[Tech-l] New Funding for Cyber Security Awareness Training

[Thor Sage]

Good morning,
For those of you receiving FOCUS Education, you may have noticed an announcement associated with the DeWine Administration's desire to fund cyber security awareness training for all K-12 schools in Ohio (see below).  MVECA will be facilitating the procurement of TechGuard for this region and will be putting together a rollout plan to help districts implement the training.  For those districts that have already purchased TechGuard, this funding should extend your current subscription.  For new districts, MVECA will need your staff counts in order to place orders.  Feel free to send me those staff counts at your convenience.  I will follow up soon with additional details on the rollout.
Thank you,
Thor

Thor Sage
Executive Director
Miami Valley Educational Computer Association
937-767-1468  x3101
[http://www.mveca.org/images/logo.gif]<http://www.mveca.org/>       [i] <https://www.linkedin.com/company/mveca/>
Not-for-profit Technology Services for Education and Local Governments



DeWine Administration Announces New Initiative to Improve Schools' Cybersecurity The DeWine administration said Friday that a range of state entities will be collaborating to increase K-12 schools' cybersecurity through statewide implementation of TechGuard, a platform equipping schools and Ohio's 16 Information Technology Centers (ITCs) with resources for cybersecurity training and simulated cyberattacks. Schools are seen as "prime targets" for cybercriminals, according to the administration, due to student data, staff records and limited cyber defenses. The TechGuard training will help school administrators, educators, and students identify phishing attempts, email scams, and other types of common attacks. Participating organizations include CyberOhio, the Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) and the Ohio Education Computer Network's Management Council, which will implement the program. "Protecting our schools and equipping our teachers with training to help them identify and report cyberattacks helps make our schools safer and stronger," said Gov. Mike DeWine. "I launched CyberOhio as a way to help more schools and businesses fight cyberattacks. These threats continue to evolve over time as technology changes, so we need to remain proactive in training people to spot the warning signs and protect our critical IT systems." "Through this statewide opportunity, we are providing Ohio's schools with a critical tool to combat the threat of cyberattacks," added DEW Director Stephen D. Dackin. "From my years as a school superintendent, I know that protecting our systems from these types of attacks is of paramount importance. I am pleased that we can deliver this support to Ohio's schools." Management Council CEO Geoff Andrews described how the TechGuard has over 1,300 learning modules, which can be "configured and further customized to challenge and educate individuals and groups based on roles within a school - from coaches to food service to classroom teachers and administrators." "The software includes assessments that deliver feedback to users and administrators to assure that all school staff are participating and become proficient in recognizing and defeating these events," he added.
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