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Thomson Reuters acquires majority stake of Sweden’s Pagero
Thomson Reuters has announced that it has raised its offer to acquire Sweden’s Pagero, a provider in e-invoicing and indirect tax solutions.
The company initially offered 40 Swedish crowns (SEK) per Pagero share, and raised it yesterday to 50, valuing the company at 8.1 billion SEK.
As a result, Thomson Reuters now controls about 54 per cent of the company.
“Since the announcement of our initial offer for Pagero on 11 January, following constructive discussions with Bengt Nilsson, Summa Equity and other key shareholders of Pagero, we are pleased to have reached an agreement for them to sell their shares to Thomson Reuters – making us the majority shareholder in Pagero at 53.81 per cent. This validates Thomson Reuters as the best home for Pagero and supports our shared vision to provide customers with automated, secure, and compliant tax solutions.” Said Steve Hasker, CEO and President, Thomson Reuters.”
Thomson Reuters said that the acquisition will accelerate the companies’ joint vision for a connected suite of global indirect tax, reporting and e-invoicing capabilities.
ABC Life Literacy Canada announces new digital literacy program
A Toronto non profit that seeks to empower adult learners, ABC Life Literacy Canada, has announced its latest digital literacy program, ABC Connect for Learning.
The program brings together all of ABC’s free digital literacy programming for anyone just getting started with the internet or who wants to learn about any new technology.
For example, adults can learn about computer basics such as how to use a mouse and a keyboard, explore how to search for things on Google, and better understand how to stay safe online.
Intermediate-level internet users can access lesson plans on using different websites, apps, and software, such as Facebook, Zoom, Gmail, on a phone, tablet or computer.
Some courses are offered online and can be completed at the learner’s own pace.
“We know that digital literacy is an important skill set that all Canadians need, especially with 84 per cent of jobs currently requiring computer and technical skills,” said Alison Howard, executive director of ABC Life Literacy Canada. “We are pleased to offer this programming to help adults equip themselves with the know-how to use digital technologies and navigate safely online.”
ABC Connect for Learning is partly funded by the Government of Canada through the Digital Literacy Exchange Program.
IBM teams up with SAP to offer AI solutions to CPG companies
IBM has announced that it is collaborating with SAP to help clients in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) and retail industries enhance their supply chain, finance operations, sales, and services using generative AI.
IBM has already integrated its AI and data platform, watsonx, into SAP solutions and is working with CPG clients worldwide to gather detailed requirements to create AI solutions that can be integrated with the SAP Direct Distribution solution.
The collaboration is expected to enhance transportation planning and execution, optimize store-level assortments, automate order settlement, and more, using new and traditional generative AI solutions.
“Global and regional consumer industry organizations must manage various commerce applications and need advanced insights to provide proactive recommendations that help improve operations and meet customer expectations,” said Luq Niazi, global managing partner, industries and global consumer industry, IBM Consulting. “With SAP, we are looking to build on the long-standing work of incorporating AI into SAP solutions that can help enterprise clients achieve further business value.”
Merchants find implementing new tech in their commerce platform, a headache: Shopify report
More than 60 per cent of merchants said that the cost of implementing new tech into their commerce platform will be tough, a new report by IDC, in partnership with Shopify, found.
The report, which surveyed 1000 merchants, revealed that 67 per cent are at least considering changing their commerce platform in the next three years, as they increasingly prioritize ease of use. Nearly all surveyed merchants also said timely implementation is important.
Plus, the report revealed that 91 per cent of enterprises believe that a low total cost of ownership is important when changing to headless, hybrid, or full-stack.
One of the key roadblocks in their implementation, the report noted, is a lack of digital skills (38 per cent) as well as a lack of technology scalability (31 per cent).
Shopify said that a composable front-end and a full-stack back-end enterprise SaaS solution is a “sweet spot for business”, delivering fast time to market, better customer experience, and cost effectiveness—without solely relying on in-house expertise.
CGI to modernize Virginia’s child support system
CGI has been awarded a contract by the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) to modernize the legacy system supporting its Division of Child Support Enforcement (DCSE).
CGI will utilize CGI Transcend, its platform-based solution that integrates with external systems and helps agencies harness their data to make more informed decisions about evolving citizen services and operations. The platform also captures REaL (race, ethnicity, and language) data and provides agencies with real-time data and analytics to address bias and promote data equity.
“With CGI Transcend, our government clients can leverage data to identify underserved populations and communities, increase participation and engagement of families, and ultimately better shape their child support and child welfare policies and practices,” said Jimmy Schatte, vice president, consulting services, and U.S. state and local government national strategy lead, CGI.
CGI Transcend’s low-code, no-code configuration is built on Salesforce and integrates solutions such as Snowflake.
People in Virginia are expected to benefit from simplified processes, streamlined sign-up forms, and automated entry, designed to expedite timelines for receiving support, CGI said in a release. The interface also incorporates built-in AI, machine learning, and analytics, helping direct attention to the most urgent cases.
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Ontario city the latest to temporarily lose control of its X account
An Ontario municipality has become the latest to lose temporary access to its X account.
Accenture presents its “Human by Design” 2024 tech vision, reassures on potential job losses
Artificial intelligence (AI) will become much more human-like and intuitive for people to use, Accenture highlighted in its 2024 Technology Vision report titled “Human by Design.”
Canadian Cyber Centre now ranks threats with SecurityScorecard solution
The Canadian government’s cyber authority has started using a U.S. company’s security ratings platform to rank cyber threats to the country’s critical infrastructure.
Warning issued to admins of Ivanti Connect Secure and Policy Secure gateways
IT administrators with Ivanti’s Connect Secure/Pulse Secure VPNs and Policy Secure gateways are urged to install mitigations immediately.
Leostream throws VMware Horizon partners a lifeline
There are many decisions that will need to be made by VMware partners of many shapes and sizes following release of the termination notice issued by Broadcom on Dec. 22; key among them will be finding new business opportunities.
Staying informed is a constant challenge. There’s so much to do, and so little time. But we have you covered. Grab a coffee and take five while you nibble on these tidbits.
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