This is a guest submission by Jaime Leverton, general manager and vice-president of Canada & APAC for Cogeco Peer 1. Cogeco Peer 1 was the sponsor of the CanadianCIO Summit.
Earlier this month, technology leaders from across the country gathered in Muskoka to participate in discussions about the most pressing technology issues facing organizations today. The events were structured to encourage conversation, and gave CIOs from various industries the opportunity to share unexpected connections and insights.
Here are some of my most memorable moments from the weekend:
1. It’s easy to get excited about the potential of emerging technologies, but the real magic is found in the early wins.
Craig Tavares, director, product innovation & technology, was one the experts on the panel, “Finding Early Wins in Emerging Technologies” and shared some astonishing insights. He spoke about the staggering depth and breadth of AI technology in current, new and emerging products and services. Of note, he described how machine learning can sense, reason and act, and has been applied not just for image recognition, but also for spam filtering of email programs and fraud detection of credit cards.
2. Women are present (and killing it!) in the technology sector.
I was excited to see the number of impressive female leaders and speakers participating in the Summit. I had the pleasure of sitting in on a presentation by Fariba Anderson, CEO at AcuteNet and a client of Cogeco Peer 1, who shared her wealth of knowledge on transforming the healthcare sector using technology. Sharon Bauer, senior manager on KPMG’s privacy team, led an interactive session about Canada’s privacy regulations, GDPR and digital sovereignty. Sharon asserted that despite being a European legislation, GDPR raises the bar on privacy globally.
3. Cloud computing for business is gaining traction in a real way.
It was great to hear conversation about one of the most practical, usable and valuable technologies available to businesses: cloud computing. Bertrand Labelle, vice-president, marketing & innovation of Cogeco Peer 1, participated in a panel about “Taking Cloud to the Next Level.” Together, the panelists reviewed best practices for embracing cloud computing for business, and discussed how cloud can enhance the flexibility of businesses to help them achieve their goals.
In 20 years working in the Canadian technology space, I’ve never been more inspired. I strongly believe Canada will continue to maintain its reputation as a global leader in technology development and adaptation.
Thank you to the IT World Canada team for organizing this timely Summit.
