TORONTO, Jan. 31, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As Canadian educational institutions face budget pressures and the need to better target educational services to students and families, more school boards face the challenge of selecting and adopting cloud-based platforms.
Based on a recent 2018 Cost of Data Breach Study by Ponemon LLC, Canadian data breach costs reportedly add up to $259 per record as the sum of direct and indirect costs of responding repairing damages and notifying victims (ref: https://popa.ca/2018CoDB). Best practices for school boards include:
- Mitigating the risks of moving student personal records into the custody of private companies
- Storing records and transmitting personal data about students across the Internet
- Conducting proper risk assessments using certified security experts, rather than relying on vulnerable practices such as vendor self-assessments and unverifiable policies
“Verify Edtech was designed to meet customer demand for better ways to assess the risk presented by cloud edtech solutions. We work with boards that see the value of securing informed parental consent and our experts help them review key aspects of the edtech systems being proposed” said Claudiu Popa, Informatica’s CEO.
Informatica is first to market with Verify Edtech: an independent, standards-based security assessment specifically designed for the challenges of educational systems and technologies.
According to a recent report published by Ontario’s Auditor General (references below), many educational institutions lack the expertise and due diligence necessary to anticipate data breaches.
With all Canadian companies being required by PIPEDA legislation to detect and report data breaches, there is increased pressure on Canadian organizations to have proper policies and controls in place to mitigate cybersecurity risks. Verify Edtech is Canada’s first security audit specifically designed for the education sector with:
- Independently signed attestation certificates of Edtech security and privacy
- Verifiable compliance with key aspects of GDPR, FERPA, PIPEDA and COPPA legislation
- Professional education for staff and decision makers involved with educational technologies
About the Company:
Established in 1989, Informatica Security is proud of a stellar 30-year track record of exceptional client satisfaction, data protection leadership and cybersecurity innovation.
Informatica’s VerifyNow.ca Risk Assessment selector is used by Canadian companies to configure and select security testing and compliance solutions for their organization.
In addition to penetration testing (“pentesting”) and ethical hacking, Canadian organizations trust Informatica with compliance consulting, cyber insurance advisory, security audit preparation, employee security awareness education, management training and complete project management.
To request a consultation or schedule an assessment, visit www.VerifyNow.ca or email info@SecurityandPrivacy.ca.
For media commentary and interviews regarding #EdtechPrivacy or #EdtechSecurity visit www.EdtechPrivacy.ca or contact:
Claudiu Popa, CISSP, CISA, CRISC, PMP, CIPP at soundbites@SecurityandPrivacy.ca
Auditor General of Ontario Report references:
- http://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/annualreports/arreports/en18/v1_600en18.pdf
- Not all Ontario schools follow this cyber security rule
https://www.canadianunderwriter.ca/technology/ontario-schools-dont-follow-cyber-security-rule-1004149837/ - Ontario suffers wide disparities in school’s IT resources: Auditor General
https://www.itbusiness.ca/news/ontario-suffers-wide-disparities-in-schools-it-resources-auditor-general/107520