Canadian Startups Take to the Cloud

Over 600 businesses have selected CANARIE's free DAIR cloud to develop products and services for a global market

OTTAWA, Feb. 24, 2016 /CNW/ - CANARIE, a vital component of Canada's digital infrastructure supporting research, education and innovation, today announced that over 600 Canadian startups across a range of industries have taken advantage of its DAIR cloud service.

Cloud computing enables businesses to use virtual computing, network and data storage resources on an as-needed basis, with the flexibility to scale these resources based on their needs at any given time. This means that Canadian businesses can develop, test, and demonstrate new products and services that simulate a range of potential scenarios - like different transaction volumes or geographic variations - while experimenting with a range of development options to determine the optimal method for building and launching their cloud-based products.

"CANARIE's free cloud computing service helps small and medium-sized businesses become more innovative without incurring additional overhead costs," says the Honourable Bardish Chagger, Minister of Small Business and Tourism. "The Government of Canada is pleased to support services like DAIR, which makes it easier for Canadian businesses to bring products to market."

"Cloud technologies are disruptive to the way companies operate, and the faster Canadian businesses can adopt them into their business models, the more competitive they will be on the global stage," says Randy Jones, Senior Director, Technology Innovation at CANARIE. "With DAIR, startups can experiment and test ideas and approaches in a risk-free environment. Our aim with this service is for Canadian startups to gain the experience and knowledge they need to be in a strong position to succeed when they launch commercially."

"In addition to ensuring our data stays in Canada, DAIR offers high quality, reliable, scalable, and secure cloud infrastructure that supports our team as we continue to refine our product offering," says Pat Crosscombe, Founder and CEO of BoardSpace, a developer of document and workflow solutions for boards of directors. "DAIR has been invaluable as we continue to evolve, testing integration with e-commerce platforms and refining our onboarding processes."

Other innovative Canadian startups taking advantage of the flexibility and power of the DAIR cloud include:

• Advance Property eXposure's enterprise software uses smart mobile technology to deliver to first responders, secure, digital information such as building layouts, exits, electrical shutoffs, and building contact information reliably within seconds. Information is critical for situational awareness and their solution helps responders plan their approach while on route and save precious minutes in time-sensitive situations.
• BOS Forestry develops software solutions to help manage information flow in the forestry industry – from planning the harvest, to cutting and weighing the timber, to tracking its transport to the mill, right through to sending harvest information to relevant government departments.
• Curatio has created a mobile health platform that connects individuals with chronic health issues to a circle of support, including family, friends, caregivers, and medical professionals, with a goal of better managing ongoing treatment and wellness.
• EDMS integrates dental clinic data from different dental software programs to help corporate owners manage and interpret data generated from a wide range of clinic systems. EDMS' common reporting platform supports better decision-making and forward planning.
• Identos offers a range of security infrastructure solutions for mobile applications. Identos developers were able to collaborate with early customers on product development and evolution in real time by helping these customers test their application prototypes using DAIR.

Any Canadian small or medium-size company (< 500 employees) may apply to use DAIR to develop, test, or demonstrate products.  More information on DAIR, along with a link to apply, may be found at canarie.ca/cloud.

A range of case studies exploring how Canadian businesses are using the cloud to power product development and accelerate their time to market may be found here: canarie.ca/cloud/case-studies.

Want a quicker view of DAIR? Watch the video here: youtu.be/oye-Er_83lQ

About CANARIE

CANARIE designs and delivers digital infrastructure, and drives its adoption for Canada's research, education and innovation communities. CANARIE keeps Canada at the forefront of digital research and innovation, fundamental to a vibrant digital economy.

CANARIE evolves the national ultra-high-speed backbone network that enables data-intensive, leading-edge research and big science across Canada and around the world. One million researchers, scientists and students at almost 2,000 Canadian institutions, including universities, colleges, research institutes, hospitals, and government laboratories have access to the CANARIE Network.

CANARIE also leads the development of research software tools that enable researchers to more quickly and easily access research data, tools, and peers. In support of Canada's ICT sector, CANARIE offers cloud computing resources to startups to accelerate product development, and links a powerful network of public and private sector partners in a Centre of Excellence for Next Generation Networks (CENGN).

Twelve provincial and territorial network partners, together with CANARIE, collectively form Canada's National Research and Education Network (NREN). This powerful digital infrastructure connects Canadians to national and global data, tools, colleagues, and classrooms that fuel the engine of innovation in today's digital economy.

Established in 1993, CANARIE is a non-profit corporation, with major investment in its programs and activities provided by the Government of Canada.

For more information, please visit: www.canarie.ca.

SOURCE CANARIE Inc.

Image with caption: "Over 600 businesses have selected CANARIE’s free DAIR cloud to develop products and services for a global market (CNW Group/CANARIE Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160224_C2079_PHOTO_EN_628254.jpg

Ela Ienzi, Communications Manager, CANARIE, [phone], [email protected]