--- title: "Lower Your Risk: Five Ways to Help Keep Your School Data Secure" description: In a world where electronic information is the norm, schools are at risk of exposing sensitive data. Here's some tips to help ensure your school is secure. image: https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/hubfs/Blog/blog-security.jpg --- [![Heartland-AGPC-logo-main](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Heartland_May2018/images/Heartland-AGPC-logo-main.png?width=168&height=31&name=Heartland-AGPC-logo-main.png)](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en) ![Heartland](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/hubfs/Heartland_May2018/images/aglobalpaymentscompany_identifier_grey.png) - [Back to Main Site](https://www.heartlandpaymentsystems.com/) - [Back to Main Site](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/) - Products - [Nutrition Technology](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/nutrition-technology) - [Payment Solutions](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/payment-solutions) - Support - [Support Central](https://info.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/support-central) - [Technical Consulting](https://info.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/consulting) - Events - [Training Events](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/training-events) - [Shows and Conferences](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/shows-and-conferences) - [Connect 2026](https://info.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/connect) - About - [Our Story](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/about/our-story) - [Partnerships](https://info.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/integrations) - [Careers](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/about/careers) - Resources - [Webinars](https://info.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/webinars-nutrition) - [Guides & Templates](https://info.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/resources/guides-templates) - [Blog](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com) # ![Connections Blog](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/hubfs/LP_Templates/Connections-Blog/Connections-Blog-Logo-2024.svg) Fresh insights for school leaders # Lower Your Risk: Five Ways to Help Keep Your School Data Secure Posted by [Renee Pisaturo](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/author/renee-pisaturo) on Dec 12, 2017, 3:40:00 PM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ![Lower Your Risk: Five Ways to Help Keep Your School Data Secure](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/blog-security.jpg?width=725&name=blog-security.jpg "Lower Your Risk: Five Ways to Help Keep Your School Data Secure") We’ve all heard recent news coverage around the latest hacks, security breaches, and the like. In a world where electronic information is the new norm, a school environment can be at risk of exposing sensitive information involving students, parents, and staff. Cybersecurity is at the forefront of many industries, including the K-12 space, and can be a challenge to address. Here are some reminders to help ensure your school data is secure:   **Keep all student information in a secure place** Documentation, whether in electronic or paper, can be at risk if not handled properly. Make sure any items containing student and parent contact information, payment credentials, balances, income, and other confidential information are always stowed away in a safe place at all times. For paper documents, designate a specified (fire-safe) desk drawer or vault where you can place items and lock them away with a desk key. For electronic documents, make sure files and folders are password protected. Designate a few times each day (ideally around lunchtime and before the end of the day) to perform a “secure sweep” of your desk area and office. **Properly dispose of paper documents** Old papers laying around? Throwing papers in the garbage and recycle bin can be an easy fix, but tossing away confidential papers puts data in jeopardy. Use an office shredder before recycling, or find out if your school has a secure document recycling service that ensures your paperwork will be properly destroyed. **Lock your POS stations and computers when not in use** Lunch time is busy! Meal staff can end up racing the clock to get students through the line and fed in ample time. Make sure your cashiers are locking their POS stations when leaving the lunch line. The same goes for your school office staff when they walk away from their desk! **Make sure your school payments provider is compliant** Does your district utilize an [online service to manage school payments](https://www.heartlandpaymentsystems.com/en/school-solutions/payment-solutions)? If you do, or are considering one, make sure you do a full assessment of the security of your electronic payments provider.  This will help secure not only your school’s data, but that of your parents and students. It is crucial that you know exactly how electronic payments are accepted, delivered and administered. When looking for an online school payments provider, ensure the solution meets the highest security standards with PCI-Level One compliance. **Update passwords more frequently** Those with access to personal information should practice updating their passwords regularly.  What’s regular?  Every three to four weeks is good practice, especially for your administrative staff handling financial or personal data. It might feel like a hassle, but it could help avoid a future problem. **Educate staff on basic IT privacy & security practices** Work with your IT department to create best practices and training to educate your staff on how to keep data safe. Some important tips include: - Never share your password with anyone - Know the signs of a [phishing email](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0003-phishing) - Never click a link unless you know and trust the source from which it came - Keep your security software up-to-date - If an email seems odd or out-of-place, it's best to assume you've received a bad email - so report it to IT! Covering common scams and tricks with your employees on a regular basis can help prevent critical data breaches from occurring.    ---    [![Protecting Your Data Is Our #1 Priority](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/434266/eaa6c555-aef2-4c60-b9e7-580c6eff2937.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/434266/eaa6c555-aef2-4c60-b9e7-580c6eff2937)   Topics: [School Payments](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/school-payments), [Data Security](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/data-security) ### Subscribe to our monthly newsletter [![free-webinars-for-school-nutrition-technology](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/free-webinars-for-school-nutrition-technology.png?width=375&height=416&name=free-webinars-for-school-nutrition-technology.png)](https://info.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/webinars-nutrition)   ### Recent Posts ### Posts by Topic - [School Lunch (52)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/school-lunch) - [School Payments (32)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/school-payments) - [MySchoolBucks (30)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/myschoolbucks) - [School Breakfast (24)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/school-breakfast) - [Point of Sale software (21)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/point-of-sale-software) - [Conferences (19)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/conferences) - [Menu Planning (18)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/menu-planning) - [School Nutrition Regulation (16)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/school-nutrition-regulation) - [free downloads (14)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/free-downloads) - [Training (13)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/training) - [Connect (10)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/connect) - [Social Media (10)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/social-media) - [Contests & Grants (9)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/contests-grants) - [How to (9)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/how-to) - [Parent Newsletters (9)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/parent-newsletters) - [Recipes (8)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/recipes) - [Hardware (7)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/hardware) - [School Fundraising (7)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/school-fundraising) - [Afterschool Programs (6)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/afterschool-programs) - [MCS software (6)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/mcs-software) - [Mosaic Cloud (6)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/mosaic-cloud) - [Cloud-Based Solutions (5)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/cloud-based-solutions) - [nutrition program (5)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/nutrition-program) - [Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) (4)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/community-eligibility-provision-cep) - [Farm to School (4)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/farm-to-school) - [MealViewer (4)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/mealviewer) - [invoicing (4)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/invoicing) - [Data Security (3)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/data-security) - [Digital Signage (3)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/digital-signage) - [Donations (3)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/donations) - [Free & Reduced (3)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/free-reduced) - [Lunch Debt (3)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/lunch-debt) - [School Accounting (3)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/school-accounting) - [School Store (3)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/school-store) - [back to school (3)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/back-to-school) - [Cashless Campus (2)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/cashless-campus) - [Customer Testimonial (2)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/customer-testimonial) - [Direct Certification (2)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/direct-certification) - [Happy holidays (2)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/happy-holidays) - [MSB Activities (2)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/msb-activities) - [MSB Tickets (2)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/msb-tickets) - [Meal Ordering (2)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/meal-ordering) - [National School Lunch Week (2)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/national-school-lunch-week) - [Nutrikids (2)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/nutrikids) - [Webinars (2)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/webinars) - [school commerce platform (2)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/school-commerce-platform) - [ANC (1)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/anc) - [Activities (1)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/activities) - [Black History Month (1)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/black-history-month) - [Communications (1)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/communications) - [Contactless Payments (1)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/contactless-payments) - [Meal Debt (1)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/meal-debt) - [Partnerships (1)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/partnerships) - [Pickle Juice (1)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/pickle-juice) - [Procurement (1)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/procurement) - [School events (1)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/school-events) - [Serving in the Classroom (1)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/serving-in-the-classroom) - [Women's History Month (1)](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/topic/womens-history-month) See All » [![Heartland](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/hubfs/Heartland_May2018/images/logo.png)](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com) ### Nutrition Technology - [Point of Sale](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/nutrition-technology/point-of-sale) - [Free and Reduced](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/nutrition-technology/free-and-reduced) - [Online Applications](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/nutrition-technology/online-applications) - [Menu Planning](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/nutrition-technology/menu-planning) - [Meal Orders](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/nutrition-technology/meal-orders) - [Ordering Inventory](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/nutrition-technology/ordering-inventory) - [Digital Menus](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/nutrition-technology/mealviewer) ### Payment Solutions - [School Store](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/payment-solutions/school-store) - [Student Invoicing](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/payment-solutions/student-invoicing) - [School Program Management](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/payment-solutions/msb-activities) - [Tickets & Event Management](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/payment-solutions/ticketing) - [School Funds Accounting](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/payment-solutions/school-funds-accounting) - [In-Person Payments](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/payment-solutions/msb-anywhere) - [Meal Payments](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/payment-solutions/meals) ### Events - [Training Events](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/training-events) - [Shows and Conferences](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/shows-and-conferences) - [Connect 2026](https://info.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/connect) ### Support - [Support Central](https://info.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/support-central) - [Technical Consulting](https://info.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/consulting) ### About - [Our Story](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/about/our-story) - [Partnerships](https://info.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/integrations) - [Careers](https://www.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/en/about/careers) ### Resources - [Webinars](https://info.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/webinars-nutrition) - [Guides & Templates](https://info.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/resources/guides-templates) - [Blog](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/) ### Contact Sales 800.423.2113 ### Contact - [Contact Sales](https://info.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/contact-us) - [Contact Support](https://info.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/support-central#help) ### [Social](https://www.heartlandpaymentsystems.com/school-solutions) - [![Facebook](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/hubfs/Heartland_May2018/images/facebook.png) ![Facebook](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/hubfs/Heartland_May2018/images/facebook_active.png)](https://www.facebook.com/heartlandschoolsolutions) - [![Youtube](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/hubfs/Heartland_May2018/images/youtube.png) ![Youtube](https://blog.heartlandschoolsolutions.com/hubfs/Heartland_May2018/images/youtube_active.png)](https://www.youtube.com/user/HPYSchoolSolutions) ### Location 765 Jefferson Road, #400 Rochester, NY 14623 © 2025 Heartland Payment Systems, a Global Payments company (NYSE: GPN). All rights reserved.  Heartland Payment Systems, LLC is a registered ISO of PNC Bank, N.A., Pittsburgh PA, and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, New York, NY. - [Terms of Use](https://www.heartlandpaymentsystems.com/terms-of-use) - [Privacy Policy](https://www.heartlandpaymentsystems.com/privacy-policy) Cookie Settings