The Legault government has granted more than $3.5 million in financial assistance to a Gatineau organization specializing in cybersecurity for a project that aims, among other things, to increase the protection of personal information in Quebec SMEs.
The $6.7 million project by the non-profit organization In-Sec-M is the first initiative focused primarily on cybersecurity and the protection of personal information to receive government support as part of its digital transformation (OTN), launched in 2021.
“Cybersecurity is an aspect that is part of various projects without it always being the main objective or the most important dimension. This one is entirely focused on that, ”explained Jean-Pierre d’Auteuil, director of communications for the Ministry of Economy and Innovation.
Concretely, the financial assistance of $3,535,750 from the government will be used to raise awareness among 3,500 companies of the importance of cybersecurity, through individual or collective training.
The In-Sec-M organization's project also plans to help 1,500 companies implement best practices in cybersecurity and personal data protection, in addition to setting up a self-assessment platform that will enable 25,000 companies to assess their degree of digital maturity in this area.
"Data security and the confidentiality of personal information are among the challenges of our companies with regard to digital transformation," said the Minister of Economy and Innovation, Pierre Fitzgibbon, in a press release. . By supporting this project, we want SMEs to be able to take another step towards the digital shift in an efficient and secure way.”
The Legault government launched the OTN in March 2021, with an initial envelope of $130 million. As part of the 2022-2023 budget, an additional pool of $60 million was added to this amount. To date, the OTN has supported 25 projects, according to the website of the Ministry of Economy and Innovation. The In-Sec-M project therefore becomes the 26th initiative to receive financial assistance under this program.
Created in 2017, In-Sec-M defines itself as the “Canadian cybersecurity industry cluster”. The organization brings together companies, training and research establishments, as well as government actors. Its mission is “to increase the cohesion and competitiveness of the Canadian cybersecurity industry, nationally and internationally,” reads the organization’s website.
