[February 02, 2016]

New ENA White Paper Helps School Districts Combat Network Security Threats

Education Networks of America (ENA (News - Alert)), a leading network service provider for school districts nationwide, has developed a white paper-Education Network Security in a Hyperconnected World-to assist school systems with their planning and prevention of network security threats and incidents. The white paper, created in collaboration with eLearn Institute and TechEdvantage, provides insight into potential network security threats impacting today's school districts and is available for download by visiting http://www.ena.com/network-security/.

The white paper's highlights include:

• The latest types of threats, such as the problems associated with online testing, and ways to approach them;
• How schools are adapting their policies to deal with remote access by a growing number of users;
• Current options for configuration and management of access control and authorization; and
• Components that should be included in an effective incident mitigation and response plan.

Network security is becoming increasingly more important with technology's growing role in school districts. "Everything new in the district involves IT," said Tom Ashley, Director of Technology, Huntington County Community School Corporation, Indiana and contributor to the white paper. Escalating reliance on the network dictates a corresponding responsibility to assure that these resources and environments are safe and secure. With greater use come more risks due to the additional complexities and configurations required to manage user access and identities across the network. District technology leaders are concerned about protecting their digital resources. Many are identifying and implementing steps to improve their overall network security and to prepare for and mitigate security incidents when they occur.

Network security threats are real and looming. The ease with which even unsophisticated userscan find and pay for a service to launch a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, for example, can be partly attributed to the increase in the number of such attacks. "Buying a DDoS attack is easy and cheap," said Douglas G. Pearce, Director, Technical Support Services, Broward County Public Schools, Florida and contributor to the white paper. "It used to take a tech-savvy hacker to compromise the system, [but] now it's a credit card." Experts predict that these types of incidents are on the rise and will only become more prevalent, rendering every school district vulnerable to attack. For this reason, every school district should have a network security strategy in place to address the inevitable.

The white paper outlines key considerations and best practices every school district can implement for improving their network security as well as preparedness when an incident does occur. It shares the experiences and recommendations of two school districts-Broward County Public Schools in Florida and Huntington County Community School Corporation in Indiana. The white paper also includes the "Network Security Recommendations Checklist" that serves as a quick reference guide for developing a comprehensive, district-wide network security strategy.

"It is our sincere hope that the white paper helps school systems with their planning and prevention of network security threats and incidents," said Jay Power, Director of Solutions Engineering at ENA and contributor to the white paper.

To download the Education Network Security in a Hyperconnected World white paper and its companion checklist, visit http://www.ena.com/network-security/.

About Education Networks of America:
ENA is the leading provider of managed Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) solutions to K-12 schools and libraries. In 1996, ENA created one of the first statewide K-12 networks in the U.S. and has earned a reputation as experts in the design, deployment, and management of broadband, Wi-Fi/LAN, voice, and video solutions. ENA manages multiple statewide and district-wide networks, including 15 of the largest school systems in the country, successfully serving approximately 5,000 sites; 570 school districts; and 280 libraries. For more information, please visit http://www.ena.com or call 866-615-1101.

About eLearn Institute:
The eLearn Institute is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to transforming education through the effective use of digital learning tools. The institute assists schools to create a facilitated community of online educators to share best practices, effective learning models, and new ideas specific to online and blended learning. For more information, please visit http://www.elearninstitute.org.

About TechEdvantage:
TechEdvantage serves as a leading technology consulting firm for K-12 Schools and Higher Education through its experienced consultants, strategic vision, and the ability to serve as a client advocate by remaining manufacturer neutral. For more information, contact James Aldridge, Principal of TechEdvantage at [email protected].

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160202006123/en/

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