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Blackbaud Showcases the Future of AI-Powered Fundraising and Financial Management for Social Impact Organizations at bbcon 2024

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Product Updates Build Connection Between Solutions and Teams While Delivering Contextual Intelligence—All to Help Social Impact Organizations Raise More, Save More and Work Smarter

CHARLESTON, S.C., Sept. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), the leading provider of software for powering social impact, today kicked off its annual technology conference, bbcon, announcing a wide range of innovation shaping the future of social impact technology.

“Our 40-plus years of expertise in this space and unwavering focus help us drive innovation that empowers our customers to achieve their missions,” said Mike Gianoni, president, CEO and vice chairman of the board of directors, Blackbaud. “We are transforming the way social impact organizations operate, giving back time and improving data-backed decision making. With cutting edge technology, thousands of customers—from nonprofits, to schools, foundations, companies and more—are amplifying their impact across communities and around the world. We’re proud to be the chosen partner of so many incredible organizations, and we’re committed to continue delivering for them.”

Innovation to Fuel Impact
Blackbaud unveiled a range of product updates and enhancements aimed at connecting workflows and teams to free up time and provide users the insight they need to deliver their best results, without guesswork.

The Future of Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT®
Blackbaud shared its plans and progress for the next generation of its market-leading fundraising software, building on its commitment to roll out a reimagined user experience with all critical-end-to-end workflows and enhanced functionality in a single, unified view by the end of 2025. Key updates include:

A new navigation, making it easier and more intuitive for both fundraising and finance users to quickly find what they need among an expanded array of menu options.A common records engine for K-12 school fundraisers launching this year that will provide a complete picture of donors by connecting data across the entire school community.New donor recognition program management capabilities, coming in 2025, to automatically tie gifts to these programs for deeper donor engagement.

Intelligence for Good®: AI Built for Social Impact
Blackbaud is building AI that delivers fundraising performance, benchmarking and forecasting directly in-product, providing social impact professionals with insights connected to their business data and built on Blackbaud’s 40 years of sector leadership. Planned AI advancements include:

Blackbaud Copilot, an AI-powered coach and assistant that allows users to interact with their data in natural language, ask questions, and gain insights. Copilot is already embedded in Blackbaud Impact Edge™, and a technical preview in both Raiser’s Edge NXT and Financial Edge NXT® is planned for 2025 to help fundraisers understand, plan for and engage with high priority donors and prospects, and to help simplify fund accounting by combining automation and personalization.New performance insights to help organizations see how they stack up against others, based on Blackbaud’s rich benchmarking data.New tools for education customers, like an Award Cycle Manager within Blackbaud Award Management™ to give scholarship administrators a centralized view and KPIs, and an “at-risk” student tool for Blackbaud’s K-12 Education Management portfolio to help teachers identify students in need of extra support by consolidating data on attendance, test scores and work completion.

Accelerated Giving to Raise and Save More
Blackbaud continues to innovate across its integrated payments experiences to help organizations raise more and save more so that they can invest in their missions. Exciting updates include:

A wider global roll out of Blackbaud’s Optimized and Standard Donation Forms, proven to increase conversion rates, including the recent addition of the Intelligent Ask feature powered by Blackbaud AI, which ensures fundraisers target the right gift amount for each donor.Tap-to-pay capabilities that will allow supporters to tap their card on a mobile device to donate, pay entry fees or buy swag.The extension of Blackbaud’s Complete Cover offering—the social impact sector’s only solution with guaranteed 0% processing fees—to an initial set of partners, including Trellis for auctions and events and Almabase for higher education giving days.

Connected Financial Management
Blackbaud is connecting workflows throughout the finance office. The company will deliver 100% of core Financial Edge NXT capabilities in a unified view in Q1 of 2025, including new and improved Query and reconciliation functionality. Additional enhancements include:

Automated invoice scanning using Microsoft AI Document Intelligence to automate the entire payables process from start to finish directly in Financial Edge NXT.Payment Assistant for fully automated bill pay in Financial Edge NXT, helping customers to save hours a week with auto-reconciliation of payment assistant transactions, to reduce processing costs and to benefit from robust, built-in fraud protection.Deeper integration between Raiser’s Edge NXT and Financial Edge NXT to connect workflows from donation through disbursement with fewer manual steps, making it easier and faster to let donors know what their gifts paid for and when.Financial Edge NXT integration with Blackbaud Grantmaking™, connecting departments and surfacing the right financial data at the right time.

Extensibility and Flexibility
Blackbaud is combining the power of purpose-built software designed specifically for the business operations of social impact with platform-level flexibility to enable endless possibilities. The company is delivering more plug-and-play apps, system integrators and consulting services in the Blackbaud Marketplace, plus:

New partner integrations, including the connection of Blackbaud Education Management with UBIQ Education and BrightArrow, enabling K12 schools to power best-in-class school websites, connect their data, leverage marketing capabilities to drive enrollment, and give faculty access to mass communication functionality for all their classes, teams, advisories and more.The expansion of Red Arc’s existing integration for Raiser’s Edge NXT to Blackbaud CRM™ cloud-hosted customers, to directly connect their preferred digital marketing solutions, like Constant Contact, Mailchimp, HubSpot or Salesforce Marketing Cloud, to their CRM.New SKY Add-ins™ for both low-code and pro-code developers to create hyper-specific solutions and access partner solutions without ever leaving Blackbaud software. Six new Microsoft Power Platform-certified connectors offering more flexibility, plus added low-code tools for Blackbaud CRM that have already been popular in Raiser’s Edge NXT for embedding power automate workflows, power apps, adaptive cards and Power BI extensions.

Happening at bbcon 2024
bbcon 2024 is taking place this week in Seattle, welcoming thousands of social impact professionals for three days of unmatched networking, the latest in industry trends and inspiring keynotes. The agenda features a day-two keynote conversation with Emmy® award-winning actress and nonprofit founder Sheryl Lee Ralph, as well as a day-three appearance by Dr. Alex George, a bestselling author and podcaster focused on resilience and mental wellness. As the presenting sponsor, Microsoft will deliver several sessions on how nonprofits can use AI with their data to drive mission success around fundraising and campaign planning.

Mainstage sessions can be livestreamed for free through the bbcon virtual pass, with replay content available on demand beginning October 15. Visit bbconference.com for more information, and for more details on Blackbaud’s product roadmap, register to attend the Blackbaud Product Update Briefings, happening Nov. 12-14.

About Blackbaud
Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) is the leading software provider exclusively dedicated to powering social impact. Serving the nonprofit and education sectors, companies committed to social responsibility and individual change makers, Blackbaud’s essential software is built to accelerate impact in fundraising, nonprofit financial management, digital giving, grantmaking, corporate social responsibility and education management. With millions of users and over $100 billion raised, granted or managed through Blackbaud platforms every year, Blackbaud’s solutions are unleashing the potential of the people and organizations who change the world. Blackbaud has been named to Newsweek’s list of America’s Most Responsible Companies, Quartz’s list of Best Companies for Remote Workers, and Forbes’ list of America’s Best Employers. A remote-first company, Blackbaud has operations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica and the United Kingdom, supporting users in 100+ countries. Learn more at www.blackbaud.com or follow us on X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media Inquiries
media@blackbaud.com

Forward-looking Statements
Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations and assumptions contained in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding expected benefits of products and product features. Although Blackbaud attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such statements are based. In addition, other important factors that could cause results to differ materially include the following: general economic risks; uncertainty regarding increased business and renewals from existing customers; continued success in sales growth; management of integration of acquired companies and other risks associated with acquisitions; risks associated with successful implementation of multiple integrated software products; the ability to attract and retain key personnel; risks associated with management of growth; lengthy sales and implementation cycles; technological changes that make our products and services less competitive; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in the SEC filings for Blackbaud, copies of which are available free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or upon request from Blackbaud’s investor relations department. All Blackbaud product names appearing herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blackbaud, Inc.

 

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11:11 Systems Announces Strategic Partnership with Cato Networks to Deliver SASE Solution for Distributed Enterprises

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New Managed Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solution combines SD-WAN, cloud-native networking and security capabilities with 11:11’s connectivity, cyber resilience and cloud expertise

SYDNEY, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — 11:11 Systems, a leading managed infrastructure solutions provider, today announced the global availability of its 11:11 Managed Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solution and a new strategic partnership with Cato Networks.

11:11 Managed SASE is a fully managed secure connectivity solution leveraging Cato Networks AI-native network security platform. This solution brings together intelligent SD-WAN, cloud-delivered security and global connectivity into a single offering. It enables organisations to simplify and secure access across branch offices, data centres, users and cloud environments, reducing complexity without sacrificing performance or control.

Built on the Cato Networks cloud-native SASE platform, 11:11 Managed SASE combines zero trust network access (ZTNA), firewall as a service (FWaaS), secure web gateway (SWG), cloud access security broker (CASB), advanced threat protection and centralised visibility into a unified managed experience. 11:11 also delivers 24x7x365 monitoring and support, incident management integration and operational accountability to help customers limit vendor sprawl, increase agility and free internal teams to focus on higher-value priorities.

The offering is backed by 11:11’s broader networking, cloud and cyber resilience capabilities. Through its global backbone, carrier-agnostic connectivity options and integrated portfolio spanning cloud, backup, disaster recovery and security services, 11:11 gives customers a practical path to modernise network and security architecture while strengthening resilience across the business.

“Enterprises are under pressure to support users, applications and locations that are more distributed than ever, while limiting complexity and improving security,” said Justin Giardina, CTO, 11:11 Systems. “Our Managed SASE solution provides customers with a unified approach to modernising networking and security, along with the visibility, support and flexibility they need to thrive in a rapidly changing environment.”

According to Karl Soderlund, global channel chief, Cato Networks, “As enterprises move beyond fragmented legacy networking and security stacks, they need a simpler way to gain visibility, context and control across hybrid work environments and reduce the operational burden on IT. Through our partnership, we can address these challenges head on and deliver end-to-end visibility and protection in a single service built for the reality of modern work.”

The joint offering is well suited for distributed enterprises, multi-site organisations, hybrid workforce initiatives, SD-WAN refreshes, security modernisation efforts and businesses with limited IT resources. 11:11 meets customers where they are by supporting existing environments, simplifying multi-vendor operations and serving as a single provider accountable for network, security, cloud and data integration.

This partnership expands 11:11’s Network as a Service portfolio and follows Forrester’s inclusion of 11:11 Systems in its report, “The Secure Access Service Edge Services Landscape, Q1 2026.”

About 11:11 Systems

11:11 Systems is a managed infrastructure solutions provider that empowers customers to modernise, protect and manage mission-critical applications and data, leveraging 11:11’s resilient cloud platform. Learn more at www.1111Systems.com and follow 11:11 on LinkedIn.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/1111-systems-announces-strategic-partnership-with-cato-networks-to-deliver-sase-solution-for-distributed-enterprises-302830322.html

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Crowell & Moring Expands Financial Services Group with Former UBS Bank USA General Counsel Cristina Diaz

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NEW YORK, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Crowell & Moring has added Cristina Diaz, former executive director and general counsel of UBS Bank USA, and most recently head of legal for UBS’s U.S. Remediation Management Office, to the firm’s Financial Services Group as senior counsel in New York. Diaz brings more than two decades of in-house counsel and law firm experience in bank regulation, compliance, and risk management.

At Crowell, Diaz will counsel banks, fintechs, and digital assets companies on a broad range of bank regulatory matters, including charters and licensing, permissible activities, capital requirements, regulatory enforcement, M&A, and corporate governance. She will also counsel clients navigating the intersection of traditional banking and emerging financial services, including digital assets companies seeking to acquire or establish national banks, and banks exploring partnerships with fintechs and digital assets firms.

At UBS, Diaz advised on the firm’s most pressing regulatory matters, including most recently UBS Bank USA’s charter conversion from a Utah industrial bank to an OCC national bank and key compliance remediations. This work gave Diaz extensive experience navigating relationships with state and federal financial regulators. Earlier in her career, Diaz spent eight years at Davis Polk & Wardwell advising U.S. and foreign banks on bank regulatory matters, M&A, and capital markets transactions.

“Cristina is a highly experienced, solution-oriented attorney who brings deep knowledge in the bank regulatory space. She will be an enormous asset to the firm’s growing regulatory and transactional offerings to banks, digital assets businesses, and fintechs,” said Carlton Greene, Co-Chair of Crowell’s Financial Services Group.

“I am delighted to join Crowell & Moring and integrate my bank regulatory experience with the firm’s nationally-recognized digital assets practice. As traditional banking and emerging financial technologies continue to evolve, clients need actionable and sophisticated legal counsel. Crowell offers the collaborative platform to help institutions successfully execute their growth and compliance strategies,” said Diaz.

Diaz received her J.D. from New York University School of Law, where she was a member of the New York University Law Review, and received her B.A., summa cum laude, from New York University. She is fluent in Spanish.

About Crowell & Moring LLP
Crowell & Moring is an international law firm with operations in the United States, Europe, and MENA. Drawing on significant government, business, industry, and legal experience, the firm helps clients capitalize on opportunities and provides creative solutions to complex regulatory and policy, litigation, transactional, and intellectual property issues. The firm is consistently recognized for its commitment to pro bono service, as well as its comprehensive programs and initiatives to advance the professional and personal development of all members of the Crowell community.

Media Contact:
Email: prteam@crowell.com

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Quantinuum and SoftBank Corp. Publish Joint White Paper on Scaling Practical Quantum Computing Use Cases Toward the Fault-Tolerant Era

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The companies have published a joint white paper mapping commercially relevant quantum computing use cases in quantum chemistry and graph analytics to Quantinuum’s hardware roadmap.The paper provides a framework for assessing how advances in quantum hardware and algorithms, could affect when practical industrial applications become feasible.SoftBank Corp. and Quantinuum will use the roadmap to inform their exploration of future quantum AI data center services and related business models.

TOKYO and BROOMFIELD, Colo., July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Quantinuum (NASDAQ: QNT) and SoftBank Corp. (“SoftBank”) today announced the publication of “Quantum Computing Frontiers,” a joint white paper that maps two commercially-relevant quantum computing application areas against Quantinuum’s hardware roadmap. The analysis examines how advances in quantum hardware and algorithms could affect when these applications become practical for industrial use.

The paper focuses on two representative application domains that SoftBank is actively using Quantinuum’s systems to research: quantum chemistry for new materials discovery and energy research, and topological data analysis for large-scale graph analytics, including for telecommunications fraud detection. The authors anchor their assessment of the scalability of these two application areas against Quantinuum’s published hardware roadmap, examining how projected advances in hardware capabilities and algorithms may enable the commercial readiness of future industrial applications.

Building on this use-case roadmap, the paper also examines how quantum computing, AI, and high-performance computing could be integrated into future computing infrastructure. It considers how progress across successive hardware generations could inform future quantum AI data center services and related business models, a key focus of the Quantinuum and SoftBank partnership announced last year.

“The key takeaway of this study is that organizations do not need to wait for large-scale, fault-tolerant systems to explore where quantum computing can begin creating value,” said Duncan Jones, General Manager, Applications Group at Quantinuum. “By using today’s systems to develop, benchmark and refine applications in areas such as quantum chemistry and graph analytics, enterprises can build the technical and operational readiness needed for the next era of quantum-enabled computing.”

“The question is no longer whether quantum computing may deliver value, but rather which problem classes become executable at which stage of hardware maturity,” said Ryuji Wakikawa, Senior Vice President & CTO at SoftBank Corp. “However, we believe progress in hardware must be complemented by equally strong developments in quantum algorithms and the integration of quantum systems with AI and high-performance computing.”

The white paper discusses illustrative scenarios describing how representative applications, technology maturity, and potential market opportunities may evolve over time under stated assumptions. The analysis provided in the paper is intended to provide a conceptual framework for understanding potential market evolution and does not represent financial guidance or forecasts. These analyses are intended to support discussion of future technology development and should not be interpreted as commitments regarding commercialization, infrastructure investment, products, services, or financial performance.

The full white paper is available to download on the SoftBank and Quantinuum websites.

About SoftBank Corp.

Guided by the SoftBank Group’s corporate philosophy, “Information Revolution – Happiness for everyone,” SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) operates telecommunications and IT businesses in Japan and globally. Building on its strong business foundation, SoftBank Corp. is aiming to activate the potential of AI across its businesses and drive implementation in line with its “Activate AI for Society” growth strategy. While further growing its telecom business, SoftBank is expanding its AI computing infrastructure and AI and Cloud service businesses with the aim of becoming a provider of Next-generation Social Infrastructure. To learn more, please visit https://www.softbank.jp/en/corp/

About Quantinuum

Quantinuum (NASDAQ: QNT) is a leading quantum computing company offering a full-stack platform designed to make quantum computing deployable in real-world environments. The company has commercially deployed multiple generations of quantum systems built on the well-established QCCD architecture, which it has implemented with novel designs and capabilities to achieve the industry’s highest accuracy levels based on average two-qubit gate fidelity.[1] Quantinuum has active engagements with market leaders across pharmaceuticals, material science, financial services, and government and industrial markets. The company has a global workforce of approximately 700 employees, including top scientists and researchers. Over 70% of its technology team holds PhDs or Master’s degrees. Quantinuum’s headquarters is in Broomfield, Colorado, with additional facilities across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Qatar, and Singapore.

For more information, please visit www.quantinuum.com.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts. The words “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “future,” “will,” “seek,” “foreseeable,” the negative version of these words, or similar terms and phrases are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on certain assumptions and assessments made by our management in light of their experience and their perception of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. The forward-looking statements included in this release are also subject to a number of material risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to economic, competitive, governmental, and technological factors affecting our operations, markets, products, services and prices. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Quantinuum to predict all such factors. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as required by law, Quantinuum does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

 

[1] As of December 31, 2025.

SOURCE Quantinuum

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