In a recent webinar, two expert K-12 technology leaders—Glen Drager, Network System Administrator at Tyrone Area School District, and Chris Rowbotham, Director of Technology at Siuslaw School District—joined ManagedMethods’ CRO David Waugh to explore the complexities and ever-evolving strategies behind a multilayered approach to K-12 cybersecurity.

This thought leadership session walks you through building a cybersecurity fortress designed to withstand today’s most dangerous digital threats. To help visualize each layer, we’ve framed the conversation through a castle metaphor. From secure walls and watchful guards to drawbridges and knights, every part of a medieval stronghold has a modern cybersecurity counterpart that plays an essential role in protecting your district.

In this two-part blog series, we’re breaking down the five key layers of K-12 cybersecurity:

• Infrastructure security – the castle containing the crown jewels
• Network security – the moat surrounding the castle
• Endpoint security – the drawbridge
• Identity & access management (IAM) – the castle gatekeepers
• Cloud security – the knight in shining armor

In Part 1, we’ll focus on the first three layers—your castle’s foundation: Infrastructure, network, and endpoint security.

FREE Webinar Recording! Defending Your Cyber Castle: Multi-Layered Protection for K-12 Schools >> WATCH HERE! >>

Infrastructure Security: The Castle Walls

Infrastructure is the bedrock of your cybersecurity—the castle walls that safeguard your district’s most valuable assets: student data, identities, and personally identifiable information (PII). This layer covers everything from access control systems and environmental protections to remote access (VPN), patch management, backups, and vulnerability or penetration testing.

As cyber insurance requirements and national cybersecurity assessments grow more rigorous, Glen emphasized the importance of proactively strengthening this layer. At Tyrone Area School District, he partnered with Pennsylvania’s National Guard, collaborated with insurance providers, and leveraged free resources from CISA.gov to assess and harden his district’s infrastructure.

Components of strong infrastructure security include:

• Single Sign-On (SSO) for staff—and ideally, students
• Role-based access controls via Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace
• VPN use restrictions to reduce unnecessary exposure
• Daily automatic patching to stay ahead of evolving threats

Chris also noted the real challenge isn’t just building infrastructure—it’s maintaining it with limited staff and budget.

Infrastructure might not be flashy, but it’s critical. If your castle walls aren’t strong, everything inside is at risk.

Network Security: The Moat Around Your Castle

If infrastructure is the wall, then network security is your moat—a barrier that monitors, controls, and blocks threats before they ever reach the castle. This layer includes strategies like network segmentation, which divides your school’s network into smaller zones to limit the spread of an attack, as well as access controls and intrusion detection systems that strengthen your perimeter defenses.

To strengthen this layer, districts often use a combination of tools and services, such as:

• Intrusion prevention systems (IPS)
• Intrusion detection systems (IDS)
• Managed detection and response (MDR) solutions
• Firewalls
• Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
• Content filtering and monitoring tools

These technologies help detect and stop threats early—often before they can cause serious damage.

“Being a small school district, it’s myself and an assistant—we don’t have someone watching network traffic all day,” Chris explained. “So, we really count on our MDR solution to send us alerts when they see something and handle it.”

But the moat doesn’t just protect from external threats. With tools like web filtering and traffic monitoring, districts can also enforce acceptable use policies, block dangerous websites, and reduce exposure to phishing, malware, and inappropriate content—creating a safer learning environment for everyone inside the castle.

FREE Webinar Recording! Defending Your Cyber Castle: Multi-Layered Protection for K-12 Schools >> WATCH HERE! >>

Endpoint Security: The Drawbridge

Now, picture the drawbridge—the controlled access point to your castle. It’s where trusted individuals enter safely and threats are stopped at the gate. In K-12 cybersecurity, endpoint security serves this function by protecting the devices used daily by students, teachers, and staff—laptops, Chromebooks, tablets, smartphones, desktops, and workstations.

Endpoints are common targets. One wrong click or unpatched vulnerability can swing the drawbridge wide open. That’s why strong, layered device-level defenses are essential.

Core components of endpoint security include:

• Content filtering (CIPA/E-rate compliance)
• Antivirus and malware protection (for PCs and Macs)
• Classroom and device management systems
• Encryption tools to safeguard sensitive data
• DNS protection and managed detection & response (MDR) suites

Chris Rowbotham also pointed to MS-ISAC’s Malicious Domain Blocking and Reporting (MDBR) as a valuable resource, though it’s recently transitioned from a free to a paid model.

“It’s still worth it, in my opinion,” he added.

While some endpoint tools overlap with network security, layering is key. As Glen Drager explained, “If one layer fails, you need another to catch it.” His district’s strategy includes:

• A Tier 1 MDR suite
• Microsoft Defender
• A firewall
• Antivirus and anti-malware software
• An encryption product

Glen also encouraged districts to check with their state departments of education or regional service providers, many of which offer discounted cybersecurity packages that help schools meet cyber insurance requirements.

A Strong Foundation Before Building Up

Infrastructure, network, and endpoint protections form the foundation of your cybersecurity castle—the walls, moat, and drawbridge that keep threats at bay and your district safe.

But the job isn’t done yet.

In Part 2, we’ll move inside the castle walls to explore the final layers of defense:

• Identity & access management — your gatekeepers
• Cloud security — your knight in shining armor

These layers are where visibility, access control, and modern threat detection take center stage—especially as more district operations move to the cloud.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the series—your strongest defenses are still to come.

The post Defending Your Cyber Castle, Part 1: Building the Walls, Moat & Drawbridge of K-12 Security appeared first on ManagedMethods Cybersecurity, Safety & Compliance for K-12.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from ManagedMethods Cybersecurity, Safety & Compliance for K-12 authored by Alexa Sander. Read the original post at: https://managedmethods.com/blog/defending-your-cyber-castle-part-1/