Universities face more than 3,500 cyberattacks per week. Protecting online platforms requires a combination of the latest tools, techniques, guidelines, and training. Apollidon Learning uses these strategies to keep our university partners, student data, and online platforms secure.
 
For Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we turned to Apollidon’s director of IT, Sandhya Bathini, for insight on how universities can protect their online platforms—and how Apollidon can support them.

What Can Universities Do to Protect Their Online Platforms?

Preventing cyberattacks requires a multilayered approach. Sandhya emphasizes: “There are tools and techniques. Employee training is number one: making them aware of cybersecurity best practices.”
 
Sandhya recommends using extensive measures, including:

  • Multifactor authentication for logins
  • Data encryption
  • VPNs
  • Limited system and data access 
  • Frequent OS updates
  • Strong passwords
  • Antivirus, malware, and spyware protection
  • Incident response plans
  • Clear IT policies
  • Regular audits to identify vulnerabilities

What Future Cyber Threats Can Universities Expect?

Cyberattacks are growing more complex, with attackers constantly changing and updating their methods. Sandhya shares what she sees as the biggest future cyberthreats to universities and their online platforms:

“Deepfakes and the use of AI in everything. AI is going to help everybody. But when it comes to phishing, ransomware attacks, and deepfakes, they’re making more realistic fake videos and audio recordings with AI to impersonate individuals. And spreading misinformation. All of that is also going to increase with AI. That’s why being more aware of what’s being done in the field is important.”

Data and systems require constant scrutiny. Those responsible for cybersecurity need to stay sharp, ask critical questions, and investigate threats carefully. Like Sandhya points out, staying informed isn’t optional—it’s a must.

Keeping the Apollidon Team Vigilant

As IT director, Sandhya makes sure all Apollidon employees have the technology they need to complete their work. But that’s only part of her job. She also stays on top of developments in the cybersecurity world—including emerging threats. That knowledge helps her protect Apollidon and universities alike.

How Does Apollidon Protect University Partners’ Online Platforms?

Sandhya explains our approach:

“We do everything in our power to protect client and student information. We do not store students’ sensitive data to begin with. Everybody that has access to student data is FERPA-compliant. We store even non-FERPA data we receive in secure platforms. We comply with all university guidelines.”

Most importantly: we do everything we recommend university partners do to protect themselves. We’re that third party that has “top cybersecurity protocols in place.” This means you can always count on us to:

  • Use multifactor authentication and strong passwords
  • Keep operating systems and software up to date
  • Limit access to systems and data
  • Block viruses, malware, spyware, ransomware, and other threats

Sandhya and the entire Apollidon team have your back. Let us put our marketing, student outreach and engagement, website architecture, and cybersecurity expertise to work for your online programs!                                                                                                                                                        

Contact us for a customized consultation.

Sources:
https://www.bitlyft.com/resources/the-state-of-higher-education-cybersecurity-insights-trends