Industry
Education, K-12
Employees
1,200
Region
United States
IT Environment
Microsoft 365
OVERVIEW
Weatherford ISD has relied upon TrendAI™ to help keep their 1,200 staff and more than 8,200 students secure since 2021. As the district’s IT environment evolved, so too have their cybersecurity needs. Executive Director of Technology, Cody Lee, sought more proactive security measures and knew that TrendAI™ would be the ideal strategic partner to help him achieve a consolidated view of the district’s entire IT infrastructure.
“TrendAI™ has become part of our team, making sure we’re comfortable with the tools and they’re deployed properly. Without TrendAI™’s support, the tools would not be as effective as they are today.”
CHALLENGES
“We become more security-focused each year,” says Lee. And with cyberattacks on K-12 schools on the rise, according to Forbes Technology Council, his small security team focuses on remaining vigilant against threats across the district’s enterprise-class network, wide perimeter, and endpoints.
A crucial concern for Lee is protecting the people who make up the school district, which he does through ongoing training and education. “As you think about the physical security side of things, you think about making sure that a door shuts securely behind you,” he says. “The same thing happens in our digital world. We’ve got to make sure that all the security steps we take along the way are done to make sure that we don’t make a mistake that could allow an attacker in.”
CHALLENGES
“We become more security-focused each year,” says Lee. And with cyberattacks on K-12 schools on the rise, according to Forbes Technology Council, his small security team focuses on remaining vigilant against threats across the district’s enterprise-class network, wide perimeter, and endpoints.
A crucial concern for Lee is protecting the people who make up the school district, which he does through ongoing training and education. “As you think about the physical security side of things, you think about making sure that a door shuts securely behind you,” he says. “The same thing happens in our digital world. We’ve got to make sure that all the security steps we take along the way are done to make sure that we don’t make a mistake that could allow an attacker in.”
"TrendAI Vision One allows me to operate much more efficiently with a much smaller team."
Cody Lee
Executive Director of Technology, Weatherford ISD
WHY TRENDAI
As statewide physical and cyber security regulations evolve, Weatherford ISD must stay one step ahead. “When we started this journey with TrendAI™, we were researching products to stay ahead of what we saw coming,” adds Lee. “When new security regulations were rolled out, we realized we were well ahead of the curve. Now we’re keeping the momentum going.”
When new security regulations were rolled out, we realized we were well ahead of the curve. Now we’re keeping the momentum going.
Executive Director of Technology, Weatherford ISD
Cody Lee
SOLUTION
Weatherford ISD’s partnership with TrendAI™ has been a key component of enhancing their security posture. “TrendAI™ has become part of our team, making sure we’re comfortable with the tools and they’re deployed properly,” says Lee. “Without TrendAI™’s support, the tools would not be as effective as they are today.”
The TrendAI Vision One™ industry-leading AI security platform provides a single-pane-of-glass view into the district’s security landscape.
“What makes the TrendAI Vision One™ platform work so well is that there are tools that cover every aspect of what I need to secure. They all feed into TrendAI Vision One™, getting that data in front of me as fast as possible,” says Lee. “Tools like CREM not only tell us they’re going to protect us but prove they’re protecting us by showing us the data along with the risk.”
RESULTS
The Operations Dashboard within TrendAI Vision One™ breaks down huge amounts of data into specific areas, enabling Lee and his team to concentrate their attention on tasks that will make the biggest improvement in the district’s security position. “TrendAI Vision One™ allows me to operate much more efficiently with a much smaller team,” says Lee.
With TrendAI Vision One™ Endpoint Security solution, Lee has gained actionable information on data never before available to him. “I’m now getting feedback from the network sensors all the way to the endpoint sensors, each of which are analyzing every little bit of data that’s going in and out and allowing us to customize and tighten our controls,” he adds.
TrendAI Vision One™ Zero Trust Secure Access (ZTSA) also helps the district maintain secure access to essential data. “We’ve got to enable people access to data so they can do their jobs, and ZTSA has been a revolution,” says Lee. “I worry less about where people are in the network because I’ve got their machine and any data being transmitted natively protected.”
WHAT'S NEXT
Lee and his team plan to expand their partnership with TrendAI™ to enhance the district’s zero-trust framework and firewalls to protect against advanced threats from third-party applications and external users. At the same time, Lee’s primary focus remains on protecting people.
“I think our biggest focus in the foreseeable future is how to make people as productive as possible with as little critical data interaction as possible,” says Lee.
ABOUT TRENDAI
TrendAI™, a business unit of Trend Micro and global AI security leader, empowers enterprises, governments, and organizations with proactive solutions designed to inspire innovation and eliminate risk. Taking the uncertainty out of security, TrendAI™ protects over 25,000 enterprise organizations and millions of individuals across AI, cloud, networks, endpoints, and devices. AI Fearlessly. trendmicro.com
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