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Mark Orchison

Mark Orchison is the CEO of 9ine, a leading provider of technology, cyber and privacy services to schools. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Mark is a highly respected thought leader in the field of technology, cyber, privacy and safeguarding in K-12 education. He has a proven track record of helping organisations of all sizes to navigate the rapidly changing digital and regulatory landscape and capitalise on new opportunities. Mark’s vision has shaped the development of a revolutionary low cost consultancy-as-a-service software platform enabling schools to gain easy access to expertise in technology, cyber, privacy and safeguarding. Mark is also a regular speaker at industry events and an expert contributor to accreditation commissions on accreditation standards relating to privacy and cyber security.

KCSIE 2025: What We Got Right (and What We Didn’t) About AI and Safeguarding

5 min read

KCSIE 2025: What We Got Right (and What We Didn’t) About AI and Safeguarding

When we published our forecast on how KCSIE 2025 might address Artificial Intelligence, we speculated that the Department for Education was poised to make explicit references to AI within the statutory safeguarding framework for the first time. With...

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5 min read

Trojan AI in Schools: The Hidden Threat Inside Your EdTech Apps

School leaders today face an emerging “Trojan AI” problem in educational technology. In this context, Trojan AI refers to AI-powered features quietly...

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6 min read

Outlook: AI in Safeguarding – What to Expect in KCSIE 2025

KCSIE is due to be published soon and, according to sources, is expected to undergo a significant upgrade, potentially even a complete rewrite. In...

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Ai in education data privacy

6 min read

‘Dad, how did they know more about me than I know about myself?’

When I recently became a parent, I did what many new parents do—I bought a baby monitor to watch over my child as they slept. What surprised me...

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EdTech Cost Control – Lowering Your Costs, Improving Impact

2 min read

EdTech Cost Control – Lowering Your Costs, Improving Impact

Managing EdTech Costs in Schools: Challenges and Solutions Technology – The Silent Budget Driver Technology expenditure has become one of the largest...

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data protection

2 min read

Launching the 9ine AI & Privacy Academy 2025/26

Empowering Schools with Advanced Professional Development We are thrilled to announce the launch of our updated 9ine AI & Privacy Academy for the...

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Cybersecurity Guidance for School Finance Teams

6 min read

Cybersecurity Guidance for School Finance Teams

School finance teams are prime targets for cybercriminals because of the sensitive data and large financial transactions they handle. Schools...

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PowerSchool Cyber Attack: Understanding Liability and Legal Actions

4 min read

PowerSchool Cyber Attack: Understanding Liability and Legal Actions

When a third-party vendor (such as PowerSchool) suffers a data breach involving school data, the school (as the Data Controller in many...

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CISA Compliance Reporting Requirements for Cyber Incident Management in Schools

3 min read

CISA compliance reporting for cyber incident management in schools

Cybersecurity in schools isn't just about reacting to breaches; it’s about creating a structured, preventive, and responsive approach to incidents...

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facial recognition in schools

4 min read

The problem with facial recognition in schools

Facial recognition poses risks and unquantifiable damage to students, staff and other data subjects when used in schools. Given that the technology...

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Considerations For Using AI In Schools

2 min read

Considerations For Using AI In Schools: Is your school ready for AI?

Exploring the impact of Artificial Intelligence in educational institutions and the considerations that need to be made when implementing AI...

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Effortlessly Comply with the Latest Digital Standards from the DfE

2 min read

Effortlessly Comply with the Latest Digital Standards from the DfE

Discover how schools can easily comply with the Department of Education's Digital Standards to make informed technology decisions and enhance...

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KCSIE 2023 - Easily Manage your Statutory Compliance

3 min read

KCSIE 2023 - Easily Manage your Statutory Compliance

KCSIE 2023 has been updated, with schools and colleges needing to evidence compliance by September 2023. With 558 unique requirements, having...

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Cyber Professional Development for Tech Teams

2 min read

Cyber Professional Development for Tech Teams

Cybercriminals use developments in technology to gain competitive advantage in an ongoing arms race to be one step ahead of cybersecurity defences....

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