FERPA

FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal statute designed to safeguard the confidentiality of student education records. This law is applicable to all educational institutions receiving funds from relevant U.S. Department of Education programs.

FERPA grants specific rights to parents concerning their children's educational records. These rights are transferred to the student when they turn 18 or enroll in a post-high school institution.

Educational institutions hold diverse data, including business, student, parent, employee, donor, and card data. The majority of these records are stored in electronic data systems and web-based applications accessible on the internet, making them more susceptible to breaches. The risk extends not only from external threats, but also from internal users who may lack awareness of proper security practices.

It is the responsibility of schools to safeguard their students. Protection involves ensuring physical safety during school-related events, preventing criminal attacks on campus, and addressing cyber threats and vulnerabilities across school-owned devices, Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, and personal mobile devices on the network. While institutions traditionally manage physical and cybersecurity separately, there is a growing necessity to intertwine the two for comprehensive protection.

TruTek specializes in security services for educational various organizations. Our expertise covers safety, security, student affairs, residential life, fire protection, law enforcement, risk management, student conduct, and legal compliance.

• We provide the following security services:
• Centralized cybersecurity program management
• Shared policy development and implementation
• Shared-services models for efficiency across institutions
• Multi-institution cybersecurity service delivery
• Virtual ISO and cybersecurity team management
• Scalable cybersecurity control implementation
• Cybersecurity teams for each campus
• Security assessments, considering funding requirements and organizational risks
• Cybersecurity assessments, including risk and vulnerability assessments, instructional technology assessments, staffing and funding assessments, bond programming and planning, and comprehensive technology assessments
• Technology planning, helping develop detailed budgets and aligning with funding sources
• Emergency operations planning, budgeting, planning for projects and initiatives, staffing, funding, and governance planning, technology and security master planning, and visioning workshops
• School systems design, providing schematic design, design development, construction documents, and requests for proposals/competitive sealed proposals

Additionally, we assist in Cyber Security Compliance for various businesses. Our services focus on identifying and addressing security exposures, proactively detecting and responding to threats, and supporting compliance with FERPA and other data security standards/laws. With extensive experience in working with educational institutions, we understand the unique security challenges these organizations face and offer tailored solutions.