Choosing Cloud Monitor Provides Stronger Safety Alerts, Cybersecurity Protection, and Peace of Mind—All Within Budget

At Richland County Community Unit School District #1 in Illinois, Technology Coordinator Ryan Roark has spent 17 years ensuring that students have access to safe, effective learning technology. His small but experienced IT team of three manages over 2,100 students and 240 staff members across a one-to-one Chromebook program for grades 2–12. Like many districts, Richland County relies heavily on Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals, which provides great tools and flexibility but limited visibility and control for admins.

“Before Cloud Monitor, we had no way of knowing about student safety issues in Gmail or Drive unless a teacher happened to notice something. Now, we’re proactively alerted to potential issues before they become problems.”

— Ryan Roark, Technology Coordinator, Richland County CUSD #1

When Ryan first learned about ManagedMethods through a cold call, he decided to sign up for the free audit out of curiosity. He describes what he saw during the audit as eye-opening. “The amount of alerts we were getting showed how much we hadn’t been seeing before,” he recalls. “It looked like a worthwhile product to pursue.” 

After comparing the cost of upgrading to Google’s paid licensing, his team chose Cloud Monitor because they felt the platform offered more features, visibility, and a more user-friendly experience for about the same price.

Challenges

Before implementing Cloud Monitor, Richland County CUSD’s IT team couldn’t proactively detect issues in Google Workspace. “We didn’t have any way to basically see red flags in student email or Drive unless a teacher brought it to us,” Ryan explains. “We’d have to log into the student’s account and use Google Vault to investigate. Otherwise, we were flying blind.”

“When we compared the cost of upgrading to Google’s paid tier versus adding Cloud Monitor, it just made sense. Cloud Monitor gives us more features, visibility, and a more user-friendly experience for about the same price. It’s a better ‘bang for our buck’.”

— Ryan Roark, Technology Coordinator, Richland County CUSD #1

The lack of insight made it difficult to catch early warning signs of student safety concerns or inappropriate digital behavior. Investigations often depended on “a hunch or a tip from another student or faculty member,” he says. The situation was unsustainable for a small IT team already stretched thin supporting daily operations.

When Ryan and his colleague, Tim, saw what Cloud Monitor surfaced during the demo, they knew it could fill a major gap.

Results

Since adopting Cloud Monitor, Ryan and his team have transformed how they monitor student safety and cybersecurity risks. “I’m in it every day, even if just for a little bit,” Ryan says. “We sort through alerts to determine what’s actually a risk and send valid ones along to counselors, principals, or our school resource officer.” Over time, Cloud Monitor has helped the district intervene early to support students in crisis and reduce recurring safety issues.

“I’m in Cloud Monitor every day. It’s helped us find students who need support and might not have reached out for help otherwise. It’s made a real difference in how we protect and support our kids.”

— Ryan Roark, Technology Coordinator, Richland County CUSD #1

“This year our red flags inside of email and Drive are down compared to the past couple years,” Ryan shares. “It’s also helped us catch some kids who needed help and maybe wouldn’t have reached out to a counselor otherwise.”

Cloud Monitor has also proven its value in stopping cybersecurity threats. Over the summer, Ryan’s team faced a major phishing incident when an account with a large address book was compromised, even though they had two-factor authentication enabled. “We used Cloud Monitor to pull back a few thousand emails before they were opened,” Ryan recalls. “It just took a few minutes, and it helped prevent more people from getting their accounts compromised.”

“We used Cloud Monitor to pull back a few thousand phishing emails before they were opened. It only took a few minutes, and it helped us prevent further account compromises and stop a serious security incident in its tracks.”

— Ryan Roark, Technology Coordinator, Richland County CUSD #1

The platform helps the district uncover and address digital misuse, such as a student-run movie-sharing ring hosted in Google Drive. “We were able to find the files easily and eliminate that issue very quickly,” he says.

For Ryan, Cloud Monitor’s simplicity and reliability are what make it indispensable. “It’s easy to use, it does what it’s supposed to, and it’s worth the price,” he says. “If it didn’t meet expectations, we wouldn’t keep renewing.”

He now regularly recommends ManagedMethods to peers during regional technology roundtables. “Cloud Monitor is a very useful tool to have in our arsenal to improve student safety and cybersecurity, and cut down on a lot of the Google admin headaches that we all deal with day in and day out.”

Want to learn more about improving your district’s cybersecurity, student safety, and classroom engagement?

Get started with your free Google Workspace and/or Microsoft 365 security and safety audit today.

The post Richland County CUSD Finds “More Bang for the Buck” with ManagedMethods 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 Katie Fritchen. Read the original post at: https://managedmethods.com/blog/customer-story-k12-richland-county-cusd-il/