Three digital identity and access must-have solutions can help schools strengthen their cybersecurity programs and keep up with the ever-increasing sophistication of hackers and criminals.
We're only a few months into this academic year, and college and universities have already been presented with numerous challenges as they do their best to cope with COVID-19. From planning for safe, socially distanced campuses to managing the technology needed to support this new hybrid reality, these uncertain circumstances pose new cybersecurity threats to higher education.
With students and faculty alike accessing systems that are full of valuable data (student records, billing information, classified research projects) via external networks, schools are now even more vulnerable to ransomware, hackers, and countless other potentially catastrophic cyber threats.
Pre-pandemic, higher education was already experiencing a steady increase in instances of breaches and ransomware attacks. With the shift to remote learning environments, those security challenges have only intensified. Now, it's time for colleges and universities to reassess how they're combatting these new cybersecurity threats and get ahead of them.
When it comes to cybersecurity, the best offense is a good defense. Schools need identity and access management (IAM) solutions that can keep up with the ever-increasing sophistication of hackers and cybercriminals.
That means leaving the legacy, manual, homegrown solutions of yesteryear behind and moving forward with an IAM solution that unites an organization's data management and presents a strong front in the battle against cybersecurity threats.
What it takes to fortify IAM solutions against these emerging challenges will vary based on the needs of individual institutions, but every IAM needs to check these three boxes:
It's Automated
Human error is a constant threat to any identity and access management system. The smallest of access mistakes can open up the potential for enormous vulnerabilities. Yet, many colleges and universities are still using manual IAM solutions. For most schools, this is the result of internally developed legacy systems that have been pieced together over the years and the need to work within the typically siloed (by department) structures of higher education.
Adding to this tangled web of IAM solutions is the myth that all data records need to be completely cleaned up before implementing any sort of automation. The reality is that automation can actually help schools overcome common challenges (messy or incomplete data, disorganized contacts, inconsistent access) faster. And, rather ironically, automation is also how many hackers are staying one step ahead with their ransomware attacks. By automating their IAM systems, colleges and universities can stay a step ahead of potential cyberattacks.
It's Scalable
It should go without saying that colleges and universities need IAM solutions that can grow to meet their future needs, but with all of the other unique requirements in higher education, the importance of scalability can be forgotten. With flexible lifecycles and the significant volume of new users each academic year, schools need to have scalability top of mind for their IAM solutions.
Without a scalable solution, schools risk slipping back into a homegrown pattern with their IAM as administrators patch together processes and apps to cover the system's growing needs. These ad hoc solutions risk reopening vulnerabilities to hackers or creating new avenues for automated ransomware attacks to sneak through.
Scalability also needs to account for costs. Before committing to a solution, consider whether a potential IAM system can affordably support your needs. By having a clear picture of how IAM technology can scale to meet future needs, colleges and universities can avoid backsliding, exorbitant budgets and focus on strengthening their cybersecurity.
It Integrates
Being able to connect across systems without creating vulnerabilities is a must for IAM solutions in higher education. The key to strong integration is a solution with the right connectors for the job. Connectors help admins easily integrate the tools required to effectively and efficiently manage their systems.
In the complex landscape of higher education, connectors allow IAM systems to bring email, student directories, HR, file systems, and more together for a more integrated and streamlined but still secure solution. An IAM solution with strong integration capabilities and a large collection of connectors not only helps colleges and universities create unified systems (critical for strong cybersecurity), but it also gives them ample bandwidth to avoid scaling headaches later on.
Your IAM Solution Secret Weapon
With so much at stake and so much uncertainty this school year, knowing where to even start when securing identity and access management for higher education is challenging, to say the least. Truly assessing the big picture can be all but impossible for those in the trenches. By starting with these three key features, higher education IAM solutions will be on the right track toward a secure and scalable system that will meet their needs today and well into the future.
For schools in need of an identity and access management solution, take a deep dive. Reveal risks and threats with a cybersecurity assessment to help you get to the root of your biggest challenges, identify weaknesses in your organization's IAM processes, and develop an impactful project plan that seals security gaps. Once you've quickly pinpointed the root cause of identity and access breaches, you can uncover how to correct them.
To learn more about how the next generation of identity and access management solutions are helping colleges and universities strengthen their cybersecurity, join us for our Why Automation First Should be the #1 Approach webinar on October 22, co-hosted by Analyst Dave Kieffer from The Tambellini Group.
Bruce Macdonald is a Senior Sales Engineer at Hitachi ID.
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