Cybersecurity Defense Ecosystem Summit 2026 – Canada

“Join Us in Shaping the Future of Cybersecurity In Canada, Together”

If you are an MSP, MSSP, SOC, CISO or a Cybersecurity Professionals, then this event, community and resource is for you to learn, network and improve your cyber practice.

“In the absence of a cohesive team strategy for cybersecurity, malicious actors will continue to succeed and now with autonomous AI Agents, they will succeed much faster”

The Cybersecurity Defense Ecosystem Summit (CDES) is inviting ALL cybersecurity stakeholders to unite for networking, learning, and collaboration. With 90% of content delivered through panel discussions, experts and peer-to-peer collaborations you get the widest perspectives and exchange of unbiased ideas!

Several key trends are currently converging that impacts cybersecurity: the rise of autonomous AI agent hacking, advanced LLM capabilities, and the consolidation of platforms and solutions driven by AI. Furthermore, the industry faces significant expansion of regulations and the ongoing challenge of a workforce utilizing more shadow AI and IT. Understanding your risk landscape to better protect, FAST and efficient detection of threats, rapid intervention and mediation are all mission critical.

Left of Boom: Our expert panel will analyze emerging trends in Autonomous AI Agent Hacking and discuss robust defensive strategies. As the next generation of AI evolves into a sophisticated cyber weapon, it grants advanced hacking capabilities to a broader range of actors and enables relentless, autonomous attacks. This shift fundamentally alters the “Left of Boom” landscape, making rapid detection and remediation the new mission-critical standard. We will examine how leveraging intelligent AI automation and tool consolidation can reduce cybersecurity expenditures while improving your overall risk profile. Additionally, we will explore maintaining a resilient security posture through continuous AI-powered monitoring and the implementation of smarter patch management and configuration strategies.

Right of Boom: From detection to recovery, we will examine the most recent advancements in continuous, always-on penetration testing designed to identify and close critical gaps. Being prepared is essential; therefore, we will discuss practical Table Top Exercises and introduce an Incident Response Platform to manage the process. This platform serves as a powerful tool for detecting, halting, and mediating breaches as they happen. Surviving a cyber incident is a notoriously difficult experience, yet organizations can improve their outcomes by equipping themselves with the necessary tools, information, and expertise. Key strategies include:

  • Real-Time Visibility: Understanding exactly which data has been compromised in real-time allows for more informed recovery decisions.
  • Diligent Practice: Regular incident response drills reduce panic, alleviate stress, and prevent expensive errors during a crisis.
  • Financial Protection: We will explore methods for securing affordable cyber insurance to ensure an expert team of responders can be deployed immediately if primary defences fail.

Consistent IR practice combined with a solid cyber insurance policy remains the most effective way in ensuring a business can survive following a cyberattack.

Did you know that the top 20 vendors—out of 6,000—account for 66% of global cybersecurity spending, yet they still face attacks and breaches. Meanwhile, thousands of smaller vendors are working to fill the gaps. Everyone has a role to play and AI will help, but cost and skill shortages remain major challenges. Data sovereignty, compliance, and other regulations are forcing a rethink of cybersecurity strategies.

Even as AI fuels the ongoing “Cyber War,” human involvement remains crucial. This event will explore the latest AI landscape, the evolution of Identity Management to Autonomous Agents, and emerging quantum computing technologies.

  • Managed Security Services Providers (MSSPs)
  • Cybersecurity-First MSPs
  • Security Operations Centres (SOCs)
  • Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs)
  • Chief Information Officers (CIOs)
  • Cybersecurity Consultants
  • Vendors developing cybersecurity solutions or offering services
  • AI Consultants
  • Business owners and C-suite executives seeking to understand cyber breach risks.
  1. Advanced Cyber Discussions: Delve into the latest cybersecurity challenges, particularly from an AI perspective, and explore mediation strategies.
  2. Community Building: Cybersecurity is a team sport. This event fosters a network of top regional cyber experts for year-round collaboration against cybercrime, extending beyond a one-time gathering.
  3. Latest Technologies: Experience cutting-edge cyber technologies and resilience practices, including advancements in AI and identity management, to protect businesses effectively.
  4. Left and Right of Boom: Learn to prevent breaches with the strategies while preparing for the “Boom” (a breach) with insights on detection, response, recovery, and reporting.
  5. CISO Challenges: Engage in discussions about CISO challenges with C-Level management and explore how MSPs and MSSPs can collaborate with CISOs and CIOs to enhance cybersecurity posture.
  6. Impact of AI on Cyber: Explore how AI is transforming cybersecurity and its future implications. Discussions will also cover the business use of AI and the significant risks without proper governance and policies.
  7. Compliance and Regulations: Gain understanding of government and insurance compliance requirements (reporting, privacy laws) and strategies for a defendable legal position, including cyber insurance.
  8. Assessing Cyber Risks: Understand your cyber risk profile and learn to evaluate your security posture to your desired level.
  9. Supply Chain Protection: Discover strategies to safeguard the supply chain and address emerging threats like non-human identities, software code, web, and eCommerce vulnerabilities.
  10. Breakout Peer-Group Sessions: Participate in meaningful discussions and debates with like-minded peers on specific topics of interest.

Keep watching for updates and previews as we get closer!

Balancing Affordability with Cybersecurity Protection:

Small to Mid-Size Businesses: The cost of cybersecurity continues to rise, making it challenging for SMBs to balance protection with budget. Tech-sprawl and overlapping functionality complicate solution adoption. The summit will also offer insights on minimizing costs through consolidation, tech stack analysis and AI automation, potentially reducing cyber risks while minimizing costs.

Ticket Prices:

Make the Cybersecurity Defense Ecosystem your new go-to home and local community for all things cyber. MSPs, MSSPs, SOCs, and CISOs can sign up for free and start exploring today with a Basic Free Membership and get an additional $100 discount to attend this summit.

Early Bird Ticket Price Before October 10: $248 (Plus Ticket Provider Handling and Taxes) Get $100 extra discount as a CDE Member.

After October 10: $495 (Plus Ticket Provider Handling and Taxes) Get $100 extra discount as a CDE Member.

NOTE: If you are already a CDE member, you will receive a discount code by email. If you did not, please contact us at the CDE. For new members, please sign up first to the CDE first then check your email for the special discount code, then use that to register online.

Explore the CDE: A Resource for those in the business of cybersecurity. MSPs, MSSPs, SOCs, CISOs and Vendors.

Event Details
Free CDE Membership = $100 discount to CDE Summit

This in-person event is the premier gathering for the Cybersecurity Defense Ecosystem (CDE) community, bringing together cybersecurity professionals, makers, buyers, and sellers. It's a unique opportunity to learn, network, and collaborate. Members can connect face-to-face and exchange ideas, while non-members can experience the CDE firsthand and engage with its influential network of experts.

While the chance to network and share insights among peers is valuable in itself, this event offers much more. Attendees will hear from top minds in cybersecurity. Whether you're a seasoned expert or just beginning to deepen your cybersecurity capabilities, this event is designed to deliver significant value.

Experience it for yourself and decide. We are hosting several events across the country, and you are welcome to join any of them.

Agenda

We officially kick off at 9:00 AM, but feel free to arrive as early as 8:00 AM to enjoy breakfast snacks, fresh coffee, and some valuable time to meet, greet and network with peers, speakers and experts.

Stronger Together. Year-Round.

Build powerful connections, share insights, and grow your business at our cybersecurity summit. With the Cybersecurity Defense Ecosystem, you get 24/7 access to tools, expertise, and a network of leaders to boost your security protection.

Join free at cybersecuritydefenseecosystem.com or unlock premium benefits for $595/year.

These regional CDE summits unite MSPs, MSSPs, SOCs, and CISOs to network, learn, and collaborate—driving cybersecurity excellence all year long.

Cybersecurity pros won’t want to miss this! Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Self-Learning Attack Agents have changed the game!

Explore the hyper-accelerated world of AI hacking with penetration speeds now happening in less than 6 minutes.

Be ready to go beyond traditional defences and embrace a future-proof approach powered by AI.

Speed of detection is now mission critical.

AI platforms like Mythos continue to uncover vulnerabilities never found before. It is also a powerful weapon in the hands of bad actors. Patching is going to become mission critical and the volume of patching will create even more complex challenges.

According to research firm Omdia, cybersecurity is being reshaped in ways that are more consequential than the past decade and partners are at an inflection point. “Platform consolidation, geopolitical, ecosystem realignment, AI-driven transformation and long-term workforce disruption are converging all at one”. We agree as we see this in the vendors we interview and what’s happening on the frontlines of the cybersecurity channel. With the top 20 vendors out of 6,000 already accounting for 66% of the global cybersecurity spend, you have to ensure you are rolling with the right partners. Keep in mind that these top 20 are still plagued with attacks and breaches so the remaining thousands are busy trying to fill the gaps.

Everyone has a role to play, but cost (and skill) is the achilles heel. Data sovereignty, compliance and other regulations are forcing everyone to rethink cybersecurity in the Era of AI.

Before an attack is meticulously planned and carried out, a group of AI agents is dispatched by malicious actors to gather intelligence about the target company and its employees from all accessible sources, including the dark web. This information is carefully analyzed to develop an attack strategy that outlines who to target, why, where, and how.

leveraging someone's identity and log in credentials is still the number one way hackers gain access. AI agents amplifies the identity problem.

Tactics are dynamically adjusted with the assistance of AI.

Once inside, they patiently explore to identify the most valuable data before executing their plan and retreating. Utilizing AI cloaking and various strategies, hackers can extract sensitive information or deploy malware without being detected. While some companies have measures and personnel in place to identify and prevent such incidents, the vast majority do not. With AI at their disposal, malicious actors gain an edge by automating more sophisticated and well-organized attacks.

This next level of automated Hacking-as-a-Service is available to anyone.

As state-actors at war unleash drones they will also unleash cyber attacks. The problem here is they do not want money. They want to destroy.

How can you safeguard against this threat? We will explore this!

As businesses increasingly adopt AI-empowered models and Agentic AI, understanding the inherent risks and establishing robust governance are paramount. Sometimes humans share company information with AI that they should not. Since AI has no delete kay, this sort of innocent insider threat can cause significant damage.

We have all heard this many times already. So now what?

We will explore ways you can monitor and manage insider threats.

However, AI is an ubiquitous tool, leveraged by both sides in the ongoing cyber war. The goal should be to build the best defense for the AI age, moving beyond reactive measures to predictive cybersecurity. This involves not only reducing false positives and improving prioritization and mediation, but fundamentally staying ahead of the curve.

Speed to a breach discovery is now paramount! With AI-empowered attacks, breaches are now measured in single digit of minutes... soon maybe in seconds! Reactions need to be just as fast.

Prevention. Detection. Mediation at speed matters!

Our "A-Team," comprised of cybersecurity specialists, CISOs, and MSSPs, will provide crucial insights into the latest advancements and emerging trends in the field. Professionals from diverse areas of the cybersecurity landscape will share their unique perspectives on how that fight this cyber battle.

Throughout the day, these experts will also be available for in-depth discussions and to answer your questions during the Mastermind Peer-Group sessions. These in-person events offer a unique opportunity to expand your network with these valuable experts, who can assist with your future needs.

AI and Cybersecurity are becoming more regulated. Failure or ignorance to comply will no longer be an option. Companies will be held liable and cyber insurance claims will be denied.

There are several components to the best Cybersecurity practice and it's evolving...

Compliance, CIS, regulations, privacy, insurance, supply chain, and other legal issues also play a critical role in your cybersecurity posture.

In many cases defendable compliance is becoming a requirement for do business with an increasing number of organizations.

How do you manage the various issues facing you?

Our panel of experts will discuss the solutions to these challenges.

Today, it's vital to keep ahead of the latest government and insurance regulations (both in-country and international).

It's coming... you hear often about corporations need legal to sign off on some business aspect. Soon, you will also need CISOs to sign off on a variety of business activities.It will not be a choice.

Explore the increasing responsibilities and concerns of today's CISOs.

This session features leading CISOs who will discuss their strategies for safeguarding their organizations and the challenges that keep them up at night. For an authentic glimpse into the daily realities of the cyber warfare landscape, this session is essential.

Additionally, we will delve into the evolving position of CISOs within the C-Suite, examining effective methods for communicating cyber risks and investment needs to executives, and identifying best practices for risk reduction.

Catch 2-minute pitches on innovative cyber solutions and services.

You'll get a high-level overview of various solutions and business tools, then vote for your favorite pitch.

Meet vendors all day—discover opportunities, spark partnerships, and open new doors.

What do you really want to know about cybersecurity solutions?

Three CISO experts will interview each participating vendor about their solution on what it can and cannot do and why it matters.

You will explore solutions that will actually help move the needle up on your cybersecurity posture and practice. These sessions will be between 10 to 15 minutes each. Attendees will also get to access extended sessions of each, access demos and special offers post event.

Want more? Check out the expo! The CDE is a resource for about 250 solutions.

What's on your mind? What do you want to know? What do you care about?

This session is about addressing your questions. Walk up to the mic and ask the experts.

LLM/AI Poisoning? Identity Management? Supply Chain? Shadow IT and Shadow AI? Insider Threats? Non-Human Identities? Awareness Training in the Era of AI with sophisticated social engineering phishing, deep fakes and everything in between...

What's most interesting to you?

Wrap up the event by picking YOUR topic, join the conversation, share your expertise or just listen up!

This is a hands-on session where each attendee gets to choose from several hot cybersecurity topics, or create their own them join the their peers who shares the same interest.

An expert facilitator will guide the group's discussion to address their questions with deep insights and solutions to take home.

The best part? The dialogue doesn’t end when the event does — you can keep connected with your peer-group to build your network and continue to share ideas long after the event is over!

Each peer-group will give the audience a brief 3-minute summary of the key takeaways from their session.

More detailed summaries of each peer-group session will be shared with the attendees, minus any identifiable or confidential information.

We want you to go home with your burning questions answered! We also want you to discover surprise answers to questions you never thought of asking!

Ask about joining a permanent local cyber Mastermind peer-group that you can continue to meet and exchange ideas as often as you like.

The educational sessions end at 5:00 PM.

The Solution Provider Expo will be open with food and drinks for networking until 7:00 PM. Who knows where we will all end up as networking with local like-minded people is really what this event is all about!

All registered attendees will be notified or several special invite-only dinners hosted by various organizations. Typically, many end up in the hotel bar to carry on the conversations.

Please do NOT Drink and Drive! There are hotel rooms available and many car share options available. Just leave your car if you drove and arrive safe!

While we do have an official end-time, we will be around until 9 PM and everyone is welcome to continue the networking. Please do not drink and drive! There are hotel rooms available in the venue.

Registration
Full Pass early-bird ticket price: $248 (CDE Members get $100 Additional Discount)
248

Taxes and Ticket Platform Handling Fees Extra.
Ticket Includes:

Full event access
Breakfast
Lunch
Food in the Expo
Drinks

FAQ

What topics are planned to be covered at the event?

1. Cybersecurity in the Age of AI Agents
A short opening talk framing how cybersecurity has shifted from AI awareness to AI execution, with AI agents, identity, data access, and automation now becoming real operational risks.

2. Frameworks
A practical discussion on how organizations should choose and apply frameworks without turning cybersecurity into checkbox compliance.

3. Vulnerability Prioritization in the Era of AI
What vulnerability prioritization actually means, why CVSS alone is not enough, and how teams should decide what to fix first.

4. Defense in Depth in the Era of AI
A modern look at layered defense across identity, email, endpoint, cloud, SaaS, data, AI agents, backups, and human behavior.

5. AI Pen Testing Lessons Learned
What breaks when testing AI applications, copilots, RAG systems, chatbots, and internal AI agents, and what organizations can do before production use.

6. The Rise of the CISO: AI Governance, Risk, and Board Communication
How security leaders explain AI risk, cyber investment, resilience, and business impact to executives and boards.

7. From Reactive to Predictive to Agentic Defense
A continuation of the AI defense conversation, moving from reactive security to predictive detection and safe AI-assisted response.

8. Identity Is No Longer Just About People
Human users, service accounts, APIs, bots, non-human identities, and AI agents that now need stronger governance and access control.

9. Shadow AI and Data Leakage
How employees are already using AI tools, where sensitive data may be leaking, and how companies can manage it without blocking innovation.

10. Ransomware 2026: Faster, Smarter, More Automated
A threat landscape update focused on ransomware, identity abuse, social engineering, and the operational gaps attackers continue to exploit.

11. Software Supply Chain and Third-Party Risk
How organizations can understand exposure across vendors, software components, SaaS tools, and critical third parties.

12. Cyber Insurance, Compliance, and Contracts
How cyber maturity now affects insurance, customer trust, procurement, and contract requirements.

13. Security Awareness in the Age of Deepfakes and AI Phishing
How awareness training must evolve when attackers can generate better phishing, voice cloning, deepfakes, and personalized scams.

14. Cyber Resilience: Recovery Is the New Differentiator
Backups, incident response, tabletop exercises, business continuity, and proving the organization can recover after an attack.

15. Vendor Proof, Not Vendor Promises
A sharper vendor pitch format where each vendor must explain the risk they solve, the proof they have, and the business outcome they deliver.

16. CISO Court: Put the Security Claim on Trial
The CISOs challenge on vendor claim, framework idea, or security assumption to test what is real, useful, and measurable.

17. AI Governance for MSPs and MSSPs
How MSPs and MSSPs can help customers adopt AI securely and turn AI security into a service opportunity.

18. What Can Be Done Now: 30/60/90-Day Cyber Action Plan
A closing action plan where experts give clear actions attendees can take immediately, within 60 days, and within 90 days.

Where is the CDES held?

At the Old Mill, 9 Old Mill Rd, Etobicoke, ON M8X 1G5, Canada. Parking is available. Nearby access by subway.

How to get there?

There is a subway station at walking distance. There is ample parking by the venue. Website: https://www.oldmilltoronto.com/

How do I become a Member to the Cybersecurity Defense Ecosystem (CDE) for FREE and attend the event with a $100 discount?

It's simply - ONLY if you are an MSP, MSSP, SOC, CISO, CIO or Cybersecurity Consultant, sign up at https://cybersecuritydefenseecosystem.com/channel-partner-sign-up/

Membership in the CDE allows you to access a comprehensive cybersecurity resource all year long. Explore the benefits and if you want to unlock much more benefits, become Premium Member for $595 USD per year. No obligation to renew. To renew for the next year(s), you must complete the renewal process and payment at or before end of the first year.

When should I arrive?

Plan to arrive by 8:00 AM to network with everyone over breakfast snacks and coffee.

The sessions start at 9:00 AM.

How do I participate if I do not want to become a CDE member?

You can purchase a ticket for $495.00. Ask for an Executive Overview if you need to justify the expenditure by your company.

If I am a vendor and do not exhibit, how can I attend?

Buy a ticket for $495. Vendors cannot become a member of the CDE. If you wish to exhibit, please ask for the sponsorship options and exec summary.

Contact us if you have other questions https://www.channelnext.ca/contact/

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