3 takeaways from the 2025 EDUCAUSE annual conference

The 2025 EDUCAUSE annual conference brought together leaders from IT, security, enrollment, and student services. Here are three takeaways to remember.

Key takeaways

1. Balancing cybersecurity and accessibility
   Improving security requires a focus on cybersecurity systems and campus culture. You need to make sure everyone is bought in and able to easily use the tools that will keep them safe.
   Achieving this can require a shift in technology and culture:

   • Embed security into existing workflows: Building security into the tools that students and staff already use makes compliance easier for everyone.
   • Design for accessibility: Providing mobile- and web-friendly flows, support for international IDs, and clear instructions ensures security doesn't become a barrier.
   • Make security human: Transforming security teams into visible and approachable allies will encourage students and staff to raise concerns and ask questions.

2. Investing in new verification systems
   Schools are continually on the defensive as fraudsters create ghost students to steal financial aid. Some of the key concerns and trends that were discussed are:

   • Ghost students and the use of stolen documents and synthetic identities to test different attacks.
   • Account takeovers from fraudsters using social engineering tactics to gain access to sensitive information.
   • Need for multi-layered identity verification systems that can effectively stop bad actors, including multifactor authentication and manual processes.
   • Replacing slow, consensus-driven fraud reviews with dedicated response teams empowered to act quickly.

3. Targeting university help desks
   Help desks are becoming security checkpoints. Bad actors often attempt to reset passwords by exploiting urgency. Implementing more effective verification methods and focusing on cross-team collaboration is part of the solution.

How Persona can help

The challenges and trends discussed at EDUCAUSE are exactly what Persona was built to address. The Persona verified identity platform:

• Offers flexible verification methods to help you meet IAL2 standards without disrupting legitimate users.
• Allows you to adjust friction based on user risk levels.
• Reduces manual burden on IT and admissions. Automate information collection, verification, and decisioning to support students at scale.
• Embeds verification into existing systems.
• Stays ahead of evolving fraud patterns with a holistic set of risk signals.