A message from Alfonso Licata, ORION President & CEO
Alfonso Licata, President and CEO, ORION
As I reflect on the past year, I am filled with gratitude for everything we have achieved and the progress we have made. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to our dedicated team, our esteemed board members, and our incredible community.
Throughout the past year, we have achieved many meaningful milestones that advanced research, championed education, and empowered innovation. We bridged the digital divide and connected rural communities, enabling more individuals and communities to access vital resources. Our team continued to upgrade our network infrastructure and advance our cybersecurity initiatives, paving the way for greater connectivity and security.
Additionally, we expanded our programs, enhanced our services, and explored new offerings to support the evolving needs of our community. Our team hosted the ORION THINK Conference and sponsored industry events, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing. We actively engaged with government partners and pursued funding opportunities to advocate for the interests of our community. Every achievement reflects our mission to empower researchers, educators, and innovators across the province.
Thank you again for your ongoing support and partnership. Looking ahead, we will continue to shape an innovative and inclusive community. Together, we can reimagine what’s possible and build a better, brighter future for everyone.
President and CEO
ORION’s 2021-2025 Strategic Themes
ORION’s commitment to advancing Ontario’s research, education, and innovation community is anchored in three core strategic themes. These priorities, outlined in the 2021–2025 Strategic Plan, have successfully guided the organization’s efforts to empower collaboration, enhance connectivity, and foster equitable opportunities province-wide.
1. Creating a Culture of Purpose and Connection
- Our commitment to transparency, equity and engagement enables an intentional balance between collaboration, inclusivity, operational excellence, and focus.
2. Sustaining and Advancing a World Class Research and Education Network
- ORION sustains and constantly advances the province’s shared essential research, education, and innovation platform. We protect its value and performance, driven by world-class standards and an ambition for equitable access.
3. Building Trusted Community Partnerships
- ORION connects Ontario’s research, education and innovation ecosystem through trusted, relevant community partnerships. We lead transparent, focused conversations to unify our voices for shared digital infrastructure.
Discover how each strategic theme translated into meaningful achievements and progress over the past year.
Theme One: Creating a Culture of Purpose and Connection
We are fostering a culture where equity and engagement drive excellence. By nurturing inclusivity and innovation, we are building meaningful connections that empower our community to achieve more together.
Connecting Rural Communities
ORION is bridging the digital divide to connect rural and Indigenous communities across Ontario. Through ongoing infrastructure expansion, community engagement, and strategic partnerships, we are enabling increased access to digital resources and educational opportunities. By empowering Indigenous communities and supporting the strengthening of local economies, ORION is laying the foundation for a more equitable and connected future.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Reconciliation
Over the past year, we have implemented a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) framework and established a DEI Committee. The framework addresses barriers to representation, encourages open conversations about equity, and explores reconciliation efforts. Our DEI Committee champions diverse initiatives and inclusive practices across the organization. We are fostering a supportive environment where every member of our community feels welcomed and valued. We will build a more inclusive organization and set a standard for excellence that reflects the diverse communities we serve.
Community Informed Design Process (CIDP)
We continued to collect quantitative and qualitative data for the CIDP to inform our product development, network enhancements, and overall performance. Throughout the year, we incorporated feedback from research and education institutions to make data-driven decisions that advanced our community engagement initiatives. By leveraging the CIDP framework, we enhanced our existing programs and explored new offerings. Our commitment to this process has helped create a responsive approach for supporting researchers and educators.
Community Collaboration and Engagement
We are building relationships through constituent meetings, industry conferences, strategic partnerships, and other collaborative initiatives. We actively listen to our community and engage with organizations to ensure that our products and services meet their evolving needs. Our team is working together to address current challenges and create lasting value. We leverage a collaborative approach that includes ongoing outreach, relationship building, and strategic dialogues. Our commitment to community engagement is woven into the fabric of our processes and initiatives, and your active involvement helps shape their success. Learn more about how we are collaborating and engaging with our community.
Advisory Groups
We introduced an Advisory Group framework designed to foster strategic input, identify new trends, and strengthen community engagement. This framework was piloted through two advisory groups that contributed valuable insights into ORION’s five-year strategic plan. By gathering and integrating feedback from our community, we ensured the framework is both effective and inclusive. Today, Advisory Groups are a core part of our initiatives, providing external guidance and perspectives that help shape our decision-making processes.
2025-2030 Strategic Plan Development
We have completed the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, which defines our shared vision and priorities for the next five years. This new plan reflects our ongoing commitment to advancing innovation, technology, and partnerships across Ontario. It was created through a series of strategic planning phases to include diverse perspectives. The development of the plan was a comprehensive and collaborative process that involved multiple phases and extensive stakeholder engagement, including ORION employees, board members, constituents, partners, and industry thought leaders.
Our strategic plan is driven by three key drivers—Engaged ORION Community, Innovative Technology, and Collaborative Partnerships—each essential to building a strong foundation for lasting progress and impact for our community. Learn more about ORION Strategy 2030.
Theme Two: Sustaining and Advancing a World Class Research and Education Network
Through the hard work of our team and the ongoing dedication of our partners, we have made significant strides in enhancing our digital infrastructure. By co-developing connectivity and cybersecurity services, we ensure our platform remains secure and resilient. This shared commitment sustains and strengthens our network to support researchers and educators in Ontario.
Strengthening and Expanding ORION’s Platform
Our network is purpose-built for the research, education, and innovation community. With funding support from CANARIE, we completed network upgrades, including routing and optical transport enhancements that deliver speeds up to 400Gbps. In May 2024, we hosted an ORION Network Focus Group Workshop to facilitate discussions about the needs of our researchers, educators, and innovators. We used the insights and lessons learned to shape our roadmap for future network improvements.
Our proactive approach to network security includes ongoing network threat hunting, implementation of Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI), and enhanced network monitoring capabilities with OpManager (OPM), ensuring reliable connectivity for all. Learn more about how we are building a future-ready network for our community.
This network map demonstrates ORION’s network Points of Presence (PoPs) within and connections between the institutions on our network. 
With ultra-fast connections, ORION enables rapid movement of massive datasets, fueling discovery, province-wide and global collaboration, and knowledge sharing. Ontario’s researchers, educators, and innovators benefit from seamless access to the tools and information they need to drive progress – unimpeded by technological limitations.
Enhancing Cybersecurity: Bill 194
On November 27, 2024, Bill 194, Strengthening Cyber Security and Building Trust in the Public Sector Act, officially became law and received Royal Assent. Bill 194 aims to bolster cybersecurity and regulate artificial intelligence (AI) systems within Ontario’s public sector. It addresses the growing need for robust protection of sensitive information and the ethical use of AI technologies.
In May of 2024, ORION was approached by the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement (MPBSDP) to submit feedback on the bill to ensure that the priorities and perspectives of our higher education community were addressed and represented. We consolidated the feedback into a report that aligned with submissions presented to the government by the Ontario College Council of Chief Information Officers (OCCCIO) and Ontario University Council of Chief Information Officers (OUCCIO).
Through our findings from the report, a consistent message arose from what the higher education sector wanted going forward with the Bill: a collaborative approach to mitigate resource constraints, through effective, efficient, and equitable shared services, allowing for a consistent and mature approach to managing cyber risks across the broader public sector. Since then, ORION has been diligently working on an investment proposal, in collaboration with the higher education sector, ensuring that Ontario institutions can easily access these shared services that would enhance their cybersecurity posture. ORION continues to work closely with public sector organizations, enhancing support for researchers and educators across the province.
ORION Cybersecurity Strategy
Our cybersecurity strategy is underway, with the goal of helping the research and education community improve their maturity over the next 3 to 5 years. This strategy is designed to meet each institution where they are today and help strengthen their cybersecurity posture. In the past year, we have been working closely with leaders at higher education institutions to define a shared vision for the future state of cybersecurity and the plans to support it. We held focus groups with CIOs and CISOs to validate our hypothesis, gathering insights on potential gaps and opportunities. Subsequently, we developed a roadmap that outlined the key capabilities and investments required to achieve the envisioned future state.
In 2024, ORION started the SecureONE (Secure Ontario Education) initiative to provide tailored guidance toward building a more resilient future. To drive this effort forward, we established 5 dedicated working groups, led by community representatives and supported by ORION. The groups are dedicated to addressing key areas of cybersecurity: Threat Identification, Exposure and Validation, Monitoring and Detection, Response and Recovery, and Governance and Strategy. Throughout this process, a series of workshops enabled collaboration and strategic alignment, bringing together leaders and stakeholders to enhance cybersecurity for Ontario’s higher education institutions. Together, we are creating a safer and more secure digital community in Ontario.
Canadian Shared Security Operations Centre (CanSSOC)
ORION plays a vital role in advancing cybersecurity for the research and education sectors across Canada. Since 2018, ORION has closely collaborated with CANARIE and National Research and Education Network (NREN) partners to support CanSSOC, a federated initiative that provides threat detection and intelligence sharing. Through curated alerts and advisories, CanSSOC enables institutions to mitigate threats with greater speed and confidence. We have helped shape and pilot a collaborative model that integrates institutional, regional, and national cybersecurity capabilities, establishing a multilayered defence against sophisticated cyber threats. Moving forward, we will continue to support and strengthen CanSSOC to further safeguard Canada’s researchers and educators.
Theme Three: Building and Sustaining Trusted Community Partnerships
We work collaboratively to deliver programs with increased efficiency and reduced costs. ORION is dedicated to forging strong relationships with our community and government partners, empowering us to leverage new resources and create sustainable solutions. By prioritizing transparency in our shared services and partnerships, we can better serve our community and build a foundation for future success.
ORION THINK Conference 2024
We hosted the ORION THINK Conference on October 16-17, 2024, at Blue Mountain Village, centred around the theme of Empowering Connections. To shape the direction of our event, we organized advisory groups, engaging internal stakeholders and external partners.
Our “Empowering Excellence: Community Innovation Showcase” session provided an opportunity for institutions to share their groundbreaking projects and impactful initiatives. It was a showcase of transformative research and innovation within ORION’s vibrant community that celebrated their pioneering spirit. We will continue to spotlight collaborative community projects and success stories. Learn more about the Empowering Excellence: Community Innovation Showcase session at THINK 2024.
Conference highlights included keynotes on emerging technology trends and the transformative impact of AI, and panels including the critical intersection of higher education and cybersecurity, and an exploration into the journeys of women leaders. The insights and connections fostered at THINK will guide us as we plan future initiatives and activities. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to making THINK a success, and we will keep building on these conversations.
Jennifer Lane, Executive Consultant and Acting CIO, Nunavut Arctic College; Bala Kathiresan, President and CEO, BCNET; Sandra Cascadden, CIO, ACORN-NS; Richard Lacombe, CEO, RISQ; Alfonso Licata, President and CEO, ORION
Arbab Khan, Business Development Manager, Manufacturing and Prototyping (AMP) Labs, George Brown College; Junaid Siddiqui, Software Developer, VCycene
Conference Participation and Sponsorship
ORION has been participating in and sponsoring industry conferences, including BCNET Connect, CANHEIT, Cyber Summit, DiscoveryX, Higher Education Summit, OCCCIO Conference, SecuR&E Forum, and TNC. At these events, our team engaged in insightful conversations and created valuable connections with thought leaders and decision makers. We continue to foster relationships, promote knowledge sharing, and nurture professional development within our community. Through participation and sponsorship at conferences, ORION is strengthening partnerships that empower collaboration and innovation for Ontario’s research and education sectors.
Alfonso Licata, President and CEO, ORION
Kevin Parent, Shared CISO, ORION
Cybersecurity Awareness Training
Cybersecurity is not just a technical issue—it’s a people issue. In the last year, 85% of breaches involved the human element, with phishing accounting for 36% of these attacks (Gartner). These statistics underscore the urgent need for proactive, people-centred cybersecurity strategies. ORION Cybersecurity Awareness Training focuses on empowering individuals to become active participants in safeguarding their organizations. It uses CIRA’s SaaS platform with engaging training modules and phishing simulations to build awareness, reduce risk, and promote shared responsibility.
We enhanced the program to ensure our community is better prepared to meet the challenges of today’s digital landscape. To make learning more interactive and engaging, we incorporated gamification and other elements to encourage active participation. Additionally, we added new features, streamlined the onboarding process, and launched a premium pricing package with à la carte options to increase our program’s flexibility. ORION Cybersecurity Awareness Training empowers users to play a pivotal role in reducing security risks and increasing online safety.
Community Professional Development
Community Professional Development provides continuous learning and professional development opportunities based on the needs and priorities of our community. We offered several courses throughout the year, including Microsoft Azure Boot Camp, Certified Incident Handler (ECIH), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO). Our team actively listened to our community, incorporating their valuable feedback to enhance our offerings. We also explored customized professional development opportunities for universities and colleges while evolving the program to support the unique needs of the K-12 and research sectors. By equipping individuals with critical skills and knowledge, we empower them to stay ahead in the digital age.
Ontario Cybersecurity Higher Education Consortium (ON-CHEC)
Lindsay MacDonald, Manager of Cybersecurity Partnerships, Canadian Centre for Cyber Security; Allison Boutilier, CIO, Cape Breton University; Victoria Distrito, Security Analyst, ORION; Priya Mouli, Head of Information Security & Compliance, Sheridan College
ON-CHEC has been dedicated to protecting the higher education sector from digital threats, leveraging the collective expertise of 40 universities and colleges to advance the cybersecurity posture of the higher education sector. We launched Year 6 of ON-CHEC, focusing on the theme of Business Impact Analysis and Asset Management. Over the past year, we’ve been privileged to deliver a range of initiatives aimed at enhancing cyber resilience within our community, including security alerts, community calls, cybersecurity incident debriefs, weekly threat intelligence meetings, cybersecurity frameworks, policy templates, and much more.
We supported members by providing guidance in understanding and interpreting their NCA results, leveraging their data to inform the creation of strategic roadmaps, and ensuring a proactive approach to cybersecurity readiness and resilience. In November 2024, we hosted the fifth annual ON-CHEC Day, which saw record attendance with over 100 attendees, centred around the theme of Cybersecurity Readiness. Key topics included women in cybersecurity, generative AI, cyber insurance, and personal wellness, providing members with valuable insights and strategies for enhancing digital resilience.
Our team worked towards refreshing the ON-CHEC program to align with community feedback, improve value, and enhance the member experience. We officially launched the revitalized ON-CHEC program on June 1, 2025, designed to deliver greater value and flexibility in today’s dynamic environment. We introduced a new credit-based model, enabling our community to tailor their experience and address specific needs within their institution. ON-CHEC empowers members to increase risk awareness, strengthen incident readiness, and enhance the collective cybersecurity posture of higher education.
ORION Shared Security Operations Centre (ON-SSOC)
In recent years, the higher education sector has become a target for ransomware attacks, with Canada ranking as the third most affected country worldwide, following only the United States and the United Kingdom. This growing threat underscores the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures to safeguard institutions.
Driven by our dedication to protecting our community, we have made ongoing enhancements to ON-SSOC. We introduced trend reports, implemented new use-cases covering more security controls, and updated detection rules. By expanding cross-training initiatives, we have also improved our team’s ability to respond more effectively to emerging threats. Additionally, we leveraged expertise from the community to develop technical solutions to reduce log ingestion and storage costs associated with Microsoft Sentinel. In December 2024, ORION hosted a webinar outlining the ON-SSOC platform, its operations, and our collaborative approach to cybersecurity. We are continuously enhancing ON-SSOC to provide proactive protection for our community against emerging cybersecurity threats.
Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT)
ORION VAPT offers point-in-time vulnerability assessments and penetration testing exercises using ethical hackers. Since 2023, ORION has successfully completed 14 VAPT engagements that focused on various network infrastructures, web applications, cloud environments, and endpoints. We have uncovered vulnerabilities such as weak encryption, design flaws, coding errors, and more.
ORION’s testing methodologies adhere to industry standards such as OSINT, PTES, OWASP, and NIST, with vulnerabilities scored using CVSS ratings. ORION VAPT enables organizations to fulfill their cybersecurity insurance policy requirements and improve their overall security posture. Our comprehensive vulnerability assessments and penetration tests reflect our ongoing commitment to safeguarding our community, addressing emerging cybersecurity challenges, and supporting institutions as their needs evolve. Learn more about how ORION VAPT is enhancing the cybersecurity posture of our community.
ORION and GTAnet Integration
On April 1, 2023, we announced the ORION-GTAnet amalgamation, combining infrastructure and resources to establish a state-of-the-art research and education network. Over the past two years, we expanded Internet bandwidth to prevent congestion, modernized infrastructure to reduce operational risks, introduced a new optical node, and doubled DDoS scrubbing capacity to address rising threats. With support from CANARIE, we implemented upgrades to minimize power consumption and promote sustainability, reinforcing the network’s reliability and security to meet the needs of researchers and educators.
In June 2025, we successfully completed the integration, welcoming 15 new members into the ORION community, providing access to dedicated support and services. We extend our gratitude to the University of Toronto for their critical role in supporting the integration. This achievement marks a significant step forward in fostering equity and strengthening collaboration for researchers and educators across Ontario.
Government Relations, Advocacy, and Engagement
ORION has advanced our government relations through regular meetings, collaborative consultations, and strategic partnerships. We have expanded relationships with various ministries and explored a community government relations coalition with several institutions. In addition, we actively pursued funding opportunities at both the federal and provincial levels, with a focus on artificial intelligence and quantum computing. By engaging with the government, we are advocating more effectively for our community.
Over the past year, we have facilitated meaningful conversations between stakeholders, policymakers, and thought leaders. This ensures that the unique needs and challenges of Ontario’s research and education community are heard and understood by the government. Looking ahead, we will continue to build relationships with government representatives, shape new policies, and secure essential resources to foster growth and innovation across the province.
ORION Facts & Figures
Thank you for your ongoing support. By working together, we have the power to make a lasting impact and make the world a better place.
If you have any questions about our current programs, suggestions for future initiatives, or want to share your thoughts, get in touch with us at communitydev@orion.on.ca.
We look forward to hearing from you and continuing to empower innovation.