Why Are Educational Institutions Concerned About Student Data Security?

Data security of every individual is a need of the hour in recent times. Data and information of students have not been valued in the history of mankind the way it is valued now. EdTech industries have observed enormous growth in the last few years in all tiers of education. Information of every student has been made valuable by the integration of information technology. Students also submit personal information on different websites, social media, and gaming platforms which may cause security breaches.

Primary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities are now attending classes through online meeting platforms like Zoom. Educational institutions are adopting digitalization via Ed-tech platforms. Hence, privacy in EdTech has been a primary concern for teachers, students, parents, and institute officials as more educational institutions are heading towards virtual learning. As Ed-tech industries are thriving towards producing online learning materials for their students, they should consider student privacy a priority. In addition, it is detrimental to store data and information in the school’s database with prior data security.

Here, you will read a few crucial reasons why all educational institutions should be concerned about students’ data security and why student data management must be given priority.

Prevent external malicious attacks 

External malicious attacks occur in various ways. For instance, a student or employee clicks on a virus-infected hyperlink or an individual clicks on a link sent by a hacker. In such cases, when a user opens the link, the computer system gets hacked by external malicious attacks, and the hacker utilizes the user’s terminal to get access to a school system. Hence, it is crucial to conduct risk assessments and vulnerability assessments of the school’s networks frequently.

Securing Data and Information

Device control and data protection solutions may ease a student’s life, but it has made it difficult for users to get any information they require. The encryption techniques like password resets and user provisioning are serious headaches for IT staffs as it carries a lengthy process to successfully inbuilt the technique. In case of any fault, students will complain up to the University leadership structure. However, there are various misconceptions about data encryption technology. For instance, people often say data encryption has no effect on system performance or it helps in governing personal or business information. Providing cross-platform support and management is another truth behind myths about an encryption technique.

Protecting the Lines of Communication

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students are attending classes through online meetings and collaboration tools. Data security helps education industries to protect the lines of communication. Zoom is an example of one such platform that many schools and institutes depend upon to conduct their lessons. Hence, proper configuration is compulsory to prevent unauthorized joining in calls. Joining a zoom meeting without authorization is called Zoombombing.  

Using effective data collection methods

Data security helps many institutions to use effective data collection methods. The issues related to manual data entry and outdated technologies are resolved by adopting an effective data collection method. During the pandemic, school staffs were not able to collect paper forms. Therefore, colleges must adopt advanced technology to improve the data collection processes, and their storage.

Student data security is crucial for every higher institution of learning. Cybercriminals mostly target colleges and universities because they can easily find a numerous online correspondence and communication on emails and online video platforms. Therefore, schools should adopt various measures for data security and protect their school staff and students.