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Info-Tech Research Group Expands Annual Awards Program to Spotlight IT Leadership, Excellence, and Innovation

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Reflecting the evolving role of IT in driving business success, Info-Tech Research Group, a global IT research and advisory firm, has announced the launch of its expanded Info-Tech Awards program to celebrate exceptional leaders and organizations across five new categories to celebrate both organizational impact and individuals in the industry. Nominations are now open for the 2025 program, with winners set to be announced in November.

TORONTO, May 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ – Info-Tech Research Group, a global IT research and advisory firm, has officially launched its newly expanded Info-Tech Awards for 2025. The reimagined program now includes two distinct streams, Leader of the Year and Innovator of the Year, to honor both individual excellence and organizational impact in the field of IT.

With five new award categories, the Info-Tech Awards program celebrates leaders and teams who have demonstrated exceptional performance, innovation, and strategic alignment across their IT initiatives. Nominations are now open and will be accepted until July 31, 2025, with winners announced in November 2025.

“The role of IT has evolved from being a service provider to being a strategic enabler. Recognizing the people and organizations behind that shift has never been more important. The Info-Tech Awards shine a light on the leaders and teams shaping what IT can achieve while raising the bar for what’s possible in every sector and market,” says Geraldine Mongay Vignau, Vice President of Customer Marketing at Info-Tech Research Group. “From operational excellence to bold, industry-defining innovation, these awards are more than recognition; they’re a call to continue pushing boundaries and leading with purpose.”

Info-Tech Awards 2025 Categories and Criteria
With expanded criteria and new categories, the Info-Tech Awards 2025 recognizes both individual technology leaders and innovative organizations that have driven measurable impact through strategy, execution, and alignment with business priorities. The Info-Tech Awards categories and descriptions are as follows:

IT Impact Award – This award recognizes Info-Tech members who have delivered top-ranking stakeholder satisfaction by aligning IT services with strategic goals, measured through the CIO Business Vision diagnostic. This survey-based program captures stakeholder perspectives on IT performance, priorities, and impact to drive a successful IT strategy that focuses on what matters most to the organization.IT Excellence Award – This category honors leaders who have taken clear, measurable steps to improve IT processes and operational performance using Info-Tech’s IT Management & Governance Program. This survey-based diagnostic is designed to identify strengths and weaknesses across 50 IT processes and guide improvement in the areas that are most important to the organization.IT Transformation Award – This award spotlights members who have implemented strategic initiatives that drive alignment between IT and broader business goals, guided by Info-Tech’s CIO Playbook, which is a structured, 12-step framework designed to help CIOs systematically improve and transform IT performance.Women Leading IT Award – This recognition celebrates women in IT who exemplify innovation, inclusive leadership, and mentorship within their organizations and the broader industry, inspiring the next generation of leaders. Nominations from the public are welcomed for this category.Innovator of the Year Award – This distinction highlights any organization that has implemented groundbreaking IT initiatives that drive organizational success. This award honors those who have leveraged technology in innovative ways to solve challenges, enhance efficiency, or set new industry standards, shaping the future of IT and delivering exceptional value. Applications are accepted from both Info-Tech members and other organizations across the globe.

Key Dates and Application Process

Nomination Deadline: Nominations for all categories will close on July 31, 2025.Selection Process: Winners will be selected through a combination of diagnostic data, nomination forms, and interviews, with additional evaluations as required.Announcement & Recognition: Awards will be publicly announced in November 2025, with winners receiving a trophy and certificate to recognize their achievements.

For full eligibility criteria and submission details, as well as detailed information about each of the awards, please visit the Info-Tech Awards 2025 page.

To stay up to date with all further announcements, please follow Info-Tech Research Group on LinkedIn and X. 

Media Passes for Info-Tech LIVE 2025 in Las Vegas
Media professionals, including journalists, podcasters, and influencers, are invited to attend Info-Tech LIVE 2025 to gain exclusive access to research, content, and interviews with industry leaders. For those unable to attend in person, Info-Tech offers a digital pass option, providing access to live-streamed keynotes, select sessions, and exclusive virtual interviews with speakers and analysts.

Media professionals looking to apply for in-person or digital passes can contact pr@infotech.com to secure their spot and cover the latest advancements in IT for their audiences.

Exhibitors are also invited to be part of Info-Tech LIVE and showcase their products and services to a highly engaged audience of IT decision-makers. For more information about becoming an Info-Tech LIVE exhibitor, please contact events@infotech.com. 

About Info-Tech Research Group
Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world’s leading research and advisory firms, proudly serving over 30,000 professionals. The company produces unbiased, highly relevant research and provides advisory services to help leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For nearly 30 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with teams to provide them with everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

To learn more about Info-Tech’s divisions, visit McLean & Company for HR research and advisory services and SoftwareReviews for software-buying insights. 

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm’s Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact pr@infotech.com.

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SOURCE Info-Tech Research Group

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HiLo Finance Brings Benzinga News Into Its AI-Powered Investing Community

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Benzinga News plugs real-time market headlines directly into HiLo’s mentor rooms, chats, and AI-driven trade insights

DETROIT, Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Benzinga, a leading provider of real-time financial news and market intelligence, today announced that HiLo Finance has added Benzinga News to its investing app, putting real-time headlines inside the same feed where HiLo’s traders already chat, follow mentors, and get AI-driven insights on the market.

HiLo is built around the idea that markets move on conversation. The app pairs live price data with community chat rooms, trading mentors with verifiable performance records, and AI-generated insight that narrates what is happening on the tape in plain English. Benzinga News slots into that experience as the missing piece: the headline behind the move that traders are already debating in real time.

For a platform built around live discussion, timing matters. A trader watching a ticker spike in a HiLo room can now see the Benzinga headline driving it without switching apps or hunting down the source. That immediacy is central to how HiLo wants its community to operate, reacting to news as it breaks rather than piecing it together after the fact.

Benzinga News tracks the events that move markets throughout the trading day, including earnings, analyst upgrades and downgrades, M&A activity, macroeconomic data, regulatory developments, and corporate announcements. HiLo joins a growing list of trading and investing platforms that rely on the feed to keep users current.

The addition also reinforces what HiLo’s AI insight engine is built to do. Instead of only flagging that volume or price has shifted, the app can now tie that shift back to the Benzinga headline that explains it, giving traders and the mentors they follow a clearer starting point for the conversation.

“HiLo’s whole app is built around traders talking to each other while the market is moving, so the news needs to be right there with them, not in a separate tab,” said Emily Goldvekht, Account Manager at Benzinga. “That’s what this integration gives their community.”

“At HiLo, we’re building a new home for retail traders and mentors, a place to connect, share ideas, and stay on top of the markets. Partnering with Benzinga allows us to bring high-quality financial news and market data directly into the HiLo experience, helping our users stay informed and better understand what’s happening in the markets,” said Chanikya Mandapati, Founder & CEO of HiLo.

It is also a signal of where social trading apps are headed more broadly. As platforms compete to keep traders inside a single app rather than toggling between news sites, charting tools, and chat threads, reliable news data is becoming as core to the product as the community itself.

For HiLo, the integration is another step toward the app’s core premise: that the fastest way to understand a market move is to see the headline, hear what other traders think about it, and discuss it, all without leaving the conversation.

About Benzinga

Benzinga is a leading financial media and data technology company that empowers investors with high-quality, real-time market intelligence. Through its news platform, APIs, and data products, Benzinga provides traders, financial institutions, and fintech platforms with the insights they need to make smarter investment decisions. From breaking news and analyst ratings to corporate events and alternative datasets, Benzinga’s tools help market participants stay ahead of the information that drives price movement.

To learn more, visit www.benzinga.com/apis/.

About HiLo Finance

HiLo is a market-focused platform built for retail traders and trading mentors. Traders can join groups, follow mentors, and access real-time market context and AI-powered insights, while mentors can share market insights and trade ideas, build an audience, and monetize their expertise—all within one platform.

To learn more, visit https://www.hilo.finance/.

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SOURCE Benzinga

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Secur-Serv Expands Managed Services Portfolio to Address Growing Demand for AI Management

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New Managed Intelligence Services portfolio extends Secur-Serv’s technology and cybersecurity expertise into AI governance, operations, and performance management.

OMAHA, Neb., Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Secur-Serv, a nationwide managed IT and cybersecurity services provider, has launched Managed Intelligence Services, expanding its role in helping businesses manage one of their fastest-growing technology investments: artificial intelligence. The new service line brings together AI strategy, implementation, and ongoing management, giving customers the expertise to scale adoption, protect sensitive data and tie spending to business results.

The expansion responds to growing demand from Secur-Serv customers, particularly financial institutions, and mid-market businesses, for more comprehensive AI support. Building on its established managed services and cybersecurity operations, Secur-Serv will work alongside customers beyond initial deployment, taking an active role in managing AI usage, costs, security, and performance as their needs evolve.

“AI is changing the economics of technology and how businesses compete,” said Cathy Pickoski, CEO of Secur-Serv. “The next competitive advantage won’t come from adoption alone, but from the ability to manage AI securely, economically, and at scale in ways that create value. Managed Intelligence Services reflects where the market is heading and the discipline organizations need to confidently manage AI as a business capability.”

Extending the Managed Services into AI Operations

Secur-Serv’s Managed Intelligence portfolio combines business strategy, technology infrastructure, cybersecurity, and ongoing management through four services:

AI Assessment: Identifies how AI is being used across the business, where it could deliver value, and what risks need attention.AI Strategy & Roadmap: Establishes a plan for AI investments, including business priorities, use cases, governance, and deployment.AI Foundations: Addresses gaps in identity management, data access, and security that could put AI initiatives at risk.Managed AI: Takes an active role in managing AI adoption, security, spending, and performance as business and technology evolve.

Each service addresses distinct operational needs, allowing organizations to engage at any stage of AI adoption.

Managed AI Establishes Ongoing Operational Accountability

At the core of the service expansion is Secur-Serv’s Managed AI service.

Operating within the customer’s organization alongside business leaders, internal IT teams, and existing service providers to oversee AI operations. The service integrates recurring governance and security reviews, licensing optimization, adoption support, and performance measurement to keep AI investments aligned with business objectives.

 “Businesses are moving quickly to adopt AI, but few have the resources to manage what comes after deployment,” said Billy Turner, Senior Vice President, Managed Services at Secur-Serv. “Managed Intelligence Services remove the burden of businesses managing AI themselves and gives customers a dedicated team working alongside them, with oversight of AI usage, and clear governance as new tools enter the business.”

Building on Established Market Expertise

Secur-Serv already manages critical technology and security operations for financial institutions and mid-market businesses nationwide. Its banking and credit union customers operate under strict regulatory requirements, while growing businesses want more from their technology investments without adding staff or overhead.

Managed Intelligence Services builds on that experience, bringing AI into the work Secur-Serv already does to support customers’ technology operations.

“AI will change how businesses compete, but adoption alone won’t determine who succeeds,” said Pickoski. “The advantage will belong to organizations that can turn AI into sustained business performance without compromising security or control. That’s the responsibility Secur-Serv is stepping forward to help our customers manage.”

Learn more about Secur-Serv’s Managed Intelligence Services at secur-serv.com.

About Secur-Serv

 Secur-Serv manages and secures the technology that runs the business, from IT infrastructure and devices to cybersecurity and AI. Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, Secur-Serv delivers Managed IT, Cybersecurity, Managed Intelligence Services, Managed Device, and Managed Print services nationwide, supported by more than 2,000 field service technicians and a 24/7 Network Operations Center. Learn more at secur-serv.com.

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CHOWNOW EXPANDS ITS PLATFORM TO HELP INDEPENDENT RESTAURANTS KEEP MORE OF WHAT THEY EARN

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New Ordering, Marketing, and Operations Tools to Help Restaurants Thrive in an Industry Built on Razor-Thin Margins

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Independent restaurants are working harder than ever to attract diners and grow revenue, but too often, the customer relationship and a meaningful share of the revenue end up with third-party platforms instead. ChowNow, the restaurant growth platform, recently announced updates across its three product suites, Ordering, Marketing, and Operations, designed to put restaurants back in control of their orders, their data, and their diners.

Over 400,000 independent restaurants in the U.S. are already running on razor-thin margins as food, labor, and operational costs rise. According to the National Restaurant Association, wholesale food prices are up 35% since February 2020, and a third of operators said their business was not profitable in the first half of 2026. Third-party delivery platforms compound the problem, charging as much as 25 to 30% per order.

“Every guest a restaurant serves and every order it fulfills is value that the restaurant has earned,” said Kanika Soni, CEO of ChowNow. “Our goal is to make sure restaurants can capture more of that value directly and build a real relationship with their customers along the way. ChowNow gives restaurants the technology, data, and tools to do exactly that: attract diners, turn them into repeat guest, and grow revenue on their own terms.”

ChowNow’s update strengthens all three suites, bringing online ordering, catering, QR code ordering, and marketing together into a single operating system that helps restaurants scale their direct revenue and deepen guest relationships, while running their business with less complexity along the way.

What’s new:

Marketing Suite – now includes SMS alongside email, loyalty, and customer data tools, all backed by automation, so campaigns run themselves once they’re set up. Restaurants can also launch their own custom email and SMS campaigns on demand and reach a larger audience by uploading their existing contact lists, giving them full control over when and how they reach diners.Catering – gives restaurants a direct, branded online ordering experience for high-ticket orders, with dedicated menus, flexible scheduling, and streamlined order management, all while capturing the customer data that comes with it for future marketing. A restaurant running 10 catering orders a month at a $360 average order value could save more than $4,300 a year with ChowNow’s catering rate versus a 15% marketplace commission.QR Code Ordering – for dine-in guests speeds up ordering and payment while capturing valuable diner data restaurants can use to drive targeted marketing and repeat visits. ChowNow data shows restaurants using QR code ordering see a 9% average increase in check size. 

Restaurants powered by ChowNow are already seeing results. Since sending its first campaign in May 2026, DJ’s Pizza has generated 542 orders and more than $32,700 in direct sales from its ChowNow email and SMS campaigns. And since adding ChowNow Catering in late 2025, Real Mediterranean Kitchen has generated over $80,000 across more than 130 catering orders, demonstrating how restaurants can use direct digital tools to expand beyond individual takeout orders and capture larger ticket demand.

The update also lays the groundwork for ChowNow’s next generation of AI-powered restaurant tools, launching in Q4 2026.

For more information on ChowNow, please visit www.chownow.com.

About ChowNow
Trusted by more than 15,000 restaurants nationwide, ChowNow is the restaurant growth platform, offered in three packages, Launch, Grow, and Elevate, that helps independent restaurants attract diners, grow revenue, and own their customer relationships. ChowNow gives restaurants the technology and tools to capture more value from every order and every guest. Since 2011, ChowNow has helped independent restaurants save $1.36 billion in commission fees, an average of $16,000 per restaurant per year compared to third-party marketplaces.

Media Contact: 
Tracy Rubin        
JCUTLER media group     
tracy@jcmg.com      

 

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SOURCE ChowNow

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