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Tag: software

Human and Robot voting

The Software Powering Democracy

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog.

Election Technology, Cybersecurity, and the Fight for Information Integrity Elections are often described as a democratic process. But, for the people responsible for delivering them, they are also a complex technology operation with immovable deadlines, demanding security requirements and extraordinarily little tolerance for system failure. Behind every ballot are software applications, databases, networks, hardware, third-party providers, and teams responsible for keeping everything running. Increasingly, there is another layer to manage too: technology used to identify cyber...

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Haloween picture - PHP is scary!

PHP – It’s Scary!

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog.

Critical Vulnerabilities, Legacy Code and the Cost of Looking Away The final post in STEP Software’s October Cybersecurity Awareness Month series Nothing says Halloween quite like discovering something dangerous has been lurking in your systems for years. Unfortunately, this year’s real-world cybersecurity horror story is not fiction. It is PHP, one of the internet’s most widely used programming languages, and a reminder that even familiar, dependable technology can harbour serious vulnerabilities. On October 21, 2026, the PHP development team released...

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Cybersecurity Lock

It’s Time for a Cybersecurity Health Check

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog. 1 Comment on It’s Time for a Cybersecurity Health Check

Is Your Legacy or Custom Software Putting Your Business at Risk? October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, making it a good time for businesses to review more than passwords, phishing awareness and employee training. It’s an excellent time to revisit your cybersecurity strategy and shine some light on the software your business depends on daily. When was the last time your organization conducted a cybersecurity health check or security audit of its legacy software, custom applications and business-critical code? If you don’t have a definitive answer, it may be time to look...

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Bill C-36 and the Canadian Flag

Bill C-36: Is Your Business Ready?

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog.

What Canada’s Proposed Consumer Data Act Could Mean for Businesses and Employees Privacy legislation has a habit of sounding like something the legal department will worry about later. Until someone asks IT where the customer data is stored. Then things get interesting. Canada’s proposed Bill C-36, the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act (PPCDA), represents a significant proposed modernization of Canada’s federal private-sector privacy framework. Introduced on June 15, 2026, the bill is designed to replace Part 1 of the Personal Information Protection and...

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Tariffs - On Fire

Tariffs as a Weapon: Geopolitics Has Entered IT

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog.

For the past 18 months, geopolitical friction has become the background noise of business. Wars, sanctions, supply chain disruptions, changing trade agreements, economic nationalism, cybersecurity threats and increasingly competitive relationships between major economies have moved from the pages of international news into boardrooms and budget meetings. For Canadian tech companies, there’s an additional layer; the increasingly complicated relationship between Canada and the United States. The temptation is to think, “We are a software company, tariffs are somebody else’s...

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Colourful Tim and Dolly Header

Tech Needs More Tims and Dollys

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog.

There are weeks when the news feels like a reminder that time moves faster than we would like and last week was one of them. Globally, headlines shared the deaths of two extraordinary creative figures: Dolly Parton and Tim Curry, both 80. Parton became one of the most recognizable figures in music and entertainment while building a business empire and an extraordinary philanthropic legacy. Curry became an international cultural icon through The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and then spent decades championing for the LGBTQ+ community while navigating a career in theatre, film, television,...

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Second Page News

Second Page News: August Edition

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog.

There is a strange and for many of us, relentless phenomenon happening in technology news. Open almost any technology publication, news feed or social media platform and you will find AI. AI in your browser. AI in your database. AI in your image searches. AI in your coffee maker. Chances are, it’s AI writing those articles about AI. But underneath all the AI noise, something rather encouraging is happening. Software itself continues to get better. Open-source projects are becoming more secure. Programming languages are getting safer. Databases are becoming more capable. Cloud...

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AI Brain Fry

This is Your Brain on AI: The Hidden Productivity Problem of Brain Fry

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog.

Remember when the biggest workplace concern about technology was spending too much time in meetings? Today, a new phenomenon is quietly making its way into boardrooms, project teams, and office conversations. It has an unofficial name that is surprisingly descriptive: AI Brain Fry. It is not a medical diagnosis, or a term found in a psychology textbook (yet). Instead, it is the growing feeling of mental fatigue, cognitive overload, and reduced critical thinking that can occur when employees rely heavily on generative AI throughout the workday. For business leaders, this is more than...

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Powering Off

Powering Off: Why Time Away from Tech Improves Performance

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog.

The technology industry has a bit of a productivity problem. Not because people aren’t working hard enough, quite the opposite, they are masters of juggling full plates with competing priorities. Many IT professionals, developers, project managers, cybersecurity specialists, and technology leaders are working harder and staying connected longer than ever before. Smartphones, collaboration tools, cloud platforms, and remote work have created a world where it is possible to be available around the clock. The challenge is that our brains were never designed to operate this...

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Neurodiversity

It’s Time to Talk About Neurodiversity in Tech

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog. 1 Comment on It’s Time to Talk About Neurodiversity in Tech

The technology industry has always celebrated innovation, creative problem solving, and thinking differently. Here at STEP, we see abstract thinking is a highly sought after feature. Yet many organizations continue to overlook one of the most valuable sources of diverse thinking available to them: neurodivergent professionals. While businesses compete for talent, navigate increasingly complex technology environments, and search for new ways to innovate, many leaders are discovering that neurodiversity is not simply a DEI initiative; it’s a misunderstood business opportunity. With...

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