Academic Software: the ideal choice for cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is on the minds of every IT professional working in the education sector. In response to serious and mounting cyber risks, universities, colleges and schools are having to put in place robust cybersecurity measures. In this context, cybersecurity protocols and certifications are also emerging that educational institutions are mandated to meet, for example the UK’s Cyber Essentials certification, or Spain’s National Cyber Security Schemes.  And the EU cybersecurity certification framework is striving to bring cybersecurity certifications into alignment across Europe.

Academic Software is committed to helping education institutions confront cybersecurity risks head on. Here’s a few of the ways the Academic Software platform works to support cybersecurity:

Secure remote access

The Academic Software platform enables access to licence servers outside the campus network without complex VPN configuration by using real-time on-demand IP whitelisting, thereby providing a secure route for remote access. With this feature, users are only allowed access to the licence servers for a limited time, and only from approved IP addresses. This helps ensure that only authorised users are accessing the network remotely, and reduces the risk of unauthorised access.

Secure authentication

The Academic Software platform offers Single Sign-On (SSO) integration with identity providers, including Azure AD, Google, Shibboleth, and SAML2. This enables secure and seamless authentication for end-users, eliminating the need for additional user management. SSO ensures a seamless and secure login process for end users to quickly access all their digital tools, without logging in to different applications or sharing personal data. Through linking the Academic Software Identity Broker with the SSO of the institution and with the SSO of the vendor, we anonymise the data needed to access digital tools. Academic Software also integrates with the two-factor authentication for the SSO already in use at the customer institution, providing an additional layer of security.

Automated licence provisioning

The platform fully automates the licensing provisioning process for all types of licences. In managed setups (Intune, Jamf, VDI), licence allocation can be carried out automatically based on group membership, making the licence management process more efficient, reducing the risk of error, and making the licensing process frictionless for end users so they know that the platform is the most reliable and safe way to access up-to-date and legal software.

Academic Software provides an ideal solution to help protect universities, colleges and schools by offering a range of features including secure remote access, secure authentication, automated licence provisioning, and a focus on protecting user privacy. By using Academic Software, educational institutions can rest assured that they are taking proactive steps to safeguard their networks and protect their valuable data.