Why compliance is key to building scalable, future-ready education IT

Technology has now become central to how educational institutions function. From virtual classrooms to app-based learning, digital tools are changing the very structure of education. But with this modernization of schools and colleges comes the risk of cyberattacks and data breaches, and consequently, the need for security and compliance. 

Regulatory bodies and governments across the world are laying down stringent compliance standards to ensure that educational institutions remain secure while they modernize. As a result,  IT compliance is no longer an ancillary function quietly operating in the background. 

Managing IT infrastructure has come to the forefront, playing a major role in ensuring the smooth functioning of schools and colleges. As the digitization of pedagogy scales, an institution’s IT infrastructure and approach to compliance will shape how smoothly it can operate in the modern education ecosystem.

Key compliance frameworks in education IT

Educational institutions must adhere to several global, national, and sector-specific IT regulations. The exact requirements can vary depending on the type of institution, the demographics it serves, and its geographic location.

Here are some of the common compliance frameworks that most schools and colleges need to comply with:

• GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): a European Union law focused on protecting the privacy and personal data of individuals within the EU.

• Cyber Essentials: A UK government-backed industry-supported scheme to help organisations protect themselves against common online threats.

• FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act): The United States’  law that affords parents the right to have access to their children's education records.

• ISO/IEC 27001: An International standard for managing information security.

• CIPA (Children’s Internet Protection Act): A law in the United States that imposes certain requirements on schools or libraries that receive discounts for Internet access or internal connections through the E-rate program – a program that makes certain communications services and products more affordable for eligible schools and libraries.

• Personal Data Protection Act (PDP Act): India’s regulation that governs the collection, processing, and storage of personal data. 

• Australian Privacy Principles (APPs): A set of rules under the Privacy Act 1988 that govern how Australian government agencies and most private sector organizations handle personal information.

The criticality of IT compliance for educational institutions

Regulatory standards and requirements are designed to assist educational institutions succeed, helping even the smallest schools safeguard their data and protect students. 

Educational institutions that fail to comply with or meet the standards can get hit with penalties or even legal action. A private university in Italy was recently fined over $200,000 following multiple student safety violations. But IT compliance isn’t just something organizations have to do to stay out of trouble. It’s fundamental to the day-to-day functioning of institutions.

A school or college’s IT infrastructure is what holds the learning environment together, supporting distributed or remote classrooms, virtual learning, and global research and collaboration. Compliance systems are essential to protect research data and sensitive information from leaks and data breaches. A report by IBM shows that the average data breach in the higher education and training sector costs $3.7 million.

Modern, compliant IT systems also enable students and staff to work smoothly with no interruptions, downtime, or disruptions from system errors or glitches, thus improving productivity and success rates at educational institutions. It also helps institutions garner trust and credibility, establishing them as student-centric, modern, and future-ready institutions. 

Why educational institutions struggle with IT compliance

Many schools and colleges today still aren’t on top of IT compliance requirements. Here’s primarily why: 

• Many schools and colleges still run on siloed, outdated systems that simply were not built to meet modern compliance or security expectations. These tools lack the ability to support modern practices like remote monitoring, tracking, or secure access policies, leaving the entire system vulnerable to cyberattacks or data leaks. 

• With students and staff accessing systems from personal or off-campus devices, IT teams often struggle to monitor all endpoints effectively. IT teams have no easy means to keep track of licenses, audit trails, or breach incidents, as most processes are still done manually without using ITSM tools. 

• Compliance is often seen as just an IT function, although it demands involvement from administration departments, academics, HR, and students. Moreover, compliance requirements are constantly changing. But IT teams don’t have the means or the right kind of software to keep track of the changes and implement updates to their systems accordingly. 
  

A flip in approach can make navigating compliance a lot easier. Educational institutions need to rethink and redesign their IT infrastructure and processes so they can be fully compliant. Making compliance a core aspect of their daily workflows can help future-proof educational institutions.

Also read: Why schools are struggling with IT in 2025, and what they can do about it

So, what exactly does setting up a compliant IT infrastructure entail?

Compliance is a lot more than just getting a few certifications or installing a couple of security programs. These stop-gap initiatives might meet immediate requirements, but for long-term success, it is important to set up a robust foundation to ensure compliance even as digitization scales. Here are some of the key tasks IT teams have to take on:

Modernize your IT infrastructure

Upgrade or replace IT infrastructure to ensure it supports the needs of modern, digital-first education. This includes bringing in automation, remote monitoring, and unified operations. Modern ITSM solutions also provide real-time visibility into all connected devices, highlight vulnerabilities, and track software licenses to prevent violations. They automate critical processes like patching, monitoring, and alerting, and enable seamless IT asset management across multiple campuses or school locations.

Redesign workflows to bake compliance into daily processes  

Compliance shouldn’t be an afterthought, so structure processes and implement systems to align with regulatory standards. This includes setting up access controls, making audit logs mandatory, and implementing encryption across devices. These steps help make compliance a natural part of how your institution functions.

Ensure compliance across the board, beyond just IT

Regulatory requirements extend into accessibility, financial transparency, and student data privacy, and all these can influence how your IT infrastructure operates. Be sure to adhere to compliance outside the IT realm as well so your infrastructure supports institution-wide compliance.

Plan for business continuity and change management 

Implement programs and set up systems that will ensure secure, uninterrupted access to essential systems and services during upgrades or breaches. Safeguard personally identifiable information (PII), academic records, and sensitive research data from unauthorized access or exposure.

Best practices to follow as you navigate IT compliance requirements 

Given the volume of regulations and the complexity involved, managing IT compliance can be quite overwhelming, especially for IT teams at smaller schools and colleges. 

Here’s how institutions can handle compliance more efficiently: 

Understand your regulatory landscape

Educational institutions are governed by a wide range of regulations such as FERPA, GDPR, and COPPA. Before getting started, it is important to spend time on the ones that are relevant and important to you, and curate the requirements for each. Avoid relying on generic checklists that may overlook critical sector-specific obligations, since you would run the risk of inadvertently missing something relevant to you and running into violations. 
Pro-tip: Use ITSM tools and software to streamline compliance processes. Solutions purpose-built for the education sector can come in handy here, as they are designed to handle most education IT compliance requirements and come with the necessary reporting features. 

Audit and consolidate before you overhaul 

While it may seem cumbersome, auditing your current infrastructure is essential to uncover inconsistencies and compliance gaps. Take the time to assess your systems, as using multiple disjointed tools often leads to inefficiencies and increased compliance risks. 

Consolidating them into a unified IT management system reduces complexity, saves time, and improves overall reliability. All-in-one platforms typically offer enhanced security controls, built-in compliance reporting aligned with frameworks like GDPR and Cyber Essentials, and standardized workflows for incident and risk management, helping schools and colleges adopt a proactive approach to compliance. 

Train your staff and students

Every member of the educational institution needs to be aware of the importance of compliance and their role in maintaining compliance. Conduct regular training on data privacy, safe software usage, and incident reporting, and ensure these are part of the daily workflows.
Pro-tip: Implementing a modern, unified IT software can make this a lot easier. These are intuitive and easy to use, and can help improve tech adoption among students, faculty, and other administrative staff. 

Partner with the right ITSM provider

Using the right kind of ITSM software can significantly reduce your internal workload while improving system reliability and compliance assurance. 

Opt for ITSM platforms specifically built for educational institutions as they're more likely to align with sector-specific compliance needs. Look for AI-powered unified solutions that support proactive IT management through features like remote monitoring and automation,  reducing onsite visits and helping prevent issues before they escalate.

Review and iterate periodically

Most of the heavy lifting happens early on, but staying compliant is an ongoing effort. Keep a close eye on regulatory changes and policy updates to ensure your institution remains aligned with current standards. Conduct regular audits and risk assessments so as to proactively identify gaps and course-correct.

SuperOps’s all-in-one platform built for educational institutions provides you with all the tools you need to ensure that your institution is compliant with all regulations and your IT infrastructure is safe for virtual education. Schedule a demo with us to see how it can work for your institution.