Network Security – keeping you secure

Our services combine high-quality network security which ensures data security, user security and compliance with various aspects of legislation.

There are various steps which will help protect your school network.

The 10 steps described below are explained on the NEN website and are adapted from the 10 Steps to Cyber Security document produced by GCHQ.

  • Ensure the importance of and responsibilities for maintaining e-security are acknowledged by senior school managers and governors. Make sure your school’s Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for IT is up to date and addresses e-security sufficiently. It is strongly advisable to develop and maintain a specific e-security policy as well.
  • Establish and maintain inventories of all hardware and software used in school that also describe how these are to be configured, reviewed and kept up to date (patched). It is strongly advisable to lock down the configurations of all hardware and software to prevent intentional or accidental misuse.
  • Ensure appropriate technical measures are in place to protect your school’s network. These include firewalls, filtering for malicious as well as inappropriate content and antivirus and malware checking.
  • Ensure user privileges (for teaching staff, administrative staff and pupils) are set appropriately so all users can access the facilities they require while minimising the potential for deliberate or accidental misuse of the network. A password policy should be enforced so that strong passwords must be used; these should be changed at regular intervals.
  • Ensure all users, staff and pupils, understand their e-security obligations and responsibilities through appropriate user education and training. The school’s IT AUP is a key tool in this regard.
  • Establish and maintain proper processes to log, report on and monitor any e-security incidents. This will help ensure that any damage is minimised, that services can return to normal as soon as possible and that lessons can be learned to prevent similar incidents from reoccurring in future.
  • Ensure technical protections are in place to detect and prevent malware – any malicious code or content which could damage the confidentiality, integrity and availability of a school’s network and IT services. Malware can proliferate in many ways, for example via email attachments, social media, malicious websites or removable media such as USB flash drives. Devices that are taken and used off site (for example, devices used by staff both in school and on home internet connections) can become infected and subsequently transfer infections into the school network.
  • Establish and maintain effective network monitoring: this ensures attacks and other e-security incidents are detected quickly, allowing a rapid and effective response in keeping with defined incident management processes.
  • Ensure strategies are in place to control the use of removable media (for example, USB flash drives and CD ROMs). These can introduce malware either intentionally or accidentally.
  • Ensure secure mechanisms are in place to support remote use of school network facilities by staff and pupils, particularly for devices that are used both in school and elsewhere.