Coffee Briefings deliver our entire audience – the IT administrators and channel partners as well as the C-Suite – the most complete news package with the latest headlines, interviews, and social media chatter. These briefings drop on Tuesday and Friday mornings. If you missed the last briefing, you’re in luck, because you can find it here. Today’s Coffee Briefing is delivered by ITWC editorial director Alex Coop.
What you need to know right now
It’s what you need to know right now in the world of IT and tech – ’nuff said. (Often taken with a side of Hashtag Trending)
Listen to the latest episode of Hashtag Trending
Forget 5G, China launches a 6G satellite, Loblaw’s will launch Canada’s first self-driving delivery fleet, and tips for setting boundaries for yourself while working from home. Read the full transcript here.
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Listen to the latest episode of Cyber Security Today
More advice for safe online holiday shopping, new ransomware tactics and a crackdown on awareness training.
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OCE to undergo rebrand, changes to governance relationship with Ontario government [Betakit]
The Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), the non-profit which delivers much of the Government of Ontario’s economic development programming, is in for a brand refresh and change to its governance relationship with the province, BetaKit has learned.
The OCE may see its name changed to the Ontario Centre of Innovation, an OCE spokesperson told BetaKit. OCE was originally created in 2002 when the Conservative-led government merged seven separate non-profit centres into one entity. [Full story]
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Google Pay web app dies in January 2021
The original Google Pay offered up the ability to manage your payment methods as well as sending money to friends and family from both a mobile app or from pay.google.com. Now that the new Google Pay app has launched, though, Google has slapped a notice on that web app that notifies users that the site will no longer work starting in January.
Starting early in 2021, you won’t be able to use pay.google.com to send and receive money from other people. To send and receive money, use the new Google Pay app, available in preview. [9to5google.com]
In case you missed it
The recent tech news that we maybe didn’t get to yet, or it’s the news we’ve reported on and feel is worth resurfacing. Sometimes we’ll also feature awesome stories from other publications. We also show love for the IT channel, so expect news that MSPs and resellers care about to pop up, too.
Telus program receives prestigious global privacy recognition
Telus has been awarded the HPE-IAPP Privacy Innovation Award by the International Association of Privacy Professionals in recognition of its Data for Good program. The program, launched in April 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, leverages an approach to de-identified data analytics to aid all levels of government and public agencies in making more strategic and informed decisions based on real-world information.
Data for Good helps health authorities and qualified academic researchers analyze strongly de-identified data from Telus Insights to measure progress and assess additional opportunities to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the curve without compromising the personal privacy of Canadians. [News release]
ICYMI – IT World Canada
A look at an Intel Evo laptop: Acer Swift 5
“Marketing” and “technicality” go hand in hand when companies try to grab your money. While what’s written on the box can be technically achieved, experience often contradicts expectations. [Full story]
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Why payroll security should be handled by the cloud in the new normal
Companies have been hesitant to shift certain workloads to the cloud. Payroll, for instance, has largely been kept on-premises. Only a quarter of small businesses elect to use cloud-based systems for their payroll. Experts chime in about why it might be worth considering a pivot. [Full story]
Understanding Canadian cybersecurity laws: Deep, dark, and undetectable – Canadian jurisdictional considerations in global encrypted networks (Article 7)
In this article, we will discuss the legal issues relating to encrypted online criminal activities, specifically those involving or facilitated by the use of Dark Web browsers and cryptocurrencies (such as TOR and Bitcoin, respectively) which provide anonymity to both parties in an illegal transaction. Cybercriminal activity is not confined by national borders or limited by geography so the main legal issues which stem from hidden online criminal activities are the inherent difficulties of detection/tracing on encrypted networks and the legal puzzle of navigating jurisdictional authority and balancing foreign and domestic relations, treaties between nations, and potentially conflicting interests on the international stage. [Full blog post]
ICYMI – IT Business Canada
Scaling-up in rural Canada: BC tech firm’s success a blueprint for growth outside of big tech’s shadow
One of North America’s largest Salesforce consulting and app development firms is betting big on rural Canada, a move its chief executive officer thinks other small enterprises should mimic to help Canada accelerate its overdue transition to a knowledge economy. [Full story]
ICYMI – Channel Daily News
If ransomware doesn’t kill you, the downtime will, says Datto report
Managed services providers are reporting that the downtime cost per incident has increased by nearly 95 per cent from 2019 and a dizzying 486 per cent from 2018, according to a new study. [Full story]
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Find the right channel partner with our directory
Finding the right channel partner for the right project is easier said than done. Our channel directory can sort search results by vendor type, region, and technology type. Click here to start your search today.
Bookmarks of the week
A few bookmarked tweets that we think are worth sharing with you.
If you are doing Incident Response and it feels like everything is getting out of hand, the single best thing I can suggest is SLOW DOWN.
A few incidents this week where I’ve watched good teams fumble because various pressures have made them rush way too much.— Taz Wake (@tazwake) November 21, 2020
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I was asked by a sales rep if ransomware was not a priority for me at this time. I told him my priority was not responding to bad sales attempts.
— mitchparkerciso speaking at your event soon (@mitchparkerciso) November 21, 2020
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Uh… W O W pic.twitter.com/YH6QpR2ymr
— CNET (@CNET) November 22, 2020
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➡️ The @CIOStrategyC is actively developing a national standard for agile and open procurement of digital solutions. 🚨 We are calling for all interested parties to join our Technical Committee and contribute to the development of the national standard. Get in touch today! https://t.co/EFdzRwZq3R
— CIO Strategy Council | Conseil Stratégique des DPI (@CIOStrategyC) November 20, 2020
The r/MSP recap
The MSP subreddit community is growing rapidly. It’s also a chatty bunch. With more than 85,000 members as of today, it’s worth taking a look at what they have to say every once in a while. Here are the recent top posts. Click on the posts to view additional responses.
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