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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What’s new this week
Toronto-based mortgage fintech Perch and Onlia Insurance announce partnership
A new partnership between Perch and Onlia Insurance aims to help Ontario residents seeking a mortgage and home insurance save time and money.
Perch customers who purchase Onlia’s home and auto insurance through the platform will save an additional five per cent on their rates.
The Toronto-based proptech company, Perch, seeks to change how Ontarians shop and apply for a mortgage online, and with this new partnership with Onlia, they can now offer a more streamlined process for consumers to choose a mortgage and home insurance policy in a single checkout.
“Our services will go hand in hand, helping home buyers and owners find the best home insurance policies and also get a better mortgage offer” says Alex Leduc, chief executive officer of Perch. “Perch and Onlia both strive to make the home ownership journey as convenient and seamless as possible with an excellent digital experience, so we saw collaborating as a natural fit.”
The Demonstration Zone is looking for Applications
Working with the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), which focuses on creating more efficient transportation, is seeking applications from interested parties to form its new Demonstration Zone.
The Demonstration Zone will be a key hub of commercial activities, highlighting start-ups and SMEs that may not otherwise have the resources to demonstrate or promote their technologies. It will provide Ontario SMEs with a platform, both technological and promotional, to showcase their advanced automotive technologies and smart mobility solutions to customers.
The hub will highlight made-in-Ontario technologies in an operational environment, provide customer-facing marketing events, as well as inbound business development engagements with industry decision makers for participant companies.
The applicant must be one or more provider(s) of publicly funded organization(s), such as established Regional Innovation Centres, Economic Development Corporations, accredited academic institutions, or industry associations. Applicants must be operating in Ontario with a successful track record supporting advanced automotive technologies and the smart mobility innovation economy.
Applications are due December 20. For more information, click here.
BMO and FISPAN partner to simplify business banking for clients
BMO and FISPAN have partnered to offer BMO Online Banking for Business clients direct access to their day-to-day banking from their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or accounting system.
Customers can now find a more efficient way to manage their business transactions by integrating payments, reporting and reconciliation with these systems. Without leaving their ERP system, BMO’s business clients will be able to view real-time account and balance information, send wire and domestic e-payments, and automatically reconcile their transactions
This is one of several Open Banking collaborations for BMO, giving business owners a simplified experience and more time to focus on making progress and growing their business.
The bank has already been partnered with Xero, allowing business clients to connect and manage their Online Banking and Xero accounts. In addition, BMO’s Developer Portal makes banking APIs available to clients who want to build custom integrations between their business systems and BMO accounts.
“We recognize that our clients have competing demands and as their banking partner, we’re focused on helping them make progress by delivering seamless and simple solutions,” said Sean Ellery, head, digital and innovation, commercial banking at BMO. “This partnership aligns perfectly with our commitment to deliver leading digital experiences to our customers, giving them more time to focus on what matters most – growing their business.”
Mastercard launches its holiday spending forecast report
Mastercard has released its holiday forecast, which measures in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment.
Sales in Canada are expected to increase 5.7 per cent year over year (YOY) and just over 20 per cent since pre-pandemic (2019). E-commerce retail sales are expected to grow by about 3.8 per cent YOY.
Key spending trends for the holiday season include about a seven per cent increase for Boxing Day sales. While electronics are typically a popular purchase for consumers during this time of the year, they are projected to be down 8.2 per cent YOY on Boxing Day, as consumer behaviour shifts.
The days leading up to Christmas are set to be the busiest of the season: A major boost for this season’s retail growth is expected from in-store shopping, as customers have more flexibility to shop in-store again. Total retail sales are projected to be up 24 per cent YOY on December 23, and 17.5 per cent YOY on Christmas Eve.
More to explore
TCS partners with AWS in new quantum computing initiative
Tata Consultancy Services today launched the TCS Quantum Computing Lab on AWS, a new service designed to provide enterprise customers with insight into what it described as “one of the most promising technologies of the decade.”
Analytics Unleashed: Telling your digital story
At Analytics Unleashed, Emma Warrillow, senior vice president of research and data insights at Shift Paradigm, highlighted the importance of effectively telling your digital story.
Cisco identifies vulnerabilities in Identity Services Engine
Cisco Systems’ network access control solution has five vulnerabilities rated High that could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to inject arbitrary operating system commands, bypass security protections, and conduct cross-site scripting attacks.
A new and somewhat creative ransomware group called “Donut” has been reportedly mounting “double extortion” attacks. For anyone not familiar with the term, double extortion refers to both the encryption and theft of data, and normally involves a threat to release the stolen data if the ransom is not paid.
EDF, Exaion Inc, PASQAL, and the Quantum Innovation Zone are joining forces to open the first center of excellence to develop sustainable energy solutions using the combined capabilities of high-performance computing (HPC) and quantum computing.
Intel and Xero partner as part of Intel’s Software Advantage Program
Accounting software provider Xero has announced a collaboration with Intel to help small business owners better manage their finances.
Cisco reports record revenue and sheds 4000 jobs in the same day
Despite delivering its largest quarterly revenue in the company’s history, California-based digital communications company Cisco announced on the same day that it is cutting 4000 jobs as part of its US$600 million restructuring plans.
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
Facebook’s Meta fined 265 million euros, a new study finds that smartphone addiction is linked with low self esteem and other negative cognitive outcomes, and the FCC bans the sale and imports of certain Chinese technology.
Listen to the latest episode of Cyber Security Today
This episode reports on the latest Twitter breach numbers, a US college victimized by ransomware, survey numbers from Dell and OpenText, and more
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.