Microsoft (Serena Sacks) Report October 2023 | Page 9

MICROSOFT EDUCATION
One reason for this , Sacks-Mandel explains , is that education organisations tend to not have the right skills and resources to protect the organisation , and that many people in those organisations don ’ t realise the true value of data .
“ It isn ’ t just about students and grades , it ’ s about social security numbers , credit card information , health information and identity for both adults and learners .
“ Hackers are patient so they can grab information that is relatively unprotected . They can use it , they can sit on it .”
As Sacks-Mandel explains , Microsoft has a number of robust layers of support when it comes to security . “ It ’ s not like one solution and done . From identity management , to access control , and phishing prevention , we offer a whole suite of cybersecurity tools that , when implemented and used properly , prevent these attacks .
“ A number of organisations have been ransomware attacked , and a lot of times it ’ s just because they haven ’ t patched , they haven ’ t followed the basic sort of hygiene of managing their on-prem systems . The cloud is much less vulnerable to these attacks because that ’ s all taken care of . There is no patching . And education has been one of the last industries to modernise and to move to the cloud , so these on-prem systems are highly vulnerable .”
Microsoft ’ s ambition and goal to help provide education all around the globe With a firm belief that all students deserve equitable access to education – no matter where they live or how they learn – Microsoft is committed to developing safe and inclusive learning solutions designed to help everyone reach their highest potential at school and beyond .
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