Case Study: Alameda County Office of Education achieves safe, affordable online learning security with Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Security Platform

Education Service Agency Keeps the Online Learning Environment Safe and Secure for Students

Alameda County Office of Education, which supports more than 18 school districts and roughly 250,000 students, needed an affordable, scalable way to keep classroom and at‑home learning safe—blocking inappropriate content, preventing disruptions like DoS attacks, and defending against advanced threats—while letting each district tailor policies to its own needs.

ACOE implemented Palo Alto Networks’ Next‑Generation Security Platform as a subscription “network security as a service,” using virtual systems to give each school dedicated, customizable protections (Threat Prevention, URL Filtering, GlobalProtect, WildFire, Panorama). The deployment delivered stronger security at lower cost, insulated students from inappropriate content and outbreaks like WannaCry, enabled detailed monitoring and reporting, supported expansion to additional districts, and freed funds for other educational programs.

Alameda County Office of Education

Ryan Choate

IT Director