Institutional data is increasingly moving outside sanctioned systems — a phenomenon IT leaders call shadow data — creating fresh FERPA, privacy and compliance headaches as colleges expand analytics, cloud services and AI. Campus leaders warn that data stored on personal devices, collaboration platforms, or external clouds can expose student records and institutional decision‑making to risk absent clear governance. At the same time, cyberattacks remain a growing threat to K–12 and higher education. Reports show schools were a primary target last year and district leaders are pushing principals into frontline roles for cybersecurity awareness and incident response. Experts say combining stricter data governance with basic cyber hygiene and training for school leaders is the immediate priority.