Do's and Don'ts
Network security is a hot topic in all sectors of
education administration. No network is immune to potential
threats. But ensuring true network protection is
no small feat. Thankfully, there is help — a road map of sorts —to
ensure that your school system can tackle this monolithic maze.
The following simple steps can help protect the network and
can provide peace of mind knowing that your organization is on
the right path.
1. Standardize your network. Like a maze with multiple deadends,
a nonstandardized infrastructure greatly increases the complexity
of monitoring and managing the network, particularly when
it comes to security. That complexity can increase the potential for
network downtime and security breaches. Network standardization
also makes it easier and more efficient to update the infrastructure.
2. Establish a clear change control process. It’s all about
checks and balances. Any changes introduced into an IT system
must be done in a controlled manner to reduce errors. Administrators
must ensure that changes to the network are made under supervision
and with approval. This approach also enables real-time
tracking of unauthorized changes to the system.
Don’t change course for the sake of changing course. Today’s networks
are complex. Changing one part of the network can inadvertently
affect other parts. That factor is becoming increasingly problematic
as more institutions build their IT framework on app stacks,
which create an interconnected maze of applications that are heavily
dependent on one another — a labyrinth within the labyrinth.
3. Implement compliance awareness standards. Compliance
standards aren’t just for healthcare and financial institutions. Although
those industries are all highly regulated, everyone — even
those in education — can benefit from their stringent measures to
keep security as highly regarded as possible.
In other words, don’t let security become an ad hoc way of thinking;
approach it diligently. If your system doesn’t already have compliance
processes in place, establish them. Having clear policies and
standards will help prevent security breaches. However, such policies
will need adjustment and modification as technology evolves.
Avoiding Road Blocks
Every good maze has its obstacles and dead-ends. How can
districts avoid mishaps and road blocks?
1. Don’t operate under the mantra “if it ain’t broke, don’t
fix it.” Even if all seems to be going well, a regular inventory of
your network will reveal potential vulnerabilities so you can
resolve them before a breach happens or react to them quickly in
the case of a potential threat. Use network monitoring software
to scan for potential vulnerabilities and receive automated alerts
when those vulnerabilities are identified. Many of today’s tools are
self-healing and automatically repair damages.
In today’s complex IT world, there will always be new threats to
security and new viruses to thwart. Taking a proactive approach to
ensure that the route is clear will surely bolster the security of your
network.
2. Don’t use outdated technology. If you’re working from
an outdated map, you may forever be lost in the maze! Likewise,
neglecting to maintain updated security technology and device
firmware opens your network to attack. Avoid this pitfall by frequently
updating your software to include the latest virus-scanning
and firewall tools.
3. Don’t ignore BYOD (bring your own device). Consider
this: in the past year, smartphone usage was up 394 percent and
tablet usage was up 1,721 percent, according to Internet analytics
company comScore’s “2015 U.S. Digital Future in Focus” report.
With this proliferation of use, an abundance of personal devices
are connecting to today’s networks — smartphones, smart
watches, fitness trackers, wearable devices, and tablets. It’s almost
like a maze whose pathway keeps shifting.
To address this added layer of complexity head-on, track and
manage IP addresses and monitor the resources those devices are
accessing. User device-tracking solutions can do that by scanning
your network for “rogue” or unauthorized devices that could pose
a threat. In this case, it’s all about diligence. Any organization
must be on the lookout for potential anomalies and impending
threats that could signal a data breach or an attack.
On the Right Path
Although all of these do’s and don’ts of maintaining network
security may have your head spinning, bear in mind that there are
ways to navigate this network security maze. By following the steps
outlined above, you will have your IT infrastructure on the right path
to ensure that your network is as safe and secure as it can be.
— Excerpted with permission from the June 2016 issue of School
Business Affairs, published by the Association of School Business
Officials International. www.asboint.org.
This article originally appeared in the issue of .
About the Author
Joel Dolisy is the chief information officer at SolarWinds, an IT management company.