Village Gamer

A recent Vendor Landscape report evaluating dedicated Secure Socket Layer Virtual Private Network (SSL VPN) appliances published by the Ontario-based Info-Tech Research Group ranked WatchGuard, SonicWALL and Barracuda as Champions in the space. All three vendors were recognized for offering significant value for money.

“As workers become more and more mobile, SSL VPN is becoming a de facto requirement for every enterprise,” said James Quin, Lead Research Analyst for Info-Tech Research Group. “SSL VPN is critical for organizations that employ remote or mobile workers or aim to increase productivity by providing 24×7 corporate network access.”

According to Info-Tech Research Group, organizations looking to purchase a dedicated appliance based SSL VPN solution will get best value for money by selecting any of the three Champions in the report. WatchGuard received the “Best Overall Value Award” with SonicWALL trailing by just one point. Both earned high marks because of their rock bottom pricing along with broad feature sets. Barracuda Networks narrowly missed finishing in the top two spots on the Value Index. Their solution is also available at a great price, but offers less functionality for now. Mobile device support is not currently available with Barracuda Networks, but the vendor has plans for its availability in an upcoming release.

Array Networks and Juniper Networks are “Innovators” in the SSL VPN market according to the report. Their products both scored exceptionally well in the evaluation and as their presence in the market grows, both are poised to become Champions in the space.

Intranet Connections has announced the latest release of their social intranet software. Intranet Connections v11 builds on employee participation and engagement via your intranet by giving users the power to embrace and share company culture with innovative tools that are out of the box.

“Our intranet software helps to connect employees by information and knowledge sharing, online collaboration and the enhancement of your company culture,” says Carolyn Douglas, CEO of Intranet Connections. “We added dynamic tools such as our new Application Builder, allowing you to easily create any type of application you need for your intranet. We want to provide tools that help improve your business, through your employees and the intranet.”

Application Builder gives you the power to be creative when building applications. You have complete control over input forms, fields, and layout screens. Intranet Connections has harnessed AJAX drag and drop, creating an easy to use and dynamic application-building experience, with collaborative social elements such as employee tagging, comments, ratings and widgets.

Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Binary Stream Software and Corporate Renaissance Group (CRG) recently partnered to bring a new innovative and streamlined approach to multi-entity implementation projects.  The recent release of CRG’s Company Combiner brings Microsoft Dynamics GP users a new company consolidation option that will bring significant value to these users during their implementations.

“With the complementary combination of Corporate Renaissance Group’s Company Combiner and Binary Stream’s Multi-Entity Management we are very excited to be able to provide the Microsoft Dynamics GP community with an incredibly easy way to set-up and start managing their entities with our solution,” said Lak Chahal, President and CEO of Binary Stream Software.

Binary Stream’s Multi-Entity Management solution has long been the primary multi-entity solution for the Microsoft Dynamics GP channel. By enabling companies to work securely from one consolidated company set-up, this solution has enabled organizations worldwide to effectively manage and report on their multiple locations, subsidiaries and corporate entities with ease. Now with CRG’s Company Combiner, existing Microsoft Dynamics GP users can cut down their data conversion costs by over 50% and streamline the overall go-live process.

CRG’s Company Combiner gives Microsoft Dynamics GP users the ability to efficiently and easily consolidate companies with identical charts of accounts.  By reducing the risk of database consolidations, this solution bridges the divide between the essential consolidation steps involved in Multi-Entity Management set-ups and enables companies to quickly gain efficiencies in their launch processes.

“CRG and Binary Stream are long time Dynamics GP ISVs with great solutions.  We are thrilled to now offer a complementary product.  With both solutions, organizations will be able to get to their optimum configuration quicker and become more efficient with their use of Dynamics GP.  As organizations continue to get lean, we see the need of our solutions even more over the next few years,” said Dr. Vijay Jog, President of Corporate Renaissance Group.

The new release of the Company Combiner is currently available from the Corporate Renaissance Group team.

Shaw’s Rocket Fund has released the application forms and deadline dates for its Television and Digital development programs. The Shaw Rocket Fund supports Canadian children’s programming which is recognized worldwide for its creativity and commitment to quality. The company is a  strong believer in the ability of quality programming to provide value in fuelling the young, imaginative minds of our kids and enriching their lives through interaction with creative content on all platforms.

TV Programming

• September 14, 2011
• January 18, 2012
• May 9, 2012

Digital Programming

• September 28, 2011
• February 1, 2012
• May 23, 2012

The Shaw Rocket Fund is supported by Shaw Communications Inc., Shaw Pay Per View Ltd. a division of Shaw Cablesystems G.P., and Shaw Direct.

A Toronto local of the Teamsters Union is asking the Ontario Labour Relations Board to declare that the Teamsters not be barred from organizing crew members who provide location and transportation services for the movie industry in Ontario.

In an issue going back to 2002, Teamster Local 847 is scheduled to present its case at the OLRB on Wednesday, June 29, 2011, at 505 University Avenue, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

In 2002, the Teamster local signed up the employees of two companies providing location and transportation services for seven movies being shot in Toronto at the time and asked the producers to accept the certification.

The companies were Cheyenne Support Service Inc. and Bogeyman Locations but only Cheyenne, owned by Bob Watson and Ron Marki, is pursuing the case before the OLRB.

The Directors Guild of Canada, Directors Guild of Ontario (DGCO) and the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) opposed the Teamster involvement and after the Teamster certification at the two companies the DGCO required the crew members to sign a Guild “deal memo” if they wanted to perform work on a film set.

The employees of the two companies refused and, as a result, were fired from the set – in one case being escorted off by an armed Toronto Police Service officer. Prior to the Teamster move, the security employees were not asked to sign such a memo.

Neither of the two companies have been employed by producers since. Bob Watson and Ron Marki, the owners of Cheyenne, who also provided labour for the film shoots have also not worked in the industry since.

The Teamsters filing with the OLRB also alleges unfair labour practices by the Directors Guild and the producers’ association. The lawyers for Teamster local 847 and Cheyenne argue that employees should have a right to choose the union of their choice.

The employees had no voice in selecting the DGCO as their union. The production company allegedly voluntarily recognized the DGCO prior to contracting with Cheyenne, the security company, and then required its employees to sign up with the DGCO. Thus the employees had no say in whether they wanted to be represented by the DGCO or the Teamsters as their union.

Under their non-union status the guards were paid $11 to $13 an hour and were scheduled as needed without any limitations on hours or turnaround time.

Since the cased started, there have been numerous personnel changes at the OLRB and a number of preliminary motions by both sides.

MTS has announced that the company will offer dedicated data plans for iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G in Canada beginning June 30, 2011. All data plans will be available without a commitment, providing the freedom to activate or cancel a plan at any time.

iPad 2 is the second generation of Apple’s revolutionary new device, featuring an entirely new design that is 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter than the original iPad, while maintaining the same stunning 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD screen. iPad 2 features Apple’s new dual-core A5 processor for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics and now includes two cameras, a front-facing VGA camera for FaceTime and Photo Booth, and a rear-facing camera that captures 720p HD video, bringing the innovative FaceTime feature to iPad users for the first time. Though it is thinner, lighter, faster and packed with new features, iPad 2 still delivers the up to 10 hours of battery life* users have come to expect.

“We are excited to launch data plans for iPad 2,” said Stan Kurtas, vice president, marketing, MTS. “Our data plans are commitment free and provide access to our extensive wireless network. MTS customers will also have free access to all MTS Wi-Fi Hotspots, giving them the best iPad 2 plans in Manitoba.”

The wireless rankings released today by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) are based on a limited sample of wireless providers and plans from each of the profiled countries. Although the OECD’s revised methodology better captures the variety of mobile usage patterns in different countries, the rankings should still not be considered representative of International wireless costs.

Therefore, if using the OECD rankings as part of an overall comparison of international wireless markets, the following limitations must be considered:

• The OECD rankings typically only consider a couple of wireless plans from two different carriers – Canada’s complete OECD wireless price ranking across six different calling profiles is based on fees from only four different wireless plans (two each from Bell and Rogers).
• The OECD compares post-paid, pre-paid and ‘friends and family’ plans to develop rankings within a single calling profile.
• The OECD rankings do not recognize that nearly half of the wireless subscribers in the OECD countries outside of North America pay for more than one mobile plan.
• The OECD rankings do not measure the affordability of wireless service by considering average incomes in each of the profiled countries.

Typical Canadian mobile calling patterns are also not reflected in the OECD calculations. In fact, the OECD calling profiles closest to the average Canadian cell phone usage profile are based on 187 less, or 194 more, minutes-of use per month than the average Canadian usage. Consequently, Canada ranks as having above-average wireless costs in four of the OECD’s six Calls Baskets.

International wireless cost comparisons that address the omissions of the OECD rankings reveal that Canada’s average per-minute wireless costs are in reality $0.02 below the international average, 11^th– lowest of all OECD countries. Also, as a percentage of average income, Canadian’s pay 10 per cent less for wireless voice service than the international average and 12 per cent less for wireless (voice and data) service overall.

Nordicity’s International Wireless Market Comparison (PDF) report analyzes other key wireless market conditions. In doing so, it reveals that Canada has the least densely subscribed network of any developed wireless market with only 12 subscribers for every square kilometre of coverage. This density compares with 37 subscribers per square kilometre in the United States and 312 subscribers per square kilometre in the United Kingdom.

Canada is now served by three national wireless providers and six regional providers, resulting in one of the most competitive market structures of any developed wireless market. In fact, Canada is one of only six OECD countries where the two leading providers serve fewer than 70 per cent of all subscribers and the top three providers serve less than 95 per cent of all subscribers.

Hatch Inc., a North Carolina provider of classroom technology innovations for early learning and SMART Technologies Inc. have announced the creation of CoreFocus by Hatch^TM. The content solution, designed to work within SMART Notebook™ collaborative learning software, includes more than 2,500 research-based math and literacy activities for kindergarten and first grade and is aligned with the new U.S. national Common Core State Standards.

The robust set of activities will assist teachers in integrating SMART Board interactive whiteboards into their daily lesson plans and curriculum and also provide a content management system for all of their existing interactive whiteboard content. Early learning experts designed CoreFocus by Hatch to provide critical math and literacy skill development for young learners.

“Hatch is excited to work alongside SMART Technologies to develop a comprehensive content solution that supports teachers in accessing research-based math and literacy activities, with a focus on Common Core State Standards for kindergarten and first grade. The team who developed the TeachSmart® Learning System, the first interactive whiteboard solution proven to impact math and literacy outcomes for early education, led the development of CoreFocus. This product will have a definite impact on the development of children and provide teachers with proven strategies for success,” said Hatch President Ginny Norton.

“We are pleased to enter into a new phase of our relationship with Hatch, collaborating with their research and development experts in the creation of standards-based activities for SMART Board interactive whiteboards that educators can easily integrate into their curriculum,” said SMART Products Vice President Linda Thomas. “CoreFocus by Hatch supports our commitment to meet the needs of educators with innovative products and services to further engage their students with high quality content made in SMART Notebook software and fully aligned to Common Core State Standards.”

Many people think that protecting themselves from identity theft is as simple as not giving out their Social Insurance Number (SIN), keeping their credit card in their sight and not using passwords as simple as a birth date. But there’s a lot more to it than that, according to Ontario Chartered Accountants.

“Criminals are out there, right now, looking for information about you,” says Chartered Accountant Rudy Duschek, a senior consultant with chrismathers inc., a Toronto crime and risk consulting firm. “Identity thieves are perceived as being opportunistic and fast workers, but the opposite is true. They are extremely patient.”

There are steps you can take to protect yourself. “You may never be able to completely prevent identity theft, but you can make it as difficult as possible for the thieves,” advises Chartered Accountant Ryna Ferlatte, MNP LLP’s investigative and forensic services practice leader in Toronto.

Here are 11 tips from Duschek and Ferlatte on how people can protect themselves from identity theft.

1. Don’t disclose personal information – “You shouldn’t disclose any personal information, especially if you didn’t initiate the contact,” says Ferlatte. “That includes your SIN, credit card or bank account numbers, passwords, employer, home address, birth date and e-mail address.” The same goes for social media sites, such as Facebook. “I had a client whose identity was stolen and used to steal securities from their financial institution,” says Duschek. “It turned out that the person’s social media pages were filled with names, birthdays and travel itineraries that anyone could access.”
2. Don’t carry important documents with you – “Don’t carry your passport unless you are travelling,” advises Duschek. “Never carry your SIN card, birth certificate or more than two credit cards. I see people walking around with a wallet full of cards and it is identity theft waiting to happen.” Be sure to keep the cards you don’t carry with you in a safe place.
3. Protect your credit and debit cards – “When you are using your credit card, try to make sure it doesn’t leave your sight,” suggests Ferlatte. “When you are in a store, look at how protected the debit card terminal is – you may want to use cash instead.” When you are entering your Personal Identification Number (PIN), cover the pad with your other hand. “Don’t ever loan your Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card or credit card to anyone,” says Duschek. “If you do, and if you give them your password, you may negate any protection your financial institution gives you from liability for the consequences of identity theft,” he says.
4. Keep track of your bills – “If your bills aren’t arriving on time, it may mean that someone is stealing them or copying them to get information such as your account numbers and financial holdings,” says Ferlatte. “If you bank online, you may want to opt to receive your bills through a secure online billing feature offered by your financial institution.” Read the rest of this entry »

Cineplex Entertainment has announced that Christie Digital Systems has been selected as the exclusive digital cinema projector provider, and Doremi Cinema as the exclusive provider of DCI Compliant digital cinema playback server and Integrated Media Block (IMB) for Cineplex theatres across Canada. As Cineplex continues its conversion to digital cinema, it will install more than 900 Christie digital projectors and Doremi playback servers over the next 18 months, in addition to those already installed.

“Cineplex selected Christie and Doremi Cinema because we believe their technology is the best in the business and both companies have continuously provided us with tremendous customer service,” said Ellis Jacob, President and CEO, Cineplex Entertainment. “Christie projectors provide the sharpest onscreen images so our guests can enjoy the latest movie with the clearest picture. We are also proud to support a Canadian manufacturer as the Christie projectors are built in Kitchener, Ontario. Doremi digital cinema playback servers will offer the security and stability we need to ensure we provide an uninterrupted experience.”

“As long-term business partners, we are proud to be a part of Cineplex Entertainment’s growth and impressive reputation,” says Dave Muscat, Senior Director of Canadian Sales, Christie. “Selecting Christie Solaria Series projectors shows their commitment to providing their audiences with the best movie-going experience available. They also benefit from the latest generation of high performance projection systems with the lowest cost of ownership.” Read the rest of this entry »