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NC’s John Levay among IT leaders honoured for pioneering cyber security project

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Niagara College’s chief technology officer (CTO), John Levay, with his Higher Education Leadership Award from ORION at the Advance Ontario conference.

Niagara College chief technology officer (CTO), John Levay, is among a team of information technology leaders who have earned provincial recognition for a pioneering pilot project aimed at improving cyber security in higher education.

Levay is part of the founding cohort of colleges and universities participating in a shared chief information security officer (CISO) pilot project for higher education – who received the 2019 Higher Education Leadership Award by ORION at the Advance Ontario conference in Toronto on May 15.

“As a recipient of the ORION Leadership Award for Higher Education, and on behalf of Niagara College, I am proud to pioneer shared security in higher education and be part of this tremendous team,” said Levay. “I am inspired by the leadership and commitment to securing our precious teaching, learning, and research environments and creating a collective line of defense. I look forward to the future of our digital environment and I’m glad that ORION is championing and coordinating these ideals.”

The award from ORION – Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network – recognizes contributions to Ontario’s research, education and innovation communities. Represented by Levay, NC is among eight institutions – and ORION – leading the charge on the successful pilot project, proving the benefits of the shared CISO concept. With IT budgets stretched thin and ever-evolving cyber-attacks looming, shared security services optimize costs, increase efficiency, and colleges and universities benefit from expansive expertise. ORION announced at the conference that the pilot will be expanding to 12 colleges and 12 universities starting in June.

“We at ORION are proud to have these extraordinary leaders in our digital community,” said ORION president and CEO, Alfonso Licata. “Their ideas and efforts are perfect examples of what can be achieved by partnering on digital infrastructure and services. We are happy to play our part in helping create a more robust digital economy.”

Founding members of the CISO pilot, dubbed the G8, included Niagara College, Brock University, Laurier University, Laurentian University, OCAD University, Queen’s University, St. Lawrence College and Humber College.

In April 2017, ORION welcomed Farooq Naiyer, with over 15 years experience in the cybersecurity, privacy, technology compliance and assurance, to the role of shared CISO for the pilot project. Over the course of the pilot, Farooq, ORION and the G8 tackled many of the critical components of secure infrastructure research. The project, which is now expanding into the Ontario Cybersecurity Higher Education Consortium, will make way for Ontario institutions to boost their cybersecurity preparedness. With over 35 years’ experience in IT and the majority of those years in higher education, NC’s Levay played a key role in the success of the pilot.

Levay also spoke at the Advance Ontario conference on May 15 in a session on Cyber Security. The three-day annual Advance Ontario conference, packed with workshops, keynotes, and breakout sessions, attracts IT professionals from across Ontario, including representatives from Niagara College, to discuss key issues and trends in digital technology and infrastructure.

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