ETOBICOKE, Ontario, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ThinkOn Inc., a Canadian-based cloud solution provider with a global data centre footprint, is pleased to announce its appointment of Paul West as Director, Global Public Sector. A 100% Canadian-owned company, ThinkOn offers advanced data and cloud services and software to municipal, provincial, federal, and Indigenous government public sector entities in Canada—from healthcare and education to defence and policing.
West has been an integral member of the ThinkOn team since 2019. His new role is part of ThinkOn’s commitment to make data thrive for government and public service organizations. West, who has three decades of experience in cyber security and technology innovation for the public services sector, now leads a team responsible for delivering ThinkOn’s Canadian Sovereign Cloud, Digital Public Safety Network and highly secure solutions that guarantee data supply chain sovereignty for government data.
“I’m excited about my new role at ThinkOn,” says West. “This is an opportunity to continue my life’s work to encourage tech innovation and secure public sector data governance for Canadians. A digitally empowered government has a lot to offer its citizens, and Canadians have the right to remain safe while they enjoy the benefits.”
West’s career in technology and business development encompasses experience in the healthcare, energy, telecommunications, and police services sectors for government agencies and private sector organizations such as the Department of National Defence, the Ontario Police Technology Information Co-operative (OPTIC) Police Network, Bell Canada, and Motorola. Dedicated to public service and the advancement of Canadian business and technology, West sits as a board member for Innovate Cities, a not-for-profit Canadian tech and data governance organization that helps nurture Canadian technology innovators and experts to ensure cyber security for municipalities.
As well, West has been instrumental in working with educational institutions and Indigenous groups, including The First Peoples’ Circle on Education, a not-for-profit organization that supports and empowers Indigenous people to independently deliver services and address socio-economic conditions in their communities.
“We’re excited to have a dedicated lead of Paul’s vast experience in cyber security to focus on protecting and empowering our government and public services clients,” says Greg Chappell, Vice President of Global Sales and Partner Success, ThinkOn. “Paul is an excellent resource for any government modernization projects. He has a way of demystifying complex initiatives and getting down to the root of what is required.”
A key focus for West and the ThinkOn team is protecting sensitive Canadian data from cyber breach. ThinkOn’s Canadian Sovereign Cloud ensures that data sovereignty, traceability, and supply chain management are in full compliance with Canadian regulations and safe from foreign control—critical for any government or public sector organization that works with sensitive or Protected-B data.
According to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, cybercrime is the number one cyber threat activity affecting Canadiansi, and our data must be protected from foreign bad actors not subject to Canadian data security laws. The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians issued a report in 2022 that states, “…any player with malicious intent and sophisticated capabilities puts the government’s data and the integrity of its electronic infrastructure at risk.”ii
ThinkOn is the only CSP capable of offering sovereign cloud to the Government of Canada and is a trusted partner who understands public sector needs and the critical nature of data supply chain protection for Canada’s future.
“Data is part of our critical infrastructure, and whoever governs the cloud where it’s stored controls that data,” says West. “Many Canadian organizations mistakenly believe that their trusted cloud provider will protect them from data leaks, but in reality, non-Canadian providers are not subject to Canadian data protection laws, potentially putting their data at risk.”
ThinkOn Canadian Sovereign Cloud ensures that data residency remains in Canada, subject to stringent Canadian security laws.
“I feel strongly about helping our government clients understand some of the common pitfalls of modernization,” says West. “All the major hyperscale clouds rely on foreign resources for some tasks—even when the data remains at a domestic location. So, their claims of sovereignty are misleading.”
Lack of full data sovereignty means that sensitive Canadian data could be divulged to another government without the knowledge or approval of the Canadian owner. By offering Canadian-made data solutions, designed for Canadian public sector organizations, West and his team are dedicated to helping Canadian data thrive under the safest conditions possible.
About ThinkOn, Inc.
ThinkOn, Inc. is a proudly Canadian-owned and operated cloud solution provider (CSP) with a global data centre footprint. ThinkOn is the only Canadian VMware Sovereign Cloud partner. We are a dedicated department of data-obsessed experts, committed to protecting Canadian public sector data like it’s our own, and making it more resilient, secure, actionable, and searchable. ThinkOn works with a trusted ecosystem of top technology partners to provide cost-effective Infrastructure-as-a-Service solutions and data management services with transparent and predictable pricing.
Built to handle PBMM data, ThinkOn is an approved CSP under the Shared Services Canada Framework Agreement for Secure Workload.
For further information: (press only) contact
Vanessa Grantcharova
Brand Marketing Manager | ThinkOn
vanessa.grantcharova@thinkon.com
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iThe Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, National Cyber Threat Assessment 2023-2024, https://cyber.gc.ca/en/guidance/national-cyber-threat-assessment-2023-2024
iiGlobal News, Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press, https://globalnews.ca/news/8620551/data-risk-government-systems/
