B2B Research Case Study — Microsoft Cybersecurity

Strengthening cybersecurity in education by addressing key pain points and refining messaging strategies

How it started

The speed, scale, and sophistication of cyberattacks today are unparalleled. Alarmingly, 80% of all industry malware encounters occur in K-12 education, with each ransomware attack costing schools nearly $4 million. Additionally, the rise of AI-driven threats has further complicated the cybersecurity landscape, making it even more challenging for educational institutions to protect themselves. Despite Microsoft’s cybersecurity solutions being recognized as industry-leading, many education IT decision-makers (ITDMs) are unaware of the threats to their institutions or the value Microsoft can provide.

Microsoft needed a partner to identify the top cybersecurity pain points of Education ITDMs, capture perceptions and awareness of Microsoft products, determine takeaways and distinctions between institutions and their needs, and tailor trust-building messaging for key K-12 and Higher Education (HED) ITDMs.

What we did

Program 11 conducted comprehensive research with IT leaders worldwide, using comparative, qualitative, and quantitative methods.

Responses were analyzed to identify distinctions in product usage, sentiment, and trust across various segments, including:

K-12 and Higher Education (HED) sectors
Public and private institutions
United States and International IT decision-makers
Microsoft licenses used

Our a-ha moment? ITDMs at every level of sophistication have complex and often conflicting opinions on AI’s benefits and threats to their institutions. They need clear use cases to help them understand the value of “AI-readiness” software and solutions.