Case Study: Encinitas Union School District achieves a secure, high-performing network and 90% UC cost savings with Fortinet

A Lesson in Excellence: U.S. School District Builds a Secure, High-Performing Network on the Fortinet Security Fabric

Encinitas Union School District (EUSD) is a K–6 California district serving about 4,500 students and 1,000 staff across nine schools and a STEM campus. Faced with aging VoIP and security systems, complex Wi‑Fi with frequent interference, and the loss of broader public-sector cybersecurity support, the district needed a more secure, manageable, and cost‑effective network and unified communications solution.

EUSD consolidated on the Fortinet Security Fabric—deploying FortiGate NGFWs, FortiAP (700 APs), FortiSwitches, FortiVoice/FortiFone, FortiMail, Secure SD‑WAN and FortiGuard services—streamlining management and automating updates. The result: empowered staff with simpler interfaces, a reliable wireless network, enhanced security and E911 functionality, more than 75% less time spent managing Wi‑Fi, about $30,000/year saved on monitoring, and roughly 90% cost savings on the UC project versus an alternative vendor.

Encinitas Union School District

Nathan Short

Director of Information Technology