Capstone Industrial Training Solutions (ITS) Wins CanadianSME
Excellence in Data Privacy & Security Award 2021

Every year, CanadianSME Small Business Magazine organises the CanadianSME National Business Awards, created to showcase the passion and admiration for Canadian entrepreneurs. As SMEs continue to play a critical role in Canada’s business industry through great economic contributions, CanadianSME Magazine was developed to give back a much-needed support system to hard-working business owners.

Designed to recognize and applaud the contribution that small business owners provide to Canada’s economy, the CanadianSME Business Awards were started as a place for businesses to stand out and demonstrate their accomplishments within the business world. Recognized on an international scale, the awards help develop opportunities for business outreach campaigns by attracting more probable clients, employees, and partners. The SME industry plays a crucial role in Canada’s economy, and the awards are a way to provide support and recognition to the success of hardworking entrepreneurs. The CanadianSME Business Awards are a prestigious accolade that many business owners passionately anticipate receiving.

“Canadian entrepreneurs are more than just business owners of a successful company. They are the innovators of our country. Through their flourishing businesses, they push our economy to the next level and are what our communities are structured on”. – CanadianSME Business Awards

This past year, Capstone Industrial Training Solutions (ITS) took home the “Excellence in Data Privacy & Security” award from the 2021 CanadianSME Small Business Awards.

The Excellence in Data Privacy & Security Award is given to the company that has proven that data privacy & security are their top priority. Businesses who demonstrate that they have a formal privacy officer, have written policies in place, implement proper network security measures, and invest in security awareness training will be considered for this award.

Data privacy & security are not just legal requirements; enacting them ensures business success and sustainability. Furthermore, it represents the foundation from which a trusted service provider and client relationship is built upon.

Among the various data privacy and security initiatives that have been implemented, the awards highlighted the standout efforts of Geo Bourcier, the Capstone ITS Director of IT Systems and Data Management, who goes above and beyond to maintain the data privacy and security of the Capstone ITS team and the day-to-day client initiatives they are working on. Each week, Geo Bourcier dedicates time to keep up to date on the latest cybersecurity threats and data breaches, a practice that Capstone ITS highly recommends all small businesses invest some time into. Both literature and news inform Capstone ITS’ Security Tuesday, a weekly newsletter sent out to the entire Capstone ITS team to communicate relevant cybersecurity practices and reinforce our culture of digital literacy. Security Tuesday presents summaries of recent data breaches, cyber-attacks, and relevant new methodologies to secure systems. Background information on practices and procedures is also provided to support our efforts to protect the Capstone ITS infrastructure and our team from threats.

Upon receiving the award, Capstone ITS’ CEO and co-founder Alex Taimuri had this to say:  “We are honoured to have won the Excellence in Data Privacy and Security Award. The team has worked very hard to put processes in place to ensure data privacy and security are top priority at Capstone ITS and to drive success for our business, team, and clients. Congratulations to our team who have shown true dedication to cyber security.  

A very special thanks to our Director of IT Systems and Data Management for all your hard work and unwavering passion for technology and training!” – CanadianSME Award Winners. 

Capstone ITS is a remote-first company that works alongside global energy businesses of all sizes as their training partner of choice. The COVID-19 pandemic was a major contributing factor to Capstone ITS becoming a remote-first company. As such, many practices were put in place in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic that ensured our team, clients, and our wider community were supported throughout. Capstone ITS’ commitments at the onset of the pandemic remain in place to this day.