Question Period Note: COVID-19: REMOTE ACCESS CAPACITY AND SECURITY

Shared Services Canada is working to ensure increased remote access capacity and security for federal public servants working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Shared Services Canada’s primary role in supporting client departments is assessing and supporting remote access for public servants as the majority of the Government or Canada is working from home.
• Shared Services Canada expanded VPN capacity and manages its traffic so that critical frontline services are prioritized to maintain quick, efficient and secure delivery.
• Shared Services Canada is constantly assessing the needs of the Government of Canada and is upgrading as required to improve the experience of Government of Canada employees connecting remotely and to mitigate service interruptions to Canadians

The following is a list of actions that the Department is undertaking to support secure remote access for the Government of Canada:
• Shared Services Canada provides departments with Secure Remote Access services so that their public servants can access networks and systems remotely.
o Work is currently underway to increase remote access and network capabilities to support remote access for a large portion of the public service.
o Shared Services Canada developed a series of best practices for management and employees to improve the experience of Government of Canada employees connecting remotely.
o The Department is working with the federal Chief Information Officer community to prioritize essential network traffic.
• Shared Services Canada is ensuring additional resources are mobilized to help ensure federal public servants have the tools they need to work from home. This includes:
o The deployment of LTE devices, including tablets, for some type of users (executives, communications teams, etc.) requiring email access and various internet tools.
o The deployment of alternative options for conferencing:
 Microsoft Teams as a collaboration and instant messaging solution
 BlackBerry Messenger Enterprise for secure messaging up to Protected B level
 Increased conferencing capacities through the addition of 20,000 licenses from Cisco
• Shared Services Canada is continuing to collaborate with vendors to:
o seek alternative communications options
o increase capacity to meet growing needs
o expedite procurement process and equipment delivery
• Shared Services Canada is prioritizing requests for essential services, especially ones that have links to the current situation.
• Shared Services Canada is working closely with the federal CIO community and is implementing measures to reschedule non-essential IT infrastructure changes that could impact service delivery to Canadians.
• Shared Services Canada is ensuring that essential services and tools continue to be provided for front line staff at other government departments during this time.
• Key Secure Remote Access Facts:
o Government of Canada population: 417,142
o Original network capacity, pre-COVID-19: 137,193 (33%)
o Current capacity as of April 27: 241,649 (58%)
o Target Capacity: 280,175 (67%)

KEY FACTS
• Shared Services Canada is ensuring additional resources are mobilized to help ensure federal public servants have the tools they need to work from home.
• Shared Services Canada is prioritizing requests for essential services, especially ones that have links to the current situation.
• Shared Services Canada is working closely with the federal CIO community and is implementing measures to reschedule non-essential IT infrastructure changes that could impact service delivery to Canadians.
• Shared Services Canada is ensuring that essential services and tools continue to be provided for front line staff at other government departments during this time.