A Holistic Approach to Maximize Cloud Security in K-12

Cloud-based technology has completely driven the entire spectrum of educational institutions by shifting their focus from device-centric to learning-centric initiatives. Educational technology leaders have started investing immensely on the cloud to boost efficiency by allowing teachers and administrators to turn their attention toward high-level issues. However, a secure cloud environment requires a holistic approach and layered software so that it ensures maximum security and maintain full authentication of the data. Schools thrive for tools that protect data from attacks, detect breaches, and simultaneously rectify errors caused by previous ambushes. Also, robust and precise security measures will further ensure client security in order to protect devices from further causing issues.

In 2015, thousands of records were breached when an employee of education billing service left his laptop inside his car. According to an Intel report, although the laptop was password protected the prevailing data was not encrypted. Therefore, schools and educational institutions must set their data into cloud including employing gateway appliances in order to manage identities and ensure authentic users to have access to the required information.

However, security technologies may protect the cloud, but the user’s inability to adopt and lack of knowledge might result in disastrous consequences. With the increase in cloud tools in order to improve the efficiency and outcomes, the risks for teachers signing up and not understanding completely has also considerably increased. To counter such threats, it is important to mandate virus protection and anti-malware of all mobile devices and ensure that only educators, students, and their parents or guardians have access to the data.