With the large and growing presence of digital technology in schools, Educational Device Management considerations are a must.
The Need for Educational Device Management
Regardless of size, school districts that use mobile devices need to think about Educational Device Management. Schools have administrators, teachers, and hundreds of students…and thousands of devices! These computers and tablets track grades, handle payroll, and provide children access to the wisdom of the wider world. Kids learn through these devices and about the devices, gaining skills needed to navigate the interconnected world. All these machines are endpoints with access to district networks, which are rich with sensitive information. A compromised device could allow a bad actor to gain access to this data. A successful attack on a school’s network could impact the lives of hundreds or thousands of families.
Every device must be secured, from the superintendent’s hard drive to the tablets third graders use to play math games. Each district is different; some comprise hundreds of square miles, and some serve thousands of students. In a report by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) based on a survey of American schools from 2019 to pre-COVID 2020, almost half (45%) reported possessing a computer for each student. That is a massive number of mobile devices to protect. Twenty-three percent of those schools reported allowing at least some of these devices to go home with students, which introduces the machines to a great risk of improper access.
Device Management Hurdles for Education
Schools have a unique collection of risks, including limited budget, the number of devices, the spread of those devices, and the potential for unauthorized access by students, students’ families, and members of the public. IT Departments are often under-funded and must make choices with limited fiscal and staffing resources. This is where Mobile Device Management (MDM) software comes in.
Organizations will usually have a Mobile Device Management plan in place for devices that serve as endpoints to its network. For a school, an MDM plan would integrate policies of acceptable use, hardware for physically securing devices, and software to ensure the electronic protection of devices.
How An MDM Can Help
MDM software addresses many concerns an educational facility would have. Tech Target defines MDM software as a software that “allows IT administrators to control, secure and enforce policies on smartphones, tablets and other endpoints.” An effective MDM software can track devices, lock and re-credential machines, and remotely wipe hard drives. They can also geofence, alerting administrators when a device moves beyond a certain geographical boundary. An MDM software solution may be able to help a school manage encryption as well. DriveStrike is a prime example of a Mobile Device Management software specializing in Endpoint Security.
DriveStrike’s Educational MDM Tools
DriveStrike offers a plethora of capabilities that can aid hardworking educators in their quest to protect their students. A secure online Dashboard provides quick access to all commands, allowing administrators to take a variety of crucial actions in one place. The Dashboard is also intuitive and easy to navigate, so you can start protecting devices in moments after signing up.
- DriveStrike is scalable. Users can manage any number of devices, utilizing any operating system. School districts can protect a diverse collection of devices from one account.
- DriveStrike offers Mass Deployment options, including Apple Automated Enrollment and Android Enterprise Mode.
- DriveStrike offers Group capabilities. Devices can be sorted by school, type, classroom, or any way that is convenient for your IT team.
- DriveStrike tracks devices. Laptops that travel home with students and teachers can still be managed. Administrators can check location logs in the event of an internal or external audit.
- DriveStrike allows Administrators to Lock devices, and in some cases re-credential devices, requiring students to report to the school so they can receive a new PIN and gain access to the device again.
- DriveStrike can destroy a hard drive with a Remote Wipe. In a matter of seconds, all data on a device – and on any drives attached to it – will be erased.
These tools, integrated as they are within the DriveStrike software, allow school Administrators and IT teams to secure an large catalog of devices with confidence.
Conclusion
School Administrators have enough to focus on without stressing over MDM solutions to defend student data. Implementing a user-friendly software such as DriveStrike can save districts precious time and money. Education Device Management is mere clicks away; start a 30 Day Free Trial and begin protecting mobile devices!