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!
Missed last week’s Coffee Briefing? We’ve got you covered.
What’s new this week
Beanfield acquires Wesley Clover’s Eclipse Trading Turret solutions
Beanfield Metroconnect, a telecommunications company, has announced its acquisition of the entire family of Eclipse trading communication products from Wesley Clover Solutions.
Beanfield is incorporating a fully portable, cloud-based turret system into its telecommunications offering, and can now help financial services customers transition from their legacy communications solutions while reducing risk, complexity, and cost.
“Beanfield is committed to providing the tools to connect disparate systems within the Canadian Financial community and helping customers move confidently towards a converged, cloud-based environment,” says Dan Kernohan, vice president of Sales, at Beanfield. “We are very excited about the addition of such a game-changing solution to our offering.”
Beanfield customers already have access to the private Trader Link SIP Network, which connects Canadian financial markets from coast to coast, as well as low latency routes between all key Financial hubs, and Cloud Connect services to all major cloud infrastructure ecosystems and SaaS providers.
The company officially showcased its latest Trading Floor Solutions, a fully hosted, all-in-one communications system using the cloud-based turret system at the TMX Equities Trading Conference last week in Toronto.
Willa Black receives a YWCA Toronto Women of Distinction Award
Willa Black, vice president of Corporate Affairs for Cisco Canada, received a YWCA Toronto Woman of Distinction Award at the Fairmont Royal York on June 9, 2022.
In 2011, Black launched the Connected North Network, using technology to connect students in Canada’s north to offer them opportunities not available to them locally. These include Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programming, Indigenous mentors, virtual field trips, and mental wellness resources.
In 2016, Connected North was migrated from Cisco to charity partner TakingITGlobal, and now reaches 130 schools and 25,000 students across the north of Canada.
Black continues to work on changing the educational system in the North with technology and connecting more schools and students in Indigenous communities to the opportunities they deserve
The YWCA highlights women leading the charge for change by championing the rights of women in law and responsive health care, increasing women’s representation in corporate leadership and academia, advancing women and girls’ access to education, and creating community programs that support the safety of survivors of gender-based violence.
Uber Canada releases its 2022 Lost and Found Index
Uber Canada has released its annual 2022 Lost and Found Index, and this year Canadians have forgotten some pretty unforgettable items in their Ubers.
Some of the most commonly forgotten items across Canada include keys, phones, wallets, headphones, vapes, and glasses.
The most unique items Canadians left in an Uber include a Subway sandwich, a birth certificate, three packs of Dawn dish soap, a Tiramisu cake, a sample of construction tiles, and gold teeth grills.
And forgetfulness is geographical, according to this report.
Some of the most forgetful Canadian cities are Quebec, Windsor, the Niagara region, Regina, Vancouver and Halifax. The least forgetful city is Toronto.
Additionally, the most forgetful day and time in Canada is Saturday at 9 p.m.
Uber has released simple instructions on how to retrieve lost items (though the Tiramisu cake may be long gone).
Mastercard expands Girls4Tech across Canada
Mastercard has announced the expansion of its Girls4Tech digital program in Canada, broadening its availability to all provinces and territories in the country. The extended reach of this program is a result of a partnership with Discovery Education, an education tech company whose digital platform supports learning anywhere.
Now in its eighth year, Girls4Tech is Mastercard’s signature science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program geared towards giving girls in middle and high school access to STEM resources and career exploration tools.
Available in English and French, the content and resources that are now available nationwide were specifically designed to spark interest for Canadian girls in topics like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cyber security. As the landscape evolves, Girls4Tech will continue to diversify its curriculum to provide programming that meets the needs of the future.
“Many of the jobs for future generations will require a background in STEM, but there continues to be a low proportion of women graduating and pursuing these fields as adults,” said Sasha Krstic, president of Mastercard in Canada. “Giving girls equal opportunities is important to removing the barriers they face and allow them to pursue and thrive in STEM careers that will help contribute to a diverse and equitable workforce for the future.”
Canadian wins at Apple’s 2022 Design Awards
Apple’s annual Apple Design Awards celebrated 12 best-in-class apps and games, with this year’s winners including developers from around the world who were selected for delivering innovative and creatively designed experiences through apps that inspired users with vision, purpose, and brilliance.
Canadian developers at Gameloft were awarded one of the Visuals and Graphics awards for the Lego Star Wars: Castaways game.
“With its cinematic feel, sizzling visual effects, and tactile gameplay, Castaways is a force to be reckoned with,” Apple said.
The game’s smooth animations instantly immerse players into the game’s galaxy of action and mystery
Finalists for this category include Alien: Isolation by Feral Interactive; Behind the Frame by Silver Lining Studio under Akatsuki Taiwan; MD Clock by Hangzhou Midi Technology Co., Ltd.; and (Not Boring) Habits by Andy Works.
For the second year, six different categories recognize one app and game each for inclusivity, delight and fun, interaction, social impact, visuals and graphics, and innovation. The winners were chosen from 36 finalists.
More to explore
Google AI engineer put on leave for violating privacy policy
Blake Lemoine, a senior software engineer in Google’s Responsible AI organization, has been put on administrative leave amidst a flurry of controversy.
Consultation begins for mmWave to be used for 5G
The government of Canada is asking Canadians for their opinions on a policy and licensing framework for a class of high-frequency wireless signals called millimetre wave (mmWave), a foundational component in achieving the full potential of 5G cellular services.
This week in ransomware – Friday, June 10, 2022
Ransomware only works if victims actually pay the ransom. A recent Telus report reported that 60 per cent of companies say they will not pay a ransom, pointing out that paying does not guarantee restoration of your data. Interesting, when you look only at companies that were actually attacked, that number shrinks to 37 per cent who actually did not pay the ransom. Still, it’s a significant percentage.
Edge key focal point of Schneider’s new IT partner program
Schneider Electric yesterday announced a major overhaul of its channel initiatives with a revamped program it said is designed to “provide a simplified, innovative and collaborative approach to enabling partner growth.”
Non-profit tech supplier transforms model to better serve NGOs
The non-profit TechSoup, a supplier and distributor of tech equipment and financial resources to non government organizations (NGOs), is partnering with consultants at the Alexander Group to continue evolving their model to more holistically support NGOs around the world.
Canadian military provider suffered ransom attack, says news report
A Canadian military contractor has acknowledged suffering a ransomware attack. In a statement to ITWorldCanada, CMC Electronics said an unauthorized third-party had gained access to its computer network on May 31st and disrupted operations with a ransom demand.
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.
Listen to the latest episode of Hashtag Trending
Internet Explorer officially retires this week, Coinbase faces petition to remove CEOs, and Tesla Autopilot investigation escalates.
Listen to the latest episode of Cyber Security Today
This episode reports on vulnerabilities in a web-connected physical security system, new Linux ransomware and wireless security advice
Listen to the latest episode of Hashtag Tendances (Hosted by Direction Informatique)
If you live in Quebec, or prefer to consume the latest technology news in French, our sister publication Direction Informatique has you covered. Follow them on Twitter as well.
