Data security regime management in the education sector: What you need to know
Data security posture management is an approach that helps protect sensitive data in the education sector and industries that handle large amounts of personal data.
As in the private sector, IT infrastructure in education extends beyond the safety of an institution's network and security systems. With many staff and students currently working and learning from home, the use of digital platforms for online learning is rapidly increasing, and institutions are finding it easier to leverage digital platforms for student records and academic activities. increasing.
The higher education sector is an attractive target for hackers as it stores and manages large amounts of personal data. According to IBM's 2023 Cost of Data Breach Report, the average cost of a data breach in the higher education and training sector in 2023 was $3.7 million. In a separate study, Comparitech reported that since 2005, there have been 2,691 data breaches reported in educational institutions, with at least one reported data breach. 31,988,437 person records were affected.
With the potential for such significant financial and reputational damage to education, implementing data security solutions to prevent data breaches is a top priority for the sector. Traditional cybersecurity hygiene, while undoubtedly important, is no longer sufficient to address the complex and sophisticated threats that educational institutions face today.
The new normal: Cybersecurity challenges for the education sector
The education sector is grappling with complex challenges such as the shift to distance learning, widespread decentralization, rapid cloud adoption, and an ever-expanding data environment. Collectively, these expose new vulnerabilities in the protection of critical data and intellectual property.
Higher education institutions need to protect many categories and types of sensitive data. Here are some key examples.
- student account statement
- student transcript
- student payment
- student financial report
- financial aid
- Transcript request form
- attendance
- Registration
- Graduation certificate
- student evaluation
- Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR)
- Graduate income survey
It is important to note that robust cybersecurity in education is not only about protecting your data, but also about protecting your future. Educational institutions often hold the key to research and innovation.
Think of it like this: Protecting student data is similar to maintaining the integrity of a library. In the library, each book provides valuable information for students. Books must be accessible and safe from theft and damage. Similarly, student data includes personal and academic information that plays an important role in the educational process. If a library's books are left unattended or its cataloging system is compromised, the entire treasure trove of knowledge can be at risk. The same goes for student data. The integrity and trust of education is under threat if it is not diligently protected with modern cybersecurity protocols and solutions.
Data security posture management: 5-step checklist
To address these challenges, data security posture management (DSPM) is an approach that helps protect academic institutions' unique environments. Here's a simple five-step guide to achieving data security in education and other industries that handle large amounts of personal data.
Step 1. Discover and identify student data
The first and perhaps most important step is to identify where all instances of student data reside within your institution. The best DSPM solutions enable advanced machine learning (ML) and AI to power student data no matter where it resides: in structured data repositories, unstructured data repositories, email/messaging applications, on the cloud, etc. It can autonomously scan and classify student data. on-premises storage), including its semantic context. You can identify your data, learn its usage patterns, and determine if your data is at risk. This thorough discovery and identification process is especially important for educational institutions seeking FERPA compliance.
