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Board reviews IT agreements for off-site backups, networking support and cybersecurity tools
Summary
IT leadership briefed the board on three agreements — colocation with IU13 for off-site server backups, networking/Intune support, and a contract with Cornerstone Innovations to automate HR provisioning and integrate apps — and recommended implementing Microsoft Sentinel for advanced threat detection; the proposals are budget-neutral and will appear on next week’s consent agenda.
Mr Mcra presented three proposed agreements to the Conestoga Valley board on Oct. 14: a colocation arrangement with IU13 to host district servers off-site for backups and business continuity; a networking and Microsoft Intune implementation agreement with IU13 to improve device provisioning and segment staff/student networks; and a services contract with Cornerstone Innovations to automate HR account provisioning and improve integration across district apps.
Mr Mcra said the colocation option leverages a faster WAN link to IU13, enabling quicker failover of district operations in the event of a local incident. He described Intune as a product to streamline provisioning and Cornerstone Innovations projects as automating repetitive HR tasks (onboarding/offboarding) and integrating educational applications. He also recommended deploying Microsoft Sentinel with Microsoft Defender to give the district greater behavioral threat detection and automated response capabilities.
Board members asked about frequency of attacks and implementation timelines; Mr Mcra and staff said phishing remains the most common attack vector and set a goal to implement the prioritized systems during the school year. He said the agreements are revenue neutral within the current budget and that the colocation and other items will be included on the next consent agenda for board consideration.
Next steps: the three agreements will be presented on next week’s consent agenda; staff plan phased implementation during the school year.
