Tech News: New Deloitte practice incorporates open source AI models

Numbersgame, a Claude MCP provider that works with QBO, has announced that it now also supports functionality with Xero. Xero support is now live alongside QuickBooks Online. Numbers Game gives an accounting firm one controlled MCP for the client books it manages, rather than a separate connection with an all-or-nothing permission model for each client. … Enterprise data and AI security solutions provider Fortanix announced it has joined NVIDIA and industry leaders in the Open Secure AI Alliance, an industry effort led by NVIDIA to develop and share open technologies, techniques, and tools for protecting the entire AI stack, from the models themselves to the agent frameworks built on top of them.  The Open Secure AI Alliance advances that goal by pooling research and building shared, open infrastructure across a multi-vendor ecosystem. In other news, Fortanix also announced a partnership with CrowdStrike to help organizations secure AI across the entire lifecycle. By combining the Falcon® platform with Fortanix Confidential AI, the integrated solution will deliver end-to-end AI security, from threat detection and response, to protecting AI workloads, sensitive data, and proprietary models while actively running in memory. … Timekeeping and insights platform Laurel announced the availability of Laurel in the Microsoft Marketplace. Alongside its Marketplace listing, Laurel has achieved Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) eligible status, allowing firms to purchase Laurel through Microsoft Marketplace and apply the cost toward their existing MACC—accelerating deployment and unifying invoicing within a single Azure agreement. … Financial data connection solutions provider Amalgam announced new integrations with PayPal via Rilet allowing users to connect PayPal directly to Amalgam and download transaction data into Excel or Google Sheets for reporting, reconciliation, and revenue analysis, as well as a Microsoft 365 integration. The company also announced a NetSuite Transaction Reclassifier which lets users review, edit, and reclassify transactions in bulk. … Intuit announced a strategic partnership with frontier AI platform Perplexity, bringing the capabilities of QuickBooks and Mailchimp directly into Perplexity Computer. The partnership uses MCP connectors to enable secure access to QuickBooks and Mailchimp within Perplexity Computer workflows for seamless execution of business tasks. Through the power of the Intuit business platform and Perplexity Computer, new capabilities include managing cash flow by following up on overdue invoices, setting up recurring invoices, and sending payment links; managing workforce needs by retrieving payslips and accessing payroll employee information; and improving marketing campaigns by tracking performance and identifying high-impact actions that drive revenue. … Spend management solutions provider Expensify announced a native integration with ERP provider Rillet. Businesses running Rillet can now connect to Expensify in minutes for an automatic, two-way sync: Rillet categories, dimensions, and tax rates sync into Expensify, so every expense is coded correctly at the point of spend; Out-of-pocket expenses post back to Rillet as vendor bills; Company card spend posts as credit card charges to the right accounts; Reimbursements and card transactions stay in sync automatically. … Multi-entity workflow solutions provider GATHER.nexus announced the launch of Complex Consolidations for QBO and Xero users. For finance teams using Xero and QuickBooks Online as their general ledger solution, GATHER.nexus’s Complex Consolidations can automate group-level accounting for scenarios such as acquisitions and disposals, goodwill accounting, fair value adjustments, partial acquisitions and non-controlling interests (NCI), step acquisitions and disposals, and multi-level group hierarchies (chain holdings). Every group-level adjustment is supported by a comprehensive audit trail, transparent backing calculations and full drill-down visibility. This release adds on to current capacities that range from day-to-day intercompany operations and reconciliations through to group consolidations for complex ownership structures and transactions.