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The distinction
Canadian presence does not necessarily mean Canadian control
A technology provider can have: Canadian offices, Canadian employees, Canadian customers, Canadian leadership, Canadian service delivery while ultimately being owned or controlled outside Canada.
An acquisition, private equity investment or corporate consolidation can change that relationship without the customer ever choosing to make the change.
An acquisition, private equity investment or corporate consolidation can change that relationship without the customer ever choosing to make the change.
Technology service providers increasingly sit at the centre of how organizations operate.
They manage infrastructure, administer cloud environments, support employees, hold privileged access, participate in security and risk management, and increasingly influence the strategic direction of their customers.
That makes the relationship fundamentally different from purchasing a product or commodity service.
Your strategic IT partner is part of your organization’s operating environment.
IT Partner Sovereignty asks a different question
Who ultimately owns, governs and controls the technology partner your organization depends upon?
IT Partner Sovereignty examines the corporate structure behind the local operating company to understand where ownership, decision-making, governance, economic interests and operational accountability ultimately reside.
Why This Matters
The Government of Canada increasingly recognizes digital sovereignty as an important consideration for Canada’s digital future. Canada IT Sovereignty applies this broader concept specifically to the strategic technology service-provider relationship.
IT Partner Sovereignty is not about Rejecting Global Technology
Modern organizations depend upon global technology platforms including Microsoft, Cisco, Apple, Google, Amazon, VMware and many others. IT Partner Sovereignty does not suggest that every technology platform must be Canadian.
The question is who is accountable for the strategic technology relationship surrounding those platforms. A Canadian organization can use global technology while maintaining a Canadian-owned, governed and operated strategic technology partner.
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Its framework identifies three dimensions:
01
Data Sovereignty
Control over data, including jurisdiction and applicable laws.
02
Operational Sovereignty
Control over how digital services are deployed and operated, including avoiding inappropriate reliance upon or interference from foreign entities.
03
Technological sovereignty
Maintaining the ability to make independent technology decisions without becoming overly dependent upon monopolistic or foreign-controlled vendors.