Know where you stand.
Fix what matters.
A free cyber risk assessment, a one‑on‑one walkthrough and a security roadmap for your business — built in Brampton by Shield Identity and the Brampton Board of Trade.
- Identity & access Weak — no MFA on email
- Backups & recovery Partial — untested
- Endpoint protection Good
- Vendor & compliance readiness Not started
The Secure Brampton Digital Defence Program
A free cybersecurity program for businesses, created by Shield Identity in partnership with the Brampton Board of Trade. It tells you where your business is exposed, gives you a roadmap to fix it, teaches you what insurers and customers will ask for, and puts a response plan on file before you ever need one.
Most cyber programs are built for enterprises with security teams. This one is built for the business where the owner is the IT department. Everything in the first tier is free, and nobody is turned away.
Why this matters now
1 in 6 Canadian businesses was hit in 2023. A ransomware event now costs an average of $1.7 million to recover from, before any ransom. Small businesses take the longest to get back up because nobody had a plan.
Procurement questionnaires, cyber insurance renewals and enterprise contracts now ask the same thing: show us you're secure. The businesses with answers win the work. The rest get quietly dropped from the shortlist.
Since summer 2026, CPCSC Level 1 is required at award in select National Defence contracts, with Level 2 next. For Peel's manufacturers and suppliers, security has become a condition of being paid.
Small businesses are the biggest target. Most don't know it.
Attackers don't go after the biggest company — they go after the easiest one. A single ransomware event can shut a business for weeks.
And more of your customers, insurers and government buyers are now asking the same question: can you prove you're secure? Secure Brampton exists so you never have to guess at the answer.
Figures from Statistics Canada's 2023 Canadian Survey of Cyber Security and Cybercrime (released October 2024) and Sophos, The State of Ransomware 2026.
Everything in the first tier is free. Here's what happens.
Take the assessment
Ten minutes online. You get a Cyber Score across the seven areas attackers actually target, instantly.
Go deeper, if eligible
Businesses with an office network qualify for a free technical network assessment — it surfaces what a questionnaire can't see.
Walk through your results
A Shield Identity consultant — not a salesperson — sits with you, explains what your score means, and learns how your business runs, what you sell and who you sell to.
Receive your roadmap
In a second session we hand you a prioritised roadmap: what to fix first, roughly what it costs, and what it earns you in contracts and peace of mind. It's yours to keep, or to share with your IT provider.
Join the live sessions
Free, live and in plain English: what SOC 2, PCI DSS, CPCSC and penetration testing actually are, who asks for them, and how they help you win work. See the schedule.
Get on standby $0 retainer
Insurers, customers and every framework from SOC 2 to CPCSC ask the same two questions: do you have an incident response plan, and who do you call? The standby retainer answers both. Sign it and you receive our Incident Response Basic Plan — a ready‑made, one‑page playbook for what to do if you're breached — plus preferred pricing and a priority line to our response team. Nothing to pay unless you ever need to call.
No sales pitch. If you never spend a dollar with us, you'll still leave with a plan — and someone to call.
The $0 standby retainer, and why it isn't optional
An incident response plan is no longer a nice‑to‑have. Cyber insurance applications ask for one. SOC 2, PCI DSS and CPCSC all require one. Customers' security questionnaires ask who you would call. Most small businesses answer "we'd figure it out" — and pay for that answer on the worst day of the business.
The standby retainer puts the answer on file before you need it: a signed agreement with Shield Identity, your preferred rates locked in, a direct number, and priority response if you're hit. There is no monthly fee and no minimum. You can cancel any time.
Every business that completes a walkthrough is asked to sign one. It costs nothing, and it's the piece that turns a roadmap into a plan.
What's in the Incident Response Basic Plan
Our ready‑made playbook, filled in with your details during the walkthrough. Print it, put it by the door.
- Who to call first — Shield Identity's priority line, your insurer, your IT provider — with the numbers filled in
- The first hour: what to disconnect, what to leave running, what not to touch so evidence survives
- Who decides — the one person in your business who can authorise shutting systems down
- What to tell staff, and what to tell customers, before you know the full picture
- Your legal notification duties under PIPEDA and when the clock starts
- How to get back up: which backups, in what order, and how to know they're clean
What a secure business looks like
Get more secure
Find the gaps before someone else does — and close the ones that matter most first.
Survive ransomware
The difference between a bad week and a closed business is what you do in the first hour. Standby members have the plan on the wall and the number to call.
Sell better
When procurement sends a security questionnaire, the businesses with answers win. Turn "we'll get back to you" into "here's our documentation."
Be compliance‑ready
SOC 2, PCI DSS, CPCSC, ISO 27001 — know which ones your customers will ask for, and be ready before they do.
The program grows with you
Know where you stand
For any business. No sales call required to get value.
- Cyber Score assessment
- Network assessment (eligible businesses)
- Results walkthrough + roadmap
- Live learning sessions
- $0 standby retainer + Incident Response Basic Plan
DIY
Do‑it‑yourself modules for teams that want to do the work in‑house. Priced just enough that the room is full of people who intend to act.
- MFA everywhere
- Email and endpoint protection
- Encryption and backups
- CPCSC readiness
- Incident response basics
Done for you
Shield Identity delivers your roadmap. Priced for small and mid‑sized businesses; Board of Trade members receive preferred terms.
- Managed security
- SOC 2, ISO 27001, CPCSC readiness
- Penetration testing
- Cyber insurance readiness
- vCISO and advisory
Most businesses start free and stay there for months. That's fine — the roadmap is yours.
Built for Brampton's businesses. Open to all.
Any business with customers, data and a login. Inside Brampton or outside it, the assessment and roadmap are the same.
Since summer 2026, CPCSC Level 1 has been appearing as a requirement in select National Defence contracts. Suppliers who can't attest don't get the award. The program has a dedicated CPCSC track — ask about it in your walkthrough.
A Shield Identity initiative, in partnership with the Brampton Board of Trade
Brampton‑based cybersecurity firm making enterprise‑grade security practical, understandable and affordable for small and mid‑sized businesses. Founded by Himanshu Gulia; a team of specialists across managed security, compliance, testing and advisory.
Why businesses work with Shield Identity
- One team for the whole roadmap — managed security, compliance, testing and advisory — instead of five vendors who don't talk to each other
- Compliance that wins contracts: SOC 2, ISO 27001 and CPCSC readiness scoped to what your customers actually ask for
- Cyber insurance readiness from a licensed Ontario insurance broker's perspective — fewer surprises at renewal
- Enterprise experience, SMB pricing: the founder led global cybersecurity programs before building this for businesses like yours
- Preferred rates and priority incident response for Secure Brampton standby members
Brampton's largest business association — where businesses of every size connect, collaborate and solve problems together.
What membership gives you
- Curated networking with the city's business leaders at in‑person and virtual events
- Advocacy with all three levels of government on the issues that affect your business
- Visibility in the member directory and promotion across Board of Trade platforms
- Cost savings through exclusive member discount programs and group employee benefits
- Guidance, resources and document services for businesses expanding into export markets
- Priority walkthrough booking and preferred service pricing through Secure Brampton
Membership, events and the Brampton business community are the Board of Trade. Anything to do with securing, certifying or protecting your business is Shield Identity.
Secure Brampton Sessions
This is where the learning happens: live, free, and in plain English. What these things are, who asks for them, and how they help you win work. Register your interest and we'll email you the date as soon as each session is scheduled.
Questions people ask before they start
Is it really free?
Yes. Everything in the first tier — the assessment, the network assessment if you're eligible, both meetings, the roadmap, the live sessions and the standby retainer — has no cost and no obligation.
Do I have to be a Board of Trade member?
No. The program is open to everyone. Members get priority booking for walkthroughs and preferred pricing on Shield Identity services.
Do I have to be in Brampton?
No. We run it from Brampton, for Brampton, but any business can take the assessment and gets the same results, walkthrough and roadmap.
What does the $0 retainer actually cost?
Nothing to sign up, nothing monthly. It locks in preferred pricing and priority incident response for your business, and it comes with our Incident Response Basic Plan. If you ever call us for an incident, the work is billed at your preferred rate — you see the rate card before you sign, and you can cancel any time.
Why do you ask every business to sign the retainer?
Because an incident response plan and a named responder are now a requirement — for cyber insurance, for SOC 2, PCI DSS and CPCSC, and on most customer security questionnaires. Signing the retainer is how you get both on file at no cost. It doesn't commit you to buying anything.
When do the DIY modules open?
They're being built now. Register your interest and you'll be first to hear when the first module — MFA everywhere — opens.
What happens to my data?
Your results are confidential and used only to prepare your walkthrough and roadmap. They are never shared with the Board of Trade or anyone else without your permission. Read how we handle your information.
Who does the consultation?
A Shield Identity security consultant. Not a salesperson.
What if I already have an IT provider?
Great. The roadmap is yours to share with them — most providers are glad to have a prioritised list.
Who do I contact for what?
Membership, events and the Brampton business community: the Brampton Board of Trade. Cybersecurity, compliance or managed services: Shield Identity.
Ten minutes. Free. Start here.
Find out where you stand today — and get a plan for what to do about it.
Get your free Cyber ScoreSecure Brampton is a Shield Identity initiativein partnership with the Brampton Board of Trade