Report Unmasks K–12 Security and Staffing Challenges in the Cloud
A majority of respondents in the CDW survey ranked security as their No. 1 concern when it comes to moving on-premises applications to the cloud. More than half (54%) deemed “security and privacy concerns” as challenges for their cloud systems.
Security and data privacy concerns are hardly new to K–12 IT administrators. Respondents to the Consortium for School Networking’s “State of EdTech District Leadership” report have ranked cybersecurity as their top concern for the past three years.
One of the biggest cloud security challenges called out in the CDW report for K–12 IT leaders is “the integration of disparate security solutions.” Per the that report, more than half (53%) of respondents labeled this as challenging, deeming it a barrier to achieving unified security controls and identity across cloud environments.
Related to (and possibly exacerbating) these security concerns are staffing challenges. Respondents cited “a lack of onsite cloud skills” as the top factor hindering cloud management efforts, with 42% indicating challenges pertaining to this skill gap.
Instead of relying on onsite knowledge, K–12 IT teams are primarily using cloud management platforms and third-party service providers to manage these environments.
DISCOVER: More K–12 schools are modernizing their IT procurement process.
Similar Complications Loom for Artificial Intelligence
Some school districts are still debating whether to implement AI for staff and students and, if they do, how they should approach these integrations.
While 58% of respondents in CDW’s report use AI in their districts, they are left to contend with a host of challenges. These include the cost of the technology, uncertainty about the quality of data, difficulty integrating AI with their current systems and workflows, and getting buy-in from leadership, among others.
Fears similar to those surrounding the cloud permeate the use of AI in schools as well, with 50% of respondents worried about the “privacy and security of data in AI large language models.” Thirty-three percent also face a lack of AI expertise among their current staff.
To confront these challenges, third-party experts can help K–12 IT leaders secure their digital ecosystems and manage their technology stacks confidently.
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