Digital Governance Council

Name

Digital Governance Council

Legal name

Digital Governance Council

Website

https://dgc-cgn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Governance Standards and Conformity Assessment

akta.pro primary industry

Privacy Governance & Consent Management (HDADAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data Protection, Privacy & Cybersecurity Regulators (BPAIAOAH), Digital Policy, Data Governance & Cybersecurity Standards Cooperation (BPADANAH), Data Sharing & Data Marketplace Governance (HDAEADAK)

Keywords

• Digital governance standards
• Cybersecurity validation
• AI ethics certification
• Conformity assessment
• Data sovereignty

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Organizations join as members and participate in Executive Forum, advisory committees, and strategic roundtables. Membership is open to public, private and non-profit organizations operating in Canada.
2. Standards publications and sales: DGC sells published national standards documents including CAN/DGSI 100-8 Framework for Digital Sovereignty (Second Edition, $0.00 listed), and various other standards through their website.
3. Validation and Verification services: DGC provides paid validation and verification programs including reviews ($250) and audits ($750) against their various standards. Programs include SovereignReady, CyberReady, AIReady, DataReady, DigitalReady, TradeReady, ImpactReady, CyberDefence Ready, ElectionReady, and Nonprofit Digital Capability Verification.
4. Training and certification programs: DGC offers training products including AI Ethics courses (AI Ethics 1 - Governance at $300, AI Ethics 2 - Deployment at $600), Canadian AI Professional Certification C-AIP at $2,000, and Cyber Resiliency in Healthcare Micro-Credential.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Digital Governance Council develops National Standards of Canada for digital governance, cybersecurity, privacy, AI, digital identity, and emerging technologies through its Digital Governance Standards Institute (DGSI), and operates paid validation and verification programs that assess organizations against those standards. It also delivers training courses, a professional AI certification (C-AIP), advisory services, and publishes related standards documents and guides.

Product overview

The Digital Governance Council (DGC) is Canada's not-for-profit, member-led organization for digital governance operating through three core divisions: the Executive Forum for member dialogue, the Digital Governance Standards Institute (DGSI) for standards development, and verification/assessment programs for conformity assessment. DGSI develops National Standards of Canada covering data governance (CAN/DGSI 100 series), cybersecurity (CAN/DGSI 104, 105, 118), AI governance (CAN/DGSI 101, 128, 138), digital trust (CAN/DGSI 103 series), procurement (CAN/DGSI 108), and election integrity (CAN/DGSI 111-1, DGSI 119-1, 119-2). The organization offers multiple validation and verification programs (CyberReady, AIReady, DataReady, DigitalReady, SovereignReady, TradeReady, ImpactReady, ElectionReady, CyberDefence Ready, Nonprofit Digital Capability) that assess organizational practices against consensus standards. Additional offerings include training courses, advisory services through an AI Ethics Advisory Panel, professional certifications (C-AIP), and technical reports. The portfolio operates as a platform-plus-programs model where standards serve as the foundational framework for all validation and verification offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SovereignReady: Validation and Verification Program for digital sovereignty assessment against CAN/DGSI 100-8 framework.
• CyberReady
• AIReady
• DataReady
• DigitalReady
• TradeReady
• ImpactReady
• ElectionReady
• CyberDefence Ready
• Nonprofit Digital Capability Verification

Products and services

• CAN/DGSI 100-1 - Data Centric Security National Standard specifying fundamental characteristics and attributes required of data protection systems, including measures to protect data at rest and in transit between IT systems and organizations. For Canadian organizations adopting data governance practices.
• CAN/DGSI 100-8 - Framework for Digital Sovereignty National Standard specifying minimum requirements for organizations to protect data assets residing in foreign entities, providing jurisdictionally and technologically agnostic approaches. Available at no cost. For Canadian organizations handling data with cross-border exposure.
• CAN/DGSI 104 - Baseline Cyber Security Controls National Standard specifying minimum cyber security controls for small and medium organizations (typically under 500 employees) to strengthen cyber resilience and reduce exposure to common threats. For SMBs in Canada.
• CAN/DGSI 108 - Agile and Open Procurement National Standard specifying minimum requirements for preparing, developing, and conducting challenge-based, agile, and open procurement of digital products and services. For public and private sector procurement teams.
• CAN/DGSI 105 - IIoT Cybersecurity National Standard specifying cybersecurity controls for the design and operation of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices to meet requirements for security, safety, confidentiality, integrity, and availability. For manufacturers and operators of IIoT devices.
• CAN/DGSI 118 - Cyber Resiliency in Healthcare National Standard specifying minimum requirements for cyber security in healthcare organizations and supporting cyber resiliency of Canada's healthcare system. For healthcare providers and supporting service organizations.
• CAN/DGSI 100-11 - Community and Human Services Data Governance
• DGSI/WA 136 - Digital Literacy National Workshop Agreement establishing shared language, implementation strategies, and indicators for developing inclusive and effective digital literacy initiatives across Canada. For policy makers, educators, and community organizations.
• SovereignReady Validation and Verification Program
• CyberReady Validation and Verification Program
• AIReady Validation and Verification Program
• DataReady Validation and Verification Program
• DigitalReady Validation and Verification Program
• ElectionReady Validation and Verification Program
• ImpactReady Validation and Verification Program
• TradeReady Verification Program
• CyberDefence Ready Validation and Verification Program
• Nonprofit Digital Capability Verification Program
• AI Ethics Courses
• Canadian AI Professional Certification (C-AIP) Professional certification program for AI practitioners in Canada, validating competency in AI governance and ethics. Price: $2,000. For AI practitioners, managers, and compliance professionals.
• AI Ethics Advisory Panel
• Standard Practice for Digital Trust Claims
• Practical Guide to CAN/DGSI 104 and CPCSC Level 1
• MLETR Assessment Framework

Quantifiable outcome

• 240+ experts engaged in cybersecurity standards development through Technical Committee 5

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The Mitre CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 December 2023The Mitre Corporation provided their technical paper 'Challenge-Based Acquisition (Fifth Edition, 2020)' as a foundational reference during the development of CAN/DGSI 108 for Agile and Open Procurement of Digital Solutions.
• Standards Council of Canada (SCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCC is a Crown corporation within the portfolio of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada. SCC provides financial support and accreditation for DGSI's standards development work. DGSI gratefully acknowledges SCC's financial support in the development of CAN/DGSI 133 and other national standards.
• Digital Standards Initiative (DSI) of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDGC collaborated with DSI/ICC to develop a Technical Assessment Framework (MLETR Assessment Framework) for evaluating the reliability of organizations' digital services or networks that enable the transfer of Electronic Transferable Records (ETRs) within supply chains.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ISACA: ISACA is a global professional association offering IT governance frameworks (COBIT), certifications (CISA, CISM, CGEIT), and training that overlap with DGC's governance, risk, and compliance offerings, particularly in the digital trust and cyber resilience spaces.
• International Organization for Standardization: ISO is the global standards development organization whose ISO/IEC 27001 (information security), ISO 27701 (privacy), and ISO 42001 (AI management) standards are the dominant enterprise certifications. DGC's verification programs and National Standards of Canada compete directly with ISO certifications for procurement recognition.
• International Association of Privacy Professionals: IAPP is the leading global privacy professional association offering certifications (CIPP, CIPM, CIPT) and training that directly overlap with DGC's AI Ethics courses, C-AIP certification, and CAN/DGSI 133 Privacy Data Consent Management standard development work.
• BSI Group: BSI is the UK national standards body with a verification and certification business model closely matching DGC's, including cybersecurity (BSI Cyber), AI (BSI AI), and data governance offerings. Operates the same standards-plus-verification platform model in a different geography.

Emerging players

• HITRUST: HITRUST provides the HITRUST CSF certification for healthcare cybersecurity, a direct competitor in healthcare cyber certification where DGC has CAN/DGSI 118 Cyber Resiliency in Healthcare. Focused sectoral peer in healthcare cybersecurity verification.
• Cloud Security Alliance: CSA is a not-for-profit organization developing cloud and AI security standards (Cloud Controls Matrix, STAR certification, AI Safety Initiative) with a verification program model that parallels DGC's CyberReady and AIReady verification offerings.

Regional players

• AFNOR Group: AFNOR is the French national standards body offering standards development and certification/verification services across data, cybersecurity, and AI governance. Closely comparable business model in a different national market, especially relevant to DGC's MLETR framework and EU engagement.
• ETSI: ETSI is the European Telecommunications Standards Institute developing ICT standards with EU regulatory alignment. Operates a similar national/regional SDO model in Europe, relevant to DGC's Canada-EU Digital Cooperation initiative and MLETR framework work.

Broad incumbents

• National Institute of Standards and Technology: NIST is the US federal agency establishing the Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), AI Risk Management Framework, and other digital governance frameworks that are widely adopted globally. DGC's CyberReady and AIReady programs operate as a Canadian analog competing for recognition against NIST frameworks.

Others

• (ISC)²: (ISC)² is a global not-for-profit cybersecurity professional organization offering the CISSP, CCSP, and CSSLP certifications plus training. An adjacent peer in cybersecurity certification and training that competes with DGC's certification offerings on the credentials side rather than standards development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dgc-cgn
• Xtwitter.com/DGC_CGN

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Digital Governance Council