Coffee Briefings are timely deliveries of the latest ITWC headlines, interviews, and podcasts. Today’s Coffee Briefing is delivered by IT World Canada’s editorial team!
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Staples launches financing program for Apple products
Staples Canada has launched Staples FlexPlan, a new financing program that enables customers to apply for a loan with a payment amount of up to $125/month for the purchase of eligible Apple products, including the latest iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad or Mac.
Financing will be available at interest rates of either 0 per cent or 9.99 per cent annual percentage rate (APR), depending on a customer’s credit history.
The financing term will be 12 months for eligible Apple accessories, 24 months for iPhone and Apple Watch products, and 36 months for iPad and Mac products. For example, qualified applicants could finance the purchase of an iPhone 14 with AppleCare+ with monthly payments of C$43.98 at 0 per cent APR for 24 months.
RBC Ampli will provide the financing, and the program is open to all Canadian residents over the age of majority in their province or territory (except residents of Quebec).
“Now more than ever, customers want options when it comes to how they pay,” said David Boone, chief executive officer (CEO) of Staples Canada. “This collaboration builds on our commitment to deliver flexibility to our customers, letting them select how they pay for the best in Apple technology in a way that suits their needs.”
Learn more about the FlexPlan here.
Government of Canada invests $1 million digital staffing company
The Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) has announced an investment of over C$1 million in Mississauga-based digital staffing company, Jombone Inc.
The investment is aimed at accelerating the commercialization of its digital staffing and HR management platform, and expanding its market reach.
The company will also adapt its platform for the U.S. market with this investment and create 26 highly-skilled jobs in the Mississauga region, the release stated.
The company touts its use of AI, automation and analytics, as well as industry know-how from professional recruiters, to help its clients hire the right workers and manage their workforces.
“Businesses that embrace digital self-service staffing solutions understand the emergence of higher and more volatile new norm costs, and rely on technology to gain control over their operations are more likely to sustain growth in the upcoming economic climate,” said Sumit Sahdev, CEO of Jombone.
Thomson Reuters acquires AI legal startup Casetext for $650 million
Thomson Reuters announced last week that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Casetext, a California-based provider of technology for legal professionals, for US$650 million cash.
The proposed transaction builds on the company’s recent commitment to invest more than $100 million annually on AI capabilities.
“The acquisition of Casetext is another step in our ‘build, partner and buy’ strategy to bring generative AI solutions to our customers,” said Steve Hasker, president and CEO of Thomson Reuters. “We believe that Casetext will accelerate and expand our market potential for these offerings – revolutionizing the way professionals work, and the work they do.”
Casetext leverage OpenAI’s GPT-4 large language model to develop solutions and refine use cases for legal professionals. Its key products include CoCounsel, an AI legal assistant launched in 2023 and powered by GPT-4 that delivers document review, legal research memos, deposition preparation, and contract analysis in minutes.
The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2023.
Government of Canada invests over $700,000 to develop local travel booking system
FedDev Ontario has announced an investment of over C$715,000 for Tourism Technology Co. (TTC) to provide digital solutions for businesses in the tourism sector and scale across North America, as well as create six jobs.
The company is a Toronto-based booking and trip planning technology provider. Its parent company is marketing agency The New Business.
With this investment, the TTC has developed two tools: Booker, a digital travel reservation system and Tripper, a new itinerary planner. Together, these solutions will provide a central platform to booking accommodations, tours and local attractions.
The made-in-Ontario digital solution will support 20 tourism organizations and 4,000 local businesses to draw in new visitors, the release said.
“Through investments like the one announced today for Tourism Technology Co. and The New Business, we are fostering the growth of an important sector with numerous ripple effects across not only this region but all of Canada,” said James Maloney, member of Parliament for Etobicoke-Lakeshore. “Together we are providing necessary tools to support the tourism and tech industries, while also creating good jobs in Toronto.”
Appnovation deepens partnership with Google cloud to offer generative AI solutions
Vancouver-based digital consultancy firm, Appnovation has announced an expanded partnership with Google Cloud to develop new generative AI services.
“More and more often, clients are coming to us to understand how generative AI could benefit their business. As a digital partner, we’re not only helping businesses understand the possibilities, but also building solutions that make an impact today and lay the foundation for future success,” said Yvette Yanne, executive vice president, Innovation and Transformation at Appnovation in a release. “Our partnership with Google Cloud will enable the Appnovation team to provide strategy and build and deploy generative AI-powered solutions for clients, ultimately helping them advance and accelerate.”
Appnovation is already working with clients to implement generative AI strategies and solutions using Google Cloud’s AI technologies.
The company says it has the Google Cloud-validated skills to help brands innovate.
More to explore
BlackBerry CEO maintains company is ‘on the right path’
BlackBerry CEO John Chen tried to paint a bright face on the company’s financial future at the company’s virtual annual general meeting on Tuesday.
Bill C-18: Google confirms ending news availability in Canada
A week after Bill C-18 received Royal Assent, Google confirmed today that it has taken the “extremely difficult decision” to remove links to Canadian news from its Search, News and Discover products in Canada.
Generative AI front and center at Databricks’ Data + AI summit, following MosaicML acquisition
Databricks turned the spotlight on generative AI at its annual Data + AI summit, as it announced a host of new Lakehouse AI innovations.
CSE stopped billions of malicious actions against federal IT networks: Report
Canada’s signals intelligence agency protected federal IT networks from an average of 6.3 billion malicious actions a day — such as attempts to deploy malware — in the last fiscal year, as well undertaking three foreign cyber operations against targets outside the country, according to its latest annual report.
A peek at some Canadian companies driving innovation with AI
Artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI, exploded in popularity only a few months ago, but now it’s on the lips of every business, big or small. Here are a few Canadian AI companies – and a couple from elsewhere – you’ve probably never heard of, but should know about.
Trend Micro joins Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange
Another security vendor has joined the Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange, the country’s not-for-profit threat-sharing hub for infosec pros.
Montreal-based Maxa wins the Snowflake Startup Challenge in Las Vegas
Maxa, a Montreal-based startup that offers an AI-enabled cloud-based financial analysis application, won the Snowflake Startup Challenge, a competition for startups that create innovative applications and products powered by Snowflake’s Data Cloud. Maxa was the first ever Canadian company to reach the finals of this competition, where it faced Germany’s Semantha.ai and Israel’s Honeydew.
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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If you live in Québec, or prefer to consume the latest technology news in French, our sister publication Direction Informatique has you covered. Follow them on Twitter as well.
