OculusIT Managed IT Security Services for Higher Education

Managed IT Security Services for Higher Education

Protect your campus, data, and mission with security that’s built for higher ed—24×7, cloud-ready, and CISO-led.

OculusIT is a higher-education–only technology partner, purpose-built for colleges and universities. Our certified analysts, engineers, and security leaders live and breathe your systems—delivering 24×7 global monitoring, proactive defense, and continuous improvement. With security at the core—including CISO-led governance, hardened configurations, and disciplined change control—you get reliable protection and peace of mind.

Explore Our Services

24×7 Security Operations (SOC)

Round-the-clock monitoring, alert triage, and guided containment with playbooks aligned to higher-ed operations. Includes SIEM/SOAR onboarding, log normalization, and tuning to cut down noise.

vCISO Leadership & Governance Support

Virtual CISO leadership for policy development, risk management, and tabletop exercises. Delivers executive-level reporting and roadmap ownership to align security with institutional goals.

Vulnerability Management & Pen Testing (VAPT)

Regular scans with prioritized remediation and targeted penetration tests for applications, networks, and ERP systems, providing clear, actionable insights to strengthen the overall security posture.

Zero Trust & Identity Management

Enforces least-privilege access, segmentation, & single sign-on alignment. Supports adaptive MFA (including mobile-free options & desktop authenticators) & privileged access controls.

Endpoint Protection & MDR/XDR Response

Advanced EDR deployment with continuous monitoring and response across Windows, macOS, and Linux environments, covering labs, classrooms, and remote faculty or students.

Cloud Security & SaaS Hardening

Hardening and posture management for AWS, Azure, and Oracle Cloud, with identity governance, key management, and secure SaaS configurations.

Data Protection & Resilience Planning

Validation of backups and disaster recovery, immutable storage options, and detailed runbooks with RPO/RTO planning to ensure operational continuity.

Incident Response & Recovery Services

On-call retainers for rapid coordination, escalation procedures, and partnerships with forensic experts, followed by post-incident reviews and lessons learned from the incident.

Zero Trust FastStart (6-Month Roadmap)

Month 0–1: Current-state assessment (identity, devices, network, data) and executive-level risk brief
Month 1–2: IAM hardening: SSO/MFA uplift, role cleanup, joiner-mover-leaver automation
Month 2–3: Network & app segmentation for critical systems (ERP, financial aid, payroll)
Month 3–4: Device trust baseline (EDR posture, encryption, patch SLAs) and PAM quick wins
Month 4–5: Pilot Zero Trust policies for 1–2 high-impact apps (e.g., Banner® & Argos®)
Month 5–6: Metrics & tuning (MTTD/MTTR, blocked events, least-privilege adoption), executive report-out

How We Engage

step 1

Assess

Security health check across applications, identity, cloud, and network

step 2

Harden

Quick wins: patching, configuration baselines, and backup/restore validation

step 3

Monitor

24×7 SOC, tuned detections, and actionable dashboards

step 4

Respond

Playbook-driven containment, escalation, and communications support

step 5

Improve

CISO-led governance, training, and roadmap execution

Engagement Models

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Co-Managed SOC

We integrate with your team and tools to extend coverage and speed.

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Fully Managed SOC

End-to-end monitoring and response with defined SLAs and KPIs.

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vCISO Engagement

Strategic leadership, policy, risk, and Board/Cabinet engagement.

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Project-Based

VAPT, incident response retainers, Zero Trust/IAM, and compliance readiness.

Compliance & Framework Alignment

Frameworks.

NIST CSF, CIS Controls; mapping to institutional risk registers

Regulations/Standards.

GLBA 314 safeguards, FERPA best practices, PCI DSS (payments), HIPAA (campus health)

Evidence & Audits.

Control documentation, logs, test results, and audit-ready artifacts

Outcomes You Can Expect

Reduced risk through hardened configs, least-privilege access, & continuous monitoring

Faster detection & response with measurable improvements to MTTD/MTTR

Audit readiness and clearer executive reporting (no surprises at audit time)

Lower total cost by reducing tool sprawl and optimizing cloud/security spend

Happier users with secure-by-default access and fewer disruptions during peak periods

Answers You Need

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you work with our existing tools?

Yes—SIEM, EDR, IdP, and ticketing. We’ll tune what you have and recommend gaps only where needed.

Do you support on-prem, hybrid, and cloud?

Absolutely. We secure data centers, campus networks, and AWS/Azure/Oracle Cloud, plus Microsoft 365 and Ellucian® SaaS.

What are our options for MFA without mobile devices?

We support FIDO2 security keys, desktop authenticators, smart cards, and other mobile-free approaches.

How do you handle after-hours incidents?

Our SOC is 24×7 with documented escalation pathways and campus-specific playbooks.

How quickly can we start?

We begin with an accelerated security health check and stabilization plan—typically measured in weeks, not months.

Banner®, DegreeWorks®, Argos®, Canvas®, PowerFAIDS®, AWS®, Microsoft Azure®, Oracle®, Ellucian® are trademarks of their respective owners.

What Our Clients Say

“OculusIT has significantly enhanced our IT department by providing dedicated expertise and personnel, such as CIO and CISO roles we couldn’t staff internally. Their comprehensive services, from 24×7 support to hardware and software solutions, have strengthened our ability to protect student data and seamlessly manage our IT needs—all through a single trusted partnership. These are capabilities we simply didn’t have before.”

Grant Greenwood - McMurry University

Vice President of Enrollment Management & COO

“OculusIT does an amazing job! Their continual service improvements, valuable oversight, and exceptional responsiveness make working with them a pleasure. They streamlined our processes, enhancing efficiency and reducing costs. Their proactive support and expertise have made a significant difference. Kudos to OculusIT and their team!!”

Cherrington Bill - Rose State College

Associate VP of Information Systems

“We truly appreciate the team’s responsiveness and dedication. The weekly meetings have been invaluable, ensuring seamless communication and exceptional support. OculusIT consistently goes above and beyond in delivering top-notch service. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to excellence and delivering top-notch service and support.”

Rick Penny - Lakeland Community College

Chief Information Officer

“I am highly impressed to work with OculusIT and appreciate your dedication and positive attitude over the past years. Your outstanding customer service has significantly impacted Diné College positively. I eagerly look forward to our continued partnership and future successes together. Thank you for your hard work and commitment! Together, we make a great team.”

Ihab Saleh - Diné College

Director of Information Technology

“Partnering with OculusIT has exponentially increased our capabilities when it comes to supporting our student, faculty, and staff community across our Stockton and Sacramento campuses. OculusIT has extensive experience in higher ed, which enabled us to ramp up this service quickly and maintain a true 24 x 7 x 365 support model.”

Kevin Lemoine - University of the Pacific

Information Security Service Desk Manager

“Alabama A&M University has been working with OculusIT for a long time, and I have found their team to be great in helping me take things off my plate so that I can focus on core student, faculty, and staff satisfaction. They helped upgrade Banner, apply patches, troubleshoot issues, both during and after business hours. I am happy to recommend them.”

Jamarcus Allen - Alabama A&M University

Enterprise Applications Administrator

“I am highly impressed with the level of work, support and documentation provided by OculusIT. The team’s response time was a 180 degree turn-around as compared to our previous vendor. We appreciate the quality work delivered by the Banner®, Linux®, and Wintel teams. Good job!”

Gerard Layug - City College of San Francisco

Data Center Manager

Ready to strengthen security without slowing your campus down?

Let’s align a co-managed, fully managed, or vCISO-led model to your risk, budget, and academic calendar.

Managed IT Security Services