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Coffee Briefings are timely deliveries of the latest ITWC headlines, interviews and podcasts. Today’s Coffee Briefing is brought to you by the IT World Canada editorial team!
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What’s new this week
Upskilling employees can save businesses $46,634: ILX Research Group
A new study by consulting and training company ILX group found that upskilling and retaining employees can solve problems and save on the cost of hiring new IT staff.
“Research we conducted in 2022 with senior business, HR (human resources) and L&D (learning and development) professionals revealed several reasons why organizations value employee learning through upskilling, reskilling and cross-skilling programs” , said Russell Kenrick, Managing Director of ILX Group
The study found that replacing an IT leader costs $46,634, while upskilling an existing IT manager costs $14,067. Additionally, if the salary remains the same for the upskilling employee or new hire, organizations that choose to upskill rather than replace could save between 70-92 percent on average.
The report also highlights the growth in uptake of accredited training courses, including project management certificates and APM-accredited programmes.
“We are not surprised by this trend. These certifications are essential to help organizations accelerate their digital transformation programs, continuously innovate; to increase efficiency and optimize their operating models,” Kenrick said.
Reformation to open high-tech Canadian flagship store in Toronto
Los Angeles-based clothing brand Reformation has announced that it is opening its first Canadian flagship store in Toronto sometime in December.
Company officials said the new store will feature a “technology-driven retail concept” providing a first-of-its-kind customer-centric experience to allow customers to have a “virtual meets physical experience” while shopping in-store.
The showroom will have touch screens throughout to allow customers to send clothes in their desired color and size from the store’s available collection to their ‘magic wardrobe’. After choosing everything they want to try on, they can head to a high-tech fitting room with customized lighting options, where the clothes will be waiting for them. If they require a different size or color, they can indicate this on the personal touch screen available in the fitting room and the garment will be delivered to the customer.
The new store will be located at 87 Yorkville Avenue and will be the brand’s second largest flagship store to date (the largest can be found in Covent Garden in London, UK and is also set to open in 2022).
Visa offers Visa-enabled contributions to eligible RBC credit cardholders
Financial company Visa and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) have announced a new collaboration to give personal credit cardholders the option to use Visa-enabled installments when shopping at participating merchants in Canada, in-store and online.
Visa-enabled installment plans, launched last year in Canada, allow eligible Canadian cardholders to convert an eligible purchase into smaller, equal payments made over a period of time.
Eligible RBC Personal Visa Credit Cardholders can use their existing credit to take advantage of Installments without applying, performing credit checks or downloading a new application.
“We at RBC are committed to reimagining everyday banking and payments for Canadians and merchants to meet their evolving needs,” said Lea Napier, vice president of retail cards at RBC. “Our collaboration with Visa to enable credit card payments at the time of purchase is one of the many ways we’re delivering on that promise.”
Amazon brings Alexa to senior living communities in Canada
Amazon Canada has announced that it will bring its voice AI (artificial intelligence), Alexa, to senior living communities across Canada with the launch of Alexa Smart Properties. powered by a set of technologies that property owners can use to deploy and manage Alexa-enabled devices at scale.
Alexa Smart Properties seeks to enable senior residents to stay in touch with their loved ones, connect with their community and access community news using Alexa through an Amazon Echo device in their room. Family members can also easily connect with residents by calling Alexa. In addition, residents can request property information and smart home actions, such as turning lights on and off.
Administrators can use Alexa skills to communicate more effectively and personalize resident experiences with personalized community information such as activity schedules, dining menus, and more.
Alexa Smart Properties will debut in Orleans, near Ottawa, Ontario with Amazon Canada solutions provider Connected Canadians (a non-profit organization that promotes digital literacy skills among seniors) within the Bruyère Village senior living community.
Sherbrooke researcher wins Mitacs prize for developing automated technology that detects heart disease
University of Sherbrooke researcher Thierry Judge has won the Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation, a master’s degree for developing technology that automates and speeds up the process of contouring ultrasound images of the heart, a necessary step in diagnosing heart disease that has previously been manual.
Toronto-based not-for-profit national research organization Mitacs will present Judge with the award today at the National Arts Center in Ottawa.
The new technology, called CRISP, is also designed to identify when results generated by emerging artificial systems are incorrect or uncertain. CRISP is currently being tested by Oxford, UK-based Ultromics Ltd., a leader in AI for echocardiography.
“The ultimate goal is to build trust in AI systems so that we can free up clinicians’ time to see more patients and spend more time caring for patients instead of manual tasks,” Judge said. “We know that these AI systems will sometimes fail. The purpose of my research is to identify exactly when they do.
More to research
Redefining HR with analytics: Humanizing Human Capital author shares his insights in ITWC Analytics Unleashed
Companies around the world are in turmoil as talent shortages continue to widen, workers leave in droves and unionization efforts intensify in the wake of post-pandemic trends such as the Great Resignation and the Quiet Walk.
The Info-Tech report notes seven trends that CIOs should anticipate in 2023
Info-Tech Research Group has released its 2023 Tech Trends Report, containing what it describes as seven trends and findings based on data based on a survey of 813 industry professionals, most of whom worked in IT departments.
Montreal-area city affected by ransomware: Report
A Montreal-area city was hit by ransomware over the weekend, according to a Quebec news service.
Deloitte Announces Winners of 25th Annual Technology Fast 50 Program and Reveals Insights from Winning Executives
Deloitte Canada today announced the winners of its 25th annual Technology Fast 50 program, as well as the Enterprise Fast 15, Clean Technology and Companies to-Watch awards. The program seeks to highlight the innovation and growth of Canadian technology companies and has honored over 1,700 companies over the past 25 years.
Google must pay $391 million for misleading Android users about location tracking
Google has agreed to pay $391.5 million and be more open with users about its privacy and data collection practices in a settlement with 40 US states.
Some in Ontario’s broad public sector are “struggling” with cybersecurity: panel chair
The poor state of cybersecurity at some of Ontario’s school boards, child protection agencies, municipalities and hospitals is worrying the head of the province’s expert panel that just assessed the state of the broader public sector.
Channel Bytes November 18, 2022 – BetterCloud Reveals State of SaaSOps; ConnectWise wins big; Toronto firm named QA Test Management Team of the Year; and more
Staying informed is a constant challenge. There is so much to do and so little time. But we’ve got you covered. Grab a coffee and high five while you munch on these treats.
Switch to memory-safe languages, urges NSA developers
App developers can reduce the chances of their code, including memory vulnerabilities, by switching to a modern language, the US National Security Agency (NSA) says.
Dell Technologies Expands Multi-Cloud Data Protection Capabilities
Texas-based Dell Technologies today announced additions to Dell PowerProtect Data Manager, the company’s data protection software, as well as a new component in its APEX data storage services that seek to help protect organizations from the growing threat of cyberattacks, to simplify IT operations and uphold the principles of zero trust.
Listen to the latest episode of Hashtag Trending
Hashtag Trending November 22 – Windows 11 Ads; Revenues in the gaming industry are falling; FCC updates broadband maps
Listen to the latest episode of Cyber Security Today
Cybersecurity Today, November 21, 2022 – New types of ransomware found
Listen to the latest episode of Hashtag Tendances (Hosted by Direction Informatique)
If you live in Quebec or prefer to consume the latest tech news in French, our sister publication Direction Informatique has you covered. Follow them Twitter as well.
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