Findings from the 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report from Microsoft and LinkedIn show that the cybersecurity industry has an urgent talent shortage that’s expected to grow. MSLE aims to help educators build an effective and continuously updated curriculum to teach students these cybersecurity skills and prepare them for the workplace of the future.

Whether you need guidance on integrating security teaching into your curriculum or you’re an experienced security educator looking to discover additional resources and labs, MSLE has you covered.

Work with Microsoft Training Services Partners to be cybersecurity ready

In August 2024, we launched the MSLE Cybersecurity and AI Bootcamp, building on the popular MSLE Foundational AI Bootcamp. The MSLE Cybersecurity and AI Bootcamp is designed to prepare educators and faculty across multiple disciplines to use MSLE curricula and classroom resources to teach students critical security concepts, threat mitigation, and related AI skills. The bootcamp takes the form of flexible, train-the-trainer sessions, either in person or virtually, depending on your school’s or institution’s preferences.

“We know that it’s really hard for educational institutions to not only keep their curriculum up to date on technical topics,” explains Liz Butowicz, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Founder of Microsoft Training Services Partner (TSP) Black Dog Black Cat, “but also to skill their faculty and educators on delivering those new skills to their students. Microsoft developed the Microsoft Learn for Educators AI Bootcamps program to tackle these problems.”

Bootcamps are led by trainers from the global network of Microsoft TSPs equipped with official MSLE resources. They’re designed to train higher education and other post-secondary educators on how to use these resources within their existing course syllabi, create new courses or programs, and deliver Microsoft Certification exam preparation courses to their students. “Educators are often just presented with resources,” continues Butowicz, “and they need to figure out what to use. In the bootcamps, we can walk them through that and help speed up adoption of the material.”

The bootcamp structure and content can be customized to meet your institution’s specific needs, and it is typically divided into three sessions.

The three-part Microsoft Learn for Educators Cybersecurity and AI Bootcamp was fantastic, helping our faculty understand the AI-related teaching resources within MSLE they can now use in their courses. It can be difficult to find technical instructors, and the bootcamp helped build instructional capacity and can help educators transition into advanced teaching roles.

Jonathan W. Townes, Vice President of Career and Technical Education, Sponsored Grants, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Initiatives, Hinds Community College

Boost your cybersecurity curriculum with MSLE training resources

Even if you don’t feel the need for an instructor-led bootcamp experience, you can still use MSLE resources to help you learn new skills and build curricula around cybersecurity and AI-related concepts. With MSLE offerings, you can access tools and resources to enable innovative, experiential learning to augment students’ existing degree paths.

MSLE uses Microsoft Official Courseware (MOC), along with up-to-date training materials that feature an emphasis on real-world scenarios. The program includes instructional tools, test preparation content, interactive labs, and resources supporting Microsoft Certifications—all designed to integrate into your classes.

Microsoft’s teaching resources and materials, with self-paced study and certification options, [made] it ideal for teachers and students in any subject: science, math, and even humanities. The content can be used in any course or classroom and [can] help students prepare for future transitions into higher education or the workforce.

Jonathan W. Townes, Vice President of Career and Technical Education, Sponsored Grants, and HBCU Initiatives, Hinds Community College

MSLE also offers professional development, training resources, and support for educators and faculty at your institution through TSPs. This is coupled with community features, such as forums, networking sessions, office hours with community managers, and more. The program also offers discounted exam vouchers to help you get certified to teach cutting-edge technology subjects.

Take the next steps with MSLE

MSLE is here to help you get the training and skills you need to prepare your students for the opportunities of the era of AI and cybersecurity. To learn more about bootcamps or to find a TSP and discuss joining a bootcamp, check out the MSLE AI Bootcamp for Educators.

To access training materials, education resources, and more, join the Microsoft Learn for Educators program for free.

The post Level up your cybersecurity curriculum with MSLE appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

This October, many education institutions are celebrating Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an effort to encourage actions to reduce online risk and generate discussion on cyberthreats both nationally and globally. This year’s theme, “Secure Our World,” helps organizations consider the importance of taking daily action to reduce risks when online and using connected devices. To assist your efforts, we’re sharing three tips for IT professionals on ways to boost cybersecurity in your school community.

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.

Cybersecurity isn’t just about computer programs that prevent bad actors from accessing devices and systems, it’s also about empowering students, educators, and staff with the knowledge to stay informed and vigilant. Understanding how cyber criminals target schools, the tricks they use to sneak in, and what you can do to stop them in their tracks is key to keeping your community more secure.

This October, let’s “Secure Our World” together. From conversation tips to hands-on experiences like Minecraft Education worlds, you’ll find cybersecurity resources to enhance your classroom instruction.

Starting the cybersecurity conversation

Starting a conversation about cybersecurity with students is a simple and effective way to build cyber habits that keep everyone safer online. Cyber criminals often use clever social engineering tactics to trick someone into downloading malicious software or revealing their personal information. Students might be more at risk because they’re still learning to spot the difference between legitimate messages and potential threats.

Key points to discuss about phishing

Phishing is a common tactic used by cybercriminals to trick individuals into revealing personal information. Here are some essential points to cover with your students:

• Avoid clicking unknown links: Hackers use phishing links to infiltrate your life. These links can appear in text messages, emails, QR codes, search engines, websites, social media posts, and direct messages.
• Don’t access QR codes that seem too good to be true: Hackers have started using QR codes, a technique called Quishing, that direct unsuspecting users to a data harvesting or phishing page to collect personal data. Often they’re disguised as free giveaways or other compelling offers.
• Be aware of social engineering: Hackers may impersonate family members, friends, teachers, or authority figures to gain your trust and extract information.
• Recognize red flags: Phishing messages often contain misspellings, convey a sense of urgency, or offer fake rewards. Always hover over links to see where they lead before clicking.

Examples of when to be extra vigilant

It’s important to teach students to be extra cautious in certain scenarios. Here are some examples for both primary and secondary level students:

Primary school students

• Researching information for a class report.
• Looking for online math tutoring courses.
• Searching for online videos and citing unverified information in schoolwork.
• Messaging a teacher with a question.

Secondary school students

• Differentiating between ads and organic posts on social media.
• Receiving messages asking for passwords or threatening account lockouts.
• Being direct messaged with unknown links and urged to click them.
• Searching for jobs and applying to scam companies.
• Researching and applying for college or trade school.
• Receiving friend requests from duplicated profiles of known individuals.

Even a quick 10-minute discussion about cybersecurity can significantly boost your school’s overall safety. You might also want to share these tips with families so that they can reinforce these important lessons at home.

Hands-on, minds-on experiences with Minecraft Education

Teaching cybersecurity concepts to students is easy with the Minecraft Education Cyber and Digital Citizenship collection of worlds and accompanying educator guides. The worlds include a progression of standards-aligned lessons that span elementary through post-secondary education. Just like other Minecraft Education experiences, students immerse themselves in a virtual world where they accomplish tasks, collaborate with others, and engage in activities that teach cyber safety and security—all while having a lot of fun!

Minecraft cyber education content has been downloaded more than 80 million times, and the CyberSafe series is also available for Bedrock players on the Minecraft Marketplace. The Cyber and Digital Citizenship collection is broken down into four age-appropriate bands:

• CyberSafe (ages 7-11): Introduces students to basic cybersecurity concepts like online safety, healthy gaming interactions, and digital citizenship practices.
• Cyber Fundamentals (ages 10-14): Expands students’ knowledge about cybersecurity by covering malware, personally identifiable information (PII) threat analysis, and data protection steps.
• Cyber Expert (ages 13-18): Deepens understanding with a focus on social engineering, ransomware, and the importance of using backup software.
• Cyber Defense (ages 14-18, 18 and older): Offers an advanced look at access control systems, cybersecurity careers, and ways to earn cybersecurity certificates.

In our largely online world, learners need to develop the skills they’ll need to navigate online spaces safely, and confidently. Educators also need the right tools to empower their students to be cyber safe. Minecraft Education’s cybersecurity curriculum helps learners of all ages become cyber heroes—protecting their data, using the Internet safely, and modeling digital citizenship. Stay tuned for new cyber content in Minecraft Education for Safer Internet Day—a global day of celebration in February each year.

If you’re new to Minecraft Education or need a refresher, sign up for a one-hour training as part of Minecraft Teacher Academy. Explore more professional learning, either on-demand or with a live cohort.

Inspiring cybersecurity champions

In addition to cybersecurity resources for the classroom, we also offer unique opportunities for students who are interested in pursuing careers in cybersecurity. With Microsoft, your students can:

• Discover diverse mentorship opportunities: Explore the many learning and mentorship opportunities Microsoft and partner organizations provide so that all students can see themselves in cybersecurity.
• Explore educational opportunities: Discover how Microsoft and the Last Mile Fund can help students earn a cybersecurity degree through scholarships for financial assistance and cybersecurity exam costs.
• Get certified to fight cybercrime: Eligible students can get their Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals certification for free and earn college credit while doing so. Visit the Microsoft Learn Student Hub: Student certifications to learn about all the available certifications and how to enroll.

Build your knowledge with cybersecurity training for educators

Your own cybersecurity awareness and knowledge plays a critical role in your school’s overall security strategy. Cyber criminals know that educators are busy and may quickly respond to urgent messages or irresistible deals. By learning to distinguish between legitimate and suspicious messages or links, you are less likely to fall victim to social engineering tactics designed to steal private information.

To help strengthen your cybersecurity skills, Microsoft offers cybersecurity training modules for educators. “Build cybersecurity resilience in K-12 classrooms with Microsoft tools” is a comprehensive introduction designed for educators. This module covers essential concepts like how to anticipate cyber threats and secure your device, identity, and online activities. It includes:

• Explanations of common threats like phishing, malware, and ransomware.
• Tips for protecting your passwords and PII.
• Strategies for maintaining privacy when working online.
• Steps to take if you fall victim to a cyber-attack.
• Ideas for teaching cybersecurity to students.
• Information on joining cybersecurity groups that offer educator resources.

If you’re interested in using Minecraft Education to teach cybersecurity, be sure to check out “Minecraft Education lessons: Teach cybersecurity concepts with Minecraft Education.” This Microsoft Learn module covers:

• Explanations of Minecraft worlds that provide cybersecurity instruction to K-12 students.
• Overview of the differences between resources for upper elementary, middle school, high school, and post-secondary students.
• Topics featured in the Minecraft cybersecurity worlds.
• Types of activities that students complete while learning in Minecraft.

By joining Microsoft for Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2024, you’re not just protecting your school—you’re empowering the next generation of cybersecurity champions. Dive into the tools and resources to spark student interest and help them build their skills to thrive in the digital world. Together, let’s make your classroom a community of cyber-savvy learners. Stay safe and inspire those future cyber heroes!

The post Teach cybersecurity with Microsoft and Minecraft Education 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 regularly makes up over 80% of the reported malware encounters in any 30-day period.

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 quick Learning Accelerators demos and leverage these powerful tools in your classroom.

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

AI-powered tools to support educators

For educators seeking inspiring and innovative instructional strategies, Microsoft AI tools provide much needed assistance. Explore how these tools can help you save time, personalize learning, and renew your passion for teaching.

• Microsoft Copilot can help you generate engaging content and individualized suggestions, freeing up more time for direct student interaction. For added data protection, sign in using your school account. Use Copilot to create personalized content and tailored feedback based on a student’s unique learning requirements. You can also get suggestions for activities, resources, and assessments aligned with learning objectives or a rubric that you can attach to get recommendations specific to your classroom needs. Copilot is available at no cost with your school account and is accessible in Windows, Edge, and on the web.
• Copilot for Microsoft 365 gives you the power of Microsoft Copilot integrated seamlessly into the Microsoft 365 apps you use every day, like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Try generating creative writing prompts, translating languages, or summarizing complex topics in Word. It can also help streamline lesson planning by creating slides in PowerPoint on any topic or from any file, saving you valuable prep time.
• Microsoft Teams for Education is packed with AI features to help you set up your classroom for success. Streamline grading with AI-powered rubrics that adapt to student responses, allowing you to spend less time grading and more time supporting your students’ learning. You can also create comprehension questions tailored to the individual needs of your students or generate modules and descriptions for your class based on the subject, grade level, and learning objectives.

Discover more ways to use AI to support your instructional practice this school year:

• Empower your classroom with the knowledge to navigate AI responsibly by integrating the AI Classroom Toolkit into your lessons. It helps educators to teach students aged 13-15 how to use AI tools effectively through critical conversations and hands-on activities that build skills like fact-checking, data privacy, and mental wellbeing.
• Build fundamental AI skills with your learners in the engaging world of Minecraft Education. AI Foundations is a new AI literacy program that includes bite-sized animated videos that explain AI to learners ages 8 and up, free teaching materials and parent guide, and an imaginative new Minecraft world called Fantastic Fairgrounds where players solve problems and explore careers with AI (available in both Minecraft Education and Bedrock Edition on the Marketplace).
• Khanmigo for Teachers is an AI-powered tool that helps you generate fresh lesson ideas, personalizes student assignments, and explore resources so you can enhance your knowledge and stay current on content area topics. Created by Khan Academy and powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, Khanmigo for Teachers is available for free in English across more than 40 countries.
• Learn more ways to use Copilot in your classroom from the Microsoft Education blog post “Meet your AI assistant for education: Microsoft Copilot” and download the Microsoft Copilot Quick Guide to get started today.
• Explore the training course “Enhance teaching and learning with Microsoft Copilot” to learn how to use Copilot, design effective prompts, and analyze results.

Improved efficiencies for school leaders and staff

School leaders and staffs’ days are often filled with administrative tasks like responding to emails, attending meetings, and filling out paperwork. Microsoft’s AI-powered tools and resources offer support in managing day-to-day responsibilities, helping to enhance efficiency and streamline operations. Discover how these solutions can help you optimize workflows, improve communication, and focus more on fostering a positive school community.

• The Microsoft Education AI Toolkit is designed to guide school leaders through the process of integrating AI into their school’s operations and building robust plans for your organization. This toolkit offers you insights in how others are leveraging AI-powered technology, access to a collection of the latest research on AI in schools, and supports the latest information on Microsoft’s AI technology designed for education.
• Copilot for Microsoft 365 can transform how you handle time-consuming everyday tasks like emails and meetings. Use it to summarize long email threads and draft suggested replies in Microsoft Outlook. You can also use it to summarize key discussion points in Teams meetings, helping you keep track of action items and follow-ups. Try saving time by creating professional looking slides for staff meetings or board meetings.
• Copilot in Power BI offers advanced data analysis capabilities, allowing you to generate insightful reports, visualizations, and narrative summaries. Just describe your desired outcomes, and Copilot will deliver, making it simpler to track student performance, present insights, or conduct research. This intuitive tool helps you communicate data insights clearly, supporting informed decision-making and enriching the learning experience. By consolidating data into a centralized environment and leveraging Power BI’s advanced analytics, educational institutions can gain near real-time insights into student performance and operational efficiency, saving hours of manual labor through automated data processes.

Explore more ways to use AI to enhance operational efficiencies. Check out the AI learning hub on Microsoft Learn to help you skill up and use the power of AI to transform your work.

Enhanced operations and security for school IT teams

School IT teams play an important role in ensuring the smooth operations of school technology systems. Microsoft’s AI tools provide robust solutions to support IT professionals in managing security, data, and overall IT infrastructure efficiently. Learn how these tools can help you enhance cybersecurity, streamline data management, and improve IT operations.

• GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered assistant designed to help IT teams write code faster with fewer errors. It suggests code completions and generates entire code blocks, allowing you to automate repetitive tasks and focus on more complex issues. With GitHub Copilot, you can improve your development workflows, enforce code consistency, and reduce the time spent on debugging and code reviews.
• Microsoft Defender helps IT teams amplify security through advanced, comprehensive endpoint protection with AI capabilities. Defender promotes school safety by filtering harmful content and protecting sensitive data through robust encryption. School IT teams can use Microsoft Defender to increase their efficiency while securing schools at scale. Likewise, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students extends this industry-transforming technology to student devices, neutralizing malware and phishing attempts to safeguard your school from cyberattacks. Should an attack occur, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students’ automated response swiftly isolates compromised devices, minimizing damage and maintaining control.
• Copilot for Security further empowers IT teams with AI to help defend at machine speed. When integrated with Microsoft Sentinel, Copilot can summarize vast data signals into key insights, cutting through the noise to detect cyberthreats before they cause harm. Copilot can generate incident reports suitable for non-technical audiences, such as your school board, and identify user risks or generate access policies. This helps you respond to incidents in minutes instead of hours or days. Pricing for Copilot for Security and Sentinel is usage based and available as an add-on to Microsoft 365 academic licenses.

Learn more about how AI can support your IT teams:

• Discover how to better respond to security threats in this Microsoft Copilot for Security training module and uncover the steps to making the most of this AI-powered security analysis tool.
• Find out how to use AI to streamline your work with GitHub Copilot in this Microsoft Learn Official Collection.

Whether you’re an educator seeking innovative instructional strategies, a school leader aiming to improve efficiencies, or an IT professional focused on enhancing cybersecurity and data management, Microsoft’s AI-powered solutions are here to help. With tools like Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft Teams for Education, and Copilot for Security, your school can achieve these goals and more. Equip your school with the AI tools it needs to thrive this school year, and focus on what truly matters—supporting and engaging your students, family, and staff.

The post Power your school year with AI solutions for educators, leaders, and IT teams appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Poor security practices can lead to significant consequences, from identity theft and unauthorized access to students’ personal and academic information, to severe breaches across education networks and systems. While schools have focused on encouraging a more proactive access control approach—such as creating stronger unique passwords—success ultimately depends on the students. 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.

MFA without a smartphone: a convenient and secure option

Traditional MFA processes are unrealistic for students, as institutions from primary schools to universities cannot expect every student to have a phone or device to deploy legacy MFA options. Additionally, using personal devices for authentication comes with even more privacy and security concerns for educational institutions. However, studies have shown that an account is more than 99.9% less likely to be compromised if using MFA. So, what can schools do?

Luckily, hope is on the horizon—Microsoft has pioneered a passwordless approach using MFA without a smartphone that ensures students can easily access their learning environments securely. With no phone required for authentication, this is the first passwordless MFA solution from an industry-leading security and education solution provider for primary and secondary (K-12), and higher education students. Without having to rely on a homegrown or third-party identity provider (IdP), credentials can be set and distributed to students that may not have a phone to complete the setup. Additionally, this passwordless approach helps schools meet stringent cyber insurance requirements and qualify for a variety of government funding opportunities and cyber grant programs around the world, such as the recently announced $200 million FCC Cybersecurity Pilot Program for schools in the US.

By replacing passwords with your choice of convenient and secure options for passwordless authentication, you can transform the security of your entry points with best-in-class technology and increase your IT team’s productivity.

Why use MFA to go passwordless?

Passwords are often the weakest link in security protocols and can be easily guessed, stolen, or forgotten. As we grow more predictable in our password generation and choices, our vulnerability increases. According to a recent study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), more than 68% of primary school students and 81% of middle school and high school students reuse the same password across multiple accounts, making them vulnerable to identity theft and attacks. Even strong passwords are vulnerable because they are often reused across multiple sites—there have been a number of high-profile data breaches exposing millions of user passwords, and just one recycled password can give hackers the ability to conduct attacks across websites.

Unfortunately, students in particular may be more likely to use weak passwords or reuse passwords as they’re less aware of or concerned about security best practices. While traditional MFA does add an additional layer of protection, it’s still reliant on the use of a password and a second device.

Passwordless authentication helps minimize the threat of password theft while enabling easy sign-in security that achieves leading industry standards—all while providing a smooth and efficient experience for students, faculty, and IT. Passwordless authentication also doesn’t require a phone for use (FIDO2-compliant security keys can be used instead of apps, SMS, or voice calls) yet still leverages advanced technologies like biometrics and PINs, which are more secure, user-friendly, and popular based on feedback from end users.

Passwordless authentication with Microsoft adds multiple layers of safety for student data. For example, if biometrics are used as part of the Windows Hello face authentication system, the biometric data never leaves the device—the data is hashed and stored locally instead of on the cloud. Also, if using a PIN with Windows Hello, the PIN is tied to the specific device on which it is set up—so if a malicious actor obtains the PIN, they can’t use it to access the account from another device.

How to implement passwordless MFA

There are three main steps to planning, implementing, and managing passwordless MFA for students.

The first step is distributing Temporary Access Passes (TAP) which are often generated when passwords are provided to students for the first time or when students receive new devices. By using authentication methods in Microsoft Entra ID, you can control what MFA methods students are prompted to set up and use.

The second step is configuring devices. Depending on the device and system, passwordless sign-in methods can be configured for each operating system to meet your requirements:

• For Microsoft Intune-managed devices, there are two methods for configuring Windows Hello for Business: tenant-wide Windows Hello for Business policies or targeted policies. For more information, see Configure Windows Hello for Business.
• To use passwordless credentials on macOS, you can set up Platform SSO with secure enclave. For more information about setting up Platform SSO with Intune, see Configure Platform SSO for macOS devices.

Each operating system has a different implementation for device-bound passwordless credentials. For more detailed information on hardware requirements and bioinformatic information needed, see the Microsoft 365 Education documentation Passwordless for Students.

If you’re requiring students to use Microsoft Entra ID for authentication, configuring Conditional Access can ensure that only trusted individuals—in this case, students—can access managed devices with passwordless credentials. A Conditional Access policy can be configured with specific settings for Name, Target, and Grant. For more information, see Overview of Microsoft Entra authentication strength.

The third and final step is to maintain vigilance and quickly address any compromised devices. While passwordless credentials are unaffected by password changes, resets, or policies, if a device is compromised or stolen, there are a few options to resolve the incident. Some common actions include triggering a remote wipe of the compromised device, deleting the associated passwordless credential from the comprised device, and removing the authentication method associated with a user account.

Join the passwordless MFA movement

Transitioning to passwordless MFA without a smartphone is a significant step toward securing student data and enhancing the overall educational experience. By leveraging Microsoft’s robust tools and resources, educational institutions can create a safer, more efficient learning environment.

• For a detailed step-by-step guide on implementing passwordless authentication in your institution, visit Microsoft’s Passwordless Authentication for Education on Microsoft Learn.
• Learn more about MFA on the Microsoft Entra MFA page on the Microsoft Security website.
• For more information about passwordless authentication and Microsoft Entra ID, see Microsoft Entra passwordless sign-in.
• Take Microsoft Learn’s School Cybersecurity Leadership trainings to implement CISA-recommended cybersecurity practices for your institution.
• Stay connected with the latest in educational technology by following the Education Blog on the Microsoft Community Hub.

The post Empowering secure and seamless learning: Multifactor authentication without a smartphone 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.

Editor’s note 11/25/24: Microsoft Copilot for Security is now Microsoft Security Copilot.

AI is igniting enthusiasm in classrooms, department meetings, board rooms, and administrative offices across the country. For many, generative AI is changing what it means to create, solve problems, communicate, and even learn. It’s not just teachers and students embracing this new technology; education leaders are also turning to AI to improve operational processes and provide equitable access to resources among other opportunities. Usage rates indicate that leaders are embracing AI’s capabilities: 95% have used AI once or twice, and 47% use it daily. What’s more, leaders who have already strategically adopted AI are seeing a 3.4X return on their investment with benefits like faster innovation, reduced risk, and quick deployment of new services and experiences.

Despite these figures, widespread AI deployment is concerning because of data privacy, inaccuracies, copyright, plagiarism, and equity. The people in charge of spearheading AI initiatives—superintendents, provosts, directors of technology, and ministers of education—have come to realize that AI systems in education settings require responsible AI practices, trust, and transparency to provide quality, secure experiences that address known concerns. Leaders also need practical guidance on how to use AI systems, security measures that protect sensitive data, policy recommendations, and training programs for faculty and staff.  

Microsoft recognizes that leveraging AI in education requires new kinds of support for leaders who are considering AI for their schools. That’s why Microsoft Vice President Paige Johnson announced the release of the Microsoft Education AI Toolkit during Reimagine Education 2024.   

The Microsoft Education AI Toolkit provides education leaders with relevant background knowledge, strategies, and recommendations for launching AI initiatives in K-20 settings. It also includes customer stories and technical profiles that showcase how institutions around the globe are already using AI for teaching, learning, and administration. What’s inside of the toolkit provides those in charge with the necessary information that they need to jumpstart their own AI journey.  

Get started by exploring the Microsoft Education AI Toolkit and continue reading to learn how K-20 institutions are implementing AI and how copilots address important education needs.  

What is the Microsoft Education AI Toolkit?

The Microsoft Education AI Toolkit contains suggestions, recommendations, and information that you can use to begin implementing AI tools throughout your organization. It features low-stakes practice opportunities with Microsoft Copilot prompts that align with the duties and responsibilities of today’s education leaders. You’ll learn how to quickly do things like draft an academic integrity policy, evaluate files for bias and inclusivity, and create an email message with evidence and citations.  

Written specifically for education leaders in K-12 and higher education, the toolkit includes five sections with content that’s frequently requested by schools and institutions:  

• Overview: Refresh your knowledge of the basics of generative AI, explore Microsoft’s commitment to safe and inclusive tools, and meet Microsoft Copilot.  
• Plan: Find student resources, consider data governance and security posture, get tips for institutional policy creation, and stay current on responsible use of AI. 
• Implement: Experiment with Copilot tools with practice prompts and step-by-step directions. Then, select learning experiences to update professional development for your staff.  
• AI Navigators: Discover institutions at the forefront of research, experimentation, and the adoption of generative AI solutions in education.  
• Research: Explore an evergreen collection of current research on AI in teaching and learning.  

As you go through the sections, you’ll be introduced to Microsoft’s responsibly designed AI systems called copilots. The toolkit contains examples of how:   

• Microsoft Copilot offers content creation capabilities like writing course syllabi, outlining agendas for faculty meetings, and producing FAQs for adopted technologies. 
• Copilot for Microsoft 365 helps leaders generate presentations from documents, summarize reports, and auto-draft messages for different audiences. 
• Copilot in Windows addresses common school issues like troubleshooting audio and video, silencing notifications, and finding documents when the file name is unknown. 
• Copilot for Security helps IT professionals investigate incidents, develop remediation steps, and research emerging threats. 
• Azure AI Studio allows schools to build custom copilots that deliver fine-tuned responses using institutional data.  

Equally as important, you’ll see how other schools and universities are integrating copilots into their daily workflow and realizing tremendous benefits. People like Chief Information and Security Officer David McMorries will describe how his IT team used Copilot for Security to address vulnerabilities in the systems that store valuable research at Oregon State University. 

Just like Oregon State University, educational organizations across the world are accomplishing complex tasks with Microsoft’s AI assistants—from school districts to ministries of education to Research 1 (R1) universities. Whether you’re reading a toolkit story about how teachers use Microsoft Copilot to write equitable lessons in Wichita or how Washington State Superintendent Chris Reykdal embedded AI throughout the state’s curriculum standards, you’ll gain awareness of how innovative leaders are embracing the new age of AI. Plus, each story comes with a technical implementation guide so that you can replicate what’s already been done. 

The Microsoft Education AI Toolkit is designed to be your companion for implementing safe, secure AI experiences in your institution. Share the guide with others so that everyone can participate in what can be a transformative educational opportunity. 

Bring opportunity to life with AI in Education 

Explore the Microsoft Education AI Toolkit today and experiment with the sample Microsoft Copilot prompts. When you’re ready to learn more, check out the AI learning hub on Microsoft Learn or watch Reimagine Education to see other exciting AI developments. 

The post Kickstart your school’s AI journey with the Microsoft Education AI Toolkit 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.

When a cyber threat escalates into a successful attack, schools and institutions stand to lose more than just the money that’s required to recover the stolen information. There’s an erosion of trust between the organization in charge of protecting data and the families whose information was stolen. Successful ransomware attempts and other cyber threats also present an additional challenge in education: Cyber criminals usually lock down critical systems to force institutions to pay large ransom payments. This halts operations and can lead to school shutdowns that last for days or weeks as IT administrators recover and restore lost data.  

That’s why the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recommends that all K-20 institutions implement a data backup and recovery system to restore essential services when an incident or outage occurs. A strong disaster recovery strategy ensures uninterrupted operations and quick recovery in the event of service interruptions or data corruption. In the case of a ransom wear attack, maintaining operational continuity and recovering data is essential for learning.  

Microsoft offers two different services that enable schools and institutions to safely and confidently backup data and restore applications and infrastructure: Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery. The Arizona Department of Education and Waseda University use these services as a part of a well-rounded business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) strategy, and both have helped them simplify management, reduce data recovery time, and gain substantial return on investment.   

Continue reading to learn more about Microsoft’s industry-leading cybersecurity solutions and to: 

• Understand how Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery help primary and secondary (K-12) schools and higher education institutions manage, store, and save data in the event of a disaster or outage. 
• Explore how Waseda University and the Arizona Department of Education use Azure Backup to maintain critical systems that serve thousands of students, educators, and administrators. 
• Discover the importance of quickly recovering from outages with applications like Azure Site Recovery. 
• Protect your critical assets against ransomware with Azure Backup.   

Use Azure Backup for continuous data protection, compliance, and protection against ransomware

Azure Backup is a cost-effective, one-click backup solution that scales with a school or institution’s backup storage needs. Azure Backup provides:  

• Centralized management: Monitor, operate, govern, and optimize data protection through a centralized Azure Business Continuity Center.  
• Ransomware protection: Azure Backup provides a host of resilient protection capabilities such as immutability, soft delete for recovery of deleted data, granular access control, multi-user authorization, built-in security alerts, and more. 
• Multiple-workload support: Back up on-premises servers, Azure Virtual machines, SQL Server and SAP HANA on Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Files, Azure Blobs, Azure Disk, Azure Database for PostgreSQL, and Azure Kubernetes Service clusters.  
• Durable storage options: Use locally redundant storage (LRS), geo-redundant storage (GRS), and zone-redundant storage (ZRS) for storage. 
• Cost effective: Options such as archive tiering and reserved capacity pricing to further optimize costs.  

For budget-conscious schools and institutions, Azure Backup reduces the cost associated with backing up data and systems. IT administrators can access Backup reports to gauge the amount of required storage as well as send recovery points to the archive tier for significant savings in storage costs and compliance. There’s also a Backup pricing estimator for determining the cost of backing up any type of workload.  

Simplifying continuity planning at Waseda University 

When Hiroto Shibayama, IT Strategies Division Manager at Waseda University, realized that his university needed to strengthen its infrastructure by moving financial services to the cloud, he turned to Microsoft and its vendor partners to help migrate the University’s SAP systems and setup business continuity planning in the event of a major disruption. Shibayama adopted Azure Backup because of its capability to back up SAP systems–something that proved to be difficult with the University’s existing on-premises infrastructure.  

After migrating to Azure, we used geo-redundant storage in Azure Backup to be able to retain backup data in East and West Japan, thereby enhancing our disaster recovery measures.

Hiroto Shibayama, IT Strategies Division Manager, Waseda University  

Administrators immediately reaped the benefits. Shibayama noted that Azure backup helped Waseda University address business continuity planning (BCP) issues that proved difficult to surmount with other backup solutions. Additionally, the total cost of Azure Backup—the initial purchase and the five-year running cost—was also less than the previous system, and consolidating vendors reduced operational maintenance because all systems were migrated to the cloud within the centralized Azure portal. 

Backing up systems for the Arizona Department of Education 

Azure Backup also helped administrators from the Arizona Department of Education achieve peace of mind in the event of a disaster in one of their major systems—all on a shrinking budget.  

Like many primary and secondary school systems facing budget shortfalls, Edward Block and Chris Henry, administrators in the Arizona Department of Education (ADE), have had to do more with less for the past few years. Arizona’s budget constraints have impacted how Block and Henry manage large initiatives like the Arizona Education Data Standards (AzEDS), a data management system that processes millions of daily transactions from multiple information systems spanning the state’s 650 districts.  

The scale of the AzEDS system and its overall importance to daily operations made Block and Henry realize that a BCDR strategy was essential. Any major outage or disruption to AzEDS would be catastrophic from their perspective; in addition to being the primary reporting and data tracking tool for over 1 million students and 50,000 educators, ADE also used the AzEDS system to disperse and manage over $6.5 billion in school funding. 

With help from Microsoft partners like Veeam Software, ADE was able to set up an innovative backup, recovery, and data management solution. Azure’s flexibility enabled Veeam to easily integrate multitiered Blob Storage. “We have immutable backups coming from Veeam and immutable storage in Azure—both working in tandem protect our business continuity and data recovery,” said Henry.  

Manage outages and orchestrate disaster recovery with Azure Site Recovery

Creating backups is one piece of BCDR strategies. Schools and universities also need to maintain operations and recover systems after disruptions occur. While traditional disaster recovery solutions are often piecemeal, expensive, and increase administrative overhead, Azure Site Recovery is a unified system that helps schools and institutions manage outages, and prevent downtime. 

Azure Site Recovery manages and orchestrates disaster recovery for Azure virtual machines, on-premises virtual machines, and physical servers. Because Azure Site Recovery is simple and cost-effective, there’s no need to purchase additional hardware or hire more IT administrators. It offers resiliency against zonal and regional outages. Using Azure Site Recovery, disaster recovery drills can be conducted to be prepared against any disaster without affecting ongoing replication. Schools and institutions only need to pay for the compute resources in the event of a disaster recovery drill or a real disaster. Azure Site Recovery also has a best-in-class recovery point objective so that complex systems like SAP and SharePoint can be restored in as little as 30 minutes. 

Built-in comprehensive security and compliance

Are you ready to learn how Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery can help you implement a comprehensive BCDR strategy that aligns with CISA cybersecurity recommendations? View these infographics to see how both solutions enable primary and secondary (K-12) schools and higher education institutions to remain operational when outages or disasters happen. 

The post Protect educational data with Azure appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Editor’s note 11/25/24: Microsoft Copilot for Security is now Microsoft Security Copilot.

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.

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.