$500K gift from Mississauga-based Stratejm allows Sheridan to expand and enhance offerings for cyber security students

A $500,000 gift from Mississauga-based cyber security leader and innovator Stratejm will enhance the knowledge and tools that Sheridan’s cyber security students need to innovate, adapt and respond to threats in a rapidly changing digital landscape, while also expanding programs to welcome more students.

Stratejm’s gift, announced yesterday during the inaugural Mississauga Cybersecurity Forum, will allow Sheridan to significantly expand CyberRange, Sheridan’s pan-campus cyber security ecosystem. Stratejm’s gift will provide new hardware, software and virtual resources to ensure students are participating in a full suite of ethical offensive and defensive security activities – including ethical hacking, penetration testing and malware analysis – all of which take place in a secure environment.

“Stratejm’s gift couldn’t come at a better time. The constantly evolving digital landscape combined with a cyber security talent shortage, in the age of big data, creates pressing demand for professionals with highly targeted skillsets. I’m immensely grateful for Stratejm’s support. It will ensure that our cyber security programs remain at the cutting edge of this dynamic field, while enabling more learners to upskill to meet our business community’s needs,” says Dr. Janet Morrison, President and Vice Chancellor of Sheridan.

“Stratejm’s gift couldn’t come at a better time... It will ensure that our cyber security programs remain at the cutting edge of this dynamic field, while enabling more learners to upskill to meet our business community’s needs.”

— Dr. Janet Morrison, President and Vice Chancellor of Sheridan

The gift will help Sheridan achieve its plans to expand enrollment. By 2025, Sheridan plans to welcome 300 more students into the degree program, offer a new graduate certificate and a diploma program, and provide cyber security programs at its campuses in Brampton, Mississauga and Oakville. Already, Sheridan is committed to developing talent in cyber security, connecting with high schools to tackle the gender inequality and pipeline gap in the sector by nurturing the untapped potential in the community and responding to the need for more equitable representation in the cyber industry.

“Stratejm wants to see Mississauga become a centre of excellence in cyber security and we want to accelerate that process by supporting a leading educational institution like Sheridan. Our experience with Sheridan students has been excellent so we are confident that our gift at this time will have a positive impact,” says John Menezes, Stratejm’s President and CEO.

“I want to thank home-grown Stratejm for this generous gift that not only demonstrates their commitment to shaping the Mississauga of today but tomorrow. This partnership will help attract talent, drive gender equality and train the next generation of cyber security experts while fostering an ecosystem that will drive innovation and increase our competitiveness both here at home and around the world,” says Bonnie Crombie, Mayor of Mississauga.

Kristin Armstrong, Associate Dean, Applied Computing, says the gift will allow the program to continue to respond to industry needs in a nimble way. “The demand for digital skills continues to grow exponentially. With the rise of new technologies, cyber security has quickly become a top concern for employers and organizations. Stratejm’s gift will ensure we’re providing more students with the virtual resources required to meet their academic needs and fostering innovation at the intersection of academic learning and industry.”

Launched in 2004, Sheridan’s Honours Bachelor of Information Sciences (Cyber Security) is the country’s longest running undergraduate cyber security degree program and its graduates are highly sought after by industry. More than 300 students enrol in the program each year. Currently offered in Oakville, the program will accept learners at Sheridan’s Davis Campus in Brampton beginning in September 2023.

Pictured in photo are (left to right) Stratejm Account Executive Nissreen Chams, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, Stratejm President and CEO John Menezes, Sheridan President and Vice Chancellor Dr. Janet Morrison, Sheridan Faculty of Applied Science and Technology Dean Lindsay Engel, and Stratejm Chief Revenue Officer Carl Hayes. Photo by Brayden Swire.