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Videosign & Brightsolid expand AI cloud partnership

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Videosign has expanded its partnership with Brightsolid to support the development of new AI-based services at the remote signing software company.

Liverpool-based Videosign operates a video platform for the remote signing and witnessing of documents. It enables users to identify, verify, meet, sign, record and audit business transactions remotely in what it describes as a secure, legally admissible format.

Under the expanded arrangement, Brightsolid is supporting development of a set of AI tools for the platform. These include instant generation of meeting notes and action points, as well as automation of administrative work for financial advisers and other professional users.

The broader partnership focuses on data centre governance and security, while also addressing scalability and cost control as Videosign adds the new features.

That reflects a wider challenge for software companies building AI products on cloud infrastructure. New features can increase computing demand and operating costs, while regulated sectors require tighter controls around data handling, auditability and system oversight.

Videosign positions its software around remote contracting and witnessing, combining live video interaction with identity verification and digital signing. It aims to use AI to reduce manual work during client meetings, particularly where professionals need to capture notes and complete forms as part of compliance processes.

Chief executive Steven Tallant said the planned additions are intended to make the platform easier to use without changing its compliance focus.

Tallant said, “Videosign’s combination of video, identity verification and document signing means it works well for a range of professional needs, providing a ‘face-to-face’ digital setting as a secure way to meet, verify and sign contracts, with integrated ID verification and eIDAS-compliant signatures.

“Our forthcoming AI functions will take things to the next level, allowing users to have more natural and engaging conversations with their clients while Videosign takes care of the note-taking and form-filling. Our focus is on making remote contracting more robust and more usable at the same time.

“As we develop this new AI-driven functionality, it is equally important that the underlying cloud environment is properly governed, scalable and cost-effective. Brightsolid is supporting us on both fronts, helping us strengthen control of the platform while also giving us a solid base for the next stage of growth.”

Cloud Focus

Brightsolid provides managed hybrid cloud and cyber security services. Here, its role extends beyond hosting and infrastructure management to overseeing how cloud resources are used as Videosign develops software that may place greater demands on storage, processing and security controls.

The partnership highlights how AI development is becoming as much an operational issue as a product one. For small and mid-sized software companies, the challenge is often to add automation and data-driven tools without losing visibility over spending or weakening governance standards.

Sales director Tony Capper said Videosign reflects the pressures that can arise where user experience, compliance and infrastructure management meet.

Capper said, “Videosign is developing technology that sits at the intersection of security, compliance and user experience, and that makes it a strong example of the kind of business that can benefit from close management of hyperscale environments.

“Our role is to help organisations get the best from cloud without losing sight of governance, operational control or long-term cost efficiency. Brightsolid helps organisations make more cost-effective use of cloud and hyperscale infrastructure, particularly where businesses need a managed partner to balance performance, security and spend over time.

“In Videosign’s case, that means supporting a platform with growth ambitions while creating the right foundations for further innovation, including AI-based product development.”

Wider Trend

The use of AI to generate meeting records and automate follow-up administration is becoming a growing area of interest across professional services. Financial advisers, legal professionals and other regulated users face pressure to document conversations accurately while reducing time spent on routine processes.

That is creating demand for software that combines workflow automation with verifiable records and identity checks. Companies in this market also face a higher threshold for trust, given the need to show that records, signatures and customer verification steps can stand up to scrutiny.

For Brightsolid, the deal adds to its work with organisations that need managed cloud and security support in regulated or compliance-heavy environments. Part of the DC Thomson group, the company has operated for more than 30 years and lists customers including Dumfries and Galloway Council, IITAC, Sparrows, SSSC and West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

For Videosign, the expanded relationship provides outside support as it develops AI functions designed to automate note-taking and form-filling while keeping its cloud environment properly governed, scalable and cost-effective.



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‘Bicester has fought too hard to be ignored’, says MP on EWR

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Consultation on more than 80 changes along the East West Rail (EWR) line has been ongoing since April, and one change has those living in Bicester up in arms.

The existing London Road crossing in Bicester is to permanently close on safety grounds when the EWR line becomes fully operational.

CGI images of single-lane motorised underpass, which is the preferred option for Bicester’s London Road level crossingCGI images of single-lane motorised underpass, which is the preferred option for Bicester’s London Road level crossing (Image: East West Rail Company)

Instead, an underpass is among the improvements proposed in the railway project.

Following a public consultation last November that received more than 6,200 responses, the underpass and an alternative footbridge have been proposed for the London Road crossing in Bicester as part of more than 80 design changes made to the East West Rail Project.

East West Railway Company said the revised underpass design would be subject to securing third-party funding contributions.

This was met with anger from the community, including from local campaigner of more than a decade and chairman of the Langford Village Community Association, Carole Hetherington, who described the announcement as “incredibly frustrating”.

READ MORE: Victoria Beckham gushed over Cruz after Spice Girls Instagram post

Carole HetheringtonCarole Hetherington (Image: Charlotte Coles, Newsquest)

The new designs show a single-lane road for vehicles, alongside a protected active travel corridor for pedestrians and cyclists, but the underpass could not be used by tall vehicles such as lorries.

East West Rail’s preferred solution would be to divert traffic via existing and upgraded roads and to install a bridge or underpass for pedestrian, cyclists and other users.

The design now includes a single-lane road that could be used by vehicles, alongside a protected active travel corridor for pedestrians and cyclists.

Traffic signals would be installed at each entrance to allow vehicles to travel through the underpass safely in both directions.

Officials, businesses and residents fear that Bicester will be “cut in two” as a result, sparking an ongoing campaign to keep the crossing open to vehicles.

READ MORE: Group of ‘patriots’ to protest following murder of student Henry Nowak

L-R: Carole Hetherington, chairman of Langford Village Community Association; Johnny Morgan, The Fat Zebra; Robert Packman, Imagex; Andrew O'Gorman, O'GormansL-R: Carole Hetherington, chairman of Langford Village Community Association; Johnny Morgan, The Fat Zebra; Robert Packman, Imagex; Andrew O’Gorman, O’Gormans (Image: Carole Hetherington)

Calum Miller, MP for Bicester and Woodstock, said in a statement: “This is the final week to respond to East West Rail’s consultation on London Road.

“I know I have asked before (many times) that Bicester has already shown, loud and clear, that we are united behind keeping London Road open.

“But this final push matters.

“East West Rail has now put forward revised proposals for an underpass at London Road. We now need the Government to have no excuse not to back it, fund it and deliver it.

“So, if you have five minutes this week, please respond to the consultation and make your voice heard.

“Bicester has fought too hard to be ignored now.”

EWR described the new line as connecting “communities between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge, supporting sustainable economic growth in the area”.

The company confirmed the changes “would make it easier to reach jobs, education, public services and days out with family and friends”.





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Verne drops Global as it sharpens AI data centre focus

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SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Verne has unveiled a new brand identity and shortened its name from Verne Global to Verne, a change it says reflects its focus on AI and high-performance computing infrastructure.

The rebrand brings its public identity in line with a business that has expanded from a single-region operator into a pan-Nordic data centre platform. It serves hyperscalers, neocloud providers and enterprise customers with compute-intensive workloads across Northern Europe.

Backed by Ardian, Verne has been repositioning itself in a data centre market reshaped by demand for AI computing. Operators are under pressure to provide sufficient power, cooling and operational depth as customers seek sites that can support denser, more energy-intensive systems.

The updated branding centres on the phrase “natural intelligence”, which Verne uses to describe a combination of Nordic location advantages and the expertise of the teams running its facilities. The new identity is intended to deliver a clearer message to customers and communities as the company grows.

The visual redesign moves away from earlier imagery closely tied to landscape and energy. In its place, Verne is adopting a more restrained look based on Nordic design cues, with mineral textures, muted colours and architectural composition meant to reflect an engineering-led business.

Dropping “Global” from its name also better matches the way the company operates. Verne said it already sees itself as an international business, making the shorter name a simpler expression of its market position.

Market shift

The rebrand comes as data centre operators adjust both strategy and messaging to meet a surge in AI-related demand. Across the sector, providers are trying to distinguish themselves not only through location and sustainability claims, but also through their ability to house dense computing equipment reliably.

Nordic countries have drawn growing interest from data centre and cloud operators because of their cooler climates and access to lower-carbon electricity sources. Those factors can reduce cooling demands and help customers manage the environmental impact of large-scale computing operations.

For Verne, that backdrop has become central to its positioning. The revised brand places greater emphasis on the physical environments where it builds, the staff who operate its sites and the local communities connected to those facilities.

Cheil led the branding work, with support from other agencies across communications and digital strategy. The resulting identity is meant to reflect a business that says it has changed significantly in scale, customer mix and market expectations in recent years.

Nick Spink, Creative Director at Cheil Worldwide, described the thinking behind the project.

“Verne came to us with a clear challenge: how should its brand reflect the fundamental shift the business had made? As we explored the brief, we found a meaningful tension: how to communicate high-performance computing and AI in a way that still felt deeply human. This led us to ‘natural intelligence’, a concept that connects the advanced technology Verne enables with the natural advantages at the heart of the company: its locations, climate and grounded, disciplined approach. It proved a powerful and authentic fit,” said Spink.

Growth plans

Verne said the new identity also supports engagement with local communities in the regions where it operates. That work is intended to help explain the role of data centres in digital services while setting out how the company contributes locally.

The business has sought to frame that local message alongside a broader international customer base. As AI adoption rises, companies running large language models and other compute-heavy applications are looking for facilities that can support sustained, high-density demand, often across multiple sites and jurisdictions.

That has created an opening for operators with room to expand in markets where grid access, land and cooling conditions can still support new buildouts. Investors have been drawn to the same trend, with infrastructure funds and private equity groups increasing their exposure to data centres as AI spending grows.

Ardian’s backing supports Verne as it expands across the Nordics and Northern Europe. The company did not announce new sites alongside the rebrand, but said the refreshed identity is designed to support the next phase of growth.

Anne Katrine Vestergaard Jensen, Vice President of Marketing at Verne, said the changes were meant to reflect a business now facing different expectations from customers and the wider market.

“Verne has changed significantly – in scale, in markets and in the expectations placed on us. This refresh makes that clear. In this market, clarity builds trust, and trust drives decisions. We’ve grounded the brand in something more real: the environments we build in, the people who operate our sites and the role we play in local communities. That’s what gives it credibility – and it’s also what we mean by natural intelligence: the combination of our natural advantages and the human intelligence of the teams behind the infrastructure,” said Jensen.



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UK brewery enters administration as survival crisis mounts

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Redemption Brewing Company, based in north London, has appointed FRP Advisory as administrators and is continuing to trade while a buyer is sought.

The brewery, established in 2010, has been credited with helping to revive the capital’s craft beer scene and was the first commercial brewery to open in Tottenham in nearly a century.

A statement from FRP, seen by CityAM , said: “Rising duty rates in recent years have placed a particular burden on independent brewers, who face a more challenging cost environment than larger national and international competitors.”



Redemption Brewing became part of a community effort in 2013 to save The Antwerp Arms, the oldest working pub in N17 and a longstanding customer.

David Lammy, the local MP and now Deputy Prime Minister, supported the campaign to preserve the pub after corporate developers threatened to replace it with housing.

HMRC filed a winding-up petition against Redemption in January, with a court hearing scheduled for February 2026.

The company’s financial difficulties have deepened, with its deficit rising from £632,151 in 2023 to £705,111 in 2024, alongside a net loss of £72,960 for the latest financial year.

Redemption’s signature products include Hopspur, a premium bitter named in tribute to Tottenham Hotspur, and Big Chief, a New World IPA.



The brewery supplies around 75 pubs across London and has long been regarded as a pillar of the Tottenham community.

The wider independent brewing industry is under strain, with the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) describing a “survival crisis” that has seen around three brewers a week close their doors.

Brewers are contending with rising alcohol duty, VAT, employment taxes, business rates, and corporation tax, alongside higher operating costs.

These pressures have led many pubs to shut down or switch to more affordable products from global brewing companies instead of independent suppliers.

Business rate hikes introduced late last year significantly increased costs for thousands of pub landlords, prompting widespread backlash.



UK’s brewing sector facing pressures

Redemption Brewing’s fall into administration highlights the fragile state of the UK’s independent brewing sector, especially in London, where high costs and tax pressures continue to threaten smaller producers.

FRP Advisory has said it is actively seeking a buyer for the business, and the brewery remains operational during the administration process.

The outcome will depend on whether a suitable investor can be secured to keep the business running and protect the jobs and community heritage attached to the brand.

Are you worried about your local pub? Let us know in the comments





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