Information Security - Protecting Our Community
At UW La Crosse, information security is a collaborative effort between UWL ITS and the Universities of Wisconsin Office of Information Security, delivered through UW's Security as a Service model. This partnership provides campus with enterprise-level, consistent, and scalable protection.
How UWL ITS and UW System Are Working Together to Secure Your Data
At UW La Crosse, information security is a partnership. Through UW's Security as a Service model, the UWL Information Technology Services (ITS) team works in collaboration with the Universities of Wisconsin Office of Information Security. This partnership provides our campus with enterprise-level protection, ensuring consistent and scalable security services.
Active Defense & Monitoring
Our teams work around the clock to detect and neutralize threats before they impact the university.
- 24/7 Threat Detection: Advanced tools are utilized to monitor, detect, and respond to threats in our environment on a 24/7/365 basis.
- Security Event Triage: Events are categorized and prioritized using automated playbooks to quickly address low-severity incidents.
- Malware Analysis: Malware analysis and remediation support is provided in the event of a device compromise.
Advanced Incident Response
For complex or critical threats, our security team deploys specialized resources to investigate and contain the issue.
- Incident Response Team: For medium and critical severity incidents, a dedicated Incident Response Team assembles to coordinate the university's response.
- Forensics & Investigation: Deep-dive investigations are conducted into security incidents, documenting findings and facilitating digital media forensics when necessary.
- Recovery Assistance: Once an incident is contained, our teams work collaboratively to develop recovery recommendations to restore operations.
Compliance, Risk & Payment Security
Managing risk to ensure our data and financial transactions remain compliant.
- Vendor Risk Assessments: Before new software is purchased, our team reviews the vendor's security controls (such as SOC 2 reports) to protect the data our institution enters.
- PCI (Payment Card) Support: Technical consulting services are offered to review campus merchant setups and payment flows, ensuring credit card processing remains secure and compliant.
- Audit & Policy Support: Assistance with cybersecurity risk management is provided to ensure alignment with UW System policies.
Proactive Intelligence & Testing
We don't just wait for attacks; we test our defenses and watch global trends.
- Threat Intelligence: We continuously analyze private and open-source threat intelligence to identify potential emerging trends specific to our environment.
- Phishing Simulations: We conduct regular phishing simulations to strengthen campus awareness.
- Tabletop Exercises: We run periodic incident response simulations to ensure our teams are ready to react quickly during a real event.