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Butterfly Data wins SAS Hackathon with tool to fight misinformation

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Powered by SAS Viya, it helps decision makers identify trustworthy data

CARY, N.C., May 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The flood of misinformation and disinformation is becoming a major problem, often negatively influencing decisions and causing harm. The overall winner of the 2024 SAS Hackathon is working to address this problem.

“In a world where data can shape decisions with real-world consequences, it is essential to ensure its reliability.”

Team Butterflies from Butterfly Data, a SAS Partner, has developed an AI-powered tool to help analysts and decision makers assess data sources for their reliability and credibility. Based in the UK, Butterfly Data is a diverse team of experienced technology consultants specializing in data science and data management solutions that help organizations turn data into strategic assets. SAS is a leader in data and AI.

The SAS Hackathon-winning solution uses advanced natural language processing (NLP) and classification models to check the trustworthiness of open source data. With Butterfly’s tool, organizations can verify data sources, spot unreliable information and ensure the use of ethical information to make decisions.

“In a world where data can shape decisions with real-world consequences, it is essential to ensure its reliability. Combating misinformation with trusted data leads to better and more transparent decisions,” said Luke Coldridge, Senior Consultant at Butterfly Data and Team Leader for Team Butterflies. “We believe this tool can be a force for good, helping combat disinformation and promote a more informed world.”

Powered by Viya
To create the solution, Team Butterflies used SAS’ data and AI platform, SAS® Viya®, as well as SAS Viya Workbench and SAS Viya Copilot. They also leveraged open source tools like Git, Python and Visual Studio (VS) Code.

Released in 2024, SAS Viya Workbench is a cloud-based coding environment purpose-built for developers, data scientists and modelers. It significantly improves speed and efficiency and makes it easier to conduct data management, analysis and model development using SAS or Python code, through VS Code or Jupyter Notebook.

Built on Microsoft Azure AI Foundry, SAS Viya Copilot is an AI-driven conversational assistant embedded directly into the SAS Viya platform. It gives developers, data scientists and business users a powerful personal assistant that accelerates analytical, business and industry tasks. SAS Viya Copilot is currently available via an invitation-only private preview, with general availability coming later this year.

Detecting disinformation
Created using Agile software development principles, Team Butterflies’ solution uses SAS Viya for advanced analytics and machine learning, with Viya Workbench and Viya Copilot accelerating model development and integrating large language model (LLM) technology.

Open source tools supported flexible coding and seamless collaboration, while the Cloud Analytics Services (CAS) data-processing engine within Viya enabled centralized data management and real-time dashboards. SAS Information Catalog APIs further enhanced transparency by tracing data lineage and quality, boosting user confidence in the insights delivered.

SAS Hackathon
The 2024 SAS Hackathon boasted 1,731 registrants from more than 70 countries. This led to an all-time high of 145 approved teams that participated in the month-long hack, supported by 110 SAS mentors. SAS produces the annual SAS Hackathon, which was sponsored by long-time SAS Partners Microsoft and Intel.

During the SAS Hackathon, teams of data scientists, business analysts, technology enthusiasts and students come together – often virtually across continents – to network, learn from each other and from a SAS mentor, and experiment with new technologies that spark innovation and improve lives.

“Team Butterflies and all SAS Hackathon teams clearly demonstrate the potent combination of curiosity, innovation and AI technology to address big problems in business and society,” said Einar Halvorsen, Global Hackathon Producer at SAS. “As a caterpillar transforms into something more, Team Butterflies’ AI-powered tool transforms data into better insights and trustworthy decisions.”

The announcement of Team Butterflies as overall SAS Hackathon winner was made this month at SAS Innovate, the SAS data and AI technology conference.

In November, Team Butterflies was named a 2024 SAS Hackathon winner in four categories, including EMEA region, Models technology, and Channel Readiness and Trustworthy AI special awards.

More than 100 judges participated in the evaluation of SAS Hackathon projects.

About SAS
SAS is a global leader in data and AI. With SAS software and industry-specific solutions, organizations transform data into trusted decisions. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW®.

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. ® indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright © 2025 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.

Editorial Contact:
Mike Nemecek
SAS
mike.nemecek@sas.com
919-531-5140
sas.com/news

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SOURCE SAS

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KeyStone Solutions Wins 2026 MSP 501 Vanguard Award for Innovation

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KeyStone Solutions, a managed IT and cybersecurity provider based in Cleveland, Tennessee, has won the 2026 MSP 501 Vanguard Award from Channel Partners and MSP Summit. The award recognizes managed service providers at the forefront of technology and service innovation.

CLEVELAND, Nov. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — KeyStone Solutions, LLC has won the 2026 MSP 501 Vanguard Award from Channel Partners and MSP Summit. The award was presented Sept. 30 at the MSP 501 Gala during the MSP Summit in Orlando, Fla.

“Our team has done tremendous work over the last year to modernize and automate our service delivery.” Preston West, CEO, KeyStone Solutions

The MSP 501 Special Awards are application-based. A panel of industry leaders, including top global MSPs, analysts and past award recipients, judges each entry.

The Vanguard Award goes to a company at the forefront of technology and service innovation in the managed services channel, including AI, cybersecurity and cloud. Winners use original thinking to meet clients’ needs and to drive their own financial success.

“We are honored to be recognized. Our team has done tremendous work over the last year to modernize and automate our service delivery. I couldn’t be prouder of their hard work and their focus on the customer experience,” said Preston West, CEO of KeyStone Solutions.

“To qualify for the Vanguard award, companies had to document what they have done in terms of innovative and original thinking in meeting clients’ needs and how this has contributed to the company’s overall financial success,” said Dave Raffo, MSP 501 editor who oversees the awards process. “These are among the most innovative MSPs in the world.”

“The MSP 501 Special Awards represent the pinnacle of achievement in the managed services industry, recognizing organizations and individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership, innovation, and impact,” said Robert DeMarzo, VP Content, Informa Channels, which conducts the MSP 501 survey each year.

About KeyStone Solutions, LLC

KeyStone Solutions is a managed IT and cybersecurity company based in Cleveland, Tennessee. Since 2006, KeyStone has worked as the IT department for hundreds of small and mid-sized businesses, with customers headquartered in 15 states. Its ITTaaS® (IT Team as a Service) offering delivers help desk support and cybersecurity, with optional vCISO and GRC services, and the company now provides AI services. KeyStone holds a SOC 2 Type II report and is a Microsoft 365 Solutions Partner. Learn more at keystone.solutions.

About Channel Partners, MSP Summit and the MSP 501

Channel Partners Conference & Expo and MSP Summit serve the global community of technology advisors, managed service providers, channel partners and technology suppliers, and run the MSP 501, which honors the world’s top-performing managed service providers. Learn more at themspsummit.com.

Media Contact

Richard King, KeyStone Solutions, 1 4234646424, rking@keystone.solutions, www.keystone.solutions

Dave Raffo, Informa, david.raffo@informa.com, informa.com

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/keystone-solutions-wins-2026-msp-501-vanguard-award-for-innovation-302932350.html

SOURCE KeyStone Solutions

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Putting Young Innovators Center Stage: Leaders In Future Tech+ Wraps with ¥526 Million in Investment Intentions and 31 Enterprise Landings

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NANJING, China, Nov. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On November 7, the grand finale of Leaders In Future Tech+ — a documentary sci-tech innovation program jointly produced by China Media Group, the Ministry of Education, and the Nanjing Municipal People’s Government — aired as the Youth Innovation Carnival.

Since its October 3 premiere, the program traveled to 10 cities across China, selecting 100 teams of young innovators with an average age of just 28 from nearly 500 applicants. Fifteen finalists advanced to the finale, presenting breakthroughs spanning AI chips, optical interconnect, biomedicine, smart agriculture, and more.

To date, the program has facilitated ¥526 million in investment intentions covering 34 participating enterprises, and helped 31 companies reach landing agreements with 11 districts and counties of Nanjing.

At the carnival, the “Leaders In Future Tech+ Little Giant Transformation Plan” was launched, with 13 enterprises selected in the first batch to receive a five-module service system guiding them toward specialized, high-end development.

Behind these numbers is a media-driven innovation model: closed-door investment meetings were turned into open, transparent dialogues, connecting young innovators directly with venture capital firms, academicians, industry experts, and local governments — with the focus not on short-term commercial maturity, but on long-term growth potential.

The finale also showed how technology serves everyday life: non-invasive brain-computer interface demonstrations, low-cost bone-repair materials, and ultra-low-cost fresh-keeping cards that reduce agricultural loss — each a footnote to innovation with human warmth.

With Season One concluded, Season Two recruitment is now open to innovation teams nationwide via China Media Group’s official channels and the Yangshipin app (CMG Mobile). As the program’s message goes: put young innovators at center stage — and hand the future to innovation.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/putting-young-innovators-center-stage-leaders-in-future-tech-wraps-with-526-million-in-investment-intentions-and-31-enterprise-landings-302932710.html

SOURCE China Media Group

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GSMA MWC26 Doha opens with call to align on global industry standards and close MENA’s connectivity gap

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Operators, technology leaders, policymakers and innovators gather in Doha today for three days of exhibition, collaboration and debate on the future of connectivity across the Middle East and North Africa

DOHA, Qatar, Nov. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — MWC26 Doha, held in partnership with Qatar’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), opened today at Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC), bringing together connectivity ecosystem to shape the next phase of growth for a mobile economy forecast to add $470 billion to the Middle East and North Africa by 2030.

MWC26 Doha officially opened today, in presence of His Excellency Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs. His Excellency Mr. Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, State of Qatar delivered a welcome address.

In his opening remarks, H.E. Mr. Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, said: “The second edition of MWC Doha takes place at a time when the requirements of telecommunications infrastructure are undergoing fundamental change. As artificial intelligence advances towards executing tasks through intelligent agents, the need for more resilient networks and advanced computing capabilities continues to grow. At the same time, global challenges underscore the importance of diversifying connectivity routes and ensuring service continuity.”

GSMA Director General Vivek Badrinath and ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin took to the stage for a fireside chat. Mr Badrinath set out the key priorities shaping the region’s connected future, with a continued commitment to global standards keeping networks and services interoperable across markets, as well as a renewed push to extend connectivity to populations that remain offline in MENA.

Vivek Badrinath, Director General, GSMA, said: “Progress only counts if everyone shares in it. That means two things: global standards that keep networks, services and devices working across borders, and a concerted effort to connect the people who are still offline. Over the next three days, MWC Doha, alongside its co-location with ITU’s PP-26, will bring together the policy makers, innovators and industry leaders setting these standards and building these networks, to help make this vision a reality. As the ITU Plenipotentiary continues, we are confident that the enhanced dialog which our co-location has allowed will feed into the important conversations taking place.”

SOURCE GSMA

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