Use open standards and solutions Leverage open standards and embrace leading practices, including the use of open source software where appropriate. Design for services and platforms that are seamless for Canadians to use no matter what device or channel they are using. Guidance: Use open standards and solutions To maintain the trust of Canadians, the government must continually learn and improve by embracing leading practices to simplify access to government services to match the rising expectations of Canadians. In alignment with the Digital Nations Charter, which calls for both the use of Open Standards and Open Source, this Digital Standard aligns with the ultimate Digital Vision which reads, “The Government of Canada is an open and service-oriented organization that operates and delivers programs and services to people and businesses in simple, modern and effective ways that are optimized for digital and available anytime, anywhere and from any device.” By leveraging open source software, and leveraging open standards and solutions, the Government of Canada can mitigate vendor lock-in and expand its vendor pool from which to acquire digital services. Aligned Behaviours 1. Our team prioritizes solutions using open standards over solutions that do not. 2. Team members give back to the open source community as active contributors. 3. Our team designs their services to be interoperable with other services. 4. When searching for a new product, service or solution, our team considers open source solutions. 5. Our team supports clients using any device, from anywhere and at any time. Misaligned Behaviours 1. Our team renews existing contracts with vendors without first investigating open source tooling. 2. Our team does not have the competencies within it to deliver its services without the help of consultants or closed source vendor software.