Whether they’re pursuing new breakthroughs or inspiring young minds, your people are helping build a better tomorrow.

Our reason for being is to help them succeed. And protect them every step of the way.

ORION is a not-for-profit organization supporting Ontario’s progress with essential digital infrastructure. Since 2001, we’ve facilitated new discoveries by connecting research and education institutions, regions, and people across the province, enabling collaboration, learning, forging partnerships, and providing our community with the digital tools and expertise they need to make the world a better place.

ORION is Ontario’s research and education network, providing an on-ramp to others like it across Canada and around the world.

Only ORION can connect you to whatever and whomever you need to achieve your goals.

Thought leaders. Innovators. Researchers. Schools. Colleges. Universities. Institutes. Laboratories. Observatories. Hospitals. Governments. Scientists. Teachers. Students. Mathematicians. Engineers. Astronauts. Visionaries. Advanced Research Computing facilities. Databases and resources ranging from smart classroom technology to the Large Hadron Collider.

ORION is a self-sustaining not-for-profit organization formed in 2001 to serve the unique connectivity and cybersecurity needs of Ontarians involved in research, education, and innovation.

ORION is Ontario’s partner in Canada’s National Research and Education Network

1.7 million Ontarians rely on ORION to help them change the world.

Many community members tell us they couldn’t do the vital work they do without ORION’s dedicated fibre optic network, lightning-fast Internet speeds, shared IT services, obsessive focus on cybersecurity, and our willingness to customize our offerings to meet their needs. Discover what ORION could do for you.

Key featuresORIONOther networks
NetworkExclusively for Research, Education & Innovation (RE&I) users
More secure than public networks
Not for profit
Public – open to all
For profit
InternetSpeeds up to 100 Gbps
Vast bandwidth for big data, high traffic
Low latency for streaming media
Rates based on sector and capacity needs
100x-1000x slower*
Rates must provide a profit
Access to RE&I networksDirect, easy access to Canada’s National Research and Education Network as well as other RE&I networks worldwideNo direct access
Bandwidth too low for big data
CybersecurityDDoS Threat Protection included
Anycast DNS service included
24/7 DDoS Threat Protection available
Cybersecurity awareness training available
CIP (Cybersecurity Initiatives Program) included
ON-CHEC (Ontario Cybersecurity Higher Education Consortium) available
VAPT (Vulnerability Assessment Penetration Testing) available
May not be included
Greater vulnerability to viruses, hackers, breaches,
malware & ransomware**
Community trainingProfessional development for RE&I, cybersecurity, and IT professionals
Flexible online training
CodeRed learning platform
Quality, cost and scope vary widely
Training geared to general audiences
Access to research data repositoriesDirect access to the Federated Research Data Repository, the Ontario Health Data Platform and othersQuality of connection varies widely due to bandwidth requirements
Access to high-performance research toolsFast, direct access to ARC / HPC facilities for big data research, e.g., SHARCNET, SOSCIP
Unsurpassed ease & quality of connection
Quality of connection varies widely
due to bandwidth requirements
*In 2020, Canada’s highest reported download speed among public networks was 583.7 Mbps – just over half of one Gbps. The next highest was a quarter of that. (PCMag, Statista)
**1 in 4 organizations in Canada had a security breach in 2020; another 38% were unsure if they had. (CIRA)