Coffee Briefing November 1, 2022 – App store earns $65 billion; Telus buys WillowTree; PayPal Launches Passkeys; and more
Coffee Briefings is timely delivery of the latest ITWC headlines, interviews and podcasts. Today’s Coffee Briefing is provided by IT World Canada’s editorial team!
Did you miss last week’s coffee briefing? We’ve got you covered.
What’s new this week
CS-Can/Info-Can 2022 Award nominations
The CS-Can/Info-Can 2022 Award nominations are open.
The awards, which will be presented next June in Montreal, recognize leaders in the computer science field who have helped build the industry.
There are four awards:
Lifetime Achievement in Computer Science Award –
These awards honor faculty members in Canadian computer science departments/schools/faculties who have made outstanding contributions to the computer science field during their careers. Nominations close on 1 December.
Outstanding Early Career Computer Science Scientist Award –
These awards highlight outstanding research. Nominations close on 1 February.
Canadian Computer Science Distinguished Dissertation Award –
These awards recognize excellence in research and writing in a doctoral dissertation. Nominations close on 1 February.
The Excellence in Teaching Award –
Two awards are presented each year to faculty who have demonstrated exceptional teaching ability, at the undergraduate or graduate level, through classroom lectures, laboratory teaching, thesis supervision, course design and development, and the use of innovative teaching methods. Nominations close on 1 February.
The App Store collected $65 billion in nine months of 2022, more than double that of Google Play
Apple’s App Store grossed $65 billion in the first nine months of this year, more than double that of Google Play, according to data presented by SportsLens.coma distribution channel for mobile apps,
In addition, App Store revenues are up by three percent, where Google Play has seen a revenue drop of 11 percent.
The iPhone is more popular in high-income countries like the US and Japan, where people spend more on mobile apps. Google Play’s biggest markets include Southeast Asia, India and South America, which typically see less app revenue per user.
iOS users spent $64.9 billion on in-app purchases, premium apps and subscriptions in the first nine months of this year, up three percent from $62.9 billion in the same period a year ago, the slowest growth in many year.
Google Play significantly reduced the number of apps available in 2022, causing revenue to drop 11 percent year-over-year. In the first half of the year alone, more than 1.1 million apps had been removed from the Google Play store, the second biggest decline since 2018.
PayPal launches Passkeys for more secure payments
PayPal is add password as a simple and secure login method for PayPal accounts. Passport keys are a new industry standard created by the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium.
The feature replaces passwords with cryptographic key pairs, creating an easier and more secure way to log into PayPal.
According to the company, the technology is resistant to phishing and designed so that password data is not shared between platforms.
The new PayPal sign-in option will first be available to iPhone, iPad or Mac users on PayPal.com and will expand to more platforms as those platforms add support for passwords.
Access keys will help address the weaknesses of password authentication. Over 2.6 billion records were hacked in 2017, and of those hacks, 81 percent are estimated to have been caused by password theft and guessing.
TELUS International announces agreement to acquire WillowTree
TELUS Corporation and TELUS have announced an agreement to acquire WillowTree, a full-service provider of digital products focused on end-user experiences.
TELUS International will acquire WillowTree for a total value of $1.225 billion. The acquisition is expected to close in January 2023.
Headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, WillowTree operates 13 global studios in countries including Canada, the United States, Brazil, Portugal, Poland and Spain. The company’s digital strategists, designers, engineers and project managers collaborate with brands on major initiatives that deliver better customer experiences.
The acquisition will add significant scale to TELUS International’s digital portfolio, expanding into new areas of growth and diversification, such as key front-end design and development capabilities. It also expands TELUS International’s global footprint with the addition of two new delivery countries: Brazil and Portugal.
“Today marks the next step in the company’s journey, and I look forward to working with the talented members of the WillowTree team to collectively raise the bar for ourselves to better envision, create and implement impactful, technology-driven brand connections that drive customer loyalty and establish and maintain market leadership for our customers, says Jeff Puritt, president and CEO of TELUS International.
More to explore
Ransomware on the decline and revival of ransoms in the past? This week in ransomware for the week of October 30, 2022
SonicWall’s 2022 Cyber Threat Report was published this week. It claims that ransomware attacks shrank by 23 percent worldwide year-to-date during 2021. That may be good news, but to put that into perspective, there were still over 236 million attacks so far in 2022. The reduced 2022 number is still bigger than the total years for 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Cisco brings new customer experience capabilities to contact centers
Digital communications technology company Cisco has announced updates to its web conferencing platform Webex’s CX (customer experience) portfolio, aimed at helping businesses deliver a connected, personalized and omnichannel customer experience.
Stacey’s story: Pivoting from oil and gas to the technology sector
Life is what you make of it, and no one knows that better than Stacey McLennan-Waldal, a data scientist currently working in PwC’s Calgary office in the firm’s Advanced Analytics practice.
Elon Musk officially completes Twitter deal
Elon Musk has formally taken ownership of Twitter, immediately firing Parag Agrawal, who had succeeded co-founder Jack Dorsey as Twitter’s chief executive officer (CEO).
Women in IT Awards: winners summary
The Women in IT Summit and Awards wrapped up Tuesday night in Toronto with awards that recognize and celebrate women, allies and businesses across the country, highlighting their contributions to the technology industry.
Cybercrime remains the leading online threat to Canadians: Federal report
Cybercrime remains the number one cyber threat to Canadians, according to the latest edition of the government’s National Cyber Threat Report.
Channel Bytes October 28, 2022 – New cloud-based ERP for SMBs; Cortex XSIAM now generally available; Distie Climb Channel Solutions collaborates with Viking Enterprise Solutions; and more
Staying informed is a constant challenge. There’s so much to do, and so little time, but we’ve got you covered. Grab a coffee and high five while you nibble on these treats.
TENT, CAMSC AND TD Bank collaborate to launch certification program for refugee entrepreneurs
Non-profit organizations Tent Partnership for Refugees (TENT) and the Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC), with sponsorship from TD Bank, have announced the launch of a new certification program for businesses owned by entrepreneurs who recently arrived in Canada as refugees.
IBM Canada and MLSE announce a new multi-year agreement
IBM Canada has announced a new multi-year agreement with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE). This partnership makes IBM the official cybersecurity and technology consulting sponsor partner of the Toronto Raptors and Toronto Maple Leafs. It is an extension of an existing 20-year partnership that includes several activities.
Listen to the latest episode of Hashtag Trending
Discord bans 55 million accounts for spam, Netflix Canada launches new membership option, e-bikes and e-scooters in New York City catch fire.
Listen to the latest episode of Cyber Security Today
This episode reports on hackers exploiting poorly configured Windows servers, IIS logs, and a VMware security patch
Listen to the latest episode of Hashtag Tendances (Hosted by Direction Informatique)
If you live in Quebec, or prefer to consume the latest technology news in French, our sister publication Direction Informatique has you covered. Follow them further Twitter also.
