Technology is increasingly relied on in classrooms everywhere. In a study conducted by PBS, 74% of teachers believe that technology is motivational to students learning (source). However, with the increasing use of technology by schools comes previously unknown risks. The educational industry in the United States accounts for 20% of data security breaches (source) leaving students vulnerable to identity theft and internet predators. As NIC Partners Managing Partner Frank Spaeth explains, “In the current climate of increasing technology use in classrooms, it’s important that the faculty, students and administrators protect themselves against unauthorized hackers and predators. The schools should be focused on preparing their students, which is difficult to do if they are worrying about whether or not their student information is safe”. Spaeth decided that NIC Partners should take action to combat the growing concern. They have partnered with Business Data Links (BDL), a California-based IT service provider, who devised an unusual way to prevent dangerous hacking. They call this service an Active Security Penetration Test, and it is comprised of a series of authorized, scheduled hacking attempts designed to discover where the security vulnerabilities are for the participating school. Brandon Brown, Sr. Fellow for BDL explains, “Many organizations and internal IT departments will use passive techniques. BDL looks at the issue with a hacker’s mindset, leverages the same tools and techniques that hackers do. The results are typically eye opening.”
Since children have such a high risk profile—they’re 51 times more likely to be the victims of identity theft than adults—it’s important to arm schools with as much information as possible about the specific weaknesses and strength their individual network possesses (source). Of course there are several precautions parents, students and faculty can take to help prevent data breaches. Everything from a regular review of school data safety policies to tough parent-child discussions about sharing personal information online will enhance the efforts of the Security Pen Test. And while those tactics are important, they may not be enough. Spaeth says that educators in California who are interested in finding (and fixing) data vulnerabilities should contact NIC Partners to commission a Security Pen Test today.
NIC Partners is a Southern California IT solutions company that has been providing healthcare, education, and managed IT solutions that work for more than 17 years. They are focused on delivering quality implementations, technical excellence and the most value to their customers
Business Data Links is a California-based IT Service Provider. They have been considered leaders in the Technology and IT Service industry since 1999. Several employees at BDL hold positions at Cal Poly Pomona in the Center of Information Assurance to teach these skills to their students, and corporate IT professionals in Fortune 500 companies.
Doreen Fiola, NIC Partners Inc. 1.800.451.3394 sales@nicpartnersinc.com
