Question Period Note: Network Modernization

At its creation in 2011, Shared Services Canada (SSC) inherited complex and aging network infrastructure from multiple organizations and received a mandate to modernize and consolidate the Government’s IT infrastructure, which is costly to maintain and does not support modern cloud, video and voice services.

• SSC continuously assesses technology trends and developments to ensure it builds a government network that is responsive to current and future needs.
  • SSC is modernizing government network services by:
  • converging, consolidating and standardizing complex and aging wide area networks to a common, shared, enterprise network infrastructure;
  • increasing the use of common standards, operational support processes and security systems;
  • enhancing connectivity infrastructure for government locations across Canada; and;
  • establishing government-wide procurement vehicles for network services
  • SSC will continue to work with federal departments to modernize their network experience, resulting in more secure, stable and reliable services.

If pressed on security:

• All of the work SSC is undertaking to modernize the enterprise network improves the security of the network as a whole, as well as the data that flows through it
• Converging, consolidating and standardizing to a common, shared, enterprise network improves reliability and stability. This reduces the time and effort spent on troubleshooting problems, while making maintenance much simpler

SSC provides network infrastructure and services to more than 400,000 users across government departments and agencies to effectively deliver services to Canadians.

Since its creation, SSC has consolidated and modernized network IT infrastructure and contracts through standardized technology and simplified administrative requirements with an aim of achieving stability and reliability. In fiscal year 2021-22, the number of critical incidents in network services were reduced to 104 from 113 in the previous year.

Today, SSC provides the Government Canada (GC) with the following networking equipment and support services:

• In-Building Networks
• Wide Area Network (WAN)
• Secure Remote Access
• GC Backbone
• Enterprise Internet Connectivity
• GC Science Network (GCSN)
• Cloud Connectivity

Modernizing the GC’s networks involves a new approach to providing network services and equipment. An SSC Enterprise Communications Hub approach leverages software-defined network infrastructure and artificial intelligence to automate traffic flow and maintenance. This improves manageability and performance to enable the GC’s cloud first strategy.

In regions across Canada, network connectivity service providers will link GC buildings and data centres to the GC Backbone at an SSC Enterprise Communications Hub. Each SSC Enterprise Communications Hub will also provide the external network connectivity between the GC Backbone and the cloud, Internet and Internet exchanges.

SSC has already installed SSC Enterprise Communications Hubs in Toronto and Montréal, and installation in Vancouver is underway. A National Capital Region (NCR) based hub is targeted to go online in 2022-23. There will be a second NCR SSC Enterprise Communications Hub in the future along with others in the Prairies and the Maritimes. SSC is also looking at international locations for hubs to support the GC’s work around the globe.

SSC is expanding the use of software-defined networking. This will enable the department to prioritize network traffic flow remotely over the most cost-effective path. Optimizing use of available bandwidth this way will give users higher network capacity and better availability.

While there is no single “one-size-fits-all” approach for GC digital services, SSC works with its federal partners and clients to modernize their network experience through consolidating and standardizing the options available to them. This results in more secure, stable and reliable services, economies of scale, faster turnarounds, enhanced collaboration, and reduced risk.

All of this makes the GC more responsive to Canadians’ demands for services they can access anytime, anywhere, from any device on a trusted and appropriately secured platform.

Further details on the work done by SSC on modernizing the network can be found in the publication The Government of Canada Enterprise Network — the Foundation of Digital Government.

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