Why Cloud Backup is Vital in Education?
Modern teaching and learning now relies heavily on digital technology. Schools, colleges, and universities currently store vast amounts of data that include student records, financial information, and learning resources. With so much at risk, it’s important to ensure that this data is protected from potential cyber threats and is easily recoverable should it be compromised.
In 2022 the Department of Education (DfE) introduced digital and technology standards to address the increase of cyberattacks in the education sector. These standards require establishments to have effective backup and disaster recovery in place that aligns with guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Meeting these standards is also a requirement for establishments that are members of the DfE’s Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA), which provides an alternative to commercial insurance.
Having robust cloud backup and disaster recovery will safeguard your establishment against cyber incidents that could disrupt learning and jeopardise your reputation. Read our latest blog to discover the six benefits of having this in place.
Did You Know
61% of schools reported a data breach in the past year*
74% of breaches were caused by human error*
Education is one of the top targets for cyberattacks, with ransomware attacks increasing by over 40% in the last year*
What is Cloud Backup and Disaster Recovery for Education?
Cloud backup and disaster recovery is a strategy for protecting data by storing copies on a cloud-based server, which is completely separate from your network. This means that if your education establishment is compromised by a cyberattack, human error or a natural disaster, a secure copy of your data can be recovered.
Why is Cloud Backup for Education Vital?
Losing access to your teaching resources, student data, or financial records would be devastating and highly costly. As ransomware attacks on the education sector continue to grow, many establishments are experiencing this harsh reality firsthand. Below we highlight the benefits of adopting a secure, cloud-first approach to backup and disaster recovery and the negative fallout it can help you avoid.
> Safeguarding Against Data Loss
If you work within an educational establishment, you will be continuously handling sensitive and irreplaceable data on a daily basis. Whether this includes lesson plans, student projects, administrative files, or financial data, losing these documents could be devastating. Data loss can happen for many reasons, including human error, hardware failure, theft, cyberattacks, or natural disasters. Implementing cloud backup and disaster recovery as part of your cyber security strategy will give you access to automated, offsite storage. This will ensure that your data is secure and recoverable no matter what happens.
The importance of doing this is highlighted by Microsoft in their service agreement:
> Regulatory Compliance and Data Privacy
Data protection and compliance should always be a key priority as it is a critical safeguard against threats that could cause major disruption to your school, college, or university. As an education establishment, you are required to meet key compliance obligations. These stipulate:
1. Offline Backups
Schools are required to maintain offline backups of all critical data. Three copies of this data should be kept on two separate devices, with at least one copy stored off-site. Adopting this 3-2-1 approach aligns with guidelines recommended by the NCSC.
2. Inclusion of Data Recovery Plans
Cloud backup and disaster recovery should integrate into your disaster recovery and business continuity plan. Should a cyber incident happen, your predefined procedures will aid the restoration and recovery of your data.
3. Regular Testing of Backups
The effectiveness of your stored backups should be regularly tested. This ensures that your data can be successfully restored and that your backup processes are functioning as expected.
4. Compliance with DfE Cyber Security Standards
Adherence to the DfE cyber security standards is mandatory. These guidelines were issued to help protect establishments’ data and systems from cyber threats, highlighting the importance of having robust backup and a recovery strategy.
To make meeting these requirements simpler, cloud providers include compliant-ready features that are already built-in. These features can include end-to-end encryption, immutable, tamper-proof backups, role-based access controls and multi-factor authentication.
> Reliable Recovery
In the event of a critical incident such as a cyberattack, human error, or system failure, the ability to recover data quickly is a must to avoid disruption to teaching. Having fully tested cloud backup and recovery in place will ensure you are able to recover from a potentially catastrophic cyber incident.
> Cost-effective and Scalable
Traditional backup and disaster recovery solutions often involve costly infrastructure and regular maintenance. Cloud-based backups don’t require physical storage. As a result, they offer reduced, predictable pricing along with scalable options as your data storage requirements grow. For establishments working to tight budget constraints, it’s an affordable solution without having to compromise on security.
> Support for Remote and Hybrid Learning
For some educational establishments remote and hybrid learning has caused data to be more distributed than ever. As students and staff are able to access their data from anywhere, there is an increased risk of data loss. Implementing cloud backup and disaster recovery ensures all your data stored on devices, networks, or online learning platforms is synchronised, secure, and recoverable. Having seamless access and reliable recovery is critical to the continuity of teaching and learning within your establishment.
> Enabling Collaboration and Innovation
Whilst robust cloud backup and disaster recovery help to protect your critical data, it also enables your establishment to offer a better education experience. Consequently, when your data is securely protected and downtime is significantly reduced, your team can focus on providing an enriching learning experience for all.
Ensure Compliance and Enhance Your Cyber Resilience with Croft
Croft is committed to helping you to meet and exceed compliance requirements to maximise your cyber resilience. While safeguarding data is key, it’s also important to reassure students, parents, and staff that their information is handled responsibly.
Our cloud backup and disaster recovery solutions will safeguard your sensitive information, ensuring continuous security and guaranteeing the recovery of data.
Contact us today to find out more about our cloud backup and disaster recovery solution for education.
Sources:
*Redstor Education Overview
Joanna Williams
As a member of the design and marketing team at Croft, my work focuses on developing marketing materials, crafting compelling copy, and managing our website. I joined the team at Croft just over a year ago, bringing with me 13 years of experience in the IT industry.