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Danielle Kinsella , Technical Advisor EMEA , Gigamon
Danielle Kinsella , Technical Advisor EMEA , Gigamon
CISOs in the education sector face a unique challenge as they are forced to reconcile the need for open access to information with the rise in data breaches . In fact , government data indicates that most schools and colleges in the UK detected a cybersecurity breach between 2023 and 2024 , highlighting the true extent of security vulnerabilities within the sector .
Educational institutions are characterised by a broad and burgeoning user base , including students , staff and external collaborators , all of whom require instantaneous access to resources and data for academic and administrative purposes . These accessibility needs , coupled with the growing volumes of network traffic , pose a threat to the security of sensitive data and has prompted a move by institutions to hybrid and multi-cloud IT infrastructures . However , this has added greater levels of complexity when securing such infrastructures due to the risk of infrastructure blind spots .
This is where comprehensive visibility is key . CISOs must ensure they have real-time insight into all data in motion – whether that is North-South or
East-West – which enables the detection of unusual activity or potential threats , such as unauthorised access attempts or data exfiltration . With complete visibility , CISOs can quickly detect vulnerabilities and respond appropriately before attacks escalate , avoiding significant disruption to network performance and availability .
Reaching this desired level of visibility doesn ’ t necessarily mean adding new tools , nor breaking the bank . By enhancing existing security tools with actionable network-derived intelligence delivered in real-time , educational institutions can maintain the open , collaborative nature of their environments while addressing the growing risks of cyberattacks and data breaches in turn .
CISOs in the education sector face a unique challenge as they are forced to reconcile the need for open access to information with the rise in data breaches .
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