PROTECTING THE K–12 DIGITAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
What’s the current state of network security in schools? According to research from Fortinet:
● Education is one of the three areas hit hardest by cyberespionage.
● 10% of educational institutions were hit with malware on their networks in 2016.
● Cyber-espionage was present in 26% of these breaches.
● Four out of 10 teachers say their schools are “behind the curve” when it comes to technology adoption and implementation. Effective network security:
● Protects personally identifiable information (PII) * Reduces time and money spent on IT solutions
● Limits downtime
● Blocks network intrusions
Schools and districts can use E-Rate funds for solutions including firewalls, wireless controller systems, caching, switching, and access points.
77% OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ARE NOT PREPARED FOR IT RISKS
The 2017 IT Risks Survey, conducted by Netwrix, provides a deep look into IT security practices, challenges, successes, and plans in educational institutions. The number-one concern of these institutions is securing sensitive data, and most plan to invest in protection against data breaches and fraud.
The survey found that, among educational institutions:
● 72% don’t have any dedicated employees responsible for cybersecurity
● 77% perceive employees to be the biggest threat to system availability and security
● 49% have faced security incidents caused by human errors
● 37% have experienced security incidents due to malware
● Only 23% consider themselves to be well prepared to counter IT risks.
Survey respondents named budgetary concerns (74%), lack of time (54%), and insufficient participation of senior management (44%) as the main obstacles to effective cyber-risk management.
