Have you ever been part of a group where a leader has not been clearly identified? It takes twice as long to get anything done and arguing and conflict are the order of the day.
Cybersecurity in your district works the same way. If the District Leaders don’t identify what their Cybersecurity goals are and what they expect other members of the team to do, protection for your district’s technology resources can be compromised.
In our last bulletin, we talked about the importance of teamwork in achieving success. We identified the most important players on the Cybersecurity team according to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA):
o District Leaders
o District Technology Leaders
o Educators
o Students and Families
According to the August 2023 CISA bulletin “K-12 Digital Infrastructure Brief: Defensible and Resilient” the role of District Leaders is as follows:
As organizational leaders, superintendents and senior district leaders play an important role in prioritizing secure digital infrastructure across the district and owning cyber risk management and digital accessibility at the executive leadership level. Put differently, if someone needs to announce a closure due to a cyberattack or answer questions from the board or press, it is likely to be the superintendent. To proactively address those risks, district leaders can focus the time, attention, and resources of students, staff, and leadership on practices that support secure, privacy-enhancing, accessible, and interoperable digital infrastructure
In other words, if you don’t emphasize the importance of Cybersecurity behaviors and tools, will anyone else in your district think it’s important? If your district is the victim of a Cyber Attack, what will you be able to say to the press, parents, and school board about what you did to protect your district’s network and PII? You have the power to rally your team and get everyone working towards the same goal – staying safe in an ever more threatening Cyber landscape. When you and other District Leaders clearly identify and communicate the importance of Cybersecurity the other members of your team will be motivated to take the steps necessary to improve your district’s Cyber safety.
This week’s suggestion:
Ask yourself if you and other District Leaders have clearly identified and communicated the importance of Cybersecurity and the steps required to keep your district safe. Once you feel those goals have been identified and communicated, check in with members of your staff to see if they understand your vision for keeping the district’s network and PII safe.
If you would like to learn how CSI can help you mitigate your Cyber risk we are happy to speak with you directly, just contact Lisa MacDougall (lmacdougall@csiny.com) or 845.897.9480.