Digital technologies are increasingly important for innovation and growth, and solid cybersecurity is critical to ensuring competitiveness, economic stability, and long-term prosperity.

The cybersecurity domain is constantly evolving as threats faced by businesses and governments worldwide continue to become more sophisticated. The need for cybersecurity has expanded to include not only the networks and systems that traditionally come to mind, but also cloud-based environments, Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning and quantum computing. Even specialized technologies such as medical devices, industrial control systems and satellites, to name a few, remain susceptible to breach and compromise.

Ontario’s cybersecurity ecosystem, made up of enterprise, academia and government, and forms one of the most robust cybersecurity sectors in the entire world—ready to meet the challenges of these ever-changing threats.

In Ontario we’re very fortunate to have the human capital to take on these aspirational goals of building the next generation of world leading security solutions.

Scott Totzke
Co-Founder, ISARA

Ontario’s cybersecurity hubs

It is expected that by 2024, the global cybersecurity market size will reach US$300 billion.

And global spending on cybersecurity products and services for defending cyber crime is predicted to exceed US$1.75 trillion from 2021-2025. Ontario has assumed a dominant leadership role in cybersecurity, having developed cybersecurity hubs in Toronto, Waterloo, and Ottawa, with clusters emerging in the southwest, east and north.

Ontario’s Cybersecurity Industry by the Numbers

49
tech incubators
and accelerators
48
universities and
colleges
49
university degree
and college diploma/
certificate programs
63,500
STEM graduates
annually
700
courses in
cybersecurity

Who’s Here

  • 1 Password
  • 2Keys Corporation
  • Arctic Wolf
  • BlackBerry
  • Crypto4A Technologies, Inc.
  • CryptoMill CyberSecurity Solutions
  • CYDERES
  • EchoWorx
  • eSentire Inc.
  • evolutionQ
  • F8th Inc.
  • Infosec Global Canada
  • ISARA Corporation
  • Magnet Forensics
  • PhireLight Security Solutions
  • Resolver
  • SecDev
  • SecureKey Technologies
  • Security Compass
  • Tehama
  • xahive

State of the art academic ecosystem

  • Ontario is home to the world-renowned University of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing and the Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute.
  • To help support the demand for cybersecurity experts, University of Guelph launched Canada’s first Masters in Cybersecurity and Threat Intelligence program.
  • Rogers’ Cybersecure Catalyst, an initiative of Toronto Metropolitan University is tackling the serious challenges of cybersecurity with a focus on policy, alternative education programs and an accelerator specializing in cybersecurity.
  • The University of Toronto offers a specialization in information security for computer science students. The school’s Cyber Security Management Certificate is designed to develop industry leaders.
  • Overall, the province offers 21 university degree programs and, 28 college programs offering diplomas or certificates in cybersecurity.

A talented workforce

Ontario cybersecurity clusters are present in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Kitchener-Waterloo and the Ottawa region.