What Shared Services Canada does

Shared Services Canada (SSC) is a federal government department of Canada, established in 2011 and headquartered in Ottawa, mandated to consolidate and deliver shared IT infrastructure and digital services across Government of Canada departments and agencies. SSC operates as an internal IT service provider rather than a commercial vendor, delivering secure communications (notably BlackBerry SecuSUITE for national security and defence users), cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, satellite ground communications, and centralized procurement services. Its technology footprint spans approximately 7,500 federal applications - 62% of which are classified as unhealthy legacy systems - and includes the ICELab facility for evaluating market-ready security technology such as Cyphercor's LoginTC MFA.

SSC's product surface includes CANChat, an internal AI assistant deployed across 20 departments to 11,500+ public servants and built on Cohere's Command A model, alongside government-specific AI tools (GCtranslate, ParlBrief) and a Centre of Expertise in Agile and Innovative Procurement launched June 2025. Ground communications technology developed with Advantech Wireless Technologies is currently supporting NASA's Artemis II mission.

SSC generates no external revenue: it is funded entirely through parliamentary appropriations as part of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat portfolio. It does not price or sell commercial services; its customers are exclusively Government of Canada departments and agencies (e.g., Canada Revenue Agency via the Bell Canada contact-centre contract). Its GTM motion is direct-to-government, distributing through internal service agreements and its procurement vehicles rather than conventional sales channels.

Name

Shared Services Canada

Legal name

Shared Services Canada

Website

https://canada.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Shared Services Canada is a Canadian federal government department, headquartered in Ottawa, that delivers consolidated IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, secure communications, AI tools, and procurement services to Government of Canada departments and agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government IT Infrastructure Services

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro primary industry

Data Center Interconnection (DCI) & Cross-Connects (HDABALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Multilingual & Global Shared-Service Contact Centers (BPAAAAAL)

Keywords

• Government IT infrastructure
• Federal cybersecurity services
• Cloud computing services
• Government telecommunications
• IT procurement services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Internal Government Services: As a federal government department, Shared Services Canada operates on appropriated funding to provide IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, communications, and procurement services to other government departments. SSC does not generate external revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Shared Services Canada is a federal department that delivers IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, communications (voice and data), and procurement services to other Government of Canada departments and agencies. It centrally operates data centres, networks, cloud services, endpoint devices, and contract vehicles so partner departments can access technology and security services through a single shared provider.

Product overview

Shared Services Canada (SSC) is a Canadian federal government department that provides shared IT infrastructure and digital services to government departments and agencies. SSC's portfolio includes secure communications solutions (such as expanded deployment of BlackBerry SecuSUITE for sovereign government communications), an internal AI assistant tool called CANChat built on Cohere's Command A model, a Centre of Expertise in Agile and Innovative Procurement for modernizing federal contracting, and satellite ground communications technology supporting space missions such as Artemis II. SSC operates as a central IT services provider, consolidating and delivering shared technology services across the federal government rather than developing commercial products for external sale.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IT Infrastructure Services Centralized delivery of IT infrastructure — including data centres, servers, networks, and cloud platforms — to Government of Canada departments and agencies.
• Cybersecurity Services Centralized cybersecurity operations, secure communications, and identity/authentication services for federal departments, enabling protected-B and higher classified workloads.
• Cloud Computing Services Provision of enterprise cloud computing capacity and migration services to Government of Canada departments.
• Telecommunications Services Provision of voice, data, and mission-critical telecommunications services — including secure voice — to Government of Canada departments, supported through partners such as Bell Canada and BlackBerry.
• IT Procurement Services Centralized, agile IT procurement services for Government of Canada departments, delivered through SSC's Centre of Expertise in Agile and Innovative Procurement.
• ICELab Testing Facility A dedicated testing and evaluation laboratory operated by SSC to validate hardware and software — including edge/IoT devices supplied through partners such as Advantech — before departmental deployment.
• Ground Communications Support for Artemis II Mission-critical ground communications services delivered by SSC in support of national space initiatives including the Artemis II mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• 11,500+ public servants using CANChat AI assistant
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BlackBerrycoreTechnology or Integration · 31 March 2026Multi-year agreement significantly expanding deployment of BlackBerry SecuSUITE for mission-critical, sovereign government communications across federal departments and agencies. Supports interception-resistant, government-grade secure voice and messaging for senior leaders, defence, national security officials, and public safety organizations. Reinforces Canada's commitment to domestic, Canadian-built technology for national security.
• Bell CanadacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 12 February 2026Five-year cloud-based contact centre contract awarded through procurement process led by Shared Services Canada for Canada Revenue Agency. Expands CRA contact centre capacity to approximately 4,500 service representatives.
• CoherecoreTechnology or Integration · 5 February 2026$339,000 per year contract for Command A model access for CANChat internal AI assistant. SSC rolling out tool across federal public servants for drafting emails, conducting research, and analyzing data. Marked as Ottawa's first publicly disclosed deal with Cohere, supporting strategy to champion homegrown AI champions and develop sovereign Canadian AI capability.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Government Digital Service (UK): The UK's Government Digital Service within the Cabinet Office operates as a central digital, data and technology function for the UK government, paralleling SSC's role as the consolidated IT shared services provider for the Government of Canada.
• Digital Transformation Agency (Australia): Australia's DTA leads whole-of-government digital strategy, services and procurement, mirroring SSC's mandate to consolidate and modernize IT across federal departments and provide shared services.
• Government Technology Agency (GovTech Singapore): GovTech Singapore builds and delivers secure government digital services and infrastructure across the Singapore public sector, closely analogous to SSC's role as central IT service provider for federal departments.
• Technology Transformation Services (U.S. GSA): TTS inside the U.S. General Services Administration develops and shares digital tools and shared services across federal agencies, paralleling SSC's mandate to centralize technology services for federal departments.
• National Shared Services Office (Ireland): Ireland's NSSO provides shared corporate and IT services to government departments under a shared services model, directly comparable to SSC's mandate as Canada's federal shared IT services department.

Broad incumbents

• CGI Federal: CGI Federal is a large incumbent IT services contractor delivering systems integration, cloud, and cybersecurity to U.S. federal agencies; while commercial rather than governmental, it competes for similar shared-services and modernization contracts that SSC oversees.
• Leidos: Leidos is a large federal IT and systems integrator supporting U.S. government civilian, defense, and intelligence agencies with infrastructure, cybersecurity, and AI services, an established incumbent in the federal shared-IT services space where SSC operates.
• Booz Allen Hamilton: Booz Allen Hamilton provides federal IT modernization, cybersecurity, and AI advisory services to U.S. government clients, broadly comparable to the consulting and modernization work SSC coordinates across Canadian federal departments.
• DXC Technology: DXC Technology delivers large-scale IT infrastructure, cloud, and managed services to government and enterprise clients globally, broadly comparable to SSC's mandate of operating and modernizing IT infrastructure for the Government of Canada.

Emerging players

• Accenture Federal Services: Accenture Federal Services provides digital transformation, cloud, and AI services to U.S. federal agencies, often partnering with agencies on modernization work similar to SSC's legacy application portfolio mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shared Services Canada