security training

Progress update: U of T’s SAT project reaches milestone, expands to phase three

April 3, 2024

On March 21, the Security Awareness and Training Foundations (SATF) project celebrated a significant milestone by recognizing the first 20 units to join and the first 50 users who successfully completed onboarding training in phase two, commending their collective effort in driving the project’s success.

The hybrid event, attended by unit representatives, unit administrators, users and members from ITS, including senior leadership, had over 50 attendees. The units were awarded plaques for their commitment to building a more secure and resilient community. The winners also received branded t-shirts and other materials as part of the event.

Collage of photos from SATP phase 2 celebration

Currently, there are over 7,000 users from tri-campus units onboarded onto the training platform. The project is moving onto phase three, scheduled to run from April 2024 to March 2025. This phase marks a pivotal moment as the project expands its scope to include faculty members alongside staff and librarians.

In phase three, all units across the U of T tri-campus community are invited to join the project.

For more information about the project, visit the SATF web page or contact the project team.

Strengthening security awareness: Inviting appointed staff to lead the way

August 14, 2023

In June 2023, the University launched the Security Awareness Training (SAT) Foundations project as part of the broader Security Awareness and Training Program (SATP).

Co-led by Raphaelle Gauriau, Manager, Information Security Strategic Execution, ITS and John Stewart, Information Security Program Manager, I&ITS, U of T Scarborough, the project aims to provide U of T staff, librarians and faculty with baseline training to help improve their knowledge about essential information security topics and threats.

“In an ever-evolving digital landscape, equipping ourselves with the right tools and knowledge is important to keeping our people, data and systems secure and safe. We are hoping the U of T community will join us in this journey to collectively strengthen our digital resilience,” said Raphaelle.

Following the successful launch of phase one, the team is now inviting all tri-campus units to participate in phase two of the project. During this phase, appointed staff from participating units may be onboarded to the project.

Phase two will run from September 2023 to March 2024.

By engaging in phase two, units will have access to comprehensive training modules, thoughtfully designed to be both engaging and informative. These modules cover a wide range of topics, from identifying phishing attempts to safeguarding sensitive data.

The first 20 units to join the program and the first 50 participants to complete the training will have an opportunity to win exciting prizes.

“We are excited to extend the SAT Foundations project to all tri-campus units. Information security is a collective responsibility and by empowering individuals with baseline training, we can collectively build a more secure digital future,” expressed John.

How can units join the project?

Interested units can reach out to Ben Akhirevbulu, Project Manager.

For more information, visit the SAT Foundations web page.

Building a security-aware culture

December 6, 2021

The University of Toronto (U of T) has partnered with Canadian Internet Registration Authority and ORION to pilot a Information Security Awareness Training platform for delivering information security awareness courses.

“The Information Security Awareness Training pilot is part of our larger efforts to build a security-aware culture across the University and equip staff, faculty and students with the knowledge needed to protect themselves and the University against security threats,” says Kalyani Khati, Associate Director, Information Security Strategic Initiatives. 

The training pilot was launched on Nov. 24 and is expected to run until February 2022. The participants will be given access to a training platform meant to provide general security awareness training to end-users with varying levels of security knowledge. The goal of the pilot is to collect participant feedback on the quality and value of the courses and to test the viability of the platform.

Approximately 150 faculty and staff members from various divisions within the tri-campus community are participating in the pilot. Their feedback and input will help guide decisions and plans to provide security training to the wider U of T community.

Stay tuned for further updates about the training pilot.