How Can You Ensure Your Campus Is Protected During a Technology Crisis?
On July 19, 2024, a cybersecurity update from CrowdStrike—a leading endpoint security provider—sent shockwaves through organizations worldwide. A critical update pushed out by the company inadvertently caused major disruptions, crashing Windows systems globally. This affected a wide range of industries, including airlines, banks, hospitals, and notably, higher education institutions. Universities and colleges found themselves unable to access key operations, halting everything from registration to class scheduling. Many were forced to cancel classes and shut down operations altogether. The incident shed light on how vulnerable even well-protected systems can be during unexpected technology crises.
The role technology plays in higher education’s day-to-day operations will continue to grow, and the CrowdStrike incident has highlighted a critical question facing higher education: How can colleges and universities ensure they are protected—not just against cyberattacks, but also during unforeseen technology crises?
Moving Beyond System Security
When it comes to system security, higher education institutions are typically well-versed in the basics—strong password policies, encryption, multi-factor authentication, and regular software patches. These measures help protect systems from known threats, safeguard sensitive data, and minimize the likelihood of cyberattacks. But as demonstrated by the CrowdStrike incident, even the most robust security protocols cannot account for every possible disruption.
Security is crucial, but it is only one piece of the puzzle. Institutions must look beyond traditional security measures and focus on building an infrastructure that can withstand unforeseen events. This means investing in things like disaster recovery protocols and the ability to respond quickly and effectively when the unexpected happens.
Understanding the Importance of Rapid Response and Communication
When a technology crisis does occur, the speed and effectiveness of an institution’s response is critical. One major takeaway from the CrowdStrike incident is that response time to the incident directly correlates to the severity of the disruption. Many organizations that were impacted by the CrowdStrike event faced several days of downtime and significant financial losses, while others with quicker response strategies were able to restore services much faster.
To ensure efficient recovery in the event of a technology crisis, institutions must put certain measures in place. First and foremost, a dedicated rapid response team is essential. These teams should be equipped with personnel trained to handle crises quickly—assessing the situation, identifying root causes, and initiating a recovery plan. Having a communication plan is also critical. To reduce confusion and anxiety, institutions need a way to keep faculty, students, and staff informed.
In addition to having a well-prepared team, institutions should implement systems designed to minimize disruptions when the unexpected happens. These systems should include:
- 24/7 Monitoring and Support: Continuous monitoring ensures that potential issues are detected early, allowing for immediate resolution before they escalate.
- Disaster Recovery and Failover Plans: Having a detailed plan for quickly restoring services—including backup systems and data replication—is crucial for ensuring business continuity during a crisis.
Consider Outsourcing to Ensure Effective Crisis Management
With the rapid evolution of cyber threats and the sheer volume of data universities manage, ensuring that systems remain secure, and operations continue smoothly requires a high level of expertise, round-the-clock monitoring, and the ability to act quickly in the event of a crisis. Many institutions face challenges in building and maintaining dedicated in-house teams that can handle these demanding tasks. This is especially true for smaller institutions with limited resources.
This is why many institutions are outsourcing their systems management. They’re turning to technology partners who can provide them with proactive security measures and a rapid response framework that ensures systems remain operational, even when unexpected disruptions occur. Partners like Jenzabar Managed Services provide 24/7 monitoring, disaster recovery protocols, and more—which enabled them to restore 300+ impacted institutions to full functionality within hours on the same day the CrowdStrike incident occurred.
In today’s ever-changing threat landscape, being prepared is no longer optional—it’s a necessity. The complexities involved in managing your own system security and recovery processes can make it difficult for institutions to keep up. That’s why partnering with experts who specialize in these areas can ensure your institution is ready to respond effectively to any technology crisis, safeguarding both data and operations without missing a beat.
Find out how the Jenzabar Managed Services team got institutions up and running in the wake of the CrowdStrike Incident. You can read the full story here.
