In the realm of education, where data drives innovation in student outcomes, security is paramount. Unfortunately, coordination and collaboration at state and local levels has been cumbersome and complex, which slows down improvements in both cybersecurity and student outcome innovation. It's time for a different approach to identity management among state education systems with identity and access management that overcomes the challenges of coordination and collaboration across districts, agencies and higher education institutions. 

On Monday (3/21/22), the White House released a statement by President Biden on our Nation’s Cybersecurity warning that “based on evolving intelligence” U.S. companies and organizations need to urgently harden their cybersecurity defenses against potentially imminent cyberattacks.

Cybersecurity experts have long touted that “the traditional perimeter is dead” and have advocated for a zero-trust and identity-centric approach to security. However, if your identities are the most important element of a modern cybersecurity program, it is an unfortunate, but real truth that they are also the biggest threat to your systems.

Sometimes complex problems require complex solutions. And sometimes those complex solutions cause even more complex problems. However, this cycle can be eliminated altogether by adhering to the one cardinal rule that we all learned in grade school: show your work!