MORRISVILLE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 12, 2025--
Extreme Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXTR), a leader in AI-powered automation for networking, today announced it has appointed Anisha Vaswani as Chief Information and Customer Officer (CICO). Vaswani will report directly to Extreme President and CEO Ed Meyercord.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250312313303/en/
As CICO, Vaswani will develop and implement the company’s overall IT strategy, ensuring that technology investments support the company’s business objectives and growth. Additionally, she’ll focus on driving internal innovation and customer success for the company by acting as “Extreme’s Customer ONE,” testing and validating Extreme’s products and solutions before rolling them out to customers to ensure they create a new industry standard for excellence. Vaswani will also oversee the company’s customer success initiatives, proactively engaging with customers to complete successful technology migrations and deliver significant value add – prioritizing long-term customer relationships, loyalty and retention.
"At Extreme, we believe technology and customer experience must be seamlessly integrated, which is why we created the CICO role. Anisha is the perfect candidate to ensure that every innovation enhances the customer journey. Her expertise in cloud adoption, cybersecurity and AI, combined with her track record of driving product adoption, maximizing value and increasing customer lifetime value, will help Extreme continue its journey to becoming a leading SaaS company in our space," said Ed Meyercord, President and CEO of Extreme.
Prior to Extreme, Vaswani served in several CIO roles at prominent companies such as IDG, Box, Toast, Inc., and Shockwave Medical. As Shockwave Medical, she helped the company scale operations and grow annual revenue to $1B. As CIO of Toast, she helped guide the company through the IPO process and played a role in growing the company from $1B in revenue to over $3B in annual revenue. She holds a B.S. in Management Information Systems from San Jose State University.
Anisha Vaswani, CICO at Extreme, said, "Extreme is at a pivotal moment, with innovations like Extreme Platform ONE set to redefine the future of networking. I’m excited to join a team of visionary thinkers and believe that through relentless innovation and an unwavering focus on our customers, we’ll turn bold ideas into transformative success. Creating customer value is at the heart of everything we do.”
About Extreme Networks
Extreme Networks, Inc. ( EXTR ) is a leader in AI-driven cloud networking, focused on delivering simple and secure solutions that help businesses address challenges and enable connections among devices, applications, and users. We push the boundaries of technology, leveraging the powers of artificial intelligence, analytics, and automation. Tens of thousands of customers globally trust our AI-driven cloud networking solutions and industry-leading support to enable businesses to drive value, foster innovation, and overcome extreme challenges. For more information, visit Extreme's website at www.extremenetworks.com or follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube, X, Facebook, or Instagram.
Extreme Networks, Extreme Platform ONE and the Extreme Networks logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Extreme Networks, Inc. in the United States, and other countries. Other trademarks shown herein are the property of their respective owners.
Anisha Vaswani, Chief Information and Customer Officer at Extreme Networks (Photo: Business Wire)
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — World Cup fans in a growing number of U.S. cities won't have an issue finding a well-poured pint to go with their late-night match.
State leaders across the U.S. are signing off on extending bar and restaurant hours during the world’s most-watched sporting event. They want to help businesses and improve fan experiences, particularly for those who may have been priced out of tickets. Others see the move as a last-ditch effort to boost sales as expectations for a World Cup economic boon have dampened.
So far, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington — states either hosting World Cup matches or adjacent to the activity — have all approved various measures to extend hours for alcohol sales during the tournament. Similar proposals are being considered in New York and Massachusetts.
The changes mean that closing time won’t come until 4 a.m. in Philadelphia during the World Cup and America 250 celebrations. In Kansas City, some bars can stay open as late as 5 a.m.
Many of these changes are dependent on municipality approval, and no business would be required to extend business hours. But for the hospitality industry, already struggling under waning sales and inflation, the option to stay open later is welcomed.
Mark Prinzinger, owner of Lion Sports Bar in Philadelphia, described watching soccer with fans from all over the world as a “magical experience." Now that he has the option to keep his bar open two hours longer, he’s hired extra staff, streamlined the menus and planned late-night programming.
“People want to have a beer with other soccer fans and the great thing about the World Cup is that it brings people together from all over the world into one place to watch a sport that everybody loves,” he said.
Prinzinger and other bar, restaurant and nightlife venues in Pennsylvania will be allowed to move their closing times from 2 a.m. until 4 a.m. during the World Cup and the America 250 anniversary celebrations, between June 11 and July 20. Gov. Josh Shapiro approved the legislation by releasing a video showing him cracking open a beer, signing off the social media post with a cheeky warning to the City of Brotherly Love's reputation for getting rowdy: “Celebrate responsibly, Philly.”
With more hours available to drink, some critics have raised concerns about public safety and potential strain on law enforcement even as the effort has received bipartisan support from lawmakers.
In Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas initially stated that his city “doesn't need bars operating 23 hours” during the World Cup and joked, “Worry not, if you want to drink a ton, bars can open quite early.”
Yet bar owners bristle under such opposition, saying that most businesses prioritize training staff to prevent patrons from being overserved.
“Just because people are hanging out at the bar watching a soccer game doesn’t mean they’re getting blitzed,” Prinzinger said. “In fact, I would say it’s completely the opposite. I think people want to watch the game. People want to be engaged.”
Rhode Island Rep. Teresa Tanzi agreed.
“Not everybody that’s going to walk into a place is going to be chugging drinks and getting loaded,” Tanzi, a Democrat, said earlier this month on the House floor. “There are going to be families who are going to want a cheeseburger, an American cheeseburger, and a Coca-Cola."
Rhode Island, which is closer than Boston is to World Cup matches host Gillette Stadium, is weighing whether to extend alcohol sales to 3 a.m. and closing times to 4 a.m. Currently, last call in the smallest U.S. state is 1 a.m., with some exceptions for its capital city of Providence.
Even Lucas relented, eventually submitting a plan allowing Kansas City restaurants and bars to remain open until 3 a.m., and certain establishments to remain open until 5 a.m. if they submit a security plan to the police department. Currently, alcohol sales can generally be made between 6 a.m. through 1:30 a.m.
The extended hours aren't entirely a U.S. trend. Pubs in England and Wales will be able to stay open as late as 2 a.m. if the English or Scottish teams are playing in the knockout stages after the U.K. government relaxed its licensing rules.
In Scotland, which has its own semiautonomous government, local authorities can allow pubs to stay open until 30 minutes after matches end.
According to the World Cup schedule, a majority of games will be held from early afternoon through early evening. But a handful start later, with four games starting at midnight and eight games starting at 10 p.m. for those watching in the Eastern time zone.
Just how big of a demand there will be for late-night bites and drinks is somewhat unknown. In the U.S., consumer habits have shifted drastically ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, with more people choosing to go out earlier in the day and spending less overall, said David Henkes, senior principal at Technomic, a firm that monitors restaurant and food industry trends.
“It’s so hard to stay open late night or overnight just because it’s hard to find labor,” Henkes said. “I applaud the effort to give restaurants an opportunity to earn more revenue, but I’m not sure that there’s going to be significant enough demand for it to make sense for a lot of operators to do so.”
Associated Press writer Brian Melley contributed from London.
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Lion Sports Bar owner Mark Prinzinger poses behind the bar as fans watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
Fans arrive to watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at the Lion Sports Bar, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
Fans watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at the Lion Sports Bar, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
Fans watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at the Lion Sports Bar, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
Fans watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at the Lion Sports Bar, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
