Higher Education

Colleges and universities often have extensive IT infrastructure, similar to many businesses and other organizations, but face a unique set of challenges when it comes to ensuring the security of that infrastructure. Ensuring the privacy of student records other sensitive data is a critical concern.

Often compliance with regulations such as the Payment Card Industry Digital Security Standards (PCI-DSS) and the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act (GLBA) are also necessary. Some institutions even need to ensure compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA).

Institutions of higher education also have IT security risks, due to the distributed nature of IT systems, the large number of system users, and the general “openness” of their networks. This creates an environment where malware and other threats can easily be introduced and spread rapidly.