On today's episode of Roll Call, Brian and Josh welcome Keith Krass, Vice President of Partnerships and Global Strategy at Veracross, for a real-world look at how technology has shifted inside independent schools over the last decade. What used to be a "necessary evil" has become central to operations, student safety, and decision-making — and the people leading technology are increasingly becoming true campus leaders.

The conversation gets practical fast: cloud vs. on-prem, risk and resiliency, the critical importance of multi-factor authentication, and why schools still struggle with silos — not just between systems, but between people. Keith also breaks down why institutional research is emerging in K–12, and why schools that don't learn to use their data to ask better questions may fall behind.

Show notes:

00:00 — Welcome + Keith Krass introduction

00:54 - Keith's background: educators, coaching, student development

03:00 - Biggest shifts in independent schools over the last decade (tech's role)

03:25 - Two buckets: cutting-edge schools vs. bare-minimum tech adoption

04:30 - "Outside the solar system to the sun": tech becomes central

05:13 - Cloud vs. on-prem: how the nature of work changed

06:45 - Risk & resiliency: fire, breach, backups, and operational continuity

07:33 - Cloud interdependence + the "expert team" tradeoff

08:27 - The false sense of control + why schools need the "why" explained

09:25 - Data ownership: the questions schools should ask vendors

10:01 - Data hostage stories + why access matters when switching systems

10:30 - The shift from IT director to CTO-level leadership in schools

12:17 - Tech's connection to student safety + thriving through data

13:50 - Tech leaders moving into head roles + why that pathway is growing

27:38 - Lightning round: AI hype, MFA security win, deepfakes, phones, and change management

Learn more about Veracross: https://www.veracross.com/

This episode is sponsored by REACH Boarding

This episode is sponsored by REACH Boarding, an award-winning, feature-rich boarding school management tool used by over 400 schools in five continents to manage risk, increase efficiency, and improve communication in boarding school management.

To learn more about REACH Boarding, its features and integrations, visit www.reachboarding.com

Empowering the Future of Independent Education & Boarding School Management

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Roll Call, don't forget to share your favorite episodes with your colleagues on social media to help us spread the word and help more education professionals stay at the forefront of independent education and boarding school management techniques to empower the future of the education environment.