Dive Brief:
- Ed Tech Magazine reports data security is becoming an increasing priority on college campuses, and contracting the service allows more flexibility for on-campus IT offices to address other issues.
- Colleges are among the most-targeted businesses for data breaching, and have growing turnover rates in security specialists who leave for more lucrative positions in the private sector.
- Managed security service providers (MSSPs) can offer a faster, more comprehensive response to data security challenges, because of familiarity with growing trends in technology and practice, according to Ed Tech Magazine.
Dive Insight:
Outsourcing is already a common practice for many campuses in areas like food service, bookselling, event management and marketing, so the prospect of data security being managed by a third-party should not be an intimidating concept. For most campus executives, it is a matter of cost, efficiency and the level engagement each campus needs in fixing any holes in existing security systems.
Hiring an outside contractor is just the beginning; CIOs should take great care in assessing existing lapses in software and infrastructure which may levy heavy costs before even hiring an outside firm to manage security. Additionally, campus leaders should carefully consider the workload and capacity relationship between IT staff who will remain on campus and potential vendors, to set expectations of responsibility if something goes wrong with a data breach or lapse in service.
