How secure is your network IT? How easy is it to keep up with rapidly evolving demands?

GUEST COLUMN | by Tom Rixom

Network security within higher education has significantly transformed as institutions reevaluate their security frameworks to repel increasingly sophisticated cybersecurity threats. Recent research found that 79% of higher education providers reported being hit by ransomware in 2023, up from 64% in 2022. The average data breach cost in the higher education and training sector was $3.65 million between March 2022 and March 2023, an increase of 2.3% over the year before and a 15.3% surge since 2020.

The problem isn’t going away. With hackers targeting younger and younger students, today’s colleges and universities are part of a larger ecosystem that must meet increasingly demanding security realities to protect the network and the individuals within their community.

‘…today’s colleges and universities are part of a larger ecosystem that must meet increasingly demanding security realities to protect the network and the individuals within their community.’

Modern Challenges for Campus IT

Traditional, credential-based security measures have proven inadequate to secure campus networks. They’re frustrating for IT staff and users alike, who must frequently authenticate via credentials on multiple devices to networks (such as the university’s WiFi) or be forced to change passwords on arbitrary timelines. 

IT teams are racing to adopt security methods to withstand today’s threats without adding headaches for faculty, staff, or students. They know that introducing unnecessary friction, such as burdensome security measures, means that users often find workarounds; nearly seven in ten admins worry that adding additional security measures negatively impacts the user experience. It’s not enough to educate and train users: if a process is complicated or labor-intensive, you’ll annoy users and weaken your security posture.

Campus IT management is also complicated by the need to support a complex device environment. Students, faculty, and staff rely on a mix of desktops, laptops, tablets, phones, and  IoT devices running on various operating systems like Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and more. Such device diversity makes uniform security measures complicated—if not impossible. It can be difficult to manually onboard users under bring your own device (BYOD)  policies due to the different operating systems, wireless utilities, drivers, and more. Trying to manually configure a device to attain the WPA2-Enterprise standard isn’t easy; incorrectly configured devices can leave users and the network vulnerable to over-the-air attacks.

Higher Education institutions face another challenge in the cost and limitations of on-premise infrastructure. Many depend on on-premise public key infrastructure (PKI) and RADIUS servers, which limit scalability and burden IT admins with getting and keeping everything running smoothly. Maintaining these systems requires significant IT resources for ongoing management, updates, and security, which can divert IT time from other strategic priorities.

Network Security for the Long-Term

As institutions tackle these challenges, they’re looking to build an IT environment with robust network security that’s simple for users and agile enough to adapt to evolving needs and threats. Cloud computing and digital transformation have rendered many legacy processes and hardware obsolete and help Higher Ed institutions demonstrate their commitment to an innovative—and inherently secure—environment.

Implement a few best practices that will help your campus transition to more effective network security:

Create a plan that provides ongoing monitoring: Continuous monitoring and access management automatically checks the security status and compliance of all connected devices in real time. With it, IT teams can quickly identify and respond to potential threats, adjusting access permissions based on a device’s health or a user’s identity. For example, if a device is found to be infected with malware, the system could automatically restrict its access to sensitive resources until the issue is resolved.

Consider cloud-based managed PKI solutions: Transitioning to a cloud-based PKI solution enables institutions to efficiently manage certificates and authorities, alleviating the burdens associated with on-premise infrastructure. By eliminating the need for extensive physical infrastructure, institutions can scale security measures up or down without major investments in hardware or a dedicated IT team for maintenance. It also allows for quicker deployment of certificates, enhances security with up-to-date technology, and reduces overall operational costs and complexities associated with managing an on-premise PKI system.

Move toward passwordless authentication: Implementing digital certificates for authentication, managed through cloud services, provides a more secure and user-friendly alternative to traditional password-based systems. Tied to a user’s device, certificate authentication can be set for just a semester or for years. This eliminates the need for students, faculty, and staff to reset their passwords every few months or whenever they log into a device or an application or reconnect to the university’s Wi-Fi. It also eliminates the threats introduced by users’ sloppy password management (reusing or sharing passwords, etc.).

Smart cards: Smart cards serve as physical tokens that store certificates for secure authentication, and offer a robust multi-layered authentication mechanism that significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access for personnel who access more sensitive systems and require greater security. This process can be introduced gradually by initially equipping IT teams with certificate-backed smart cards and then rolled out to the broader staff and faculty user base. Campuses leveraging smart cards and extended certificate-based authentication can offer multi-OS support to simplify login processes and enhance security across a broad range of devices.

Securing the School, Securing its Community

Institutions can create a more secure, efficient, and user-friendly network environment by incorporating digital certificates and employing cloud-based solutions for PKI management and RADIUS authentication. This approach offers seamless access while significantly reducing the potential for security breaches.

Today’s threats to network security require Higher Ed to respond with a more adaptable, efficient, and secure security approach. A cloud-forward and flexible approach eliminates the burdens of aging, credential-heavy systems, and on-premise hardware. Instead, it positions institutions with the agility to meet today’s needs while preparing for tomorrow’s challenges.

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Tom Rixom is the CTO of SecureW2 and a US-Eduroam committee subject matter expert. Connect with Tom on LinkedIn. 

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Collaboration between AI and human expertise will help higher education remain innovative.

GUEST COLUMN | by Andy Hannah

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming an integral part of decision-making processes across various sectors, including higher education. While some fear that AI might replace human judgment, the reality is that AI serves as a powerful tool to enhance human expertise. By understanding how AI can complement human decision making—particularly in admissions—institutions can harness the technology to support and amplify human insights, leading to better outcomes for students and educators alike.

‘By understanding how AI can complement human decision making—particularly in admissions—institutions can harness the technology to support and amplify human insights, leading to better outcomes for students and educators alike.’

In graduate admissions, for example, AI tools can assist in evaluating candidates by analyzing large datasets to identify patterns and insights that may not be immediately apparent to human evaluators. This is particularly useful in holistic admissions, when schools seek to align their selection criteria with their institutional mission and values. AI can map out desired qualities and experiences in candidates that are challenging to quantify, such as grit and empathy. By optimizing the composition of diverse student cohorts, AI makes sure that while certain criteria are met, the uniqueness of each applicant is preserved, preventing the formation of a homogeneous student body.

The Integration of AI in Higher Education Admissions

Successfully integrating AI into the admissions process requires a strategic focus on three key pillars: skill set, technology, and data. Institutions must cultivate a skilled workforce and prioritize staff training to fully harness AI’s potential. The complexity of AI demands professionals who can navigate its powerful tools and platforms effectively. In customer relationship management (CRM) systems, for instance, automating communication tasks offers significant benefits, but these can only be realized if employees understand and take ownership of the software.

Technology plays a pivotal role in both the challenges and opportunities associated with AI integration. Traditional statistical methods, such as correlations, often fall short in capturing the complexities of individual candidates. Institutions need to move beyond these linear models and embrace more sophisticated, nonlinear approaches that provide a richer, more nuanced understanding of applicants.

Finally, the accessibility and quality of data are critical. Despite the increasing availability of data, many institutions struggle with effective data collection and management, which is essential for AI to deliver accurate and meaningful insights.

Balancing AI and Human Expertise

Incorporating AI into data-driven decision making in education requires a careful balance between technology and human judgment. While AI offers powerful tools for analyzing data and identifying patterns, human expertise remains essential for interpreting these insights and making contextually appropriate decisions. Challenges arise when institutions rely too much on AI and risk losing the nuanced understanding that only human experts bring to complex situations. The potential for bias in AI-driven decisions is another major concern, particularly when algorithms are based on historical data that may reflect existing inequities. Institutions must confirm that their AI systems are designed with fairness and transparency from the outset.

To ensure AI enhances rather than replaces human judgment while remaining ethical, institutions should involve human oversight in the final decision-making stages, thereby preserving the integrity and inclusivity of their decisions. Institutions that adhere to the following best practices can use AI to enhance human judgment and contribute to better outcomes in higher education:

• Transparency: Clearly communicate how AI tools are employed in decision-making processes to build trust among stakeholders. Transparency helps all parties understand the role of AI in higher education in shaping outcomes.
• Continuous Staff Training: Invest in ongoing training so that users of AI systems fully understand their capabilities and limitations, enabling them to make more informed decisions.
• Rigorous Testing and Validation: Implement thorough testing and validation procedures to maintain the accuracy, reliability, and fairness of AI tools, making sure they perform as expected.
• Bias Mitigation: Regularly audit AI algorithms and use diverse and representative datasets to identify and mitigate biases, fostering equitable decision making.
• Ethical Use: Ethical considerations encompass a range of issues, including data privacy, consent, and the potential impact of AI on individuals and communities. Institutions must uphold ethical principles throughout their AI practices. 

As higher education continues to evolve, the integration of AI into decision-making processes presents both significant opportunities and challenges. By viewing AI as a way to complement rather than replace human expertise, institutions can enhance their decision-making capabilities while maintaining the critical human touch that defines education. Through careful planning and adherence to best practices, AI can increase efficiency, improve outcomes, and promote fairness. Ultimately, the successful integration of AI in higher education will depend on the ongoing collaboration between technology and human insight, keeping the future of education both innovative and inclusive.

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Andy Hannah is the president of Liaison’s AI and Data Science Solution, Othot. In his role, he promotes the use of artificial intelligence and prescriptive analytics, enabling colleges and universities to understand their students better and make informed decisions throughout the entire student-to-alumni lifecycle. Andy is also an adjunct professor of analytics at the University of Pittsburgh and chairperson of the University of Pittsburgh’s Responsible Data Science Advisory Board. Connect with Andy on LinkedIn. 

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Recognizing that online courses are cheaper to deliver than face-to-face courses, StraighterLine was founded in 2008 as a solution to the rising costs of a college education. It was the first non-college to offer ultra-affordable, high-quality online courses that were recognized for real college credit.

Still a solution to the rising costs of college, StraighterLine has grown its course catalog to 250+ online courses and helps tens of thousands of students hack their education. It works with individuals, colleges, and employers to create low-cost, low-risk pathways to help students succeed. Today, the company aims to empower learners with a flexible and affordable path to reach their college and career goals. Now serving over 150,000 learners per year, StraighterLine is evolving to meet the needs of today’s learners through online courses, credentials, and student support.

Every course goes through a thorough review process by the American Council on Education. In addition, their partner institutions review the course curriculum, learning outcomes and assessments to ensure that they meet the quality standards for their school.

Helping students succeed is top of mind; they value their partnerships with degree-granting institutions and believe they can do more for students together than as competitors. StraighterLine has the most partner institutions with articulation agreements than any other course provider. More than 160+ partners guarantee transfer of StraighterLine courses. To date, more than 2,000 accredited institutions of higher education and the majority of institutions in every state have accepted StraighterLine courses for credit.

For these reasons and more, Straighter is The EdTech Trendsetter Award Winner for “EdTech Company Setting a Trend” in Higher Education as part of The EdTech Awards 2024 from EdTech Digest. Learn more.

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