SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Peer Software has launched PeerGFS v6.4, targeting organisations that manage distributed file infrastructure across multiple sites.

The update to its Global File Service platform focuses on faster file synchronisation and replication across SMB and NFS workloads. It also aims to improve resilience during large file transfers, strengthen auditing of configuration and management activity, and enhance edge data management in environments with limited bandwidth.

The release is aimed at businesses handling large and growing volumes of file data across on-premises, cloud and hybrid environments. Peer Software highlighted sectors such as semiconductors, healthcare and life sciences, and AI and machine learning as examples of industries facing heavier data demands and more complex application workloads.

Many of these organisations are distributing compute workloads across multiple locations and turning to cloud infrastructure for additional capacity. That increases the need to keep file data synchronised and accessible across sites so applications and users can work from current versions of the same information.

Performance changes

PeerGFS v6.4 introduces faster scheduled scans and real-time replication for both SMB and NFS environments. These protocols remain widely used in enterprise storage estates, particularly where businesses need to share file-based data between teams, applications and locations.

The release also aims to reduce disruption when connectivity drops between distributed sites. In those cases, the software is designed to resume large file transfers more effectively instead of forcing organisations to restart data movement from the beginning.

The update also expands auditing, with upgraded tracking of configuration and management activity. That may matter to companies that need stronger oversight of operational changes across complex storage environments.

Edge data management is another focus in the new version, with improvements to performance, reliability and manageability in distributed environments where bandwidth constraints can make data movement and synchronisation harder to control.

Distributed workloads

The release comes as more businesses place data and applications closer to available computing resources rather than keeping everything in a single data centre. That shift has increased pressure on IT teams to maintain file consistency across dispersed infrastructure without creating delays for engineers, researchers and other users working with large data sets.

In sectors such as chip design and life sciences research, file-based workflows often involve teams in different locations accessing and updating shared data. This can make synchronisation software an important layer for preventing version conflicts, reducing downtime and maintaining continuity when workloads move between on-premises and cloud systems.

Jimmy Tam, Chief Executive Officer of Peer Software, described what the company sees as the challenge facing customers.

“As organisations scale data-intensive workloads across data centres, edge locations and cloud environments, the ability to keep data synchronised, accessible and close to compute has become a critical operational imperative,” said Jimmy Tam, Chief Executive Officer of Peer Software.

He said the product is intended to reduce friction in distributed file management for customers operating global infrastructure.

“PeerGFS helps customers eliminate the friction of distributed file management by improving performance, increasing resiliency and giving IT teams greater control over how data moves across their global infrastructure. The result is a more efficient foundation for supporting modern engineering, semiconductor, life sciences, and AI-driven workloads at scale,” Tam said.

Peer Software sells file services and data management software used to synchronise, replicate and share file data across on-premises, cloud and hybrid environments. Its Global File Service platform is used by enterprises seeking data consistency, compliance support and business continuity across multi-site infrastructure.

ArvatoConnect has appointed Richard Maynard as Chief Operating Officer and Amjad Khan as Director of Operations as it targets regulated organisations reviewing customer service models in the AI era.

Maynard joins with senior leadership experience at Vodafone, while Khan brings experience across financial services, utilities, insurance and housing. The appointments are intended to strengthen ArvatoConnect’s UK operations as routine customer service work shifts to digital agents and businesses reassess the balance between automation, compliance and human support.

The company, which employs about 800 people in the UK, is positioning itself around a model that combines AI-led processes with UK-based teams handling more complex interactions. The approach is aimed at sectors where customer operations are closely tied to regulation, treatment of vulnerable customers and brand risk.

Research cited by ArvatoConnect suggests attitudes to reshoring are changing. It found that 73% of UK customer experience leaders would bring customer service operations back to the UK if cost were not a factor, 34% plan to do so within 12 months, and 46% already run some customer service activity in the UK.

The shift reflects a wider change in contact centre economics. Work once sent offshore because it was repetitive and high-volume is increasingly being handled by AI systems, reducing the labour cost advantage that underpinned many offshoring decisions.

Operational focus

Maynard has more than 20 years of experience in large-scale UK and international contact centre and business process outsourcing operations. In his new role, he will oversee operational standards and service delivery as the company expands.

“Customer service is moving beyond a simple volume model. AI can increasingly handle routine activity and improve the customer journey, but the interactions that remain human often matter more to the customer and to their brand,” said Richard Maynard, Chief Operating Officer, ArvatoConnect.

“I was drawn to ArvatoConnect by the opportunity to strengthen operational discipline while building on an already strong culture – one that clients rely on when service is not just about efficiency, but about protecting relationships, reputation and long-term value,” said Maynard.

Khan brings more than 15 years of experience in customer operations transformation, including work on AI, automation and digital change programmes. He will oversee customer experience and business process outsourcing delivery across ArvatoConnect’s UK sites.

His background also includes experience with Financial Conduct Authority regulation and Consumer Duty requirements, areas that have become more prominent as regulated firms face closer scrutiny of customer outcomes and service governance.

Regulated sectors

Businesses in banking, insurance, utilities and housing have been under pressure to cut costs while showing that automated and outsourced processes do not weaken compliance controls. That has increased demand for providers that can demonstrate how operational design, oversight and staff behaviour align with regulatory expectations.

“In regulated sectors, it’s not enough for providers to say they understand regulation and compliance. They have to prove it in how services are designed, governed, measured and continuously improved – as well as translating it into day-to-day behaviours,” said Amjad Khan, Director of Operations.

“What stood out to me about ArvatoConnect is its maturity in embedding regulatory thinking into everyday operations, so clients can protect customers in every interaction, support good outcomes and reduce operational risk,” said Khan.

ArvatoConnect is part of Bertelsmann and is headquartered in Datchet, with other offices in Swansea, Newcastle and Willerby. It works across private and public sector organisations, with an emphasis on customer and citizen service operations.

Debra Maxwell, Chief Executive Officer at ArvatoConnect, said the hires reflect a broader market shift away from traditional volume-driven contact centre contracts.

“Richard and Amjad join us at a pivotal moment for the customer service market, as clients look for more than a traditional contact centre or volume-based BPO model,” said Debra Maxwell, Chief Executive Officer, ArvatoConnect.

“Regulated organisations are under pressure to reduce cost, adopt AI responsibly and protect customer trust at the same time. Our difference is that we bring those priorities together through a UK-based model, deep regulatory expertise and the long-term investment needed to redesign customer journeys properly. Their appointments further support us in leading this shift,” said Maxwell.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Ecommpay has published the second part of its fraud report on financial services and payments, arguing that fraud prevention requires broader cooperation across the payments sector.

The report, titled Beyond the Black Box – From diagnosis to action: transforming fraud prevention for a human-first world, outlines steps government, regulators, businesses and other stakeholders can take to reduce fraud. It follows an earlier instalment that examined the current fraud landscape and the growing role of human psychology in scams and payment crime.

The latest findings suggest a shift in where fraud prevention is breaking down. Rather than outdated technology being the main weakness, criminals are exploiting a combination of human behaviour, limited resources and regulatory complexity.

That assessment reflects a wider debate in payments over whether extra checks and customer friction can still counter changing fraud methods. Ecommpay argues that the current model is too fragmented to respond effectively to a crime that crosses borders and affects both businesses and consumers.

“The first part of our Fraud Report demonstrated how and why the current approach to fraud prevention is failing businesses and customers,” said Willem Wellinghoff, chief compliance officer and UK chair at Ecommpay.

“Over the years, new tools and layers of friction have been added to onboarding and payment processes to tackle the shifting threat of fraud. However, this approach is no longer serving its purpose – more friction is not the answer. What we need is a fundamental shift in how the industry thinks, works and collaborates.”

Pressure points

The report emphasises the limits of traditional fraud controls. It argues that the tools and frameworks used by many firms are no longer sufficient on their own to address newer forms of fraud, especially when criminals rely on social engineering and manipulation rather than direct technical intrusion.

In that context, transaction monitoring, artificial intelligence and regulation still have a role, but only as part of a more joined-up system. Businesses, regulators and government need to align their approaches more closely if they want to reduce losses and intervene earlier.

Wellinghoff expanded on that point in a further comment on the report’s conclusions.

“Traditional fraud prevention tools and frameworks are not equipped to provide comprehensive protection against modern fraud techniques. Robust transaction monitoring, correctly employed AI and balanced regulation are all valuable elements in successful fraud prevention. But businesses, regulators and government must work collaboratively to consolidate approaches and reduce fraud. We must shift from a reactive approach of reimbursing victims after the fact to proactive fraud prevention at source.”

Merchant steps

Alongside its broader recommendations for policymakers and the industry, the report includes practical actions for eCommerce merchants. These are intended to help businesses review their own defences while addressing the customer side of fraud risk.

The measures include discussing fraud prevention with payment providers, auditing internal systems, educating customers about fraud risks and training staff to identify suspicious activity. Ecommpay also calls on merchants to keep up with changes in the fraud landscape, watch for unauthorised use of their brand and report suspected fraudulent transactions to payment service providers.

This suggests the company sees fraud prevention as a shared operational task rather than a function that can be outsourced entirely to a single payments partner or software tool. It also points to growing concern across online commerce that attacks increasingly target trust, routine behaviour and weak links between businesses and consumers.

Broader debate

The publication adds to industry discussion about how to balance consumer protection with smooth payment journeys. Payments companies and merchants have long faced pressure to tighten controls, but they also risk creating barriers that deter legitimate customers if checks become too intrusive.

Ecommpay argues that this trade-off has become harder to manage because fraudsters are adapting faster than many existing control systems. In particular, the report suggests the sector must move beyond simply adding extra layers to account opening and payment flows if it wants to respond to more complex, psychologically driven fraud attempts.

Founded in London in 2012, the company operates in global and local acquiring, payment processing and orchestration. Its latest report centres on the view that fraud can no longer be treated as an isolated compliance issue for individual firms, but as a systemic problem requiring coordination across the market.

The report’s central recommendation is that the sector should focus less on reimbursement after losses occur and more on stopping fraud before money leaves the system.