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Your Monthly Update from CNYRIC Administration

• The New York State Cyber Insurance Consortium program is still open. Its purpose is twofold: To provide executive leadership professional development around cyber risk, and creating access to more affordable cyber insurance that includes provisions commensurate with the risk associated with cyber incidents. The survey deadline has been extended to March 17, and if you haven’t already, we encourage you to fill it out.

• On March 7, you should have received an email informing you that, effective July 1, 2025, Zoom Licensing for districts/BOCES within our region will need to be purchased through CNYRIC. The shift will allow interested agencies to purchase a more complete suite of Zoom products beyond traditional distance learning tools (such as Zoom Meetings and Zoom Webinars). Ultimately, our goal is to work with those districts/BOCES that currently purchase Zoom through Erie 2 BOCES during this transition period to maintain continuity of Zoom services.

PROVIDE LEADERSHIP, ASSISTANCE, AND RESOURCES TO ENHANCE DISTRICTS’ SECURITY POSTURE IN SUPPORT OF LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND STATE PRIORITIES

The RIC One DPSS 4th Annual Statewide Conference is March 26-27 in Albany. Registration is still open for those who may be interested in attending. Here is the link for registration, as well the agenda. Please note that there is a $150 registration fee for non-subscribers.

PROVIDE LEADERSHIP, ASSISTANCE, AND RESOURCES TO ENHANCE DISTRICTS’ TECHNOLOGY ECOSYSTEMS IN SUPPORT OF LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND STATE PRIORITIES

Big thanks go out to the district IT teams for evaluating different enterprise password managers and providing feedback, which ultimately indicated that Bitwarden was the desired solution for the CNYRIC to offer as a regional service. The CNYRIC will be sending communication to the region regarding the service offering and pricing once it is available. 

IN THIS SECTION, WE WILL PROVIDE SOME QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER WHEN DISCUSSING TECHNOLOGY WITH YOUR DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY.

March's focus is on multi-factor authentication (MFA).

Q: How are we enforcing MFA on our email and other critical applications?

Q: How are we balancing strong MFA practices with user experience to minimize disruption to teaching and learning?

Q: How are we preparing to adapt our MFA strategy to address the increasing sophistication of phishing and social engineering attacks?

Q: What are our plans for providing ongoing user education and support to ensure seamless adoption of future MFA enhancements?

Q: What emerging MFA technologies or standards are we monitoring that could enhance our security or user experience in the next 1-3 years?