Secure back to school from any place with UDS Education

September is the month lessons start for thousands of students in Spain who, after two courses marked by Covid-19, will mostly return to classrooms in person. In this new educational model, already prepared to be more flexible in attendance, desktop virtualization will play a key role. Not only because it enables access from anywhere and on any device, but because it is an essential element of protection against the long list of threats that IT teams face.

In this context, a report by Sophos shows that 60% of educational institutions suffer ransomware attacks and the rate of such attacks in the sector (73%) is even higher than in others, where the average is 65%. To make matters worse, the average recovery time after one of these attacks is almost double that in other sectors. For this reason, the security of the tools that enable remote education, such as the desktop virtualization solution UDS Education developed by Virtual Cable, which shields systems, data, and access to information against all kinds of attacks.

This ironclad security is achieved by using high-grade encrypted connections in all UDS Education components, applying automatic checks, certificates, and advanced mechanisms that prevent impersonation. The software also facilitates the constant monitoring of all computer systems and communications, as well as two-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized access or the adoption of the Zero Trust model. It is also possible to publish virtual desktops in private and segmented networks, adding a new security point. In this way, no data is exposed and, in the event of an attack, the threat is isolated and solved without affecting other system areas.

The Virtual Cable solution offers the possibility of deploying ephemeral desktops that, in the face of any threat, for example, ransomware, avoid having to pay ransoms to recover information. Instead, the user finds a totally clean and safe computer by simply exiting and re-entering the system. This option also allows using secure external servers and profiles to host the most critical and sensitive user data. This way, the information is fully secured since it is stored on a remote server with the highest security measures.

Desktop virtualization in educational institutions

These tools’ advantages are undeniable, which is why many universities, institutes, and colleges have successfully implemented them in recent years. They have not only served to securely alleviate the effects of the abrupt transition to remote teaching. Still, They have also become a solution to optimize and streamline communications between students and teachers outside of school hours, as well as eliminate mechanical tasks that take up precious time.

Important international universities, public and private, have opted for the UDS Education solution by Virtual Cable to undertake this important digital transformation, such as the Hong Kong Polytechnic University or the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia . These join the Spanish Pablo Olavide University, ESIC or University of Salamanca, which have also opted for the digitization of desktops. 34 Spanish universities have adopted this solution, representing more than 40% of the country’s universities and more than 50% of public university centers.

Higher education is not the only one that can benefit from solutions of this type. Schools and academies, such as the Reavis High School in Illinois (USA), are also betting on desktop virtualization to guarantee access to educational resources for their students in any place or circumstance. Thus, there are already more than half a million users who benefit from UDS Education.

These are just some examples of the commitment that Virtual Cable has adopted with the international educational community, in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 of the 2030 Agenda, that promotes accessible education in all training stages. Similarly, the educational institutions that have adopted UDS Education begin the course with the peace of mind offered by the high level of native cybersecurity of the software.