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Elevating Your Cybersecurity Posture: Introducing Our Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing Solution  

In today’s ever-evolving digital landscape, the complexity of cyber threats is on the rise. Research and education institutions, custodians of valuable intellectual property and personal data, are often prime targets for cybercriminals. 

Through insightful conversations with our community, it’s evident we face distinctive challenges: limited resources, the need to meet cybersecurity insurance requirements, and security gaps. In response, we were thrilled to introduce a comprehensive solution to safeguard your organization against cyberattacks: Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT). VAPT is part of an expanding portfolio of ORION products and services. 

In advancing our ongoing commitment to protecting our community, we actively seek partnerships with organizations that share our goals. Our approach involves a meticulous and competitive partner selection process that follows Broader Public Sector (BPS) guidelines to foster successful partnerships that drive impact and empower innovation. By working with trusted partners, we can deliver cost-effective solutions and world-class service offerings for our community. 

After a comprehensive request for proposal (RFP) process in 2021, ORION partnered with Calian, a multi-disciplined cybersecurity consulting organization in healthcare and education, to create a robust VAPT solution that is tailored to our community’s needs and budgets. We work with our constituents to develop the project scope, and the engagement is managed by ORION with our partner from start to finish. This collaboration enables us to strengthen the cybersecurity posture of research and education institutions across Ontario.  

As a trusted partner and advisor, ORION continues to seek valuable input and feedback from our community to shape the direction and development of our services. In doing so, we can better equip institutions with the essential tools to fortify their security in a rapidly changing digital world.  

As cyber threats evolve, there’s an urgent need to stay ahead of attackers. After all, an attack can have devastating consequences. ORION VAPT takes a proactive approach, enhancing visibility into an organization’s IT environment while minimizing exposure to security risks. By uncovering vulnerabilities before malicious attackers can exploit them, we provide critical insights to strengthen your institution’s defence strategies. Our VAPT solution provides real time notifications of critical vulnerabilities and delivers comprehensive reports with actionable recommendations that can also serve as part of a risk mitigation planning toolset.  

ORION VAPT’s framework and methodology follows industry standards and regulations, including the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, Open Worldwide Application Security Project (OWASP), MITRE ATT&CK knowledge base, Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES), and Open Source Intelligence Gathering (OSINT) Framework. This ensures that organizations can effectively respond to and protect against the most critical vulnerabilities.  

Our partnership enables ORION to provide vulnerability assessment and penetration testing tailored to the unique needs of our community. In the face of escalating threats, we are unwavering in our commitment to safeguard organizations in Ontario and protect their data from cyber attackers.

— Delilah Moysich, Chief Strategy Officer, ORION

We are delighted to collaborate with ORION to offer VAPT. Our security experts conduct thorough vulnerability assessments and penetration tests that provide actionable insights. By supporting research and education institutions in Ontario, they can focus on their core business activities without having to worry about their security. We look forward to working with organizations to minimize their downtime and data loss.

— Fez Malik, Director of Service Delivery & Account Management for IT and Cyber Solutions, Calian

By using the ORION VAPT service, we take a proactive approach to safeguarding our university’s IT environment. Their skilled analysts use advanced tools and techniques to scan our network, uncovering potential vulnerabilities before threat actors can exploit them. Regular penetration testing and retesting ensures we stay ahead of emerging threats and enhances our overall cybersecurity posture.

— Scott Elliott, Director ICT Infrastructure and Security, Wilfrid Laurier University

In this day and age, data security is paramount for higher education. ORION’s VAPT solution has been an invaluable asset. Through comprehensive assessments and actionable insights, our organization is better equipped to navigate the complexities of the digital landscape with confidence.

— Christopher Oryschak, Senior Manager of Cyber Security and Technical Services, Confederation College

We are excited to provide a customizable VAPT service that empowers higher education institutions to safeguard their data. Together, we will protect our community against attacks, enhancing their overall cybersecurity posture.  

In collaboration with other organizations, we are strengthening our collective defence against threat actors. Through these strategic partnerships, we are building a more resilient future for the research and education sector in Ontario. 

Ready to fortify your cybersecurity defences with VAPT? If you have any questions, you can reach out to communitydev@orion.on.ca. Our dedicated team is committed to safeguarding your environment and supporting your organization.