Jerry Petersen
A lack of awareness in education institutions about what constitutes as a cybersecurity issue is one of the most impactful vulnerabilities affecting the sector, according to Tim Boltz, education market program executive at Carahsoft.
Another issue affecting the education sector is the plurality of technologies meant to address specific security problems, resulting in “a disconnected mixture of security infrastructure” that makes regulation and management difficult, Boltz said in a column about the topics tackled at Carahsoft’s annual EdTech Talks Summit.
Boltz went on to say that, inasmuch as cybersecurity needs to be taken into consideration by educational institutions, so should physical security — ensuring that facilities provide a safe learning environment.
To ensure that virtual and physical security are achieved, Boltz said that “fundamental standards” ought to be in place, including multi-factor authentication, a high standard of digital hygiene, data backups, system audits to ensure compliance with standards and resources and training to prepare school community members for physical as well as cybersecurity threats.
Other measures, like visitor management monitoring, building and campus surveillance and lock down and fire drills can help ensure physical facility safety.
Concerning the fragmentation of an institution’s cybersecurity infrastructure, product consolidation is key.
