Think Outside The Classroom

Fortinet Is Bridging The Gap For Better Student Performance With Reliable Internet Connections

• The Internet Challenge
• Security and Reliability From Industry Leaders
• Bridging The Homework Gap For Better Student Performance

Before the world would adapt to the pandemic, around 15% of students were already unable to do their homework because of the lack of reliable computers and/or internet connection at home. As the learning environment for students has shifted from traditional classrooms to virtual classrooms, it has exponentially widened that gap. According to a study from Common Sense Media, there are 15 to 16 million children in the U.S. who lack adequate home internet access, which means 30% of all public K-12 students fall into the homework gap. With the rapid shift to virtual classrooms, schools' constrained IT teams became overwhelmed with needed tools and apps for students' continuous access to curriculum and remote learning. The number of insecure remote access points (APs) left schools vulnerable and exposed to security risks. According to research, the 2020 calendar year showed a record-breaking number of publicly disclosed school cyber incidents.Vendors like Fortinet have solutions available that are designed to help close the homework gap by empowering school districts to provide underprivileged students with equal access to education through a secure, reliable and affordable broadband connection.

Modern businesses committed to long-term viability, profitability and growth potential are using digital advances that include analytics, mobility, social media, and smart embedded devices on the day-to-day. They do it for three reasons.

First, to change the customer experience. The implementation of tech in this area can be small or big. Actions like e-signatures show how little things that allow customers to sign documents from a smartphone can make an impact on satisfaction or retention. On a broader scale, engineering firm's set-up resource libraries to show stakeholders project status updates, resource needs, costs and more. The libraries are online, encrypted and filled with items (drone footage, 3D renderings and more) of tech-based data. The same scenario is playing out from flower shops to clinics. Tech allows customers to get more out of their experience working with your business.

Second, tech is now used to alter the internal processes and norms of many organizations. This element of the digital transformation can be seen through server racks, connected devices, security set-ups and more. The idea is simple: using tech, companies can alter how they do things to be more efficient, faster, and more secure. Those old file cabinets work for a few small things, but no business is relying on them for critical records that need to be accessed in real-world time. Modern, tech-centric firms know that, so they build out their internal processes around the latest tech and train their teams around the presence of that tech.

Third, businesses now use--and rely--on tech to increase their respective value propositions. This is really a combination of the first and second reasons for implementing tech. But the possibility of doing more, expanding into new markets, or gaining clientele is hard to do for most without having the tech to do the first two things in this big 3 list. The use of connected devices, cloud storage, up-to-date hardware and software programs fulfill so many things on business's wish list, including reducing errors, increasing efficiency, making collaboration easier and improving the chance for innovation.

Fortinet combines its expertise in connectivity and security to create hassle-free solutions to help bridge the homework gap. Their solutions allow school districts to easily provide students with reliable, secure home internet connections so that they can complete their homework for better academic achievement.

• Reliable connection with broader coverage and stronger signal: Connecting with major service providers to give underprivileged students the best broadband connection and service in their areas, without having to rely on an unreliable connection from one carrier.
• Fortinet's advanced security and filtering features: Superior security technology intelligently filters inappropriate content and harmful malware. This secure solution helps schools meet the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) compliance requirements with safe internet access for what matters to students.
• Zero-touch provisioning devices require no IT effort: Helps simplify students' onboarding process by offering easy plug-and-play devices with preactivated data plans. IT teams can easily roll the solution out to students for home connections in minutes, without IT's physical involvement.
• Affordable hardware and data plans based on student needs: Give schools more for less. Students have secure and quality broadband access from a selection of hardware and a simple data plan that covers their homework needs.

Today's educators are doing the hard work of preparing students to build their skills so they can become contributing members of our digital world. Fortinet solutions are designed to help schools close the homework gap by providing students without adequate internet connection at home an equal opportunity in access to education for a better future.

• Giving schools peace of mind with second-to-none security protection
  Schools have become more vulnerable to cyberattacks with the increased use of technology for student learning and remote access. As a security leader, Fortinet can give students secure internet access and help schools remain compliant with CIPA and provide students a safe environment beyond classrooms.

• Streamlining student onboarding with a provision-free solution
  Many schools struggle with heavy IT workloads and lack of expertise and resources to support modern technologies. Fortinet solutions ease IT's efforts by providing zero-provision hardware with simple data plans for students who need reliable internet connections at home. Simple plug-and-play devices help students get access to their homework in no time.

• Enterprise-grade customer experience
  Fortinet's channel partners have expertise in network security and connectivity, as well as the knowledge of various federal funding programs. They have experience in helping school districts personalize their digital strategies and execute their rollout plans. Secure and dependable broadband for students at home is available by government grant.

Each school district is different, but all face the same challenge - the homework gap. Fortinet offers a collection of hardware and simple data plans to create an easily manageable, secure remote learning network. Offering inclusion in education by providing connectivity for students without internet at home. Security provided by Fortinet supports CIPA compliance, ensuring students stay safe while attaining their educational goals at home.

Source: Fortinet Original Document