You Can’t Protect What You Don’t Know You Have: Why Asset and Data Visibility Are the Foundation of K–12 Cybersecurity
Before you can secure anything, you have to know it exists. That sounds simple, almost obvious, but in K–12 environments, it’s one of the most overlooked fundamentals in cybersecurity. Devices get added over time. Cloud tools accumulate quietly. Permissions expand gradually. Old systems linger longer than expected. And slowly, the environment grows more complex than anyone realizes. Knowing what you have, devices, systems, applications, data, and access, is the starting point for meaningful risk management. Without that visibility, security becomes guesswork. This Is Risk Assessment at Its Core When people hear “risk assessment,” they often think of long documents, audits, or compliance checklists. But at its core, risk assessment starts with two simple questions: What do we have? What data are we responsible for protecting? In K–12, that data often includes: Student records (FERPA-protected information) Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Special education documentation Health ...