The Evolving Threat Landscape
Schools are deeply reliant on technology, managing student data, online learning platforms, and digital resources. This digital dependence makes them attractive targets for cyberattacks. Data breaches, malware infections, and phishing scams can disrupt learning, compromise student privacy (including sensitive information), and damage a school's reputation.
Firewalls and security software are crucial, but a truly effective defence requires a proactive approach – a cybersecurity culture. Cyber Essentials is a government-backed certification scheme that helps organisations, including schools,Â
implement basic cybersecurity controls to mitigate the most common cyber threats.
Cyber Essentials is a self- assessment questionnaire that verifies secure configuration, firewalls, user access controls, security update management, and malware protection.
Achieving Cyber Essentials certification demonstrates a commitment to cybersecurity and is essential for certain government contracts and insurance purposes. Canopy Education, in collaboration with CyberSmart, the UK’s leading cybersecurity platform and certification body, can help you implement Cyber Essentials comprehensively and efficiently.
With CyberSmart, you protect your school from the unexpected, with up to £100k insurance coverage and best practice frameworks for preventing ransomware attacks. CyberSmart simplifies compliance with GDPR and other regulations through Subject Access Request management, a privacy policy builder, and a suite of dedicated policies to maintain strong data and privacy processes.
Canopy Education's Offering:
Streamlined Implementation:
Leverage our expertise to navigate the Cyber Essentials process smoothly.
Expert Support:
Our team is here to answer your questions and guide you through each step.
Tailored solutions
We understand each school's unique needs and can customise solutions.
Building a Cybersecurity Culture
While Cyber Essentials provides a strong foundation, a true cybersecurity culture goes beyond certification. It requires fostering a shared responsibility among students, staff, and administrators.
Students: Educated on online safety and responsible digital citizenship.
Staff: Trained to identify potential threats and report suspicious activity. The CyberSmart platform helps build human firewalls by equipping staff with the knowledge to combat cyberattacks. Schools can enforce good cybersecurity practices and meet regulatory obligations with policy management templates and workflows. Building knowledge helps staff create a strong cyber baseline and resolve gaps through government-endorsed cybersecurity certifications.
Administrators: Set the tone, promote cybersecurity awareness, and collaborate with IT staff and CyberSmart support (facilitated by  Canopy Education). The CyberSmart dashboard provides visibility into a school's cyber setup, identifying strengths and weaknesses across endpoints, users, and overall security. The easy-to-navigate analytics dashboard and platform ensure your systems and devices are regularly scanned for vulnerabilities and misconfigurations through always-on monitoring. IT administrators can make improvements with in-platform guidance on how to fix issues.
Maintaining a Secure Environment
Building a strong cybersecurity culture is an ongoing process. Here are some additional steps:
1) Regular Training & Awareness Campaigns:
Keep everyone informed about emerging threats and best practices. Canopy Education offers a variety of resources and training programmes.
2) Open Communication Channels:
Encourage students and staff to report suspicious activity without fear of punishment.
3) Consider Cyber Essentials Plus (optional):
This offers an additional layer of security through independent verification.
Canopy Education, a trusted partner for CyberSmart, empowers schools to build a strong cybersecurity culture. By combining Cyber Essentials certification with our expertise and support, we can help you create a safe and secure learning environment where technology can be used to its full potential.
Get in touch at hello@canopy.education
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