Balancing Security and Innovation at Boston Public Schools
See how Boston Public Schools uses the iboss cloud to provide secure Internet access to their students and staff
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Boston Public Schools Case Study
Download the complete case study to see how Boston Public Schools balances security and innovation for 54,000+ students.
Key Statistics
Overview
Boston is a city of 'firsts,' balancing a perception as one of the most historically rich cities in the nation with a reputation of always being on the cutting edge of innovation. Part of what's made Boston's innovation economy so successful has been a long and dedicated investment into education at all learning levels. Boston Latin, the system's flagship high school, is the first public school in the country and continues to be ranked among the nation's best. Educators at Boston Public Schools (BPS) teach more than 54,000 students across 125 schools, including 74 percent of the school-age children who live in Boston. Nearly one in every two students speaks a language other than English at home, and BPS students hail from 139 different countries.
Boston Public Schools's Challenge
Financing these initiatives is challenging. Not only do one in five students have a disability that must be accommodated, but half of all BPS students are considered to be economically disadvantaged. Like most educational networks, a portion of federal funding is contingent on remaining in compliance with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Maintaining this financial assistance is critical to ensure that students with the greatest needs aren't receiving a subpar learning experience.
BPS manages a variety of computing devices, including iPads, Chromebooks, and Macbooks. This requires a solution that is able to consistently enforce CIPA while providing support for a wide array of operating systems and technologies. Rather than limit students' exposure to different operating systems and programs, BPS sought a solution that can cover a wealth of computing technologies.
Boston Public Schools's iboss Solution
By teaming up with iboss, BPS provided secure Internet access for their diverse range of devices. With SSL decryption, they increased visibility into their network traffic and enhanced their filtering options. This provides teachers and staff with more granular control over which websites and services their students can access. They also added access controls for devices and operating systems, such as the ability to ensure that an outdated operating system doesn't gain access to the network and create a vulnerability.
BPS deployed custom block pages and created policy groups to limit the exposure of sensitive web content to only a select few users. And if students attempt to take part in illegal activities, such as purchasing credit card numbers off illegal websites by usurping firewalls, the iboss Data Loss Prevention & Protection capabilities remain a step ahead.
There is a tremendous demand for IT services at Boston Public Schools, and we're now able to prioritize the growing demand for online security and accessibility thanks to the unique strategies that we have implemented as a result of the iboss partnership.
Key Results for Boston Public Schools
- Tech-savvy students are no longer able to easily circumvent network filters
- Network administrators continually evolve their security practices with granular reporting
- Ability to respond to incidents and potential misbehavior on a rolling basis is invaluable
- IT can focus on expanding the school system's capabilities with minimal distraction
- Easy compliance with CIPA to preserve federal funding for economically disadvantaged students
Highlights
- Secure Internet access for all popular platforms from any location - iPad, Chromebook, Macbook, or Windows laptop with consistent security policies onsite or offsite
- Detailed and granular reporting with alerts for high-risk activity including real-time dashboards for quick identification of network threats
- Complex policy definitions with inheritance and layers using enterprise-class policy system for efficient rule management across multiple policies
- SSL decryption that adds visibility into HTTPS traffic enabling selective inspection of encrypted traffic for enhanced filtering
- Comprehensive malware protection using optimized combination of malware engines and threat feeds from industry-leading vendors
- Custom block pages and policy groups limiting exposure of sensitive web content to select users with granular access controls
- CIPA compliance maintained through advanced filtering and reporting capabilities ensuring federal funding preservation
As a school district known for innovation, iboss was the only choice for Boston Public Schools. Not only does the iboss cloud solve their existing challenges, but the granular reporting makes it easy to comply with CIPA and preserve federal funding — ensuring a bright future for young minds throughout the city of Boston.