- Case Study
General Dynamics Land Systems
- Overview
General Dynamics Land Systems Canada (GDLS-C) partnered with the Department of National Defence (DnD Canada) to create a secure, efficient, and compliant SharePoint Online collaborative environment. This initiative aimed to enhance information sharing and collaborative work among GDLS-C, DnD, and Marshal.
Project Objectives
The collaborative environment addressed six key objectives:
- Information and File Sharing: Enabled secure electronic document exchange between GDLS-C and the Government of Canada (GoC). Applied stringent security policies aligned with CCCS Protection B standards and underwent audits by third-party security firms. Deployed Microsoft 365 SharePoint environments with dedicated communication sites, implementing sensitivity labels, conditional access, MFA, single sign-on, self-service password reset (SSPR), privileged identity management (PIM), and authentication method policies.
- Information Protection: Ensured protection of sensitive files containing commercial, proprietary, CGP, and ITAR information from unauthorized access, threats, loss, or corruption.
- System Access Management: Granted access exclusively to users with appropriate security clearances and approvals, denying entry to unauthorized users.
- File Access Management: Limited user access strictly to necessary files, ensuring compliance with access restrictions.
- File Lifecycle Management: Managed file creation, sharing, editing, updating, archiving, and disposal processes, including tracking changes and lifecycle statuses for effective file management.
- Collaborative Work Facilitation: Provided essential tools and processes to foster mutual collaboration among GDLS-C, DnD, and Marshal.
Project Deliverables
The project successfully delivered:
- SharePoint Online websites
- Microsoft Teams integration
- Exchange Online for secure communications
- Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory)
- User account provisioning
- Comprehensive user permission structures
- Implementation of sensitivity labels
- Data retention policies
- User storage through OneDrive
- User documentation in both English and French
- Technical knowledge transfer documentation
Technical Information
The Microsoft 365 tenant included extensive configuration and security management resources provided by GDLS-C, addressing both administrator and end-user needs. Customized permissions and security structures were developed, leveraging robust Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) via Microsoft Entra ID.
Results
The collaborative environment provided significant advantages:
- Secure Collaboration: Enabled secure, compliant sharing of sensitive documents across three organizations.
- Enhanced Productivity: Streamlined document management and collaboration processes improved cross-departmental productivity.
- Effective Security Compliance: Met rigorous security standards and successfully passed third-party audits.
- Efficient Access Management: Implemented stringent access controls, enhancing security posture and compliance.
Conclusion
The establishment of a secure SharePoint Online collaborative environment effectively addressed General Dynamics Land Systems Canada and DnD Canada’s strategic collaboration needs. By integrating advanced security measures and compliance standards, this initiative facilitated seamless, secure collaboration, significantly enhancing operational efficiency and information protection across the participating organizations.
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