Case Study: University of Oklahoma achieves rapid cloud threat protection and account remediation with CloudLock

How a leading research university uses cloud security to protect its users, data and open culture

The University of Oklahoma, a major research and teaching institution, moved campus-wide to Office 365 while supporting extensive cloud collaboration (Dropbox, AWS, Salesforce) and handling highly sensitive research and regulated data (HIPAA/PHI). That shift, combined with an open academic culture and rising student-targeted threats, left the university exposed to account compromises, malware and ransomware without adequate visibility or cloud-focused controls.

OU deployed Cisco Cloudlock (CASB) for cloud visibility, DLP and UEBA and Cisco Umbrella for DNS‑layer threat protection (with virtual appliances and AD integration). The combination allowed OU to lock nearly 200 compromised accounts quickly, block more than 1,000 threats per hour, sharply reduce malware infections, improve its BitSight rating (from F to C) and cut security administration and remediation time—making ransomware effectively a non‑issue on campus.

University of Oklahoma

Aaron Baillio

Managing Director, Security Operations and Architecture