The cybersecurity and safety needs of K-12 schools are inextricably linked. We’ve seen in incidents over the years that data breaches can directly impact physical safety, and vice versa.
Students’ digital lives and physical lives have merged to such a degree that there is virtually no difference. Bullying that they experience in school follows them home as cyberbullying, leading to mental health issues and possible violence on themselves or others.
Technology teams, administrators, and teachers are facing these interconnected challenges at the same time they’re trying to do more with less. Less time. Less resources. Less money.
Balancing the needs for cybersecurity and safety is a difficult task. Adopting unified cybersecurity and safety systems can help.
5 Benefits of Consolidating Cybersecurity and Student Safety
1. Efficient Incident Detection and Response
One of the most significant advantages of unified systems is their ability to detect and respond to incidents quickly and efficiently.
When cybersecurity threats and student safety risks are managed separately, teams may be forced to juggle disparate systems, leading to slower response times. IT admins may see an issue pop up in one area that won’t be caught in a counselor or principal’s separate monitoring system, for example.
Unifiing platforms consolidate these alerts, so risks can be triaged and assigned to specific roles for rapid action. This reduces the time needed to detect and respond to issues—critical when dealing with cyberattacks and safety incidents.
It can also take some pressure off of the technology team, allowing them to focus on cybersecurity, while someone with more student expertise is handling safety risks. However, they can hop into a system they’re familiar with to easily help if questions arise.
Unified systems also enable real-time monitoring of student activities across various platforms, including classroom devices and school-provided cloud applications, like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.
2. Cost and Resource Efficiencies
Budget constraints are a significant challenge for all K-12 schools. Unifying your cybersecurity and safety systems can provide noticeable cost savings.
Most vendors offer bundled pricing discounts, allowing districts to save money compared to purchasing separate tools for each purpose. Additionally, the streamlined purchasing and purchase order (PO) process reduces administrative burdens, further saving time and resources.
Unified platforms can also simplify the implementation and training process. With fewer tools to manage, the time and expense associated with set up and training are minimized.
3. Simplified Compliance
Schools must adhere to federal regulations like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Managing compliance across multiple tools can be complex, increasing the likelihood of human error.
A unified system simplifies compliance by consolidating data access policy enforcement and reporting. This ensures consistent data protection, data loss prevention, and student safety measures are applied across your environment.
4. Effective Administrator Controls
With only one interface to learn, IT admins save time that would otherwise be spent switching between different dashboards. This consolidation also speeds up policy setup and automation, ensuring that data security and online safety protocols are consistently applied.
A unified approach also allows teachers and technology coaches to manage classroom tools, granting access to certain online resources as needed. This empowers teachers to use digital tools effectively while ensuring student safety is maintained, without needing to involve already over-worked IT admins.
5. Streamlined Customer Support
Working with vendors’ customer support can be a major pain point for K-12 tech teams. Consolidating technologies under a unified platform significantly reduces the number of support teams involved, leading to faster and more efficient problem-solving.
How to Get Started
Implementing a unified cybersecurity and safety system should begin with an assessment of your district’s current state. Inventory your existing tools, identify overlaps, and ensure compliance requirements are met.
You don’t know what you don’t know. That’s why the next best step is conducting a cybersecurity and safety audit can help reveal gaps and uncover risks that may not have been previously considered.
Next, set clear goals and priorities for how your team will move forward with the implementation process. Many districts tend to jump into new technology before working out policies for how incidents will be handled. Put together at least the beginnings of a governance procedures document and a unified incident response plan.
What to Look for in a Vendor
When selecting a vendor, consider choosing one with a focus on K-12 who will understand the unique challenges you’re facing. Look for cost-effective solutions that are tailored to the unique needs of schools, offering comprehensive security and safety features for students, staff, and administrators.
Ease of deployment and use is also critical. The faster a platform can be implemented, the sooner you can begin protecting your students and data. Real-time monitoring and alerts are also essential for proactive detection.
Finally, responsive customer support and training resources will help ensure the system is used effectively and issues are resolved quickly.
In K-12 schools, cybersecurity and student safety must be addressed as a unified priority. Protecting sensitive data and ensuring safe online interactions all contribute to a secure learning environment. Schools that fail to integrate cybersecurity measures with student safety protocols risk leaving students, staff, and district finances vulnerable to a variety of risks.
