Digital Security: Cyber Security Canada Assists in Obtaining Federal Certification

The mission of Cyber Security Canada is clear: protecting organizations from cyber attacks, but mostly contributing to a climate of trust in the country. The company is also one of the only four accredited bodies under the federal certification program CyberSecure Canada, that’s to say it has all the tools to help small and medium-sized organizations get their certification. Here’s an overview with its president Victor Beitner.

Return to the Past

Cyber Security Canada is a consulting firm as well as a certification body, both being completely independent. It wouldn’t have come about without the fascinating past of its founder. In his younger days, Mr. Beitner was mainly into photography, design and new technologies. After attending Dawson College and Concordia University in Montréal, he was recruited by a gemology company. “I was the assistant manager at the company, and I have learnt about physical security because we were carrying diamonds,” he recalls. At the time, he pursued in this field and obtained four degrees in gemology in New York.

After experiencing a robbery, he gave up gemstones and turned to new technologies. “I worked with Kodak, Xerox, Adobe and other technology companies. I did a project for Canadian military (NATO exercise) in computer graphics. I was also involved in a business where we were doing film production all digital. Everything needed to be perfect… not 99%, it had to be 100%!” he specifies. At this point, he is really challenged by cybersecurity issues, especially with the digital technology shift in the 1990s. “There are always surprises coming! We got hacked and I had to figure out how to deal with that,” said Mr. Beitner. In the 2000s, he finally founded a company that’s today called Cyber Security Canada.

Getting Certified

Since government certification became official in 2019, the Toronto-based organization has been providing quality support to companies looking to take the leap. To become certified, a company must meet the requirements for 13 safety control areas established by the Canadian Centre for Cybersecurity. The process can either be short or very long as it depends on the level of preparation and the ability to implement required standards.

The process includes an initial 45-minute consultation (free). If the client wishes to pursue, they are provided with several hours of training and all the necessary documentation, including worksheets to help manage the project, templates to be completed, etc. A targeted review also takes place prior to the application being submitted. Then, Cyber Security Canada conducts a two-stage audit, before granting the certification.

The company currently provides support to school districts, companies in the energy, health and insurance sectors, IT consulting groups and managed service providers. When Victor Beitner is asked who should get a certification, he quickly replies: “The business that has employees that wants to stay in business. And the business that has a computer!”.

Lastly, the cybersecurity expert reminds us that education should be at the core of cyber attacks fighting strategies. Billions of fraudulent emails are sent every day. “People will click. Everybody’s getting breached,” he concludes.

Read more: In-Sec-M’s Lunch and Learn