Around the world, the education sector is increasingly targeted by cyberthreats. In fact, education was the third-most targeted industry by cybercriminals in Q2 2024, and the second-most targeted sector by nation-state threat actors in 2024. These attacks often carry devastating consequences, from identity theft to severe breaches across education networks and systems. With the rise of digital learning and the proliferation of connected devices—alongside continually evolving threats—IT departments face a greater challenge to secure digital environments in education.

In the modern threat landscape, it’s important to consider whether your cybersecurity strategy is equipped to help you navigate these challenges. Deploying the most up-to-date devices, software, and operating systems can help close security vulnerabilities and build proactive protection. Windows 11 helps you strengthen your overall security posture, drive greater productivity, and build safer communities for learning, working, and teaching.

Unlock greater productivity while maintaining robust and comprehensive protection

Today, organizations around the world are rethinking their security approaches down to their hardware. Cybersecurity software alone is no longer enough to protect systems as bad actors leverage new technologies and tactics to bypass defenses and access critical resources.

Designed to address education’s most critical cyberthreats, Windows 11 is the most secure version of Windows to date, designed with security built into each level, including:

• Cloud
• Identity
• Application
• Operating system
• Hardware

The default security features of Windows 11 were created based on threat intelligence, global regulatory requirements, and Microsoft Security expertise. Through partnerships with original equipment manufacturers and silicon manufacturers, Windows 11 is designed for greater security starting at the chip level—enabling hardware and software to work together to shrink the organizational attack surface, protect system integrity, and secure institutional data.

To simplify deployment for IT teams, Windows 11 comes with key out-of-the-box features enabled, including:

• Credential safeguards
• Application protection
• Malware shields

It’s also designed to integrate with Microsoft Security Copilot, which leverages generative AI capabilities to provide greater insights and efficiency to help improve security at scale. Windows 11 Pro devices drive a 62% drop in reported security incidents and are shown to accelerate workflows by 50% on average, helping you and your organization achieve more with less time and effort. Let’s take a deeper look at how Windows 11 helps you tackle cybersecurity challenges across different environments.

Application safeguards help keep critical data safe

Windows 11 offers a complete platform for educational institutions to house and protect critical applications such as learning management systems (LMS), administrative software, and productivity tools. Attackers often target poorly secured applications, which is why Windows 11 provides you with built-in capabilities such as preemptive application and driver control to isolate breaches quickly. Robust application safeguards help you maintain governance of your sensitive data, including:

• Student records
• Financial information
• Access credentials
• Research data

Windows 11 is designed to support Zero Trust strategies, which play a key role in helping you strengthen application and operating system protection. This approach is centered around the principles of “verify explicitly, use least privilege access, and assume breach,” meaning that you and your team can verify each access request as though it originated from an uncontrolled network—instead of assuming that everything behind the firewall is safe.

To that end, Windows 11 enables you to more easily find and detect cyberthreats, respond to them, and prevent or block undesired events across your education institution. In the case of a presumed breach, you can combat common application attacks from the moment a device is provisioned. When it comes to network security, granting access within a trust-by-exception policy versus a trust-by-default policy helps better protect the digital security, privacy, and compliance needs of your educational community.

Deliver end-to-end protection with Windows 11 cloud-based device management

With the introduction of more tech solutions, many education institutions face new challenges in managing cybersecurity. Having more devices across school and home environments creates more access points for potential attackers. To get ahead of potential breaches, get started with proactive, end-to-end device management strategies that help protect privacy and security.

Windows 11 helps empower you and your IT team by offering comprehensive cloud services for identity, storage, and access management. Adhering to Zero Trust principles, enforcing compliance, and granting conditional access helps verify that Windows 11 devices connected to an organization’s networks are trustworthy and safe. With more than 90% of ransom-stage cyberattacks leveraging unmanaged devices in a network, interoperable cloud-based device management solutions enable you to secure the digital estate and quickly respond to threats.

Managing and enabling secure use of devices at scale can also be a challenge for IT departments at education institutions. To give you and your team greater visibility and control over their digital estate, Windows 11 offers an integrated management suite. This suite supports comprehensive endpoint management solutions such as Microsoft Intune that help secure, deploy, and manage users, apps, and devices.¹ Intune can further integrate with Microsoft Entra ID to manage security features and processes, including multifactor authentication.

Additionally, Windows Hello enables you to deploy passwordless authentication for a safer and simpler sign-in experience. Thanks to the addition of passkeys, students can enjoy even greater security and convenience by using their face, fingerprint, or PIN to sign in to websites and apps. Enhanced threat detection on Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helps shield devices against phishing and malware and empowers IT teams to thwart attacks before they cause harm.¹ By adding Security Copilot, IT staff can leverage natural language queries to get holistic insights on the security and safety of their organization, which can help drive better decision-making and strategic planning.

Start preparing now for future security protections

In planning your security approach, your institution has an opportunity to adopt modern, secure, and highly efficient computing solutions that help your organization tackle the cybersecurity challenges of today and tomorrow. Windows 11 offers powerful, hardware-backed protection that provides a foundation for implementing new technology solutions as they’re developed, such as AI that helps accelerate workflows and supercharge efficiency of operations.

Now is the time to identify devices in your organization that are due for upgrades and start improving your institution’s security and your IT team’s efficiency today. Get started with these resources:

• Evaluate which of your devices are eligible for updates by reviewing the Windows 11 hardware requirements.
• Join the Windows Insider Program for Business to evaluate your readiness and explore new features.
• Start developing a plan for your organization’s upgrade to Windows 11.

¹ Sold separately from Windows 11

The post Building resilient digital security in education with Windows 11 appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

For Safer Internet Day, we invite school IT professionals to explore tools that create safer online experiences. Start by discovering tools and strategies to create a safer internet for your school community.

Teach students the fundamentals of safe online behavior

We recognize that everyone has a role to play in cybersecurity and online safety. To get started, begin discussing internet safety with students, educators, and families with help from these resources from Microsoft Education:

• K-12 Cybersecurity Conversation Guide – Get practical tips and conversation starters for discussing safe online practices and cyber hygiene with students.
• K-12 Cybersecurity Infographic – Use visual examples of phishing links and scam ads to help everyone learn how to identify online threats.

As students develop essential digital skills, they’ll become more aware of the threats that often target schools, social media apps, and the communication tools they use daily. Help them understand the cause and effect, so they can learn how to protect themselves and recognize the importance of staying vigilant.

A suite of products that work together

Every student deserves a secure technology environment that maximizes learning, but cyberthreats continue to jeopardize cyber safety in schools and institutions. With more than 15,000 malicious messages targeting the education sector daily, this year’s Safer Internet Day theme of “together for a better internet” comes at a critical time for schools and institutions.

With Microsoft 365 Education A3 and A5 plans and security add-ons, you can deliver innovative protection through a single, cost-effective platform. Tools like Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students and Microsoft Purview provide seamless, integrated solutions to protect students and educators.

Dedicated protection for student devices

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students offers enhanced device protection that shields students’ devices from phishing, malware, and other attacks. With Defender for Endpoint, you can:

• Identify and neutralize cyberthreats in real time using advanced detection technology.
• Disrupt in-progress cyberattacks by automatically containing compromised assets early, minimizing impact and recovery time.
• Protect student data with industry-leading encryption protocols.
• Remotely track, lock, or wipe devices to safeguard sensitive information in case of a lost or stolen device.
• Monitor and update devices to protect against the latest vulnerabilities.
• Ensure safe browsing for students by blocking harmful or malicious websites with robust web content filters.

Web filtering is a core component of Defender for Endpoint. You can use it to block adult content, criminal activities, and social networking sites so that students are unable to access inappropriate content while they browse the web. Web content filtering also blocks harmful content before it reaches devices.

For example, a middle school student conducting research for a class project would be less likely to stumble on a website with malware because it would be blocked through Defender for Endpoint. The student would be able to continue their work without disruption—and educators and IT teams can continue devoting their time to engaging learning experiences, instead of managing a security incident.

Defender for Endpoint also sends alerts of suspicious activities and threats. If a bad actor tries to attack a student device on a compromised, public Wi-Fi network, your school IT team is alerted to suspicious activity and Defender for Endpoint automatically blocks the threat before any sensitive information is compromised.

Our commitment to safe online experiences includes providing you with the tools you need to protect student devices. With Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence analyzing more than 78 trillion daily signals, Defender for Endpoint safeguards learning environments from emerging online threats.

Addressing cyberbullying with Microsoft Purview

Preventing cyberbullying requires proactive strategies and effective tools. In schools around the world, educators teach students to be upstanders who “say something if they see something” and report bullying and harassment in their classrooms. Good digital citizenship practices like reporting, coupled with security solutions like Microsoft Purview, can go a long way to creating a safe space for all.

Microsoft Purview is a comprehensive set of solutions in Microsoft 365 Education A5 plans that helps your institution secure and govern your entire data estate. You can use Microsoft Purview as a part of a systematic approach to cyberbullying by leveraging some of its solutions in unique ways:

• Microsoft Purview Communication Compliance: Monitor harmful messages and images in Microsoft Teams for Education with policies that flag disparaging or self-harm remarks. Machine learning detects intent behind messages, empowering administrators to act quickly.
• Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention: Protect records by preventing students from deleting files or data that’s a part of a cyberbullying incident. Set up alerts when someone attempts to delete data so that you can have a complete record for investigation and compliance requirements.
• Insider Risk Management: Detect instances when students or staff send hateful messages or make harmful threats across Microsoft and third-party platforms. Integrated tools enable IT, human resources, and legal departments to collaboratively investigate incidents.
• Microsoft Purview eDiscovery: Create policies that maintain records of cyberbullying incidents so that your school can stay in compliance with laws like the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Use this solution to discover, preserve, and analyze sensitive content in email and instant messages on Microsoft systems and third-party platforms like learning management systems (LMS).

Both Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students and the Microsoft Purview compliance suite are a part of our ongoing commitment to creating secure learning experiences. For Safer Internet Day 2025, take the opportunity to bolster your school’s cybersecurity defenses and foster a secure technology environment for all.

The post Adopting cybersecurity solutions and strategies for a safer internet appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

As AI technologies advance, a new world of possibilities emerges in K-12 and higher education. Educators and administrators around the world who attended Bett UK in London this year learned firsthand about these advancements, particularly the transformative power of agents. Designed to work alongside you, agents will have a particular expertise in areas such as instructional design or individual student preferences. And they can leverage institutional data to offer relevant insights for educators and administrators in real-time.

At Microsoft, we’re excited to help faculty, staff, and students achieve greater impact with AI and agents through our recently announced Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat—the chat experience you can use every day—powered by broad knowledge from the web, built on the latest AI models, and designed to be safe and secure.

Understanding the impact of AI in education to empower educators and students

Understanding how the use of generative AI impacts learning outcomes is key to creating effective guidelines for and usage of AI in education. Our latest insights emphasize the need to position AI as a complement, not a substitute for established practices that are essential for learning. By integrating AI thoughtfully with traditional methods, we may achieve enhanced learning outcomes that neither approach can deliver alone.

A study conducted by the World Bank with students using AI at Edo Boys High School in Nigeria saw remarkable learning gains in their after-school program with preliminary findings improving learning by “about 0.3 standard deviations, equivalent to nearly two years of typical learning in just six weeks,” illustrating the potential for AI. We look forward to sharing the full report and continuing to understand the long-term effects, role of educators, benefits extended to other disciplines, and more.

Microsoft Research and Cambridge University Press & Assessment conducted one of the first large-scale investigations into the impact of large language models (LLMs) on the foundations of learning: understanding and retaining information. The preliminary research findings reveal the continued importance of traditional learning approaches. They also demonstrate the benefits of combining AI with traditional learning resources over AI alone and point to the AI skills that students need to maximize those benefits.

Through a “snapshot in time” study of AI in higher education, Microsoft Research sought to understand how practices and norms are developing around practical and policy realities. Both students and educators prefer AI to be further integrated as a complement to other learning methods, but to do so they need training. The study suggests involving students and educators in guidance and development, empowering students to use AI to support learning, providing training with exposures to errors in AI output, and encouraging collaboration between students and educators.

Defending at the speed of AI

As educational institutions harness the power of AI, it’s essential campus environments remain secure, reliable, and compliant. Designing a strategy that balances innovation and security with policies and practices to support AI is critical. Microsoft principles of Responsible AI—fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability—help institutions prepare for AI implementation. A robust framework of tools from Microsoft can guide you through successful implementation. World class security tools like Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Entra, Microsoft Defender, and Microsoft Intune, can play an important role in protecting sensitive data and securing AI applications.

Planning your implementation with the AI Toolkit

Start your AI journey with the Microsoft Education AI Toolkit, a comprehensive guide for educational organizations to plan AI implementations. The toolkit introduces a variety of technologies—Copilot Chat, Microsoft 365 Copilot, GitHub Copilot, and more—and showcases successful implementations through AI Navigators—institutions leading the way with research, experimentation, testing, and deployment of generative AI solutions. It’s easy to implement these tools with step-by-step instructions to offer educators, technology coordinators, and policy makers practical guidance to support deployment, usage, and best practices.

Teaming up with Pearson on AI workforce skilling

The demand for training in AI-based skills has never been higher according to a global IDC study. To help meet this demand, Microsoft is teaming up with Pearson to bring world-class learning and assessment expertise with cutting-edge AI and cloud technologies. Microsoft Cloud and Office certifications are now more accessible to help organizations realize the full value of AI through reskilling.

Learn more about the advancements in AI

Don’t miss out on the latest announcements to learn about new AI-powered products and features designed to support your educational organization. We’re thrilled to announce these new AI solutions:

• Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat – a new offering that adds pay-as-you-go agents to our existing free chat experience for Microsoft 365 education customers.
• Copilot+ PCs – the fastest, most intelligent and secure Windows PCs ever, featuring enhanced security, optimized performance, and AI-integrated experiences. Now with code name Project Spark—our first education-focused Windows 11 app for Copilot+ PC—to bring on-device intelligence to your classroom.
• Microsoft Education AI Toolkit – designed for education leaders, access these updated tools and support you need for your institution’s AI implementation.
• Khanmigo for Teachers – offers over 20 free, AI-powered tools to help streamline class prep with no prompting required. Learn how to get started.
• Khanmigo Writing Coach – designed by educators, using AI to make essay writing dynamic, interactive experience and provide students with step-by-step guidance from outline to final draft without ever writing a word for them. 
• Learning Accelerators – new tools like Reading Coach and Math Progress bring personalized learning to students and are available in over 80 languages.
• Minecraft Education – the newly expanded AI skills program, AI Foundations, offers a new student credentialing pathway in AI offered through Prodigy Learning. Educators can also use the free AI-powered Lesson Crafter tool to build new Minecraft lessons and practice prompting.²

Follow me on LinkedIn to stay up to date with new ways to use Copilot Chat in education through my “Prompt of the Week”.

¹ IDC InfoBrief: Sponsored by Microsoft, 2024 Business Opportunity of AI, IDC# US52699124, November 2024

² Requires sign in with a faculty account from your school.

The post Advancing education with AI to prepare the workforce of tomorrow appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

The principles of Trustworthy AI—fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability—are central to Microsoft Security’s approach. Security teams can use these principles to prepare for AI implementation. Watch the video to learn how Microsoft Security builds a trustworthy foundation for developing and using AI.

Microsoft runs on trust, and trust must be earned and maintained. Our pledge to our customers and our community is to prioritize your cyber safety above all else.

Charlie Bell, Executive Vice President Security, Microsoft

Gain visibility into AI usage and find associated risks

Introducing generative AI into educational institutions offers tremendous opportunities to transform the way students learn. With that comes potential risks, such as sensitive data exposure and improper AI interactions. Purview offers comprehensive insights into user activities within Microsoft Copilot. Here’s how Purview helps you manage these risks:

• Cloud native: Manage and deliver protection in Microsoft 365 apps, services, and Windows endpoints.
• Unified: Enforce policy controls and manage policies from a single location.
• Integrated: Classify roles, apply data loss prevention (DLP) policies, and incorporate incident management.
• Simplified: Get started quickly with pre-built policies and migration tools.

Microsoft Purview Data Security Posture Management for AI (DSPM for AI) offers a centralized platform to efficiently secure data used in AI applications and proactively monitor AI usage. This service includes Microsoft 365 Copilot, other Microsoft copilots, and third-party AI applications. DSPM for AI provides features designed to help you safely adopt AI while maintaining productivity or protection:

• Gain insights and analytics into AI activity within your organization.
• Use ready-to-implement policies to protect data and prevent loss in AI interactions.
• Conduct data assessments to identify, remediate, and monitor potential data oversharing.
• Apply compliance controls for optimal data handling and storage practices.

Purview offers real-time AI activity monitoring, enabling quick resolution of security concerns.

Protect your institution’s sensitive data

Educational institutions are trusted with vast amounts of sensitive data. To maintain trust, they must overcome several unique challenges, including managing sensitive student and staff data and retaining historical records for alumni and former employees. These complexities increase the risk of cyberthreats, making a data lifecycle management plan critical.

Microsoft Entra ID enables you to control access to sensitive information. For instance, if an unauthorized user attempts to retrieve sensitive data, Copilot will block access, safeguarding student and staff data. Here are key features that help protect your data:

• Understand and govern data: Manage visibility and governance of data assets across your environment.
• Safeguard data, wherever it lives: Protect sensitive data across clouds, apps, and devices.
• Improve risk and compliance posture: Identify data risks and meet regulatory compliance requirements.

Microsoft Entra Conditional Access is integral to this process to safeguard data by ensuring only authorized users access the information they need. With Microsoft Entra Conditional Access, you can create policies for generative AI apps like Copilot or ChatGPT, allowing access only to users on compliant devices who accept the Terms of Use.

Implement Zero Trust for AI security

In the AI era, Zero Trust is essential for protecting employees, devices, and data by minimizing threats. This security framework requires that all users—inside or outside your network—are authenticated, authorized, and continuously validated before accessing applications and data. Enforcing security policies at the endpoint is key to implementing Zero Trust across your organization. A strong endpoint management strategy enhances AI language models and improves security and productivity.

Before you introduce Microsoft 365 Copilot into your environment, Microsoft recommends that you build a strong foundation of security. Fortunately, guidance for a strong security foundation exists in the form of Zero Trust. The Zero Trust security strategy treats each connection and resource request as though it originated from an uncontrolled network and a bad actor. Regardless of where the request originates or what resource it accesses, Zero Trust teaches us to “never trust, always verify.”

Read “How do I apply Zero Trust principles to Microsoft 365 Copilot” for steps to apply the principles of Zero Trust security to prepare your environment for Copilot.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint work together to give you visibility and control of your data and devices. These tools let you block or warn users about risky cloud apps. Unsanctioned apps are automatically synced and blocked across endpoint devices through Microsoft Defender Antivirus within the Network Protection service level agreement (SLA). Key features include:

• Triage and investigation – Gain detailed alert descriptions and context, investigate device activity with full timelines, and access robust data and analysis tools to expand the breach scope.
• Incident narrative – Reconstruct the broader attack story by merging relevant alerts, reducing investigative effort, and improving incident scope and fidelity.
• Threat analytics – Monitor your threat posture with interactive reports, identify unprotected systems in real-time, and receive actionable guidance to enhance security resilience and address emerging threats.

Using Microsoft Intune, you can restrict the use of work apps like Microsoft 365 Copilot on personal devices or implement app protection policies to prevent data leakage and limit actions such as saving files to unsecured apps. All work content, including that generated by Copilot, can be wiped if the device is lost or disassociated from the company, with these measures running in the background requiring only user logon.

Assess your AI readiness

Evaluating your readiness for AI transformation can be complex. Taking a strategic approach helps you evaluate your capabilities, identify areas for improvement, and align with your priorities to maximum value.

The AI Readiness Wizard is designed to guide you through this process. Use the assessment to:

• Evaluate your current state.
• Identify gaps in your AI strategy.
• Plan actionable next steps.

This structured assessment helps you reflect on your current practices and identify key areas to prioritize as you shape your strategy. You’ll also find resources at every stage to help you advance and support your progress.

As your AI program evolves, prioritizing security and compliance from the start is essential. Microsoft tools such as Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Entra, Microsoft Defender, and Microsoft Intune help ensure your AI applications and data are innovative, secure, and trustworthy by design. Get started with the next step in securing your AI future by using the AI Readiness Wizard to evaluate your current preparedness and develop a strategy for successful AI implementation. Get started with Microsoft Security to build a secure, trustworthy AI program that empowers your students and staff.

The post Get ready for AI: How education institutions can secure and govern AI appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

As an IT professional, your role is vital in protecting sensitive school data, securing devices, and maintaining safe learning environments. Microsoft cybersecurity solutions like passwordless multifactor authentication (MFA), Defender for Endpoint P2-Students, and Copilot for Security are designed to help you defend your school’s devices and data. Additionally, information from the latest Cyber Signals report can assist in creating a secure environment that persists through any cybersecurity challenges that might arise.

Assessing the cyber signals in K-20 education

The latest edition of Microsoft’s Cyber Signals report covers cybersecurity challenges facing classrooms and campuses everywhere and the urgent need for robust defenses and proactive security measures. The digital footprint made by schools, colleges, and universities has multiplied exponentially—from virtual classes to classified research stored in the cloud—requiring IT professionals to remain vigilant and focused on emerging cyberthreats.

Education continues to be one of the most targeted industries for cyberattacks and social engineering exploits that trick people into disclosing personally identifiable information (PII). According to the report:

• Education was the third most targeted industry for cybercriminals over the past three months. The US had the greatest threat activity.
• Over 15,000 phishing messages with malicious QR codes were sent each day to people in the education sector.
• Higher education institutions encounter an average of 2,507 cyberattacks each week.

These signals reinforce what you already know: the education community is the “tip of the spear” for cybercriminals because of its data-rich environments, legacy infrastructure, and the security risks created by people who are often extremely busy. Despite these hurdles, there are steps you can take to strengthen your institution’s security posture. Discover a few tips that you can implement today.

1. Secure all accounts with passwordless MFA

K-12 schools, colleges, and universities are increasingly adopting passwordless MFA as a more secure way to protect accounts when people like young students don’t have a phone or secondary device. The solution uses MFA techniques and a temporary access pass (TAP) for verification, eliminating the chance of a weak, overused password becoming compromised.

Passwordless authentication also helps create efficiencies and saves you time. Your students, faculty, and staff don’t have to remember complex passwords, and you spend less time resetting passwords when they are forgotten.

PII, such as social security numbers (SSNs) in the US, are attractive for cybercriminals to steal from K-12 school districts because the relatively little-used SSNs of a child might be usable for widespread fraud well before the identity theft is detected.

Cyber Signals Issue 8, October 2024

Microsoft Entra ID can enable passwordless MFA for everyone at all education levels using device-bound services like Windows Hello that aren’t transmitted or stored on outside platforms. This type of MFA involves sharing a TAP that onboards students to passwordless sign-in methods. Even if a cybercriminal steals a TAP, they can’t access the account on another device because of the device-bound requirements.

By adopting passwordless MFA, your school or institution can enhance overall security and also meet the stringent requirements for cyber insurance. K-12 schools can also take advantage of funding opportunities like the FCC’s $200 million Cybersecurity Pilot Program for schools in the US.

To get started using passwordless MFA for students, check out these resources:

• Empowering secure and seamless learning: Learn more about using MFA without a smartphone and leveraging passwordless device access instead.
• Passwordless authentication options: Explore the different methods available for Microsoft Entra ID.

2. Secure student devices with Defender for Endpoint P2-Students

Students face cyberthreats when they use a connected device, browse the Internet, or check their messages—even if the cyberthreats aren’t apparent to them. Cybercriminals are pivoting to new attack methods like using QR codes to deliver malware through email and even campus fliers. This opens new security loopholes because QR codes are often scanned with unprotected personal devices.

Recently the United States Federal Trade Commission issued a consumer alert on the rising threat of malicious QR codes being used to steal log-in credentials or deliver malware.

Cyber Signals Issue 8, October 2024

You can ensure secure learning experiences with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2-Students. This highly discounted, comprehensive solution secures endpoint devices with industry-leading, multiplatform threat detection and response. It works in concert with Microsoft 365 to stop phishing, ransomware, and malware even if the attacks originate from a nontraditional method like a QR code image. With Defender for Endpoint P2-Students, you’ll be able to:

• Detect and prevent threats.
• Disrupt attacks automatically.
• Offer more secure web browsing.
• Encrypt device data and protect privacy.
• Maintain security with continuous updates.

By implementing Defender for Endpoint P2-Students, your school can significantly enhance its cybersecurity posture while giving students the protection they need to learn in a safe digital environment.

Explore this tool in more depth in Defend against threats with Microsoft 365, a learning path designed to help you use Microsoft Defender to the fullest.

3. Extend your threat-fighting capabilities with Copilot for Security

Cybercriminals often target sensitive financial, health, and personal data stored by schools and institutions alike. The consequences of a data breach in higher education are particularly worrisome—many universities handle federally funded research and sensitive intellectual property that’s valuable to nation-state actors. Unauthorized access not only puts institutional security and reputation at risk, but it also can have implications for our nation’s security when the data is part of a defense contract or when the research involves intellectual property from a company sponsor.

The types of threats that we’re seeing, the types of events that are occurring in higher education, are much more aggressive by cyber adversaries.

David McMorries, Chief Information Security Officer at Oregon State University

Copilot for Security can help you discover, analyze, detect, and remediate your organization’s cyberthreats. Simply ask Copilot a question, and it will return an actionable response in seconds that helps you tackle common security tasks. Copilot for Security allows you to effortlessly and seamlessly:

• Analyze threats.
• Learn about security incidents.
• Generate profiles of threat actors.
• Summarize threat intelligence.
• Create policies and configure devices.
• Discover users who might be at risk for data exploitation.

By integrating Copilot for Security into your daily operations, you receive customized guidance based on signals from each of your security tools and Microsoft’s industry-leading threat intelligence. It also minimizes much of the research and legwork that goes into investigating and remediating cybersecurity issues which saves you time so that you can focus on other IT responsibilities.

Use the Get started with Microsoft Copilot for Security learning path on Microsoft Learn to discover how Copilot for Security helps IT professionals address end-to-end cybersecurity scenarios. Looking for ways to empower your student-led security operations center (SOC) with security AI? Check out these best practices for maximizing the potential of your student-led SOC with Copilot for Security.

For Cybersecurity Month 2024, explore Microsoft solutions like passwordless MFA, Defender for Endpoint P2-Students, and Copilot for Security to help you stay ahead of emerging threats. To build practical skills, dive into learning paths for IT professionals to gain in-depth knowledge about all of our cybersecurity, compliance, and identity solutions. These tools and resources can support you in securing your school’s digital infrastructure and creating a safer learning environment one step at a time.

The post Three tips for IT professionals for Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2024 appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Over the last few years, schools underwent tremendous change by adopting hybrid learning and new tech tools for teaching, learning, and working. However, schools face increasing challenges with outdated software and ever-increasing cyberattacks that threaten the security of sensitive and important data, targeting student personal information, login credentials, school operational data, and more. It’s a daunting security landscape as the education sector is the third-most attacked industry and second-most targeted by nation-state threat actors.

Let’s take a deep dive into some of the real-life challenges that primary and secondary education institutions have faced and learn how they solved them.

Harnessing secure AI tools to transform education

Bad actors are constantly testing the fences of educational IT networks looking for vulnerabilities. Because of this, the Fulton County school district in Georgia, US, put plans in place to monitor, detect, and mitigate these potential cybersecurity threats. The district also wanted to modernize data collection to showcase student performance and operational efficiency data in near real time.

The district’s plans involved advanced Microsoft security features through a Microsoft 365 A5 educational license, which gave them the tools to address cybersecurity risks. They also transformed their data-driven decision-making with dynamic analytic insights using Microsoft Power BI. Additionally, the district maximized its existing Microsoft licenses and migrated to an end-to-end platform that spans on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, which suited the institution’s complex needs.  

Newington College, a primary and secondary-level boarding school in Australia, experienced a cybersecurity incident that catalyzed their need to improve the security and management of education technology while revolutionizing the way students and teachers engage and collaborate. For Newington, the greatest success lay in the efficiencies gained and benefits realized across the Microsoft stack by simplifying the deployment and support model across the environment. This process has become a catalyst for enhanced engagement, collaboration, and student success—helping the IT team stay on the front foot of opportunities.

Many school districts are embracing technologies they deem beneficial for educating students and supporting how faculty work. In fact, 68% of educators and 95% of education leaders have already used AI for school-related purposes. Wichita Public Schools in the US is one such example. Because no two students learn in precisely the same way, Wichita Public Schools started looking into the many ways Microsoft Copilot with enterprise data protection can help educators bring a greater diversity of tailored learning experiences into the classroom.

Students are also using AI-powered tools to enhance their learning and literacy. The Stour Academy Trust, located in Southeast England, tested two powerful Microsoft Education tools—Reading Progress and Reading Coach—to boost literacy and help readers succeed. Features in Reading Progress leverage AI to generate and personalize reading passages and assessments, which significantly reduces an educator’s workload while addressing student’s specific needs.

The Stour Academy Trust beta-tested AI-enabled Reading Coach to further enhance student reading fluency. When added to Reading Progress assignments, Reading Coach identifies words that are most challenging for each student and gives them a supported opportunity to practice the words again. One of the most exciting features of Reading Coach is the ability for learners to co-create their own personalized reading experiences utilizing responsible AI. Due to their success, Reading Coach and Reading Progress continue to be introduced across the Stour Academy Trust so that all educators can see how these tools fit into their classroom practices.

Our final case study takes us back to Australia, where the South Australia Department for Education is empowering students and teachers with responsible AI in the classroom. The Department has harnessed the power of AI to build and trial a chatbot that has been designed specifically for teaching and learning. ‘EdChat’ is the first chatbot of its kind in Australia and one of the first in the world to be introduced in an educational setting.

The chatbot was designed in partnership with Microsoft and uses Azure OpenAI Service, powered by the same technology as ChatGPT. Students can enter prompts to get information on a topic, ask for creative suggestions or analyze complex ideas. EdChat proved extremely helpful in allowing students to access vast amounts of information quickly, and have this information synthesized into simple, easy-to-understand language.

These are just a few real-life examples of how specific Microsoft products have helped in primary and secondary education. However, there’s something even bigger that Microsoft offers that every school should consider for meeting their needs.

The most comprehensive value for education

The Microsoft 365 A5 license offers a comprehensive solution tailored for schools, blending essential security, management, productivity, and learning tools. There are three highlights that separate Microsoft 365 A5 from others. The first is the ability to implement a Zero Trust approach across your entire digital estate with Microsoft’s suite of security products. The second is simplified endpoint management that gives you the power to deploy endpoints from the cloud and streamline support of student devices. The third is that Microsoft 365 A5 offers AI-powered instructional tools and advanced accessibility features, enabling new patterns of working and learning in today’s environment.

In a Forrester report from 2023, the composite education organization using Microsoft 365 A5 licenses saw a 118% return on investment or $4.2M over 3 years, $1.7 million reduced downtime for educators and IT staff, and a 30% reduction in licensing costs with vendor consolidation.

Microsoft 365 A5 empowers you to support your school community—from enhanced security and access control, comprehensive cyber threat protection, and streamlined data governance and security, to efficient classroom management and collaboration. Microsoft 365 A5 is one of the best choices that every school should consider when looking to enable secure teaching, learning, and working for all.

Reimagine education with AI

Microsoft is committed to security, privacy, and compliance across everything we do, and our approach to AI is no different. Microsoft’s approach to Responsible AI is grounded in a set of core principles and practices that we believe should guide AI development and use. With that in mind, perhaps the most exciting application currently is Microsoft Copilot, allowing you to leverage AI to provide personalized suggestions, accelerate routine tasks, offer real-time feedback, and more. Additionally, Copilot also offers enterprise data protection to help safeguard your information. Simply tell Copilot what you want to create, and it will help you generate new content in seconds.

Additionally, Microsoft Teams for Education leverages AI to enhance learning outcomes and streamline collaboration. Educators can leverage AI to help draft rubrics, assignment instructions, learning objectives, and more. With Reading Coach—a popular Learning Accelerator available in and outside of Microsoft Teams—learners can create unique AI-generated stories by choosing characters and settings from a curated collection of options.

There are additional ways that Microsoft can help meet your school’s needs. You can protect against student endpoints through the recently released student Defender for Endpoint. You can also step up your security by leveraging AI and machine learning to provide real-time threat detection and response with Microsoft Sentinel.

Overall, from productivity and learning to security, Microsoft is ready to help provide the most value to you and help you realize transformative benefits for your school.

Now is the time to transform your school

Microsoft 365 Education is a significant step toward meeting the demands of your school and empowering students and teachers to do more. By leveraging Microsoft’s robust tools and resources, educational institutions can create more secure and connected learning environment.

• For an overview on Microsoft 365 licensing, see the Microsoft product licensing page.
• Visit the Microsoft Education Cybersecurity solutions page to learn how our solutions help protect your school’s information.
• Empower everyone in your organization to be a cybersecurity champion with cybersecurity awareness resources and training.
• Learn how you can get started with free AI tools from Microsoft Education.
• Reference the Microsoft Education AI Toolkit to deploy and implement Microsoft AI Solutions.
• Learn more about Microsoft Copilot and ways you can use it to save time and energy.
• Explore cybersecurity resources and training to help keep your school and data safe with Microsoft Security solutions.

The post Transforming education in the age of AI with a unified solution appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Microsoft Education prioritizes providing solutions and tools to help you be cybersafe. Learn five ways that you can prioritize cybersecurity—from using AI for school cybersecurity reports to implementing role access—to help keep your school and users safe during the school year.

• Assess vulnerabilities with Microsoft Defender XRD and Defender Vulnerability Management.
• Generate complex security reports with Microsoft Copilot for Security.
• Manage threats with Microsoft Defender, Sentinel, and SecOps.
• Implement role-based access with Microsoft Entra ID.
• Safeguard student devices with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students.

1. Assess vulnerabilities

It’s critical to regularly evaluate systems for vulnerabilities and security risks in addition to strategically setting up proactive controls and resilient infrastructure. Because school cyberthreats like phishing, malware, and data exfiltration deliberately seek and target known vulnerabilities, prioritize closing existing security gaps with vulnerability and risk assessments.

Microsoft Defender XDR offers various features to identify risks and vulnerabilities, complementing your existing Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solution, based on your subscription including Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management. Play the video to learn how you can gain real-time insights for threat discovery.

2. Generate complex security reports with custom promptbooks

Microsoft Copilot for Security helps you increase your defense efficiency, capabilities, and outcomes at machine speed and scale, while remaining compliant with responsible AI principles. 

This natural language, assistive experience can support you in end-to-end scenarios such as incident response, threat hunting, intelligence gathering, and posture management. Watch the video for a more comprehensive understanding of how Copilot for Security can help you use AI for cybersecurity in your school.

Copilot for Security includes built-in promptbooks—predefined sets of prompts that automate common, repeatable workstreams that generate complex security reports—and includes these time-saving features.

• Suspicious script analysis: Analyze the intent, intelligence, threat actors, and impacts of a suspicious script.
• Microsoft Defender incident investigation: Learn about a specific incident, with related alerts, reputation scores, users, and devices.
• Threat actor profile: Profile a known actor with suggestions for protecting against common tools and tactics.
• Vulnerability impact assessment: Summarize the intelligence for a known vulnerability and how to address it.
• Microsoft Sentinel incident investigation: Explore a specific incident, along with related alerts, reputation scores, users, and devices.

Explore the Get started with Microsoft Copilot for Security learning path on Microsoft Learn to discover prompting tips and more.

3. Manage threats

Schools must identify and mitigate known threats and vulnerabilities. A cybersecurity framework (CSF) assists in managing risks, identifying threats, safeguarding infrastructure, and communicating initiatives. You can rely on Microsoft’s security solutions like Microsoft Defender, Sentinel, and SecOps platform to meet these needs.

• Microsoft Defender XDR: Secures endpoints, identities, workloads, and data, and protects against cyberthreats.
• Microsoft Sentinel: Responds to cyberthreats through data analysis, automation, and machine learning.
• SecOps platform: Unifies XDR and SIEM capabilities for real-time threat detection, exposure management, and AI-driven response.

4. Implement role-based access

Access control is a vital component of security strategy because it helps keep sensitive information from falling into the hands of bad actors. It’s one of the best tools that you can use to minimize the security risk of unauthorized access to data—particularly data stored in the cloud.

As schools use more endpoints, the risk of unauthorized access increases, highlighting the need for comprehensive access control policies. Identity and access management solutions, like Microsoft Entra ID, can simplify the administration of these policies. Recognizing the need to govern how and when data is accessed is the first step.

• Connect on goals: Align with stakeholders on the importance of access control solutions.
• Set strong policies: Design policies to grant, limit, or block access as needed.
• Follow best practices: Set up emergency accounts, apply policies to all apps, test before enforcing, standardize naming, and plan for disruptions.

Explore ways that you can use Microsoft Entra ID for app management, authentication, and more.

5. Secure student devices

Safeguarding student devices against malicious activity has never been more crucial, and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students is here to help. Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students delivers enhanced cybersecurity for students, including device protection that shields students’ devices from phishing, malware, and other attacks. Microsoft integrates advanced cybersecurity measures with Microsoft 365 and other classroom applications to mitigate risks and ensure a secure learning environment for everyone.

Read our blog post about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students to learn more.

In today’s rapidly changing landscape, embracing cybersecurity innovation is crucial. Microsoft is committed to making cybersecurity accessible and affordable for schools by assessing vulnerabilities, generating security reports, managing threats, implementing role-based access, and safeguarding student devices. Learn more with the Secure K-12 school IT practices and systems with Microsoft tools training module on Microsoft Learn.

Join us in creating a safer, more resilient learning environment for students, educators, and staff everywhere.

The post Five tips for IT teams to enhance school cybersecurity this summer appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Technology has become an integral part of education, with students relying on various devices to access resources, collaborate with peers, and engage in learning activities. However, with the increased reliance on technology comes the heightened risk of cyber threats. This can put student data and privacy at stake, not to mention the broader school system where students connect. 

Education remains a constant target for bad actors, with nearly 80% of malware encounters occurring in education.¹ While student devices may not always have personally identifiable information (PII) on them, they are critical to protect as they have become a common way attackers can access the broader school community and critical systems. Recognizing the importance of ensuring a safe and secure learning environment, Microsoft is excited to announce a highly discounted, comprehensive endpoint protection solution for students.  

At Microsoft, we understand the critical role that technology plays in education and are committed to empowering educators, administrators, and students with the tools they need to succeed. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students delivers enhanced device protection that shields students’ devices from phishing, malware, and other attacks. By integrating advanced cybersecurity measures that work in concert with Microsoft 365 and other classroom applications, we’re taking proactive steps to mitigate risks and ensure a secure learning environment for everyone.  

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students delivers enhanced device protection that shields students’ devices from phishing, malware, and other attacks.

Build secure and seamless experiences across every device

Safeguarding student devices against malicious activity has never been more crucial and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students is here to help.  

• Comprehensive threat detection and prevention: Our cutting-edge technology employs advanced threat detection algorithms to identify and neutralize potential cyberthreats in real-time. Whether it’s malware attempting to infiltrate the system or a phishing attack targeting sensitive data, our platform is equipped to thwart attacks before they cause harm.  
• Automatic attack disruption: Interrupt an attack in progress by automatically containing compromised assets that an attacker is using. By limiting movement early on, you can reduce the overall impact of an attack, from associated costs to loss of productivity, and keep security operations teams in complete control of investigating, remediating, and bringing assets back online.  
• Secure web browsing: With students accessing a myriad of online resources, it’s essential to provide a secure browsing experience. Our platform includes robust web content filtering capabilities to block malicious websites and prevent students from inadvertently exposing themselves to harmful content.  
• Data encryption and privacy protection: Protecting student data is paramount. That’s why our platform uses industry-leading encryption protocols to safeguard sensitive information stored on student devices. From personal documents to login credentials, rest assured that data privacy is our top priority.  
• Remote device management: In the event of a lost or stolen device, administrators can remotely track, lock, or wipe the device to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data. This added layer of security ensures that even if a device falls into the wrong hands, the risk of data breach is minimized.  
• Continuous monitoring and updates: Cyberthreats are constantly evolving, which is why Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students undergoes continuous monitoring and updates to stay ahead of emerging threats. From security patches to software updates, we’re committed to keeping your devices protected against the latest vulnerabilities.  

These advanced device security features are bolstering Microsoft 365 Education A5, a platform that couples future-proof security with tools that simplify the management of devices to maximize the teaching, learning, and work experience for everyone in your organization. We’re empowering schools to create a safe and conducive learning environment where students can thrive without the fear of cyberthreats looming overhead. Moreover, by safeguarding student devices, we’re not only protecting individual learners but also ensuring the overall security and integrity of the entire school ecosystem. Microsoft 365 Education A5 enables you to build secure and seamless experiences across every device with solutions that are optimized to connect across your existing tools, apps, and platforms.

With Microsoft 365 Education A5, you can create safe experiences on every device with solutions that are designed to integrate with your existing tools, apps, and platforms.

Defend devices and data with confidence

In hopes of preventing catastrophic attacks, many schools and districts have devoted extensive time and resources implementing duplicate tech solutions that ultimately interfere with the daily activities of teachers, students, and support staff. With the introduction of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students as an enhancement to the Microsoft 365 Education A5 platform, institutions have the opportunity to simplify their institution’s security solution, with one world-class security platform.   

Confidently defend connected devices and data with industry-leading standards that put the digital security, privacy, and compliance needs of your students, educators, academics, faculty, and staff at the forefront. By reducing the risk of cyberthreats, we enable educators to focus on what they do best: educating. With fewer disruptions caused by security incidents, teachers can devote more time and resources to delivering high-quality instruction, ultimately enhancing the educational experience for students.  

Dedicated protection of student devices is just one example of our ongoing commitment to advancing education through technology. Now more than ever, it’s imperative to embrace the power of innovation while making it as easy and affordable as possible to extend the best protection to our students. Stay tuned for more updates and developments as we continue to evolve our offerings to meet the ever-changing needs of the education community. Together, we can build a safer, more resilient learning environment for students everywhere.  

Ready to go deeper? Build your skills by taking these security training courses on Microsoft Learn: 

• Defend against threats with Microsoft 365 – Training 
• Security, Compliance, and Identity on Microsoft Learn 
• Boost K-12 school cybersecurity leadership with Microsoft tools – Training  

¹ Microsoft Global Threat Activity

The post Ensure secure learning experiences with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

In 2023, Oregon State University (OSU) was at the forefront of innovation, securing more than $480 million in competitive research grants. However, the spring of 2021 brought a harsh realization: even the most prestigious institutions are not immune to cyber threats. A severe security breach underscored the urgent need for robust defenses to protect critical research and personal data. 

The incident exposed vulnerabilities that could no longer be ignored. “It was a wakeup call for all of us here at Oregon State University to make some changes,” says David McMorries, Chief Information Security Officer. “So much of the institution’s business now is dependent on information technology that you must provide an environment that is functional, is available, and is useful.” It was clear the institution needed to explore tools that could provide zero trust capabilities on all staff, faculty, and student devices—ensuring protections on resources on site and in the cloud.  

In response to this incident, OSU meticulously evaluated the latest cybersecurity solutions available, deciding on Microsoft Security tools including:  

• Microsoft Sentinel: Proactive threat detection, response, and threat hunting across the digital estate. Microsoft Sentinel aggregates data from all sources—including users, applications, servers, and devices running on premises or in any cloud—allowing school IT to access millions of records in just a few seconds.  
• Microsoft Defender: Comprehensive, real-time protection against software threats like viruses, malware, and spyware across email, apps, the cloud, and the web.  
• Microsoft Copilot for Security: A new, generative AI-powered assistant for daily security and IT operations that empowers teams to protect at the speed and scale of AI by turning global threat intelligence, industry best practices, and organizations’ security data into tailored insights to outsmart and outpace adversaries.  

With these tools working in concert, OSU has fortified its cybersecurity infrastructure, ensuring a safer and more secure environment.    

Read Oregon State University protects vital research and sensitive data with Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender to learn more.  

Reducing threat response times from weeks to minutes

At OSU, their commitment to open, collaborative research coexists with the imperative to protect sensitive data and maintain the institution’s overall reputation. This delicate balance requires a cybersecurity approach that is both robust and responsive.  

Partnering with Microsoft, OSU was able to widely implement tools such as Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender quite rapidly. These tools enabled the university to detect and respond to incidents rapidly, reducing response times from weeks to mere minutes. It redefined their approach, shifting from a time-consuming and reactive strategy to a more efficient and proactive one.   

“The types of threats that are occurring in higher education are much more aggressive by cyber adversaries,” says Chief Information Security Officer David McMorries. “Since we’ve made this improvement by going to Microsoft Sentinel and deploying Microsoft Defender, we’ve seen a dramatic ability to detect these sorts of events and prevent many of them before they influence our institution. So, the investment that’s been made in our tooling and in our people has really paid off.”   

Protection at machine speed with Microsoft Copilot for Security

Microsoft Copilot for Security is the only generative AI solution that helps security and IT professionals amplify their skillset, collaborate more, see more, and respond faster. It is available both as an immersive standalone portal and natively embedded within the existing and familiar Microsoft Security products in Microsoft 365 A5, such as Defender for Endpoint, Sentinel, and others.   

In a recent research study conducted by Microsoft’s Office of the Chief Economist, experienced security analysts using Copilot were 22% faster at the common security tasks they were given, and they achieved these time savings while also increasing accuracy by 7%. However, perhaps more compelling, 97% of the experienced security analysts said they wanted to use Copilot again next time.  

These gains in speed, accuracy, and sentiment mean that security and IT teams have the power to radically improve not only their work, but also their sense of job satisfaction as they find the time to work on the most critical tasks, vs. being bogged down in the more mundane part of their roles. 

In a recent study conducted by Microsoft’s Office of the Chief Economist, experienced security analysts using Copilot were 22% faster at the common security tasks they were given.

These gains in speed, accuracy, and sentiment mean that security and IT teams have the power to radically improve not only their work, but also their sense of job satisfaction as they find the time to work on the most critical tasks, vs. being bogged down in the more mundane part of their roles. 

View the full research study for Copilot for Security and download the Copilot Speed, Accuracy, and Sentiment infographic for more results from the study.  

Copilot represents the next level in OSU’s cybersecurity evolution. With Copilot, OSU can enhance existing security frameworks, allowing for more efficient threat detection and system management. Emily Longman, manager of OSU’s Security Operations Center (SOC), expressed her optimism about the potential of Copilot, saying, “Our research is a huge priority for the university, but sometimes it can be difficult to secure, and getting vulnerability management can be difficult. But with Copilot, we can find better solutions that are more secure for those researchers and really push the limits of human knowledge and research at OSU.”  

Through their Copilot pilot program, OSU is exploring the tool’s ability to complement and enhance other Microsoft security tools. By integrating Copilot with tools such as Microsoft Sentinel, they anticipate a significant shift towards automation, reducing the time analysts spend on routine incidents. This shift promises to refocus efforts on critical threats, enhancing their ability to quickly respond to and resolve security incidents.   

We are excited to announce the general availability of Microsoft Copilot for Security on April 1, 2024. To learn more about Copilot for Security features and availability, visit the Copilot for Security webpage or read the blog, Microsoft Copilot for Security: General availability details. 

Preparing students for an AI-driven future

The adoption of advanced AI tools like Copilot not only bolsters OSU’s cybersecurity framework but also provides invaluable learning opportunities for students. Many academic curriculums at OSU as well as most other learning institutions don’t typically include AI-type tools, so the students working for OSU’s SOC are eager to make the most of this opportunity. This exposure will significantly benefit students, preparing them for future careers in the evolving cybersecurity landscape.  

“Microsoft Copilot for Security is going to expose our student employees to a cutting-edge security tool that they wouldn’t have gotten access to in any other way,” says McMorries. “So not only will our full-time employees be able to make the Security Operations Center more effective and efficient, but—as Oregon State University’s primary mission is to educate and to produce the next generation workforce—as the students learn how Microsoft Copilot for Security works, I’ll be really excited to see what kind of jobs that they are going to be lining up when they leave us.”  

Learn more about Microsoft Security solutions

Use these resources to explore how Microsoft security tools can support your education institution. 

• Read Oregon State University protects vital research and sensitive data with Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender to learn how OSU uses Microsoft cybersecurity tools to perform more proactive security detection procedures. 
• Watch Microsoft Copilot for Security demo: Defend at machine speed to see how Copilot exhibits an incident response scenario to provide next-level enrichment and context to the security analyst performing the investigation. 
• Explore the Microsoft Defender for Cloud interactive guide to learn how Microsoft 365 Defender for Cloud can help your security team efficiently maintain and protect digitally connected school environments. 
• Get started with the Introduction to Microsoft Sentinel and Introduction to Microsoft Defender XDR threat protection training modules on Microsoft Learn. 
• Watch the Microsoft Secure digital event on-demand and read the blog, Microsoft Copilot for Security is generally available on April 1, 2024, to catch the latest innovations and news from Microsoft Security.  

The post Oregon State University: Taking cybersecurity to the next level with Microsoft Copilot for Security appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

We’ll highlight some of the most recent updates from Microsoft Education that will help you make the most of your valuable instruction time and simplify your workflow with new enhancements. We’re also rounding up events and professional development opportunities to help you use our tools effectively and enrich your teaching. Let’s dive in and see what’s new in Microsoft Education.   

Simplify your workflow with new features and resources 

1. AI enhancements in Microsoft Teams for Education 

New features in Microsoft Teams for Education, a powerful communication app for schools, are coming to all educators starting later this month at no additional cost. They leverage AI to draft content like rubrics, assignment instructions, personalized reading passages, and learning objectives, all while keeping the educator in control.  

• Create rubrics in Assignments: With generative AI integrated into Assignments, you just need to enter what you want the rubric to assess, and Assignments will suggest criteria for you and complete the rubric for you. 
• Create instructions in Assignments: Get multiple suggestions for how to enrich your content, including adding more details, adding learning objectives, emphasizing key concepts, and even ideas for making your assignments more interesting. You’re in control—after the content is created, you can make edits and generate different options. 
• Passage generation in Reading Progress: You can generate a passage directly in Reading Progress and leverage insights to personalize it based on the needs of your class and individual students. With passage generation, you can select a topic, age, length, and language, and easily adjust the complexity of the passage once it has been generated. 
• Comprehension questions generation in Reading Progress: You can generate comprehension questions based on a specific reading passage. Choose the number of questions and then review them, making any preferred edits, before publishing them to students.  

Explore all the new updates in Microsoft Teams for Education in What’s New in Microsoft EDU | 22 updates for March 2024. 

2. New module in Minecraft AI Prompt Lab 

The Minecraft AI Prompt Lab is designed to empower you with the skills and knowledge needed to creatively use the game-based platform Minecraft Education as a dynamic teaching tool, leveraging the strengths of Microsoft Copilot to enhance your teaching abilities. The first module for the AI Prompt Lab was released in January, and now we’re excited to share the second module, which focuses on coding and curriculum innovation.   

In Prompt Lab: Module 1, learn how to write prompts, develop learning content and assessments, and generate creative ideas for lesson plans will help you unlock the power of game-based learning with Minecraft Education. In Prompt Lab: Module 2, learn the basics of Code Builder, the in-game coding feature of Minecraft Education. Get started with the Minecraft AI Prompt Lab, and discover how to incorporate Minecraft Education into your curriculum.  

3. Emotion Clusters in Microsoft Reflect 

We’re always looking for ways to help you mobilize the data in Reflect, a well-being app that helps students identify and express how they feel. We’re excited to introduce Emotion Clusters, a new feature in Reflect that offers additional ways to tailor instruction and support learners’ needs and interests.  

Inspired by natural elements, Emotion Clusters group emotions into 11 clusters based on their qualities and associated regulation strategies: Fire, Whirlwind, Wave, Sunshine, Rain, Rock, Fog, Desert, Cloud, Lake, and Earth. Observing clusters over time simplifies understanding, classification, and response to emotional trends, making it easier to support individual learner needs and group dynamics.  

Emotion Clusters in Reflect group emotions into 11 clusters based on their qualities and associated regulation strategies.

Learn more about the different clusters and their features in What’s New in Microsoft EDU | 22 updates for March 2024.  

4. Expanded capabilities in Search Progress and Search Coach 

Understanding online search tools is critical for students today. Search Progress helps teachers track the development of information literacy skills by creating a window into students’ search activity and behaviors while identifying ways to improve the quality of their search queries over time. Search Coach helps students learn how to form effective search queries and think critically about their results in an ad-free environment. New capabilities are now available in Search Progress and Seach Coach, including: 

• International institutional domain customization: You can now customize the Domain menu in Search Progress and Seach Coach by curating a list of trusted institutional domains that are relevant in their region. 
• Citation support: Search Progress now lets you build APA7 citation tools into any research assignment in Microsoft Teams. Whether citing a scholarly article or a web page, built-in citation tools simplify the process, ensuring proper attribution and adherence to academic standards. 
• Customizing the Coach in Search Progress: You can now “Customize Search Coach” in Assignment Settings—whether it’s including a background, enabling a Custom or Fact Check Filter, or highlighting specific institutional domains. 
• Tablet and student mobile support: Students can now complete Search Progress assignments from anywhere, with support for tablets and mobile phones!  

Explore all the new updates in Search Progress and Search Coach in What’s New in Microsoft EDU | 22 updates for March 2024.  

5. Microsoft Hacking STEM data science activities 

Hacking STEM are affordable inquiry and project-based activities to visualize data across science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum. On a mission to modernize STEM learning, Hacking STEM provides standards-based lesson plans written by teachers for teachers.  

In Introduction to the Data Science Process, Hacking STEM has partnered with Blue Origin’s nonprofit, Club for the Future, to highlight how a data science process is used to help determine a Go/No-Go for launch of a Blue Origin New Shepard Rocket. In these activities, students learn how to use Excel and complete all steps of a mission by engaging in the data science process.   

In Day of Data: Rockets—a NASA and Microsoft Hacking STEM collaboration, students explore how data powers astronauts, space missions, and our world. Celebrate data with on-demand conversations with astronauts, lesson plans, and virtual experiences. Immerse your students in a fun and interactive data science project as you celebrate your own Day of Data with this NASA and Hacking STEM activity. 

Stay ahead with professional development opportunities and events 

6. AI skills challenge for educators 

Microsoft’s AI skills challenge for educators helps teachers from all grades and subject areas harness the power of AI in education. Now, you can enhance your instruction, maximize your productivity, and leverage AI to give you more time to focus on what matters most—supporting your students.  

The AI skills challenge for educators is active on Microsoft Learn from March 10, 2024, until April 30, 2024. Participate in the challenge and benchmark your progress against fellow educators and friends. Learn together as you increase your understanding with easy-to-read instruction, staying up to date with the latest in classroom technology. Join the AI skills challenge for educators and learn how to discover, interact, and create with AI and generative AI in education.  

The AI skills challenge for educators is active on Microsoft Learn from March 10, 2024, until April 30, 2024.    

7. Responsible AI for Students virtual event 

Join the free virtual event Responsible AI for Students on March 27, 2024, part of the Education+ professional development series, powered by Microsoft. Participate in this session and explore how to: 

• Recognize what AI and generative AI are and why it’s helpful for learners to understand the difference and their importance. 
• Demonstrate how to teach learners to thoughtfully engage with AI. 
• Explain how learners can be responsible users of AI. 
• Support learners in learning how to create with AI. 
• Explore the potential of AI to help learners become empowered changemakers. 

Register for Responsible AI for Students to take part in the experience.  

8. Minecraft and ISTE Level Up Learning digital events

Dive deeper into the benefits of teaching with Minecraft with Level Up Learning, a digital event series from Minecraft Education and ISTE. Through a series of webinars spotlighting school systems around the world, educators and leaders can join a transformational journey into the integration of game-based learning and its impact on student outcomes.     

Register for free for all of the Level Up Learning events:   

• Student Voice, Agency, and Authentic Learning Experiences on April 2, 2024   
• Connection, Leadership & Team-based Experiences through Esports on April 30, 2024   
• STEM Literacy for all students on May 28, 2024    

9. Watch Reimagine Education on-demand

At Microsoft, we are committed to making sure AI systems are developed responsibly and that equitable opportunities are created for all students, in the classroom and beyond. At Reimagine Education, a worldwide digital event from Microsoft Education on March 6, 2024, we announced new ways that Microsoft’s AI tools can be used to bring new opportunities to life, build secure foundations, and prepare students for the future.   

During the event, we shared how we’re bringing Copilot to more education audiences, launching free AI features designed to save time for educators, and publishing an AI Toolkit. Additionally, Learning Accelerators’ availability is expanding to popular learning management systems and Speaker and Math Progress are entering private previews. We also shared a new offer: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint tailored towards protecting student devices, at a discounted price.   

If you missed the event, you can watch Reimagine Education on-demand to hear the latest and catch up on the top announcements in this quick one-minute recap.  

Keep students and information safe with new security offerings

10. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint  

During Reimagine Education, we were excited to share a new Microsoft Defender for Endpoint offering designed to protect student devices. This latest offering will be available soon to any Microsoft 365 A5 customer at a highly discounted price. Microsoft 365 A5 includes critical protection products such as Intune, Defender, Microsoft Purview and more. These products, together with added advanced protection from Microsoft Sentinel, help keep data, servers, and workstations safe, managed, and patched.  

11. Microsoft Copilot for Security

Microsoft Copilot for Security is the only generative AI solution that helps security and IT professionals amplify their skillset, collaborate more, see more, and respond faster. It is available both as an immersive standalone portal and natively embedded within the existing and familiar Microsoft Security products, such as Defender for Endpoint, Sentinel, and others. 

We are excited to share that Copilot for Security will be generally available on April 1, 2024. To learn more about Copilot features and availability, visit the Copilot for Security webpage or read the blog, Microsoft Copilot for Security: General availability details. 

Whether you want to use AI to simplify your workflow, enhance the culture of well-being in your class, or level up your learning, Microsoft Education has new features and experiences for you to explore. Happy teaching! 

The post Enrich your teaching with 11 new updates from Microsoft Education appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Technology was already firmly integrated with school systems before the COVID-19 pandemic. But since 2020, admin processes and classroom learning—whether traditional, hybrid, or fully remote—have pivoted, increasingly relying on technology-based solutions.  

While these digital platforms have helped to streamline and deepen learning in countless ways, they have also made school systems more prone to cyberattacks and compliance violations: especially when teachers, students, and staff share sensitive information such as passwords. Limited cybersecurity training and budgets also make school districts especially vulnerable to attack.  

The policies and processes establishing user identities are commonly referred to as identity and access management (IAM), which requires users to authenticate themselves before accessing email accounts, learning management systems, and databases. This ensures the right access for the right people to help prevent data breaches and uphold student and educator privacy.  

A student working on a laptop in a classroom. Microsoft 365 Education helps schools provide secure learning experiences with built-in cybersecurity features.   

Protect your school’s devices and data with Microsoft’s industry-leading cybersecurity solutions that bring the digital security needs of your students, teachers, and school districts to the forefront. 

Looking to go deeper? Join us at the Microsoft Secure digital event on March 13, 2024, to learn how to bring world-class threat intelligence, complete end-to-end protection, and industry-leading, responsible AI to your organization. Register for Microsoft Secure today.  

IAM cybersafe and cybersound 

IAM is an automated process that grants access to systems based on a user’s unique role. For many school districts, this is a manual—and oftentimes cumbersome—process. Automation, however, streamlines this process while making it more secure. Merely automating this process can also dramatically lessen support calls and IT workload, which is especially important when resources are spread across different systems.  

“IAM solutions are put in place to help schools protect valuable data, including school records and personal information on students and educators, which is a key target for cybercriminals,” says Wes Gyure, director of strategy and offering management at IBM Security. “Given that schools are dealing with minors’ personally identifiable information, there are also data privacy laws that they must comply with. This makes it even more important to validate who is accessing what data, whether they have the appropriate entitlements, and that they are who they say they are.”  

The four main components of IAM are: 

1. Authentication: This process actively verifies the identity of users by requesting their unique identifiers and necessary credentials to demonstrate that they are legitimate.  
2. Authorization: This is the act of granting access to tools and resources. 
3. Administration: This component manages users’ accounts, groups, permissions, and password policies.  
4. Auditing and reporting (A&R): This focuses on what users use their given access for, what they do with the data or resources they accessed, and how this helps the organization to track and detect unauthorized or suspicious activities. It enables IT teams to keep detailed audit trails of identity and access within a school or district.   

Single-minded safety 

One common IAM solution is single sign-on (SSO), which allows a user to access systems and services just once with just a single ID and password. This increases efficiency for students and staff while reducing the risk of stolen passwords.  

What is another important way to prevent bad actors from accessing school systems? “Implement multi-factor authentication for school staff and educators,” said Doug Levin, the national director of K12 Security Information Exchange, or K12 SIX, a nonprofit dedicated solely to helping school districts and other primary and secondary education organizations protect themselves from emerging cybersecurity risk.   

Safety in numbers 

Multifactor authentication (MFA) provides another layer of protection for schools and districts, requiring users to verify additional factors such as a trusted device and, in some instances, biometric data such as a fingerprint—or an adaptive access solution, which may require geolocation. This is another way to prevent bad actors from using stolen passwords to break into educational systems. IAM solutions provide users access to their educational applications from a single launchpad, making it fast and intuitive to make the most of learning time, and automate account provisioning, so that users don’t have to wait for a school IT department to manually handle a request.  

A school IT team collaborating. Microsoft 365 Education helps schools and districts establish a simple, secure, and efficient technology environment that maximizes learning.   

A trusted partner in cybersecurity 

Microsoft believes that when students, educators, and staff work in a secure and trusted platform, everyone can achieve more. That’s why our power security solutions for education authenticate and authorize all human and nonhuman identities at every access request: outmaneuvering attackers while simplifying processes.   

Microsoft IAM solutions apply machine learning-based risk assessments to protect from identity attacks while reducing sign-in friction with quick and secure connections to the resources that teachers, students, and administration need.  

The Microsoft Entra family   

• Microsoft Entra offers holistic identity and access security, with the ability to protect any identity and secure access to any resource with a family of multicloud identity and network access solutions.  
• Microsoft Entra Verified ID is for managing users, helping to increase productivity and security, ensuring headcount reports are accurate, and that schools and districts aren’t paying more for subscriptions than needed.  
• School Data Sync automates school groups, syncing data from Entra ID to create groups for Microsoft 365, class teams in Microsoft Teams for Education, and groups in other third-party apps.  
• Intune for Education simplifies device and app management, allowing educators and school and district IT to quickly deploy apps to users and apply device settings that create a safe and secure classroom experience.  
• Microsoft Entra ID provides IAM, allowing users to manage identities and conditional access policies to connect people to their apps, devices, and data.   

In a comparison of Microsoft Entra ID and Google Cloud Identity Access Management on G2.com, reviewers found Microsoft Entra ID easier to use, set up, and administer and that Microsoft Entra ID met the needs of their business better than Google Cloud Identity & Access Management. One reviewer noted that “Entra has all the Identity and Access management related settings, configurations, tools, features in one portal, this gives comprehensive visibility into an organization’s IAM and security all in one place.” 

A solution for every role 

School and district IT administrators face a nearly impossible task: staying ahead of cybercriminals. Administrators who use Microsoft Entra benefit from a platform based on Zero Trust principles. Entra uses machine learning for: 

• Real-time risk assessment. 
• Safeguarding against compromised identities and unauthorized attacks. 
• Keeping IT administrators one step ahead of threats.   

Meanwhile, remembering multiple passwords is challenging, especially for younger learners. Single sign-on (SSO) streamlines the process of accessing learning resources and apps saving instructional time and reducing frustration. Another major benefit is that students and teachers don’t need to be on school property to access the resources they need. They can work from anywhere—enabling productivity while ensuring safety.  

And—above all—school leaders depend on solutions that they can trust. Microsoft Entra is a six-time Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Access Management.  

The Microsoft 365 Education A5 advantage 

Stay ahead of tomorrow’s threats with continuous innovation to meet evolving needs with Microsoft 365 Education A5. Helping districts and schools to provide safe and secure learning experiences backed by world class protection, Microsoft Education cybersecurity tools are consolidated into one cost-effective solution. Tools such as Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Defender for Office 365, and Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management further help thwart potential cybersecurity risks and close gaps before breaches occur.  

Microsoft security solutions for education give school IT administrators excellent control over which identities can access what data. In addition, these controls provide the power to choose how users access data based on factors such as location, time of day, and the device they use: significantly reducing the likelihood of account and system compromise.  

With a great IAM solution in place, you can more confidently embrace innovative solutions and offer your students a better digital experience that enhances learning outcomes. 

Learn more about how Microsoft 365 can enhance privacy and security for your school system by exploring these resources:  

• Microsoft 365 for Education Cybersecurity Solutions 
• Identity and Access | Microsoft Security 
• Microsoft Entra setup guides | Cloud computing | Microsoft Entra
• Security, Compliance, and Identity on Microsoft Learn 
• Microsoft Entra ID on Microsoft Learn  

Join us at the Microsoft Secure digital event on March 13, 2024, to learn how to bring world-class threat intelligence, complete end-to-end protection, and industry-leading, responsible AI to your organization. Register for Microsoft Secure today.  

The post Strategies for identity and access management in education appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

At Reimagine Education, we announced new ways that Microsoft’s AI tools can be used to bring new opportunities to life, build secure foundations, and prepare students for the future. We’re bringing Microsoft Copilot to more education audiences, launching free AI features designed to save time for educators, and publishing an AI Toolkit. Learning Accelerators’ availability is expanding to popular learning management systems and Speaker and Math Progress are entering private previews. We also shared a new offer: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint tailored towards protecting student devices, at a discounted price. 

If you missed the event today, you can watch it on-demand and continue reading to learn more. 

Microsoft Copilot: your AI assistant for education  

Microsoft’s advancements in AI are grounded in our mission to empower every person to achieve more and are guided by Microsoft’s Responsible AI principles that are built upon decades of research.

Educators around the world are already using Copilot to draft content, brainstorm new ideas, and free up their time to focus on what matters most. And we recently spoke to educators from O’Dea High School and Indiana University to hear first-hand how they now have a secure AI “scaffolding” to support them in and outside of the classroom. During the Reimagine Education event, we shared Copilot expansions to empower education institutions to harness Microsoft AI technologies. 

Microsoft Copilot with commercial data protection is built into all Microsoft 365 Education offers, including our zero-cost license. It’s already available to all faculty and higher education students ages 18 and above, and we’re starting a private preview program for younger learners this spring. 

Starting April 1, 2024, Copilot for Microsoft 365 will be available for higher education institutions to purchase as an add-on for their students aged 18+. To be eligible, students must be assigned Microsoft 365 or Office 365 A3/A5 licenses. Integration across Microsoft 365 applications provides seamless performance, so you can: 

• Stay on top of all your chats, remote classes, meetings, and calls with Microsoft Teams.
• Create, comprehend, and elevate your documents in Microsoft Word. 
• Keep up with your inbox and manage follow-ups in Microsoft Outlook.
• Turn your inspiration into stunning presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint. 
• Analyze, comprehend, and visualize data with ease in Microsoft Excel. 

Additionally, commercial academic offers of Copilot come with a Customer Copyright Commitment. This means, education customers can be confident in using our services without the concerns of copyright claims. 

Personalize learning at scale

We have exciting updates to our Learning Accelerators as well in Teams for Education to help personalize learning at scale: 

• New features in Reading Progress and Microsoft Teams for Education are coming to all educators starting later this month at no additional cost. They leverage AI to draft content like rubrics, assignment instructions, personalized reading passages, and learning objectives, all while keeping the educator in control.  
• Reading Coach now comes with enhanced AI features so students can create their stories and pick their own path as the story progresses: increasing student agency and motivation. It’s going to be available on the web, as a dedicated Windows app, and as an LMS integration. Customers interested in signing up for the preview of the LMS integrations for Reading Coaches and other Learning Tool integrations can go to aka.ms/LMSIntegrations 
• Microsoft’s teacher tool, Math Progress is now entering private preview, and Math Coach, our student tool, will follow soon. These tools leverage AI to help students identify where they’re struggling and provide real-time step-by-step coaching on mathematical problem solving. 

How AI Navigators are leveraging technology for impact    

During the event, I also had the pleasure of introducing our AI Navigators. They highlight how state departments, ministries of education, universities, and K-12 schools are leveraging Microsoft AI tools and solutions to better prepare students for their future. The stories of these navigators demonstrate how AI technology can create even more impact in the hands of great educators to make a real difference in student learning. 

Wichita Public Schools in Kansas serves 47,000 students and 5,600 educators and administrators. Microsoft Copilot gives their teachers what they want the most—time—allowing them to focus more on each student and bring a greater diversity of tailored learning experiences into the classroom.   

The University of South Florida is using Copilot for Microsoft 365 to accelerate faculty workflows and create their own solutions, such as their Help Desk Bot. Before, people had to review every help desk ticket and it would take a few hours before the IT team could respond. Now, response time is a matter of seconds. Faculty can also do more work in less time—querying and summarizing documents in seconds—leaving them more time to spend building new projects and student relationships. 

California State University San Marcos is using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights and testing Copilot to overcome data collection hurdles and support each student individually. They’re now able to centralize communications with students, staff, faculty, and external partners and use data meaningfully in personalized interactions with students.   

We also shared remarkable partner stories from PowerSchool and Anthology who are leveraging the Azure OpenAI Service. The University of Leeds uses the AI Design Assistant from Anthology to empower instructors to quickly and easily build course structure, rubrics, and more. And Colorado Springs School District 11 utilizes PowerSchool AI capabilities to free up time spent creating materials to focus on student needs and engagement.  

Engage in deeper learning experiences 

We also shared new resources to deepen engagement and increase AI literacy for leaders and educators: 

• The Microsoft Education AI Toolkit is a free resource that education leaders can use to develop AI plans for their institutions. It will help to lower the barrier of entry with examples, case studies, and getting started materials to help you evaluate and implement AI solutions.  
• Explore the AI in Education Report for the latest insights from Microsoft, partner organizations, and academia on new opportunities and challenges.  
• The Minecraft AI Prompt Lab is designed to empower educators with the skills and knowledge needed to creatively use Minecraft Education as a dynamic teaching tool, leveraging the strengths of Microsoft Copilot to enhance their teaching abilities. 

Paige Johnson discusses new Microsoft security offerings with Corey Lee, Security Chief and Technology Officer at Microsoft.

How Microsoft tools keep students and information safe

In terms of security, we are introducing the following:  

• A new Microsoft Defender for endpoint offering designed to protect student devices will be available soon to any Microsoft 365 A5 customer at a discounted price.   
• Microsoft Copilot for Security, the first and only generative AI solution that helps security and IT professionals amplify their skillsets, collaborate more, see more, and respond faster. Tune into Microsoft Secure event on March 13, 2024, to get the latest updates on Microsoft Copilot for Security.  
• Free security trainings so that school leaders, educators, students, and even families can learn how to make smart decisions when they are in an educational environment.   

These new security offerings are already being implemented in K-12 and higher education. For example, Microsoft Defender helped Fulton Country Schools to instill confidence in district leadership, staff, and students after a ransomware scare in December 2021. Similarly, Newington College has students across four campuses and protecting their data is a big issue. Microsoft 365 Education A5 gives them a holistic view of their security environment. If an account were to be compromised, tools such as Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Sentinel would help keep data, servers, and workstations safe, managed and patched. 

Paige Johnson, Vice President, Education at Microsoft with Chris Reykdal, Superintendent of Public Instruction in Washington State.

Microsoft and the changing world of work  

The latest findings from an IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Microsoft, as well as Microsoft’s own New Future of Work report confirm that the need for an AI-ready workforce has already arrived. Today’s graduates are expected to be able to use Microsoft Copilot and other AI technologies as they progress from classroom to career.  

I had a fascinating conversation with the Superintendent of Public Instruction in Washington State, Chris Reykdal, about responsible AI implementation. After recognizing the need to prepare Washington State students for the world of work with AI, a group of education leaders was assembled to reimagine several pieces of their education system, including grade-level learning expectations about AI, teacher professional development, institutional policies and practices, and curated resources for AI adoption.  

Watch Reimagine Education on-demand to hear the latest and catch up on the top announcements in this quick one-minute recap! 

Why reimagine? 

There has never been a better time to collectively reimagine education. I hope you are excited about and ready to leverage the opportunities AI can bring to education. We are inspired by the passion, persistence, and ingenuity that you demonstrate every day. Thank you for all that you do to help prepare the next generation of leaders and innovators! 

The post Reimagine Education 2024: Prepare for the future with new AI and security offers appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.