Connect with us

Technology

SMART launches groundbreaking SMART Board® Mini interactive podium, alongside TAA-Compliant Interactive Display and other innovations at ISE 2025

Published

on

BARCELONA, Spain, Jan. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — SMART Technologies, the inventor of the SMART Board®, proudly unveils three exciting new products: the SMART Board® Mini interactive podium designed for colleges, universities, and businesses; the SMART Board ® M Pro High secure series TAA Interactive Display for government and privacy-sensitive industries; and the all-new SMART OneLaunch meeting tool for more seamless, connected hybrid meetings.

These cutting-edge releases will make their debut at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2025, running from February 4 to 7, 2025. Visit SMART at Stand 1C170 in Hall 1 to explore how these innovations elevate collaboration in meetings, learning environments, and hybrid workspaces.

Interactive Podium Addresses Key Needs in Higher Education and Business

A recent SMART survey of IT directors and professors revealed critical challenges in instructional spaces impacting higher education and businesses:

52% of respondents indicated the need for real-time feedback features: The need for instant feedback emerged as the top priority for engagement in-person and online.Need for annotation capabilities: The ability to annotate presentations directly is crucial for simplifying complex concepts and making training more interactive.30% of higher education campuses still use outdated technology: Legacy projectors no longer meet the needs of modern learning environments.

The new SMART Board Mini interactive podium addresses these needs in modern instructional settings and workspaces, letting presenters more freely face and engage their audiences with robust tools for real-time collaboration, industry-leading digital inking that can be saved and shared, and high-quality audio and video for hybrid meetings and instruction. 

Across industries, the SMART Board Mini empowers presenters to excel by seamlessly connecting in-person and remote audiences. With its interactive tools, it supports more connected, engaging spaces by simplifying complex workflows while allowing presenters to focus on what matters most, their audience.

Key features of the SMART Board Mini:

Present seamlessly with a complete video conferencing solution that includes a 4K AI-enabled camera, 8-microphone array, 12W sound, and 27″ 4K UHD display, ensuring engagement for both in-person and remote participants.The ONLY interactive podium with an integrated OPS PC module slot for Windows and Google-licensed appliances, ensuring that any user can connect and work in a familiar, consistent environment.Bring interactivity anywhere with a single cable connection. Touch and digital ink are enabled on connected secondary screens or projectors, mirroring content to any external display via the integrated HDMI or USB-C output— no extra splitters or switches needed. When paired with a SMART display, both the SMART Board Mini and the display can interact with content simultaneously, enabling real-time collaboration and touchback functionalitySeamless integration with SMART Ink means users can write directly into PDFs and Microsoft Office files and save them with notes embedded in the file. Designed for versatile use as a free-standing display on a table or desk, with options for mounting on monitor arms or embedding in lecterns.

“I am proud to introduce our newest product, the SMART Board Mini, an interactive podium that pushes the boundaries of interactive technology,” says Nicholas Svensson, CEO of SMART Technologies. “As a complete video conferencing solution with video in and out capabilities, as well as industry-leading touch and ink, the SMART Board Mini delivers a solution for collaborating in-person and remotely. As the only interactive podium with an integrated OPS PC module slot, there is simply nothing else on the market that offers what we do at SMART.”

Pre-orders for the new SMART Board Mini interactive podium open March 1, 2025.

TAA-Compliant Interactive Display Offers High Secure Interactivity

Also being demonstrated at ISE is the new SMART Board M Pro High secure series TAA interactive display.

Designed to meet the stringent security requirements of the U.S. Trade Agreements Act (TAA) mandated by judicial, executive, and legislative branches, as well as the military and high-security industries, the M Pro High secure series TAA has already garnered significant interest. It offers interactive tools that help attract, recruit, and retain top talent while maintaining robust cybersecurity and uncompromising security standards.

Key features of this display include:

Enhanced security features, purpose-built to have no embedded OS, no mic-array, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi, and no USB mass-transfer to reduce security vulnerabilities.TAA compliance, ensuring compatibility with government procurement standards, and privacy requirements.4K Ultra HD resolution for high-quality visuals.SMART Ink allows for writing directly into PDFs and Microsoft Office files like PowerPoint, Word, Excel and OneNote, and overtop of browsers, and into other applications (unlike competitors’ acetate layer).SMART’s industry-leading touch technology that enables multiple users to write, erase, and interact at the same time without interfering with one another.Integration with JWIC, NIPR, SIPR, and KVM to streamline government workflows.

Quicker Business Collaboration with SMART OneLaunch, powered by Airtame
Designed for simplicity and consistency, SMART OneLaunch, powered by Airtame, is an innovative gateway to hybrid meetings – providing instant access to Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex, and other cloud UCC platforms. Just touch the join button on a SMART Board interactive display or join directly from your personal device using a secure code to participate, screen share, and manage hybrid meetings. It’s the simplest way to join a meeting and ensure consistency, no matter what meeting platform is being used – with no additional hardware, dongles, or complicated setup required.

About SMART Technologies
SMART Technologies is a pioneering force in the development of interactive technology solutions. Renowned for SMART Board® interactive displays and comprehensive software offerings, the company is dedicated to creating engaging and collaborative learning and working environments, creating connections that matter for users worldwide since 1987. With a focus on quality, innovation, and inclusion, SMART Technologies continues to drive advancements in education and business technology worldwide. To learn more, visit www.smarttech.com.

Media Contact
SMART@5wpr.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/smart-launches-groundbreaking-smart-board-mini-interactive-podium-alongside-taa-compliant-interactive-display-and-other-innovations-at-ise-2025-302364003.html

SOURCE SMART Technologies

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

Siemon Releases 2026 ESG Report and Progress Update Report

Published

on

By

WATERTOWN, Conn., April 19, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The Siemon Company, a global leader in high‑performance network infrastructure solutions for data centers and smart buildings, is proud to announce the release of its 2026 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report, showcasing accelerated climate action, third‑party‑verified performance, and continued leadership in transparent, responsible business practices. The report highlights Siemon’s strongest ESG results to date, including early achievement of science‑based climate targets, expanded renewable energy adoption, increased product transparency, and a people‑first culture that supports accountability, equity, and long‑term value creation.

Sustainability is not a side initiative; it’s embedded in how we operate, how we innovate, and how we lead. This year’s report reflects disciplined execution across our Sustainable Development Goals, our value chain, and our workforce.

Key Highlights from the 2026 ESG Report:

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

Achieved a 69% absolute reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from a 2021 baseline, surpassing the company’s 2031 SBTi‑validated target four years ahead of schedule.Reduced Scope 3 emissions intensity by 23.1%, while maintaining essentially flat absolute emissions despite business growth.

Energy, Water & Waste

Increased renewable energy usage to 90% of global operations, achieving Scope 2 carbon neutrality at major U.S. and China facilities.Reduced water usage by 30%, exceeding the company’s long‑term reduction goal.Delivered a 17.1% absolute reduction in waste, supported by expanded recycling and sustainable packaging initiatives.

Product Transparency & Customer Enablement

Expanded Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) coverage to 41% of sales and Health Product Declaration (HPD) coverage to 49% of sales, supporting green building and material health requirements to a screening threshold of 100 ppm.Launched an online compliance portal providing on‑demand regulatory and standards assurance for 99% of finished goods, including RoHS, REACH, PFAS, and conflict minerals.

People & Social Impact

Certified™ by Great Place To Work® in the U.S. for the third consecutive year, with 90.4% of employees globally affirming Siemon as a great place to work.We have made a commitment to ensure that 100% of our employees are paid at or above the living wage. Contributed 2,600+ volunteer hours and over $160,000 in charitable giving, supporting education, community, and conservation initiatives worldwide.

Governance & Transparency

Advanced alignment with the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), completing a third‑party‑reviewed Double Materiality Assessment and Limited Assurance Audit.Maintained 100% employee training on the Company Code of Conduct, aligned with the UN Global Compact and Responsible Business Alliance principles.

“Sustainability is not a side initiative; it’s embedded in how we operate, how we innovate, and how we lead. This year’s report reflects disciplined execution across our Sustainable Development Goals, our value chain, and our workforce. We’re focused on delivering measurable progress today while building the systems and governance needed for the future.”

– John Siemon, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Siemon

In a unique effort to bridge corporate reporting with tangible action, Siemon has integrated an interactive giving component into the digital publication. Within the executive summary and each primary pillar – Environmental, Social, and Governance -readers will find a dedicated link to unlock a corporate donation. This initiative empowers stakeholders to personally direct Siemon to fund toward one of five global non-profit partners: Habitat for Humanity, Doctors Without Borders, Engineers Without Borders, One Tree Planted, or Oceana.

The full 2026 ESG Report is available for download at www.siemon.com/esg.

About Siemon

Siemon is a global market leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance connectivity solutions for data centers and smart buildings. We empower our customers to connect faster, scale smarter and deploy with confidence. Founded in 1903, our legacy of customer-driven innovation, engineering excellence, and an unwavering commitment to sustainability has made us the benchmark for quality and reliability. We deliver precision-built copper, fiber and high-speed connectivity solutions that perform at scale, with the flexibility, speed, and support our customers rely on. With operations in over 100 countries, Siemon has one of the industry’s broadest solution portfolios and is the trusted partner behind the networks that connect the world. Find out more at www.siemon.com.

Media Contact

Brian Baum, Siemon, 1 8609454200, brian_baum@siemon.com

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/siemon-releases-2026-esg-report-and-progress-update-report-302746314.html

SOURCE Siemon

Continue Reading

Technology

Quickplay’s Triple Play of New Customers, Products and Partnerships Set to Dominate NAB 2026

Published

on

By

LAS VEGAS, April 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — (2026 NAB Show) – Quickplay, the Content to Value Operating System, today unveiled a broad array of company news including: an AI-enriched solution that identifies social signals and trending topics, and connects them to relevant content within minutes; transformative customer deployments; and powerful industry research and partnerships.

Debuting at NAB, Social Signals is a new technology within Quickplay AI Studio that identifies trending cultural moments and matches them with high-value content assets to automatically generate social-ready clips and posts. By combining external trend data with performance insights from owned channels, Social Signals enables content teams to move from insight to publishing in minutes, rather than days.

Social Signals is a key part of Quickplay’s AI Studio Solution, which includes metadata enrichment, moment detection, smart verticalization and multi-platform publishing. Its Smart Verticalizer uses multimodal AI and action tracking to intelligently reframe video –preserving key visual elements such as faces, gameplay and on-screen graphics – to maintain broadcast-quality standards across short-form formats. The company has also partnered with Visible Things, the creator-driven platform to deploy the first implementation of Social Signals across the Visible Things infrastructure.

Quickplay further announced it has gone live with Gray Media (NYSE: GTN)’s new streaming experience, which included consolidating 1,300 digital touchpoint, including 163 websites, 326 mobile apps and 815 CTV apps onto a single data-driven platform powered by Quickplay and Google Cloud (NASDAQ: GOOGL). The system now manages 269 live channels and 123 FAST channels across Amazon Prime Video, Roku (NASDAQ: ROKU), Samsung TV Plus, Vizio and Fire TV, delivering hyper-local content to 37% of U.S. TV households.

Quickplay also announced the cloud-native transformation of Television New Zealand’s streaming platform, TVNZ+. Completed in 12 months, Quickplay replaced a fragmented ecosystem of six+ vendors across UI/UX, content management, video processing, advertising and analytics with a single, unified platform. The team at TVNZ also named Amazon Web Services (NASDAQ: AMZN) as its preferred cloud platform for the transformation, further increasing efficiencies and lowering costs by consolidating onto a single cloud vendor. The technology overhaul will drive unprecedented innovation and efficiency for TVNZ, New Zealand’s state-owned broadcaster, which reaches over two million New Zealanders daily.

“Broadcasters don’t need another point solution. They need an AI-enabled operating system that turns content into measurable outcomes,” said Paul Pastor, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer at Quickplay. “At NAB, we’re showing how to bring cultural moments, content catalogs and distribution workflows together to create engaging and revenue opportunities in real time.”

In partnership with Caretta Research, Quickplay will also release new research, “The Broadcaster Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” highlighting a critical bottleneck in the industry: North American broadcasters spend approximately 75% of their time on technical workflows, leaving only 25% for content creation. The report outlines how automated workflows and unified operations can help broadcasters meet the growing demand for short-form video while maintaining editorial quality and accelerating monetization.

Additionally, Quickplay has joined NAB PILOT, a coalition of innovators, educators and advocates dedicated to advancing broadcast technologies and cultivating new media opportunities. As a part of this group, Quickplay is expanding its collaboration with broadcasters to redefine how value is derived from content.

Quickplay at NAB 2026:

Paul Pastor, Jordan Bartow, and Peter Tanner of Quickplay, and Albert Lai of Google Cloud will be on a panel: An Audience of One: How Gray Media + Google Cloud + Quickplay are Using AI and Cloud OTT to Personalize Local News, Enable User-Generated Content, Engage Younger Viewers, and Unlock New Revenue for Broadcasters. Central Hall Stage, Monday, April 20 at 4:15p PTAt the NAB Streaming Summit TVNZ’s Chief Digital Officer, Rob Hutchinson, will present “How TVNZ+ Built a Co-Viewing Product” on Tuesday, April 21 at 11:30 AM PT.Live Demonstrations: See Quickplay technology in action at AWS, GCP, TwelveLabs and the Encore. To book a meeting, email hello@quickplay.com

About Quickplay:
Quickplay is the Content to Value Operating System for media and entertainment, connecting every stage of the content lifecycle, from creation to monetization. By applying intelligence where it drives measurable impact, Quickplay enables broadcasters, sports operators, streamers, and creators to turn their catalogs into revenue. Quickplay powers 2.5 billion streaming minutes per month, with 5 billion ad impressions served and 99.999% streaming uptime. 

Quickplay was founded by four innovators with deep media and entertainment technology experience from AT&T, McKinsey and Company, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Headquartered in Toronto, the company has offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, Chennai, and throughout Europe. For more information, visit quickplay.com.

Media Contact:
Breakaway Communications for Quickplay
quickplaypr@breakawaycom.com
+1 917-731-5734

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quickplays-triple-play-of-new-customers-products-and-partnerships-set-to-dominate-nab-2026-302746637.html

SOURCE Quickplay

Continue Reading

Technology

Harmonic Enables DIRECTV to Reimagine Nationwide DTH Service

Published

on

By

Harmonic’s Cloud-Native VOS Media Software Lowers Costs by Unifying Media Playout to Delivery on a Single Platform

SAN JOSE, Calif., April 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that DIRECTV is transforming its U.S. direct-to-home (DTH) video platform with Harmonic’s VOS® Media Software. Powering DIRECTV’s playout-to-delivery workflow, Harmonic’s cloud-native software reduces operational costs while enabling scalable, exceptional-quality video delivery for the service provider’s vast array of linear channels.

“As the demand for high-quality media content soars, DIRECTV is committed to deploying innovative technology solutions that bring unparalleled entertainment experiences to our customers. Continuing our work with Harmonic is critical to achieving this mission,” said Jeffrey Seto, vice president of satellite and software engineering at DIRECTV. “Harmonic’s VOS Media Software replaces siloed systems with a unified, software-based platform. By centralizing advanced playout, ad insertion, branding and media processing, we’re simplifying operations and building a scalable foundation.”

Harmonic’s VOS Media Software enables a complete playout-to-delivery workflow for DIRECTV running in its private data center. The Harmonic solution handles ingest, advanced playout, ad insertion, branding, premium encoding and statistical multiplexing for the delivery of broadcast-quality linear channels via satellite distribution. VOS Media Software’s playout capabilities support ad insertion across DIRECTV’s high-value linear and occasional-use channels — including live events and pay-per-view programming — boosting monetization. DIRECTV’s internal automation, storage and monitoring systems are integrated directly with Harmonic’s APIs, enabling seamless control of scheduling, automation and channel operations.

“Harmonic is proud to support DIRECTV’s software-based approach in modernizing its playout-to-delivery operations,” said Gil Rudge, senior vice president, solutions and Americas sales, video business at Harmonic. “With Harmonic’s AI-driven encoding and advanced compression solution, DIRECTV is well positioned to deliver exceptional video experiences to viewers across their linear channels, optimizing quality while minimizing bandwidth usage and operational costs.”

Harmonic will showcase its VOS Media Software at the 2026 NAB Show, April 19-22, in Las Vegas in booth W2831. To schedule a meeting with the company, visit www.harmonicinc.com/video-streaming/events/nab/. Further information about Harmonic and the company’s solutions is available at www.harmonicinc.com.

About Harmonic
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT), the worldwide leader in virtualized broadband and video delivery solutions, enables media companies and service providers to deliver ultra-high-quality video streaming and broadcast services to consumers globally. The company revolutionized broadband networking via the industry’s first virtualized broadband solution, enabling operators to more flexibly deploy gigabit internet services to consumers’ homes and mobile devices. Whether simplifying OTT video delivery via innovative cloud and software platforms, or powering the delivery of gigabit internet services, Harmonic is changing the way media companies and service providers monetize live and on-demand content on every screen. More information is available at www.harmonicinc.com

Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements concerning Harmonic’s business and the anticipated capabilities, advantages, reliability, efficiency, market acceptance, market growth, specifications and benefits of Harmonic products, services and technology are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on our current expectations and beliefs and are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties more fully described in Harmonic’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2025, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and its Current Reports on Form 8-K. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Harmonic as of the date hereof, and Harmonic disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Harmonic, the Harmonic logo and other Harmonic marks are owned by Harmonic Inc. or its affiliates. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/harmonic-enables-directv-to-reimagine-nationwide-dth-service-302744362.html

SOURCE Harmonic Inc.

Continue Reading

Trending