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Know your IT Support Provider graphic. IT Support Due Diligence Directory for schools and colleges.

Is your IT Support Provider Compliant?

Finding the right IT partner and support provider is a big decision.  Due diligence for IT Support isn't just about who can 'fix computers', it's about ensuring standards are followed and they work with you to meet your organisation's strategy. Data Protection Education has a DfE IT Support Tracker and Supplier Due Diligence Directory to provide support and guidance as well as tracking your progress.

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The Government Cyber Action Plan 2026 document. UK public sector cyber security strategy.

The Government Cyber Action Plan

The Government Cyber Action Plan, published in January 2026, sets out a radical shift in how the UK public sector manages cyber security and digital resilience. It moves away from fragmented, siloed defences toward a "Defend as One" model led by a new Government Cyber Unit within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

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 A promotional image for new digital standards in education.  The top half shows four primary school-age children sitting at a desk, looking down and focusing on work. The child closest to the camera on the right is smiling.  The bottom half has an orange and blue graphic overlay that reads: "New standard announced! MEETING DIGITAL STANDARDS IN SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES." In the bottom left corner is a circle image showing students working on laptops. The text "IT Support" is written in a yellow box below the circle. In the bottom right corner is a logo for the "DATA PROTECTION EDUCATION" initiative.

IT Support Standards for Schools and Colleges Guidance (DfE Digital Standards)

The government has announced an additional Digital Standard to help with planning, commissioning and reviewing their IT support services.  The services can be internal, external or a hybrid.  Effective IT support is essential for maintaining technology, planning improvements and mitigating risks like outages and cyber incidents, and sits alongside the other 11 standards.

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"A graphic announcing 'October is Cyber Security Awareness Month,' with text explaining the importance of creating a cyber emergency contact list in preparation for a cyber attack. It also includes a 'Cyber tip' to assess passwords, turn on MFA, and review critical accounts, especially email. A shield icon with a checkmark and a lightbulb icon are visible."

October 31. On the road to improving cyber resilience

As Cyber Security Awareness Month draws to a close, it's important to recognise that cybersecurity isn't a destination; it's a continuous journey. For organisations, particularly those in the education sector, this journey often involves working towards recognised standards and certifications. In the UK, Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus are government-backed schemes designed to help organisations protect themselves against common cyber threats. For schools, the Department for Educat

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  1. October 30. Cyber Support
  2. October 29. Admin Controls & Accounts
  3. October 28. Phishing: Don't Take the Bait!
  4. October 27. Passwords
  5. October 26. Physical Security of Digital Assets
  6. October 25. Server Security: Protecting Your Digital Core
  7. October 24. Backups: Your Recovery Safety Net
  8. October 23. Filtering and Monitoring
  9. October 22. Hardware: Printers
  10. October 21. Hardware: Asset Management
  11. October 20. Hardware: Safe disposal
  12. October 19. Anti-virus/anti-malware
  13. October 18. Regular Updates: Patching Against Threats
  14. October 17. Access Control: Managing User Privileges
  15. October 16. Access Control: Securing Your Digital Gateways (Wi-Fi & Networks)
  16. October 15. Access Control: Securing Your Home Office (Working From Home)
  17. October 14. Access Control : (Multi-factor authentication)
  18. October 13. Cyber Security Awareness
  19. October 12. Training: Empowering your human firewall
  20. October 11. Policies and Procedures: Cyber Blueprint
  21. October 10. Understanding Your Cyber Posture
  22. Time's Ticking: Windows 10 support ends in October 2025!
  23. October 9. A Guide for Education Providers
  24. October 8. How Can Your Organisation Prevent Ransomware Attacks?
  25. October 7: Under Attack: The Reality of Ransomware
  26. October 6: Cyber Action Plan and A Roadmap to Resilience
  27. October 5: Cyber Responsibilities - We're All in This Together
  28. October 4: When a Cyber Attack Hits
  29. October 3: Data Security, the Core of Protection
  30. October 2: Privacy Protection & Safeguarding Personal Data
  31. October 1: Welcome to Cyber Security Awareness Month!
  32. Nursery Cyber attack
  33. The NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework
  34. Fraud awareness from the DfE
  35. The Classroom's Dark Side: Cyber crime from the Classroom
  36. KCSIE 2025: Data Protection, AI, and Cyber Security
  37. New e-learning for 2025
  38. The Latest Cyber Threat: The "Murky Panda"
  39. Building a Secure School: Using the ICO Accountability Framework to Meet DfE Digital Standards
  40. Digital Safeguarding: DfE announces statutory DfE Digital Standards
  41. Compliance Reporting from the Knowledge Bank
  42. Social engineering + impersonation = Fraud ≡ cyber deception
  43. Data Breaches 2025 Report Highlights
  44. School cyber attack: Framlingham College, Suffolk
  45. Getting caught in the Scattered Spider web
  46. A Wake-Up Call for Cyber Vigilance - Danger in the Threat Landscape for Everyone
  47. World Password Day
  48. Social Media and Marketing Guidelines and Training
  49. New Governor Resources
  50. Apple removes its highest level data security tool from UK customers
  51. Safer Internet Day, Cyber Security & Data Protection
  52. The Cyber Resilience Championship
  53. The Multiple Dimensions of Supplier Due Diligence
  54. Blacon High School Cyber Attack
  55. The role of Passkeys in Cyber Resilience and Cyber Security
  56. What the proposed Government legislative proposal around cyber crime means
  57. Effectively communicating during a cyber incident
  58. Safeguarding Identity in Microsoft 365: Protecting the UK Education Sector Against Cyber Threats
  59. Cyber Security Best Practice Area
  60. DfE Digital Standards for Schools and Colleges Tracker
  61. New Policies, Documents, Letters and Posters page
  62. Schools and Trusts Best Practice Area
  63. The DPE Retention Schedule
  64. Making the Rounds Update (now includes reporting)
  65. How does the recent global IT outage affect me?
  66. King's speech introduces new bills in relation to cyber security, smart data and digital information
  67. Out of date technology
  68. What's a Cyber Incident and what should we do?
  69. Cyber attack on a school during half term
  70. Free short cyber training for staff
  71. The rise of cyber attacks in schools are causing pupils to miss classes
  72. ICO: Learning from the mistakes of others report
  73. Children's mental health data leaked after a cyber attack
  74. Cyber attack on a Trust; the aftermath
  75. Social Media Best Practice Area
  76. Lettings Best Practice Area
  77. MFA Bombing - What is it?
  78. Product Focus on Checklists : Initial Trust Plan
  79. Product Focus on Checklists : Information and Cyber Security
  80. Product Focus on Checklists : End of Term Checklist
  81. Product Focus on Checklists : Social Media
  82. Cyber Incident Review: The Benefits
  83. Product Focus on Checklists : Lettings
  84. Product Focus on Checklists : Record of Processing
  85. Why Data Should Stay Put: Benefits of Keeping Data in Its Original System
  86. Product Focus on Checklists : Data Retention and Destruction
  87. Product Focus on Checklists : Data Migration
  88. Product Focus on Checklists : Biometrics
  89. Product Focus on Checklists : Supplier Due Diligence
  90. Free Cyber help, advice and training with the Cyber Resilience Centres
  91. The Perils of Paper: The Printing Vulnerability
  92. Product Focus on Checklists : FOI
  93. Product Focus on Checklists : Governors and Data
  94. Product Focus on Checklists : DPIA
  95. Product Focus on Checklists : Site Moves
  96. Product Focus on Checklists : Data Breaches
  97. Product Focus on Checklists : Subject Access Requests
  98. Cyber attack on a University
  99. Product Focus on Checklists : Bring your own device
  100. Product Focus on Checklists : Working out of school/offsite
  101. Cyber Attack on a School
  102. Product Focus on Checklists : Redaction
  103. Product Focus on Checklists : CCTV
  104. Product Focus on Checklists : Clear desk
  105. Product Focus on Checklists : Commitment to compliance
  106. Product Focus on Checklists : Photos and video
  107. Product Focus on Checklists : Passwords
  108. Product Focus on Checklists : Information Classification
  109. Kent Councils Data Breach
  110. Free cyber training for staff
  111. DfE Digital Standards Update
  112. Where is your data stored?
  113. Phishing attacks targeting schools - alert from City of London Police
  114. The ICO reprimands a Multi Academy Trust
  115. CISA and UK NCSC Announce Joint Guidelines for Secure AI System Development
  116. Trust Initial Plan Checklist Update
  117. Update on Advisory for Rhysida Ransomware
  118. Records Management Best Practice Update
  119. The Crime in a Cyber Attack and a Data Breach
  120. NCSC Annual Review is published for 2023
  121. Learning from Data Breaches
  122. Windows 11 security ineffective against attacks on old devices
  123. Trust Initial Plan for Data Protection Compliance (for Multi Academy Trusts)
  124. International Counter Ransomware Initiative 2023 Joint Statement
  125. Google for Education Resources: Helping IT Admins meet DfE digital and technology standards
  126. Top Ten Cyber Security Misconfigurations
  127. ICO Reprimand: company suffered a ransomware attack
  128. The UK Online Safety Bill becomes an Act (Law)
  129. The importance of software updates (PaperCut vulnerability and Rhysida ransomware)
  130. Ransomware, extortion and the cyber crime ecosystem
  131. Cyber Resource: The Cyber Resilience Centre Group
  132. Email and Security: ICO recent guidance
  133. Help after a Cyber Attack/Incident
  134. What to do in the event of a Cyber Attack
  135. How KCSIE is linked to Cyber Strategy
  136. Cyber Crime: AI Generated Phishing Attacks
  137. Cyber Attack: Exam Boards
  138. VICE SOCIETY - Ransomware attacks on schools
  139. Using Tags if you are a group of organisations in the DPE Knowledge Bank
  140. Where's Harry the Hacker?
  141. Be Cyber Aware: USB Sticks
  142. Cyber Insurance in the Public Sector
  143. Types of Cyber Attacks: DDos Attack (Microsoft DDoS Attack in June)
  144. Cyber Attack: Leytonstone School
  145. Be Cyber Aware: Firewalls
  146. Be Cyber Aware: Cyber attacks and transparency. A no blame culture
  147. Cyber Attack: Dorchester School
  148. Knowledge Bank Role Types: Admin, Staff and Trustee
  149. Types of Cyber Attacks: Password Attacks
  150. Be Cyber Aware: Why regular software updates are important
  151. Cyber Attack: Wiltshire School
  152. Keeping your IT systems safe and secure
  153. Why we recommend using PIN codes on printers
  154. Types of Cyber Attacks: DDoS Attacks
  155. Types of Cyber Attacks: Phishing
  156. Redaction Guidelines Updated
  157. Types of Cyber Attacks: The Insider Threat
  158. Why your data is profitable to cyber criminals
  159. Using WhatsApp in Schools
  160. Knowledge Bank Updates
  161. Types of malware and how they are linked to data protection
  162. A guide to multi-factor authentication
  163. Windows Server 2012 & 2012 R2 Retirement
  164. How to contact us for support, subject access requests, data breaches and FOI's
  165. How a school fought back after a cyberattack
  166. Types of Cyber Attacks - Credential Stuffing
  167. January Cyber update - How Can Schools Help Prevent Cyber Attacks?
  168. Assigning courses to staff using to-dos
  169. The Education sector now at highest risk of cyber attacks
  170. Cyber Attacks
  171. Best Practice for Managing Photos and Video
  172. Compliance Manager released
  173. Emails – good practice and minimising the risk of a data breach

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