You don’t need a big team or big budget to protect your school.
This guide is built for California’s small and rural K–12 districts — the places where the tech team might be one person (or part of someone else’s job), the budget is tight, and every tool needs to earn its keep.
Cybersecurity is still within reach. Here’s how to prioritize what matters, even when resources are limited.
🧠 What Small Districts Get Right
✅ Close staff relationships make it easier to spot something “off”
✅ Fewer devices and logins means fewer points of failure
✅ Lean teams often move faster when policies are simple and clear
🔑 Start with These Core Practices
- Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) — at least for email, SIS, and finance accounts
- Lock down admin rights — only IT or MSP should install software
- Train staff using short phishing and password safety modules
- Back up critical systems to an external or offsite location
- Inventory your tech — know what you have and what’s at risk
🤝 Share the Load: MSPs & Regional Support
- Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can provide 24/7 monitoring, patching, and endpoint protection for far less than hiring full-time staff
- Look into county office support, IT consortia, or JPA tech services
- Some vendors offer K–12 pricing tiers or shared licenses across districts
🛠 Tools That Deliver Big Results on a Small Budget
- Google Admin or Microsoft 365 security dashboards — often underused but powerful
- Cloud backups that include version history and ransomware rollback
- Basic phishing simulations with monthly recap emails
- Security awareness posters printed in-house or displayed digitally
📋 Policies You Can Customize (Coming Soon)
- Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) template
- Edtech vetting checklist
- Incident response worksheet for small teams
- Cyber hygiene one-pager for staff onboarding
💡 Final Word
You don’t have to do everything. But doing nothing is no longer an option.
Start where you are. Use what you have. And keep cybersecurity realistic — not perfect.
Cybersecure California is here to support small districts with simple tools, shared resources, and the guidance you need to protect your systems and your students.
Security isn’t just for big districts. It’s for all of us.