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Case Study: Protecting Student Data for an Educational Institution

The Challenge​

A large educational institution with multiple campuses and thousands of students needed a solution to protect sensitive student data and secure its online learning platforms. As the institution expanded its use of digital tools for remote learning, it faced increasing threats from cyberattacks targeting student records and learning management systems (LMS). The key challenges included:

  • FERPA Compliance: Ensuring compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which protects the privacy of student education records.
  • Secure Online Learning Platforms: Securing the institution’s LMS to protect assignments, student grades, and communications between students and professors.
  • Remote Access for Students and Faculty: Providing secure remote access for both students and faculty to access campus resources and online learning tools from home or public networks.
  • Data Privacy: Ensuring that sensitive student information, including personal data and academic records, remained private and secure from unauthorized access.

The Solution​

OrbVPN provided the educational institution with a comprehensive solution to secure student data, protect online learning platforms, and meet FERPA compliance requirements.

  • FERPA-Compliant Encryption: OrbVPN encrypted all communications between the institution’s systems and students or faculty members, ensuring that student records and personal data remained secure and private.
  • Secure LMS Access: OrbVPN secured the institution’s LMS, allowing students to submit assignments, view grades, and communicate with professors through an encrypted platform.
  • Remote Access for Students and Faculty: OrbVPN enabled secure remote access for students and faculty to the institution’s digital resources, ensuring that both could safely access systems from home or public networks.
  • Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): The institution implemented RBAC using OrbVPN, ensuring that only authorized personnel, such as professors and administrative staff, could access sensitive student records.

Key Results​

  1. FERPA Compliance Achieved: The educational institution successfully met FERPA requirements by using OrbVPN to protect student data and ensure that education records were securely transmitted and stored.

  2. Enhanced Online Learning Security: OrbVPN’s secure LMS integration allowed students and faculty to collaborate and communicate securely, protecting assignments, grades, and academic information from unauthorized access.

  3. Data Privacy and Protection: By encrypting all communications and implementing strict access controls, the institution safeguarded student privacy, protecting personal information and academic records.

  4. Seamless Remote Learning: OrbVPN enabled the institution to offer secure remote learning to students and faculty, ensuring that education could continue without security risks or data breaches.

Conclusion​

OrbVPN helped the educational institution protect sensitive student data, meet FERPA compliance, and secure its online learning platforms. By using OrbVPN’s advanced encryption and access control features, the institution was able to provide a secure, modern learning environment for its students while safeguarding privacy and data protection.