Case Study: Achievement First strengthens school network security with Palo Alto Networks

Achievement First secures 36 schools with Palo Alto Networks

Achievement First, a charter school management organization, faced a significant challenge with a surge in sophisticated phishing attacks and exploits that threatened to disrupt its digital learning platforms and risk the exposure of private student and staff information. Their previous port-based firewall lacked the necessary visibility and control. To address this, they partnered with vendor Palo Alto Networks to implement its Security Operating Platform, which included Next-Generation Firewalls, Threat Prevention, URL Filtering, and WildFire.

The Palo Alto Networks solution provided Achievement First with automated threat intelligence to block malicious links and executables, granular control over network traffic, and consistent security for all users, including remote staff via GlobalProtect. This enabled the organization to standardize security protocols, inspect all traffic including SSL, and lay the groundwork for a future Zero Trust model. The result was a secure digital environment where scholars and teachers could focus on learning without disruption or fear of cyber threats.

Achievement First