Ed tech's growth breeds district IT 'management nightmare'

Schools are the second-most targeted industry for ransomware attacks, with more than 49 incidents already this year, according to a new report from security technology company Absolute evaluating K-12 digital trends.  There have been more than 700 cybersecurity incidents in schools since 2016; meanwhile, funding for education technology has increased by 62% since that time and shown no signs of slowing down.  While making digital access more equitable, the growth has created a “management nightmare.” The report states, “Within a few years, K-12 [information technology] leaders have gone from managing a couple of operating systems, a handful of apps, and a few hundred devices to managing hundreds of versions of operating systems, apps, and extensions; and thousands of devices.” With the growth of tech in classrooms, schools have become easy, lucrative targets. But many of the incidents might be preventable if administrators took better precautions, including educating students and staff and investing in strong IT personnel.