You may be asking why you have to wait 45 days for technology to provide access to an educational resource. There are many reasons why this is important.

1. Cybersecurity Risk Assessment

• Vulnerability Identification: The team needs to assess the potential vulnerabilities the software may introduce to the district's network. This includes reviewing how the application handles sensitive data like student and staff information, and ensuring that it does not open security gaps.

• Compliance with Cybersecurity Standards: Technology needs time to ensure the application complies with internal and external cybersecurity standards (e.g., FERPA for student data).

2. Privacy Policy Review

• Data Collection & Usage: Reviewing the software’s privacy policy helps ensure that student and staff data is protected and used appropriately. This includes ensuring compliance with local and federal privacy laws such as FERPA and COPPA.

• Data Sharing & Retention: The team needs to confirm how the vendor handles data sharing, retention, and deletion.

3. Vendor Engagement & Requirements Gathering

• Vendor Coordination: Sometimes the vendor has specific requirements or requests that may need to be addressed, such as API access, rostering formats, or custom configurations.

• Rostering Students or Staff: For many educational platforms, it’s necessary to roster students or staff, which may involve coordination between multiple systems (SaaS, Learning Management Systems, etc.). This is especially important if data synchronization or integration is required.

4. Single Sign-On (SSO) Configuration

• SSO Integration: For security and convenience, the technology team often needs to implement SSO for the new software. This involves configuring authentication protocols (e.g., SAML or OAuth), which requires time for testing and ensuring it works across the district.

• Minimizing User Friction: Ensuring that staff and students can use the software seamlessly through a single sign-on solution minimizes login-related disruptions.

5. Network and Technical Compatibility Testing

• Infrastructure Readiness: Technology teams need to ensure that the software integrates well with the district's existing network and infrastructure, both for cloud-based and desktop software. This may require server capacity reviews, testing internet bandwidth impact, or verifying firewall configurations.

• Hardware and System Compatibility: For desktop applications, ensuring the software is compatible with district-provided devices, operating systems, and security protocols can take time. Some applications may also require special configurations or additional hardware support.

6. License Management and Procurement

• Budget & Licensing: Procurement of the necessary licenses can involve several layers of approval, contract review, and sometimes negotiations with the vendor, especially for multi-user or enterprise licenses.

• Licensing Compliance: Ensuring that the district is in compliance with the licensing terms—particularly for the number of users, devices, or locations—requires careful review.

7. User Training & Documentation

• Staff Training Materials: Depending on the complexity of the software, technology teams may need time to prepare training materials for teachers and staff or coordinate vendor-led training sessions.

• Ongoing Support: Time is also needed to set up documentation and help-desk resources to support the software in the long term.

8. Legal and Policy Compliance

• District Policies and Contracts: Technology must ensure that the software complies with district policies for acceptable use, data protection, and intellectual property rights.

• Third-Party Contract Reviews: For any external applications, legal and contractual reviews ensure there are no liabilities or unfavorable terms in the vendor agreement.

9. Security Patching & Updates

• Patch Management: Ensuring that the application is up-to-date with the latest security patches is critical to safeguarding the district's systems.

• Regular Updates & Maintenance: Technology teams need to account for the vendor's release cycles and future updates to ensure that the software remains compatible with the district's IT infrastructure. Technology also needs time to construct smooth program roll-out for desktop applications through our software management system.

10. Testing and Pilot Rollouts

• User Testing & Feedback: In some cases, piloting the software with a small group of users allows the technology team to gather feedback and fix any issues before full-scale deployment.

• Final Approval: The team may need to run tests to ensure that the software doesn’t interfere with other tools, applications, or processes already in place.

By providing 45 days for review and implementation, the technology department ensures that all aspects—security, compliance, user experience, and technical compatibility—are thoroughly evaluated to protect both district resources and sensitive data and to make sure the software is ready for use for teachers and students.