Making the Cybersecurity Skills Case for Educational Technology Implementations
Steve King, Abdolhossein Sarrafzadeh, Mohd M. Anwar, Tonya B. Amankwatia · 2022
Large-scale technology implementations require that both technology vendors and educational institutions have highly skilled technical staff. Cybersecurity education and technology product and service proponents make the relevant skills case to leaders based on their experiences. The human capital crisis in cybersecurity and the recent increase in the security threats resulting from vulnerable software have made the situation worse. A recent example is the global attack on government and private sectors through the IT management software SolarWinds. Skills for secure-coding and implementing Zero-Trust architectures and strategies are essential to protect student and faculty data, learning content, assessment data, research and other IP-related resources in order to provide uninterrupted technology access for learner success. This chapter aims to help educational technology leaders recognize if implementation partners have the requisite cybersecurity education and training before committing to a contract and project plan. It also provides valuable advice for leaders in this sector.