Abstract

Cybersecurity in educational institutions faces the unique paradox of needing enterprise-grade defense against sophisticated threats while operating under severe resource constraints. Existing solutions, as revealed by our systematic review of 38 primary studies selected from 165 Scopus-indexed articles, fail to address this challenge effectively. Specifically, commercial frameworks are prohibitively expensive and overly complex for non-technical staff, while advanced technical solutions utilizing Deep Learning and Blockchain impose excessive resource consumption unsuitable for legacy hardware. Furthermore, open-source alternatives often operate in silos without orchestration. This research bridges these critical gaps by proposing the Adaptive Multi-Layer Cybersecurity Architecture (AMLCA). Unlike traditional models, this architecture integrates a centralized orchestration layer to unify disparate open-source tools, enabling automated threat response. Additionally, the proposed solution incorporates user behavior modeling to mitigate human-centric risks. Based on the comparative gap analysis, the proposed AMLCA provides a theoretically robust direction for future implementation, offering a sustainable defense model specifically tailored for Limited Resource Organizations (LROs).

A. Kawbunjun, P. Nilsook, P. Wannapiroon, P. Piriyasurawong and U. Thongsatapornwatana, “Cyber Resilience in Educational Institutions: A Systematic Review and Future Directions,” 2026 7th International Conference on Information Technology and Education Technology (ITET), Hiroshima, Japan, 2026, pp. 191-197, https://doi.org/10.1109/ITET70052.2026.11650930