Tag Archive for: partners

TikTok partners with Giphy, new rules for reader apps, Roblox sides with Apple – TechCrunch

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Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy.

The app industry continues to grow, with a record number of downloads and consumer spending across both the iOS and Google Play stores combined in 2021, according to the latest year-end reports. Global spending across iOS, Google Play and third-party Android app stores in China grew 19% in 2021 to reach $170 billion. Downloads of apps also grew by 5%, reaching 230 billion in 2021, and mobile ad spend grew 23% year over year to reach $295 billion.

Today’s consumers now spend more time in apps than ever before — even topping the time they spend watching TV, in some cases. The average American watches 3.1 hours of TV per day, for example, but in 2021, they spent 4.1 hours on their mobile device. And they’re not even the world’s heaviest mobile users. In markets like Brazil, Indonesia and South Korea, users surpassed five hours per day in mobile apps in 2021.

Apps aren’t just a way to pass idle hours, either. They can grow to become huge businesses. In 2021, 233 apps and games generated over $100 million in consumer spend, and 13 topped $1 billion in revenue. This was up 20% from 2020, when 193 apps and games topped $100 million in annual consumer spend, and just eight apps topped $1 billion.

This Week in Apps offers a way to keep up with this fast-moving industry in one place, with the latest from the world of apps, including news, updates, startup fundings, mergers and acquisitions, and suggestions about new apps to try, too.

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Reader apps get new rules

Apple app store iOS

Image Credits: TechCrunch

Apple this week announced it will begin to allow a subset of applications sold on its App Store to link to an external website where users can create or manage their accounts with the app developer. The change to Apple’s App Store Review guidelines only applies to what Apple calls “reader” apps — meaning, apps designed primarily to provide access to some sort of digital content, like magazines, books, audio, music or video. Apple’s…

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Cyber threats spur brokerages to seek tech partners

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Insurance – not computer security – is probably your core business as a broker. But with cyber threats on the rise, some brokers are seeking information-security partners to help them manage their commercial clients’ cyber risk.

WTW has several relationships with information technology and cybersecurity providers, said Michélle Lawson, the company’s cyber practice leader for Canada.

One of them is New York City-based SecurityScorecard, a tech vendor that assesses clients’ cybersecurity using several risk categories, including web application security, network security, and patching.

“SecurityScorecard reviews a company’s technical security posture and assigns a score to that,” said Lawson. “We actively explore relationships with additional vendors to continuously broaden our breadth of cyber risk data we consider in assessing a client’s cyber risk.”

More insurance buyers are becoming aware of cyber threats, observes Annamaria Landaverde, senior vice president and cyber team lead for Munich Re U.S. She addressed the topic in a 2021 webinar.

Many companies store confidential information about themselves, their customers or other companies, as Travelers Companies Inc. notes. So, your clients face potential liability risk if confidential information is exposed in a data breach.

Another corporate cyber risk is financial loss if malware is downloaded from an email. Malware can cause files to be lost, encrypted or otherwise damaged, said Travelers.

For its part, WTW offers Cyber Quantified, a tool designed to make clients aware of their exposure to data breach and network outages.

“When an insurer is underwriting the risk, they’re looking for clients who are proactively addressing cyber issues consistently,” said Lawson. “A client who is well-informed and addressing these risks proactively will differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack.”

Integrating Cyber Quantified with SecurityScorecard at no additional cost is offered as a value-added service to WTW’s clients.

“We provide this type of integration because we understand that cyber insurance buying decisions need to go beyond just traditional benchmarking,” said Lawson. “Cyber risk…

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POND mobile Partners with Kaymera Technologies

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POND mobile Partners With Kaymera Technologies

POND mobile Partners With Kaymera Technologies

The partnership combines domestic and international mobile security with communications freedom.

When we first met, we understood that both brands held a very important piece of the mobility puzzle.”

— Igor Kamenetsky, CSMO at POND mobile

WOODBRIDGE, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES, January 3, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — POND mobile, the world’s first global mobile operator, announces its new partnership with Kaymera Technologies. Kaymera specializes in military-grade mobile security and secure communications solutions to protect its clients’ business interests. The company offers protection against all mobile threats including rogue applications, voice & data interception, and location tracking. With Kaymera, both enterprise and individual clients all over the world can secure their assets against cyberattacks and protect their daily operations.

Kaymera offers secure devices with robust encryption and a layered cyber defense approach. With Kaymera, clients can enjoy both real-time monitoring via the company’s Cyber Command Center and a natural smartphone experience. All communication channels including voice, messaging, and data are encrypted providing clients with the highest level of privacy. By partnering with POND mobile, Kaymera is able to offer its customers a turnkey international wireless tariff. An exclusive offer between the two companies provides clients with a Kaymera-encrypted smartphone and service from POND mobile. High-speed priority data, coverage around the world, and robust mobile security are just a few of the benefits this partnership offers.

“We are excited to work with Kaymera and their new and existing customers. When we first met, we understood that both brands held a very important piece of the mobility puzzle. With Kaymera’s security software and our global phone tariff, customers who rely on a secure connection worldwide can now have it in the palm of their hand”, says POND mobile’s CSMO, Igor Kamenetsky.

“A perfect partnership starts where customers win. Business alliance with POND mobile is a perfect product match from a business point of…

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CACI partners with Yubico to enhance trusted mobile platforms

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CACI announced that it has entered into a partnership with Yubico through a memorandum of understanding that establishes Yubico as the exclusive provider of multi-factor authentication (MFA) solutions in support of CACI’s trusted mobile platforms.

CACI Yubico

Yubico will provide YubiKey 5 FIPS Series products for enhanced security and authentication protocols for CACI’s software-defined key loading devices that enable more capable, secure, and resilient communications for U.S. government missions.

Yubico’s YubiKey 5 FIPS Series are multi-protocol security keys that eliminate account takeovers from phishing attacks with strong two-factor, multi-factor and passwordless authentication. These security keys support applications and services using a range of protocols such as OTP, FIDO U2F and FIDO2/WebAuthn and a Personal Identity Verification-compatible (PIV) Smart Card.

The YubiKey 5 FIPS series is NSA-approved for the Department of Defense (DoD) to provide the highest level of user authentication and supports the ability to remove the tool following authentication in accordance with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) usability guidelines for multi-factor cryptographic devices.

“The U.S. military and government agencies have a critical need for more secure, modern communications technology to help counter current and future threats,” said Todd Probert, President of National Security and Innovative Solutions at CACI. “CACI and our partners are bringing this state-of-the-art multi-factor authentication tool, combined with the most-advanced mobile hand-held device for trusted mobile platforms to the market. This capability is streamlined, proven and tested, and ready to deliver today in support of national security missions.”

“With data breaches continuing to rise, it has become increasingly critical for companies and government agencies to embrace a move toward modern, phishing-resistant, multi-factor authentication,” said Stina Ehrensvärd, CEO and co-founder, Yubico. “In the past several months, we’ve seen the US government release its Draft Zero Trust Strategy, as well as a number of other actions, including a cybersecurity executive order,…

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