Building a secure digital classroom

03 October 2024

Nicola Pearce, head of education, BenQ

Digital infrastructures will continue to be a significant part of the classroom and school network. Every piece of technology must be completely secure to safeguard children from potential security risks and inappropriate online content, as well as protect teachers’ data.

Schools already have significant experience with security and safeguarding tools and will need to amend these for the digital era. Education establishments can ensure they mitigate any possible security risks or data leaks within the school setting through security measures embedded within tools such as interactive displays, account and device management systems, and online cloud services or software.

The Online Safety Bill, designed to protect children online and tackle harmful material, came into force in early 2023. As technology continues to evolve, legislation will constantly change and be updated, but teachers require a consistently secure classroom in the meantime.

Securing assets for a school network
Both teachers and IT teams can implement a range of tools to secure assets within their classrooms and build a secure EdTech infrastructure. Multi-factor authentication, secure cloud services access, age-regulated or app restrictions, and secure single sign-on (SSO) capabilities enable teachers to safeguard children from inappropriate content and prevent unwarranted access to sensitive information.

The ongoing maintenance and security of devices within a school network is vital. Teachers must be educated on the latest best practices to follow whilst in the classroom, and IT teams must support teachers by leading the implementation of a secure network and technology infrastructure.

Remote management of displays through the cloud can ensure all interactive devices are up to date with the latest software patches to prevent security breaches. This means that central IT teams can manage the security of devices from one remote location, across multiple campuses or schools

How to build a secure digital classroom
Utilising the benefits of the cloud is just one important step towards building a safe and secure digital classroom. Firstly, ensuring lesson materials and documents are safely backed up to the cloud allows teachers to ensure that work is not lost when hardware fails or is stolen.

Secondly, tools like ‘single sign on’ can be extremely useful for teachers, saving time logging in and out of multiple devices or platforms, and remembering different logins or passwords. But this method can lead to potential security breaches meaning IT teams will need to manage and monitor carefully. IT departments must consider how secure their single sign-on practices are.

Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) and scanning via authenticator apps can also provide extra layers of protection against unauthorised access, especially when devices are shared across multiple classrooms in schools.

Auto-log out methods should be implemented to ensure all devices will automatically log out after periods of inactivity, to ensure students cannot use devices without a teacher present and any data stored on the device is protected from unauthorised users.

Proving that a device has secured the necessary governance guidance and international standards, such as the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) guidelines or the GDPR is one way to ensure the chosen technology is secure. This guidance mandates that manufacturers of UK consumer connectable products comply with relevant obligations to meet minimum security requirements.

All technology should support end-to-end encryption for data transmitted between devices and servers. When shared devices are used, schools must ensure that each user account is compartmentalised, and has its own dedicated space, so that each user has access only to their designated files and data.

How technology can be used to help secure schools

As technology in schools continues to grow, so must the need for robust security. AI is now a fixture in day-to-day life and although many have concerns, it can play an integral part in managing security in schools. For example, many interactive classroom boards currently have two-way mirroring features, meaning students can share from their mobile devices without the need for cables interconnecting the devices.

There are multiple EdTech tools now at a school’s disposal, and with this comes the need to ensure that robust security goes hand-in-hand. Practicing good safety measures not only builds a robust online environment but can also teach students the importance of security and embedding safety measures at an early stage, both in the digital classroom and across other corners of their daily lives.