Our client, a prestigious Top 20 University in the UK, faced the challenge of providing reliable remote access to thousands of staff and students spread across the country and beyond. The university’s network spanned several geographic locations, adding complexity to their connectivity requirements. At FullProxy, we worked to ensure there was secure remote access for the university.
The university’s legacy VPN system was struggling to meet the increasing demand for remote working, with several pain points.
These challenges were exacerbated by the growing cybersecurity threats facing the education sector.
According to Gov.UK , around 50% of all Further and Higher Education institutions identified breaches or attacks between 2022-2023.
At the core of our approach was the configuration of the F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM). We meticulously tailored the APM to meet the university’s specific needs, significantly enhancing remote access capabilities for both staff and students. The system was configured to work seamlessly with numerous authentication systems, thereby optimising access control and ensuring a secure yet user-friendly experience.
To extend secure application solutions beyond standard VPN capabilities, we integrated the F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM). This integration allowed for more advanced traffic management and application delivery, further enhancing the overall performance and security of the university’s network infrastructure.
Additionally, we implemented F5 BIG-IP DNS to provide global server load balancing across data centres. This crucial component ensured application availability and resilience, allowing the university to maintain consistent service quality regardless of user location or potential server issues.
Understanding the importance of knowledge transfer, FullProxy provided comprehensive in-house training for the University’s help desk, network, and F5 teams. This training empowered the university staff to effectively manage and troubleshoot the new system, ensuring they could maintain optimal performance long after the initial implementation.
Lastly, we established a continuous consultancy support system for the network and infrastructure teams. This ongoing relationship allows us to offer timely assistance with any troubleshooting requirements, ensuring that the university can quickly address any issues that may arise and maintain the highest levels of system performance and security.
As the National Cyber Security Centre reported, in August 2018, researchers discovered over 300 fake websites and login pages for 76 universities across 14 countries, including the UK. Moreover, according to Gov.UK, around 50% of all Further and Higher Education institutions identified breaches or attacks between 2022-2023.
FullProxy stands out as the ideal partner for implementing robust cybersecurity solutions:
Our experience with higher education institutions allows us to address the specific challenges faced by universities in maintaining secure and efficient remote access systems.
Scotland’s expert cyber security consultants, with the proven, premium expertise you need. F5, Fortinet & AppViewX specialists.
Get in touch to learn more about how we can help secure your environment and get quicker ROI from your investment.
