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A technology supervisor at Sabine Parish School District in Louisiana got an alert on his phone around 4:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning letting him know there had been a surge in bandwidth on the schools server. In addition to the odd day and time, it was also summer break. Something was wrong.

After a quick investigation, the staff discovered a ransomware attack on their servers. An anonymous hacker now held years worth of dataimportant documents, test schedules, and moreand was demanding money in exchange for its release.

A similar scenario played out in multiple Louisiana school districts this past summer, forcing Governor Edwards to declare a state of emergency. Louisianas emergency response was modeled after one Colorado took in 2018, and that ransomware cost the state $1.5 million to clean up. In 2019 alone, 500 schools across the country were the target of ransomware incidents.

If you search the internet, youll find all the typical advice for managing your data to help avoid such an attack: use strong passwords, make database backups, buy anti-virus software, avoid suspicious emails. However, one of the best ways to prevent a cyberattack on your schools server is remarkably simple: dont put your data there.

Cloud-based software has become the norm for every industry across the world, and its not by coincidence. The biggest reason is data security, but there are several other key advantages that explain why school bus transportation offices, in particular, have a lot to gain from Software as a Service (SaaS), and adapting to this new norm.

These are just some of the key benefits to having a software subscription instead of the outdated license model. Cyberattacks are a problem that, unfortunately, will not be going away, and by most accounts are only getting worse. SaaS can help you be better positioned to prepare for them or hopefully avoid them, and that starts with educating yourself on its value, including what exactly Software as a Service means.

Its not paying a vendor to handle your routing operation remotely. Thats a consulting serviceworth paying for when you need it, but different than SaaS. And it shouldnt just be a web-interface for your existing licensed program. That will give you mobile access, yes, but its a far cry from all the other advantages of SaaS explained above.

If any of this is important or interesting to you, you can learn more in our on-demand webinar, or you can contact Tyler Technologies and wed be happy to consult with you about your individual needs.

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Eight Reasons to Reach for the Cloud - STN Media - School Transportation News