The main theme encompassed in this blog is the overall need for data security and protection for all businesses and companies that have massive amounts of information stored on in-house servers and systems. The losses that can occur due to a security breach are massive and can compromise a business’ standing with its clients, both long-term and new alike. But what about public information that has begun being stored on servers, like your tax information and your child’s school report cards? Are these types of data systems being properly handled with security audits?

According to The Journal, a whopping 63 percent of school districts were breached in the last year, prompting an in-depth look into the practices of school systems:

“Six out of 10 districts have experienced IT security breaches–either malware outbreaks or unauthorized user access–in the last year, leading to downtime for the school network. Three out of 10 spend more than 10 hours a month monitoring network activities for high-risk behavior. And IT people spend time every day removing viruses or malware from computers at 21 percent of districts; another 38 percent do the same ‘a few times a week.’”

Not only are these numbers staggering, but they are also implications that the salaries of IT professionals in schools are being wasted on virus removal instead of further securing of the networks being affected in the first place. Just look at the lack of security in about 70 percent of the districts mentioned in the article:

“A whopping eight out of 10 districts reported that the district allows staff and students to connect to the school network on their own devices, but only seven of 10 perform any kind of control over external devices. At those districts 79 percent said that users are required to register their computers with the network; 86 percent block access to high-risk Web sites; and 89 percent require antivirus or anti-malware software to be installed on those devices. Fifteen percent admitted that their districts take no additional security measures for personal laptops.”

This type of oversight is needed to secure a network anywhere, not just within school districts. Hiring an independent network security company is the only way to ensure your network’s safety.