Utah Dedicates Resources to Improving Cybersecurity for All Schools

The Education Security Services program, managed by the Utah Education Network and housed within the Utah Cyber Center, will provide a dedicated cybersecurity response team for school districts and charter schools throughout the state.

During the 2026 legislative session, Senate Bill 123 expanded the role of the Utah Cyber Center (UCC) to include support for local education associations (LEAs). The bill directed the Utah Education Network (UEN) to develop cybersecurity programs, standards, and services in coordination with UCC.

The state allocated approximately $28 million to the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) to launch the new Education Security Services (ESS) program, a partnership between UEN and UCC that will support LEA cybersecurity needs over the next four years.

“At a high level, we're essentially building a security operations center within the Utah Cyber Center that supports K-12 education,” said Troy Jessup, UEN’s Associate Director for Information Security.

Although the ESS has existed for less than six months, 147 out of 166 eligible organizations have enrolled, including all Utah public school districts and the majority of Utah charter schools. The Utah State Superintendents Association made a rare show of support for this bill, according to Jason Strate, Piute County School District Superintendent. “It’s the first school safety bill that the USSA has taken a stance on,” Strate explained, “and it’s because of the cybersecurity element within.” That support has helped motivate district leaders to enroll in the program.

ESS Tailors Solutions to LEA Needs

Utah schools vary widely in cybersecurity capacity, from large districts with teams of IT professionals to small districts and charter schools with limited IT resources. To meet those different needs, ESS offers a three-tier service structure.

  • Tier 1: Monitoring—Designed for LEAs that already have a relatively mature cybersecurity capability
  • Tier 2: Overwatch—Created to support LEAs with some cybersecurity capacity, but needing additional support
  • Tier 3: Managed—Intended for organizations with little or no cybersecurity capacity

Core Services Are Available for All Tiers

Every tier includes access to industry-leading cybersecurity tools, such as endpoint detection and response (EDR) and managed detection and response (MDR). Patch management, an essential service to keep protections current, is also included. In addition to software, vendors also assist with the initial response to threats and incidents.

ESS also provides incident response assistance to LEAs. When a school experiences or suspects a cybersecurity issue, experts are available to help evaluate the situation, provide expertise, and guide the response. “At a minimum,” Jessup said, “every LEA will have a safety net to help ensure the correct next steps are taken.”

Additional services include vulnerability management, risk management consulting, and cybersecurity training.

Building on Existing UEN Services

UEN has provided cybersecurity services to K-12 education for many years, including security assessments, penetration testing, risk assessments, and incident-response support. ESS formalizes and expands those efforts through dedicated funding and a structured statewide program.

The model preserves autonomy for UEN and K-12 education while enabling close collaboration with state cybersecurity efforts. The program also funds three security analysts who are employed by UEN but will work collaboratively within the UCC.

“What we've established is a dedicated education-focused team operating within the Utah Cyber Center,” Jessup said. “UEN manages that team, and its mission is specifically focused on education.” He noted that all the organizations involved benefit from collaboration with UCC teams, whose valuable shared expertise supports state agencies, counties, and municipalities. “We're beginning to see cybersecurity threats and incidents through a single statewide lens, and access to those shared tools is already producing benefits.”

One exciting development is the integration of UEN’s cybersecurity tools into the UCC. Many of these tools have been developed and refined over years of operation. While UCC has previously received information generated by these systems, this initiative gives them direct access and integration, an exchange of capabilities that will be critical to the program's success.

A First-of-Its-Kind Security Operations Center

Ultimately, this program will create a dedicated security operations center that provides cybersecurity overwatch for K-12 education statewide. To our knowledge, no other state has implemented a program at this scale and with this level of integration. “That means we're breaking new ground,” Jessup said.

As ESS continues to develop, leaders are focused on building a program that can adapt to evolving technologies and emerging threats. As Jessup concluded, “Our goal is to create a program that strongly supports K-12 education and evolves as conditions change.”

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