Resources

Last week I talked about the importance of Cloud Backup in our new remote teaching and learning and back-office school environments. This week I am going to talk about secure and reliable communications. The reality is that the number one threat to your network is your users clicking on attachments or web links that lead […]

For the last few years Microsoft has been talking about “Modern” this or “Modern” that.  In the quest for improved security they are agressively trying to move everyone to more modern protocols.  The impending LDAPS changes are an example of this.   However, there are more processes and protocols that they are urging you to retire.

Cisco is trying to do their part during the Pandemic. If you are a Cisco AMP, Cisco DUO, Cisco Umbrella, or Cisco AnyConnect client, Cisco is allowing you to increase your license counts – without cost to the district – until July 1, 2020.  This allows you to truly do the right thing for all […]

As I write this on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, I do hope that this message finds you well and staying safe as we all adapt to our new normal under the COVID-19 regulations. We all hope this lasts as short a time as possible. Rest assured that the team at CSI seamlessly transitioned into our […]

K-12 education has been turned upside down. Remote learning is obviously the term du jour. At the same time as we are figuring out what remote instruction means, school districts still have to keep the buildings safe and run all the back-office functions.

The Cybersecurity news has been pretty depressing over the last week. I read an article that a Cybersecurity insurance company is refusing to pay for a Merck breach incident because it is NotPetya and that is from Russia and was designed as a cyber warfare tool.

This week’s Tech Tidbit is shorter on my thoughts and words since the attached link below contains lots of reading on its own. For the start of the new school year the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), part of the US Dept of Homeland Security’s National Cyber Awareness System put out a nice document […]

Over the past few weeks, we have had a number of cases where support tickets needed to be opened to resolve issues where end-users were reporting “inability to access the Internet.”  These can be frustrating and stressful for both end-users and the responding techs.

We harp on the fact that if you have *ANY* VPN, or remote access capabilities into your district, you *MUST* use a commercial SSL certificate and not a self-signed SSL – no exceptions. However, an area of growing frustration is that many current browsers are starting to give warnings about whether or not you should […]

Now that we have shifted to predominantly remote workers and remote teaching and learning, we have a number of new challenges as well as increased threats. Challenge #1 – Remote File Access.   The solution is moving files from traditional home directories and traditional common drives to cloud-based shared folders and home directories.