To help school districts combat the growing wave of cyber attacks targeting the education sector, the Iowa Department of Management Division of Information Technology (DOM-DoIT) is offering next- generation endpoint detection and response software to the Iowa school districts for up to 16 months at no cost to the schools.
DOM-DoIT said that the software is a security tool that detects and prevents a wide range of known and unknown cyberattacks on computers, servers, and other devices. The service also includes state-of-the-art, around-the-clock security incident monitoring and response services for schools.
The agency is providing licenses for devices, including servers, laptops, and desktops, for each public K-12 district in Iowa based on their size:
- Districts with student populations up to 1,000 receive four licenses.
- Districts with student populations from 1,001 to 3,500 receive 15 licenses.
- Districts with student populations of 3,501 and higher receive 77 licenses.
Districts may purchase additional licenses at an annual cost of $98.88 per device.
To participate in the program, districts must sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with DOM-DoIT.