Overview

December 14

Last Spring, colleges and universities were forced to make the immediate shift to virtual learning and telework in response to the pandemic. In addition to that critical pivot, higher education IT teams also began a shift in their management/operations policies and revenue plans to keep up with the growing threats associated with a fully remote learning environment.

The shift is more than simply enabling and securing online learning and telework. It also requires training faculty and administrators how to best manage their virtual environments securely, providing adequate investment for technologies that can thwart cyber criminals, and implementing plans to get through and beyond the pandemic.

Join the Center for Digital Education on December 14 at 12:30 p.m. Pacific/3:30 p.m. Eastern to hear:

What the "new normal" might look like for higher education and what you should consider as you move forward
How the sudden shift to virtual learning has created more insider risks along with expanding the attack surface for cyber criminals
Best practices for implementing a virtual learning environment

Speakers

Rob Lowden, M.S.

Vice President for Information Technology and CIO Office of the Vice President of Information Technology and CIO, Indiana University

As vice president for information technology and chief information officer, Rob Lowden sets comprehensive, university-wide IT strategy and leads university-wide IT services, infrastructure, and research efforts. In his previous role as the CIO for the IU School of Medicine, Lowden led IT strategy for the largest medical school in the United States. Prior to this, he served as IU’s associate vice president of enterprise systems, during which he led adoption of IU’s course management system, implemented two-factor authentication across IU, and helped conceive the Decision Support Initiative to provide IU leaders with access to timely, accurate data to inform better decision-making. He has held multiple IT and leadership roles at IU dating back to 1998. In addition, Lowden served as interim executive director of Unizin, a membership-based consortium of large research institutions dedicated to improving learner experiences with digital teaching and learning resources.

Kenny Holmes

Head of US Public Sector, Fortinet

Kenny Holmes became the leader of go-to-market strategy for Public Sector at Fortinet in March 2019. He’s an advocate and speaker for the Public Sector and has been in Information Technology for more than twenty years, holding more than ten technology certifications and positions spanning from Engineering to Sales Executive. He is an expert in cybersecurity with a background in cryptography. Kenny has worked in the Federal Government, State Governments, Research Institutions, and Universities on some of the largest security projects in the world. He resides in the Chicagoland area and in his spare time enjoys public speaking and training on religion, is a pilot, and an influencer for the rights of girls and women with Autism.

Bill Rials, Ph.D. — Moderator

Associate Director, Tulane University School of Professional Advancement IT and Cybersecurity Program & Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Government

William (Bill) Rials, Ph.D., is a professor and associate director (department chair) of the Tulane University School of Professional Advancement IT and Cybersecurity Program. Where he focuses on continually delivering and updating the program curriculum based on innovative and emerging technologies, before transitioning academia and higher education, he had a diverse government technology career delivering value to state agencies, local governments, and law enforcement agencies throughout the State of Mississippi. He has served in CIO, CTO, and CISO roles for local governments and also in various leadership positions within the State of Mississippi’s IT organization as a deputy to the State CIO. Dr. Rials holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Belhaven University, a master's degree in Computer Information Systems and Cybersecurity from Missouri State University, as well as a Ph.D. in higher education administration and public administration from Jackson State University. His dissertation research involved the critical factors that affect the adoption of cloud services within the public sector. He is a noted expert in the IT and Cybersecurity space and frequently quoted by national media outlets. He is also a frequent contributor to national IT government organizations such as NASTD and NASCIO.

Webinar

How to Enable a Highly Secure Virtual Environment in Higher Education