Shared Services Canada 2024-25 Departmental Plan

Table 1: Indicators, results and targets for departmental result the Government of Canada benefits from reliable and responsive networks and SSC-managed security services that protect the information of departments, agencies, and Canadians.

Note: Actual Results with N/A (not available) were not previously measured or reported by SSC

Table 2: Indicators, results and targets for departmental result Public servants have access to the collaboration tools and workplace technology needed to work effectively to deliver services to Canadians.

Table 3: Indicators, results and targets for departmental result the Government of Canada benefits from responsive and reliable hosting solutions that support its applications and data used to deliver services to Canadians.

Table 4: Indicators, results and targets for departmental result the Government of Canada benefits from enterprise IT and client-specific solutions that support the delivery of programs and services to Canadians.

Note: Actual Results with N/A (not available) were not previously measured or reported by SSC

The financial, human resources and performance information for the SSC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Digital Together – Roadmaps and pathfinders

SSC has developed roadmaps to outline how it will work with partners to achieve excellence in technology and operations. SSC will work with pathfinder departments and agencies to test solutions and acquire lessons learned at every stage. This will allow SSC to ensure that solutions are responsive and effective before scaling out to the enterprise.

The roadmaps will guide SSC as it plans and prioritizes. They will allow SSC to engage with client departments to anticipate planned activities and timeframes, allowing them to align their activities to meet the common objectives. The roadmaps and pathfinders will help support:

• sharing plans for new technology and service improvements
• recruiting pathfinders to lead the way
• collaboration on lessons learned and process improvements
• increasing the speed and scale of service improvements
• building capacity and skills within the department
• making investment decisions
• experimenting with aspirational services (proof of concepts and pilots)
• identifying internal and external dependencies and monitoring progress

This Departmental Plan provides highlights from the strategic roadmaps for Connectivity, Cyber Security, Digital Services, and Hosting, as well as other activities captured under Innovation and Service Evolution.

Connectivity Services

GC departments and agencies require SSC to provide network capacity that can support software and IT solutions to deliver services to Canadians. As the government becomes increasingly digital, this has resulted in significant growth in the need for network speed and capacity. SSC provides modern connectivity services with integrated security that meet the needs of users, using a networking model that leverages commercial and public networks, including managed services and wireless technologies.

SSC improves overall network performance by strengthening connections between government buildings and GC Network Hubs. The GC Wide Area Network service provides enterprise connectivity for data centres and GC buildings and locations. It interconnects users and computers from national and international locations to each other and the Internet. It also supports business applications for simultaneous voice, data and video communications, as required. In 2024-25, SSC will work on specific improvements to connectivity services with the support of pathfinder departments.

Enterprise software defined Wide Area Network implementation

Software defined networks provide access to GC Wide Area Network and Internet services through software rather than traditional hardware like routers. Software defined networks are used to connect branch/regional/remote users to data centres, to National Capital Region headquarters, or to cloud services. They provide the opportunity to improve performance and user experience, enable faster deployments, enhance security through the application of consistent policies and encryption, and achieve cost efficiencies. In 2024-25, SSC will implement software-defined networks to enhance the delivery of site connectivity services for the first wave of partners.

Low Earth Orbit Satellites

Not all of SSC’s clients and partners are located near urban areas that offer multiple forms of connectivity, such as fibre, cable, or cell phone towers. SSC uses satellite services to support communication services to and from the remote areas, both nationally and internationally, where its clients are based. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are closer to Earth and improve connectivity speed and increase available bandwidth. This satellite service will increase network coverage for enterprise level service, particularly enhancing connectivity to northern and remote sites. In 2024-25, SSC will implement LEO satellites with pathfinder departments and explore pilot projects leveraging these satellites.

Wi-Fi in government buildings

Over the years, Wi-Fi has evolved from a “nice to have” for partners to a key technology supporting the modern workplace. The GC workplace has evolved with technology, as more devices like tablets and phones are being leveraged for work. Access to Wi-Fi offers flexibility for public servants to work at different workstations, in conference rooms, and other collaborative spaces. Wi-Fi keeps public servants connected to emails and files while they benefit from mobility in the office.

SSC offers Wi-Fi services on a cost-recovery basis. As a result, these services have traditionally been provided on a department-by-department basis, with SSC installing Wi-Fi in parts of the multiple buildings used by a client department. When multiple departments were located in the same building, SSC would return to a building multiple times as it responded to various requests from different clients. To improve efficiency, SSC has shifted to providing Wi-Fi service for an entire building at once. The approach leverages either SSC enterprise solutions, commercial Wi-Fi service or a combination of both. The benefits of taking a whole-building approach include:

• meeting increased demand for Wi-Fi
• reducing time and cost to deploy Wi-Fi 
• providing Wi-Fi service to more clients at each deployment
• providing Guest Wi-Fi Access service which allows GC guests to access Wi-Fi

In 2024-25, SSC will make the whole-building approach standard as it continues to deploy Wi-Fi to approximately 300 GC buildings.

Cyber Security Services

Cyberthreats and attacks are rapidly evolving, becoming more complex and diverse. These attacks could disrupt, and even corrupt or destroy, the infrastructure and data that the GC relies on for essential services. The GC has been investing in improving the resiliency of the IT infrastructure to protect all departments and agencies against cyber security-related attacks. SSC partners with the Treasury Board Secretariat’s Office of the Chief Information Office (TBS-OCIO) and the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), known as the IT security tripartite, to coordinate a whole-of-government approach to cyber security.

In 2024-25, through the activities outlined below, SSC will continue to evolve its security monitoring capabilities to ensure the department can keep pace with evolving threats.

Strengthening cyber security management

With funding announced in the 2022 Fall Economic Statement SSC will reinforce cyber security. SSC established a Cyber Security Program Management Office that will provide centralized stewardship and strategic direction for SSC’s enterprise cyber security initiatives. The office will improve SSC’s ability to maintain appropriately secured IT solutions across the GC. It will allow SSC to collect and analyze data to improve existing and future GC cyber security posture.

In 2024-25, SSC will develop architectures and roadmaps that will allow the department to incrementally evolve cyber and IT security products and capabilities.

SSC Security Projects

SSC is continually strengthening its cyber security posture to be able to identify and monitor assets, identify and triage vulnerabilities and assess whether security controls are effective and compliant. SSC’s takes a constant verification approach to security (zero trust) where users can seamlessly and securely access the tools they need through a single secure digital identity.

Through its security projects, SSC is providing partner departments with services and infrastructure required to ensure security for the GC. Constant monitoring, tracking and reporting on cyber security events across SSC’s entire infrastructure as part of move to a zero trust approach. SSC projects are also focused on supporting the department’s ability to monitor the GC networks and infrastructure.

For example, Secure Remote Access provides partners with appropriately secured access to their networks from a location other than a GC building. SSC is preparing to migrate the multiple existing Secure Remote Access solutions to an enterprise service. By providing this service at an enterprise scale, SSC can provide more reliable remote access and increased security. In 2024-25, SSC is planning to onboard the first wave of partner departments to the enterprise solution through a pilot project.

SSC will continue to focus on advancing the implementation of its security projects that will provide reliable cyber security services for partner departments.

Digital Services

SSC aims to provide a common user experience including full access to a standardized core bundle of tools—accessible anywhere at any time, from any GC-approved device—with seamless collaboration across the enterprise. In 2024-25, SSC will continue to improve and modernize digital and telecommunication tools to support GC employees.

Digital Communications and Collaboration

SSC is modernizing email and office applications, like word processors and spreadsheet software, to a consolidated cloud-based solution. Digital Communications and Collaboration (DCC) uses the M365 platform to give public servants modern collaboration tools to work efficiently in a hybrid work environment. M365 includes a full suite of workplace applications, including Teams, Outlook, SharePoint and OneDrive. SSC has already successfully migrated the email accounts to M365 for 38 departments and agencies. In 2024-25, SSC will continue necessary activities to prepare to roll out this service to remaining eligible departments.

Contact centre modernization

Contact centres allow Canadians to interact with the GC online or by telephone. SSC supports the operation of the communication systems of approximately 220 contact centres for departments and agencies. These operations range from large departments with programs that affect all Canadians, such as Employment Insurance and the Canada Pension Plan, to smaller programs with a more specific audience, such as the contact centre for the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program. As part of a multi-year initiative to improve services to Canadians, SSC is modernizing and standardizing contact centre services by migrating them from legacy solutions to modern solutions, such as public cloud, hosting or in-house solutions. In 2024-25, SSC will continue the multi-year initiative to migrate and modernize contact centres.

Conferencing and collaboration space modernization

As the GC adapts to the hybrid work model, videoconferencing has become essential to support meetings where some participants are together in a GC building and others are joining off-site. As such, SSC is modernizing its conferencing services by offering more accessible, fully integrated services to partner departments and agencies. These new services will support videoconferencing using MS Teams or other systems in boardrooms.

In 2024-25, SSC will improve and modernize conferencing services to deliver a consistent user experience across the enterprise through the following activities:

• Implementing video interoperability that will allow meeting rooms with videoconferencing devices to connect to MS Teams meetings
• Upgrading or replacing devices to ensure that meeting spaces conform with the newly defined guidelines for conferencing services, which include accessible and reliable conferencing capabilities
• Continuing to collaborate with select departments and pilot the use of new video conferencing technology for conference rooms to meet ongoing needs

Telecommunications modernization

Telecommunication technology has grown well beyond traditional wired telephones, and SSC is taking action to continue offering high-quality, efficient, and affordable tools across the GC.

Enterprise Mobile Device Management

Through the Enterprise Mobile Device Management service, SSC ensures that GC employees can securely access GC networks and data using mobile devices and tablets, providing them with modern work capabilities anytime, anywhere. The initiative manages approximately 180,000 hand held devices (iOS and Android) across 45 partners and 10 client departments. SSC is focused on stabilizing the existing service, improving its delivery and completing the rollout of new features to meet evolving GC customer requirements. In 2024-25, SSC will begin expanding the current service to include security and support requirements for GC classified services.

Softphones

SSC is adopting an enterprise approach to improve the delivery of telephony services and enable a mobile workforce. In 2024-25, SSC will continue efforts to replace outdated systems with modern solutions such as a softphone service that allows users to place and receive phone calls from their computer or phone over the Internet using M365. This service will provide unified communication services that can be accessed from any GC-issued device anywhere, anytime at a reduced cost.

Fixed Phone Line Rationalization

Traditional and wired office desk phones are no longer useful for many employees and are costly to maintain. SSC has been working with its partner departments to aggressively retire all non-essential lines. SSC will continue to disconnect non-essential lines in the upcoming years with a target to retain only 10% of fixed lines within the next 3 years. In 2024-25, the target elimination is 15,000 fixed lines and SSC will prioritize sites where mobile devices and softphones are available to accelerate the decommissioning of fixed phone lines.

Hosting Services

SSC is dedicated to delivering modern, scalable and reliable hosting services to support the diverse and evolving digital needs of partner departments and agencies. These services include hosting in the cloud, but also in legacy and enterprise data centres (EDCs). SSC’s focus remains on further modernizing its hosting services, to ensure they are not only robust and secure but also agile and responsive to the rapidly changing digital landscape. The goal is to provide partner departments with the best possible hosting platforms to deliver their services, ultimately benefiting the citizens that all government departments serve. SSC is actively exploring emerging hosting tools and solutions as a key step in providing standardized and future-ready hosting services to our partners.

Hosting strategy

SSC aims to curate and maintain a select set of standardized and scalable hosting options, which will avoid hosting sprawl and provide services that partners may not be able to manage independently. SSC continuously adapts and innovates to offer hosting options that remain relevant for partner departments:

• Core hosting solutions: Addresses the primary needs of most partners, through 2 key models: the reliability of EDCs and the flexibility of public cloud services, which are the most advanced hosting offerings available.
• Specialized hosting solutions: Private cloud and edge computing, are being developed for specific or unique requirements. These solutions will be developed using pilot projects.
• Emerging hosting tools and solutions: As the GC reshapes how it delivers services to Canadians, SSC will actively explore the forefront of technological advancements to enhance our hosting capabilities to ensure that they not only meet current demands but can also cater to future challenges and opportunities.  

SSC’s hosting strategy is focused on 4 key themes where SSC plans to continuously improve and evolve its hosting services: 

Hybrid hosting

SSC is evolving from traditional data centre hosting services to hybrid hosting services. This shift highlights SSC's commitment to maximizing the reliability of on-premises hosting solutions, such as EDCs, with the flexibility of cloud, which offers secure, scalable and balanced hosting solutions for diverse workloads and applications. A hybrid hosting approach ensures that the needs of partner departments are met while maintaining necessary safeguards for the GC. Additionally, SSC aims to expedite the high-speed and extensive transfer of enterprise application data across GC infrastructure. SSC will actively collaborate with partners, developing progressive roadmaps to outline how the most suitable hosting model will allow the GC to optimize where applications and workloads are best hosted.

In 2024-25, SSC will work with TBS-OCIO to provide partner departments with tools to help decide where to best host their applications in a way that is affordable and to identify projects that may be at risk and require assistance.

Automation and self-serve

In support of its commitment to innovation and efficiency, SSC is introducing automation and self-service capabilities to provide streamlined processes. By integrating advanced automation technologies and user-friendly self-service options into our hosting solutions, SSC aims to enhance operational effectiveness and provide partners with greater control and agility in managing their digital environments. SSC will build capabilities and develop a comprehensive plan that will allow partners to access storage capacity on-demand. This will provide partners with greater flexibility and scalability while optimizing resource allocation.

Building on the foundation of automation and self-service, SSC is also focusing on revolutionizing our storage solutions. Emphasizing self-service in storage allows our partners to optimize data management and access their data with greater autonomy and speed, aligning with our objective to deliver more responsive and user-centric hosting services.

In 2024-2025, SSC will plan and invest in building the necessary capabilities to facilitate partners' access to software defined storage solutions through a user-friendly and streamlined self-service portal. This will empower partner and client departments to efficiently manage their storage needs while maintaining control and adaptability.

Stewardship and predictability

SSC commits to supporting partner departments and agencies through this transformative journey by leveraging stewardship resources and tools, to bring greater transparency, optimize costs and improve decision making. The GC Cloud Strategy 2024 will bring a new culture of transparency and predictability for IT services, which will help partner departments and agencies advance their application modernization planning efforts. SSC’s cloud stewardship functions will expand to include monitoring, reporting, analysis, financial management, procurement, and governance.

In 2024-25, SSC will renew cloud framework agreements to provide more hosting procurement options that reflect the latest GC Cloud Strategy while incorporating capital investments in procurements for hardware. SSC will also develop financial operations capabilities for optimal cost management and predictive analysis of cloud consumption.

Standardization and modernization

By standardizing hosting platforms and modernizing our approaches, SSC aims to reduce legacy data centres and consolidate services. This strategy not only streamlines our hosting infrastructure but also significantly cuts down on the technical debt accrued from maintaining legacy systems. In doing so, we are effectively reducing hosting sprawl while ensuring a more cohesive and efficient digital ecosystem.

In 2024-25, SSC will continue to close small and medium legacy data centres. To date, SSC has closed 473 legacy data centres out of the original 720, and plans to close at least 30 more legacy data centres, based on application readiness to migrate. This ongoing work strives to target migrations on a priority basis to enable the movement of applications and services to optimal hosting solutions. SSC is committed to addressing its technical debt while simultaneously improving reliability and security measures.

Hosting evolution

The implementation of TBS’s Cloud Smart directive, represents a significant step for the GC in adopting a more strategic assessment of each requirement to determine the most suitable and efficient hosting solution for partner workloads and applications. The growing use of cloud technologies has been instrumental in enabling partner departments and agencies to meet urgent deadlines and improve the delivery of digital services to Canadians. It also uncovered challenges in how we govern and fund application hosting, as well as how we procure cloud across the GC.

To address these challenges, TBS announced the next step in the evolution, the GC Cloud Strategy 2024, to align with Canada’s Digital Ambition. Cloud smart strategies for the GC will continue to evolve and mature over time. These adjustments aim to optimize hosting, ensuring the best service delivery option for departments, agencies and for Canadians.

Innovation and Service Evolution

As a common service provider, SSC aims to build a better digital government, transform our service delivery, and effectively manage emerging risks while addressing departmental requirements for our partners and clients. SSC prioritizes identifying and experimenting with emerging technologies to improve its services.  A particular focus in this regard will be within the community of GC scientific researchers. Part of SSC’s commitment to modernizing and improving services through innovation will include expanding SSC’s digital literacy, capacity and employee skills. This will help SSC understand and leverage emerging technologies better to improve and evolve services to more effectively meet the needs of the GC. Even before SSC works with pathfinders to create or improve services, SSC tests innovations and new solutions internally to learn lessons early and ensure viability.

Modernizing SSC's Serving Government website

Serving Government is a GC extranet site that provides key information about SSC services. It is SSC's primary digital channel to communicate with its partner departments and agencies IT decision-makers. Employees from client and partner departments use the website to get information about SSC plans, such as roadmaps, and how to order its services. SSC will modernize Serving Government to make it a more user-friendly portal and include self-service components for its clients. In 2024-25, SSC will continue to update the site by introducing additional self-service options.

Integrated IT monitoring and event management

SSC is evolving how it monitors IT infrastructure on an enterprise scale so it can restore outages as quickly as possible or even anticipate problems before they occur. Enterprise-wide monitoring will be achieved by bringing together input from strategic tools that will operate in different IT areas into a common SSC management infrastructure.

In 2024-25, SSC will increase both reactive and proactive monitoring capabilities of its core enterprise services. Through the Enterprise Command Centre, SSC will continue to expand its visibility of outage alerts and the corresponding response.

SSC will also advance the development of the Integrated Enterprise Command Centre project, to improve the department’s event management capabilities. Consolidating and upgrading its Enterprise Command Centres will improve SSC’s efficiency in responding to events and incidents.

GC Enterprise Service Management – Onyx

SSC uses Onyx, an IT Service Management tool, to manage IT services from initial request to final delivery. This tool supports more efficient service management by enhancing automation and improving the quality of the data to manage service standards. In 2024-25, SSC will complete the migration of SSC services and employees working with partner owned tools to Onyx.

Automation and artificial intelligence for service evolution

To support the digital government strategy, including the delivery of modern and tailored workplace tools, SSC is exploring the application of various emerging technologies such as machine learning, robotic process automation (RPA), and intelligent automation. Using these technologies improves processes and service delivery while providing business value. SSC will continue to actively collaborate with TBS-OCIO on the development and revision of key policy instruments including the Directive on Automated Decision Making, and the TBS guide on the use of Generative artificial intelligence (AI).

In 2024-25, SSC will continue to mature the AI Center of Excellence (AICoE) that provides advice and oversight for Enterprise AI/RPA activities. SSC is focused on the transformation of the AICoE into the GC AI Hub that will be a GC community-driven and community-trusted first stop for everything related to AI, robotic process, and intelligent automation. SSC is also exploring the possibility of providing various types of AI services (AI as a service) to partner departments. The department will update its AI vision and strategy to reflect any changes to SSC’s service offerings.

IT Repair and Replacement (ITRR)

Providing a reliable digital government through ongoing and routine repair, replacement or upgrades of the GC's IT infrastructure ensures the security and protection of services and data. SSC houses applications and data on IT infrastructure that is vital to Canadians (such as passports, income taxes, Social Insurance Numbers, and bank information) and the functioning of GC programs (such as the disbursement of Employment Insurance, Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan, Student Loans, and communication of severe weather alerts).

Through SSC’s internal Operational Risk Program, SSC proactively identifies IT infrastructure that is at risk of failure due to age or security vulnerabilities. The ITRR initiative can then prudently plan and prioritize the allocation of funds. Over the years, SSC has seen a decrease in the number of critical incidents due to hardware failure. This improvement shows how ITRR supports and improves IT infrastructure and its continuous availability to partner departments in delivering their respective services to Canadians.

In 2024-25, SSC will continue to monitor and report on the deployment of infrastructure upgrades and the associated costs. Using this information, SSC is developing a baseline to support a sustainable approach ensuring the availability of SSC’s services.

IT services to support scientists

SSC, in collaboration with its partners, created the Science Program to support GC priorities to modernize and secure research in Canada and to better enable scientists with digital infrastructure and services to support their respective mandates. Key projects that SSC will continue to advance in 2024-25 include:

Science cloud experimentation

Providing science researchers timely access to an exclusive set of secure cloud environments and solutions, to allow them to test cutting-edge and emerging digital solutions to advance scientific findings.

Federal Science Data Hub

Implementing a secure, cloud-based platform to provide the federal science community with world-class data infrastructure and tools to support the needs of scientists, and empower them through a self-service model.

Laboratories Canada

Continuing to ensure that new and enhanced IT solutions are in place to support the delivery of Laboratories Canada project commitments. Finalizing the design of future labs, which integrates emerging technology into a set of standard IT solutions for science, and testing solutions to support the current and future edge computing needs for science.

Smart labs

Running proof of concepts to test the use of Internet of Things devices to support smart labs, which monitors conditions to ensure accurate results and maximize lab efficiencies.

Mercury Program

The National Research Council’s (NRC) Mercury Program will improve security of its IT infrastructure by migrating workloads from their legacy network to new secure corporate and research networks. This initiative includes the migration of 135 workloads while ensuring seamless continuity of research operations and management of cyber security risks. SSC will continue to work with NRC to integrate project management best practices and provide technical advice and guidance to support progress of the Mercury Program.

Using technology to improve accessibility

SSC’s Accessibility, Accommodation and Adaptive Computer Technology (AAACT) team offers a wide range of services and IT tools to public service employees with disabilities or injuries to enable their equal participation in the workplace. These services include alternative approaches, training, resources and adaptive hardware and software. ‌In 2024-25, SSC will continue providing this service to support employees across the GC.

GC Application Platform as a Service

SSC is expanding the GC Application Platform as a Service as an option to deliver common GC applications offered in the cloud. Using utility-based ordering will allow for faster delivery and deployment while also ensuring security. For example, TeamMate is an internal audit and evaluation application suite that is used by most of SSC's partner departments. SSC is collaborating with the Office of the Comptroller General at TBS to implement an enterprise cloud-based solution of the TeamMate application platform (TeamMate+) that will bring together many departments onto one platform rather than having one for each department. By providing this solution using the GC Application Platform as a Service, SSC is more easily able to provide support and increases the application’s reliability.

In 2024-25, SSC will seek to expand this service and identify new opportunities for common commercial-off-the-shelf business applications that can provide value to the GC. This supports the modernization of legacy applications, improves user experiences and standardizes solutions.

Customer-led projects

When partner departments and agencies develop new projects, SSC plays a crucial role by providing the necessary IT infrastructure and services required to support them. Currently, SSC is collaborating with partner departments and agencies on over 60 different active and planned customer-led projects. For example, SSC is supporting the Canada Border Services Agency’s Travellers Modernization Program, which aims to improve and expedite traveller processing at the border without compromising border safety and security. SSC is working closely with the Canada Border Services Agency to develop the necessary digital tools that will support them to provide this service.

In 2024-25, SSC will continue to work closely with partner departments and agencies and focus on advancing the implementation of several of their projects.

Services for Small Departments and Agencies

Until recently, many Small Departments and Agencies (SDA) provisioned IT services that they managed themselves or were managed by a third-party to meet their organizational requirements. In February 2022, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) tabled its Special Report on the Government of Canada's Framework and Activities to Defend its Systems and Networks from Cyber Attack. It recommended that the government extend advanced cyber defence services, including internet services provided by SSC and cyber defence sensors from Communications Security Establishment, to all federal organizations.‌ In Budget 2022, the GC made a commitment to increase cyber security across federal organizations. and extend cyber defence services to SDAs.

SSC worked with SDAs to extend a mandatory sub-set of services and provide more autonomous arm’s-length organizations with the option of implementing a package of SSC-managed network and security services now in use by core departments. The package includes Enterprise Internet Service, secure remote access (allowing employees to work from a location outside of government buildings while ensuring data security is protected), and Digital Communications and Collaboration Enterprise Email enabled by M365.

In 2024-25, SSC will continue engaging and planning with SDAs to onboard them to the enterprise IT infrastructure.

Table 5: Key risks and risk statements for Common Government of Canada IT Operations.

Improving services behind the scenes

Digitization, modernization and process automation

SSC is committed to ongoing efforts to digitize and modernize services at SSC and supports the evolving landscape and the Future of Work. This initiative is comprised of activities that contribute to streamlining, modernizing, and digitizing services at SSC to improve user experience for employees across the organization. In 2024-25, SSC will implement SharePoint online as its new internal electronic document repository. SSC is also developing a new platform to serve as a portal for its employees that will facilitate access to requests and forms.

Advancing accessibility

SSC is committed to building an accessible and inclusive workplace for its employees. In 2024-25, SSC will continue to make progress and take actions towards meeting the objectives outlined in the 2022 to 2025 Accessibility Plan.

Skills and workforce

Leadership capabilities and management skills

SSC is focusing on hiring, developing, and rewarding leaders of the future who exemplify and take concrete actions to address diversity, equity and inclusion, anti-racism, and psychological health and safety. Consistent with its values, the department is also focusing on developing leadership talent that is adept in navigating volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.

In 2024-25, SSC will implement its Leadership Framework, which includes Character-based Leadership. SSC will leverage the Mentorship Plus Program to fill gaps in executive positions and continue to provide training through the Aspiring Leaders Program. In addition, SSC will continue to offer and promote a wide range of training on topics to support the ongoing development of our SSC leaders.

Succession planning and talent management

To empower employees to reach their full potential through comprehensive performance and talent management strategies, SSC aims to foster a culture of excellence and continuous growth. In 2024-25, SSC will strive to deliver a Performance and Talent Management Program that cultivates a high-performance culture, unlocks the hidden potential in every employee, and drives organizational success through strategic talent development and engagement.

Enhance SSC asset management to support governance

Strong asset management is critical to the successful operation of any department. SSC is working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on a joint effort to improve Asset Management at SSC and ensure related financial statements are both clear and unqualified. The existing 19 locations using the Lenel access system, currently managed by the RCMP, will be migrated to SSC where the network will be managed in-house. In 2024-25, the goal is to have the Lenel system completely managed within SSC facilities by SSC internal staff or SSC-contracted personnel. This is expected by early fiscal year 2024-25, with eventual expansion into the regions.

SSC Digital Enterprise Skilling

As technology rapidly evolves, SSC has increased its digital literacy, technical skills and capacity by strengthening its understanding and adoption of emerging technologies to deliver better programs and services in the digital era. Beginning with an initial focus on cloud computing, SSC’s digital skilling offerings have since evolved to include areas such as cyber security, artificial intelligence, robotic process automation and data analytics. Through this program, SSC employees are able to gain the necessary knowledge, skills, and practical hands-on experience from industry experts, enabling service delivery improvements to partner departments and promoting innovation with modern digital solutions.

In 2024-25, SSC will continue to build technical skills and capacity to execute on SSC's Digital Together mandate. Digital Enterprise Skilling is a strategic enabler for SSC’s future strategic direction and priorities, and the program will build on its proven success to support employees through the stages of the digital talent lifecycle. This will include offering innovative experiential learning programming, industry recognized certifications, and expanding technical skilling offerings into new domains, such as FinOps, the Internet of Things, enterprise architecture, and quantum computing.

Architect Professional Certification Program

The GC continues to embrace digital technologies for program and service delivery, and its workforce must be able to visualize and design, this digital evolution. The Architect Professional Certification Program delivers a competency-based development curriculum to increase expertise, role standardization and a shared architectural vision across numerous departments and architecture domains. Architects are significant contributors who seek to: develop roadmaps for digital priorities; reduce organizational complexity and duplication; and ensure technology investments align with GC standards and goals. The program currently has participants from 14 GC departments across the country and is open to any GC employee (with their management’s approval). Participants are supported by program coaches and work with dedicated executive-level mentors from SSC or other GC departments. In December 2023, the program obtained accreditation from Canada’s Association of Information Technology Professionals which accredits IT programs at Canadian and international colleges and universities. This accreditation raises the profile and visibility of the Architect Professional Certification Program with the GC and the architecture community external to the GC.

Procurement

SSC is responsible for procuring IT solutions for its partner departments and clients. Providing effective and cost-efficient procurement of IT allows the department to support the GC's digital agenda.

Procurement Data Management

SSC's Procurement Data Management priority is focused on modernizing, standardizing and improving Procurement Data Management through:

• Data enablement – laying out foundations (framework, tools) and providing leadership
• Literacy – building a data-driven and data competent organization
• Analytics – supporting evidence-based decision making and risk management

The objective is to transition from manual work and processes to automated systems – with the right tools to boost efficiency, reduce workload and improve results. Capacity will be developed, and data analytics tools will be used to inform timely planning, decision-making and reporting on results. In 2024-25, SSC aims to rollout and monitor the Procurement Data Management Framework, including the development of the Data Stewardship Model and Data Quality Framework; implement the Data Literacy Training Plan; and standardize and automate procurement reports (for example, in Power BI).

Agile procurement for IT solutions

SSC's agile procurement approach is a more collaborative and effective way to procure IT solutions and support partner and client departments to deliver their mandates. This approach simplifies and modernizes the procurement processes while ensuring the best IT solutions for the GC.

The agile procurement approach is focused on outcomes and considers the end-user from the start. It brings together government and industry to design procurements in an iterative manner to achieve results. This process enables testing and course correction and to quickly identify the challenges and successes based on tangible results in order to achieve the best value for Canadians.

In 2024-25, SSC will operationalize the Agile Procurement Process 3.0 (APP 3.0) to be used with more complex procurements, as well as continue to develop SSC’s capacity to leverage agile procurement more broadly.

Finance and internal review

Departmental financial management system optimization and evolution

SSC is taking steps to enhance its financial management system, optimize its enterprise resource planning (ERP) capabilities, and transition to cloud-based solutions. Enhancements will focus on improving data management, engaging relevant stakeholders, and ensuring a smooth transition through effective change management strategies. Overall the changes will improve financial stewardship and planning, while standardizing and streamlining processes. In 2024-25, SSC will continue to work with central agencies to derive a GC-centric accelerator for the migration of ERP capabilities into the cloud.

Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

In 2022-23, SSC conducted an analysis of Indigenous business capacity for the goods and services procured by SSC. The analysis identified the number of Indigenous businesses registered on the Indigenous Businesses Directory, by their Goods and Services Identification Number. While SSC awarded 19.22% of the value of SSC-funded contracts to Indigenous businesses in 2022-23, the forecasts for 2023-24 and 2024-25 are aligned with historical trends and Indigenous business capacity for goods and services procured by SSC. SSC has not applied any deputy head-approved exceptions and will avoid seeking an exception for procurements unless necessary.

SSC’s procurement documentation, the Procurement Summary and Risk Assessment, requires contracting authorities to document Indigenous considerations for all procurements. Further, all SSC procurements valued over $5M are subject to oversight by the Procurement Governance Framework, which reviews opportunities to advance Indigenous participation in procurements.‌

SSC supports other government departments in achieving the 5% target by developing and evolving procurement tools, such as standing offers and supply arrangements (SOSAs). SSC has implemented the following SOSAs with Indigenous considerations and seeks opportunities to include Indigenous considerations in new and renewed methods of supply:‌

• Physical Infrastructure Supply Arrangement
• Workplace Technology Devices Microcomputers National Master Standing Offer
• Video Conferencing Procurement Vehicle

SSC also creates opportunities for Indigenous businesses to participate in federal contracting by including Indigenous Benefit Plans (IBPs) in sectors with limited Indigenous business capacity. IBPs produce benefits such as Indigenous subcontracting, employment and skills training.

SSC’s ScaleUp, a social procurement initiative, aims to increase the diversity of bidders on IT contracts. Solicitations issued under ScaleUp are limited to Canadian micro and small businesses that are either Indigenous businesses or businesses owned or led by other underrepresented groups. SSC leverages ScaleUp to simplify the procurement process and increase access to the procurement system for Indigenous businesses.‌