Of course, as the number of digital touchpoints increases, so too does the attack surface, exposing schools and higher learning institutions to more cybersecurity threats in the form of data breaches, ransomware attacks and malware.
The frequency of these attacks continues to climb each year, and the education sector has rightly placed cybersecurity among the needs atop its priority list. However, one commonly overlooked element of any cybersecurity strategy is the network — namely, network resiliency in the face of faults in normal operations.
THE CURRENT STATE OF NETWORK DOWNTIME IN EDUCATION
Perhaps the most significant consequence of a cyber attack is network downtime. Without any alternative path to the network, learning will come to a complete standstill. Research from the tech-research company Comparitech shows that from 2018 to mid-September 2023, 561 educational institutions worldwide were hit by ransomware attacks, costing $53 billion in downtime alone.
Downtime can range from a couple of hours to 36 days. In 2023, the average downtime was 11.6 days. In addition to critical learning systems and applications becoming inaccessible, these network outages also come with high recovery costs and the potential for reputational damage.
Cyber attacks show no sign of slowing down, mainly because the educational sector is an ideal target for bad actors. In this new paradigm, where cyber attacks aren’t a matter of “if” but “when,” schools must adopt the right technology tools to recover quickly from network outages and disruptions. One option is out-of-band (OOB) management.
WHAT IS OUT-OF-BAND MANAGEMENT?
While there are two ways to manage a network, most rely on a method known as in-band management, which involves IT staff and technical personnel managing the network through the network itself. The problem with in-band management is that network engineers can’t reach affected devices and remediate the issue during an outage.
The second way to manage a network, OOB management, is considered more expensive, which hints at why many opt for in-band management. Nevertheless, the benefits of OOB management ultimately pay for themselves and then some.
OOB management allows a school’s network engineers to set up a separate management plane that operates independently from the data plane or productive infrastructure. This separation from the production network provides a secure, alternative path for network engineers to access, monitor and manage remote devices without going through the IP production address in the data plane, ensuring learning continues with minimal or no interruption.
NETWORK REMEDIATION STREAMLINED AND SIMPLIFIED
Should a cyber attack cause the network to go down, OOB management allows network engineers to remediate issues remotely. And because technicians can access edge infrastructure from anywhere, the entire remediation process is highly streamlined and truncated. Consequently, OOB management also eliminates the time-consuming hassle of sending engineers to remote sites and distributed campuses to troubleshoot issues manually.
Another valuable feature of some OOB management systems is that they can use artificial intelligence to detect issues and environmental inconsistencies automatically. Once the system identifies a potential security risk, it will send an alert via email or SMS to IT staff, enabling them to address the issue before it spirals into a full-blown network outage.
ENHANCING FIRST-DAY AND EVERYDAY NETWORK MANAGEMENT
Improving security and optimizing network uptime is essential. However, schools can use OOB management to enhance day-to-day network operations as well. For example, OOB management can help network engineers facilitate everyday configuration management and proactive monitoring.
Furthermore, technicians can leverage OOB management to support day-one provisioning. Educational institutions (higher learning especially) are always looking to add new buildings to campus or construct entirely new facilities. OOB management allows engineers to provision network equipment at these new locations remotely and securely, saving time and resources.
SAFEGUARDING EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES
Schools and universities want to adopt new technologies to enrich the learning experience for students and staff. In fact, the U.S. Department of Education’s 2024 National Educational Technology Plan aims to close the digital divide, ensuring all students can equitably access the latest digital tools and technology. Some of these new technologies will include AI, wearable tech, virtual and augmented reality, and Internet of Things devices.
Although these technologies will bring welcomed innovations and shrink the digital divide, they also place a greater strain on school networks, increasing the likelihood of outages. Technical personnel need a reliable means to manage networks now more than ever, and methods like OOB management are uniquely suited for handling cyber attacks and all of the routine tasks in between.
Tracy Collins is vice president of sales for the Americas at the network security company Opengear.
