OISE Tabletop Exercise
In Spring 2026, OISE’s Education Commons conducted an intensive Cybersecurity Tabletop Exercise, marking a milestone in our commitment to institutional readiness. This discussion-based simulation brought together key stakeholders from across the department to navigate realistic, evolving cyber-crisis scenarios. By working through these high-pressure situations in a collaborative, no-fault environment, our team identified critical gaps in our incident response playbooks and strengthened cross-departmental communication channels needed to protect our community's data and digital infrastructure.
The exercise was a success, demonstrating OISE’s proactive approach to the modern threat landscape. Participants engaged in strategic decision-making, testing everything from initial technical containment to executive communications and legal compliance. The insights gained are already being used to refine our internal processes, ensuring we are not just reacting to threats but prepared to lead through them.
Resources & Tools
To help other departments and teams within the OISE community build resilience, we are pleased to share the materials used during our session:
- Download the OISE Tabletop Exercise PowerPoint – A template of the slide deck used to guide our participants through the scenario "injects."
- Download the OISE Tabletop Facilitator’s Guide – A comprehensive manual for leaders looking to host their own session, including discussion prompts and key objectives.
- Visit the ITS Tabletop as a Service Website – Access the University of Toronto’s central resources, including the Immersive Labs platform, for professional-grade simulation tools and support.
Note: Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. We encourage all OISE staff and faculty to review these materials and consider how their teams would respond in a digital emergency.
