Jim Farrell

I have been the President at SolidCAD for over 4 years. During that time, I have seen an incredible amount of change for our clients, vendors, and our teams. The pace and impact of this change has been accelerated through successful technology adoption. For many companies in the Canadian and US landscape the risk associated with change represents a significant barrier to growth. For decades strategic change initiatives at companies have a greater than 60% failure rate when they are not delivered on time, on budget, or realizing the expected economic impact. When it comes to technology adoption that failure rate jumps to over 90%. With these sort of challenges to success, can you blame North American business leaders for being cautious in their approach to technology adoption? The truth however is that the rewards of being innovative come with greater ability to deliver on increasingly complex products to make and communities to construct, attracting and retaining top talent and financial performance to thrive in an increasingly competitive economic landscape. At SolidCAD our promise is to change this high-risk environment to one of greater certainty for our clients in achieving their highest priority digital transformation goals. Innovation does not have to come with substantial risk, because with the right partner you can realize the promise of high rewards. Together we can empower transformation – when we work together, we all win together! www.solidcad.ca ⁠#EmpowerTransformation;#AcceleratingInnovation

94

6 Comments

🚀 Exciting News! 🚀 I'm thrilled to announce the launch of my new website, virtuallylive.ca! 🌐 Are you thinking about getting a CRM or other cloud-based software for your business? Look no further! Virtually Live Software is your go-to resource hub for everything you need to know about selecting and implementing the perfect solutions to drive your business forward. What you'll find on Virtually Live Software: ✅ In-Depth Guides: Comprehensive articles on choosing the right CRM and cloud-based software tailored to your business needs. ✅ Expert Insights: Valuable tips and best practices from industry experts to help you make informed decisions. ✅ Implementation Tips: Step-by-step guides to ensure a smooth and successful software implementation process. Whether you're a small business owner or part of a large enterprise, Virtually Live Software has the resources you need to stay ahead in the digital landscape. Visit us at virtuallylive.ca and start your journey towards smarter business solutions today! #CRM #CloudSoftware #BusinessGrowth #TechSolutions #VirtuallyLiveSoftware #BusinessInnovation #SoftwareImplementation

4

Proofpoint’s 2024 Voice of the CISO Report Reveals that More than Four in 5 Canadian CISOs Identify Human Error as Leading Cybersecurity Risk Proofpoint, Inc., a leading cybersecurity and compliance company released its annual Voice of the CISO report, which explores key challenges, expectations and priorities of chief information security officers (CISOs) worldwide. The 2024 report draws attention to a notable trend: while fears of cyber attacks continue to rise, Canadian CISOs demonstrate increasing confidence in their ability to defend against these threats, reflecting a significant shift in the cybersecurity landscape. Over two-thirds (90%) of surveyed CISOs in Canada feel at risk of a material cyber attack over the next 12 months, compared to 58% the year before. CISOs today clearly remain on high alert, but confidence among them is growing: only 33% feel unprepared to cope with a targeted cyber attack, showing a marked decrease over last year’s 60% and 63% in 2022. Human error continues to be perceived as the Achilles' heel of cybersecurity, with almost three-quarters (83%) of CISOs in Canada identifying it as the most significant vulnerability. In a year of growing insider threats and people-driven data loss, more CISOs than ever (90%) see human risk, in particular negligent employees as a key cybersecurity concern over the next two years. However, there's growing optimism in the role of AI-powered solutions to mitigate human-centric risks, reflecting a strategic pivot towards technology-driven defenses. The 2024 Voice of the CISO report examines global third-party survey responses from 1,600 CISOs from organizations of 1,000 employees or more across different industries. Throughout the course of Q1 2024, 100 CISOs were interviewed in each market across 16 countries: the U.S., Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, UAE, KSA, Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Brazil. The report offers a vital perspective on the state of cybersecurity from those at the forefront of protecting people and defending data. The report also stresses the importance of maintaining robust cybersecurity measures in the face of economic pressures and the critical role of human factors in organizational cyber readiness. The survey also measures the changes in alignment between security leaders and their boards of directors, exploring how their relationship impacts security priorities. To download the 2024 Voice of the CISO report, please visit: https://lnkd.in/dVe95ta Read More: https://lnkd.in/gExrccZ2 # Voice of the CISO report hashtag #CISOs hashtag #cybersecurity hashtag #human-centric risks hashtag #Proofpoint hashtag #NetMon

4

You know what's awesome? VMUG! You know what's even cooler? VMUG and VUG coming together on May 22nd in Calgary, Alberta at Platform Calgary for an action packed event covering Backup, Disaster Recovery, and Object Storage (with Veeam on VMware)! Register: https://lnkd.in/gGdFmH4H VMware, Veeam Software #VMUG #VUG #VMware #Veeam #Backup #DisasterRecovery #YYC #vSphere #ObjectStorage

13

Governance of an enterprise platform is critical for success. Join us at the Canadian Public Sector Forum 2024 to learn how modern technology and smart governance are transforming agencies and enterprises. Explore how one enterprise's governance model drives technology sustainability and seamless solution adoption. Don't miss it, register now!

5

Cybersecurity is critical for everyone! If you want to learn more about what you can do to combat cybercrime you might want to check out the BeSides Edmonton conference! #Cybersecurity

6

We as humans are such a beautiful and complex mix of abilities. Here is an interesting read about different intelligences. Dose one matter more than others? Can we create these intelligence by training? Will it be the same? Can we leverage Artificial Intelligence to augment what we as human are lacking? Dr. Nozari what say you? #intelligence #ai

33

Do you have a CERP in PLACE? Cybersecurity Emergency Response Plan! This is the first step for your company to build a "proper" cyber security defense plan! Discussing Cyber Insecurity with Canadian Propane Association member earlier this month. You all have an ERAP in place, so should you have a CERP! We can assist your team in building one! #cerp #erap #cybersecurity #datanovasoftware #canadianpropane

10

#winnipegbusiness owners... Looking for free legal advice about #cybersecurity and free #BEER? DM me about SaskTel's Tech and Taps event on Wednesday, May 29th 2024. Along with Arctic Wolf and Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP we will show you the current and projected security landscape and how to navigate it.

12

Dive into the compelling insights from Dan Kagan, Okta's Senior Vice President & Canadian Country Manager, as he discusses leading Okta’s expansion in Canada. With a rich tech background, Dan’s passion for innovation drives Canada's advancement in biometric and passwordless authentication technologies. Learn about the pivotal trends from Okta’s 10th annual Businesses at Work Report, which showcases Canada's role as a global leader in tech and outlines the future of secure, efficient identity protection. Discover how Okta is revolutionizing digital identity management for businesses across Canada. bit.ly/4aW77BO #TechLeadership #BiometricSecurity 

5

Change your passwords?! Let me ask you this:MFA? Anyone? Anyone? Organizations are getting sued over their lack of measures for protecting customers' data. Governments have much more sensitive data about us. Yet to this day, only a handful of systems are protected by MFA and not even on every login. Unions block the use of personal cellphones... So they send an email asking politely to change their passwords to 14 characters. I have no words... And no one is to blame other than someone clicked on a link... #cybersecurity #mfa https://lnkd.in/eiVvqn_x

1

OptivCon Toronto may have concluded, but the conversations sparked by F5's breakout session continue to resonate. Peter Scheffler, Senior Solutions Architect, delved into the ever-evolving challenges of authentication and access control in "The Unpatchables: Findings and Implications from the F5 Identity Threat Report." Thanks for joining us for a day of education and connection. #OptivCon #F5 #IdentityThreatReport #CyberSecurity #DigitalIdentity #AccessControl #APIsecurity #InfoSec

3

Is your business preparing to grow as a planned enterprise? Your IT infrastructure and its security is of paramount importance! Come chat with us at tomorrow's Business Expo (booth #26) - we can offer a free initial consultation and help guide your planning. #kitchenerwaterloo #cambridgeontario #guelph #guelphchamberofcommerce #kwchamberofcommerce #cambridgechamberofcommerce

1

Are you ready to transform your employee experience? You'll love the new connected experiences and AI-powered insights between Copilot for Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Viva. Take a look: https://lnkd.in/g7UyqK6R #MicrosoftViva #MicrosoftCanada #MSFTAdvocate #Copilot

12

1 Comment

I love this article on cyber in Canada for a few reasons. FIRST, it's comprehensive -- Claudette M. is (lovingly, politely) calling out everyone, from individuals to corporations, institutions, and governments because cyber impacts everyone SECOND, it's practical. Whatever organization you're part of, she shares actual, tangible actions based on a heck of a lot of experience THIRD, it's pro-Canada, but with the ability to honestly critique as well. She points out clear places Canada is doing well *and* failing, then provides next steps (see point two). It goes beyond cyber to TheFutureEconomy.ca's broader mandate of, well, Canada's future It's worth a read #Cyber #Cybersecurity #CyberTips

8

1 Comment

Where are the best paces to live and work in cybersecurity? Francois Guay from the Canadian Cybersecurity Network knows and talks about it in this awesome podcast. #cyber #cybersecurity #cybertowns

5