Educational Institution

Securing it infrastructure and streamlining digital learning for an educational institution

Client overview

A private educational institution with multiple campuses, serving over 3,000 students and faculty members. The institution relied heavily on digital learning platforms, student information systems, and cloud-based collaboration tools but struggled with cybersecurity vulnerabilities, it downtime, and compliance with student data privacy laws.

Challenges

1. Cybersecurity risks and data privacy concerns:
   • Faced frequent cyber threats, including ransomware and phishing attacks targeting students and faculty.
   • Lacked strong access controls, making student records and administrative data vulnerable to unauthorized access.
   • Needed compliance with FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and local data protection laws.
2. IT Infrastructure And Remote Learning Limitations:
   • Outdated servers and slow network speeds disrupted online learning and exam administration.
   • Insufficient bandwidth led to connectivity issues, especially during peak usage times.
   • IT support requests were slow to resolve, impacting faculty productivity.
3. Operational Inefficiencies In Administration:
   • Manual student registration and administrative workflows caused delays.
   • Difficulty integrating various education management platforms and communication tools.
   • No automated backup system, risking data loss for student grades and records.

Axiom’s Solution

Axiom implemented a secure and efficient IT ecosystem to support digital learning, administration, and compliance:

1. Cybersecurity and data protection:
   • Established a 24/7 security operations center (SOC) with real-time threat detection, reducing attack response times to under 10 minutes.
   • Deployed multi-factor authentication (MFA) for student portals, preventing unauthorized access to sensitive records.
   • Implemented next-gen firewalls and dark web monitoring, securing faculty and student login credentials from cyber threats.
2. IT infrastructure optimization for seamless learning:
   • Upgraded network infrastructure with high-speed SD-WAN solutions, increasing bandwidth by 50% and eliminating downtime during peak hours.
   • Migrated to Microsoft Azure for cloud-based learning management systems (LMS), ensuring 99.99% uptime.
   • Provided 24/7 IT helpdesk support to address faculty and student technical issues within 30 minutes.
3. Automation and compliance improvements:
   • Deployed automated student enrollment and course registration system, reducing administrative workload by 60%.
   • Implemented FERPA-compliant data encryption and backup solutions, ensuring student data privacy and protection from breaches.
   • Integrated AI chatbots for student inquiries, reducing administrative response time from 2 days to under 2 hours.

Results achieved

1. Enhanced cybersecurity and compliance:
   • Achieved 100% compliance with FERPA and local data privacy regulations.
   • Blocked over 1,500 phishing attempts in the first 3 months.
2. Seamless digital learning experience:
   • Reduced IT downtime by 85%, ensuring uninterrupted online classes.
   • Improved network speed by 50%, providing smooth access to learning platforms.
3. Operational efficiency gains:
   • Automated workflows saved over 400 administrative hours per semester.
   • IT helpdesk requests decreased by 60% due to proactive issue resolution.