Security

Higher Ed Can’t Afford Weak Links in IT Security

Today’s daunting threat landscape means colleges and universities must accept all the help they can get to strengthen their security postures.

Meg Conlan-Donnelly

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Meg was an editor for the CDW family of technology magazine websites.

When it comes to keeping campus data safe, higher ed IT professionals have their work cut out for them.

According to Symantec’s 2016 Internet Security Threat Report, education accounted for 6.6 percent of all reported cybersecurity incidents in 2015, tying with business as the second-most-breached subsector. The new ranking is one notch higher than it was in the 2015 report.

Symantec’s new findings likely confirm what most higher ed IT professionals already know: that cybersecurity breaches are inevitable, and IT must shift its focus from avoidance to anticipation.

But that task is too big for the IT department to tackle on its own. It’s important for higher ed institutions to train faculty, staff and students on best practices so they, too, can take responsibility for data security.

Learn more by watching the video Cybersecurity Best Practices for Colleges and Universities, and then read how third-party security consultants can help safeguard campus networks.