By Bob Koblovsky, Senior Client Solutions Executive
Digital documentation can be a daunting task for government departments and public service organizations, but the reasons to digitize are compelling and—in some cases—imperative.
The volume of data collected by governments and public service organizations is massive, and much of it is still stashed away in filing cabinets, where access is inconvenient at best. If we are to unleash the power of data to transform operations and better serve the public, we need a safe and seamless way to easily store and access sensitive data in Canada.
The data storage imperative: Making data thrive
To acquire true insights from your data and information, text on paper must be converted to a digital format so that it can be secured, accessed, shared, compared, and analyzed. That’s what unleashes its power to transform services, lower costs, innovate, and collaborate. With the right digital document management solution, handwritten text, analog audio recordings, videos, and images can be converted to digital format and securely stored in a safe environment.
The Business Council of Canada recognizes the critical nature of data storage and its power to serve Canadians: “Data is transforming Canada’s economy and society. Advances in digital technology allow people and organizations to gather and store ever more data, enabling smarter and faster decisions that fuel innovation, contribute to economic growth, and improve the lives of citizens.”[1]
The goal is to deliver government services and programs more efficiently, transparently, and cost-effectively, both to Canadian citizens and to partners and internal stakeholders.
ThinkOn and our partners are dedicated to safe, secure data transfer and storage. Together we’ve designed solutions to make digital documentation simple, seamless, and powerful. Our expertise working with Canadian government and public service organizations makes us the ideal partner for your digital transformation journey.
Simple and seamless: A data storage solution for the journey to digital transformation
Every digital journey starts with document digitization as a key step towards digital transformation. Digitized documents are easier to maintain, store, secure, share, and dispose of—as long as the right data solution is in place.
First, you need a protected environment for scanning and storing data that allows access to the right partners for sharing but keeps unauthorized users and hackers locked out. Then, with an efficient document management solution, you can capture critical information and store it all in a single repository for retrieval and processing, at any time, by any authorized user. Users can scan or download documents, tag and index them with keywords and metadata for searchability, and organize information into folders for easy comparison and data analytics.
Here are some of the benefits of document digitalization, as compiled by ECM consultant, Haissam Abdel Malak:[2]
- Save storage and space
- Increase productivity
- Easy accessibility
- Improve security
- Automate business processes
- Boost collaboration
- Enhance compliance
- Data recovery
- More informed business decisions
Document management can enhance collaboration and communication between individuals and teams, even from remote locations. Digitized documents are easily accessed by authorized users, saving time and increasing efficiency with automated workflows, while enhancing collaboration. With trackable version control and simultaneous document editing, you avoid back-and-forth emails and redundant work.
A Canadian Sovereign Cloud
Keeping data secure is a critical mission in today’s global world and a requirement of Canadian law. Public service organizations in particular have an obligation to the Canadian public to protect sensitive data. Data sovereignty in Canada is mandated by the federal government, and privacy requirements for the collection and sharing of data add to the pressing need for compliance, sovereignty, and cybersecurity in data storage files.
ThinkOn is the only true sovereign cloud provider recognized by the Canadian Government, and our Sovereign Cloud has several layers of protection in place to protect Canadian data sovereignty. Compliance with all laws and regulations governing data is enhanced through a streamlined audit process that allows employees to respond to auditors’ requests quickly with audit trails and detailed reports on system activity.
The ThinkOn Sovereign Cloud solution:
- ThinkOn is the only TRUE Sovereign Cloud Provider in Canada
- ThinkOn is the first VMware Sovereign Cloud initiative partner in Canada
- Data centres for Canadian data are located in Canada
- Data is managed by Canadians who have official [MW2] security clearance
- ThinkOn offers sovereign cloud capabilities in other geographies outside of the US CLOUD Act
- Headquartered in Canada, ThinkOn is Canadian owned and operated
- ThinkOn has a PBMM Framework Agreement with the Government of Canada
A Nimble solution
Our partners Nimble and VMware worked with ThinkOn to deliver a document digitization and digital mail solution, hosted in a Canadian Sovereign Cloud, to one of the largest branches of the Canadian federal government.
More than a picture of a page, this mail solution consolidates all inbound communications and digitizes them. It normalizes the various formats and harvests all the data submitted in the communications, storing it in a repository with workflow capabilities that can get the communications pushed to the right people and departments.
The sovereign repository has full search and data retrieval capabilities and the ability to push off the data to case management systems and other lines of business systems. All this information is stored on ThinkOn’s protected B Canadian Sovereign Cloud infrastructure.
ThinkOn, Nimble, and VMware: Your data storage management solution
Our ThinkOn data storage management solutions exceed all your data security needs. Sensitive Protected-B citizen data requires proof of a sovereign data supply chain, ITSG-33 compliance, and increased security and governance. The ThinkOn-Nimble solution delivers that and more, keeping your data where it belongs: safe and protected within Canadian borders.
True to ThinkOn values, we deliver straightforward billing with no surprises. We offer a flexible pay-as-you-grow model. You’re invoiced for the amount quoted—with no additional costs or setup fees and no surprise ingress or egress fees to blow your budget.
We’re the VMWare Canadian Sovereign Partner, so you can run your sensitive and regulated workloads on a secure, compliant Canadian cloud that meets national data residency and data sovereignty requirements.
Combine Nimble’s ability to unlock the power and potential of information with ThinkOn’s ability to keep the data supply chain sovereign and secure, and you’ve got a simple, reliable, secure way to kick-start your digital journey.
Learn more about how to simplify document storage management with a secure, compliant, Canadian sovereign solution.
[1] Business Council of Canada. 2020. “Data Driven, Report and recommendations.” https://thebusinesscouncil.ca/report/data-driven/
[2] The ECM Consultant, Haisam Abel Lalak. 2023. “What is Document Digitization & Why Is It Important.” https://theecmconsultant.com/what-is-document-digitization/