Schools Stronger on Cyber Security than Physical Security

VERNON HILLS, Ill. -- CDW Government, Inc. (CDW-G), a wholly owned subsidiary of CDW Corporation and leading source of information technology (IT) solutions to governments and educators, today released the findings of the CDW-G School Safety Index, a research project benchmarking the current status of public school district safety. Based on 14 elements of physical and cyber safety, the survey of 381 school district IT and security directors highlights the indicators of strong district safety programs, as well as the barriers to school safety.

The CDW-G School Safety Index reveals that districts are having greater success with cyber security than physical security. Key findings from the School Safety Index include:

• School districts rely too heavily on technical solutions to protect networks and buildings and need to focus more attention on educating students about physical and cyber dangers

• Tech-savvy students are putting the district network and themselves at risk by sidestepping IT security procedures through measures like proxy servers

• Districts rely heavily on the telephone to communicate with faculty and parents during emergencies

• Lack of budget, staff resources and proper security tools limit districts' ability to protect themselves

"The School Safety Index helps educational stakeholders understand the broad spectrum of tools available to them to improve both cyber and physical security," said Bob Kirby, senior director K-12, CDW-G. "CDW-G examined a broad range of security topics, from data monitoring and building access to security software and safety education. The index shows the potential for schools to do more – especially in the areas of safety education and emerging communication technologies."