Archive for December 5, 2024

Sage report reveals $789 billion green finance opportunity for SMEs

Posted in Commentary with tags on December 5, 2024 by itnerd

Sage, the leader in accounting, financial, HR, and payroll technology for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), has today launched ‘Unlocking Sustainable Finance for SMEs’ — a global report which exposes a gap between SMEs’ sustainability ambition and their ability to take action, preventing them from accessing vital green finance needed to drive their initiatives.

Created in partnership with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the report highlights that while 86 % of SMEs say that sustainability is important to their business, only 9.1 % formally report on their impact, citing complex reporting requirements as a major roadblock (74 %).

The data revealed a “virtuous circle” between sustainability reporting, green finance and climate action – SMEs that report on their impact are then more likely to secure funding to become more sustainable, which in turn, helps them take further steps towards net-zero. This would also help financial institutions who say data challenges are a huge barrier to offering green loans (84 %). Currently, however, only 1.2 % of SMEs are leveraging this virtuous circle to grow sustainably.

Sage and ICC are launching this report at COP29 in Baku, urging global decision-makers to bridge the gap between SMEs’ growing sustainability ambitions and their ability to act, by calling for simplified reporting standards and access to green finance. To fully unlock the potential of SMEs in combating climate change, Sage calls on governments, financial institutions and technology partners to:

  • Simplify sustainability reporting – Implement proportionate and streamlined reporting standards tailored to SMEs, making it easier for them to access green finance.
  • Expand access to digital tools – Equip SMEs with affordable, automated tools to track emissions and streamline reporting.
  • Increase financial incentives – Offer tax credits, grants, and favourable loan terms to motivate SMEs to measure their environmental impacts and invest in sustainable practices.

The report also found :

  • Interest and engagement with climate change is fast rising. 86 % of SMEs state that sustainability is crucial to their business, up from 83 % last year, and 72 % believe they can contribute to tackling climate change. However, only 63 % are currently taking steps to reduce their environmental impact.
  • Action is growing but at a much slower pace. 68 % of SMEs say the cost of implementing sustainability initiatives is too high, and 67 % cite time constraints. These barriers are growing rather than decreasing, slowing down climate action.
  • Finance is key to unlocking more action. 89 % of SMEs that secured green finance say it was crucial to their sustainability efforts, but only 19 % have considered external financing for environmental initiatives.
  • SMEs are looking to technology to help bridge the gap between intention and action. 73 % of SMEs are concerned about the upfront costs of sustainability reporting, and 66 % are worried about its complexity. However, 65 % believe digital tools could help simplify the process and unlock the benefits of green finance.

Read and download the full Unlocking Sustainable Finance for SMEs report.

Read more about Sage’s sustainability efforts, including its Sustainability and Society strategy.

Methodology

This report is based on a global online survey conducted with business founders, owners, and senior managers in decision-making roles related to sustainability, finance, or operations. The survey, which has successfully run for COP27 and COP28, includes participants from leading markets and Sage Markets, with a specific focus on SMEs. Data collection was carried out via an online questionnaire, targeting businesses with fewer than 250 employees. The target markets include the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Poland, Brazil, South Africa, Thailand, Kenya, and Azerbaijan.

The survey gathered responses from a total sample of approximately 5,000 SMEs across these markets. A deep dive was conducted with a sub-sample of 1,000 SMEs, specifically targeting businesses already engaged in environmental reporting. This sample was also increased to include medium-sized enterprises (up to 1,000 employees) for more comprehensive insights.

Country Breakdown: Canada

Canada: Canadian SMEs Drive Sustainability with a Focus on Local Environmental Impact

Canadian SMEs are highly committed to sustainability, with a resounding belief that sustainability is important to their business. Many Canadian SMEs have sought green financing and believe that reporting is key to obtaining this financing. 

Key data points for Canadian SME sustainability:

  • 76% of Canadian SMEs have a sustainability policy.
  • 69% believe sustainability is “central” or “important” to their business.
  • 44% of Canadian SMEs report cost as the highest barrier to making their business more sustainable 
  • 81% have plans to improve their environmental impact over the next few years
  • 51% are adopting renewable energy sources, with 42% achieving this goal entirely
  • 63% of Canadian SMEs report a “very high” or “high” understanding of climate change
  • 68% believe their business can play a “very significant” or “somewhat significant” role in combating climate change
  • 69% of Canadian SMEs have a sustainability reporting system in place
  • 73% of Canadian SMEs believe that reporting will make them either “very” or “somewhat” attractive to lenders or investors
  • 54% of Canadian SMEs have sought green financing options
  • 82% believe that their sustainability reporting was helpful in accessing green finance opportunities
  • 37% report that their required reporting to access green financing was “detailed and informal”
  • 69% of Canadian SMEs would be “very” or “somewhat” likely to increase their sustainability action if they had easier access to sustainable financing

Key differences:

  • Canadian SMEs report cost as the highest barrier to making their business more sustainable (44%), second only to Spain  (45%)
  • Canadian SMEs, more so than global peers, report that their required reporting to access green financing was “detailed and informal”
  • Canadian SMEs are on par with peers in a strong belief that they can play a role in climate change, and that green financing would greatly increase their likelihood to take action in their environmental initiatives

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Alleged FSB Spyware Found on Russian Programmer’s Android Phone

Posted in Commentary with tags , on December 5, 2024 by itnerd

Here’s some interesting reading for you. A Russian programmer has made the claim that FSB agents planted spyware on his Android phone:

A programmer said the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) installed spyware on his Android phone after he was detained in Moscow earlier this year. Security researchers confirmed that his phone had spyware installed, likely when the authorities had physical access to his phone and had forced him to give up his passcode. 

For the programmer Kirill Parubets, it was a terrifying and traumatic ordeal. But thanks to his computer expertise and vigilance, his story offers a rare first-hand account of Russian authorities deploying spyware on one of its citizens — not by using a technically advanced remote hacking attack, but with a more crude approach. 

I encourage you to read the whole story as it really will open your eyes.  Ken Westin, Sr. Solutions Engineer, LimaCharlie has an opinion on this incident:

“If a device is confiscated by an authoritarian regime, there is a very good chance it has been compromised. When they have physical access to the device it is much easier to compromise, as you are not relying on remote exploitation of the device. There are many more methods to compromise a device when it is connected to a cable. Also, not having to crack the password, as they can get it by intimidating and even beating the target into providing it, makes the process even easier. Many companies have security polices to bring “burner” devices to certain countries for this reason. If a device is confiscated temporarily or left in a hotel room, the likelihood of it being compromised due to spies having physical access increases substantially.”

I think that this story serves as a cautionary tale as to what can happen when you lose control of your devices. Which means that you should do the best that you can to ensure that you’re not placed in this sort of situation.

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2025 Predictions from the CTO of Yellowbrick

Posted in Commentary with tags on December 5, 2024 by itnerd

Today we have 2025 predictions from Mark Cusack who is the CTO  Yellowbrick. The first prediction is a big one:

The Rise of Cloud-to-On-Premises Repatriation
As the data management and cloud technology landscape evolves, we predict a significant shift in 2025 toward cloud-to-on-premises repatriation. Businesses will increasingly migrate workloads from public cloud platforms to on-premises or private cloud solutions. This trend will be fueled by:

Rising Cloud Costs: Organizations will seek more cost-effective alternatives as cloud expenditures escalate.

Security Concerns: Growing fears over cloud vulnerabilities and breaches will drive companies to prioritize controlled, secure environments.

Data Sovereignty Requirements: Heightened regulatory demands will compel businesses to keep sensitive data in-house.

Advancements in affordable, high-performance hardware will make this transition both practical and economical, enabling businesses to maintain greater control over their data while enhancing security and compliance. This marks a pivotal moment in redefining hybrid cloud strategies.

Hybrid Cloud Will Become the Standard
Hybrid cloud deployments will become the norm, driven by the philosophy of “own the base, rent the spike.” This approach offers the best balance of cost and flexibility, enabled by Kubernetes-powered solutions that make portability seamless across on-premises and multi-cloud environments.

  • Own the base, rent the spike: Businesses will keep core workloads on-premises and scale up with the cloud during peak demand.
  • Cost and flexibility: A hybrid cloud will provide optimal cost efficiency while maintaining flexibility.
  • Kubernetes-enabled agility: Organizations will find that Kubernetes will make it easy to move workloads between cloud and on-premises while supporting agile operations.

This shift will give companies the freedom to scale as needed without sacrificing control or cost-efficiency.

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Catalyst Commons is now home to Canada’s largest privately held co-working space

Posted in Commentary with tags on December 5, 2024 by itnerd

Catalyst Commons, Kitchener’s fastest-growing co-working space, is excited to announce the opening of a significant expansion to its facility. At over 125,000 square feet, this move solidifies it as Canada’s largest privately held co-working space and further positions Catalyst as Waterloo Region’s leading hub for entrepreneurial innovation.

With the addition of this expansion, Catalyst is also proud to announce its role as the first operational site under the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) Incubators initiative. Announced by Ontario Premier Doug Ford earlier this year, this initiative will serve as a catalyst for Ontario’s automotive and mobility sector, accelerating the creation and growth of new Ontario-based companies and connecting them with the global market.

Founded in 2020 by serial entrepreneurs Kurtis McBride, Amber French and Angela Watkins, Catalyst Commons is an industry-driven centre for businesses of all sizes, promoting collaboration, growth and innovation. Since its inception, Catalyst has attracted over 150 companies, creating a vibrant ecosystem for businesses to thrive. Among the latest additions to the Catalyst community are industry giants such as Bloomberg, IMAX, Conga, Miovision and IPON, McCallum Santher, Skillswave, ThinkLP, Bridgit, Cabinovo and DialPad.

As part of this collaboration with Mercedes-Benz as the first partner, the OVIN Incubators are designed to bridge the gap between applied research and the commercialization of intellectual property, connecting industry leaders, startups, scale-ups and post-secondary institutions. As part of this collaboration, the Kitchener-Waterloo site at Catalyst Commons will host space for entrepreneurs and startups, connecting regional activities in this area focused on building the next generation of Ontario-based automotive and mobility ventures and strengthening the province’s automotive supply chain.
 

Please see a list of new companies joining the Catalyst Commons below:

  • Bloomberg
  • Bridgit
  • Cabinovo 
  • Conga 
  • DialPad
  • Ducimus 
  • Capital H2O 
  • Geomatics 
  • IMAX
  • IPON
  • Korbit.ai
  • Loftin Management 
  • McCallum Santher 
  • Miovision
  • Northern Mechatronics 
  • Nutratology
  • Reel-In Robotics 
  • Skillswave 
  • Squint.ai
  • Swift Connect 
  • ThinkLP

To learn more about Catalyst Commons, visit catalyst-commons.com/.
 

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82% of security leaders fear AI will amplify challenges around toxic combinations 

Posted in Commentary on December 5, 2024 by itnerd

New research from Panaseer, a leader in security posture management powered by Continuous Controls Monitoring (CCM), shows 82% of security leaders fear AI will amplify challenges around toxic combinations of control failures. Moreover, 92% believe growing IT complexity is increasing the threat of toxic combinations, putting high-value assets at greater risk. 

Toxic combinations of control failures refer to the interconnected risks spanning multiple inventories and asset relationships, that compound to create a pathway for attackers to compromise a business. Now attackers have AI at their disposal, security leaders are increasingly concerned that attackers will exploit these combinations as Marc Möesse, Chief Product Officer from Panaseer explains:  

Panaseer warns that because toxic combinations span multiple security domains, they don’t always take the same form and are very hard to detect and prioritize. Security teams often lack the time and tools needed to see how different combinations of risk overlap within their environments, and are therefore ill-equipped to address areas of vulnerability or prioritize remediation effectively.  

To tackle this challenge and help shine a light on toxic combinations, Panaseer has launched a new Compound Risk Metrics (CRMs) feature. These CRMs deliver actionable insights into the specific assets and relationships driving toxic combinations. This helps eliminate manual effort while ensuring consistent, reliable access to validated and verified data from across the business – far more than just a number or single line of data. Designed to address toxic combinations of risks across security domains, CRMs enable organizations to create complex, threat-driven risk profiles by identifying previously hidden or unknown vulnerabilities, prioritizing response and mitigating risk.

This is a unique solution available today that integrates data from multiple sources, including vulnerability, endpoint, Configuration Management Database (CMDB), user awareness, and Privileged Access Management (PAM) tooling, to spotlight hidden attack paths and devices at risk. Panaseer’s CRMs are uniquely automated and ready to deploy within hours, making it easy for users to start creating dashboards and getting insights from their data. 

You can read more in Panaseer’s new blog: https://panaseer.com/resources/blog/why-toxic-combinations-are-a-cause-for-real-concern-in-2025 

To download the ‘ControlWatch and the Continuous Controls Battle: Panaseer 2025 Security Leaders Peer Report’, please visit the Panaseer website: https://panaseer.com/resources/reports/2025-security-leaders-peer-report 

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Discovery | HGTV | Food Network | ID | Magnolia Network. Rogers Sports & Media Unveils Winter Schedule, Launching January 1

Posted in Commentary with tags on December 5, 2024 by itnerd

Starting January 1, Canadians can continue watching their favourite shows with new seasons and series exclusively on Discovery, HGTV, Food Network, and more. Rogers is the new home to these iconic lifestyle brands and beloved content including titles such as Homestead Rescue (Discovery), Celebrity IOU with Drew and Jonathan Scott (HGTV), Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives with Guy Fieri (Food Network), Signs of a Psychopath (ID), and Maine Cabin Masters (Magnolia Network).

Building on the exciting slate of hit content from Bravo, Citytv, FX, and FXX, Citytv+ adds thousands of hours of new and returning shows from Discovery, HGTV, Food Network, OWN, Cooking Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Science, MotorTrend, and more.

Discovery will feature new seasons of off-the-grid living with Homestead Rescue, exploring the unknown in Expedition X, high-stakes underdogs in Hustlers Gamblers Crooks, bootleg legends in Moonshiners, the ultimate booze-making competition Moonshiners: Master Distiller, and all-new series Expedition Files and The Last Woodsman, beginning this January. That’s not all! Discovery will air repeat seasons of Caught, Gold Rush, Big Little Brawlers, and Outback Opal Hunters, plus special events such as Shark Week and Puppy Bowl.

Beginning this January, HGTV will have new seasons of star-studded transformations on Celebrity IOU with Drew and Jonathan Scott, property pursuits with House Hunters, Home Town with Erin and Ben Napier, heritage home renovation series Fixer to Fabulous, and over-the-top house hunting with My Lottery Dream Home, plus Married to Real Estate, Zillow Gone Wild, and Help! I Wrecked My House. Additionally, the channel will have repeat seasons from HGTV’s slate of home improvement programming including Why The Heck Did I Buy This House?, Rico to the Rescue, and Battle on the Mountain. 

The Food Network, connecting viewers to the power and joy of food, will feature all-new seasons of competition series Chopped, Kids Baking Championship, Wildcard Kitchen, and Spring Baking Championship, sizzling showdowns with Beat Bobby Flay, plus Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and Guy’s Grocery Games to round out the schedule.

ID offers a slate chock-full of harrowing crimes, in-depth investigations, and powerful true stories with all-new seasons of Signs of a Psychopath, Very Scary People, Murder Under the Friday Night Lights, Death by Fame, Body Cam: On The Scene, and Evil Lives Here, plus past seasons of Real Time Crime.

Premiering on the Magnolia Network this January are new seasons of Maine Cabin Masters, Building Outside The Lines, and In With The Old, plus past seasons of Beachfront Bargain Hunt Renovations and Barnwood Builders to complete the schedule. 

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Cyber Nations Foundation Announce A Strategic Partnership With BlackNorth

Posted in Commentary with tags , on December 5, 2024 by itnerd

Cyber Nations Foundation, a leader in cybersecurity training and talent placement, is proud to announce a strategic partnership with BlackNorth Initiative. This collaboration combines cybersecurity solutions with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, providing BlackNorth Initiative’s network of partners with innovative solutions and access to racialized cyber analysts.  

As cyber threats increase in complexity, this partnership is designed to equip BlackNorth Initiative and its partners – from small startups to large enterprises—with the talent and tools needed to protect their digital environments. Cyber Nations Foundation will provide small and mid-sized businesses with customized packages, offering foundational security protections and scalable solutions designed to safeguard critical data, privacy, minimize operational downtime.

Beyond strengthening cybersecurity, the partnership advances community-building goals by integrating diverse professionals into the cybersecurity workforce, helping companies achieve inclusive and socially responsible business practices.  

For more information visit cyber-nations.com/blacknorth

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SurePath AI Launches Discovery Mode Empowering Partners to Take Secure Control of GenAI Adoption

Posted in Commentary with tags on December 5, 2024 by itnerd

SurePath AI, a leader in governing generative AI for the enterprise, today announced the launch of SurePath AI Discovery at AWS re:Invent, a new offering that provides rapid visibility into a company’s employee use of public AI services. By classifying AI use by intent and identifying sensitive data violations, companies can better understand the volume, use case, and risk of AI use across their organization.

This no-cost, collaborative service has already launched with key strategic partners to power their customer offerings. By seamlessly integrating with leading platforms like Netskope, Zscaler, and Palo Alto Networks, SurePath AI Discovery operates across cloud, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments, delivering rapid, actionable intelligence through an intuitive, transparent approach.

SurePath AI Discovery provides a customized report uncovering organizational GenAI usage and risks, including:

  • GenAI apps that are already adopted throughout the organization
  • Pinpoint the most significant risks associated with deployed GenAI tools
  • Evaluate the ROI of the organization’s GenAI investments
  • Tailor recommendations to optimize GenAI utilization

The service is implemented by enterprise IT teams using Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) tools to redirect public GenAI traffic to SurePath AI for analysis. This approach ensures transparency and secure oversight of GenAI usage without disrupting end users.

SurePath AI Discovery is a partner-first offering that equips system integrators (SIs), managed service providers (MSPs), and managed security service providers (MSSPs) with a robust solution to enhance customer engagement. Partners are already embedding Discovery into GenAI workshops, GenAI security assessments, and AI Center of Excellence (CoE) initiatives to deliver unmatched value to their clients.

SurePath AI Discovery was developed to address enterprises’ rapidly evolving challenges in adopting GenAI. By working closely with the company’s strategic partners, SurePath AI created a service that identifies risks and helps businesses realize the full potential of their AI investments while maintaining control over sensitive data.

To learn more about SurePath AI’s partner program, please visit https://www.surepath.ai/company/partners.

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