Cybersecurity Leader Appoints Joel Vinocur as Senior Director of Channels to Boost Partner Profitability

NEW YORK, Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Beyond Identity, the leading provider of secure identity and access management (IAM) platform, today announced the launch of its new channel program and the appointment of channel leader Joel Vinocur as Senior Director of Channels. The new global channel program will drive partner growth, open new revenue streams, and offer high rewards through a three-tier structure.

“The launch of our channel program signifies our commitment to a partner-first strategy,” said Mark Priebe, Vice President of Sales for Beyond Identity. “Our new program, coupled with the appointment of Joel Vinocur as Senior Director of Channels, is critical to our strategic growth plans as we develop collaborative opportunities with organizations in the VAR, MSP, distribution, and GSI space. Developing and nurturing these relationships are critical to driving growth for us and our partners as we work together to provide the tools and solutions that today’s organizations need to detect, protect, prevent, and manage access risks.”

An accomplished channel leader with nearly a decade of experience shaping go-to-market strategies, building robust channel programs, and accelerating growth across a diverse range of organizations, Vinocur joins Beyond Identity, where he will oversee the company’s channel program by guiding sales strategy, building and fostering relationships and securing strategic collaborations. Before joining Beyond Identity, he held channel leadership roles in the threat intelligence and digital risk protection space for organizations such as ZeroFox and Recorded Future and co-founded an athletic apparel and footwear startup where he built distribution channels and cultivated independent contractor relationships to expand the company’s footprint in Europe and West Africa.

“Beyond Identity’s strategic growth for 2025 and beyond is full of opportunities,” said Vinocur. “With the philosophy that ‘you win with people,’ we will develop collaborative opportunities built on trust and transparency as we invest in our partners to grow our joint businesses and drive relationships forward. Beyond Identity’s new channel program will foster strong relationships and bring exceptional value as we enable organizations to eliminate risk and enable business progress. I am excited to join the team at such a pivotal time.”

Beyond Identity’s channel program is currently available in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and it plans to expand into Asia-Pacific and Japan. The program prioritizes mutual partnership and growth and includes a three-tier system (Silver, Gold, Platinum) to drive investments in joint opportunities, marketing funds, and additional benefits for partners as they grow with the company.

Key features include:

New technical certification opportunities to leverage joint services engagements and platform and demo accessIncreasing levels of investment as a partner moves up within the programHigh levels of guaranteed margin/ discount for sourced, fulfilled, or co-sold opportunitiesIncreased committed MDF funds for higher-tiered partnersAccess and support from the Beyond Identity team

For more information on Beyond Identity’s channel program and tiered benefits, visit https://www.beyondidentity.com/partners.

About Beyond Identity 
Beyond Identity is the only identity and access management (IAM) platform engineered to eliminate identity-based threats. Built on a secure-by-design architecture, Beyond Identity categorically prevents entire classes of attack vectors targeting user credentials and devices, which are the primary sources of enterprise risk. The Beyond Identity Secure Access platform delivers phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (MFA), device security for managed and unmanaged devices, frictionless access experience on any device, and precise risk-based access controls that account for integrated risk signals. Leading organizations, including Snowflake, Cornell University, Charlotte Hornets, and the City of Albany, trust Beyond Identity to remove access risks and achieve zero trust maturity. Learn more at beyondidentity.com.

Media Contact
Michelle Kearney
Hi-Touch PR
443-857-9468
kearney@hi-touchpr.com

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SOURCE Beyond Identity

TORONTO, Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ – RBC (TSX: RY) (NYSE: RY) today announced it has partnered with Cohere, a leader in security and privacy-focused enterprise AI, to co-develop and securely deploy an enterprise generative AI (genAI) solution optimized for financial services. The platform, called North for Banking, will integrate with RBC’s and Cohere’s own proprietary foundation models, as well as RBC’s internal platforms with the goal to accelerate the development of genAI solutions at RBC securely and efficiently. This collaboration leverages the expertise of each organization to develop more accurate and verifiable models, with a focus on risk and security features to protect companies in the financial services industry.

“RBC is on a path to redefine what a bank is capable of, and AI will play an important role in our future success,” said Dr. Foteini Agrafioti, senior vice president, RBC Borealis and chief science officer, RBC. “With its globally recognized enterprise AI expertise, Cohere is an ideal partner for us as we build upon almost a decade of AI investment and a strong commitment to responsible AI principles, to continue to innovate and harness the potential of genAI with our clients’ safety and security at the forefront.”

“We’re excited to work with RBC to co-develop North for Banking, a customized version of our new secure AI workspace platform for the financial services industry,” said Ivan Zhang, a co-founder of Cohere, “North for Banking will be an end-to-end AI solution that financial industry firms can seamlessly integrate to increase workforce productivity and operational efficiency. By prioritizing security and data privacy protections, companies can have peace of mind as they deploy it internally at scale.”

“We are already seeing the positive impact of genAI technology in applications we’ve put into production, including in our advice centre, where we are using this technology internally to support advisors to answer client questions faster and with greater detail, and in our Capital Markets business, where it’s used to enhance productivity and streamline workflows of research analysts,” says Agrafioti. “Cohere is unique among its commercial peers in providing the level of flexibility and collaboration that we need to take the next step in our AI journey and increase productivity across the enterprise. We look forward to exploring deployment of this solution in various use cases over the next several months.”

RBC recently ranked #1 in Canada and third globally for artificial intelligence (AI) maturity among 50 global financial institutions in the Evident AI Index. The Index scores financial institutions across four key pillars: Talent, Innovation, Leadership and Transparency.

About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 98,000+ employees who leverage their imaginations and insights to bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada’s biggest bank and one of the largest in the world, based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our more than 18 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 27 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com.

We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at rbc.com/peopleandplanet.

For more information, please contact:
Louise Armstrong, RBC Corporate Communications

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SOURCE RBC

LONDON, Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — An annual investment of approximately £130 million a year in technology in schools over the next decade would deliver an economic benefit to the UK of up to £8.7 billion. For every £1 invested, technology in schools would bring a return of up to £7.90, benefiting both the education sector and the growth of the economy.

These findings are from a new report commissioned by Pearson (FTSE: PSON.L) the world’s lifelong learning company and produced by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). The research highlights the transformative economic and educational benefits of investing in digital transformation within UK state-funded schools and the stronger role it could play in both curriculum and assessment.

Using Pearson’s digital transformation framework for UK schools, the Pearson-Cebr analysis found that strategic investment across three main areas – device provision, broadband improvement and teacher training – could deliver substantial improvements including:

Teacher time savings of around £900 million in the first year alone – freeing up teachers’ time equivalent to almost five average working weeks.Additional earning potential for new entrants to the labour market – this would increase from under £7 million in year one to around £200 million by year 10 thanks to improved skills through the use of EdTech underpinning higher student attainment.Economic productivity – wider economic benefits from a more skilled workforce would see returns starting at around £6 million in the first year and rising to around £180 million by year 10.Positive environmental impact – potential for nearly two million kg of CO2E savings by the tenth year of the appraisal period – that’s enough to power hundreds of households for a year.

Sharon Hague, Managing Director of Pearson School Qualifications said: “Investing in digital transformation within our schools is an investment in our future. The benefits of technology extend far beyond the classroom – helping underpin student outcomes, freeing up teacher time and driving economic growth too.

“With discussions ongoing about the future of curriculum and assessment, we believe it’s crucial to look at the benefits that technology can unlock for schools, students and the economy. Our goal with this work is to progress these conversations and identify practical suggestions. Strategic investment in both infrastructure and teacher training will support UK state-funded schools to make better use of technology, better prepare students for future life and work and ultimately, help to build a more productive workforce.”

Elizabeth Anderson, Chief Executive of the Digital Poverty Alliance said: “Children learning today are entering a digital world tomorrow, with the pace of digitisation and tech growth at an unprecedented level. This report shows the power of giving young learners access to tech in the classroom – which we feel is especially important for those living in lower income families without a laptop at home on which to learn or complete education. Combining this with meaningful teacher training on providing digital skills has the opportunity to transform the futures for millions of young people who can forge a better future if given the knowledge and confidence to succeed in accessing jobs that are ever more reliant on tech.”

Sam Miley, Managing Economist and Forecasting Lead at Cebr said: “Our report highlights the benefits that could be accrued through increased investment in EdTech. These benefits grow over time and begin to outweigh the costs by several multiples. At a time when productivity growth in the UK is feeble, particularly in the public sector, this presents an attainable approach to improving skills and both educational and labour market outcomes.”

What’s needed
Cebr-Pearson analysis drew on existing research across the sector to define what technology and training was needed for schools. This includes:

additional device provision – currently just 34% of secondary schools and 31% of primary schools say they have a sufficient numbers of devicesan overhaul of broadband for schools – slow internet speed is reported at 27% of secondary schools and 36% of primary schoolstraining of 20+ hours per teacher – for example, currently 24% of teachers consider a lack of confidence in their digital skills to be a barrier to using technology in learningteaching and assessment of the digital skills that young people need for the futureadditional exam formats – currently only pen and paper are used in the majority of exams.

Pearson now calls for a national strategy for the deployment of technology in schools. In 2025, Pearson will launch a wider Digital in Schools project – guided by research, insights and practical suggestions to help unlock the benefits of EdTech in schools.

Explore the Pearson-Cebr summary report
Explore the full Cebr report findings 

Media Contact:
anna.osullivan@pearson.com

About Pearson
At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to help people realize the life they imagine through learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. That’s why our c. 18,000 Pearson employees are committed to creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. We are the world’s lifelong learning company, serving customers in nearly 200 countries with digital content, assessments, qualifications, and data. For us, learning isn’t just what we do. It’s who we are. Visit us at pearsonplc.com.

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SOURCE Pearson