DPO Download

Hosted by RICone DPSS

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Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

No one goes at it alone, k12 organizations need to work collectively to address growing cybersecurity challenges. The DPO Download provides NYS School District Data Protection Officers with insightful interviews, threat landscape updates, and peer spotlights so they don’t have to go at it alone.

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39 recent

June 3, 202621 min

Episode 38 - Cybersecurity Annex and AI Threats

On this episode our hosts revisit a interview with Hilary Hofstein, Managing Program Coordinator for Health, Safety, and Risk at Capital Region BOCES on the Cybersecurity Annex a component of school districts' Building Level Emergency Response Plans in New York. Hofstein provides a deep dive into the annex, describing it as a vital "cheat sheet" or quick guide that outlines essential protocols and key personnel for digital crises. Our hosts also address the newest developments in AI-driven phishing techniques—such as "device control flow" attacks—currently targeting New York schools.

April 15, 2026Episode 3722 min

Episode 37 - 2026 RIC one DPSS Conference

Join our hosts live at the 2026 RIC one Data Privacy and Security Conference. Listen as we hit the conference floor to catch up with district leaders and IT experts, diving deep into the breakthrough insights and "aha" moments they’re taking back to their schools.

March 18, 2026Episode 3629 min

Episode 36 - Navigating AI Guidelines and Launching a Cybersecurity Academy

In this episode of the DPO Download our hosts speak with Eric Coronado, Director of Technology for the Suffern Central School District, to explore how his district is embracing cutting-edge technological initiatives. Eric shares how his team proactively addressed the rapid rise of artificial intelligence by collaborating with teachers to create a "green, yellow, and red light" framework for AI tools, ensuring a delicate balance between classroom innovation and strict student data privacy. Additionally, he details the launch of a pioneering three-year cybersecurity academy at Suffern High School.

February 11, 202636 min

Episode 35 - Beyond the Silos: How HR and IT Collaboration Revolutionized District Security

In this episode, our hosts sit down with leadership from the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School District—Superintendent Patrick McGrath, Director of Technology Doug Carlton, and Assistant Director of Technology Michael Steinberg. They discuss the district’s strategic shift toward a unified vernacular across departments, a move that enabled the implementation of automated user provisioning reaching all the way to the physical security layer.Listen as we explore how the district successfully leveraged administrative regulations and a culture of shared decision-making to streamline onboarding processes. By reducing IT overhead and enhancing data privacy in alignment with NIST 2.0 standards, this team provides a roadmap for modernizing school district operations.

November 5, 2025Episode 3427 min

Episode 34 - Cybersecurity as a Team Sport: Governance, Response, and Strategic Planning for K12 Schools

On this episode we welcome former Chief Information Officer at Pittsford Central School District Dr. Jeff Cimmerer to the podcast. Listen as Dr. Cimmerer speaks about how cybersecurity is very much a team sport. Learn how using common nomenclature can help reach a variety of stakeholders within your district.

September 10, 2025Episode 3331 min

Episode 33 - School Year Readiness, and Collaboration

This episode we are joined by Data Protection Officers Brian Zimmer of Webster CSD, John Miller of Honeoye Falls-Lima CSD, along with Dan Fullerton of Monroe Regional Information Center (RIC) to speak about the opening of a new school year. Listen as we discuss how collaboration plays a critical role among the Monroe RIC region by emphasizing standardized practices, shared hardware, and mutual support so no one goes at it alone.

August 6, 2025Episode 3223 min

Episode 32 - How to Handle Zero Day Threats

What happens when hackers find a flaw before the developers do? They get a Zero-Day—a golden ticket into networks worldwide.Join our hosts along with NERIC's Information Security Manager Don Harple as we discuss the recent zero day Microsoft SharePoint Vulnerability. Learn as we discuss best practices for zero day threats as well as speak to the benefits of exercising your incident response plan.

July 2, 2025Episode 3129 min

Episode 31 - A Global Perspective on Data Security and Privacy

On this episode our hosts along with Saige Hupman and Ashleen Speen from South Central Regional Information Center discuss what the world's top security experts are saying and how it applies to NYS School districts. Join us as we pull back the curtain on the Gartner Data Security and Privacy Summit. We’re cutting through the global corporate-speak to translate the latest guidance on AI, data protection, and emerging cyber threats into practical, actionable strategies tailored for our local districts.

June 4, 2025Episode 3031 min

Episode 30 - NYSED CPO Farewell: A Conversation with Louise DeCandia

Join our hosts as they sit down with Louise DeCandia, the NYSED Chief Privacy Officer, for a candid look back at her impactful tenure. Listen as Louise speaks about the initial challenges she faced. Hear her reflections on the ever-evolving data privacy and security landscape. Discover the initiatives she believes had the most impact, and the relationships she was able to establish with all the stakeholders.

May 7, 2025Episode 2932 min

Episode 29 - Inside the SOC, should you Build it or Buy It

Have you ever wondered about what goes on inside a security operations center (SOC)? In our next episode, our hosts will be speaking with Paul Marco from Talas Security. Paul will be sharing his experiences managing a security operations center, and we'll be discussing the "Build it" versus "Buy it" approach for cybersecurity controls in school districts. To wrap up, Paul will also share his firsthand account of the 2013 Denial of Service attacks that affected over a dozen U.S. banks.