Cloud Monitor Uncovers Hidden Student Safety Risks in Google Workspace that Web Filters Miss
Augusta County Public Schools in Verona, Virginia, serves approximately 10,000 students and 1,700 faculty and staff. The district is primarily a Google Workspace environment and operates on a one-to-one device program beginning in third grade.
To help protect students and maintain a secure digital learning environment, the district uses ManagedMethods’ Cloud Monitor alongside other tools such as Securly and a district firewall.
Travis Cordova, a computer technician for Augusta County, manages Cloud Monitor as part of his IT responsibilities. “When I was hired in 2021, they handed me Cloud Monitor right away and said, ‘We need someone to take this on,’” Travis explains. “I’ve been the Cloud Monitor guy ever since.”
“Cloud Monitor gathers all the potential risks in one place, making it easy to review what is going on and apply human judgment. A phrase might be part of a creative writing assignment, or it might be a real cry for help. Having that context is critical.”
— Travis Cordova, Computer Technician, Augusta County Public Schools
While Securly handles much of the district’s web filtering, Cloud Monitor provides an essential layer of protection focused on content students create and share inside Google Workspace.
Challenges
“You really can’t rely on just one filter. Securly blocks websites, but Cloud Monitor finds the risks hiding in Google Docs and emails. It catches things that would otherwise slip through the cracks.”
— Travis Cordova, Computer Technician, Augusta County Public Schools
Before adopting Cloud Monitor, Augusta County didn’t have an efficient way to surface risks in Google Workspace.
“The infrastructure team could dig through Google logs, but it’s complex and takes a lot of time. They’re busy,” says Travis. “Cloud Monitor makes it so easy that they could delegate it to me so I can take a lot of that work off their plates.”
Another challenge was ensuring context in monitoring. While tools like Securly effectively block inappropriate websites and keywords, they can’t interpret nuance. “A student could write ‘I want to die’ in a Google Doc. That might be part of a writing assignment, or it might be a real call for help,” Travis explains. “You need human eyes on these alerts to tell the difference. That’s something AI filters alone can’t do.”
Results
Today, Travis uses Cloud Monitor to monitor student safety risks in the district’s Google Workspace domain. He reviews risk trends, investigates alerts, and escalates issues to principals and administrators when needed. This workflow has led to major improvements in student safety and data protection at Augusta County Public Schools.
Travis recalls a case when Cloud Monitor flagged an “exploit doc” that students were circulating. “It was a master document that students across the country were collaborating on how to bypass Securly. We totally squashed that,” he says. “All gone. That was a big one.”
“I’ve found things in Cloud Monitor—like signs of self-harm or unsafe relationships—that Securly’s filter would never catch. Knowing I can escalate those to principals and help keep our students safe makes the platform invaluable.”
— Travis Cordova, Computer Technician, Augusta County Public Schools
He also uncovered sensitive content around student well-being, including instances of self-harm.
“Finding that sort of stuff has definitely been very valuable, and you’re not going to catch it all with an AI filter alone,” Travis says. “It’s our goal to make sure that our students are safe physically, mentally, and emotionally. It makes me feel good that I was able to help keep our students safe.”
Securly continues to be an important tool for Augusta, especially in blocking harmful websites and filtering searches. But Travis sees Cloud Monitor as filling a critical gap.
“Securly is more of a hands-off thing. Don’t allow this website, block this search. But for content that students create themselves inside of Google Docs, it’s not going to be caught by Securly,” he explains. “That’s where Cloud Monitor comes in.”
In addition, Augusta County uses Cloud Monitor to protect sensitive data. Policies are set to automatically flag and unshare files containing social security numbers or passwords. “I don’t know how else you would do that within Google,” Travis explains. “It’s really helpful, and it makes staff feel like the district is on top of things.”
“One of the biggest benefits has been automating policies to protect sensitive data. If someone tries to send a Social Security number outside our domain, Cloud Monitor flags it and unshares the file immediately.”
— Travis Cordova, Computer Technician, Augusta County Public Schools
For Augusta County Public Schools, Cloud Monitor provides ease-of-use and visibility that makes a difference for student safety.
“You really need something to catch what’s going on in Google,” Travis says. “The ability that Cloud Monitor provides to easily gather everything in one place and then apply human judgment is invaluable.”
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.
