MEDAN-HUMAS: The Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) held a Socialization of the Higher Education Information Security Monitoring System, which was initiated by the Center for Data and Information Technology, on Friday (1/11/2024). The activity, which took place at the Digital Learning Center Building (DLCB) USU 8th floor, was opened by USU Vice Rector IV, Prof Dr Opim Salim Sitompul, M.Sc, who was represented by the Head of the USU Information Systems Center, Mohammad Fadly Syah Putra, M.Sc.

Head of PSI USU said that the socialization was a form of USU's commitment to maintain the security of data and information in its environment, as well as guaranteeing personal interests and the greater interests of the state and the public. The socialization was attended by the deans of faculties and other work unit leaders in the USU environment.

Head of Data and Information Technology Center Yudhistira, S.T., M.ICT, Adv, D.Phil, appeared as the sole speaker presenting a presentation themed “Governance and Compliance with Personal Data Protection Law,” which refers to the Information Security Management System program called Edu CSIRT. Moderated by Sri Melvani Hardi, S.Kom., M.Kom., who is also the Secretary of the Undergraduate Program in Computer Science.

The theme is a very important and relevant topic in today's growing digital era. Where information security has become a priority for many institutions, universities are no exception. EduCSIRT was born as a response to the Law on Personal Data Protection (PDP) No. 27 of 2022, which is a mandate from Article 28 G paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia. The article states that everyone has the right to protection of self, family, honor, dignity, and property under his/her control, as well as the right to security and protection from the threat of fear to do or not to do something, which is a human right.

Ka PSI USU in his speech revealed that the amount of important data; both academic data, research, and partner or personal data owned by each academic community, requires a robust system that is able to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of this information. As an educational institution, universities have a big responsibility in managing and maintaining the security of their information.

“With this EduCISRT Information Security Monitoring System, we are expected to be able to identify threats early, protect our digital assets, and take preventive steps against potential cyber threats. This is not just about technology, but about the trust given to us by students, lecturers, education staff, the community, and other stakeholders,” said Mohammad Fadly.

He added that the socialization was held as an effort to increase the awareness and vigilance of all of us. Through this socialization, we hope to understand the importance of information security, as well as what actions we need to take to minimize the risk of information leaks that may occur. Cooperation between departments, starting from information technology, academics, to administration, is needed to build a culture of information security on campus.

EduCISRT, among others, carries out the mission to identify security vulnerabilities as a whole, improve the response of security aspects to all work units under the Ministry of Science and Technology, and improve the quality of education and culture ICT services from cyber threats. (RJ)