A notary office cannot afford a day without IT.
The practice software that freezes the day before a signing
And no one to call who knows your setup.
An email asking to change banking details
A few days before a real estate funds transfer.
Law 25 and your confidentiality obligations
Who has access to what? What do you do if there is an incident?
“Someone in the family” who looks after the computers
When they have time, and with no documentation.
A single point of contact for your office’s entire environment.
Our goal: reduce the risks to your office as much as possible. No solution can guarantee zero risk, but each layer of protection makes an attack much harder and recovery much faster.
We know your tools
The software found in most Quebec notary offices.
The trademarks mentioned belong to their respective owners. Appelez le tech is not affiliated with any of these vendors.
Protecting your office’s information is also a professional obligation.
We are familiar with the Chambre des notaires du Québec guide on the obligations of notaries and their technology service providers. Here are the main points to keep in mind, and what we do to help you meet them.
File confidentiality
You must make sure your staff do not disclose confidential information, and inform your technology providers when the documents they host are confidential.
How we help: access controlled per person, multi-factor authentication, encrypted workstations and team training.
Data hosted outside Quebec
Before transferring personal information outside Quebec, or at the start of a technology project that handles it, a privacy impact assessment (PIA) is required.
How we help: an inventory of your cloud services and where your data is hosted, to prepare your assessment.
Confidentiality incidents
In the event of an incident, you must take reasonable measures to reduce the risks, notify the Commission d’accès à l’information if there is a risk of serious injury, and keep a register of incidents.
How we help: alerts and rapid response, an incident response plan and a Law 25 register ready to adapt.
10-year retention
Files must be kept for 10 years, with their integrity and availability maintained throughout that period. Personal information is then securely destroyed.
How we help: monitored backups, support for your restore tests and secure wiping of retired drives.
Access to files
Your clients have the right to access their file and obtain a copy. Your providers, for their part, must let you access the documents you are responsible for at all times.
How we help: documentation of your systems and access, so you keep control of your data.
Secure transmission
Confidential information must be protected by a means suited to the transmission method used: email, file sharing or electronic signature.
How we help: properly configured SharePoint and OneDrive sharing, encrypted email when needed and controlled external sharing rules.
This reminder is a summary for information purposes and does not constitute legal advice. For the details of your obligations, see the Chambre des notaires du Québec guide, Obligations en matière de protection de l’information des notaires et des fournisseurs de services technologiques (2023, in French). Appelez le tech is not affiliated with the Chambre des notaires du Québec.
Hello, I’m Fabrice Blanchet.
I have worked in IT for more than 25 years. I was a network administrator for 16 years at a large engineering firm, and I founded IROUTENETWORKS in 2004 to offer SMBs and notary offices the same rigour, with a human touch.
Today I support notary offices on the South Shore and in Montreal: practice software, Microsoft 365, security and file confidentiality. When you call, you speak to someone who knows your office.
Three steps, no surprises.
Assessment
A one-hour meeting to review your office: workstations, software, accounts, backups and risk points.
Tailored agreement
An annual hour bank and monthly protection licences for your devices and users. An official list is attached to every invoice.
Proactive management
Continuous monitoring, patches, alerts handled by our team and priority access to your technician, to reduce risks day to day.
A small office: the notary and 1 or 2 employees
One computer per person, with a 20-hour bank per year.
Example for illustration purposes, taxes extra. The actual cost depends on the number of devices (for example a laptop and an office workstation) and the hour bank chosen.
An asset for your insurance
Insurers increasingly look at the cybersecurity measures in place, especially for cyber coverage. These protections often make the insurance questionnaire easier to answer. Check with your broker.
Cybersecurity starter kit
Acceptable use policy for your employees, incident response plan, Law 25 register and cyber insurance preparation. Nine documents ready to adapt to your office.
Let’s talk about your office.
In one hour, you will know where your IT stands, what your risks are and what an agreement would change for your team.
Or write to us: info@appelezletech.com