Education Recent data indicates that among those educators experimenting
with advanced technologies in education, AI is making a difference in automating curriculum planning and lesson content creation. Striking a balance between automation and educators’ unique insights makes a difference in the complexity and comprehensiveness of the learning material provided to students. Beyond curriculum and lesson planning, AI also offers extra support for students with specific learning needs, from educational disabilities to personal learning preferences. AI’s potential in education is vast and will likely have a more profound disruptive effect in future years. However, with the projected growth of AI adoption in
education comes an increased need to address potential risks. AI malpractice and security risks could do more harm than good when such innovative technologies are used in the classroom. As AI becomes integral to education strategies, businesses must find the right balance between harnessing the technology and protecting sensitive information.
Security and AI: striking a delicate balance Cyberattacks worldwide are on the rise. In the Global Cybersecurity Outlook for 2025, the World Economic Forum highlights that cyberattacks are among the top ten global risks of most significant concern for the next decade. Te report also emphasises that AI will likely have the most significant impact on cybersecurity, which is especially relevant for educators and educational institutions looking to adopt innovative technologies. Only 37% of businesses adopting AI report that they have tested the security of AI tools before deployment, highlighting a critical gap between cybersecurity measures and the implementation of AI without first establishing the necessary cyber resilience. Educational organisations risk exposing student data to
breaches without robust privacy measures, resulting in identity theſt and misuse. With the AI revolution in full swing and the UK’s Department for Education’s ambitious plans to harness AI to improve educational standards, robust data privacy frameworks are now more critical than ever. Te introduction of the Data Protection Act (DPA) marked a
step toward ensuring that identities and privacy are safeguarded. Nowadays, compliance with ethical standards is both essential and a legislative requirement. Moreover, educational institutions should adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enacted in May 2018 to avoid the severe consequences of mishandling data and dismissing key security measures. Beyond the reputational damage, data breaches put vast
amounts of sensitive student and staff data at risk. Staying vigilant about cybersecurity risks and potential threats becomes even more critical.
The basis of a Zero Trust Architecture With cyberattacks becoming increasingly unpredictable and severe, embracing a holistic approach by combining advanced security solutions, like Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA), can help educational institutions address threats before they develop. ZTA is based on the principle that no entity, whether internal or external to a network, should be trusted by default. Instead, every
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request is uniquely verified before access is granted. By leveraging ZTA, institutions can minimise the risk of unauthorised access and limit the damage caused by potential breaches. Following the principle of least privilege, ZTA-based solutions ensure
that each user, regardless of their status, must pass through the same level of security authentication at all times. Tese solutions also allow organisations to control access at a granular level. As a result, users are only granted access to data and applications that are strictly necessary to perform their jobs. Tis can significantly reduce the threat surface for educational institutions, allowing them to minimise the spreading of cyberattacks. Beyond enabling educational institutions to safeguard against
potential infiltrations, they can also continuously monitor network traffic, device and user activity, enabling a much swiſter response when suspicious activity is detected.
The road to ZTA Implementing a full-scale ZTA can take time. Educational institutions can begin their journey to achieving a comprehensive and advanced ZTA deployment by assessing their current security posture. Tis involves conducting a full-scale evaluation of users, services, data locations, and user identities within the educational network. Given the growing prevalence of remote working, institutions must account for the increased attack surface associated with data access across multiple devices, particularly those outside the institution’s secure network. A key first step in reducing the attack surface is understanding
user behaviour among students and educators, ensuring that systems are only accessible on devices with up-to-date systems and security. Te next step is implementing strong data privacy policies that must be applied to all identities within the education network. Tis works exceptionally well when devising authorisation mechanisms, as each request for data or services should be authorised against a policy. Strong data-sharing protocols are essential, especially when handling sensitive information. Educational institutions can then escalate ZTA by deploying
phishing-resistant multifactor authentication, session-based access and encrypted network traffic to ensure granular control over data access. While implementing ZTA can be complex, partnering with
experienced IT providers who follow strict ZTA guidelines can make the transition smoother. Tey help integrate security measures with educational systems effectively, ensuring strong data protection without compromising functionality or user accessibility. AI now presents incredible opportunities to take student learning to
the next level and provides educators with the right tools to streamline educational practices. Te potential is far-reaching. However, as the role of AI continues to expand in the education sector, academic institutions need to adopt measures that strike the delicate balance between innovation and security. Te need for robust cybersecurity measures has never been more critical. As the cyber threat landscape evolves, educational institutions can
mitigate risks, safeguard sensitive data, and ensure the integrity of their systems by adopting a holistic cybersecurity strategy leveraging security technologies based on ZTA. Tis approach not only enhances security but also fosters a trusted environment where educators and students can fully benefit from the opportunities AI presents without compromising privacy or safety.
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