Making the case for your cybersecurity strategy

Blackbaud, Proctor U, Solarwinds. You recognize them all for what the companies have in common: Each has suffered cybersecurity break-ins, driving their customers — including numerous institutions of higher education — into maelstroms of breach disclosure, victim restitution and negative headlines. It's possible that people and systems within your own school may have been affected.

Yet, in spite of seemingly unending security problems, you may still find you still have to lobby hard for every dollar and resource needed to put up a solid security front that will keep the bad actors out.

Given the "when" not "if" nature of cybersecurity incidents, college executives and administrators need to acknowledge the importance of the topic and invite the experts in regularly to educate them on what's to be done.