Partnered for success: DTO and the CIO Group introduce the Defence Digital Workplace Modernization initiative

July 4, 2023 - Defence Stories

Digital advancements are changing how Canadians and people around the globe live and work. To keep pace, as a Defence team, we must innovate to maximize our capabilities.

For this reason, the Digital Transformation Office (DTO) is championing the advancement of digital across the Defence Team. Our goal is to foster a digital mindset first, with people at the centre of all that we do.

We are seeking new ways to create and sustain operational advantage and to provide better services. We are also challenging the status quo and sparking new ways of doing business.

Making it quicker and easier to do your job

DTO has partnered with the Chief Information Officer Group (CIO Group) to launch the Defence Digital Workplace Modernization (DDWM) initiative. What is the DDWM? First and foremost, it is about you, the user. It is about equipping you with common, easy-to access digital solutions that make it quicker and easier for you to do your job.

What are the benefits? The DDWM will reduce paper, remove process/policy barriers and raise workplace productivity and efficiency. The DDWM will also evolve business processes while ensuring that security is preserved.

Key digital solutions

One of the recently introduced mainstay DDWM solutions is an upgrade to Defence 0365 (D365), an Office 365 platform for the Defence Team. This upgrade brings new features and improved functions, which include:

• Co-authoring documents at the same time;
• Getting access from anywhere you’re working;
• Getting access to built-in accessibility features such as closed captioning;
• Taking less steps to digitally sign PDF documents;
• Translating your document with one click; and
• Working from any device.

SharePoint Online

SharePoint (accessible only on the National Defence network) Online (SPO) (accessible only on the National Defence network) is also being brought to you as part of the DDWM. SPO is an authorized information repository that will allow you to collaborate on documents (up to Protected B) in real time. No more back-and-forth version volleys over email, now you and your colleagues will be able to jointly create, review and share documents. SPO is just one of many new tools that we will launch as part of the DDWM.

In the coming months, the CIO Group will roll out SPO, starting with our early adopters. To learn more, visit our Early Adopters page (accessible only on the National Defence network).

The Way Forward 

These are just the initial improvements. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to transform your jobs and make them quicker and easier to perform.

The DDWM initiative is focused first on you, the user. It will provide you with common, accessible and integrated digital solutions to make your experience as seamless as possible.