The adaptable platform has been deployed across various provincial and territorial governments in Canada, driving adoption of digital services across the population.
The Portage CyberTech Online Services Platform is now available for governments and organizations of all sizes that wish to offer unified online services to citizens, students, patients and businesses alike. With a core focus on the protection of privacy, individuals can access all public services through one unified platform using one single login.
An Imperative for Governments
The UN's 2022 e-government survey clearly demonstrated the importance of government digital migration. Economic development and the trust relationship between populations and governments is becoming increasingly dependent on the authorities' ability to digitally transform their public services and administrative processes. The labour shortage, climate resilience, and technological lag of public agencies exacerbates the need for digital transformation.
"The only way Governments can survive in the digital era is to embrace change and create a culture of innovation in which people and organizations experiment, learn and develop. There must be a commitment to staying the course and a willingness to resist outside forces or pressures that seek to undermine digital transformation. Governments must break down the silos that divide IT systems in order to improve collaboration between departments and achieve optimal digital integration and development. The culture of the public sector needs to change, with priority given to increased flexibility and productivity for government employees and improved user-centred approaches and outcomes."1
The Portage CyberTech Online Services Platform allows for a smooth transition while respecting legal privacy requirements. Regional government alliances or para-public organizations can invite their various entities to gradually integrate their customized platforms to simplify life for the population.
An Opportunity to Restore Trust
The perception of existing digital channels is somewhat unfavourable, with over 62% of Canadians saying they have experienced problems accessing digital services. Still, almost three quarters of Canadians (74%) are open to accessing more public services online. In fact, 84% of them believe that their access to government services would be simplified if more digital options were available. 2
However, the sporadic deployment of disparate digital portals over the last 20 years has burdened users, requiring them to handle multiple login credentials for distinct systems. This increases the risk and potential for fraudsters to carry out cyberattacks.
Accelerate, but Not at Any Cost
Across North America, issues such as inflation, the labour shortage, lack of affordable housing, and pressures brought on by the war in Ukraine are forcing governments to allocate resources in record time. Digital transformation is often cited as a miraculous solution. However, recent evidence of vulnerabilities in public and private systems reveals that going fast without privacy-preserving tools carries enormous risks.
The Portage CyberTech Online Services Platform, designed in partnership with provincial and territorial governments, protects user privacy while ensuring the responsible acceleration of digital services. Government programs and services are more secure, cyber-resilient and can serve businesses and citizens more quickly and cost effectively using the consolidated platform.
Adapts to Existing Systems
The Portage CyberTech Online Services Platform was created with the aim of safeguarding user privacy while simultaneously enabling access to public services. It integrates with current government systems and databases, eliminating the need to replace existing infrastructure, thus avoiding disruptions in service delivery.
The flexible platform can be hosted on the cloud or internal servers, allowing it to adapt to the specific requirements and budgetary constraints of each organization.
Privacy-Preserving Access Management
Access management is made possible by Portage CyberTech's advanced solution: CitizenOne, which acts as a bridge between identification sources like a driver's license or account number and the service platform. By using this approach, a user's personal information is safeguarded and can only be accessed by them; it is not disclosed to government personnel or other organizations involved in the platform. This ensures that citizens' privacy is preserved while still providing access to essential services.
To gain access to the platform, the user must first agree to the use of their information for authentication purposes. This consent can be revoked at any time, and the information is not shared with any outside parties beyond the requested service. The necessary authentication information varies depending on the level of confidentiality required for the specific service. For instance, to access municipal tax records, only a tax roll number and postal code are needed, while obtaining health records requires multiple pieces of information to verify identity, such as a personal identification number, multifactor authentication, and health card number.
In addition, the system validates the corresponding information and tokenizes it as it circulates. Thus, a department can request an identification document to access a specific service without seeing or storing the information, protecting the user's identity.
Integration of Existing Tools Through APIs
The platform can integrate with existing tools such as CMS, DXP, CRM, digital and electronic signature solutions. Portage CyberTech can provide these proven solutions, or organizations can also integrate their own existing tools. The flexibility of the service platform is such that organizations can use it as the Identity Provider (IDP) or integrate their existing Identity & Access Management solution or identity store (IAM or CIAM).
A Responsible and Realistic Acceleration
In conclusion, the Portage CyberTech Online Services Platform presents an opportunity for governments and organizations to provide unified and easily accessible online services. The platform is designed to protect users' privacy while allowing for responsible acceleration of digital services and an improved user experience.
The platform connects to existing government systems and applications, precluding the need to completely reform internal systems to offer online services. Architected to the principles of Privacy By Design, the platform allows for user-driven consent for the sharing of their personal data. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and access restricted to parties only the user has authorized. Personal information stored in the platform is kept to a minimum and it is not shared across program areas without the consent of the user.
Ultimately, Portage CyberTech's platform offers an efficient and secure way for governments to provide services to citizens and businesses while complying with evolving data privacy and security standards. It is an essential tool for navigating the digital age and preparing for the widespread adoption of advanced digital technology without disruption.