With the recent wave of cyberattacks, student data security is becoming one of the main concerns for all educational institutions. As per Microsoft Security Intelligence data, education was one of the worst affected sectors for malware attacks with 64 percent, or over 6.2 million, of all reported incidents.
Another survey by New York-based IT security firm SecurityScorecard found that the education sector is at the highest risk when it comes to cybersecurity. This makes it extremely critical for educational institutions to use trustworthy and sophisticated student data management systems and take all possible measures to strengthen their security.
Investment in a reliable and advanced student data management system can safeguard all important and confidential data and save educational institutions huge costs. As per IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2021, the average worldwide data breach cost in the education industry stands at US$4.77 million per incident.
At MyEdu, we provide robust and advanced student data management systems for all types of educational institutions. In this blog post, we discuss seven ways educational institutions can enhance the security and privacy of their student data.
How to enhance student data security?
There are so many ways educational institutions can enhance the security of their student data. Here are some of them:
1.Use a reliable student data management system
Before the advent of school management software, educational institutions used to store all their student information in registers or excel sheets. There was no way to ensure the privacy and security of the data. The introduction of a data management system made the storage of data more efficient and more secure. But a large number of companies flooded the market and claimed to provide the best software. When it came to efficacy and security, only a few deliver the desired results.
Getting a sophisticated student data management system from a trustworthy and experienced service provider is winning half the battle. To keep their student information safe, every educational institution should invest in a reliable student data management system. The key is to find a trustworthy and experienced service provider.
2.Use robust and secure passwords
After getting a reliable student management system, educational institutions need to use strong and secured passwords to keep the data safe. The first step is to set a password with a mix of alphabets (both upper and lower case), numbers, and symbols. After that, provide the authorized staff members with the new password and ask them to change it at regular intervals. If possible, use encryption and enable multiple levels of authentication in the computer systems for further security.
3.Be particular about providing the access
Just as setting a strong password, defining who can and who can’t access the system is equally critical to data security. After installing the system, handpick some trustworthy staff members who can handle the data and manage the system. The goal is to minimize the users with access to important student data and ensure privacy. Decide how much access each user needs to perform their assigned tasks and restrict their access after a certain level.
4.Train the staff members
Smart and sophisticated systems need smarter people to run them. After assigning selected staff members to handle the student management system and providing them with the passwords, train them to operate the system efficiently and effectively. The employees must know the best practices of using the system as well as how to store and access the data properly. Tell them what they must do if they face any problem. Also, tell them to lock their computer systems whenever they are leaving their workstations or taking a break.
5.Regularly monitor user activity on the student data management system
After providing training to the assigned staff members, it is necessary to keep an eye on the users’ activity on the student data management system at regular intervals. Not all newly-trained staff members may detect dubious activities and cyberattacks while they work on the system. To ensure data security and smooth operations, regular monitoring is essential. It doesn’t require a different set of sophisticated tracking or monitoring devices to keep an eye on the activity. Advanced and sophisticated data management systems can enable administrators to monitor user activity.
6.Reduce the amount of less relevant data
Let’s be honest, a majority of educational institutions can do away with some student data (and data about parents) that are extremely personal but less relevant to their education. A news report also found out that the form of a prestigious Indian secondary education board sought irrelevant parents’ data, such as monthly income, birth year, height, weight, among others. Reducing the amount of sensitive and less relevant data will not only save time and space but will also minimize the risk in case of a massive data breach.
7.Create a combat plan for security breaches
With a huge number of cyberattacks in the education sector, no institution can guarantee that they are immune to the attacks and are safe. The best thing that every institution can do is to plan and prepare for any data breach. The preparation along with a robust system can equip institutes to act fast and control the breach.
In summary
In the present time, the educational sector is witnessing more malware attacks than any other sector. With the use of the right technology such as student data management systems, educational institutions can protect sensitive student data and save a huge amount of money. If you are considering using the system in your institute, contact us to know the solutions we provide and how we can help you strengthen your security system.
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