Category technology

Alliance extended to combine Parallels RAS and 10ZiG innovations to simplify virtual app and desktop delivery across hybrid environments

PHOENIX and AUSTIN, Texas – May 8, 2026 – 10ZiG® Technology, a leading provider of thin and zero client hardware and software solutions for VDI, DaaS, and web application environments, and Parallels, a global leader in virtualization and end-user computing (EUC) solutions, today announced an expanded partnership to help organizations simplify secure application and desktop delivery, reduce total cost of ownership (TCO), and improve management across distributed work environments.

This expanded collaboration builds on the recently announced expansion of the 10ZiG Ready technology partner program, which strengthens technology alignment across the EUC stack through validated integrations designed to simplify deployment and improve interoperability. As part of the expanding 10ZiG Ready ecosystem, the strengthened relationship with Parallels reflects a continued focus on delivering integrated solutions that help customers reduce complexity across infrastructure and endpoint environments.

Building on a technology relationship spanning more than 15 years, the expanded partnership aligns 10ZiG’s secure endpoint hardware, 10ZiG RepurpOS™, PeakOS™, Windows IoT, and free 10ZiG Manager™ software with Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) to provide customers with a more integrated approach to delivering and managing virtual applications and desktops. Together, the companies help organizations simplify deployment, extend endpoint lifecycles, reduce operational overhead, and support secure, high-performance digital workspaces for remote, in-office, and hybrid users. The combined solution also supports a broad set of environments, including Microsoft Hyper-V, VMware ESX, Nutanix, Scale Computing, Azure Virtual Desktop, and AWS, while supporting unified communications use cases such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

As organizations continue to balance modernization initiatives with cost pressures, the expanded partnership addresses two persistent challenges in digital workspace environments: reducing the complexity of delivering secure applications and desktops across diverse environments, and lowering infrastructure and endpoint costs while improving user experience.

“What makes this partnership unique is the combination of Parallels RAS simplicity with 10ZiG’s purpose-built endpoint strategy, giving customers a practical way to standardize and secure digital workspaces across a wide range of environments,” said Tom Dodds, Global Strategic Alliances Manager, 10ZiG Technology. “Together, we are helping organizations support hybrid work with greater flexibility, extend the value of existing endpoint investments, and simplify the delivery of virtual applications and desktops from the data center to the edge.”

“Organizations want digital workspace solutions that are easy to deploy, simple to manage, and flexible enough to support evolving infrastructure strategies,” said Michael Hopfinger, Senior Vice President, Global Sales, Parallels. “Our collaboration with 10ZiG brings together secure remote application delivery, broad platform support, and integrated endpoint innovation to help customers create a more resilient user experience. Our expanded collaboration with 10ZiG combines Parallels RAS and secure, purpose-built endpoint solutions to help organizations streamline application and desktop delivery, simplify management, and improve the economics of supporting distributed users.”

Through the expanded partnership, customers benefit from:

• Simplified application and desktop delivery: Parallels RAS and 10ZiG endpoints help organizations streamline delivery of published applications and virtual desktops across distributed environments.
• Endpoint lifecycle extension: 10ZiG Thin Clients, Zero Clients, and 10ZiG RepurpOS enable organizations to reduce reliance on traditional PCs, extend the life of existing devices, and support secure, purpose-built endpoints.
• Integrated management and security: Combined capabilities help IT teams improve visibility, simplify endpoint and access management, and support secure access for remote, in-office, and hybrid work, including support for MFA, SAML enrollment services for SSO, auditing and monitoring, and secure connectivity through 10ZiG Manager Secure Connector.
• Improved economics for digital workspaces: By addressing costs across infrastructure and endpoints, organizations can improve ROI while delivering secure, high-performance user experiences.

The expanded partnership also supports deeper go-to-market collaboration and customer engagement around integrated use cases for Parallels RAS environments, while reinforcing Parallels’ role within the growing 10ZiG Ready partner ecosystem.

10ZiG will highlight its expanded collaboration with Parallels through ongoing partner and customer engagement initiatives focused on simplifying application delivery and improving economics across infrastructure and endpoint environments. Organizations can also learn more by joining the May 27 webinar, “EUC without complexity: Simplify delivery and endpoints with Parallels and 10ZiG,” which will explore how the combined solution helps simplify virtual app and desktop delivery while improving security, flexibility, and cost efficiency. Register here.

WhatsApp Launches “Business AI” in India to Help SMEs Automate Customer Support and Boost Digital Sales

New Delhi, May 7 (BNP): WhatsApp on Thursday announced the launch of its new AI-powered feature “Business AI” in India, aimed at helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) manage customer interactions more efficiently through the WhatsApp Business app.

The feature is designed to enable eligible businesses to provide 24/7 automated customer support, respond to queries instantly, generate leads, schedule appointments, and support sales conversations without requiring additional platforms or tools.

According to the company, Business AI can be customised using a business’s own information such as product catalogues, pricing, services, discounts, and delivery details. This allows businesses to offer more accurate and personalised responses to customer queries.

A key highlight of the feature is its multilingual capability, enabling interactions in multiple Indian languages to improve accessibility and customer reach across regions.

The platform will also soon support in-chat payments through UPI, allowing customers to complete transactions directly within conversations, further streamlining the digital commerce experience.

WhatsApp stated that businesses will retain full control over conversations and can intervene or take over chats from the AI at any time.

The company said the feature will be gradually rolled out to eligible businesses using the WhatsApp Business app under the Tools section, where users can activate and configure “Business AI” through guided steps.

Impact on small businesses

The launch is expected to benefit SMEs by reducing the burden of handling large volumes of customer messages with limited staff. By automating routine queries, businesses can improve response time, enhance customer engagement, and focus more on growth and operations.

Industry observers believe the move could strengthen India’s digital business ecosystem by enabling small enterprises to adopt AI-driven customer service and expand their online presence more efficiently.

Overall, the initiative reflects the growing integration of artificial intelligence into everyday business communication and digital commerce in India.

New Delhi, May 7 (BNP): India’s technology spending is witnessing a strong upswing, driven primarily by rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and large-scale data modernisation across industries, according to a recent industry report.

The report notes that enterprises are increasingly prioritising investments in AI-powered tools, cloud infrastructure, and advanced data systems as they shift away from legacy IT setups toward more agile, scalable digital architectures.

A key driver of this trend is the growing need for real-time insights and automation. AI is helping businesses streamline operations, improve decision-making speed, and enhance customer experience through predictive analytics and intelligent process automation.

At the same time, data modernisation is emerging as a foundational requirement for digital transformation. Companies are upgrading fragmented legacy systems into unified, cloud-based data platforms that allow faster processing, better data governance, and improved integration across business functions.

According to the report, this dual shift is enabling organisations to build more resilient and efficient digital ecosystems. It is also helping enterprises across banking, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and public services adopt more data-driven and technology-led operating models.

The transformation is expected to generate significant demand for cloud services, AI solutions, and cybersecurity frameworks, while also expanding opportunities for technology providers and startups in the digital infrastructure space.

Industry experts say this trend is not just increasing IT budgets but fundamentally reshaping how businesses operate, compete, and innovate in India’s fast-evolving digital economy.

Overall, the report suggests that AI and data modernisation are becoming central pillars of India’s technology growth story, laying the foundation for the next phase of enterprise digital transformation.

Urban LinkX delivers up to 5x faster connections in lab tests, with 2x to 4x faster speeds in real-world testing. Protocol Control lets users select their VPN protocol directly from the app.

DELAWARE, USA, May 7: Urban VPN, one of the largest free VPN services globally, today launches Urban LinkX & Protocol Control. Urban LinkX is an in-house developed VPN protocol built on a WireGuard foundation, delivering approximately 5x faster connections in lab tests compared with Urban VPN’s previous protocol stack. Real-world testing on Android in the United States shows 2x faster mean download speeds and 4x faster mean upload speeds. Protocol Control is a new in-app feature that lets users select which protocol to use, with Urban LinkX as the default and the previous protocol stack available as an option for specific use cases.

Urban LinkX is now active on 394 of Urban VPN’s 692 servers globally, currently available to Urban VPN’s premium users on Android and iOS, with macOS and Windows scheduled for May 2026. Following the Windows rollout, Urban LinkX will be available to all Urban VPN users.

Urban LinkX operates in three stages. When the user taps Connect, the client selects a server from the available pool based on weights, requests an Urban LinkX configuration from the backend, and establishes the connection, automatically falling back to the next available server if the connection fails. If a connection fails for some technical reason (switching from Wifi to 4/5G) the app seamlessly reconnects to the same or a different server as needed to maintain a smooth user experience. When the connection ends, the client unregisters its session, with the backend automatically cleaning up any session not closed by the client within a few minutes as a safety net.

In internal testing comparing Urban LinkX with Urban VPN’s previous protocol stack, lab tests showed approximately 5x faster connections, while real-world testing on Android with U.S. servers showed 2x faster mean download speeds and 4x faster mean upload speeds. Urban LinkX is engineered to deliver improved connection stability through more resilient tunnels with faster reconnection and better handling of intermittent networks. Its lightweight protocol design reduces CPU and memory consumption on both servers and clients, while key-based authentication and a smaller codebase support simpler configuration, faster troubleshooting, and faster deployment as new server locations can be added quickly using simple key pairs. State-of-the-art cryptography by default reduces the risk of misconfiguration, and seamless roaming maintains connections across IP address changes, including transitions between Wi-Fi and mobile data.

Urban LinkX delivers strong performance in scenarios such as streaming services in regions where single-protocol traffic is filtered, competitive online gaming with mid-session network changes, and travel scenarios switching between hotel Wi-Fi, mobile data, and home networks.

Protocol Control is a new in-app feature that gives users direct choice over which protocol their VPN connection uses. Urban LinkX is the default for most use cases. Users can switch to Urban VPN’s previous protocol stack from the app interface when their specific connection conditions call for it. The selection is made in the app, with no manual reconfiguration required.

Urban LinkX is currently active for 100 percent of premium users on Android by default, and 33 percent of premium users on iOS, with iOS ramping to 100 percent by Thursday, May 7, 2026. macOS is targeting mid-May 2026, and Windows is targeting late May 2026. Urban VPN operates 692 servers in 88 countries globally and has surpassed 100 million downloads since launch.

Panaji, May 7 (BNP): Goa is set to host a unique two-day “Shackathon” from May 21, an initiative designed to merge tourism with technology and position the state as a hub for remote work, startups, and coastal innovation.

The programme, organised by the Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Goa, will transform beach shacks into temporary innovation spaces where entrepreneurs, students, designers, and remote professionals can collaborate on real-world problem solving.

Goa IT Minister Rohan Khaunte said the initiative reflects a broader vision of developing Goa into a “work-and-leisure destination,” where tourism and technology ecosystems grow together rather than independently.

According to officials, the Shackathon will bring together startups, innovators, digital creators, and remote workers for collaborative sessions focused on building technology-driven solutions. A parallel hackathon will also be conducted, where participants will identify challenges and develop prototype solutions in areas such as tourism tech, sustainability, mobility, and digital services.

Beyond innovation, the initiative is expected to directly support Goa’s tourism economy by extending visitor stays and promoting off-season travel through “workation” models. By integrating workspaces with beachside hospitality, the state aims to attract long-term remote professionals rather than short-term tourists alone.

Officials believe this approach could help local shack owners and small tourism businesses diversify their income streams, while also encouraging year-round economic activity along the coastline.

The event will also include knowledge-sharing sessions on startups, emerging technologies, and remote work culture, along with experiential tourism activities such as watersports and heritage exploration.

Industry observers say the initiative reflects a growing global trend where destinations are repositioning themselves as hybrid ecosystems combining tourism, lifestyle, and innovation infrastructure.

If successful, Goa’s Shackathon model could serve as a blueprint for other coastal regions aiming to connect digital economy growth with sustainable tourism development.

Founded by the team behind Voi and Klarna, Pit acts as an AI product team as a service — learning how companies work and building the systems that run their operations.

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – May 07; Pit, an AI-native platform that replaces the patchwork of spreadsheets, inboxes, and rigid SaaS tools that run enterprise operations today, announced its public launch alongside $16 million in funding led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). The round includes participation from Lakestar, the Pit founders and executives from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Deel, and Revolut, as well as the Stena and Lundin families.

Pit is publicly launching as an “AI product team as a service” — enabling companies to build and deploy custom, production-grade software for their internal business operations. 

Across industries, core business operations are still powered by spreadsheets, inboxes, and rigid SaaS tools that were never designed for how companies actually work. While enterprises have spent over $1 trillion on digital transformation in recent years, most workflows remain fragmented, manual, and difficult to adapt.

Pit replaces this layer with AI-native software that is custom-built for each company’s workflows. This enables teams to move faster, operate more efficiently, and scale without the constraints of legacy systems.

“For 20 years, enterprises have rented software that forces them to operate around it. With AI, that ends. For the first time, every company can run on systems they actually designed themselves,” said Adam Jafer, CEO and co-founder of Pit.

Pit’s platform is designed to take a business need — from operations to finance to customer workflows — and translate it into fully deployed, governed software.

The product consists of two core components:

• Pit Studio – learns how you work, and builds the system that runs it for you
• Pit Cloud  – governed infrastructure with tenant isolation, ISO 27001, SSO, RBAC, and full audit observability

Unlike traditional low-code tools or AI copilots, Pit outputs real software running real operations, not prototypes or experiments.

Pit is already live across enterprise pilots in logistics, telecom, e-commerce, and healthcare — including deployments with Voi, Tre, Stena Recycling, and Kry — with systems going live in days or weeks. 

Early results include:

• 85% reduction in campaign execution time
• 10,000+ hours saved annually per deployment
• 99% invoice acceptance rates through automation

At one of Europe’s largest industrial companies, Pit replaced legacy contract and invoice validation with an AI-powered system that processes in real time — saving over 10,000 hours annually with zero validation errors.

“Every AI company is selling speed. Pit is selling speed that holds up for years, secure, governed, and built to last. It’s a new category,” said Alex Rampell, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz. 

Pit was built by the Founders and CTO/AI leads behind Voi, Klarna and iZettle, who spent years replacing manual workflows with custom, AI-powered systems at scale – driving significant operational gains across both Klarna and Voi. That same approach is now productized in a platform designed for enterprise-grade security, governance, and reliability.

 Designed for AI-driven industrial monitoring applications, AAEON’s new NIKY-2215-NX pairs a strong AI engine with a 21.5” TFT-LCD touchscreen, all in one robust platform.

(Taipei, Taiwan – May 7, 2026) AAEON (Stock Code: 6579), a leader in industrial PC solutions, today announced the release of the second addition to its AI Panel PC series, the NIKY-2215-NX.

AAEON first introduced its AI Panel PC product line in November 2025, with the series’ value proposition being that it incorporated an NVIDIA Jetson module, a full-function industrial I/O, and high-definition display in a single device.

The NIKY-2215-NX is available in SKUs with either an 8GB or 16GB NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX module, offering up to 100 TOPS of AI performance. Meanwhile, the system includes a 21.5″ TFT-LCD projected capacitive multi-touch screen, highlighting its suitability for applications such as AI-driven production line inspection systems and industrial monitoring dashboards.

The device offers four USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports alongside two LAN ports for Gigabit Ethernet, located on its bottom-side panel. Meanwhile, its right-side panel I/O hosts a DB-15 port for DIO 8-bit and two DB-9 ports for CANBus and RS-232/422/485. For storage, the NIKY-2215-NX provides an M.2 2280 M-Key slot. Expansion for Wi-Fi and 5G modules is also present, with both M.2 2230 E-Key and M.2 3042/3052 B-Key slots provided. 

Given the market segment the product is designed for, the NIKY-2215-NX demonstrates a number of rugged characteristics. These include a broad -5°C to 55°C operating temperature range, a 12V to 24V power input range, as well as both VESA and panel mounting options. Moreover, the system’s display offers wide 160-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles, as well as impressive vibration and shock tolerance.

For detailed specifications and further information about the NIKY-2215-NX, please visit its dedicated product page. Meanwhile, pricing and ordering information can be obtained via the contact form on the AAEON website.

SYDNEY, May 07– As the official digital print and projector partner of the Australian Fashion Council (AFC), Epson Australia has announced its participation in Australian Fashion Week 2026, taking place from 11–15 May 2026 at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) and venues across Sydney.

 (l-r) Epson Australia Managing Director Craig Heckenberg, Samantha Delgos, General Manager, Australian Fashion Council, Marianne Perkovic, Executive Chair, Australian Fashion Council and Epson Australia Corporate Marketing Manager, Priscilla Dickason

This year’s event will bring together the nation’s most creative and forward‑thinking designers and innovators in a celebration of Australian culture, design and sustainable fashion manufacturing. 

For Epson, participation in Australian Fashion Week builds on its continuing partnership with the Australian Fashion Council, strengthening a shared commitment to fostering a more sustainable, innovative and locally empowered fashion industry.

Epson A/NZ MD Craig Heckenberg said, “As a key strategic partner of the AFC, we are fully committed to our support of Australian Fashion Week 2026. Together with the AFC, Epson is championing the future of Australian fashion manufacturing by creating meaningful opportunities between designers, brands and local makers. We’re showcasing how digital textile printing technology supports more sustainable, on‑demand production, helping designers bring their creativity to life locally and responsibly.”

A highlight of Epson’s program at Australian Fashion Week 2026 will be ‘Meet the Makers’, a curated matchmaking experience co‑hosted with the AFC and part of the AFC Talks, presented by Afterpay during AFW. The event brings Australian fashion brands and local manufacturers together under one roof, allowing designers to discover the craftsmanship, skill and production capacity available within Australia’s own borders.

Epson will take a leading role in the manufacturer showcase, demonstrating how digital textile printing technologies, such as the Epson Monna Lisa direct‑to‑fabric printer, integrate seamlessly into modern local production.

Featuring water‑based pigment inks and precision print technology, the Monna Lisa enables sustainable on‑demand manufacturing, reducing waste and making local production far more cost‑effective.

Epson Monna Lisa direct‑to‑fabric printer

By connecting brands with local manufacturing capability, Epson aims to help strengthen domestic supply chains, empower Australian fashion makers and reduce the environmental footprint of fashion creation.

Epson is also partnering with the AFC as the naming sponsor of the Epson Media Centre at AFW, providing a dedicated hub where local and international press can capture, file and share the stories shaping Australian fashion throughout the week. It’s also where the press and media can report on AFC Talks, presented by Afterpay.

“AFC Talks, presented by Afterpay, brings together the conversations that are most critical to our industry right now and shaping its future,” said Marianne Perkovic, Chair of the Australian Fashion Council. “These sessions go to the heart of the challenges we face and the opportunities ahead, from building global distribution to developing circular business models that deliver both commercial outcomes and cultural impact. They also recognise the broader economic importance of the fashion industry and the critical role it plays as a connected ecosystem. AFC Talks provides a platform to hear directly from industry leaders, share insights and bring the community together beyond the runway, creating space for everyone to engage, connect and help shape the future of Australian fashion.”

Epson’s involvement in Australian Fashion Week complements its ongoing collaboration with the AFC on long‑term initiatives that support onshore manufacturing, skills development and sustainability across the fashion and textile sector.

Since 2023, Epson and the AFC have worked together to:

• Deliver research on the current and future state of Australian fashion manufacturing

• Undertake a feasibility study for a smart manufacturing facility, integrating advanced machinery, software and digital production systems to support a local, on-demand model

• Explore circular economy pathways and sustainability programs to ensure the industry transitions responsibly by 2030

Epson also fully supported the AFC’s National Manufacturing Strategy launched in March 2026 at Parliament House to drive investment and innovation.

These collective efforts aim to build a future where Australian designers can produce collections sustainably and competitively on home soil supported by technologies that enhance efficiency and enable creative freedom.

Heckenberg added, “By showcasing what’s increasingly possible onshore, we will collectively strengthen local supply chains. The AFC’s National Manufacturing Strategy, which Epson proudly supports, represents an important step toward building a more resilient, sustainable and innovative future for Australian fashion.”

Epson’s global leadership in digital textile printing positions it as a technology partner of choice for designers and manufacturers seeking to produce responsibly and efficiently.

With solutions such as its Monna Lisa direct-to-fabric series printers Epson enables print‑on‑demand manufacturing that minimises waste, reduces energy use and shortens supply chains – all key goals for an industry striving to meet both environmental and creative challenges.

Epson’s participation in Australian Fashion Week 2026 underlines its role as a technology enabler for local innovation, connecting creativity with sustainability while supporting the AFC’s mission to future‑proof Australian fashion.

Australian Fashion Week 2026
Dates: 11–15 May 2026
Venues: Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) and various locations around Sydney
Presented by: The Australian Fashion Council