Archive for May 17, 2021

Google Commits $2M In Digital Skills To Help Underserved Communities Reskill For New Careers In Six Months

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 17, 2021 by itnerd

Given the current spotlight on employment and job displacements as a result of the pandemic, Google has announced a $2 million commitment to digital skills training aimed at reskilling job seekers for new careers in technology – in under six months. 

As part of a three-year grant, Google is working with NPower Canada to deliver Google Career Certificate programs, along with 5,000 need-based scholarships focusing on young adults in underserved communities. The aim is to give these Canadians the necessary skills to find entry-level, high-paying jobs in high-demand tech sectors – with no previous experience required. Google Career Certificates scholarships will be distributed by NPower Canada, in collaboration with  non-profits like Pathways to Education, Toronto Public Library and the YMCA. 

The initiative not only focuses on providing digital skills training but on making tech jobs more accessible through an Employer Consortium, where some of Canada’s biggest employers – including Google, KPMG, TELUS and Loblaw – are jumping on board to consider Google Career Certificate program graduates for eligible jobs.

Some additional details about Google’s Career Certificate programs can be found in Google’s latest blog post.

Some Key Facts About Google Career Certificates

  • Google Career Certificates were developed by Google employees as part of Grow with Google, a global initiative designed to create economic opportunities.
  • Certificate programs are available in Data Analytics, Project Management, UX Design, IT Support.
  • Outside of NPower Canada’s programming, the certificates are delivered through the online learning platform Coursera and are available in English, with select programs available in French starting in 2022. 
  • Every certificate has been created to equip learners with theoretical and practical knowledge and real-life problem-solving skills to be successful in an entry-level technology job.

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KPMG In Canada Introduces ‘Finance Plus’ Cloud Accounting Solution

Posted in Commentary on May 17, 2021 by itnerd

KPMG in Canada is launching Finance Plus, a new cloud accounting solution designed for small- and medium-sized business owners who lack the time or in-house expertise to manage their bookkeeping and financial reporting. KPMG Finance Plus combines industry-leading financial tools with the personalized support of a dedicated KPMG accountant.

For entrepreneurs, franchisees and multi-site business owners, Finance Plus offers an efficient and affordable way to outsource bookkeeping and financial reporting, all overseen by a live KPMG professional. The new technology platform gives clients visibility and access to a suite of software tools that deliver end-to-end financial services including accounting, bookkeeping, budgeting, daily transactions and payroll and tax services.

As one integrated online hub, Finance Plus streamlines bookkeeping documents and financial data, with timely reporting that helps track and evaluate a company’s financial performance. The easy, single sign-on platform provides access to selected software tools including QuickBooks Online, Xero, Hubdoc, Dext, ADP and Wagepoint. 

A recent KPMG survey found that a majority of Canadians (88 per cent) say small- and medium-sized businesses in Canada have been the economic victims of the pandemic and many continue to struggle due to lockdowns. A further 91 per cent of respondents say the pandemic has shown a real need for Canadian businesses to strengthen their online presence and digital capabilities.

Finance Plus features these services:

  • Daily transactions 
  • Digitized bookkeeping 
  • Accounts payable/receivable 
  • Payroll management 
  • Budgeting 
  • Management reporting 
  • GST/HST and provincial sales tax 
  • Bank and credit card reconciliation 

Finance Plus is for entrepreneurs and business owners who:

  • Do not have a dedicated bookkeeper, controller or accountant on staff 
  • Would benefit from standard reporting and analytics 
  • Need help managing financial processes including bookkeeping or payroll 
  • Are currently managing paper-based financials 
  • Want a secure cloud-based solution backed by experienced KPMG professionals 
  • Want better insights and KPIs from their financials 
  • Are using existing bookkeeping software, but considering outsourcing 

Affordable and tailored 

Pricing is tailored to a client’s budget and unique business needs, with the ability to scale up as a business grows. The Finance Plus platform can also seamlessly integrate with a client’s existing cloud software for easy onboarding.

Taking the stress out of tax time

The Finance Plus team will coordinate directly with a client’s local KPMG office to prepare year-end financial statements and complete tax returns. The platform organizes all year-end documentation and flows it seamlessly and securely to a KPMG tax professional. The centralized hub eliminates the need to coordinate with multiple people and locations and track financial information from difference sources. 

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Atlas VPN Completes Independent Security Audit

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 17, 2021 by itnerd

Cybersecurity service provider Atlas VPN completed its first independent cybersecurity audit in April this year. The security test was conducted by an acknowledged US-based cybersecurity consulting firm VerSprite.

Despite careful examination by cybersecurity researchers, no significant vulnerabilities were found that could have been exploited to affect Atlas VPN users. 

“The blackbox analysis during the Application Penetration Test of the Atlas VPN iOS client and its public backend components highlighted just a few Medium-to-Low risk issues, which proved fruitless to compromise the privacy of the users,“ says the Head of Offensive Security at VerSprite.  “I commend Atlas VPN for their transparency in sharing their findings with their customers.“

Auditors conducted an Application Penetration Test on the Atlas VPN iOS app, which was the focus of the audit. By simulating real-world cyber attack scenarios, they looked for any threats that could put data privacy, authenticity, integrity, and overall business reputation at risk.

The Atlas VPN team has already begun fixing the vulnerabilities discovered in the audit, however, decided to publish the test results immediately after ensuring that the identified vulnerabilities posed risks that would be managed and mitigated. 

While few major VPN service providers are known to have undergone independent security testing, they are few and far between. By completing an independent security audit, Atlas VPN believes it can bring more transparency to the VPN market and encourage other providers to follow suit.

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Waze Launches New Feature For Cities & Works With WHO To Encourage Road Safety

Posted in Commentary on May 17, 2021 by itnerd

Waze is announcing the launch of a new feature that will allow its Waze for Cities partners to deliver safety messages directly to drivers and motorcyclists via a new, amplified alert. This feature will make it easier for the network of Waze for Cities partners to communicate important safety messages to drivers in a timely and easy to understand way.

Waze for Cities Safety Messages enables Waze’s partners in cities and departments for transportation around the world to leverage timely, relevant, and hyperlocal in-app user communications to promote road safety. These safety messages appear to drivers when they have been stationary for more than 10 seconds and disappear when the vehicle moves.

Miami-Dade joined West Palm Beach, London (UK), Mexico City and others as one of the first cities to use Waze for Cities Safety Messages, and will encourage safe driving alongside Waze features including navigation and hazard alerts with Google Assistant, lane guidance and railroad crossing and speeding alerts. Of interest to Canadians, the City of Calgary and City of Ottawa, work with Waze on this initiative as well.

To further mark UN Road Safety Week, Waze is demonstrating its commitment to road safety by joining the World Health Organization’s #StreetsForLife initiative and signing an open letter supporting the reducing, design, and enforcement of safer speeds — including prioritizing low speed streets in all residential areas and near schools.

Click here to learn more about UN Road Safety Week, or here for information on Waze for Cities.

Clarification: The City of Calgary and City of Ottawa are Waze for Cities partners, however they haven’t yet used the new feature.

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Do You Have An Amazon Alexa Or Echo? You’re Part Of Amazon’s Massive ‘Sidewalk’ Mesh Network By Default

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 17, 2021 by itnerd

A couple of weeks ago, I spoke about Tile signing a deal to utilize Amazon’s ‘Sidewalk’ network so that it could better compete agains Apple’s Find My network. At the time I didn’t think it was going to do much for Tile. But it now appears that I might have wrong about that as more details about Amazon’s ‘Sidewalk’ network are starting to surface. And not all of those details are good:

The idea behind is actually really smart–make it possible for smart home devices to serve as a sort of bridge between your WiFi connection and one another. That way, if your Ring doorbell, for example, isn’t located close to your WiFi router, but it happens to near an Echo Dot, it can use Sidewalk to stay connected.

The same is true if your internet connection is down. Your smart devices can connect to other smart devices, even if they aren’t in your home. The big news on this front is that Tile is joining the Sidewalk network on June 14. That means that if you lose a Tile tracker, it can connect to any of the millions of Echo or Ring devices in your neighborhood and send its location back to you.

That’s definitely a nice benefit, but it’s also where things get a little murky from a privacy standpoint. That’s because other people’s devices, like your neighbor’s, can also connect to your network.

Amazon is pretty clear that Sidewalk uses three layers of encryption so that no data is shared between say, someone’s Tile tracker and your network. The signal from the Tile is encrypted all the way back to the Tile app on your iPhone or Android smartphone.

Still, a feature like this seems like the type of thing you’d want some control over. If suddenly my devices are going to start connecting to my neighbor’s WiFi, or theirs to mine, it seems like you’d have to opt-in, right?

Nope.

That’s because Amazon has enabled Sidewalk on every capable device by default. Whether or not you want your device connecting to other devices, or want your neighbors connecting to your WiFi, Amazon went ahead and made Sidewalk opt-out.

I can see why Amazon went this route. It needs all the devices that it can to make ‘Sidewalk’ work. But options like this should be opt-in rather than opt-out. Especially since I don’t exactly trust Amazon with my data. So if this bothers you, here’s how you can opt-out using the Alexa app’s More tab (at the bottom): Settings > Account Settings > Amazon Sidewalk > Enabled.

So this will lead to the inevitable question about whether Apple’s Find My functionality is on by default. From what I recall it isn’t and during the setup process of an iDevice you have to turn it on. But I would love confirmation of that. If you happen to know for sure, drop me a comment or leave a note and let me know.

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Fisker + Sharp To Develop Advanced Displays + UI For Fisker Vehicles

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 17, 2021 by itnerd

Fisker Inc. today announced it has nominated Sharp Corporation, part of the Hon Hai Technology Group, to develop technologies supporting next generation in-vehicle screens and interfaces. The agreement would include the co-creation of technologies and the subsequent manufacture of screens and components from Sharp to support the Ocean SUV, Project’ PEAR’ (Personal Electric Automotive Revolution), and potentially two additional Fisker vehicles.

Fisker and Sharp will work to optimize the global production strategy for all screens and related products. Aligned with each company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies and, in the function of planned global growth for Fisker’s manufacturing, the sourcing strategy will seek to balance cost, total environmental impact, and logistics.

Fisker intends to start production and deliveries on its first vehicle, the Ocean electric SUV, in Q4 2022 and unveil a production-intent prototype at the Los Angeles Auto Show® later this year. On May 13, Fisker and Foxconn announced the signing of framework agreements for Project PEAR, a breakthrough new segment vehicle to be jointly developed by both companies and sold under the Fisker brand into global markets including North America, Europe, China, and India. Project PEAR will be the company’s second model, with US production slated for Q4 2023.

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