Security Management Software For Educational Institutions

Security management software protects school-owned computers and networks from software vulnerabilities, configuration issues, malware, spyware and inappropriate software, such as file sharing programs, which can cripple machine or network performance. It can also protect the confidentiality of student, faculty and institutional information that is stored on school-owned systems.

With students and faculty utilizing school-owned computers – whether in a computer lab, classroom, or library – these endpoints are prone to vulnerabilities and are easy targets for malware. For example, a simple installation of a file sharing program in a school’s computer lab can be the gateway to spyware and Trojans. The decline in machine performance can be severe to non-responsive in just days due to user-installed software, as well as vulnerabilities, configuration changes, and adware and bots that are picked up during Web browsing. There is just as great a risk of malware being introduced to the endpoints and sensitive data being removed from the endpoints via removable devices such as MP3 players, iPods and cell phones, which are commonplace among students and teachers.

Colleges and universities alone account for more than one third of all publicly disclosed security breaches – more than healthcare, financial, retail or government institutions. For example:

• Ohio University had multiple breaches that compromised intellectual property, a health center and more. The Ohio University CIO has since resigned.
   
• Western Illinois University disclosed a breach that may have impacted 180,000 students, alumni and bookstore shoppers.
   
• Texas A&M Corpus Christi announced that a professor vacationing off the coast of Africa took with him the personal data of 8,000 students on a flash drive and lost the drive while there. Officials said the device may have contained files with personally identifiable student information such as social security numbers.

Lumension Security Management Software Protects Educational Institutions

Lumension Security management software ensures the integrity and stability of an educational institution’s endpoints by providing visibility into their IT assets, rapidly patching and remediating vulnerabilities that could leave IT assets and sensitive data exposed and allowing only authorized applications and devices that are used in conjunction with these endpoints. These solutions include:

• PatchLink Update™ - Proactive management of threats through automated collection, analysis, and delivery of patches (all major operating systems and applications) across heterogeneous networks.
   
• PatchLink Scan™ - Complete network-based scanning solution enables assessment and analysis of threats impacting all network devices.
   
• PatchLink Security Configuration Management™ - Out-of-the-box regulatory and standards-based assessment to ensure endpoints are properly configured.
   
• PatchLink Developers Kit™ - Create custom remediation packages to address configuration issues, remove unauthorized files and applications, address Zero-day threats, patch custom software and more.
   
• PatchLink Enterprise Reporting™ - Robust data warehouse that enables easy creation and sharing of reports on all aspects of your remediation efforts in support of policy compliance.
   
• Sanctuary® Application Control - Policy-based enforcement of application use to secure your endpoints from malware, spyware and unwanted or unlicensed software.
   
• Sanctuary® Device Control - Policy-based enforcement of removable device use to control the flow of inbound and outbound data from your endpoints.

Lumension Security Management Software Helps Educational Institutions to:

• Comply with copyright laws by not allowing unauthorized content to be downloaded onto removable devices
   
• Comply with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), which requires schools to certify that they have an Internet safety policy and technology protection measures in place
   
• Enhance the learning process through use of the latest technological advances without compromising the stability and security of networks or endpoints
   
• Control and monitor the flow of inbound and outbound data
   
• Reduce the risk of vulnerabilities from being exposed
   
• Prevent malware and zero-day threats originating at an endpoint
  • Protect against network security breaches
  • Enable the transmission, integrity, confidentiality and retention of data without disruption, corruption or loss
     
• Discover all IT assets and improve IT system performance
  • Identify unmanaged or unwanted network devices
  • Prevent unwanted desktop applications and devices from burdening network bandwidth
  • Enable faster computing resources on network, laptops and desktop PCs
  • Maintain desktop PCs’ performance as new with configurations remaining stable
     
• Reduce endpoint security TCO
  • Minimize security or compliance crisis response
  • Remediate vulnerabilities more quickly and with fewer required resources
     
• Improve student and faculty productivity
  • Blocking unwanted, non-schoolwork-oriented desktop applications
  • Enforce policy to ensure endpoints run as expected
     
• Enforce software license compliance throughout all school-owned computers