Cybersecurity

Introduction

The higher education sector plays an important role in the cybersecurity of America. Through its core mission of teaching and learning, higher education is the main source of future leaders, innovators, and the technical workforce. Through research, higher education is the basic source of much of our new knowledge and future technologies. Colleges and universities also operate some of the world's largest collections of computers and high-speed networks. This resource page provides information related to all aspects of cybersecurity for higher education, with an emphasis on strategies, policies, and other tools that will assist institutions of higher education to prevent, detect, and respond to vulnerabilities that threaten college and university computers and networks.

EDUCAUSE is actively involved with this area through the EDUCAUSE/Internet2 Higher Education Information Security Council (formerly the Security Task Force).

Information Security Guide: Effective Practices and Solutions for Higher Education

The Information Security Guide: Effective Practices and Solutions for Higher Education is now available in wiki format. This resource provides practical approaches to preventing, detecting, and responding to security problems in a wide range of higher education environments. This online service is designed with colleges and universities in mind, balancing our need for security with the need for an open, collaborative networking environment. Also, because one of the overarching concerns in college and university information technology (IT) departments is a lack of resources, an effort is made to provide low-cost solutions. The target audiences are those responsible for information security in colleges and universities and information technology staff who implement and manage security measures. Recognizing that many institutions have initiated or are in the process of developing IT security programs and policies, an effort is made throughout this resource to present practices that are useful at each stage of the developmental process.

As a community-driven, community-serving project, it is important for this initiative to incorporate experiences and perspectives from many different institutions. To contribute case studies that have been effective in your institution, please contact security-council@educause.edu.

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