The education sector is a prime target for cybercriminals. Schools, colleges and universities manage large numbers of devices, multiple operating systems and a growing range of digital learning tools. This creates a wide and complex attack surface.

Limited budgets, small IT teams and varying levels of technical knowledge among staff and students can make it difficult to maintain strong cybersecurity. As a result, education organisations are increasingly exposed to cyber threats such as ransomware.

We work with Sophos to help education institutions strengthen their cybersecurity and reduce risk.

The Cybersecurity Challenge in Education:

A 2022 Sophos survey of IT professionals in education highlighted the scale of the issue:

56% of lower education and 64% of higher education organisations were hit by ransomware in 2021.

Education experienced greater operational disruption from ransomware than any other sector.

Average ransomware recovery costs were US$1.58 million for lower education and US$1.42 million for higher education.

40% of universities and 26% of schools took more than a month to recover.

Nearly half of respondents reported an increase in the volume and complexity of cyber attacks.

These incidents disrupt learning, impact reputation and place additional pressure on already stretched resources.

Sophos Security for Education:

Sophos delivers advanced cybersecurity solutions designed for the needs of education organisations. Its adaptive cybersecurity ecosystem helps reduce risk and protect against modern cyber threats.

Key benefits include:

  • Protection against a wide range of cyberattacks, including human-led threats.
  • Managed Detection and Response (MDR) with 24/7 monitoring by security experts.
  • Endpoint and network security working together to improve visibility and control.
  • Reduced workload for IT teams, allowing them to focus on supporting teaching and learning.

Sophos protects over 530,000 organisations worldwide and has been recognised as a Gartner Leader in endpoint security more times than any other vendor. Its MDR, endpoint and firewall solutions are also highly rated on Gartner Peer Insights.

Proven Results in Education:

Testimonial from University of Southern Queensland:

“The pen testers were shocked they couldn’t find a way in. That was the point we knew we could absolutely trust the Sophos service.”

Testimonial from London South Bank University

“Since implementing Sophos, we’ve freed up valuable operational time, allowing our teams to focus on improving student satisfaction.”

Join us at BETT to learn more about how we help education organisations protect their digital environments. Our team will be available to discuss the latest cybersecurity challenges facing education and how Sophos solutions can help keep your institution secure.

Register BETT Here