Information Technology

Information, news and features for the education sector IT professionals


Snapshot: PCs and Tablets Continue to Plummet

The forecast for PCs and tablets continues to get gloomier.

Cobalt Iron Upgrades NAS Protection Backup and Recovery Features at No Additional Cost

Data protection company Cobalt Iron has provided, at no cost, new features to its Compass NAS Protector backup platform. The improvements are designed to speed up backups and make NAS data management easier.

Airtame Partners with Rise Vision on Digital Signage and Emergency Alerts Collab

Hardware-enabled collaboration provider Airtame has boosted its partnership with unified communications software developer Rise Vision to expand K–12 schools’ ability to display emergency alerts and school messaging across Airtame-connected devices, according to a news release.

text reads State of Ransomware 2023 by Sophos and includes figures for recovery costs from the last three years

K–12 Ransomware Attacks Rose 43% in 2022, Encryption Used More Often, Survey Shows

Eight out of 10 K–12 school districts surveyed for Sophos’ 2023 State of Ransomware Report said they were hit by ransomware last year — a 43% increase from the previous year’s results — making the K–12 education sector the most-popular ransomware target in the world in 2022.

New Network Tool Measures Students' Connectivity Off-Campus

The new Digital Equity module, an extension to Lightspeed's Digital Insight network and ed tech analytics platform, provides real-time connectivity and device health data on students’ school-issued devices, enabling school leaders to know when students experience connectivity outages at home — allowing for interventions or assistance before learning outcomes are impacted, the company said.

Chalkboard image with text "movers and shakers" overlaid with company logos of Pearson, United Educators, Centegix, National Math and Science Initiative, BlazerWorks, Mentor, and D2L

People on the Move: Prentice, Ogden-Reese, Irwin, Cluver, Anderson, Myrie, Wilson, Kozyra, Yates, Kelsey, Sowin

Recent leadership and advisory roles announced by education and ed tech organizations include a new CEO at Pearson, a new CMO at D2L, a new COO at Centegix, a new board member at United Educators, a new CEO at National Math and Science Initiative, a new CEO at Mentor, and new special education advisory leaders at BlazerWorks.

Image shows K12SIX logo, the words

K12 SIX Invites Input for 2023-24 Updates to Essential Cybersecurity Protections Series

Cybersecurity nonprofit K12 Security Information Exchange is inviting K–12 IT and network security practitioners to submit their input and feedback for the upcoming 2023–24 edition of the K12 SIX Essential Cybersecurity Protections Series of guides for public schools’ risk management efforts.

image shows a graphic in background from the CoSN 2023 State of Ed Tech Leadership survey

Annual CoSN Survey Shows Widespread Lack of Professional Learning Support, Budget Restraints Persist

CoSN’s 10th annual State of Ed Tech Leadership report released this week shows some things remain the same — K–12 technology leaders need more resources to keep up with technological innovations in schools — while priorities since the survey began have shifted remarkably.

Kajeet Adds eduroam Integration

Kajeet, which provides internet connectivity technologies to K–12 schools and families, has added eduroam network access to its SmartBus, Connect Suite, and Smart Transit services.

Education Impacted by Ransomware More Than Any Other Sector

In its new State of Ransomware 2023 report, data security provider Sophos found that the education sector had been impacted by ransomware significantly more than any other sector.