Information Technology

Information, news and features for the education sector IT professionals


CISA Holding Virtual National Summit on School Safety, Cybersecurity for Local, State K-12 Leaders, Educators

Registration is now open for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s virtual 2022 National Summit on K–12 School Safety and Security, scheduled for Nov. 1–3, 2022, and the event is specifically for public school leaders and policymakers at the state level and for local K–12 administrators, principals, educators, IT practitioners, school safety officials, mental health professionals, and school board members, CISA said.

Why Object Storage for Backups Can Keep Schools' Data Safer When Ransomware Comes Calling

An expert in cloud data backups explains that Instead of “adding extra fences” that hackers could potentially get around, schools are better off ensuring data is recoverable no matter the circumstance, and why object storage-based data backups are a better, safer, and more affordable solution.

New Guide 'Cybersecurity Frameworks: What K-12 Leaders Need to Know' Released by K12SIX, SETDA

The national nonprofit cybersecurity advocacy group for public schools, K12 Security Information Exchange, has released a new guide for state and local K–12 education leaders, “Cybersecurity Frameworks: What K–12 Leaders Need to Know,” which urges the adoption of cybersecurity best practices at the local and state levels of public education.

SchoolStatus Buys SI&A, Expanding Product Line with The Achievement Initiative, Good Governance Solutions

School communications and data analytics provider SchoolStatus has acquired School Innovations & Achievement, a software company whose solutions aim to help K–12 school leaders track and improve student attendance and ensure local and state policy compliance, SchoolStatus said in a news release.

Digital Citizenship Week: Five Tips for Embedding Digital Citizenship in Schools

The internet has proven to be a critical tool in the classroom. Even with broad support among parents for the internet as a vital educational tool, we know the internet is a vast and varied place that can easily become a distraction or even a danger. This is where digital citizenship comes in. A former education director of technology offers five tips for embedding good digital citizenship across K–12 schools.

Mosyle Opens Public Beta of its OneK12 Six-in-One IT Solution for Schools Using Apple Devices

Apple-specific MDM and security provider Mosyle has made available to all K–12 schools a “long trial” of its new Apple Unified Platform device management and security solution for educational institutions called OneK12, which integrates device management, content filtering, endpoint security, single sign-on, application management, and classroom management.

New California Law Requires Schools to Report All Cyberattacks Impacting 500 or More

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed into a law a new requirement for K–12 schools in that state to report any cyberattack impacting more than 500 pupils or personnel, becoming the first in the nation to require disclosure even if a data breach has not occurred.

New Data: Nearly Half of Schools Providing Home Internet Access to Students Who Need It This School Year

Survey results released today by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics shows that as of the start of the 2022–23 school year, almost half of K–12 public schools reported providing internet access to students who need it at their homes, and almost three quarters are providing training on digital literacy for their students.

Federal Appeals Court Ruling Means Class-Action Suits Over Data Breaches No Longer Require Proof of Actual Harm

As ransomware attacks targeting the education sector grab more headlines every week, a new ruling from a federal appeals court has further lowered the bar for people whose data is breached and leaked on the dark web to sue the organizations where the data was compromised, and educational institutions, public schools, and ed tech providers should take heed, an expert warns.

7 Questions about SchoolStatus with CEO Russ Davis

THE Journal’s “7 Questions: Ed Tech Explainer” series gives ed tech leaders an opportunity to summarize their solution(s), explain how their product helps educators and schools, and give a quick overview for K–12 decision-makers — sort of an extended (but not too extended) elevator pitch. For this installment, SchoolStatus Founder and CEO Russ Davis explains how SchoolStatus works in a school tech ecosystem, how it helps educators and students, and how it's pivoted over the past year.

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