How School Districts Can Better Safeguard Student and Staff Data

Is your district’s data truly secure? In today’s environment, maintaining a strong and resilient IT infrastructure has never been more critical—especially in light of high-profile incidents like the recent CrowdStrike outage and the data breach affecting the City of Columbus. These events underscore how vulnerable even large, well-resourced organizations can be without the right safeguards in place.

Cybersecurity matters across every industry, but the impact on school districts is especially severe. A single incident can compromise sensitive staff data, expose student records, disrupt learning, and strain already limited resources.

Why education is a growing target for cyberattacks.

School districts are experiencing a sharp rise in cyber threats. According to a report from Malwarebytes, K-12 and higher education institutions saw a 105% increase in ransomware attacks from 2022 to 2023. These incidents have led to weeks of lost instructional time and costs ranging from $50,000 to more than $1 million per attack.

The good news? Many of these incidents are preventable with the right combination of training, technology, and proactive monitoring.

At PERRY proTECH, our employee-owners partner with school districts to help protect student and staff data through layered, practical cybersecurity solutions.

Below are several key ways we help districts strengthen their defenses.

Building stronger protection across your district.

Security awareness training for staff and educators.

More than 80% of cyber incidents involve human error. Without proper training, even well-intentioned staff can unintentionally expose systems to risk.

PERRY proTECH provides engaging, interactive security awareness training that helps educators and administrators recognize common threats, respond appropriately, and adopt safer daily technology practices. These best practices can also be shared with students, helping districts build a culture of cybersecurity awareness across the entire school community.

Secure document management for student records.

Managing student records efficiently—while keeping them secure—is a challenge for many districts. Paper files, shared drives, and disconnected systems increase both risk and administrative burden.

PERRY proTECH’s Document Management solutions securely scan, index, and store records in the cloud with advanced encryption, access controls, and audit trails. Only authorized personnel can access sensitive documents, while staff spend less time filing and searching for information and more time supporting students.

Secure and optimized print services.

Printers are often overlooked as cybersecurity risks, yet they are a common entry point for attacks. Aging or unmanaged print devices can expose sensitive data if not properly secured.

PERRY proTECH helps districts modernize their print environments with secure devices, ongoing service, and proactive monitoring. By standardizing print processes, many districts see 20–30% cost savings while significantly improving device security and reliability.

Network security that supports safe learning.

Safe learning environments depend on secure technology. PERRY proTECH’s Network Services integrate cybersecurity and physical security strategies to protect devices, data, and infrastructure.

Our cybersecurity specialists continuously monitor networks, identify vulnerabilities, and address threats before they escalate—reducing risk while easing the burden on internal IT teams.

A proactive approach to protecting school data.

Cyber threats will continue to evolve, making prevention far more effective than reaction. With the right training, systems, and support, districts can significantly reduce risk and protect the data entrusted to them.

Interested in strengthening your district’s IT infrastructure? Contact PERRY proTECH to schedule a complimentary assessment and receive tailored recommendations for securing student and staff data.

Don’t let your school become another statistic—take a proactive step toward stronger cybersecurity today.