Online Business Systems
Online Business Systems is a Canadian IT consulting firm founded in 1986 delivering digital transformation, cybersecurity, AI, and ITSM services to enterprise and mid-market clients across Canada, the US, the UK, and South Africa; acquired by CGI in December 2025.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersWinnipeg, Canada
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Online Business Systems does
Online Business Systems is a Canadian-founded IT consulting firm established in 1986 and headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The company delivers digital transformation and cybersecurity services to enterprise and mid-market clients across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa, operating from seven offices including Toronto, Calgary, Minneapolis, Portland, London, and Cape Town. Its core practices encompass Digital Transformation (Digital Advisory, Digital Studio custom software development, Salesforce consulting with 50+ certifications, Service Management/ITSM with 30+ certifications and a 16-year track record, Customer Engagement/contact center modernization, Data Services, and Business and Technical Consulting) and Cybersecurity (Security Advisory, Assessment Services, Offensive Security, Healthcare Cybersecurity, and Cloud Security including FedRAMP and StateRAMP readiness). Supporting practices include an AI portfolio (GenAI services, GenAI Workshops, Conversational AI with IVAs, and a Document Intelligence capability inside an Innovation Lab) delivered on partner platforms from Salesforce, Five9, AWS, BMC, Freshworks, HumanFirst, Genesys, and Amazon Connect.
The business operates as a professional services and managed services firm, generating revenue through billable consulting hours, project-based implementation engagements, and multi-year managed services contracts priced on a custom quote basis per project scope and complexity. Distribution is hybrid: direct enterprise field sales augmented by technology partner channels (Salesforce consulting partner, Five9 preferred partner, AWS, BMC Software, and Freshworks), with documented partners including BMC, where Online earned Global Partner of the Year 2024. Its go-to-market emphasizes regulated verticals such as healthcare (HIPAA, HITRUST), government (FedRAMP/StateRAMP), financial services (PCI DSS), and organizations needing ITSM modernization. Founder Charles Loewen serves as Chairman, President and CEO, with Lynne Black as CFO and Timothy Siemens as CTO and Partner. In December 2025, CGI acquired Online Business Systems, bringing 350+ professionals into CGI's global delivery organization while retaining the Online brand within CGI's portfolio of subsidiaries.
Online Business Systems firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Online Business Systems
- Legal name
- Online Business Systems
- Website
- https://obsglobal.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Online Business Systems is a Canadian IT consulting firm founded in 1986 delivering digital transformation, cybersecurity, AI, and ITSM services to enterprise and mid-market clients across Canada, the US, the UK, and South Africa; acquired by CGI in December 2025.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Online Business Systems industry classification
Industry- Product category
- IT Consulting Services
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Strategy & IT Advisory (BPAEAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- ITSM Managed Services (Run/Operate/Optimize) (BPAEAJAN), Enterprise Applications User/Admin Training (ERP/CRM/ITSM platforms) (BPAEANAK)
Keywords
Where Online Business Systems is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Winnipeg
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Online Business Systems business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- IT Consulting Services: Professional consulting services providing digital transformation, cybersecurity, AI, and service management expertise. Revenue generated through billable consulting hours and project-based engagements with enterprise clients.
- Technology Implementation Services: Implementation and managed services for platforms including Salesforce, Five9, BMC, AWS, and Freshworks. Revenue generated through implementation projects, ongoing support, and managed services contracts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom quote-based pricing for consulting services |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Online Business Systems product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Online Business Systems is an IT consulting firm delivering professional services in digital transformation and cybersecurity to mid-market and enterprise clients. Core offerings span Salesforce implementation, ITSM/Service Management (BMC, Freshworks), Customer Engagement and Conversational AI (Five9, Genesys, Amazon Connect), Data Services, custom software development, and a full cybersecurity practice including advisory, assessment, offensive security, healthcare cybersecurity, and FedRAMP/StateRAMP cloud security. Services are delivered through consulting engagements, implementation projects, and managed services contracts.
Product overview
Online Business Systems is an IT consulting firm offering digital transformation and cybersecurity services through a portfolio of interconnected practices. The core offerings consist of Digital Transformation Services (including Digital Studio, Salesforce Practice, Service Management, Customer Engagement, Data Services, and Business/Technical Consulting) and Cybersecurity Services (including Security Advisory, Assessment, Offensive Security, Healthcare Cybersecurity, and Cloud Security). Supporting these is an AI practice offering GenAI services and an Innovation Lab for emerging technologies. The company was acquired by CGI in December 2025, bringing over 350 professionals across offices in Canada, US, UK, and South Africa.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Digital Transformation Services Comprehensive digital transformation practice offering assessment, strategy, custom software development, Salesforce consulting, service management, customer engagement, business/technical consulting, and data services for enterprise and mid-market clients modernizing operations.
- Cybersecurity Services Full-spectrum cybersecurity offerings including security advisory (virtual CISO, program management), assessment services (PCI, HIPAA, ISO/NIST/SOC/GDPR), offensive security (penetration testing, red teaming, social engineering), healthcare cybersecurity, and cloud security for clients needing to protect against threats and meet regulatory requirements.
- Salesforce Practice Salesforce consulting and implementation services covering Sales Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud, Agentforce, and Salesforce CPQ. Delivered by a team with over 50 Salesforce certifications for organizations implementing or optimizing Salesforce platforms.
- Service Management (ITSM) IT Service Management and Enterprise Service Management consulting practice with 16+ years of experience and 30+ certifications, partnering with BMC Software and Freshworks for implementation, upgrades, optimization, and managed services. Includes ExpressITSM accelerated deployment methodology.
- ExpressITSM Rapid ITSM implementation service enabling organizations to deploy a new service desk in weeks rather than months. Part of Online's Service Management practice and BMC Software partnership.
- Customer Engagement and Contact Center Consulting Contact center consulting and modernization services including Five9, Genesys Cloud, and Amazon Connect platform implementations, Intelligent Virtual Agent (IVA) deployment, AI Agent Assist, and contact center as a service (CCaaS) advisory for enterprise clients modernizing customer experience operations.
- Conversational AI NLP-based Conversational AI solutions enabling omnichannel customer interactions across phone, SMS, chat, and email. Includes virtual agents, speech-to-intent, predictive call handling, AI Agent Assist, and self-learning IVR capabilities with documented outcomes including 66% faster call resolution, 40% reduction in misrouted calls, and 70% improvement in call intent determination.
- Data Services Data engineering and architecture, data management and governance, and data analytics and reporting services helping organizations leverage data assets including SQL Server, Power BI, and modern data platform implementations.
- Digital Studio (Custom Software Development) Custom software development practice offering product vision, digital product delivery, product operations, and brand experience services for building and modernizing software products for enterprise clients.
- Business and Technical Consulting Organizational change management (PROSCI certified), project management, quality assurance, application development and management, systems integration, cloud deployment, and infrastructure managed services.
- Cloud Security Services Cloud security advisory, engineering, and assessment services including FedRAMP and StateRAMP readiness certifications, CIS Critical Security Controls and CIS Benchmarks compliance support. CIS SecureSuite member providing cloud security compliance resources.
- Healthcare Cybersecurity Specialized cybersecurity services for healthcare organizations including Risk Management Program development, HITRUST Readiness, and HIPAA Compliance. Addresses healthcare-specific security and regulatory requirements for hospitals, health systems, and digital health companies.
- Security Advisory Services CISO services (virtual and fractional), security program management, and cybersecurity strategy services aligning security with business objectives. Includes digital forensics and incident response (DFIR) capabilities.
- Offensive Security Services Penetration testing (network, wireless, web, app), red teaming, social engineering, secure code analysis and review, vulnerability assessment, and autonomous/continuous testing services for organizations needing adversarial security validation.
- Assessment Services Compliance and assessment services including PCI compliance, third-party risk assurance, risk and privacy readiness assessment and remediation, and assessments for ISO, NIST, SOC, and GDPR frameworks.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduced over $30M in operational costs through ITSM implementation
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Online Business Systems
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Online Business Systems technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
AI capability7 records
Feature5 records
Online Business Systems partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- Five9corePreferred partner status with Five9 for contact center and customer engagement solutions. Online provides Five9 implementation, Intelligent Virtual Agent (IVA) deployment, and contact center modernization services.
- SalesforcecoreSalesforce consulting partner providing Sales Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud, Agentforce, and Salesforce CPQ implementation services. Team holds over 50 Salesforce certifications.
- AWScoreTechnology partner for cloud services, providing cloud deployment, migration, and security services leveraging AWS infrastructure.
- BMC SoftwarecoreBMC partner providing ITSM implementation, upgrades, optimization, and professional services. Awarded BMC Global Partner of the Year 2024. ExpressITSM offering for accelerated deployments.
- FreshworkssecondaryTechnology partner for Freshworks customer engagement and service management solutions.
- HumanFirstsecondaryJoint webinar and go-to-market partnership for leveraging generative AI and unstructured natural language data for customer experience transformations.
- CIS (Center for Internet Security)secondaryCIS SecureSuite member, providing cloud security services aligned with CIS Critical Security Controls and CIS Benchmarks.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Online Business Systems competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Avanade: Joint venture between Accenture and Microsoft focused on Microsoft technology implementations, digital transformation, and managed services. Directly comparable to OBS's Microsoft-heavy and Salesforce service management work.
- Slalom: Mid-sized digital transformation and technology consulting firm with similar practice areas (Salesforce, cloud, data, customer engagement). Closely comparable in size, geography (strong North America presence), and consultative GTM to mid-market and enterprise clients.
- Thoughtworks: Global technology consultancy specializing in digital transformation, custom software development, and platform engineering. Comparable to OBS's Digital Studio and application development practice in approach and target market.
- Long View Systems: Canadian-headquartered IT solutions and services firm with a similar mix of managed services, cloud, security, and digital transformation offerings. Directly comparable as a Canadian-headquartered mid-sized IT services peer with overlapping customer segments.
Broad incumbents
- Deloitte Digital: Big 4 digital consulting practice offering strategy, implementation, and managed services across Salesforce, ServiceNow, cloud, and cybersecurity. Overlaps with OBS's full-stack digital transformation and cybersecurity offerings.
- Capgemini: Global IT services and consulting firm with comparable digital transformation, cloud, and managed services practices. Competes for enterprise modernization and platform implementation deals similar to OBS's core service lines.
- Accenture: Global professional services firm with deep digital transformation, cloud, cybersecurity, and Salesforce/Five9 implementation capabilities. Competes for the same enterprise RFPs as OBS but at substantially larger scale and broader portfolio.
- CGI Group: Global IT consulting and systems integration firm ($15.9B revenue, 94,000 employees) that acquired Online Business Systems in December 2025. Overlaps broadly in digital transformation, managed services, and cybersecurity but at vastly larger scale.
Others
- Insight Enterprises: Global IT solutions integrator providing hardware, software, and services including cloud, data, and cybersecurity. Adjacent to OBS's services with overlapping enterprise clients and partner ecosystem relationships.
Regional players
- Softchoice: Canadian-headquartered IT solutions provider focused on software licensing, cloud, and managed services for North American mid-market and enterprise clients. Comparable in regional presence and customer base, though more product-resale-led.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Online Business Systems social profiles
Digital presenceOnline Business Systems compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance11 records
Online Business Systems financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Online Business Systems leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Online Business Systems funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Online Business Systems M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Online Business Systems
What does Online Business Systems do?
Online Business Systems is an IT consulting firm delivering professional services in digital transformation and cybersecurity to mid-market and enterprise clients. Core offerings span Salesforce implementation, ITSM/Service Management (BMC, Freshworks), Customer Engagement and Conversational AI (Five9, Genesys, Amazon Connect), Data Services, custom software development, and a full cybersecurity practice including advisory, assessment, offensive security, healthcare cybersecurity, and FedRAMP/StateRAMP cloud security. Services are delivered through consulting engagements, implementation projects, and managed services contracts.
Is Online Business Systems a public or private company?
Online Business Systems is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Online Business Systems founded?
Online Business Systems was founded in 1986. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Online Business Systems based?
Online Business Systems is headquartered in Winnipeg, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Online Business Systems make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. IT Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are technology Implementation Services.
Who are Online Business Systems's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Avanade, Slalom, Thoughtworks and Long View Systems. Broad incumbents are Deloitte Digital, Capgemini, Accenture and CGI Group. Insight Enterprises is listed as an others. Softchoice is listed as a regional player.
Does Online Business Systems have an API?
No public API is recorded for Online Business Systems.
What industry is Online Business Systems in?
Online Business Systems's product category is IT Consulting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAAAA, Strategy & IT Advisory, with a secondary code of BPAEAJAN, ITSM Managed Services (Run/Operate/Optimize). Its NAICS code is 54151 and its SIC code is 7373.