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Ecosia partners with AccuWeather to bring superior weather information and unique Global Severe Weather Alerts to users, and to help make cities more climate resilient

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AccuWeather brings hyper-local forecasts and life-saving severe weather alerts to Ecosia’s tree-planting search engine

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. and BERLIN, Aug. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — AccuWeather, the proven leader in weather forecast accuracy, and Ecosia, the world’s largest not-for-profit search engine, today announce their partnership and product integration.

Over 20 million Ecosia users globally now have access to AccuWeather’s superior weather information and unique Global Severe Weather Alerts, as part of an effort to accelerate awareness of critical weather incidents as they occur, and to expand Ecosia’s product suite.

As part of the partnership, AccuWeather’s API has been integrated into Ecosia’s results for weather data, including Current Conditions, and Daily and Hourly Forecasts, and up-to-the-minute Alerts for locations in the U.S. and around the globe, all built on AccuWeather’s superior collection of global, detailed, and local weather data to help people and companies make the best weather-impacted decisions.

Ecosia users will be able to view the new weather tool on mobile and desktop devices, simply by searching for the location they desire and adding “weather” as the search key term. In addition to hourly, daily and weekly weather forecasts, the product integration will alert users to severe weather events including dangerous high and low temperatures. The partnership also showcases the unique AccuWeather Air Quality Scale that helps individuals quickly understand the impact air pollution exposure will have on their health, helping them make the best decisions about air quality risks around the world.”

AccuWeather and its wholly owned subsidiary, Plume Labs, combine their respective forecasting and air pollution expertise to provide these superior air pollution forecasts, warnings, and insights.

Plume Labs pioneered the air quality forecasting industry by advancing geospatial machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to map and predict air pollution. It provides the most accurate data with the broadest coverage, with current conditions and forecasts for the entire world at a market-leading resolution of 0.2 to 2 kms, down to street level in U.S. and European urban areas.

Ecosia, as an organization, plans to use the integration to help drive its own coordinated efforts to tackle the climate crisis. Ecosia announced a partnership with AI-powered satellite interpretation and reforesting company Kanop to significantly enhance its forest regeneration tracking earlier this year.

The partnership with AccuWeather expands Ecosia’s access to real-time weather and climate data to help inform future locations of urban tree-planting projects. AccuWeather’s powerful weather data is the cleanest and most accurate set of past, current, and forecast weather conditions with the greatest temporal resolution (minutes or hours), greatest spatial resolution (downscaled to 1 km) and greatest number of parameters (300) available. AccuWeather APIs offer developers access to its superior collection of global, detailed, and local weather data, accessible in over 200 languages and dialects.

The data will help Ecosia to identify areas with extremely high urban temperatures and identify areas with low or no tree-cover. Ecosia’s UK team is also planning to use AccuWeather data to in part monitor the health of its NHS tree-planting projects, which were planted in 2020 as a tribute to the UK’s health service during the COVID pandemic.

AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter: “Extreme and severe weather events in the United States and around the world are becoming more frequent, having a greater impact, and affecting places where people may not be as prepared to handle them. The amplification of some of these severe weather events are one of the ways people around the world are experiencing climate change.”

“We’ve seen with climate change that severe weather threats, including extreme heat, are happening outside of the time of year and places that people typically associate with heat waves,” Porter went on to say. “Do not be lulled into any false sense of security. A severe weather event can develop anywhere when the ingredients come together.”

Dozens of temperature records have been shattered across the United States this summer. More than 240 million people in America experienced temperatures soaring above 90°F on a single day in July. Summerlike heat is expected to linger well into autumn. The AccuWeather 2024 U.S. Fall Forecast predicts temperatures are expected to hover 1 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit or more above the historical average across much of the country, most of the time, from September through November. AccuWeather’s team of long-range experts say the highest temperature departures are expected across parts of the Great Lakes region, the Midwest and the Rockies.

“We have seen a surge in weather and climate related searches over the past few years, and at Ecosia, it’s been a drive for our product team to provide a tool which better informs our users on live weather conditions wherever they live. Most recently, the heatwaves in the United States have been of particular interest to our community and to our team working on urban ecosystems,” said Christian Kroll, CEO at Ecosia. “We know that trees can help. In fact, they can cool their surroundings by up to 53°F (12°C) by providing shade and bringing moisture back into the air.”

Ecosia has existing projects in the U.S. that focus on urban tree planting in historically red-lined areas to address heat and health challenges of the community.

“AccuWeather has worked relentlessly to improve and enhance our forecasts, and the way we communicate the impacts and risks, for the past 62 years,” said AccuWeather CEO Steven R. Smith. “Our mission has never wavered; we help protect lives and property around the clock, around the world. We are proud to bring our data and forecasting expertise to the millions of users that rely on Ecosia every day.”

About AccuWeather

AccuWeather, recognized and documented as the most accurate and most used source of weather forecasts and warnings in the world, has saved over 10,000 lives, prevented injury to over 100,000 people, and saved companies tens of billions of dollars through better planning and decision-making.

Billions of people around the world rely on AccuWeather’s proven Superior Accuracy™ across our consumer digital platforms. AccuWeather.com is the #1 weather destination and one of the top 100 most-visited websites in the world, and our award-winning AccuWeather app delivers detailed real-time forecasts to millions of smartphones.

AccuWeather forecasts also appear on digital signage, in 700 newspapers, are heard on over 400 radio stations, and viewed on 100 television stations. The AccuWeather Network and AccuWeather NOW® reach an audience of over 125 million on cable and streaming platforms including DirecTV, Charter Communications – Spectrum, Verizon, Philo, Fubo, Frndly TV, Comcast’s Xfinity X1 and Xfinity Stream, Roku, Xumo, Red Box, Rockbot, LG, and Amazon Freevee.

AccuWeather For Business serves more than half of the Fortune 500 companies and thousands of other businesses and government agencies globally.

Visit accuweather.com for the most accurate hyperlocal forecasts, weather news, and information, and download the free AccuWeather app for Android or iOS.

About Ecosia
Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Ecosia is the world’s largest not-for-profit search engine, with 20 million users globally. The tech company dedicates 100% of its profits to the planet and has collaborated with local communities in over 35 countries to plant more than 200 million trees. In 2014 Ecosia was the first company in Germany to be accredited as a B Corporation and in 2017 it built the first of a growing portfolio of solar plants, which now produce enough energy to power all searches twice over. In 2018 Ecosia gave away its shares to the Purpose Foundation, to assure that it can never be sold and that no one, including the founder, can profit or receive dividends from the company. Ecosia was founded by Christian Kroll in 2009.

Visit ecosia.org to learn more.

CONTACT: pr@accuweather.com 

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SOURCE AccuWeather

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3 Easy Ways to Save on Payroll Software in 2025

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New survey results from Halfpricesoft reveals key tricks businesses across America have been using to maximize efficiency.

REDMOND, Wash. , Jan. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — With inflation, “shrinkflation,” and corporate price hikes since the pandemic, small businesses are being squeezed by big tech companies into ever-smaller margins. Large coastal tech providers continue raising prices on even the most basic payroll software features, leaving small businesses and bookkeepers to foot the bill.

 

Business experts at Halfpricesoft have spent thousands of hours talking with small businesses from Iowa to Idaho to learn how they are surviving these unprecedented times. From cutting overhead costs to running more effective acquisition campaigns, they found that one of the biggest unnecessary expenses is overpaying for tech products—particularly payroll software. Business owners and accountants shared stories of per-employee fees exceeding $10 and steep charges for adding new companies.

Fixed Price for Employees

The fastest way to save money on payroll is to pick software with a fixed price rather than per-employee charges. Many major providers charge double digits per additional employee, which quickly drives up costs. Instead, choose solutions that offer a fixed rate, regardless of the number of employees.

ezPaycheck, an unlimited-employee payroll solution from Halfpricesoft, does exactly that. With unlimited employees and unlimited checks, bookkeepers, CPAs, and business owners have saved as much as 90% by switching from larger competitors. By focusing on fewer (but essential) features and streamlining development, ezPaycheck has been sold and supported continuously since 2005.

https://www.halfpricesoft.com/index.asp

Accurate, Updated Tax Withholding

One of the most common (and costly) mistakes businesses make is using payroll software that overestimates withholding. When employers send excess funds to the IRS and state governments on behalf of employees, it ties up capital that could otherwise be reinvested into the business.

The key to scaling a  small business or CPA firm is efficient capital allocation, making any significant overpayment of taxes a major liability. Some payroll software, to avoid underpayment, will drastically overcalculate withholdings or fail to handle state tax rates correctly.

Halfpricesoft takes pride in ezPaycheck’s accuracy and rapid updates. Whenever new tax laws or rate changes are announced, ezPaycheck and ezAccounting are updated promptly—often faster than many other solutions on the market. This commitment to accuracy and ease of use explains why ezPaycheck boasts one of the highest customer retention rates in the industry.

Quick Technical Support

Small businesses are often overlooked by larger companies, even when paying thousands of dollars in annual fees. When payroll errors or calculation issues arise, major providers tend to prioritize their biggest clients, leaving smaller businesses with delayed or inadequate support. This oversight can lead to tax penalties and costly mistakes.

ezPaycheck stands out in the payroll market for its fast, attentive support—especially when W-2 and 1099-MISC forms are due at the end of January. During these peak periods, support hours extend to over 12 hours a day, ensuring quick response times. From remote desktop troubleshooting to detailed phone consultations, Halfpricesoft focuses on customer success as one of its guiding principles. Only when small-business partners succeed can a payroll company truly grow.

Conclusion

With a 30 day free trial  and only $169 for an annual license, businesses owners and CPAs are encouraged to try ezPaycheck. With after the fact checks, 941 e-filing, check printing, and misc checks, ezPaycheck is the best payroll software for small businesses who want to scale affordably.

https://www.halfpricesoft.com/index.asp

Halfpricesoft.com is a leading provider of small to mid-size business software, including online and desktop payroll software, online employee attendance tracking software, accounting software, in-house business and personal check printing software, W2, software, 1099 software,1095 form software and ezACH direct deposit software. Software from halfpricesoft.com is trusted by customers for over 20 years and will allow US business owners to simplify payroll processing and streamline business management.

 

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SOURCE Halfpricesoft.com

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Siemens launches new program to empower startups with cutting-edge technology

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Siemens for Startups program to streamline the collaboration process and facilitate partnerships with new innovative companiesSiemens to collaborate with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to deliver access to Siemens Xcelerator ecosystem and accelerate innovation at startups

MUNICH, Jan. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Siemens today launched Siemens for Startups, a new program to empower early-stage engineering and manufacturing startups. Announced at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, the program will enable new innovative companies to accelerate innovation, streamline development processes and scale faster by providing venture-related services, while reducing the cost of access to Siemens software and hardware.

“Startups are essential to making our customers more competitive, sustainable and resilient. By collaborating with startups, Siemens helps bring breakthrough ideas to industries faster, empowering customers to address global challenges more effectively with cutting-edge technologies, tools and solutions,” said Peter Koerte, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Strategy Officer. 

The Siemens for Startups program has three pillars:

Connect 
The new program will help onboard startup companies to the Siemens Xcelerator marketplace, thus providing access to a global go-to-market channel and the Siemens Xcelerator ecosystem.Collaborate 
As an early customer and co-developer, Siemens will collaborate with leading startups through venture clienting. This approach will give Siemens access to cutting-edge capabilities and services and provide startups with the early revenue needed for growth.Empower
Solutions from the “Siemens for Startups” program will provide startups – whether focused on product development or on software development – with packaged access to essential software tools from Siemens Xcelerator.

Partnership with AWS

As part of its ongoing strategic collaboration with AWS, Siemens will link the “Siemens for Startups” program with AWS’s Startup program to accelerate innovation, streamline development processes and enable startups to scale faster. The collaboration underscores both companies’ commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and driving digital transformation in the industrial sector.

“Collaborating with Siemens allows us to extend the capabilities of our AWS Startup program to a new generation of innovators in the engineering and manufacturing space,” said Jon Jones, Vice President and Global Head Startups at AWS. “By providing startups with advanced software, generative AI and cloud services, AWS and Siemens are enabling them to bring their ideas to life more quickly and boost entire industries with cutting-edge solutions.”

Integrating Siemens’ comprehensive suite of industrial software – including design, simulation and manufacturing solutions from the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio – into AWS’s scalable cloud infrastructure and startup program will enable startups to access the tools and resources they need to seize market opportunities. For technical and go-to-market support, qualifying startups will receive AWS credits, business development resources and access to the AWS Activate program.

Showcasing startups

At CES 2025, Siemens highlighted the following startup companies that are collaborating with Siemens’ teams and technology to scale operations.

Arkisys is building one of the first business platforms in space for new technology hosting, satellite integration, assembly and resupply. The Arkisys Port supports scalable rapid prototyping, new payload and technology testing, the assembly and integration of new free-flying space platforms and destinations for orbital transfer vehicles, and on-orbit assembly and manufacturing.Dirac, a Siemens Technology Partner, is a leader in automated manufacturing workflow software, revolutionizing American manufacturing with innovative solutions that bridge the gap between design and production. Its flagship product, BuildOS, is the first automated work instruction platform, using physics-based simulations and manufacturing best practices to automatically generate animated, interactive, 3D assembly-ready work instructions directly from CAD models. BuildOS enables companies to seamlessly transition from design to production while retaining critical tacit knowledge, aggregating and contextualizing it within the design process. As a Technology Partner working alongside Siemens, Dirac has been able to drive enormous value across the Automotive and Aerospace & Defense industries.EthonAI is developing the EthonAI Manufacturing Analytics System (MAS), a powerful software suite designed to achieve operational excellence at scale. The MAS creates a common context across disparate factory data sources, analyzes data using the latest AI techniques, and makes the results accessible through a suite of interoperating applications. The applications within the MAS are specifically tailored to improve operational KPIs such as quality, throughput, uptime, costs and sustainability. Customers using EthonAI have achieved waste reductions of over 50 percent.Haddy is revolutionizing furniture manufacturing with advanced 3D printing and robotics, producing high-quality, sustainable products at a low cost and on a commercial scale. Haddy is building a global network of local micro-factories equipped with hybrid Flexbot systems from CEAD and recycling units that shorten the supply chain and help the environment by reducing waste.Instrumental technology automates failure discovery and root cause analysis in electronics manufacturing — accelerating new product development and improving yield in production. Easy-to-use workflows enable engineers to do failure analysis 100x faster.Tended uses geospatial data and wearable technology to transform the safety of high-risk work environments. The solution provides organizations with enhanced visibility over onsite operations to quickly identify and correct unsafe actions. A high degree of accuracy helps to ensure people, plant and equipment are in the right place at the right time, helping to prevent near misses and accidents.

More information about Siemens for Startups is available at www.siemens.com/startups

This press release is available at:
https://sie.ag/2vXqqh

Follow us at www.x.com/siemens_press

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a leading technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, mobility, and healthcare. The company’s purpose is to create technology to transform the everyday, for everyone. By combining the real and the digital worlds, Siemens empowers customers to accelerate their digital and sustainability transformations, making factories more efficient, cities more livable, and transportation more sustainable. Siemens also owns a majority stake in the publicly listed company Siemens Healthineers, a leading global medical technology provider pioneering breakthroughs in healthcare. For everyone. Everywhere. Sustainably. 

In fiscal 2024, which ended on September 30, 2024, the Siemens Group generated revenue of €75.9 billion and net income of €9.0 billion. As of September 30, 2024, the company employed around 312,000 people worldwide on the basis of continuing operations. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.

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SOURCE Siemens

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Tech Mahindra Tops India and Achieves Second Place Globally in the S&P Dow Jones Sustainability Indices 2024 for TSV IT Services Segment

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PUNE, India and NEW YORK, Jan. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Tech Mahindra (NSE: TECHM), a leading global provider of technology consulting and digital solutions to enterprises across industries, has announced its recognition as a global sustainability leader by S&P Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) 2024, one of the world’s most renowned indices for ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance). DJSI has ranked Tech Mahindra as 1st in India and 2nd globally, with an impressive score of 88 and 100 percentile in the ‘TSV IT services’ segment, highlighting the organization’s unwavering commitment to advancing sustainability across its businesses globally.

The TSV IT services segment comprises three divisions: data processing and outsourced services, internet services and infrastructure, and IT consulting & other services. The announcement follows the recent results of the annual Dow Jones Sustainability Indices rebalancing and reconstitution, marking Tech Mahindra’s inclusion in the DJSI World Index and DJSI Emerging Markets for the tenth consecutive year. The DJSI World Index represents the top 10% of the largest 2,500 companies in the S&P Global Broad Market Index (BMI) based on long-term economic, environmental, and social criteria.

Sandeep Chandna, Chief Sustainability Officer, Tech Mahindra, said, “In a rapidly changing world, organizations must commit to sustainability and resilience, ensuring our actions today pave the way for a better tomorrow. Tech Mahindra is proud to celebrate its inclusion in the prestigious Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the 10th consecutive year. This sustainability milestone is a testament to our commitment to a greener future and reflects our unwavering commitment to environmental responsibility, social impact, and ethical practices.”

Tech Mahindra’s sustainability initiatives are committed to creating a positive environmental impact and achieving ambitious targets, including Net Zero by 2035, Carbon Neutrality by 2030, and attaining 90% renewable energy sourcing by 2030. The organization also aims to become water-positive by 2030 and ensure 100% Zero Waste to Landfill certification across all owned facilities.

Through the implementation of an internal carbon pricing mechanism, Tech Mahindra drives strategic investments in renewable energy, green buildings, and energy-efficient technologies. This reinforces Tech Mahindra’s position as a global leader in sustainability, committed to creating lasting value for its stakeholders and the planet.

For more information on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Indices components, click here.

For more information on how TechM can partner with you to meet your Scale at Speed™ imperatives, please visit https://www.techmahindra.com/

Tech Mahindra’s Social Media Channels: Facebook, X, LinkedIn and YouTube

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2539364/Tech_Mahindra_Logo.jpg

 

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SOURCE Tech Mahindra

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