Steve Munson

How will AI and ed tech evolve in 2026? Industry tech leaders — including our own Chief Technology Officer Chris Hagan — shared their best predictions in an article by Campus Technology. Chris said: "2026 will be defined by institutions needing to collapse their ecosystem into a seamless digital experience layer providing a unified means of access for resource indexation and orchestration." Read his full quote (and get insight from higher ed's top tech leaders) here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gNhXbRV5 #CampusExperiencePlatform #edtech #highered

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Is your university’s cybersecurity strategy keeping pace with the shifting regulatory landscape, or are you one third-party vulnerability away from a multi-million dollar audit? As we move through April 2026, the Higher Education sector remains under a microscope. The recent supply chain compromise of 'EduLink Systems'—a critical vendor for dozens of research institutions—highlights the fragility of our academic ecosystems. This incident, linked to the threat actor group 'Midnight Blizzard' (APT29), exploited a critical zero-day in legacy API integrations (CVE-2026-1184), bypassing traditional FERPA controls and compromising sensitive student financial data protected under GLBA jurisdiction. The Department of Education’s recent enforcement surge regarding the GLBA Safeguards Rule is a wake-up call. We are seeing a rapid convergence of HIPAA for campus clinics, PCI-DSS 4.0 for bursar offices, and GLBA for financial aid—all requiring robust, documented risk management. Higher Ed leaders must move beyond the 'compliance as a checklist' mindset and treat third-party risk as a core component of the academic mission. Passive compliance is no longer a defense against sophisticated extortion tactics. The question isn't just whether your internal systems are patched, but whether your vendors’ systems are equally resilient. Are you auditing your SaaS providers with the same rigor as your own networks? #HigherEd #CyberSecurity #Compliance

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AI strategy tip for campuses👇 Don’t just teach tools. Teach context. Mallory Willsea + Rachel Bowser explore how students learn AI through FERPA, workflows, and real decisions. ⚖️ Start your Monday morning off right with the latest episode of the Higher Ed Pulse. https://lnkd.in/gPGiqFXB #HigherEd #Enrollify #HigherEdMarketing #AI

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As AI adoption accelerates, governance must become a strategic priority. Dr. Curt M.'s latest article explores how AI governance in higher education can balance innovation, integrity, and institutional values. Read the practical guide here: https://hubs.ly/Q042Gvnd0

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Trump administration hopes AI can mitigate staffing losses, federal CIO says. “I think [AI] is the number one thing that is going to help people mitigate the staffing shortages,” said Gregory Barbaccia, the chief information officer for the U.S. government, a position with oversight of the federal government's technology that’s housed within the Office of Management and Budget. Barbaccia was a longtime employee at data analytics company Palantir. Link: https://lnkd.in/gk_iVhSb

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👉 From someone who has been involved in multiple ransomware response situations over the years this evolution is striking. 📅 2015–2019: Ransomware = noisy encryption events Attackers needed days/weeks inside networks, relied heavily on phishing + manual lateral movement 📅 2020–2023: Industrialization of ransomware RaaS (Ransomware-as-a-Service), credential theft, and known CVEs like Exchange/Ivanti started driving mass-scale breaches 📅 2024–2025: Speed became the weapon “Patch gap” exploitation—hours to days from vulnerability disclosure to full network compromise ⚡ 2026 (Storm-1175 / Medusa): Now we’re at a point where attackers: → exploit zero-days + n-days interchangeably → move from access → exfiltration → ransomware in as little as 24 hours → operate faster than most orgs can even validate an incident The biggest shift isn’t just tooling,it’s time compression. Defenders are now fighting an opponent that doesn’t wait for business hours anymore. 👉 Let’s connect! #Cybersecurity #Ransomware #IncidentResponse #ThreatIntel #ZeroDay https://lnkd.in/eqb4__Mx

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Where AI and cybersecurity converge. Introducing CompTIA SecAI+, our first Expansion Series certification focused on securing AI systems and using AI in modern cyber defense. Built with input from 400+ experts worldwide, SecAI+ validates the skills to manage AI risk, governance and security in real environments.

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This is a great opportunity for those working for the state to learn, ask the questions you may not have had the chance to ask before, and gain insights on overcoming the various challenges associated with technology and cybersecurity roles.

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🚀 Instructors are natural innovators—and learning from each other makes us even stronger. CATE and LTS have launched Pedagogy-Driven Tech Microsoft Teams Channels, a moderated community where UIC faculty and staff connect to discuss teaching strategies, share resources and ideas, and learn how colleagues are using tools like Canvas Studio, Perusall, and Panopto to support student learning. This isn’t tech support, it’s a teaching exchange grounded in real classroom practice and peer expertise. Learn more and join the growing community: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gFmHa6it #TeachingCommunity #InstructionalInnovation #TeachingAndLearning #TeachingWithTech #UIC

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Strategic GenAI adoption requires the right architecture. Presidio’s guide helps higher ed leaders select models and build guardrails for scalable use. Ensure your infrastructure is ready. Read the guide: https://lnkd.in/dxAi-fye

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There is always more that can be done to secure our environments. Tech leaders, as you prepare to start another school year, take a few minutes to read this article and identify gaps you may have in your security practice. It is time well spent!

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