Delivering Exceptional and Safe Learning Experiences for 375,000 Users

Few organizations are as challenged by security threats as schools. Not only are budgets tight, but school districts must protect themselves against both external threat actors and the insider threat-their own students. On top of these challenges, there is a growing need for school districts to provide staff and students with a work-from-anywhere (WFA) learning model centered on cloud workspace access.

For one school district, these challenges were exacerbated by its small IT team relative to its considerable size. The district comprises approximately 320,000 students, 50,000 staff, and 400 locations. The time had come to reassess its security posture to ensure adequate levels of defense and to offer a consistent and exceptional learning experience for students regardless of where they are studying.

Without a well-defended cloud environment that was secure from ransomware and breaches, the district needed a solution capable of providing comprehensive security for users connecting to the cloud. Importantly, the solution needed to deliver full student equity, as the district believes that students working away from school premises should not need to use a personal smartphone to authenticate and access resources securely.

Converging Networking and Security with the Fortinet Security Fabric

The school district initially opted for a networking and security solution delivered via a converged platform, bringing on Fortinet as its partner. In 2015, the district made its first investment in its Fortinet Security Fabric solution and started a journey that would transform its infrastructure.

This foundational step was made knowing Fortinet products are united by FortiOS, the common operating system of Fortinet solutions. The district could enable future Fortinet capabilities and solutions and add additional networking and security systems as needed to create a fully converged networking and security platform. In the process, it would unlock a range of benefits, including simplified operations, greater integration and security, and lower total cost of ownership.

Enabling Secure Networking

These benefits were first unlocked in the area of Secure Networking. The district deployed FortiGate Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) to deliver security at the network edge. This was just the start. Following a third-party security assessment that had flagged a lack of visibility into network devices as a key requirement for the district, the Fortinet platform helped meet this challenge, enabling the district to rapidly and seamlessly integrate network access control capabilities.

With FortiNAC enabled, the district benefits from complete visibility, control, and automated response for everything connected to its network. Using FortiOS, its network access control solution has also proved simple to manage.

Modernizing the Network with Unified SASE

Next, the district explored how its Fortinet Security Fabric could help integrate its essential networking and security technologies delivered via the cloud. The first step was to enable its FortiGate NGFWs for Fortinet Secure SD-WAN connectivity, allowing it to optimize application security and intelligent routing across its 400 locations.

When it came to defending its cloud environment, the district realized it needed a zero-trust architecture. By understanding the district's strategy and vision, Fortinet was able to outcompete market alternatives and again demonstrate its platform-based approach's unique value.

These factors led to the district selecting Fortinet Unified SASE, a secure access service edge solution, to deploy to approximately 375,000 users. The solution includes Universal ZTNA zero-trust network access and FortiGuard AI-Powered Security Services that protect users in all locations.

Fortinet's holistic, AI-powered security delivers full threat protection against unknown, zero-day, and emerging AI-based threats in real time across the district's massive hybrid footprint and enables compliance. The Unified SASE solution fully integrates with Fortinet Secure SD-WAN, leveraging a common platform to deliver converged networking and security to the network edge and WFA users.

In addition, the school district has deployed FortiMail email security for 450,000 Google Workspace mailboxes, protecting them against the full spectrum of email-based threats such as phishing, ransomware, zero-day attacks, and business email compromise.

Thanks to the extended Fortinet Security Fabric, the district can now deliver the consistent user experience it envisioned, regardless of device or location. FortiSASE has proved vital, enabling the district to provide enhanced and modern security practices to its staff and students. FortiSASE also enables the district to deliver an equitable educational experience. Students can use managed devices when away from school without needing a personal smartphone or other method of two-factor authentication.

Enhancing Security Operations with the Fortinet Security Fabric

To further enhance its security and its ability to detect and disrupt cyberattackers, the district has extended its Fortinet platform to cover the area of Security Operations. At the heart of this deployment are over 86,000 FortiEDR endpoint detection and response licenses with fully managed advanced threat detection and investigation and automated response capabilities.

FortiEDR generates security alerts based on real-time engagement with threat actors and malware, providing attack activity analysis and isolation. This data adds to the information the district receives from using Fortinet's log management, analytics, and reporting platform, FortiAnalyzer, which simplifies security operations, remediates risks, and increases the visibility of the attack landscape.

Consolidating its networking and security operations with the Fortinet Security Fabric saves time and effort for the school district. With one platform, the district avoids the "finger-pointing" when working with multiple vendors. This ensures that issues are resolved quickly so the IT team can remain focused on higher-value tasks. Fortinet's solutions also reduce the complexity of the district's systems, further relieving the burden on its small IT team.

The newly implemented Fortinet solutions are being supported for a year by a Fortinet-dedicated engineer to ensure flawless deployment, tighter integration, faster time to value, and improved security posture for the district's extended security footprint. Additionally, a Professional Services engagement instilled confidence in the district, helping ensure it deploys on time, within budget, and with a faster ROI compared to attempting self-deployment.

Realizing the School District's Goals

By partnering with Fortinet, the district has been able to scale and deliver a secure learning experience from anywhere, commensurate with its initiatives within its published strategic plan.

The school district is already looking at other ways to improve the performance and security of its network and systems by growing its Fortinet Security Fabric ecosystem. Next up, the district plans to leverage network segmentation at each site and refresh its network with FortiSwitch Ethernet switches and FortiAP wireless access points to deliver the best possible experiences for staff and students alike.

With the Fortinet Security Fabric, the district benefits from a flexible security platform that delivers seamlessly on its various networking and security requirements and is easy to manage.

Learn more about how FortiSASE can secure access to the web, cloud, and applications for your WFA users while simplifying operations.

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