Cybersecurity Awareness Month: VARS urges businesses to improve their cybersecurity posture
Montreal, October 26, 2021 – To mark Cybersecurity Awareness Month, VARS, a division of Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, is reminding business leaders about the importance of having a customized cybersecurity strategy and backing it with concrete measures.
“Cybersecurity is imperative for any organization’s success. Today’s SMEs need to identify and protect their mission-critical assets, then set up security measures to keep them up and running. This is a crucial step in protecting your IT systems from increasingly sophisticated and ever-changing attack methods. You need to have real-time visibility of your business’ threats and vulnerabilities so that you can manage risks,” said Guillaume Caron, President and CEO of VARS.
VARS offers and manages a comprehensive range of security services through a one-of-a-kind integrated solution. It includes network, desktop, server and dark web monitoring; privileged identity and access management; secure sensitive data exchange; email and collaborative tools security; and an awareness-building program that includes phishing simulations.
With telework becoming widespread and the technology landscape continually changing, there’s been a sharp rise in phishing campaigns and ransomware attacks. Faced with a growing number of unsecured access points and virtual meetings replacing in-person conversations, organizations of all sizes need robust IT security more urgently than ever before. Adequate protection can safeguard their operations, help preserve their reputations and reassure their stakeholders. This, in turn, promotes good governance practices and improves their long-term viability and growth prospects. For SMEs, the goal is to mitigate IT security risks.
At Security Connect 2021, an event held in June 2021, VMware Inc. released the findings from the fourth instalment of its Global Security Insights Report. The report found that cybercriminals are taking advantage of accelerated innovation and remote work arrangements to execute targeted attacks. Nearly 80% of the surveyed organizations experienced cyberattacks due to more employees working from home, highlighting the vulnerabilities in legacy security technology and postures.
For Cybersecurity Awareness Month, VARS wishes to remind businesses that it’s very important to have a cybersecurity solution that has been tailored to their specific needs. “Paired with support from an external Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), this solution is central to improving the information security posture of SMEs. By taking preventive measures, such as implementing innovative technologies and effective monitoring mechanisms, you can reduce risks, support good governance and protect your brand image. This isn’t optional anymore; it’s a necessity for all organizations,” concluded Mr. Caron.
To learn more about VARS and its one-of-a-kind integrated security solution, click here.
About Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton
Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton is a professional services firm that has been dedicated to the success of organizations and their leaders since 1948. The firm’s advisors are committed to helping clients thrive by obtaining a deep understanding of what is important to them, their business and their industry. This knowledge, combined with a team of motivated and talented professionals, helps accelerate growth. A Quebec and Canadian leader in the areas of assurance, tax, advisory services and business recovery and reorganization, Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton boasts more than 2,700 professionals, including approximately 200 partners, working in over 100 offices across the province of Quebec and in the Ottawa and Edmundston regions.
Together with Grant Thornton LLP, another Canadian firm, and the Grant Thornton global organization, our global footprint spans across nearly 140 countries with over 58,200 people who provide real insight, a fresh perspective and agility to keep clients moving ahead.
Source:
Marine Detraz
Communications and Public Affairs Advisor
Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton
Tel: 514-705-8096
[email protected]
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Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton has been approved as a service provider to support businesses in New Brunswick.
The government of New Brunswick, in collaboration with TechImpact and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), recently introduced the Digital Boost 2.0 program, which offers New Brunswick businesses financing and expertise to kick off their digital transformation. Funds are granted in connection with this program so that these companies can collaborate with qualified providers.
Among these qualified providers, Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton is able to help New Brunswick business create a digital strategy so that they can remain competitive, resilient and forward-thinking as the business world continues to digitize.
What is a digital strategy?
An effective digital strategy is a roadmap for reaching short-, medium- and long-term digital transformation goals. It’s a foundational plan that outlines your organization’s technological needs and helps you determine which technologies to invest in and how to implement them for success.
How does it work?
Digital Boost 2.0 will reimburse 75% of $26,600 up to a maximum of $20,000 per business. If the digital strategy does not cost $26,600, the remaining financing can be used to market your first project.
Who is eligible?
Businesses are selected based on their technical maturity and business operations.
Digital Boost 2.0 is not open to the following sectors: real estate, government services, personal/social services, retail, restaurants and lumber. Professional service industries such as marketing firms, creative agencies and business coaches are generally not eligible.
The program will assist up to 120 New Brunswick businesses.
For program eligibility criteria or to apply, visit the Digital Boost 2.0 website.
We can also help you with your process. Contact us today.
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As a partner of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec’s (FCCQ) prestigious Les Mercuriades competition, Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton will once again be awarding the prix Mercure Entrepreneuriat Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton this year.
Through this award, which recognizes two organizations, an SME and a large company, our firm acknowledges the determination of entrepreneurs who work hard to create jobs and ensure their business’s growth in particular by developing an effective progression strategy, entrepreneurial succession plan or successful intergenerational transfer process.
The FCCQ will be celebrating the 42nd year of its competition, which brings together exceptional leaders every year. Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton is pleased to support Quebec talent and entrepreneurs and be associated with this prestigious competition.
SMEs and large companies that would like to submit their application in one of the 17 categories, including Mercure Entrepreneuriat, can do so until Friday, December 17, 2021 (free registration). Submit your application on the FCCQ’s 2022 Mercuriades website.
Good luck to all businesses!
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On September 2, Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton’s Rivière-du-Loup office marked the opening of its first office in 1951 by holding a cocktail party and awarding a $1,000 scholarship.
Some 50 people were on hand at the Rivière-du-Loup office, including Partners and employees, to take part in this unique gathering, while respecting the distancing and health measures in place.
Presentation of the $1,000 scholarship
To highlight the link between the residents of the Bas-Saint-Laurent and our experts, who are all dedicated to their beautiful region, the Rivière-du-Loup team decided to offer a $1,000 scholarship to a student who is committed to the region’s economic development. This first scholarship was awarded to Mr. Vincent Thériault, from Rivière-du-Loup, student at Université Laval. This award will help encourage the next generation of accounting and finance students.
“Our office has become what it is today thanks to the people who built it, and it will continue to grow with the help and involvement of the next generation of professionals from here,” said Donald Savard, Assurance Partner and Rivière-du-Loup office Manager.
Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton’s Rivière-du-Loup office encouraged the population of Kamouraska, Rivière-du-Loup, Témiscouata and Les Basques to participate in this contest. Participants had to meet a few eligibility criteria and then fill out a form. The deadline to participate was Friday, August 27th at noon, online.
A great team story
Since 1984, the Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton’s Rivière-du-Loup office team has been committed to promoting the economic vitality of its beautiful region on a daily basis by supporting the region’s entrepreneurs, whether in the maritime, agricultural, tourism or other industries. It is essential to build trust between experts and entrepreneurs locally.
The office’s dedication is reflected in its actions, whether it is by offering jobs and a socially responsible work environment to the next generation in accounting and finance, or by its commitment to the Bas-Saint-Laurent community.
In 1951, the beauty of the Bas-Saint-Laurent region attracted experts from all over Québec who were drawn by the values of the Rivière-du-Loup population. Inspired, the dedicated team at the Rivière-du-Loup office quickly made a name for itself, making the firm the largest assurance, tax and consulting firm in Eastern Québec by 1980. In 1984, the firm changed its name to Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton.
The philosophy of the first partners remains unchanged: meet the needs of clients with the utmost professionalism and by offering a range of local services adapted to their needs in:
– Financing,
– Transaction Support,
– Business Valuation,
– Strategic Human Resources Consulting and Recruiting,
– Management Consulting,
– Finance Management,
– Information Technology,
– Scientific Research and Experimental Development Tax Credits,
– Accounting Training,
– Bookkeeping.
Today, Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton wishes to highlight the work of its team, a team that has been committed to the community for 70 years and provides long-term support to individuals and entrepreneurs in Rivière-du-Loup and Bas-Saint-Laurent region!
Thank you to the residents of the beautiful Bas-Saint-Laurent region who put their trust in us. We are proud to work with you.
Congratulations to the entire team!
