On any given night around 6,000 young people experience homelessness in Canada. Covenant House is Canada’s largest agency serving youth, offering 24-7 services to about 300 young people each day. Since 1982, Covenant House has supported more than 100,000 young people by offering housing options, health and well-being support, training and skill development, and ongoing support once youth move into the community.

Covenant House’s Sleep Out: Executive Edition will return for its 9^th year on November 19, 2020. The event will take place at Royal Bank Plaza in the heart of Toronto’s financial district, with extensive safety and physical distancing measures in place to protect the health and well-being of participants.

The sleep out supports youth who are homeless, trafficked, or at risk. Sleepers taking part in the event participate in a powerful and immersive experience that creates awareness about the issues of homelessness and sex trafficking, hear from the youth helped by Covenant House, and be a part of the solution.

For the second year in a row, Jim Taylor, Activo President, will be taking part in Covenant House’s Sleep Out. This year more than ever, the youth of Covenant House need our support. Many of them have health conditions that make them vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus and isolation and uncertainty has left them feeling anxious, distressed, and destabilized.

Jim needs your support to help Covenant House Toronto reach its fundraising goal of $1 million to ensure their team can continue to work non-stop to provide essential services to young people during this critical time.

“It will be cold. It will be dark. But for one night I can give up the comforts of home knowing it can bring warmth and brightness to the young people who need it the most.”  

• Jim Taylor, Activo President

To support Jim’s Sleep Out and Covenant House Toronto, please click here. On behalf of us at Activo and Covenant House – thank you!

Activo believes in charitable and community support. Click here to see some of the organizations we support.

The post Sleep Out: Extraordinary Leaders Supporting Vulnerable Communities appeared first on Activo.

While our field staff has provided essential ICT services, team members who have been working remotely have utilized this time to take part in several training opportunities that will help us emerge from this situation stronger.

Team members have taken part in training focused on implementing future practices that will inspire and promote change. These comprise optional and mandatory training modules that will allow us to improve both internally and externally.

Some of the new skills our team members have acquired include:

UTG – Certified Integrator Training

Utility Grade INFRASTRUCTURE (UTG) by Anixter is a new technology platform, assurance program, and design approach that redefines the infrastructure layer to support building subsystems, technologies and applications. With a UTG certification, Activo has thorough training on the solution and can provide an extended application assurance warranty, and on-demand support.

COMMSCOPE imVision® Controller X

Managing connectivity has never been more critical, as the network is tasked with supporting more devices and delivering increased functionality. With this course, our team understands the application, design, integration, installation, and set up of the Controller X hardware in imVision®.

COMMSCOPE Structured Cabling Infrastructure Design Course

Businesses require solid structured cabling systems to support their critical applications and operations. This course provides a comprehensive foundation for enterprise designers based on industry best practices and cabling standards.

COMMSCOPE Cabling for IBW & WiFi

With this course, our team has a better understanding of in-building wireless and WiFi systems and the considerations required when using structured cabling to support them.

COMMSCOPE Cabling for PoE

As a network systems administrator, Activo is focused on ensuring cabling solutions are part of the bigger picture and work seamlessly with hardware, equipment, and applications to deliver uninterrupted services. With this course, our team has a greater understanding of how to use structured cabling to support Power over Ethernet (PoE).

BICSI IP Based Physical Security for the Data Center

Physical security is about protecting your assets from threats. Activo specializes in physical security solutions for businesses and organizations across Canada. This training provided insights into the current design methodology for the data center and discussed current trends in surveillance, access control, and perimeter protection.

COMMSCOPE SYSTIMAX Design and Engineering

With this course, we now offer best design practices and aspects of design specific to the large range of SYSTIMAX cabling products such as GigaSPEED® UTP and FTP, VisiPatch™, modular copper and fiber terminated solutions, and imVision® hardware.

Activo HR Training

Internally, we have offered several HR training options for team members. These include training for accessibility standards, customer service, health and safety, compensation and benefits, workplace wellness, and more. With these, we aim to create a better work environment for our employees and provide them with skills that will lead to better experiences for our customers.

At Activo, our goal is simple – a better-trained team provides exceptional services. We are focused on challenges that arise in Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are constantly adapting to offer support to our clients across all sectors.

Contact us today to learn more about our network systems integration services.

The post Activo Invests in Training to Emerge Stronger From COVID-19 appeared first on Activo.

Activo along with Core Online Marketing and Control Systems International recently held a food donation drive for Fare Share Food Bank Oakville. Flyers were distributed to homes in Oakville with details on the goods being requested by the foodbank and when they would be picked up by Activo Vice President Kevin Gillingham and his team.

The food drive was a success and the team managed to receive donations amount to 8 shopping carts (an estimated 1,000 pounds) of food.

Fare Share Food Bank is a non-profit organization that is helping needy families in Oakville since 1987. It is run entirely by volunteers and serves 400 to 450 families. During the COVID-19 pandemic they are open at regular hours at their location 1240 Speers Road, between 3^rd Line and 4^th Line.

Charities Supported by Acvito

As part of our efforts to help the community, Activo is supporting three charities with all team members pledging to volunteer and make a difference.

Volunteer Canada: One of the charities we are supporting is Volunteer Canada that focuses on increasing participation, quality, and diversity of volunteer experiences. This is a time when our community needs us the most and volunteering is an excellent way to give back. Our team members have provided services such as delivering groceries to individuals who are unable to leave their homes due to COVID-19. A list of volunteer opportunities during COVID-19 can be viewed here.

Food Banks Canada: Our local food banks and those who require their services need us the most during this time. The Activo team is working closely with food banks in helping them collect donations at this time. There is a dire need for donations, as food banks across the country have experienced a significant decrease in resources. To find out how you can donate click here.

SPARK Ontario: SPARK is Ontario’s first bilingual online gateway that lets volunteers connect with non-profit organizations. There are several COVID-19 opportunities available on their website with a focus on volunteer drivers and seniors management.  Several of our team members have volunteered through SPARK and are making a difference.

These are unique times and require us to come together as a community. We need to be loving, caring, and compassionate towards others and show that together we can overcome this adversity.

Contact us to learn more about the role we are playing in supporting our communities and for information on services we offer.

The post Activo Holds Collection Drive for Fare Share Food Bank Oakville appeared first on Activo.

The continued spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Canada has understandably raised concerns for both our customers and employees. At Activo Inc., the well-being and safety of our customers and employees is our top priority.

We want you to know that we are doing everything we can to continue to focus on this, as well maintain the ability to support your business requirements moving forward as this situation continues to evolve.

We will continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis, following the latest guidance from local, provincial and federal health authorities, including the Public Health Agency of Canada, to ensure that we are aligned with the latest recommendations.

Supporting Our Employees & Customers

We continue to share information with our employees, on the best practices to follow, to ensure both themselves and their families remain safe and healthy.

We’ve always been proud of the cleanliness of our office locations, and we know that keeping them clean and sanitized is even more important now. As such, we have purchased additional antibacterial wipes and sanitizer to be available to our office staff and have also outfitted our service vehicles and project sites with similar kits.

In helping to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus, while continuing to support our customer needs, Activo has implemented a “work from home” model as well as a rotation roster for those that need to be in the office. This will be focused on our office-based employees until such time as we feel is necessary based on information from the local health authorities in the communities in which we operate.

In order to have little to no interruption in supporting our customers on-site requirements, Activo has assessed our field resources critical skills and have implemented a program to cross train for geographical and skills coverage. We are training the appropriate field resources to be redeployed in critical areas requiring more or urgent manpower.

We have informed all of our employees that if they are returning from a trip, that is outside of the country, that they should work from home or remain in self-isolation for a 14-day period before returning to work as applicable.

Finally, we continue to ask our employees to follow precautionary measure as recommended by the applicable health authorities in Canada as follows:

• Regular and consistent hand washing for a minimum of 20 seconds and use of hand sanitizer
• Avoid touching eyes, mouth and nose
• Cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue or their elbow, then dispose of the tissue in the garbage
• Clean & disinfect, on a frequent basis, their workstation area which includes their desk, chair, desk phone, smartphone, mouse, keyboard.
• Stay home if you are ill, except to seek medical care

Taking these measures will ensure the safety of our employees and also make the workplace safer for those that need to be onsite.

Addressing Our Supply Chain

We have a team working closely with our distribution, subcontractor and OEM partners to ensure that the products and services Activo requires to support our customers are available when we need them. The Activo Team is continuously monitoring the situation and speaking to these critical partners about their ability to deliver reliable products and services. We will consider setting up alternate partners, when necessary, in order to avoid a disruption of services and support for our customers.

Our Commitment

In closing, at Activo we have a responsibility to support those who are affected by this terrible virus, no matter how large or small those disruptions. We will look out for our employees and ensure that they are protected from the impacts of COVID-19 to the extent possible. We will educate our partners to follow the same COVID-19 safety process and practices as we adhere to so that they can continue to support Activo’ s requirements.

We will not forget our commitment to our customers to provide the best-in-class quality care and service to deliver the best possible results. Our continued focus on the changes that take place in Canada, as a result of this virus, will allow us to adapt and adjust our approach to continually support our customer needs, while simultaneously mitigating risk, driving operational resiliency and caring for our employees.

Sincerely,

Jim Taylor
President
Activo Inc.

The post Response to COVID-19 appeared first on Activo.

Holiday Hours

December 24^th: Open till 12:00 P.M.
December 25^th-29^th: Closed
December 30^th: Open (Regular hours)
December 31^st: Open till 12:00 P.M
January 1^st: Closed
January 2^nd: Open (Regular Hours)

If you have any special requests throughout the holiday, please contact us. We will schedule specialists on the basis of customer need.

Help Us Decide How We Donate This Year

Activo actively seeks to support organizations that make a positive change in our communities. Since the holidays are the best time to give back, we would like you to help us decide how to donate this year and have set aside $10,000 to be distributed among three causes—the Salvation Army, the SickKids Foundation, and the Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness:

Click here to choose the charity of your choice and help us determine how we give this holiday season!

• The Salvation Army provides support to people and communities in need, both within Canada and internationally. They offer necessities including food, shelter, and clothing to those who need a helping hand.
• The SickKids Foundation gathers funds for the Hospital for Sick Children, one of the world’s leading hospitals for children. They are driven by the belief that bettering the health and well-being of children serves as a powerful way to improve society and give children and their families the healing environment they need at such an important time.
• The Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness is a national organization that has helped survivors of abuse in Canada since 1993. Their mission is to reduce the occurrence and impact of abuse through education and public awareness.

Working Together to Make the Season Special for a Family in Need

For a third year, Activo is helping a local family in need through the Holiday Helpers Adopt a Family program. Holiday Helpers has been providing personalized Christmas packages to low-income families with young children for the past two decades. The organization works with volunteers, donors, and other charities to spread Christmas joy among those who may not otherwise experience it.

This year we are supporting a single dad who is raising two children. We are happy to help provide them with the essentials they need like winter clothing, boots, dishes, and other household items to make their Christmas special and memorable.

From all of us at Activo, we hope you have a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable holiday season and a wonderful 2020!

Read more from Activo:

• Activo Sleeps Out To Fight Youth Homelessness
• Activo is Growing a Mo to Save a Bro!
• Why Structured Cabling Is the Backbone of the Digital Building

The post Happy Holidays from Activo! appeared first on Activo.

On November 21st, Jim Taylor, President of Activo, will participate in Covenant House’s Sleep Out event in Toronto to raise awareness and funds to help end youth homelessness.

Click here to help Jim reach his sponsorship goal of $10,000.

Why Sleep Out?

Sleep Out gives participants the opportunity to experience first-hand the hardships faced by homeless youth on the city’s streets by living as they do, exposed to harsh weather with just a sleeping bag to keep them warm.

Watch This Video to hear from the participants themselves.

What’s In Store For The Night?

• 6:00 P.M – Participants will arrive for registration and a networking reception at 6:00 P.M.
• 7:00 P.M – Participants are served dinner by youth from Covenant House’s ‘Cooking for Life’ program.
• 7:30 P.M – Speeches by Covenant House alumni who will share their stories.
• 8:20 P.M – Tours and evening programming to enhance participants’ understandings of youth homelessness.
• 10:30 P.M – Participants pick out their sleeping bags and cardboards to head out for a night on the street.

About Covenant House Toronto

Covenant House is Canada’s largest agency serving youth who are homeless, trafficked or at risk. It offers the widest range of 24/7 services to about 350 young people each day. The organization advocates for long-term change to improve the lives of vulnerable youth, by influencing public policy, leading awareness and prevention programs and continually building and sharing knowledge.  Donors contribute almost 80% of the organizations $33 million annual operating budget.

Covenant House Offers

• Housing options for youth at risk.
• Health and well bring support.
• Training and skill development programs

To support Jim’s Sleep Out and Covenant House Toronto, please click here. On behalf of us at Activo and Covenant House – thank you.

Activo believes in charitable and community support. Click here to see some of the organizations we support.

Read more from Activo:

• How To Generate Maximum Return On Your Communications Investment.
• Trends That Will Shape The Future Of The Contact Centre.
• 8 Steps To Maximizing Success of the IoT.

The post Activo ‘Sleeps Out’ to Fight Youth Homelessness appeared first on Activo.

Holiday Hours

All Activo offices will be closed between December 22nd and December 26th. We will re-open December 27th, close again from December 29th to January 1st, and re-open on January 2nd.

If you have any special requests throughout the holiday, please contact us. We will schedule specialists on the basis of customer need.

Help Us Decide How We Donate This Year

At Activo, we are committed to supporting organizations that affect change in our communities. The holidays are the perfect time of year to reflect on how fortunate we are and to give back.

We would like you to help us decide how to donate this year and have set aside $10,000 to be distributed among three causes—the Salvation Army, the SickKids Foundation, and the Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness:

Click here to choose the charity of your choice and help us determine how we give this holiday season!

• The Salvation Army provides support to people and communities in need, both within Canada and internationally. They offer necessities including food, shelter, and clothing to those who need a helping hand.
• The SickKids Foundation gathers funds for the Hospital for Sick Children, one of the world’s leading hospitals for children. They are driven by the belief that bettering the health and well-being of children serves as a powerful way to improve society and give children and their families the healing environment they need at such an important time.
• The Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness is a national organization that has helped survivors of abuse in Canada since 1993. Their mission is to reduce the occurrence and impact of abuse through education and public awareness.

Activo is dedicated to assisting those in need. We hope our donations will spread joy this holiday season and throughout the coming year!

Working Together to Make the Season Special for a Family in Need

For a second year, Activo is helping a local family in need through the Holiday Helpers Adopt a Family program. Holiday Helpers has been providing personalized Christmas packages to low-income families with young children for the past two decades. The organization works with volunteers, donors, and other charities to spread Christmas joy—a meal, decorated tree, and gifts—to those who may not otherwise experience it.

This year we are supporting a single mom who is raising her three children after leaving a domestic violence situation. The family is safe and looking forward to a better future together, but they are starting with very little. We are glad to be able to help make sure they have both the essentials they need (coats, mittens, boots, and other household items) as well as toys for the children and present for mom to make this season and all the Christmases that follow a little bit brighter.

From all of us at Activo, we hope you have a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable holiday season and a wonderful 2019!

Read more from Activo:

• Why Structured Cabling Is the Backbone of the Digital Building
• Why You Need to Be Ready to Deploy a Digital Building Architecture
• Evolving Today’s Data Centres to Meet Tomorrow’s Demands

The post Happy Holidays and All the Best in the New Year appeared first on Activo.

Kevin Gillingham, Activo’s Vice President, Sales and Marketing, is joining the cause for his seventh year in a row. He is proud to be able to support the Movember Foundation in their work to promote men’s physical and mental health and, quite simply, stop the men in our lives—our fathers, brothers, husbands, partners, and friends—from dying too young.

Click here to visit Kevin’s page and donate!

About Movember

The Movember Foundation got its start in 2003 when two mates from Australia talked 30 of their friends into paying $10 (AUD) to grow a moustache in November, with the money raised going towards men’s health and prostate cancer. Movember expanded into Spain and the UK in 2004 and brought in over $50,000.

Today, over five million moustaches are grown in over 20 countries each year. The Movember Foundation has raised over $730 million to fund more than 1,000 men’s health programs globally.

But the Movember Foundation’s work is far from over. There are still a range of factors that prevent men from confronting health issues including inadequate understanding and awareness, a lack of open discussion, reluctance to respond proactively when feeling unwell, participating in activities that put health at risk, and stigmas around mental health.

Through your continued involvement and support, the Movember Foundation can work towards achieving its vision—to have an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health—and goal of reducing the number of men who die prematurely around the world by 25% by the year 2030.

When we’re not growing fantastic moustaches, Activo helps businesses implement secure and scalable IP networks and infrastructure. Learn more about us here!

Read more from Activo:

• Activo Sleeps Out in Support of Covenant House Toronto
• Activo Was Proud to Support the United Way Halton & Hamilton’s 30th Annual Oakville Mayor’s Invitational Golf Tournament
• Activo Golfs for Kids’ Sake in Support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton

The post Support Activo’s Own Mo Bro, Kevin Gillingham, This Movember appeared first on Activo.

On November 15th, Jim Taylor, President of Activo, will take part in Covenant House’s Sleep Out event so that homeless youth in our community no longer need to.

Click here to visit Jim’s sponsorship page.

About Sleep Out

Sleep Out allows participants to understand the causes of youth homelessness, connect with youth at Covenant House, and find out what your fundraising really means to everyone at Covenant House.

The experience starts with a dinner prepared and served by youth in Convent House’s Cooking for Life Program and featuring many of the typical items Covenant House makes on a daily basis. While everyone is eating, a few courageous individuals will take the time to share their stories with you about what brought them to Covenant House and where they are today. After-dinner programming is focused on enhancing participants’ understandings of youth homelessness, including its roots and how we can work together to solve it. At 10pm, our sleepers will pick up their sleeping bags and cardboard to head out for a night on the street.

About Covenant House Toronto

Covenant House Toronto is Canada’s largest agency serving at-risk, homeless, and trafficked youth. It provides a wide range of services and supports to as many as 300 youth every day. Its doors are open to all youth between the ages of 16 and 24 regardless of their race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or any other factors that bring them to Covenant House.

Beyond simply being a place to stay, Covenant House provides 24/7 crisis shelter and transitional housing as well as comprehensive services like counselling, health care, education, employment assistance, job training, and aftercare.

As a national leader on the issue, Covenant House Toronto actively educates and advocates for change through both public policy and prevention and awareness programs.

To carry out this valuable work, Covenant House relies on generous donors for more than 80% of its more than $30 million annual operating budget.

To support Jim’s Sleep Out campaign and Covenant House Toronto, please click here. From all of us at Activo and everyone at Covenant House (youth and staff alike)—thank you.

Activo believes in, and practices, charitable and community support, and we have a strong history of community involvement. Click here to see some of the organizations we have supported in the past and continue to support.

Read more from Activo:

• Activo Was Proud to Support the United Way Halton & Hamilton’s 30th Annual Oakville Mayor’s Invitational Golf Tournament
• Join the Momentum this Movember in Support of Men’s Health
• Activo Golfs for Kids’ Sake in Support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton

The post Activo Sleeps Out in Support of Covenant House Toronto appeared first on Activo.

This year’s event raised over $120,000 for United Way Halton & Hamilton.

Every day, United Way Halton & Hamilton makes profound impacts on our communities and in the lives of children, youth, adults, and seniors. It delivers an essential network of services and programs that nurture lasting, positive change and bring possibility to those who need support.

Click here to learn more about the United Way Halton & Hamilton including upcoming events like the Milton Mayor’s Golf Tournament, happening at Granite Ridge Golf Club on September 7th.

Activo believes in, and practices, charitable and community support, and we have a strong history of community involvement. Click here to see some of the organizations we have supported in the past and continue to support.

Read more from Activo:

• Join the Momentum this Movember in Support of Men’s Health
• Activo Golfs for Kids’ Sake in Support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton
• The Activo Team Gives Back This Holiday Season in Edmonton and Calgary

The post Activo Was Proud to Support United Way Halton & Hamilton’s 30th Annual Oakville Mayor’s Invitational Golf Tournament appeared first on Activo.