Endpoint Resilience™ Report | Education Edition 2020/21 Distance Learning’s Impact on Education IT New research from Absolute® examines the effects of distance learning on endpoint health, device usage, safety, and security as schools adapt to remote and hybrid learning models in 2020/21. Page 2 Endpoint Resilience™ Report | Education Edition | 2020/21 Executive Summary The COVID-19 pandemic caused The additional COVID-19-related As a standard platform deployed in an acceleration of K-12 education’s expenses for an average U.S. school over 1,200 schools and districts in digital roadmap in several key areas. district are estimated to be in the North America, Absolute embarked range of $1.7 million, or about $500 on its second annual education The rapid shift to remote or distance per student.4 technology research project to learning in spring 2020 revealed that better understand and address the access to Wi-Fi and digital devices at In summary, large and small schools challenges facing K-12 education in home was inadequate for millions and districts find themselves in an this unique 2020/21 school year. We 1 of U.S. households. The so-called unprecedented situation — they looked at anonymized, de-identified “homework gap” moved from are educating broad and diverse data from millions of education being an issue of digital inequity student populations with distance endpoints to find the answer to key in the home to becoming a major learning for the first time; navigating questions such as: roadblock to learning for millions of new learning platforms; finding students. new ways to engage students with • How can school districts stay unfamiliar technology; and investing connected to — and manage — a Schools responded by accelerating in professional development to more mobile device inventory? or creating programs that support teachers. And they’re doing ensured students could learn this on tighter budgets with fewer • How are devices being used by online, regardless of the technical resources. K-12 students? infrastructure. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, 82% of schools in the U.S. Further, the cybersecurity • What technology is required to provided student devices in one-to- challenges highlighted in Absolute’s enable the remote classroom? 2 5 one or similar programs , though K-12 report last year have grown. • How are students engaging not all of those devices left the With many teachers and IT staff with online learning tools? school grounds. Today, schools are working from home and many getting closer to a device for every students learning remotely — • Does distance learning student — with few restrictions on outside the safe perimeter of technology put students and device movement.3 the school network and web schools at greater risk? filters — cybersecurity incidents The rapid response rates across are increasing and, even more • What can schools do to make both public and private sectors concerning, they’re happening off their devices more resilient in complicated planning for the the school network where IT has the 2020/21 school year? school year, as contradictory policy no visibility. As a result, education recommendations circulated. This report includes a summary and is still the most vulnerable sector, analysis of our findings. Federal stimulus packages for public accounting for 60% of all malware education are rolled out, while, attacks.6 simultaneously, state and local education budgets are tightened. 1 Digital Divide Persists Even as Lower-Income Americans Make Gains in Tech Adoption. Pew Research, 2019. 2 CoSN’s 2019 K-12 IT Leadership Survey Report Consortium of School Networking. CoSN, 2019. 3 Coronavirus Pushes Schools Closer to a Computer for Every Student. EdWeek, 2020. 4 With Budget Cuts Looming, Here’s How Districts Will Decide What to Keep or Cut. EdSurge, 2020. 5 Verizon’s 2020 Data Breach Investigations Report. Verizon, 2020. 6 Global Threat Activity. Microsoft, 2020. Page 3 Endpoint Resilience™ Report | Education Edition | 2020/21 Key Insights Distance Learningʼs Impact on Education IT COVID-19 caused an acceleration of K-12 education’s New research by Absolute digital roadmap in three key areas: examines the effects Closing the “homework gap” to enable digital of distance learning on learning. 1 Mobile hotspots are increasingly going home, with students, endpoint health, device creating an "always-connected" online learning dynamic1 usage, safety, and security Enabling remote and hybrid learning models. as schools adapt to remote 2 75% of schools intend to operate remote or hybrid models2 and hybrid learning models in the 2020/21 school year. Protecting students, staff, and schools from cyberattacks. 60% of all malware attacks (particularly ransomware) occur in 3 education3 To better understand what is happening on the ground, 12 analyst reports and millions of devices Absolute studied: 10,000 Schools and Districts peer research This is what we discovered… Reliance on devices to drive IT teams are doing School devices are mainly learning outcomes has more with less. being used for learning. While federal stimulus packages may help increased. 40% in the short term, long-term budgets are 16% YouTube, Edgenuity®, uncertain: Google Docs™, and 5% Google Classrooms 61% 28% $750B are where most increase in devices rise in daily active predicted decrease in state and 11% students are local government budgets5 spending their time. used heavily hours used 27% $3.7B z Education and Online Learning 8% 80% additional COVID-19 costs6 Entertainment and Videos increase in the of schools have or z number of older plan to purchase z Cloud-Sharing Services devices in school more devices to z Web Search fleets enable remote $500 Other learning4 incremental per student z distance-learning costs7 Page 4 Endpoint Resilience™ Report | Education Edition | 2020/21 As more devices go home, 20% of all devices have 41% of school IT teams said 30 devices missing on IT teams are challenged to gone dark or have not been tracking lost or missing average at each school in manage them: online so far in the first five devices is a big challenge.8 the past nine months. months of 2020 To support and manage Remote learning With increasing complexity, remotely, IT teams are rolling out is creating tech device security is more Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) support challenges challenging than ever. and collaboration applications. that are taking away valuable time from teachers to of devices have out-of-date "teach". 72% OS versions (two or more versions old) unique patch versions across Windows 10 devices alone increase87% in remote 454 desktop protocol (RDP) 9 out of 10 teachers usage. reported spending more time troubleshooting RemotePC™ Zoho Assist technology problems9 141% spike in outdated Chrome OS increase in collaboration LogMeIn Pro® GoToMyPC® software. 81% versions, due to new versions Connectwise Control® released in early April 2020 WebEx® Zoom Skype™ Parallels® Access Microsoft Teams™ Slack® TeamViewer Splashtop® Blue Jeans Pidgin Chrome Remote Desktop 7 out of 10 teachers Flock™ GoToMeeting® Remote Desktop Manager reported spending days average patch age for less time on student Windows 10 devices Microsoft Lync™ Join.Me RemoteUtilities® for Windows instruction during 183 COVID-19 than when they ! were they were in their physical classroom10 But the FBI warned schools of the increased risk of RDP as a vector for ransomware!11 days average patch age for 31 MacOS devices 1. Coronavirus Pushes Schools Closer to a Computer COVID-19? Learning Policy Institute, 2020. for Every Student. EdWeek, 2020. 7. What Will It Take to Stabilize Schools in the Time of 2. School Districts’ Reopening Plans: A Snapshot COVID-19? Learning Policy Institute, 2020. (2020, July 28). EdWeek, 2020. 8. Distance Learning Study. Hanover Research, 2020. 3. Global Threat Activity. Microsoft, 2020. 9. How COVID-19 Is Shaping Tech Use. What That 4. Distance Learning Study. Hanover Research, 2020. Means When Schools Reopen. EdWeek, 2020. of schools have at least one 5. Projected State Shortfalls Grow as Economic 10. How COVID-19 Is Shaping Tech Use. What That 46% device that uses rogue or Forecasts Worsen. Center on Budget and Policy Means When Schools Reopen. EdWeek, 2020. non-authorized VPN or web Priorities, 2020. 11. FBI Warns K12 Schools of Ransomware Attacks via proxy applications (up 4 6. What Will It Take to Stabilize Schools in the Time of RDP. ZDNet, 2020. percentage points from 2019) Page 5 Endpoint Resilience™ Report | Education Edition | 2020/21 New Challenges Facing Schools in 2020/21 There are extensive changes distance learning on short notice. 2. Expansion of 1:1 and Other taking place in the K-12 education Since periodic outbreaks are to Student Device Programs Placing technology landscape as a result of be expected in the coming years, Stress on Over-Stretched IT Teams COVID-19 school closures and other operational agility is now a critical In 2020, there was an excessive and distancing requirements. These capability for IT teams. hurried demand for new devices changes are accelerating digital from education ministries, school transformation efforts and reducing Following any distance learning districts, and schools across the digital inequity in education. The periods, devices that have been world in response to impending rapid speed of change is creating connected to insecure home or school closures and the shift to new challenges for the education public Wi-Fi networks will connect distant learning.8 IT teams that must support the back to the school network. IT teams near tectonic shift that has taken will have to ensure these devices Many schools pulled retired place. Some of the main challenges are malware-free and don’t contain devices back into commission to highlighted in Absolute’s current sensitive data that could result in fill temporary gaps. As a result, education report include: a security incident. Learning about many education IT teams are now problems after they happen is managing a much larger inventory 1.