Education
partners to approach educational organisations to gauge how they can support their specific cybersecurity needs before the new term begins in September. Tere are many key considerations Managed Service
Providers (MSPs) and Value-Added Resellers (VARs) should factor into any partnership with educational institutions. For me, the top three most important considerations are specialised technology support and ongoing wrap-around services, maximising budgets while minimising costs, and awareness and training.
Specialised technology support and ongoing wrap- around services Channel partners’ core value to education is an unrivalled knowledge of cyber threats, meaning they can help to produce and operate security stacks that are truly useful to educational institutions. Beyond technology, channel partners can
Trusted partners can pick up the time-consuming process
of researching and securing solutions, allowing schools and universities to focus on their true priority: education. Lastly, it’s vital the channel understands that an education-focused distributor can also offer best-of-breed bundles that help their clients realise maximum savings.
“Constraints on staffing levels and expertise have created an ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach to
specialise in catering to the specific requirements of the education sector, offering consistent access to valuable expertise, assistance and continuous maintenance to educational institutions at a fraction of the cost of hiring additional full-time IT employees. To work with schools and educational institutions, channel
partners must ensure that they’re committed to a collaborative approach and tailor their offerings accordingly to provide as much or as little support as needed. Aſter all, the channel partner’s role is to augment existing
staff and resources, provide guidance on the overall security stack and offer their knowledge and services to help educational institutions secure their vulnerabilities, rather than taking over the reins completely. Channel partners need to empower education leaders by providing expert guidance, proactive support, and a sense of reassurance throughout the process of creating a purpose-built cybersecurity plan.
Maximising budgets while minimising costs When talking to prospects in the education space, keep in mind their challenge of stretched resources and limited financial resources. Te channel can provide and create many cost-saving
measures to help organisations with limited or declining budgets. Channel partners can also harness economies of scale among their clientele, enabling smaller primary schools to benefit from significantly discounted rates. Tey also have the expertise to navigate the landscape and secure education- specific pricing on behalf of schools. Partners can and should rely on their relationships with
the rest of the channel ecosystem to find solutions that add real value and fit the needs of the individual institution. This in turn saves money for the school by future-proofing their protection and making sure it always provides maximum benefit.
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cybersecurity across institutions.”
Awareness and training are key Given the prevalence of attacks on the education sector, any cybersecurity plan put in place needs to preserve users’ privacy and confidential data and instil trust in the community. However, the best plan in the world won’t be effective if it’s not understood and followed by those it protects. Building awareness among leaders in educational institutions is central to the journey towards better cybersecurity. Tis means consistent and clear communication from channel partners to make sure that all the relevant people are aware of both the importance of improving cybersecurity in schools and how the
partnership can help. It’s important to get across the message that technology
alone, no matter how sophisticated, cannot prevent uninformed staff from falling for incidents like phishing schemes or ransomware attacks. To address this, channel partners must make training a
core pillar of their cybersecurity approach for educational institutions and reinforce its importance at every turn in the journey. A robust training programme is key to offsetting the trusting nature of all humans and reducing the number of mistakes caused by human error that could jeopardise schools’ networks. Ultimately, the responsibility lies with channel partners
to proactively seek out and offer the education sector support to address its challenges. Channel partners can use the immediate need for cybersecurity as an initial gateway into schools that can progress into a wider offering as the partnership strengthens. As a constant source of guidance and advice, channel
partners can help to create dedicated security-specific roles and charge those individuals with putting the protection of staff and students’ sensitive information at the top of their agenda.
Now is the time for the channel to take action It’s time for channel partners to come together with education sector leaders to create a more robust cybersecurity framework. While any good collaboration is a two-way relationship, those in the channel must take the lead and offer a guiding hand, in order to establish meaningful relationships, share their expertise, and foster the most effective cooperation possible. Channel partners have a real opportunity to help educational
institutions bridge staffing and knowledge gaps, enhance their cybersecurity posture and protect their valuable and sensitive data – it’s one I urge them to grab with both hands.
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