A recent CDW survey reveals that K–12 and higher education IT professionals feel more prepared than ever to tackle cyber incidents, but concerns remain around staffing and visibility. Of the 950 technology and security professionals surveyed across various industries, many from educational institutions shared insights on their current cybersecurity strategies.
Nearly 61 percent of education respondents believe they can respond to a cyberattack and minimize downtime. However, 28 percent still feel underprepared, indicating room for improvement. Preparedness has become a priority, with many institutions adopting a zero-trust approach and focusing on incident response plans to bolster their defenses.
Staffing remains one of the most significant issues in the education sector. Only 10 percent of respondents believe they are fully staffed in cybersecurity, while 40 percent admit they are understaffed but managing. Outsourcing cybersecurity functions is an option, but 38 percent of schools and universities still need to handle all IT security in-house, potentially stretching their teams thin.
Visibility is another key concern. However, it’s reassuring to note that 78 percent of respondents are confident in their visibility tools. Despite the gaps, the use of cloud security and identity and access management (IAM) as critical tools is helping maintain a robust security posture, allowing administrators to monitor user behaviors and detect threats early.
Despite these challenges, educational institutions are taking proactive steps to improve their cybersecurity readiness, leveraging partnerships, cyber insurance policies, and modern security technologies to stay ahead of evolving threats.