Higher Education
Balancing Access & Compliance
Maintaining network and data security in any large organization is a major challenge for IT departments. However, in the higher education environment, the protection of IT assets and sensitive information must be balanced with the need for ‘openness’ and academic freedom; making this a more difficult and complex task.
Multiple Standards
Government and industry regulations require universities and colleges to secure their networks and data and demonstrate compliance with various standards, including:
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HIPAA/HITECH
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Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS)
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FERPA
Higher Education = Higher Complexity
Compounding this challenge is the complexity of a higher education environment. IT security programs at a college or university must cover:
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Multiple campuses
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Numerous buildings
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Hundreds of network switches and servers
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Thousands of users
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A diverse set of merchants
In addition, the ever-changing student population presents IT with another challenge; students arrive with personal computers, gaming systems, and other devices, many of which are infected with malware, and plug them into the institution’s network.
Coalfire Can Help
To maintain the trust of faculty, students and alumni, more and more colleges and universities are turning to Coalfire for IT audit and compliance advice and guidance. We have served dozens of major universities and regularly participate in meetings among security professionals in the university community.