Prerequisites for data security
The “unwitting accomplice” poses one of the greatest threats to protecting student and organizational data. There is no silver-bullet solution to this dilemma; IT directors can’t spend their way out of this problem, and they can’t flip a switch that will fully protect the data that reside on the university’s system.
Rather, universities must deploy a layered approach that combines stringent access control with continuous education on data security for all employees and students. From the ground up, a layered approach combines both the cultural and psychological aspect of data security, as much as it does the physical and digital considerations.
With access control, campus technology directors must be meticulous about installing procedures that limit, deny, or allow access to information for all users accessing the network—whether they are students, faculty, staff, or visitors. Ensuring that access to specific data resources is limited to those who require it, enforcing password-management processes, and continually auditing the system will further ensure network security. Access control strategies also must include the ability to efficiently terminate access to the network for former employees or students who no longer work or attend the school.
Finally, colleges and universities must educate their employees and students about data-security and access-control policies, and help them understand how the decisions they make when accessing the network play a critical role in defending the organization from data breaches. These audiences need to understand the penalties and the impact that their computer usage has on the data they expect the university to safeguard.
Today, we are seeing this education in the form of memos, podcasts, regular eMail announcements, and highly visible user policy guides that outline the dangers and consequences of campus network breaches. Since one of the most dangerous activities plaguing higher-education institutions’ systems is peer-to-peer file sharing, many IT directors have made it a requirement for all network users to agree to a university policy prohibiting this behavior when first logging in. Additionally, campus technology staff should provide easy access and instruction on how to properly disable file-sharing mechanisms to further protect the network.
When it comes to preventing data breaches, insiders can be a formidable first line of defense or a major liability. The key is never to assume that users are self-educated on the nuances of protecting the network, and never let down your guard—because the threats to your data evolve at a spellbinding rate of speed.
In the end, university IT directors who embrace these core principles will provide sound data-security practices that will enable their schools to do what they do best: provide a world-class education in a safe and secure environment.
Andrew Sroka is CEO of Fischer International, an identity management security company.
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