How Can Schools Assure K-12 Vendors Embrace their Cybersecurity Responsibilities?

Join the K12 Security Information eXchange (K12 SIX) and StateRAMP—a non-profit standardizing the cybersecurity risk management practices of state and local government vendors and suppliers—for a timely discussion and presentation about best practices and opportunities in K-12 vendor cyber risk management.

K-12 cyber incident data compiled by K12 SIX reveals that the most significant vector for student and teacher data breaches—in terms of numbers of individuals affected—are school district vendors and other trusted non-profit partners. Recent high-profile cyber incidents experienced by, e.g., Battelle for Kids, Illuminate Education, PCS Revenue, and Pearson all serve to underscore the cybersecurity risks of outsourcing critical K-12 functions. The time is right for state and local K-12 leaders to demand better and more transparent cybersecurity risk management practices of the vendors and suppliers they rely on.

Founded at the beginning of 2020, StateRAMP was born from the clear need for a standardized approach to the cybersecurity standards required from service providers offering solutions to state and local governments, including school districts, regional education agencies, state departments of education, and other public K-12 entities. StateRAMP is built on the National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-53 framework, modeled in part after FedRAMP, and based on a “complete once, use many” concept that saves time and reduces costs for both service providers and governments.

This complimentary professional development webinar will summarize the challenge of K-12 vendor risk management, introduce the aims and work of StateRAMP, and offer practical suggestions for participants to take the next step in their K-12 vendor risk management programs.