government’s daily functions run smoothly. She attributes her ascent to curiosity and a willingness to join high‑performing teams rather than...
Intel Turns To Microsoft’s Copilot Studio For Partner Support After Dialing Back Phone Use
Intel is launching "Ask Intel," an AI‑driven virtual assistant built on Microsoft’s Copilot Studio, to handle customer and partner support after scaling back phone and social‑media channels. The assistant can open cases, verify warranties and route complex issues to human...
Judge Rejects FTC's Emergency Bid To Spare Merger Rule
A Texas federal judge denied the Federal Trade Commission’s emergency request to extend a seven‑day pause on its order that dismantles a sweeping pre‑merger reporting rule. The FTC now has until Thursday to seek relief from the Fifth Circuit Court...
SEC Proposes Amendments to Reduce Burdens in Reporting of Fund Portfolio Holdings
The SEC has proposed amendments to Form N‑PORT that give investment companies an extra 15 days to file their monthly portfolio reports and shift public disclosure from a monthly to a quarterly cadence. The changes also eliminate the “Names Rule”...
Well-Regarded Public Finance Banker, Don Backstrom, Dead at 84
Don Backstrom, co‑founder of the municipal advisory firm Backstrom McCarley Berry & Co., died at 84 from cancer. He launched the Los Angeles‑based firm on his 61st birthday in 2002 and served as managing director through July 2025, then part‑time until his death. Backstrom’s career spanned...
Google Teams Up with CTC Global for Grid Intelligence
Google Cloud and Alphabet’s moonshot project Tapestry have deepened their partnership with CTC Global to launch GridVista, an observability platform that embeds optical‑fiber sensors in transmission conductors. The system delivers real‑time strain, temperature and vibration data, feeding it into Google...
Recurring Revenue Strategies for the AI Business Era
The article examines how AI’s high variable costs are reshaping recurring‑revenue models, moving firms away from flat‑rate SaaS subscriptions toward hybrid, usage‑based, and outcome‑based pricing. It cites McKinsey data showing 50% of firms plan AI adoption and highlights that 72%...
Northeast Issuers Juggle Crumbling Infrastructure, Increasing Costs
Northeast public issuers are grappling with crumbling infrastructure, rising construction costs and a wave of federal funding cuts. Tariffs and buy‑American requirements are inflating bus purchases for NJ Transit, while the Gateway tunnel project remains stalled after a $205 million funding...
Sumo Logic Moves Into Sovereign Cloud Regions in Europe
Sumo Logic announced the extension of its cloud‑native analytics platform into the AWS European Sovereign Cloud and an AWS data center in Switzerland. The move lets customers keep logs, telemetry, and security data within national borders, satisfying GDPR and other...
Spirent Luma Brings Agentic AI to Network Testing, Slashes Triage Time
Spirent Communications, now part of Keysight, launched Luma, an agentic AI platform that automates network test case generation, root‑cause analysis, and knowledge retrieval. Built on a domain‑specific knowledge graph, deterministic rule engine and a suite of 10‑12 specialized AI agents,...
Telecom Joint Venture To Pay $2.7B For UK Fiber Company
InfraVia Capital Partners, Telefónica and Liberty Global, through their Nexfibre joint venture, announced a $2.7 billion acquisition of Substantial Group, the United Kingdom’s second‑largest alternative fiber provider. The deal merges private‑equity capital with telecom expertise to expand Nexfibre’s footprint in the...
Reddit Shares Insight Into Rising World Cup Discussion
Reddit reports that World Cup chatter has already generated over 77 million U.S. views of the term “FIFA World Cup,” with conversation tripling compared to last year. The platform ranks as the fifth‑most‑googled term in the United States and the top‑cited...
Op-Ed: How Canada and Mexico Can Align a Critical Minerals Strategy
Canada and Mexico are drafting a joint action plan on critical minerals, infrastructure and supply chains, slated for release in the second half of 2026. The framework targets non‑geological bottlenecks such as permitting, transport corridors, power supply, processing capacity and...
Funding Floodgates Open for Gold Miners as Record Prices Inspire Cash Avalanche
Gold has surged to a record $5,000 per ounce, unleashing unprecedented cash flows into the mining sector. The rally enabled a $639 million takeover of Magnetic Resources by Genesis Minerals and a $175 million placement for Horizon Minerals, underscoring a wave of...
Snowflake CEO: ‘I’m Not In The Business Of Selling AI. I’m In The Business Of Creating Value.’
Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy told CRN that the company’s focus is on creating customer value, not merely selling AI. He highlighted the rapid expansion of Snowflake’s partner ecosystem to more than 14,200 global partners, a 22% year‑over‑year increase. Ramaswamy emphasized...
How to Build a Due Diligence Habit That Strengthens Every Decision You Make
The article reframes due diligence as a daily habit rather than a one‑off exercise for big deals, using a used‑car purchase as a relatable example. It outlines a repeatable framework—define what you’re buying, inspect fundamentals, verify claims, and secure documentation—before...
Snowflake Partners: AI’s Impact Can Withstand A Potential Bubble
Snowflake’s ecosystem of solution partners says AI’s impact will endure despite concerns of a bubble. Executives from BlueCloud, RiskSpan, Viewnear and Slalom stress that solid data foundations and cost‑driven efficiencies are essential for sustainable AI adoption. They note a shift...
Outcome-Based Business Models Gain Traction In The Channel As A Way To Navigate AI Economics
Solution providers are abandoning hourly billing in favor of outcome‑based models as AI automation turns software development into a commodity. Eduardo Ramos founded Viewnear to align pricing with measurable client results, leveraging Snowflake’s data platform and AI tools. RiskSpan and...
Brand and Company Name Normalization Rules and Best Practices
Company name normalization is a foundational step for clean GTM data, especially as AI amplifies the cost of poor quality. The article outlines practical rules—removing special characters, legal suffixes, standardizing case, extracting domains—and shows how Payfit cut duplicate records from...
Fremantle UK Taps BBC Studios as People Director
Fremantle UK has created a People Director position and appointed Lisa Hardy, formerly of BBC Studios, to lead it starting March. Hardy is known for shaping culture across large, diverse media teams and will now drive the company’s people and...
Sun Chemical Taps SNP’s Kyano Platform to Drive Global SAP S/4HANA Transformation
Sun Chemical, a global inks and materials producer, has chosen SNP’s Kyano platform to steer its worldwide SAP S/4HANA migration and shift to SAP Cloud ERP Private. The initiative will merge more than 60 regional ERP instances into a single,...
N.I.H. Director Will Temporarily Run C.D.C. in Leadership Shake-Up
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the current NIH director, has been named acting director of the CDC, a role he will hold while continuing to lead the National Institutes of Health. He replaces Jim O’Neill, who is slated for a nomination to...
Liberty Global Nets Broadband Momentum
Liberty Global reported that its core European operators—Virgin Media O2, VodafoneZiggo and Telenet—delivered full‑year guidance despite tough competition in Q4 2025. Virgin Media O2 expanded its full‑fibre footprint to 8.3 million premises and improved broadband net losses to 16,700. VodafoneZiggo posted...
Scope Ratings Seeks Distinction by Incorporating Europe's Differences
Scope Ratings became the first European rating agency approved under the ECB's Eurosystem Credit Assessment Framework, allowing its ratings to be used as collateral in monetary‑policy operations. The firm differentiates itself by embedding the EU’s fragmented legal and market environments...
Scripps Hires Oliver Gray to VP, Network Sports & Client Partnerships
The E.W. Scripps Company announced the appointment of Oliver Gray, a former Overtime executive, as Vice President of Network Sports and Client Partnerships. Gray will oversee national advertiser relationships for Scripps Sports and collaborate with sales and programming teams to...
Omnicom Swings to $941M Q4 Loss After Closing IPG Deal
Omnicom reported a $941.1 million GAAP loss for Q4 2025, the first quarter after completing its $15 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group. Revenue surged 27.9% year‑over‑year to $5.5 billion, and adjusted EBITA reached $928.9 million with a 16.8% margin. The company doubled its cost‑synergy goal...
Krungsri Eyes Extra B100bn in SME Loans
Bank of Ayudhya (Krungsri) announced a plan to add 100 billion baht in SME loans over the next four years, lifting its total SME portfolio to 350 billion baht. The initiative pairs soft‑loan financing with ESG education and advisory, targeting high‑growth sectors...
AI Connected to Slightly More Hiring, but Growth Favors Older Workers with Less Exposure
Payroll data from Gusto shows that small businesses that increase AI‑exposed work see modest revenue gains and a slight rise in hiring. For every 10‑point boost in AI exposure, monthly revenue climbs about 2.2% after six months, while headcount grows...
Ace Reports 9.9% Revenue Increase in Q4 2025
Ace Hardware posted record Q4 2025 revenue of $2.5 billion, a 9.9% year‑over‑year increase, while full‑year revenue reached $10 billion, up 5.8%. Net income slipped, falling $9.6 million in the quarter and $20.7 million for the year due to asset impairments and shutdown costs. The...
ECL Targets AI Data Centers with Fuel-Agnostic Power Platform
ECL unveiled FlexGrid, a power‑agnostic platform that lets modular data centers draw electricity from hydrogen, natural gas, renewables or diesel. The system is designed for AI training and inferencing workloads, allowing operators to start with modest 2‑10 MW grid connections and...
Why District Leaders Are Rethinking Education Research and Policy
District leaders are confronting tighter budgets and limited margins for error, prompting a shift toward embedding education research and development (R&D) directly into district operations. Initiatives like Digital Promise's League of Innovative Schools provide real‑time data tools and collaborative networks...
NewCo Boom Shows No Signs of Slowing
The NewCo model, where Asian biotech assets are spun out into Western start‑ups backed by Western capital, surged in 2025 with 13 new companies—more than double the six disclosed in 2024. Early 2026 already sees three additional launches, including Kidswell...
TC Energy Forecasts Natural Gas Demand Surge Equivalent to Entire European Market
TC Energy projects North American natural‑gas demand will rise by 45 Bcf/d by 2035, a volume comparable to the entire European market. The surge is attributed to accelerating LNG exports, expanding power‑generation capacity, and heightened reliability requirements for distribution utilities. Midwest...
Corpus Christi to Tap Future Bond Proceeds for Water Project Costs
The Corpus Christi City Council approved a resolution to tap up to $410 million in future water revenue bonds, slated for issuance as late as 2027, to reimburse current cash outlays for critical water‑supply projects. The plan funds a $175 million containerized...
PFM Partners up with DebtBook
PFM announced a partnership with DebtBook to embed artificial‑intelligence capabilities into public‑sector treasury operations, leveraging PFM's Synario financial‑modeling platform alongside DebtBook's debt‑management suite. The alliance aims to automate cash‑flow, leasing and investment tracking, freeing municipal finance teams to focus on...
‘The Future Is About Fixing Business Problems:’ New Charter CEO On AI‑Native MSP Strategy
New Charter Technologies is reshaping the managed services provider (MSP) model by embedding AI into its core operations, turning reactive support into automated, self‑healing processes. The company recently hired Microsoft veteran Michelle Curtis as chief revenue officer to drive a...