5:09 p.m. July 8, 2025

Shell Pilipinas Corporation is empowering small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the country through the Shell Fleet App (SFA), a first-of-its-kind mobile solution that streamlines fleet and fuel management in a secure and paperless way.

Launched in 2022, the app allows business owners to manage their Shell Fleet Card, control fuel spend, track driver activity, and access real-time reports, all in one platform. By simplifying traditional processes and eliminating paperwork and manual tracking, SFA gives SMEs the ability to operate with greater ease, visibility, and efficiency.

A Digital Response to a Growing SME Sector

With SMEs comprising 99.5% of registered businesses in the Philippines, Shell saw a critical need for tools tailored to their daily challenges. The app condenses the typical fleet card application process into just five minutes and has already contributed to a tenfold increase in SME customer acquisitions. According to Deepti Behl, Global Head of SMEs GM of Digital Products & Marketing at Shell Fleet Solutions, the app helps owners reclaim their time and streamline operations. “We designed the app to empower SME owners to manage their fleets anytime, anywhere. It reduces admin work, offers peace of mind, and enables entrepreneurs to focus on growth.”

Transforming Daily Operations

From automotive to retail and construction, Shell Fleet App users from various sectors have reported positive results. Business owners describe smoother daily operations, real-time visibility of fuel spend, and faster driver and expense management, all while on the go. Their testimonials reinforce SFA as not just a convenience but a business enabler.

With its core benefits, the app is purpose-built for Filipino SMEs. Whether it’s tracking fuel usage in real time, enabling seamless automated payments, or offering savings for the purchase of Shell lubricants, the app provides everyday value while helping ease cash flow pressures for small business owners.

Recognized Across Asia for Innovation

The Shell Fleet App’s breakthrough approach has earned multiple regional and international recognitions. Most recently, it won its third award, the Stevie Award at the 2024 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, further cementing its status as a world-class solution for small and medium enterprises. The app was also previously named Digital Transformation Initiative of the Year for the Philippines at the 2024 Asian Oil & Gas Awards and received the User Experience of the Year for Energy at the 2022 Asian Experience Awards. These accolades highlight Shell’s commitment to digital innovation that directly improves the way businesses operate.

A Future-Focused Commitment

Shell Pilipinas remains focused on developing tech-driven tools that help Filipino entrepreneurs grow and thrive. With regular updates informed by user feedback, the Shell Fleet App continues to evolve, shaping the future of fuel and fleet management for SMEs nationwide.

The Shell Fleet App is available for download on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. SMEs can get started in minutes by downloading the app, signing up, and instantly unlocking access to Shell Fleet Card benefits. For more information, customers may visit the Shell Fleet Card for Small Business website or call the Shell Customer Service Hotline at +632 8878 8811.

3:22 p.m. July 6, 2025

In a landmark leap for AI-powered creativity, Canva has become the first design platform to deeply embed its creative suite into the world’s most advanced AI tools, including ChatGPT.

Two major launches – the deep research connector with ChatGPT and the Canva Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server – turn Canva into a powerful AI platform that plugs seamlessly into AI assistants and agents to securely access your designs and generate new ones, all within the same conversation.

As businesses and creators increasingly adopt AI-first workflows, Canva is pioneering a new era of AI-native design. Whether analyzing a marketing campaign, drafting a business plan, or generating social content, you can now brainstorm, design, and publish without leaving your AI assistant, unlocking new levels of creativity and speed.

By bringing Canva’s creative power directly into AI assistants, Canva is redefining how its 240 million users, including 95% of Fortune 500 companies, design, collaborate, and communicate, streamlining the entire content journey from concept to completion.

“AI agents and assistants have become indispensable creative partners, yet current workflows require users to manually add context or references, creating complexity,” said Anwar Haneef, GM and Head of Ecosystem at Canva. “We’re embedding Canva directly into the AI tools people use every day so they can brainstorm, create, and publish content faster. This is a major step in our vision to make the complex simple and build an all-in-one AI workflow that’s secure and accessible to all.”

Your Canva designs, accessible in ChatGPT
Canva’s deep research connector with ChatGPT will now connect users’ designs directly to OpenAI’s most advanced model, enabling specific, thoughtful, and context-rich responses grounded in your past work. Without needing to switch between tabs or dig for information, users can simply prompt ChatGPT to analyze or refine content across Canva Docs, Presentations, and more. With instant access to your design history, this integration removes friction and makes cross-platform creation and collaboration effortless.

Privacy and security are built in from the ground up. Every interaction is protected by Canva Shield, the company’s comprehensive AI trust and safety framework.

11:11 p.m. July 2, 2025

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking and security, today released a new global study revealing a major architectural shift underway across enterprise networks. As AI assistants, agents, and data-driven workloads reshape how work gets done, they’re creating faster, more dynamic, more latency-sensitive, and more complex network traffic.

Combined with the ubiquity of connected devices, 24/7 uptime demands, and intensifying security threats, these shifts are driving infrastructure to adapt and evolve. The result: IT leaders are changing how they think about the network: what it is, what it enables, and how it protects the organization. The network they build today will decide the business they become tomorrow.

Six signals that an architectural shift is underway

1. The network has become a strategic priority: 97% companies in the Philippines say a modernized network is critical to rolling out AI, IoT, and cloud. 99% of IT leaders plan to increase the share of their overall IT budget allocated to networking.
2. Secure networking is mission critical: 98% say secure networking is important to their operations and growth; 77% say it’s critical. 97% believe an improved network will enhance their cybersecurity posture.
3. AI intensifies demand for resilient networks: 98% of IT leaders say a resilient network is critical, at a time when 82% faced major outages – driven largely by cyberattacks, congestion, and misconfigurations – adding up to $160B globally from just one severe disruption per business, per year.
4. Leaders look to AI to grow revenue: 45% of IT leaders say a modernized network’s greatest impact on revenue will come from deploying AI tools that automate and tailor customer journeys – enabling faster, more personalized experiences that can strengthen loyalty and drive growth.
5. AI is reshaping computing infrastructure:  65% say their data centers can’t yet meet today’s AI demands, and 92% plan to expand capacity – on-prem, in the cloud, or both.
6. Leaders want to make networks smarter: 99% say autonomous, AI-powered networks are essential to future growth – yet only 56% have deployed the intelligent capabilities – like segmentation, visibility, and control – to make their network adaptive.

“As businesses in the Philippines and around the world harness the power of AI, the network is the critical backbone that makes it all possible. To meet the needs of tomorrow’s businesses and protect against evolving threats, today’s networks must be faster, smarter, and more resilient. Businesses must recognize that a modernized network is key to driving future growth and success,” said Zaza Soriano-Nicart, Managing Director, Cisco Philippines.