In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the world saw an unprecedented shift to remote work. In the higher education community particularly, the challenge for security teams in protecting staff and students as they work from home while ensuring data security has been significant.
Understanding the range of obstacles faced, what we are learning from the pandemic and how to overcome the challenges, Obscure Technologies invited experts in the fields of cybersecurity and higher education to participate in a Palo Alto Networks webinar, “Deliver academic freedom while preventing successful cyberattacks”.
The participating experts were:
- Trevor Coetzee, director of regional sales, SADC, Palo Alto Networks;
- Haider Pasha, senior director and chief security officer for Northern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Palo Alto Networks; and
- Louis Marais, head: systems, platforms and networks: ICT services, University of the Free State.
With the focus on cybersecurity, an integration strategy and automation — together with priorities and investments with an outcome-driven approach — the participants shared their insights into the process of digital transformation in the higher educational community.
A wide range of topics were discussed, including:
- Managing the risk of access, resulting in academic freedom – for students and for faculties;
- Ensuring that no student is left behind;
- Effective management of costs – particularly around mobile network operators and high data costs;
- Dealing with multiple platforms and endpoint products, management platforms, and teams;
- Remote access killing gateways;
- • Securing third-party devices;
- Integrating the traditional multiple layers of security; and
- Vendor fragmentation.
Palo Alto Networks is recognised as a leader in research and development in the higher education arena with a suite of products that provide automated protection that propels education. The Palo Alto Networks approach provides the critical success factors for an integrated cybersecurity strategy — “A Zero Trust Strategy” — and ensures that the network elements are secure and communicate as one.
In its vast understanding of the challenges faced by higher education institutes, Palo Alto Networks has complied a white paper, “Security Reference Blueprint for Higher Education”. This is available through the webinar link.
About Obscure Technologies
Obscure Technologies is a firm of experts, specialised in brokering the best security solutions to market. Obscure Technologies dreams, lives and breathes security – which, for us, is more than selling a point security product. By keeping up to date with dynamic security trends, global developments, local markets and the uppermost benchmarks of service, we are able to sustain and enhance our own expertise. This culminates in end-to-end innovative technology and professional solutions for our partner community. More information is available at www.obscuretech.net.
