As a company, we provide IT support and advice on school IT security to a wide range of education providers.  This means that we support education settings from nursery all the way up to further education.  We know that whatever the age of the learners in your organisation, cybersecurity is of the utmost importance to protect your operations, data, and young people.

In this article, we have assembled a collection of important articles and information that may help you to protect your education setting and keep your learners safe from cyber-crime.

Early Years professionals may benefit from this article from the National Cyber Security Centre which highlights the best practices for keeping your organisation and children safe from online criminals.

The National Cyber Security Centre also offers a free cybersecurity training package for school staff. The package they offer includes a scripted presentation pack, which can be used as part of a group session, or a video that allows individuals to access the content at a time to suit them. This provides an ideal Continuous Professional Development (CPD) opportunity for teaching staff and those working in schools.

Link ICT is also able to provide cybersecurity advice and guidance as part of their IT support services. We can help education customers to undertake the key steps outlined by the National Cyber Security Centre to keep your setting safe:

Backing up your data:

We can provide both physical and cloud backup solutions to our customers at competitive pricing. Our technicians can support you in managing your backups and restoring your data should the worst happen.

Using passwords to control access to your computers and information:

Another way that you can protect your setting is by implementing policies that ensure that users create strong passwords. We have also worked with our schools to ensure that they have set up two-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security to their systems.

Protecting your devices from viruses and malware:

Ensure your data is safe by installing an antivirus product across your systems and hardware. We are able to assess, procure and apply the best product for your needs.  A further way to keep your devices secure is to make sure that software and operating system updates are applied on a timely basis to make certain they are always protected by the latest anti-virus protection. This is something that our technicians can manage for you.

Dealing with suspicious messages (phishing attacks):

Our support technicians are always happy to take a look at any email you may have concerns about before you open links or reply. We can also offer staff training on how to spot a suspicious email and what to in the event of a phishing attack.

If you would like to discuss how we can help you to protect your operations, data and learners, please get in touch.