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Who is ORION Ontario's research and innovation network?
ORION Ontario's research and innovation network is a high-capacity, province-wide digital infrastructure and support organization that interconnects Ontario’s research, education, and innovation institutions with each other and with national and global research and education networks.
- Operates and manages a province-wide high-speed research and education network (network infrastructure)
- Provides connectivity services for universities, colleges, school boards, research hospitals, and innovation centres (network services)
- Offers cloud and cybersecurity-focused services and programs for connected institutions (cloud services, security services)
- Delivers advisory, training, and community programs around digital infrastructure and cyber readiness (professional services)
- Collaborates with national and international research and education networking organizations for interconnection and peering (network interconnection)
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More About ORION Ontario's research and innovation network
ORION Ontario's research and innovation network operates as Ontario’s dedicated research and education network (REN), providing high-bandwidth connectivity and related digital services to public-sector and non-profit institutions engaged in research, education, and innovation activities. The organization’s network links universities, colleges, research institutes, school boards, hospitals, and regional innovation hubs across the province, and connects them to Canada’s national research and education network and to peer RENs worldwide.
The core offering is a fibre-based backbone network (network infrastructure) engineered for high throughput and low latency, supporting data-intensive workloads such as research data transfer, scientific collaboration, and advanced educational applications. ORION typically relies on standard internet and transport protocols such as IPv4/IPv6, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), Ethernet, and optical transport technologies, along with peering and transit arrangements aligned with research and education networking practices. This architecture is designed to support campus and institutional networks that require predictable bandwidth and performance beyond commodity internet services.
In addition to backbone connectivity, ORION provides last-mile and access services (network services) that link institutional campuses and facilities into its provincial backbone. These services are oriented toward IT departments and network architects within connected organizations, enabling integration with existing LAN/WAN architectures, network security stacks, identity and access management systems, and on-premises (on-prem) or cloud-based application environments. Connectivity to national and global RENs allows participating institutions to exchange traffic with research and education partners without transiting the public internet where possible.
ORION also offers security-related services and programs (security services), which may include information sharing on cyber threats, support for cybersecurity posture improvement, and coordination with sector partners. These efforts are positioned for CISOs, security architects, and IT operations teams within the education and research sectors that need sector-specific security collaboration alongside general network connectivity.
Cloud-related offerings (cloud services) focus on enabling participating institutions to access commercial and community cloud solutions through ORION’s network and partner frameworks. This can involve connectivity models such as direct cloud on-ramps, federated identity integrations, or procurement and programmatic access arrangements tailored to the research and education community. Enterprise and institutional users can integrate these services with their hybrid IT strategies, using ORION’s network as a path to cloud platforms for teaching, research computing, storage, and collaboration tools.
Complementing technical services, ORION runs community, advisory, and training initiatives (professional services) that address topics such as network planning, digital infrastructure strategy, cybersecurity readiness, and sector collaboration. These programs target IT leaders, enterprise architects, and digital strategists across Ontario’s public education and research ecosystem. Within a marketplace taxonomy, ORION fits into categories such as research and education networking, enterprise connectivity, cloud connectivity enablement, and sector-focused cybersecurity and digital infrastructure services.
Our description of ORION Ontario's research and innovation network. Updated December 2025.
