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Québec Waste Reduction Week – Old Cell Phones and Small Electronic Devices: EPRA-Québec Calls on the Population to Recycle Their Old Electronics

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MONTRÉAL, Oct. 21, 2024 /CNW/ – With Québec Waste Reduction Week (QWRW) set to run between October 21 and 27, the Electronic Products Recycling Association of Québec (EPRA‑Québec) is proud to contribute to the health of our planet and invites all Quebecers to take concrete action by recycling their old electronics. Notably, EPRA‑Québec continues to emphasize the importance of recovering old cell phones and other small devices that can no longer be used, such as MP3 players, digital cameras, and headphones since these products tend to have lower recycling rates across the province.

While these devices are widely used, they are also those most often forgotten in the bottom of a drawer, given their small size and the little space they take up. According to a CROP survey conducted last June for EPRA‑Québec, the top three old electronic products that people own but want to get rid of are cell phones/smart phones, computer accessories, and laptop computers.

Recycling old electronics: an action that is easy and accessible

The Recycle My Electronics™ program offers more than 1,000 authorized drop-off points, accessible free of charge, all over Québec, including some 200 smartbins, also known as electrobacs. These bins make it easier to collect small electronic devices (cell phones, various wires and cables, MP3 players, tablets, headphones, chargers, etc.) as they are in places frequented daily by the population, such as grocery stores, shopping centres, educational institutions, or public transit facilities.

“There are many reasons why we hold on to a cell phone or any other old electronic device that we no longer use. Whether people don’t know where to bring them or they worry their personal information will be exposed, I want to reassure them,” says Martin Carli, scientist and EPRA‑Québec’s official spokesperson. “Knowing that close to one in two people (47%) currently has at home old electronics they want to get rid of, I want to remind the population that dropping them off at an authorized drop-off point is easy and important because recycling an old electronic product through the official program restores its value in an ecological and safe way.”

To see the complete list of accepted products, to find an authorized drop-off point in Québec, and to get more information on electronics recycling, visit https://recyclemyelectronics.ca/qc.

Protecting the planet by recycling old electronics

Thanks to the participation of the Québec population, more than 19,000 tons of old electronics were collected in 2023. This is good news, but we must continue our efforts. The responsible recycling of end-of-life electronics does indeed help to protect the planet by recovering precious resources while reducing the amount of electronic waste in landfills.

EPRA-Québec takes charge of all electronics brought to any one of its authorized drop-off points, including several municipal ecocentres, many retailers as well as other organizations and companies. The devices are then sent to certified and approved companies located in Québec and compliant with Canadian standards, who ensure that they are handled in an environmentally friendly way while minimizing risks to health and safety. Once the products are dismantled, component materials such as metals, plastics and glass are sorted and recovered for the purpose of being processed and reused to make all kinds of new products, therefore preserving non-renewable natural resources.

About EPRA-Québec

As a recognized industry-led not-for-profit organization, EPRA-Québec provides an approved environmental compliance program for manufacturers, distributors and retailers of electronics marketed in Québec. It is responsible for implementing and operating on behalf of its stewards, a responsible program for the recovery and reclamation of electronic products. Its Recycle My Electronics™ program includes more than 1,000 authorized drop-off points accessible free of charge across the province and has helped divert more than 200,000 metric tonnes of old electronics from landfills since 2012.

SOURCE Electronic Products Recycling Association of Québec (EPRA Québec)

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Obligo Raises $35M to Expand Its Security Deposit Solutions Across Millions of U.S. Homes

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Co-led by 83North and True Global Ventures, the funding will accelerate the expansion of strategic partnerships and the launch of additional products.

NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Obligo, the fintech company that builds trust between renters and landlords through its suite of flexible security deposit solutions, announced today that it has secured $35M in new funding. The investment comes as Obligo experiences a period of rapid growth, driven by recently announced partnerships with property management software companies AppFolio, Buildium, and Yardi.

The funding round, co-led by True Global Ventures and 83North, will fuel the company’s continued product innovation, IP development, and expansion of strategic partnerships as it moves closer to achieving profitability. Additional equity and debt investors participating in the round include 10D, Entrée Capital, HighSage Ventures, MUFG Innovation Partners, and Viola Credit.

“This investment is a testament to the market’s confidence in our machine learning technology, API-first distribution strategy and our vision for the future of renting,” said Roey Dor, CEO and Co-Founder of Obligo. “The value is clear: a recent survey showed that 55% of renters cited Obligo as a key factor in selecting their current home. With these additional resources and our recently announced property management software partnerships, we are uniquely positioned to become the top deposit solution for millions of U.S. homes.”

As part of this funding round, Obligo proudly welcomes Lilia Shirman, Partner at True Global Ventures, to its Board of Directors. “Obligo is a game-changer for leveraging machine learning and AI in real estate. The company’s growth and strategic channel partnerships are evidence of the tremendous value they deliver to renters and property managers alike.” said Shirman. “We are excited to partner with Obligo to catalyze its vision for creating unprecedented trust and flexibility in the residential rental market.”

For more information, visit myobligo.com.

About Obligo

Obligo harnesses financial technology to build trust between renters and landlords, making the move-in and move-out process as simple as checking in and out of a hotel. As the first security deposit alternative utilizing bank-issued Letters of Credit supported by Wells Fargo, Obligo uses Open Banking and AI to determine renters’ eligibility to rent deposit-free.

Founded in 2018 by brothers Roey Dor and Omri Dor, Obligo is bringing its industry-changing rental solutions to millions of homes across the United States.

About 83North

83North is a global venture capital firm. The firm invests across all stages, in exceptional entrepreneurs focusing on building global category leading companies. For more information visit www.83north.com and follow @83NorthVC on Twitter.

About True Global Ventures

True Global Ventures is a global venture capital firm with two actively deploying funds: TGV 4 Plus Fund (early stage) and TGV Opportunity Fund (late stage). The firm focuses on partnering closely with fast-growing, technology-driven businesses driving transformative change in business efficiency, financial services, sustainability, and other emerging sectors, and has a strong track record in enterprise AI and blockchain investments. For more information, visit www.tgvplus.com.

Media Contact
Keegan St. Onge-May
Obligo
keegan@myobligo.com
207-650-5071

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1337090/Obligo_Logo.jpg

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GTS Celebrates 10 Years of Innovation in CX and AI

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ALTA LOMA, Calif., Oct. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Global Technology Solutions, Inc. (GTS), a leading partner of Genesys, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google CCAI, and Zoom, proudly marks its 10th anniversary!

“Reaching our 10th anniversary is an incredibly proud moment for the entire GTS team. Over the years, our unwavering commitment to innovation, teamwork, and integrity has allowed us to grow while staying true to our values. I want to thank our team for their dedication and support, and our clients and partners for their trust in us. We can’t wait to see the next 10 amazing years!” – Ram Agarwal, Founder & CEO

A Decade of Growth and Innovation

GTS began in 2014 as a one-person venture and has since evolved into a highly successful CX and AI firm. GTS has been at the forefront of delivering innovative customer experience (CX) and artificial intelligence (AI) products, along with expert implementation and managed services. Over the past decade, GTS has grown into a trusted name in the industry, serving clients across the globe with a commitment to excellence and cutting-edge technology solutions.

Achieving significant milestones, GTS earned Gold Partner status with Genesys Cloud, became an AWS Advanced Partner and Amazon Connect Delivery Partner, a Google Cloud CCAI Reseller and Service Delivery Partner, and a Zoom Phone and Workspace reseller.

With over 100 successful CX and AI projects completed, 75+ publications, and numerous certifications acquired by its growing team, GTS takes pride in being the first Gold Partner for Genesys—an impressive feat for a company of its size. Now boasting over 35 professionals across the U.S., Canada, and India, GTS continues to set the “Gold Standard in CX and AI.”

Core Values Driving Success

At the heart of GTS is its commitment to enhancing the relationship between humans and technology, ensuring every solution aligns with its mission to deliver exceptional customer experiences. Guided by core values of empathy, innovation, and integrity, GTS continuously seeks to elevate the value of its clients’ investments in Genesys, AWS, Google, and Zoom.

GTS operates by The Golden Rule—treating others as they would want to be treated. This principle fosters teamwork and mutual respect, ensuring that every partnership and collaboration thrives on integrity and shared success. Its relentless focus on delivering top-notch results and maintaining transparent communication has been key to GTS’s lasting client relationships.

“Our employees are our greatest asset. The trust, respect, and support that define our culture have been integral to our success. The energy and positivity generated by our teamwork make our workplace truly fulfilling—we wouldn’t trade it for anything,” said Becca Randall, General & HR Manager.

Looking Ahead: The Next Decade

As GTS embarks on its next chapter, the company is laser-focused on becoming a top-tier CX and AI platform leader, with plans to expand its reach across the U.S., India, and Canada. With its innovative solutions, strategic partnerships, and dedicated team, GTS is poised to continue leading the transformation of contact center experiences.

About Global Technology Solutions Inc. (GTS):
GTS is a pioneer in customer experience (CX) and artificial intelligence (AI), empowering businesses to enhance communication, drive engagement, and deliver exceptional, customer-centric experiences. Built on a foundation of innovation, integrity, and top-tier customer service, GTS transforms how organizations connect with their customers.

For more information about GTS, please visit https://www.globo-tek.com

For media inquiries, please contact:

PR Team
Global Technology Solutions, Inc.
855-245-6285
prmedia@globo-tek.com

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SOURCE Global Technology Solutions

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Barracuda Wins Two Product Innovation Awards from CRN and CyberSecurity Breakthrough

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Honored as Gold Standard for Extended Detection and Response (XDR) and Email Protection

CAMPBELL, Calif., Oct. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Barracuda Networks, Inc., a leading cybersecurity platform providing complete protection against complex threats, has won two coveted product innovation awards from CRN and CyberSecurity Breakthrough

Barracuda Managed XDR has been named Best Cybersecurity Offering in the CRN MSP Innovation Awards. Barracuda Email Protection also earned the title of Email Security Platform of the Year in the CyberSecurity Breakthrough Awards.

“We are incredibly honored to earn recognition from CRN and CyberSecurity Breakthrough as the gold standard in cybersecurity with our industry-leading email and managed XDR solutions,” said Hatem Naguib, CEO at Barracuda Networks. “Barracuda is committed to helping resource-constrained organizations stay protected against an ever-growing volume of complex threats. We’ll continue innovating and enhancing our platform to meet the evolving needs of our partners and customers.”

Barracuda Managed XDR is recognized by CRN for its outstanding threat detection and response capabilities. The innovative offering strengthens cyber resilience with 24/7 security operations center (SOC) monitoring that accelerates threat detection and response across attack surfaces. Organizations benefit with a team of tenured security operations specialists for around-the-clock coverage, helping to reduce strain on internal resources.  

Barracuda Email Protection is another layer of security in Barracuda’s complete cybersecurity platform, recognized by CyberSecurity Breakthrough for its robust threat protection capabilities. Powered by machine learning and AI, Barracuda Email Protection protects against email threats, delivers high threat detection accuracy, and reduces false positives. It further provides incident response for automated post-delivery remediation by quickly identifying all instances of malicious emails, removing threats from inboxes, and mitigating potential damage.

These new wins are the latest in a series of product accolades for Barracuda. Already this year, Barracuda has earned distinction for its solutions as a CRN Annual Report Card and CRN Security 100 leader; CIO Choice; Global InfoSec Award leader across five categories; Cybersecurity Excellence Award winner; Storage Awards Product of the Year; and more.

About Barracuda   
At Barracuda we strive to make the world a safer place. We believe every business deserves access to cloud-first, enterprise-grade security solutions that are easy to buy, deploy, and use. We protect email, networks, data, and applications with innovative solutions that grow and adapt with our customers’ journey. Hundreds of thousands of organizations worldwide trust Barracuda to protect and support them so they can focus on taking their business to the next level. For more information, visit https://www.barracuda.com.

Barracuda Networks, Barracuda and the Barracuda Networks logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Barracuda Networks, Inc. in the U.S., and other countries. 

Contact:   
Anne Campbell 
Barracuda Networks, Inc. 
978-328-1642 
acampbell@barracuda.com    

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SOURCE Barracuda Networks, Inc.

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