How Securus360 Helped a Large Florida School District Strengthen Their Cybersecurity Posture and Protect Student Data

Florida school districts, like many across the nation, face significant cybersecurity challenges compounded by their size, resource limitations, and their susceptibility to sophisticated cyberattacks.

Increased Cyberattacks Targeting K-12 Institutions: Florida ranks among the states with the highest reported incidents of ransomware attacks on schools, jeopardizing sensitive student and staff data.

Resource Scarcity: Many districts operate with limited IT budgets and personnel, making it difficult to implement robust defenses against evolving threats.

Regulatory Compliance Pressure: Florida schools must align with state and federal regulations, such as FERPA, to safeguard student information, adding an extra layer of complexity to their cybersecurity efforts.

A recent report by the Florida Cybersecurity Task Force highlighted that K-12 school districts in the state are particularly vulnerable, with some districts reporting up to 500% increase in attempted cyber incidents compared to previous years. Budget constraints and a shortage of specialized IT security personnel continue to exacerbate these challenges.

The Challenges

This sizable school district with over 40 schools and more than 30,000 students, faced mounting cybersecurity challenges that are common among K-12 institutions today. With a growing digital footprint, the district’s IT team was stretched thin, having to manage an increasingly complex network infrastructure while facing growing and ever more sophisticated cyber threats.

"With limited staff and budget, maintaining and securing our infrastructure was becoming an overwhelming task," recalls the district’s IT Director. "We didn’t have the visibility we needed across our entire network environment, and critically important vulnerability assessments kept getting pushed back due to daily operational demands."

Key Challenges

1. Need for 24/7 Security Coverage

A growing digital footprint required integrated and automated solutions

The IT team was overwhelmed managing nonstop alerts from disparate security tools

Limited visibility into potential threats and vulnerabilities across multiple threat vectors

2. Resource Constraints

Small IT staff with lack of bandwidth

Budget restrictions prevented hiring dedicated security personnel

Critical security tasks frequently delayed by urgent technical needs

3. Compliance and Risk Management

Highly sensitive student and staff data was vulnerable and required protection

Need for regular security assessments and documentation

Pressure from insurance companies for comprehensive protection and cyber risk scoring

The Solution

After evaluating several vendors, the district selected Securus360 as their cybersecurity partner, impressed by their K-12 focus, comprehensive services offering, and customizable solution.

"Other cybersecurity vendors were quoting us 3x the price, and their solutions felt very cookie cutter," says the IT Director. "Securus360 took the time to understand our specific needs and designed a customized solution that maximized our protection within our available budget. Once the service was up-and-running, it felt like they are were an extension of our team rather than just another vendor."

Securus360's implemented a powerful and proven cybersecurity solution including:

1. AI-Powered MXDR Platform:

Provides multi-vector monitoring for complete visibility across your network.

Leverages machine learning to automate threat detection and minimize false positives.

Seamlessly integrates with existing EDR platforms, maximizing your prior investments.

Identifies and mitigates genuine threats quickly and reliably.

2. 24/7 Human-Powered Security Operations Center (SOC):

Offers round-the-clock threat monitoring and incident response by expert analysts.

Combines AI-driven insights with human expertise to ensure rapid containment and mitigation of threats.

Utilizes over 500 customizable machine-learning algorithms for proactive threat detection.

3. Regular Vulnerability Assessments:

Conducts quarterly vulnerability scans with actionable guidance for remediation.

Combines AI-driven insights with human expertise to ensure rapid containment and mitigation of threats.

Utilizes over 500 customizable machine-learning algorithms for proactive threat detection.

The Results

After partnering with Securus360, the school district achieved significant improvements in their security posture:

1. Enhanced Visibility:

Gained comprehensive insight across the entire infrastructure, comparing and correlating events from many different devices across the organization

2. Operational Efficiency:

Freed up IT staff to focus on their core responsibilities and strategic initiatives

3. Cost Savings:

Achieved enterprise-grade security at a fraction of the cost of hiring additional staff and purchasing the required technology

4. Improved Risk Profile:

Significantly decreased their cyber risk score and easily met insurance requirements

"We could have spent double or three times the money trying to do this ourselves and still not have achieved the level of protection that Securus360 provides," notes the IT Director. "The combination of AI-powered tools and human expertise, coupled with the level of hands-on support, gives us peace of mind, knowing our students' and staff's data is protected 24/7."

Looking Ahead

With cyber threats to K-12 institutions continuing to evolve, the district maintains confidence in their its security posture through their partnership with Securus360. "The threat landscape keeps changing," says the IT Director, "but having Securus360 as our trusted security partner means we can focus on our primary mission: educating students."

At Securus360, we put the protection of student and staff data at the center of everything we do.

Don't wait until it's too late. Take proactive steps now to protect your school district from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. Invest in a 24/7 cybersecurity protection service to provide maximum protection and peace-of-mind.

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