Higher Education Security

Cybersecurity for Campus
Networks That
Never Stand Still

Higher education environments are built for access, but that openness creates risk across every connected device. From student BYOD and research systems to clinical environments and smart campus infrastructure, ORDR delivers complete asset intelligence and turns it into safe, policy-based enforcement, protecting your campus without disrupting academics, research, or student life.

861%
Increase in IoT attacks on higher education in 2025
7 devices
Per student on average connecting to campus networks
40%
Of institutions take 1+ month to recover from an attack
The Challenge

The Higher Education Security Challenge

Campus environments weren't designed for enforcement. They were designed for openness. But without accurate device intelligence and safe policy enforcement, that openness becomes exposure, putting research, operations, and institutional trust at risk.

861%

Increase in IoT cyberattacks in higher education in 2025, the highest of any sector

41%

Year-over-year increase in total cyberattacks (first half of 2025)

74%

Of attacks against higher education succeed, vs. 68% in business and 61% in healthcare

40%

Of institutions take over a month to recover, double the global average

Expanding Attack Surface

Students arrive with an average of 7 IoT devices each, multiplying endpoint exposure. BYOD policies create unmanaged endpoint proliferation. Smart building systems, athletic facilities, and residence halls add thousands of IoT devices.

Research Networks Under Pressure

Research networks require open collaboration while protecting sensitive, federally funded data. The same openness that enables discovery creates persistent attack paths.

Why Campus Networks Are Prime Targets

Universities must support open access, collaboration, and innovation, making traditional security controls difficult to enforce. Campus networks house student records, financial systems, medical data, and federally funded research, all within a highly distributed environment.

High-Value Targets, Lean Teams

With limited resources and lean IT teams managing sprawling, multi-campus infrastructure, institutions often lack the visibility and control needed to act before risk becomes disruption.

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Customer Story

Richmond College: Complete Campus Visibility

Richmond upon Thames College

The Challenge

Richmond upon Thames College needed to secure a modern campus serving thousands of students and staff, but lacked visibility into what was actually connected to the network. Over time, device visibility had eroded, creating blind spots across the campus network.

"We had lost sight of all of the devices that were attached over the years; we needed to understand exactly what was connected to ensure no 'back-doors' or vulnerabilities could be exploited."

Stephen Hacon, IT Manager, Richmond upon Thames College

Results

  • Full visibility across all campus-connected devices

  • Real-time detection of abnormal behavior and potential threats

  • Automated segmentation to isolate risky or compromised devices

  • Faster response with integrated alerts and security workflows

"With the ORDR user-friendly dashboard, we are now able to identify potential security vulnerabilities, allowing us to effectively secure our network with just a few clicks."

Stephen Hacon, Richmond upon Thames College
How ORDR Secures Higher Education

Control Without Compromise

Campus environments are some of the most complex anywhere, where student devices, research systems, clinical technologies, and smart infrastructure all operate on the same network. ORDR transforms that complexity into actionable intelligence and safe enforcement, giving universities the control to protect open environments without disrupting them.

Comprehensive Device Discovery

Passively identifies every wired and wireless device across campus, including cloud-managed devices: no agents, no scanning, no risk to device operation

Benefit

Immediate visibility into all campus-connected devices in 48–72 hours

Behavioral Context

Understand how devices actually function before enforcing policy

Benefit

Accurate enforcement based on how devices actually operate, not assumptions

Unknown Device Detection

Stops unmanaged or risky devices before they introduce exposure

Benefit

Protects the campus network from shadow IT and unmanaged endpoints

Context-Aware Segmentation

Generates validated segmentation policies, simulates impact before deployment, enforces through existing infrastructure

Benefit

Safe enforcement that protects without disrupting academics or research

Audit Support

Generates audit-ready reports for FERPA, HIPAA, GLBA, and PCI DSS on demand

Benefit

Verified asset intelligence for governance and compliance reporting

ORDR IQ Orchestration

AI-powered natural language access to device intelligence, risk insights, and automated ticket routing

Benefit

Small teams manage large, distributed environments efficiently

ORDR IQ

Your AI Agent for Campus-Wide Answers

ORDR IQ transforms campus cybersecurity from manual effort into orchestrated action, turning questions into answers and insight into execution.

With ORDR IQ, higher education teams can:

  • Generate real-time, role-specific insights across residence halls, research labs, clinics, and remote campuses

  • Deliver audit-ready reporting for HIPAA, FERPA, PCI, and institutional governance, on demand

  • Automate workflows by creating and routing tickets directly from validated intelligence

  • Instantly access device histories, communication patterns, and exposure insights using natural language

  • Produce decision-ready outputs for leadership, compliance teams, and governance boards

Why ORDR

Why Higher Education Institutions Choose ORDR

Higher education environments demand openness, but security teams still need control. ORDR enables both by turning trusted intelligence into safe, continuous enforcement.

Single Source of Truth

One verified view of every connected asset, eliminating shadow IT and conflicting inventories across campus

Force Multiplier for Lean Teams

AI-driven intelligence and automation allow small teams to manage large, distributed environments efficiently

Continuous Compliance

Audit-ready reporting for FERPA, HIPAA, PCI, and GLBA, without manual evidence collection

Research-Friendly Security

Protects sensitive research environments without restricting collaboration or access

No Infrastructure Disruption

Works with existing firewalls, NAC, switches, and SIEM, no agents, no scanning, no downtime

Proactive Threat Containment

Reduces dwell time from months to hours by enabling rapid detection and safe enforcement

Use Cases

Higher Education Use Cases

Higher education environments require security that adapts to openness, scale, and constant change. ORDR delivers trusted device intelligence and turns it into safe, policy-based enforcement across campus.

Secure Student and BYOD Environments

Identify and profile every student device, enforce access based on risk, and isolate compromised endpoints, without disrupting connectivity or student experience

Protect Research and Grant-Funded Networks

Segment sensitive research environments from general campus traffic to safeguard intellectual property and meet regulatory requirements

Enforce Role-Based Access Across Campus

Automatically apply policies based on device type, ownership, and behavior, ensuring appropriate access for students, faculty, staff, and guests

Contain Threats Without Disruption

Detect anomalous behavior and isolate high-risk devices in real time, stopping threats from spreading before they impact operations

Compliance

Compliance Made Continuous, Not Periodic

Higher education institutions face a complex web of regulatory requirements. ORDR delivers continuous enforcement and audit-ready reporting, without manual effort.

RegulationWhat It CoversHow ORDR Helps
FERPAProtection of student records and personally identifiable informationEnforces access controls based on device identity and behavior, with audit-ready activity tracking
HIPAAProtection of health information in campus medical systemsContinuously monitors devices and enforces segmentation to protect sensitive health systems
GLBASafeguarding financial aid and student financial dataProvides real-time visibility, risk prioritization, and compliance reporting across financial systems
PCI DSSProtection of payment data across campus retail and servicesSegments cardholder environments and restricts unauthorized access to payment systems
Research ComplianceProtection of federally funded research and controlled dataIsolated research networks with verified access controls, protection of federally funded research, and controlled data
Integrations

Integration with Your Existing Infrastructure

ORDR enhances your current security investments without requiring replacement.

Infrastructure TypeSupported Platforms
FirewallsCisco, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Check Point
Network Access ControlCisco ISE, Aruba ClearPass, Forescout
SIEM/SOARSplunk, IBM QRadar, Microsoft Sentinel, Palo Alto Cortex XSOAR
SwitchesCisco, Aruba, Juniper
IT Service ManagementServiceNow, BMC Remedy

Free · Personalized Estimate

What's the cost of a campus breach in your environment?

The ORDR ROI Calculator quantifies the financial impact of moving from insight to enforcement. Estimate savings from reduced dwell time and automated segmentation.

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Quantified savings · Tailored to your sector · About 3 minutes

Frequently Asked Questions

Secure Your Campus
Without Compromise

Higher education environments demand openness, but that shouldn't come at the cost of security. ORDR helps you see every device, understand real risk, and enforce protection safely, without disrupting academics, research, or student life.

See how leading institutions move from visibility to action.

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