Canadian Government Executive - Volume 27 - Issue 05

September/October 2021 // Canadian Government Executive / 13 Sponsored Content PERSPECTIVE Clea’s personal history helps her un- derstand how important inclusive de- livery and adaptable access can be. She has worked in the technology sector for more than 20 years, but has been shaped by her family experiences. She grew up in an atmosphere of progressive values and an ethos of public service. She has vivid memories of campaigning with her politician mother, Evelyn. Her father, who served as Canada’s Chief Statistician, was also a role model as was her uncle Philip, a former senator. To her daughter, Mirah, from whom she draws inspiration, Clea is passing on a family tradition of public service. “Mirah is amazing. She graduated last year, facing grim prospects during the pandemic, but managed to secure a job in tech. Likemany young people, she needed resilience, optimism and persistence. I am immensely proud of her courage”. Clea feels a responsibility to model innova- tive and supportive workplace culture for young women like her daughter setting out in tech. Benchmark offers Clea the op- portunity to work in a culture of tech inge- nuity that genuinely gives back—a perfect match, personally and professionally. Clea believes that Benchmark can make Canada a leader in digital transformation. This is a big vision for what is still a rela- tively small company, but Clea feels that Benchmark is capable of bridging the systems and technology required. She uses a unique and quirky analogy. “There is a sea of solutions available to clients, but Benchmark offers an adaptable, agile, intelligent and elegant option. It is, if you like, the dolphin of the innovation ocean”. By integrating open source solutions, Benchmark supports the most effective way to reduce infrastructure costs. Open- source solutions offer optimal flexibility in a rapidly changing market because they prevent organizations from locking into rigid solutions for the long-term - an im- portant consideration for governments which struggle with supporting legacy systems. Benchmark emphasizes the tremen- dous importance of security and gover- nance in data migration through focused innovation. Benchmark helps ensure that the federal government is able to reliably deliver the services Canadians expect and depend on. Clea understands the intricacies of working with government and the demands placed upon its digital infrastructure. The complexity of its ser- vice delivery models means that system- wide the code and framework securing data transition has to mitigate the risk of data loss or leakage. Through departments such as the Ca- nadian Revenue Agency, Employment and Social Development Canada, Shared Services Canada, National Defence and others, the federal government’s Cloud capacity could eventually touch every citizen. “Canada needs to adopt open source and the cloud wisely and well,” says Clea. It must be agile, innovative and integrated. Few companies have the software ingenuity and pedigree to sup- port such an enterprise, but Benchmark Corp has proven its mettle. “Although many enterprises have adopted open- source, they use our expertise to accel- erate innovation, increase their speed to market or improve their agility to deploy new applications,” says Clea. One of Benchmark’s strengths is de- livering a rapid and efficient transition, making a complex process manageable, understandable and individual, while keeping data secure and systems run- ning. They share their IP as part of the Global DevOps Community to shape best practices. Although Benchmark is built on integrating opensource software to make adoption less burdensome, it is still highly secure. They have a silo for cy- ber security and are fully engaged with all the privacy and security challenges client enterprises and the federal gov- ernment face. This, says Clea, is the “Sec” in their “DevSecOps” offering. “Many models talk about DevOps, but we are leaders in DevSecOps. It is specialized, designed to keep data absolutely secure, in a single pipeline. We have worked with the US Department of Defense, with US banks, as well as in Canadian health care set- tings. Security and efficiency are not ei- ther/or options at Benchmark”. Benchmark is a leader in progressive workplace culture. They actively pursue inclusion and support which appeals to Clea. The company is certified as an Ab- original or minority business enterprise as defined by the Aboriginal and Minor- ity Supplier Council (AMSC). Benchmark President Luc Villeneuve, founder of Men as Allies, works in the broader technology community to engage other enterprises in supporting and encouraging women in a traditionally diversity-resistant sec- tor. With Villeneuve, is Kam Sabouri, Benchmark CEO since 2018. His innova- tive vision and commitment to diverse customer needs have resulted in strong partnerships and relationships across in- dustry. He is shaping and supporting the inclusive workplace culture that Bench- mark embodies. Clea is delighted to be in a workplace that combines the progressive values she grew up with the tech innovation she loves. “The culture of supporting diversi- ty and inclusion at all levels in Benchmark is unlike anywhere I have worked be- fore. Many companies in the sector state their support for equality, diversity and respectful workplaces, but Benchmark actively works to enact that culture. At Benchmark I see active engagement in diversity and inclusion coming right from the top. That is special in a technology company.” Clea sees it in the way Bench- mark recruits and engages its employees. “We reap the results in the high level of performance, retention and innovation.” The approach to inclusion extends to creative support. Benchmark CTO, Shlo- mo Bielak dedicates team time specifi- cally to creativity and innovation. Bench- mark and Bielak encourage engineering teams to translate creative thoughts into innovative ideas and those ideas result in products. “A supportive and inclusive workplace culture is essential for a com- pany that depends on innovation.” Such authenticity inspires mindset shifts, ac- cording to Clea. “Diversity allows us to expand our un- derstanding of client needs. We can see gaps that need addressing in current cloud journey delivery models. Creativity has to embrace diversity to produce inno- vation that reflects the diverse needs of Canadians”. In Clea’s view, Benchmark is a DevSecOps pioneer. “We deliver excel- lence, because Benchmark believes in its workforce. Our products are based on be- lieving in people. We trust people to de- liver technology that people can trust. “ “We deliver excellence, because Benchmark believes in its workforce. Our products are based on believing in people. We trust people to deliver technology that people can trust.”