Cybersecurity Services in Education

Educational institutions, whether K-12, college/university, or Area Education Associations (AEA), depend heavily on their computer systems and the internet to support students and maintain student records.

While your team focuses on cultivating a safe and productive learning environment for students, our team provides your organization with peace of mind, realistic and actionable guidance, and improved security to protect sensitive information. Our teams understand the importance of cybersecurity for Higher Education and K-12 schools and have worked with institutions of all sizes to protect data and keep systems running smoothly.

School districts, higher education, and education associations can all benefit from practicing good cyber hygiene to maintain the security of users, networks, individual devices, and data. While our team works with you to construct a custom plan that works for both your organization and budget, common cybersecurity services within the education industry include:

• Penetration Testing
• SOCaaS with MDR
• Education
• Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) for Compliance and Virtual CISO (vCISO) services

ProCircular Grant Assistance – Available to AEAs

ProCircular offers grant assistance to AEAs to pay for cybersecurity services that protect students’ sensitive information. Grants such as the State Homeland Security Grant Program and the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program provide funding for local government organizations, such as school districts and public education, to spend on improving their cybersecurity posture. ProCircular aids these organizations in applying for grant funding by helping them in the application process.

Cybersecurity Challenges for School Districts, Colleges & Universities

Cybersecurity for education presents many unique challenges:

Use of Online Teaching and Testing

Over the past several months, there has been a considerable increase in schools and universities relying on online systems to deliver lessons and facilitate test-taking. While online education platforms are a safe and convenient alternative to in-person schooling, they are more vulnerable to cybersecurity threats.

Protecting Online Records

At schools, universities, and educational associations, sensitive student records are stored digitally, including personal information, health-related documents, financial data, and other information. ProCircular offers services for enhanced cybersecurity in educational settings — helping you safeguard essential data. 

Observing Compliance Guidelines

School faculty and administrators must follow several compliance-related demands to protect sensitive information. ProCircular’s team of experts is well-versed in compliance requirements for cybersecurity in education, and we’re eager to help ease the burden on your team by offering our expertise.

Balancing Security with Freedom

Educational environments should foster freedom, creativity, and innovation. ProCircular can help you implement cybersecurity solutions that don’t infringe on your students and staff members’ autonomy and ability to collaborate freely.

Managing Student Records

The Maturing of student records is a natural part of any school as students graduate and new students enroll. Faculty turnover is another factor to consider when considering cybersecurity within school districts. ProCircular can equip you with everything you need to prevent issues with online account turnover.

Cybersecurity Threats Facing Higher Education

Along with these unique challenges are the specific threats associated with cybersecurity for education. Some of the common cybersecurity threats for schools include:

• Internal Threats from students who may learn how to use publicly available hacker tools.
• External Threats from outside individuals who may attempt to access private information and records. These hackers may cause a data breach when they use techniques such as email phishing, denial of service, and ransomware.
• Human Error – All students and staff are susceptible to human error in record-keeping and account management, and some errors may result in network vulnerability.