My name is Irene Knokh and I’m the EDUCAUSE ambassador for U-M. I will provide articles of interest, upcoming trends, and generally be your advocate for EDUCAUSE.
Security, collaborative, data, teaching: All in summer’s day of work
June and early July 2021 means an extensive discussion of security at EDUCAUSE. The theme this year is “Cybersecurity turned inside out.”
Take a look at the 2021 Information Security Report. I found the scenarios and implications section to be especially helpful to being more aware of cyber threats, and will help you champion security practices to your colleagues.
Another theme this year is stretched budgets, not enough staff, and collaborations–and integrations or mergers of institutions. Trend of remote and hybrid workplaces due to COVID-19, has caused an explosion of device use. It’s critical to think about the data: who shares it, who owns it, and who protects it.
Challenges for researchers and data
In his article, “Research Raiders: How to Protect Collaborative Data,” Steve Scholz writes about blind spots and security risks as academic entities share research data and collaborate with each other. There’s a huge benefit to collaboration with different institutions-versus the competition. The security risks are high, though, and it’s critical to protect research data. The biggest challenges: where is the data, what are you using, and how much of it is on your devices?
Scholz draws a picture multiplying YOUR data by hundreds of students, faculty, and staff. How do you secure the data if you don’t know WHAT you have? These are blind spots and
risks.
Some answers to this problem? Zero Trust framework (it’s a threat until found out otherwise), enforcement of compliance, privacy parameters and education, having back ups, right access to the right users, specifying and securing how data is held in the cloud; automatic data encryption.
What can you do?
Talk to the security professionals on your campus. The staff is the advocate for you and your institution.
See something that doesn’t feel right? Trust your gut! Ask your IT team.
Are you in a cybersecurity and risk management field in academe?
Check the EDUCAUSE QuickPoll Results: The Cybersecurity Workforce. EDUCAUSE shares top five most popular resources from the first half of 2021:
1. EDUCAUSE QuickPoll Results: Post-Pandemic Plans for Remote Work by Susan Grajek
2. Improved Student Engagement in Higher Education’s Next Normal by Edward J. Glantz, Chris Gamrat, Lisa Lenze, and Jeffrey Bardzell
3. Farewell Print Textbook Reserves: A COVID-19 Change to Embrace by Steven Bell
4. Reimagining Higher Education: The Post-Covid Classroom by Rob Curtin
5. The Power of Asynchronous Video by Richard West and Jered Borup
Other useful resources
Invest in REN (Research and Education)-call to action by EDUCAUSE leadership-close the institutional digital divide (John O’Brien-EDUCAUSE President)
The Increasing Threat of Ransomware in Higher Education | EDUCAUSE: brief description of ransomware attacks examples and discussion of Zero Trust framework. By Steve Scholz, William Hagen and Corey Lee
The Impact of Digitalization for Higher Education in Vietnam | EDUCAUSE: Raj Mruthyunjayappa writes about creating awareness of what’s available, concentrating on digital skills and modernizing Vietnam’s educational system.
Thank you!
“See” you next month,
Irene
If you have any questions about the content, tidbits you’d like to share, or anything EDUCAUSE related, email Irene Knokh, instructional design and technology consultant, Professional Development and Education for Nursing, or Chris Eagle, EDUCAUSE coordinator for U-M.
