A Canvas breach disrupted online instruction for nearly 9,000 schools and educational institutions worldwide, forcing some universities—including parts of the University of Illinois system—to pause coursework and extend deadlines while IT teams assessed the impact. The incident underscored how heavily colleges have become dependent on centralized learning-management vendors that function as critical infrastructure. The episode highlights a risk-management gap that can surface during peak academic moments like final exams: even routine LMS operations now require rapid incident response, contingency teaching plans, and communications workflows that protect continuity of assessment and student access. As institutions plan AI-enabled instruction and data-driven advising, vendor concentration risks will likely become a priority item for CIOs and compliance leaders overseeing operational resilience and data governance.