Government of Canada inks $134 million CDN deal with SAS for data and AI modernization

26 departments will benefit from new seven-year agreement

The Government of Canada has selected data and AI leader SAS as its primary analytical solution. The contractual arrangement allows 26 participating Government of Canada departments and agencies to use SAS^® Viya^® across its entire organization under a single, comprehensive agreement.

The new Enterprise Licensing Agreement (ELA) with SAS will consolidate over 100 annual contracts into one and ease the burden on public servants across federal agencies with a unified data strategy.

“A streamlined data and AI strategy holds massive potential for federal government agencies,” said Riad Gydien, SAS Executive Vice President and Chief Sales Officer. “By harnessing the power of SAS Viya, agencies across the Government of Canada will make notable progress in aligning their digital strategies and initiatives with Canada’s bold Digital Ambition efforts while significantly streamlining software management and reducing spending.”

The Government of Canada’s Digital Ambition is an enterprise-wide plan for all things digital and helps prioritize digital initiatives and the delivery of government services.

Other primary benefits of this new agreement include:

• Simplified management: IT teams will better streamline software management and compliance by consolidating licenses into one agreement, making it easier to track usage and renewals.
• Standardization: An ELA provides uniform access to the software across the entire organization, ensuring all employees have the tools they need without the complexity of managing multiple licenses.
• Modernization: Modernizing legacy SAS technology in use across the Government of Canada will enable a flexible computing infrastructure while reducing technical debt.
• Cost savings: Enterprise licensing often offers volume discounts, reducing the overall expense compared to purchasing individual licenses for each user or department
• Enhanced support and services: These include additional support, training and services that might not be available with individual licenses.

Governments can't afford to rely on siloed and inconsistent historical data to serve and protect citizens. Learn more about how SAS is powering public sector analytics.

The Canadian subsidiary of SAS has been in operation since 1988. Headquartered in Toronto, SAS employs more than 200 people across the country. For more information, please visit www.sas.com/canada.