Snapshot 2025: Advancing Ontario’s Digital Future for the Research, Education, and Innovation Community 

A Message from Alfonso Licata, ORION President & CEO

Reflecting on the past year, I am grateful for the progress and milestones we have achieved together. This work reflects the dedication of our team, the guidance of our board members, and the contributions of our community. Your collaboration continues to shape our direction, ensuring that our work remains relevant, responsive, and impactful.  

This Snapshot highlights the progress we have made over the past year and marks the first year of momentum under ORION’s 2025–2030 Strategic Plan. ORION has made meaningful progress across our strategic priorities. We are enhancing community engagement and expanding sector partnerships. Together, these efforts reinforce ORION’s role as a strategic partner that helps institutions address challenges, strengthen resilience, and prepare for new opportunities.

Thank you again for your support and partnership. Looking ahead, we will continue to advance a connected digital future built on collaboration, innovation, and shared purpose. 

 

President and CEO

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ORION’s 2025–2030 Strategic Drivers

ORION’s three strategic drivers frame how we support Ontario’s research, education, and innovation community. 

• Engaged ORION Community: Building trust through intentional engagement, cross-sector collaboration, and community-informed priorities 
• Innovative Technology: Advancing secure, reliable, and future-ready digital infrastructure and services 
• Collaborative Partnerships: Strengthening strategic relationships, shared services, and advocacy to advance community priorities 

Explore how these strategic drivers shaped ORION’s impact over the past year. 

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Engaged ORION Community 

In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, meaningful progress depends not only on technology, but also on strong relationships. By bringing people together, creating space for shared input, and fostering trust across institutions, ORION continues to shape practical, community-driven solutions. 

Strengthening Relationships Across the Research and Education Sector 

Through regular engagement with our community, we have strengthened relationships that support collaboration and innovation. These connections enable institutions to address common challenges, share expertise, and achieve outcomes that are stronger than what any one organization could accomplish alone. 

ORION’s engagement included targeted outreach and relationship-building across colleges, universities, K–12 schools, hospitals, libraries, and other organizations. Through these conversations, we gained a deeper understanding of institutional priorities, service needs, and current challenges. These insights enabled our team to identify where digital infrastructure, cybersecurity services, and shared expertise can deliver practical value. This also reinforced ORION’s role in connecting and strengthening Ontario’s public sector ecosystem—helping institutions collaborate, share knowledge, and address common challenges together. 

Enhancing Community Engagement and Collaboration

We organized advisory groups, workshops, and meetings with partners across the research and education community, creating opportunities to share perspectives, address emerging needs, and help shape ORION’s evolving priorities. These engagements ensure our services and initiatives are grounded in real-world challenges and aligned with the priorities of the institutions we support. ORION met with Merit Network to explore collaborative opportunities in advanced networking, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure. These conversations helped to identify shared challenges and strengthened strategic relationships. 

 

Community input continues to shape how we identify service gaps and prioritize opportunities for shared services. Regular dialogue with institutions provides valuable insight into how services are being used, where organizations are experiencing operational pressures, and where additional support can strengthen resilience. By listening closely to our community and incorporating feedback into our planning, ORION is better positioned to develop practical solutions that address today’s challenges while preparing institutions for the future. 

Enabling Shared Input and Co-Design 

A key focus has been creating more inclusive and engaging approaches to planning and service development. ORION has made deliberate efforts to co-design across security and network initiatives. By inviting input early and often, we ensure that solutions are aligned with the needs of our community. This approach enhances adoption, strengthens outcomes, and builds a sense of ownership across institutions. 

Co-design is especially important when institutions face different levels of maturity, capacity, and risk exposure. Our cybersecurity services are not designed as one-size-fits-all offerings, but rather as flexible capabilities that support institutions at different stages of readiness. The result is a more scalable and sustainable model that gives institutions access to expertise while drawing on lessons learned and practical requirements. 

Building Alignment Through Trust and Shared Purpose 

As a trusted convener, ORION plays a unique role in bringing the community together. By creating spaces for connection, facilitating collaboration, and supporting knowledge exchange, we translate diverse perspectives into collective solutions. 

This value is reflected in ORION’s ability to bring diverse voices into discussions before decisions are finalized. By creating structured opportunities for community input, we help institutions identify common priorities and implement solutions. The result is stronger alignment on issues such as cybersecurity readiness, service continuity, and future infrastructure planning. 

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Innovative Technology 

As cyber threats grow in scale and sophistication, strengthening resilience across Ontario’s research and education community has never been more critical. ORION has evolved from a high-performance connectivity provider into a trusted digital platform, enabling institutions to move data securely, collaborate at scale, and adopt emerging technologies with confidence. 

Shaping the Future of Cybersecurity in Higher Education 

ORION is building a more proactive and coordinated cybersecurity approach across the province. We continued to advance SecureONE, a community-driven cybersecurity program designed for Ontario’s higher education sector. Through extensive engagement, ORION identified and prioritized 16 initiatives focused on reducing risk, improving access to expertise, and increasing operational efficiency. Together, these initiatives form a clear and actionable roadmap to strengthen our collective defence. 

We engaged cybersecurity leaders and decision makers through workstreams centred on threat identification, exposure and validation, monitoring and detection, response and recovery, and governance and strategy. These workstreams shaped requirements and priorities for a future cybersecurity maturity roadmap. SecureONE has enabled institutions to co-create solutions that are relevant to their needs and aligned with provincial and national cybersecurity efforts, providing a collaborative roadmap for advancing cybersecurity maturity across Ontario’s higher education sector. 

 

Revitalizing Ontario Cybersecurity Higher Education Consortium (ON–CHEC) 

As cyber threats grow in sophistication and frequency, colleges and universities face increasing pressure to strengthen their cybersecurity capabilities while navigating budget constraints, talent shortages, and evolving risk landscapes. In response, ORION revitalized ON-CHEC with a renewed focus on helping institutions improve cyber resilience through collaboration, shared expertise, and community-driven support. 

Now in its eighth year, ON-CHEC has evolved into a trusted consortium that brings together cybersecurity leaders from across Ontario’s higher education sector. Supported by ORION, the consortium provides cost-effective guidance, shared tools, strategic advisory services, and opportunities for peer-to-peer collaboration that help institutions address common cybersecurity challenges more effectively. 

The revitalized program places greater emphasis on proactive risk management, real-time threat intelligence, sector-wide knowledge sharing, and flexible service delivery tailored to institutional needs. Members benefit from regular cybersecurity advisories, weekly calls, webinars, working groups, and strategic guidance designed to improve security awareness, incident readiness, and business continuity. 

ON-CHEC is built on the belief that collective action strengthens individual institutions. The consortium enables members to share best practices, learn from one another’s experiences, and collaboratively address emerging threats. This renewed approach helps institutions strengthen their cybersecurity posture while advancing the overall resilience of Ontario’s higher education sector. 

Expanding Cybersecurity Defence Capabilities 

ORION strengthened our proactive security defence capabilities by expanding threat hunting across network traffic using tools such as Arbor and Microsoft Sentinel. Working closely with participating institutions, we coordinated response efforts through a collaborative, community-driven approach to cybersecurity. Through the ORION Shared Security Operations Centre (ON-SSOC), we identified, investigated, and helped to mitigate 440 threat incidents, enhancing the security posture of the higher education sector. By bringing institutions together to share intelligence, ON-SSOC provides comprehensive threat detection and proactive protection from cyberattacks. We continue to explore opportunities for automation to enhance the service, improving response capabilities and strengthening resilience across Ontario’s research and education community. 

ORION also provided DDoS Threat Protection by continuously monitoring traffic and detecting attacks before they could disrupt institutions. Over the past year, our team successfully identified and mitigated more than 100 DDoS attacks, helping preserve critical services across the research and education sector. Leveraging advanced inline detection capabilities and threat intelligence, ORION’s security systems identify and stop malicious traffic in real time, reducing risk and minimizing the operational burden on institutions. Tailored to individual traffic patterns and supported by ongoing monitoring and reporting, these capabilities enable faster, more accurate mitigation. 

We advanced our Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) service, helping institutions proactively identify and address security risks across their IT environments. Through comprehensive assessments of internal networks, external systems, and cloud applications, ORION supported organizations in uncovering vulnerabilities such as misconfigurations, exposed services, and encryption weaknesses. Delivered with expert support and aligned with industry best practices, these activities enhanced visibility into institutional security posture, reduced risk exposure, and strengthened resilience by enabling institutions to address vulnerabilities to avoid costly breaches. 

Together, these proactive defence capabilities are especially valuable for institutions managing complex environments with limited internal resources. ON-SSOC offers a heightened layer of defence against evolving attacks, DDoS protection supports continuity of critical digital services during disruption attempts, and VAPT helps institutions identify weaknesses before attackers can exploit them. Collectively, these services support earlier detection, informed decision-making, and more effective prioritization of remediation efforts. 

Investing in Resilient and Future-Ready Digital Infrastructure

ORION continues to invest in network and service enhancements that support advanced research, data-intensive workloads, and the evolving needs of our constituents. These investments ensure that institutions are protected against today’s threats and equipped to support the increasingly complex digital environments of tomorrow. 

Our network has evolved far beyond its original role as a provider of connectivity. Today, ORION serves as a trusted platform that enables research, education, and innovation across Ontario. Connecting more than 90 institutions through a network spanning over 6,000 kilometres of fibre, ORION provides the high-performance infrastructure that institutions rely on to advance research, support learning, safeguard assets, and foster innovation. By supporting more than 1.7 million researchers and educators, we create the digital foundation that strengthens communities across the province and positions Ontario as a global leader.  

This year, we made network upgrades to improve reliability, capacity, and visibility. These improvements support the high-performance connectivity required by research and education institutions while strengthening our ability to monitor, maintain, and protect the network. The outcome is a more secure and resilient network that supports data-intensive research, cloud-enabled services, and cybersecurity operations. By continuing to modernize and strengthen our infrastructure, ORION is helping Ontario’s research and education community remain prepared for the demands and discoveries of the future. 

 

Connecting Research to Real-World Value

Our infrastructure enables discoveries, protects sensitive data, and allows organizations to collaborate at a scale that no single institution could sustain alone. By providing secure, high-performance infrastructure, we help researchers tackle complex challenges and translate ideas into real-world impact. 

ORION’s impact is ultimately measured by what our community can achieve with trusted digital infrastructure. For example, a researcher at SickKids can securely access and analyze large genomic datasets across multiple institutions using ORION’s high-capacity network, accelerating the discovery of new treatments or vaccines that improve patient outcomes. Similarly, researchers developing AI models to detect early signs of disease rely on ORION’s infrastructure to move data efficiently, collaborate across institutional boundaries, and test models at scale. By removing barriers related to connectivity, security, and data access, we enable researchers to translate discoveries into earlier diagnoses and move from discovery to real-world application. 

Enabling AI-Ready Infrastructure and Future Discovery

Looking ahead, ORION is positioning our network and services to provide the AI-ready infrastructure needed for future discovery and innovation. AI applications and data-intensive research depend on the ability to move and process large volumes of data quickly and reliably. By strengthening network capacity and security, we are building a digital foundation that can support increasingly complex workloads and enable institutions to collaborate across organizational and geographic boundaries.  

Aligning these investments with community priorities and long-term readiness will help researchers and educators explore emerging technologies and translate new ideas into practical impact. By investing ahead of demand, we empower institutions to adopt AI tools and other advanced technologies without being constrained by bandwidth, reliability, or security limitations. 

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Collaborative Partnerships

Throughout the past year, ORION has played a key role in aligning priorities, strengthening partnerships, and advancing a shared vision for a more resilient digital ecosystem for our community. Through collaboration with institutions, government partners, and national organizations, we are advancing digital infrastructure and supporting innovation across Ontario. 

Aligning Priorities and Contributing to Provincial Dialogue 

A critical focus for ORION has been bringing together institutional, government, and sector perspectives to support a unified and forward-looking approach to infrastructure and cybersecurity. By aligning these priorities, ORION has enabled institutions to respond to shared challenges and advance common goals. This coordinated approach is essential to ensuring that investments, policies, and services contribute to an integrated ecosystem. 

ORION has actively contributed to provincial discussions on cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, and long-term readiness. We are sharing insights from our community and continuing to inform conversations that shape policy, funding priorities, and strategic direction. Through this engagement, we better represent sector needs and perspectives, ensuring that decision-making reflects the current realities of institutions. 

ORION’s contributions to provincial dialogue have included supporting conversations on cybersecurity investment, service delivery, and legislative requirements. This work ensures that policy and funding discussions are informed by the lived realities of institutions operating complex digital environments. We are using community feedback to develop practical solutions that support more sustainable and equitable outcomes. 

Advancing Collaborative and Strategic Partnerships 

We collaborated with the University of Ottawa on their Cyber Range, supporting the development of advanced security training and simulation capabilities. The Cyber Range aims to enhance incident response readiness and build sector-wide capacity through realistic, scenario-based cybersecurity exercises. By working through realistic scenarios in a controlled environment, institutions can test communications, decision-making, and technical escalation. This type of hands-on training supports stronger preparedness before a real incident occurs.  

ORION also worked closely with Canada’s National Research and Education Network (NREN) partners to strengthen cybersecurity, share best practices, and advance innovation across the country. Through these partnerships, ORION contributes to a broader ecosystem of trusted digital infrastructure that enables research and education institutions to address shared challenges, improve resilience, and prepare for emerging technologies. By working together, the NREN is building a more collaborative and connected community that supports research, education, and innovation from coast to coast. 

 

ORION continues to collaborate with government partners, including the Cyber Security Centre of Excellence and the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement. By working closely together, we ensure initiatives are informed by community needs while contributing to broader provincial objectives. As institutions respond to evolving cybersecurity requirements and service demands, we are committed to helping government partners understand the resource constraints, operational realities, and maturity differences across institutions in Ontario. The result is a stronger feedback loop between policy, implementation, and impact. 

ORION partnered with the Government of Ontario to support the Ontario Cyber Security Summit in October, a two-day event that brought together public sector leaders to advance cyber resilience. We organized a higher education roundtable, creating a dedicated forum for institutions to share insights on evolving cybersecurity challenges and priorities. Input gathered during the session was elevated through government channels, helping inform broader provincial discussions and reinforcing ORION’s role as a trusted convener and strategic partner in strengthening cybersecurity. 

Advancing a Cybersecurity Investment Proposal 

ORION advanced a community-driven cybersecurity investment proposal focused on strengthening sector-wide cyber resilience. In September 2025, we formally submitted the comprehensive proposal to the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES) and the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement (MPBSDP). The proposal reflects extensive engagement with Ontario’s higher education community through consultations with partners, including the Ontario University Council of Chief Information Officers (OUCCIO), the Ontario College Council of Chief Information Officers (OCCCIO), Colleges Ontario (CO), and the Council of Ontario Universities (COU). Their insights have been instrumental in shaping a proposal that reflects the real needs and priorities of higher education institutions. 

Over the course of the year, ORION participated in meetings and discussions, incorporating feedback and positioning the proposal within broader provincial priorities such as shared services, governance, and workforce development in cybersecurity. Framed in response to evolving threats, including the rapid advancement of AI and ransomware, the proposal emphasizes scalable solutions to improve threat intelligence, operational efficiency, and collective defence.  

Strengthening Advocacy and Representation 

ORION continues to advocate for Ontario’s research and education community at the provincial and federal level. By representing sector priorities in discussions on policy, funding, and strategic investment, we ensure that the voices of institutions are heard. This advocacy is critical to securing the support, resources, and alignment needed to sustain a secure and sustainable future. 

ORION is positioning digital infrastructure and cybersecurity as shared priorities rather than isolated institutional concerns. By helping decision makers and government leaders understand why coordinated investment benefits the province, we are strengthening the case for long-term support and reinforcing the value of a community-informed approach. 

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ORION Facts & Figures

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Looking Ahead: A Shared Path Forward 

This progress would not have been possible without the continued partnership and support of our community. ORION is deeply grateful for the engagement and expertise of the institutions we serve. As the landscape evolves, we remain committed to fostering collaboration and empowering innovation. 

In the year ahead, ORION will focus on strengthening community engagement, enhancing network resilience, and building partnerships that support innovation. It will be an especially meaningful year as we celebrate our 25th anniversary—a significant milestone and an opportunity to reflect on our achievements while looking ahead to the next chapter. 

Your insights and feedback are essential to ensuring that ORION’s work remains relevant, impactful, and forward-looking. If you have questions, ideas, or are interested in exploring opportunities to collaborate, we encourage you to connect with us at communitydev@orion.on.ca. Together, we can continue to shape a stronger, more resilient digital future for Ontario’s research, education, and innovation community.