Case study · Education, independent school
Sherborne Girls: securing remote and hybrid learning, without slowing it down
An independent school needed students and teachers to use the web and email freely and safely. We helped them raise their security posture and cut phishing, acting as an extension of their IT team.
- Sector
- Education, independent school
- Size
- Independent boarding & day school, ages 11–18
- Trigger
- Keeping student data safe across remote and hybrid learning
- Outcome
- Web & CASB deployed, network penetration-tested, DMARC configured, with a significant drop in phishing and a stronger, baselined security posture
01
Opening
What was actually happening
Sherborne Girls is an independent boarding and day school for ages 11 to 18. Like every school, its IT team had to let students and teachers use the web and email freely, as everyday tools for learning, communication and collaboration, while keeping them safe.
With teaching split across remote and hybrid learning, the school had a pressing need to be sure that students’ data and personal information stayed protected wherever people were working from. They wanted to raise their security without making day-to-day learning harder.
02
What we did
The work, in the order it happened
We started where the risk was: securing web access and cloud usage. Having identified a web security and CASB (cloud access security broker) solution that fitted the school, we supported Sherborne Girls through onboarding, managing the conversations with the vendor and acting as an extension of the in-house IT team rather than another supplier to manage.
With web and CASB controls in place, we positioned and facilitated a comprehensive penetration test of the school’s network. The goal was twofold: surface any remaining vulnerabilities, and establish a clear baseline of where the school’s security posture actually stood.
Following the penetration test results, we assisted with the school’s DMARC configuration, closing off exact-domain spoofing, one of the most common ways an attacker impersonates a trusted school address.
03
What we delivered
Specific outputs
- Web security and CASB solution selected and onboarded, with all vendor conversations managed for the IT team
- A comprehensive network penetration test to find remaining vulnerabilities and baseline the posture
- DMARC configured to prevent exact-domain spoofing
- An ongoing Cybersecurity Resilience Assessment for a systematic, repeatable approach to cyber risk
04
What changed
For the client
Sherborne Girls came away with a measurably stronger security posture. With DMARC configured, students, teachers and other stakeholders are far better protected against exact-domain spoofing, and the school saw a significant reduction in the number of phishing emails reaching inboxes.
We continue to work with the school, using our Cybersecurity Resilience Assessment to keep a systematic approach to protecting against new and evolving cyber risks.
“The way in which teachers teach and students learn is quickly evolving. It was clear that we needed to enhance our security, which Threat Protect helped make a simple and stress-free process, identifying and resolving a number of areas where we could improve our security posture, enabling our teachers and students to operate in a secure environment.”
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