campusreview.com.au
TECHNOLOGY
Data defence
Managing mobile device
use on campus.
By Rashmi Sankaran
Mobile devices have evolved
over the years, becoming an
important tool not only for
businesses but for educational institutions.
The wide range of modern education apps
and the flexibility of mobile devices have
enabled educational institutions to facilitate
improved and collaborative learning by
endorsing digital strategies like ‘bring your
own device’ (BYOD) and the customised
use of smartphones, tablets and laptops.
A 2018 study conducted across specific
universities in Australia and New Zealand
reported that 93.8 per cent of the 21,095
students surveyed used laptops, 81.6 per
cent used smartphones, and 30 per cent
used tablets to support their learning.
However, while mobile devices are
increasing in popularity in education, they
do present many management challenges
for institutions. Here are some of these
challenges and how to overcome them.
DEPLOYING MULTIPLE,
READY-TO-USE DEVICES
Resources such as digital textbooks,
presentations and videos, and educational
apps like Kahoot!, Apple Schoolwork and
Google Classroom, often need to be
deployed on multiple devices and platforms.
All these resources need to be constantly
updated, since unpatched applications
are a major security issue. But this isn’t the
only issue to consider. Institution-owned
devices accessing public WiFi networks
and password fatigue (a result of students
having to remember multiple credentials to
access different resources) are both major
security concerns as well.
To simplify device deployment and
maintenance, educational institutions can
centralise mobile device management
using automated enrolment programs
requiring minimal admin intervention,
like Apple School Manager and Android’s
zero-touch enrolment. Basic configurations
like automatic connection to secure WiFi
networks and single sign-on (SSO) for
one-time login into applications can help
secure devices, get them ready for use, and
eliminate password fatigue.
Alternatively, devices can be grouped
based on departments, grades, subjects
and specific requirements like classroom
activities and student abilities, so that the
corresponding group polices (provisioning,
security and OS update management),
apps (store and in-house), and content
(textbooks, presentations, videos, etc) are
deployed automatically in one go.
STREAMLINING DEVICE USE
The availability of multiple apps, device
functionalities and internet access can distract
students and, at times, lead to misuse. These
problems can be eliminated by locking
down devices to specific apps, which blocks
access to browsers, Siri and Google Assistant.
Features like screen capture, predictive text,
and spellcheck can also be restricted.
ACHIEVING DATA SECURITY
AND COMPLIANCE
Since educational institutions are
repositories for large amounts of sensitive
data belonging to students, parents
and faculty, they are vulnerable to data
breaches. It is also not unusual for a student
to lose a mobile device, leaving sensitive
data prone to misuse.
To ensure data loss prevention measures
are in place, students can be restricted from
browsing malicious websites, installing
unapproved apps, sharing data via AirDrop
or Bluetooth, and backing up data onto
third-party services like iCloud or Google
Drive. The reactive measures to avoid
these bad practices include blacklisting
malicious apps, along with implementing
fencing policies and remote security
commands to track, lock and completely
(or selectively in the case of BYOD) wipe
lost or stolen devices.
Besides ensuring data security, adhering
to the compliance standards mandated
by the institution or region is essential to
avoid severe penalties. In November 2019,
the University of Rochester Medical Center
in New York was fined heavily for violating
the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act when an unencrypted
laptop was stolen, putting sensitive patient
data at risk.
A small yet effective step towards
achieving privacy compliance is providing
a sandboxed (containerised) environment
on student-owned devices. This will isolate
the educational content from the student’s
personal data, making it easier to apply
container-specific policies to devices,
and ensure the sensitive data within those
containers remains secure while maintaining
the privacy of the user’s personal data.
MAINTENANCE AND INVENTORY
OF DEVICES
To help admins evaluate hardware
requirements, perform strategic decisionmaking
and establish comprehensive asset
and event accountability, it’s essential
to maintain dedicated audit reports and
granular device inventories that include
a record of the apps installed, policies
distributed, compliance status and so on.
Implementing automated notification
emails regarding critical events ensures
accurate licence counts and timely
renewal, helps detect when devices are
stolen, and alerts about risky devices like
jailbroken or rooted devices so they can
quickly be removed from the institution’s
network. On top of this, features like remote
troubleshooting that offer remote control
and remote screen viewing can help with
fixing issues immediately.
Overcoming device management
challenges is vital for the optimal use of
mobile devices in educational institutions.
Although the process of identifying
each institution’s specific challenges
and solutions can be cumbersome,
implementing the suggestions above can
help to simplify the process. This enables
institutions to move towards effective
mobile device management strategies,
which in turn improves the education
experiences of students and teachers. ■
Rashmi Sankaran is a product consultant
at ManageEngine.
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