b'DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTYGlazenburg says that having a sovereign data model is para-mount for Indigenous communities and businesses. They need to understand the data they already have in order to know what direction to take in the future. Yet information management in many Indigenous communities is currently insufficient, and taking the plunge to better manage that data can be daunting.These groups have a way of managing data that is very siloed, says Glazenburg. Then, when they get to the point [where] they can start understanding what they have and what they can share, its a scary thing for them because they start to unearth things that they didnt even know they had access to. We try to get them to understand what they want to do with their data, and we use technology to do that. Glazenburg understands that the digitization of data in Indigenous communities needs to be taken with great care. We have to build a relationship and trust before we can even go down the path of doing the work that we typically would do, he explains. When we are digitizing data, whether it be The Calgary-based company is led by its founder Jon Harrison,a document for their day-to-day operations or a historical a member of Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation in northerntraditional knowledge document, or an artifact or a cultural Ontario, and by its executive VP and chief technology officer,expression, they dont want that leaving their land. So, we Neil Glazenburg. The companys vision is rooted in Indigenousneed to cater to that. teachings, as embodied in its name. Makwa7 represents the Seven Grandfather teachings of the Anishinaabe, explainsMakwa7 will often send a team on-site and work with a Nation Glazenburg. They are the guiding words for the work weto either buy the necessary technologies or to bring the tech-do at Mawka7: Wisdom, Love, Respect, Bravery, Honesty,nology to the Nation to scan or capture their data. It uses two Humility and Truth.software platforms for these solutions: M-Files, an informa-tion management platform, and esri, a GIS geospatial data mapping platform. Another important step is ensuring that none of the data is captured and used without the Nations consent. [Its about] C A N A D AS L A R G E S T C U S T O M building trust that these systems were putting in place are C A N A D AS L A R G E S T C U S T O MO P E N - D I E F O R G I N G C O M P A N Y owned and controlled by them: that was something that was O P E N - D I E F O R G I N G C O M P A N Y very important to usto have a system that we could deploy on-site that doesnt need to be hosted somewhere where its controlled by a third party, says Glazenburg. Its controlled by their internal IT team, if they have one. And if they dont, we can build that trust and relationship and replace that gap for them. Makwa7 also works with Indigenous communities to help them plan for managing data breaches. We work with them 11:33 5G 85 to have a backup plan, a contingency business continuity FORGE CO. plan, whether that involves multiple servers distributed across different parts of the world or Canada, or even just backups of WHEN THE SCIENCEREALLY MATTERS their data, Glazenburg says. Makwa7 is also working towards We provide best in class developing a data centre that will be accessible to First Nations material solutionsLEARN MORE REQUEST A QUOTE and managed through an Indigenous-owned company.Clearly, attaining digital sovereignty is neither an easy nor quick undertaking. There are many moving parts, and the road TOP METAL & STEELFORGING SUPPLIERS ahead is still long. But thanks to the work of companies like Kinap Solutions, KatloTech and Makwa7, progress is being CAPABILITIES/SERVICES:Want to join our team? www.patriotforge.com made. It will continue to be made until Indigenous commu-Contact us atAA nities have all the digital tools they need to help them reach HR@patriotforge.com 1-877-495-9542 their full economic destiny. 38A CCAB PUBLICATIONWinter 2024'