NEWS
Centrica and Ombu invest in Israeli EV charging software provider
Centrica plc has announced a multi-million-pound investment in
Driivz , an Israeli start-up that offers end-to-end software solutions for electric vehicle ( EV ) charging . Ombu Group , a leading investor in advanced industrial technology companies , has co-led the investment , which forms part of a £ 9 million ( US $ 12 million ) funding round .
Jonathan Tudor , Director of Technology and Innovation Strategy for Centrica Innovations , said : “ With 14 million EVs expected on UK roads by 2030 , there can be no doubt that e-mobility will have a significant impact on how we manage the delicate balance of supply and demand to the grid .
Established in 2012 , Driivz has developed a cloud-based EV charging operating system that is already used by over 200,000 drivers across the globe . The Driivz platform offers charging network operators , car manufacturers and utilities an end-to-end solution to manage all aspects of EV deployment from charging , account management and driver billing , through to onsite power management that allows businesses to optimise output to chargers in line with site energy demand and costs . The investment has been made by Centrica Innovations , established in 2017 , to identify , incubate and accelerate new technologies with the potential to transform the way we live , work and move .
“ This investment is a key opportunity for Centrica to support growing customer demand and work in partnership with Driivz to explore new offers for customers that connect home , work and on-the-road car charging , while also evaluating the role of EVs and potential vehicleto-grid applications as part of the future energy landscape .”
Centrica Innovations is also integrating the Driivz platform into a new intelligent EV charging service offer for businesses from Centrica Electric Vehicle Services ( CEVS ). The fully managed solution has been developed to meet the needs of organisations that want EV charging facilities for their employees and / or their depot-based fleets .
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Research reveals how criminals target fax machines to ambush networks
New research from Israel-based global software provider , Check Point Software , has shown how organisations and individuals could be hacked via their fax machines , using newly discovered vulnerabilities in the communication protocols used in tens of millions of fax devices globally . A fax number is all an attacker needs to exploit the flaws and potentially seize control of a company or home network .
Not often perceived as modern-day technology , there are over 45 million fax machines in use in businesses globally , with 17 billion faxes sent every year . It is still widely used in several industry sectors such as healthcare , legal , banking and real estate , where organisations store and process vast amounts of highly sensitive personal data . The UK ’ s National Health Service alone has over 9,000 fax machines in regular use for sending patient data . In many countries , emails are not considered as evidence in courts of law ,
so fax is used when handling certain business and legal processes . Nearly half of all laser printers sold in Europe are multi-function devices which include fax capability .
“ It ’ s critical that organisations protect themselves against these possible attacks by updating their fax machines with the latest patches and separating them from other devices on their networks ,” Yaniv Balmas , Group Manager , Security Research at Check Point said . “ It ’ s a powerful reminder that in the current , complex fifthgeneration attack landscape , organisations cannot overlook the security of any part of their corporate networks .”
16 INTELLIGENTCIO www . intelligentcio . com