5 reasons to protect your school’s data

Data protection regulations differ across the globe, with some regions lacking regulations while others have more prescribed legislation and guidance.Regardless of where yours school is located, whether your country has data protection laws or not, prioritising the security of students' and staff's personal data is essential. It's fair to question the need for data protection when no laws exist, but over the years, many countries have recognised the risks posed by cyber criminals and have adopted data protection regulations to safeguard their school’s data. Here are five key reasons why your organisation should actively protect personal data:

1. Prevent data from falling into the wrong hands

Your school controls and processes personal data from students, staff, parents, alumni, and former employees. Protecting this data is just as crucial as safeguarding students from physical dangers. For schools, the responsibility of protecting students extends to their digital data. When planning school activities, you conduct risk assessments to prevent physical threats. Similarly, you must develop strategies to defend against online threats to personal data.

Conducting a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) helps you evaluate potential risks to the rights and freedoms of data subjects. By documenting your findings and aligning them with local data protection regulations, you can implement measures to prevent data from being exposed to malicious actors.

2. Defend against cyber attacks

Cyber threats to your students and staff are reason enough to take data protection seriously. Common attacks, such as malware, phishing, identity theft, information leaks, and ransomware, pose significant risks. Even if your school hasn’t yet experienced a data breach, you should assume it's only a matter of time.

A compromised system can disrupt your school’s operations for an extended period. Given the high risk cyber attacks pose to personal data, it's critical to map your data, assess the risk level of the services you use, and implement preventive measures. These steps will help minimise the impact of potential cyber security incidents on your school.

Watch our YouTube video on "Why Cyber Security Matters" for more information on protecting against cyber threats.

3. Safeguard your school’s reputation

Experiencing a data breach without proper measures in place can harm your school’s reputation. Parents may view the breach as a failure to protect their children and their personal information. For example, if a cyber attack compromises parents’ financial information, it directly impacts their finances and trust in your school. Prospective parents may have the same impression, potentially leading to decreased student enrolment and a damaged reputation. Current parents might withdraw their children, and prospective parents could avoid enrolling due to concerns over data security. 

On the other hand, if your organisation demonstrates robust data protection, you can highlight this achievement to attract new students and enhance your reputation as a school that prioritises safety and care. Sufficient data protection within schools shows an extended element of care and safeguarding, which is appealing to prospective parents and leads to an advanced local reputation for your school.

4. Preparing for the inevitable data protection regulations 

As countries become more technologically advanced, many are enacting data protection laws. We continue to see developments in data protection regulations around the world, most recently with the introduction of the EU AI Act and how school’s manage risks of using AI. 

If there are no data protection regulations in your country, it can seem trivial to implement any form of data protection procedure at your school. However, data privacy regulations are becoming more common, especially with globalisation of data transfers. When data privacy regulations are inevitably implemented in your region, if your school has made provisions for data privacy and implemented best practices, your school will be better equipped to implement any new laws as they arise. Establishing data protection protocols before laws take effect will allow your school to smoothly transition to compliance, enabling you to focus on long-term planning.

5. Ensure peace of mind

Recovering from a data breach is both stressful and time-consuming. Recovering from a data breach is both stressful and time-consuming. Without the right systems in place, it’s difficult to predict how long your organisation might be affected by a cyber attack. Research from the National Cyber Security Centre reveals that nearly all schools (97%) report significant disruption when network-connected IT services go down. This is consistent with the anecdotal accounts our consultants continually hear. 

Effective cyber security and data protection can mitigate these disruptions. By having a solid business continuity plan, your school can recover quickly from an attack, reducing downtime and restoring normal operations faster.

How 9ine helps 

Data protection is more than a legal obligation—it’s a responsibility. Schools must protect students from online threats, and by addressing these five factors, your school can build a strong foundation for data security.

If you're ready to enhance your data protection efforts through system audits, creating or updating policies, establishing infrastructure with the 9ine Platform, or training staff and students on data privacy best practices, 9ine can help. 

The 9ine Platform is a single platform that equips schools with managing data protection compliance, risk, cyber security and IT strategic management, no matter where you are in the world. We also offer a free trial of the platform - click here to register. 

Our DPO Essentials programme transforms your school's approach to data protection, compliance, and accountability. Partner with us to navigate the evolving landscape of privacy laws and safeguard your organisation's future.