Porter-Gaud School Takes Student Safety and Data Security in Google Workspace Seriously by Partnering with ManagedMethods
Porter-Gaud School in South Carolina is among the premier independent schools in the Southeast United States. It boasts a well-rounded curriculum that provides opportunities in academics, the arts, athletics, spiritual growth, and community service.
When the nationwide push for cloud computing gained momentum ten years ago, the leadership at Porter-Gaud recognized a valuable migration opportunity. “At the time, our Outlook server was getting old and we needed to replace it,” said Phil Zaubi, Director of Technology at the school.
The school’s physical location was also a motivator for the move. “We’re right on the coast,” Phil explained, “so we’ve had to shut down our network and power multiple times because of hurricanes. Moving to the cloud provides us with better operational continuity during weather events.”
Migrating to Google Workspace was relatively straight-forward for Phil’s team. But as students and faculty were using it more, Phil realized it was missing something important. “I felt like I needed a way to gain visibility and manage security in our Google environment,” he said. “I had practically nothing. I was trying to use Google’s built-in tools and it wasn’t very user-friendly.”
“ManagedMethods continues to add features to their Cloud Monitor platform, and I’ve found it increasingly easy to use over the years. I’m getting a good product at a great price, and it’s still highly competitive with all the other options out there.”
Phil Zaubi,
Director of Technology, Porter-Gaud School
Making the switch for better cloud visibility and control
Phil is one of those rare K-12 Technology Directors that took a proactive approach to securing his school’s data in Google Workspace, rather than waiting until the school experienced a cyber incident. As his users increasingly relied on Google tools, he knew he needed something that would give him the ability to manage security in the cloud.
When Phil found ManagedMethods, he was intrigued by its Cloud Monitor platform’s ease of use and visibility. “When I did the demo I was like, ‘OK, this is what I’ve been looking for,’” he said. “It gave me a lot of the features I wanted and the visibility I needed.”
What Phil saw on the free demo of Cloud Monitor — what he liked — was ultimately what he got. But to his surprise, innovation continued. Over time, the product became even stronger, delivering more value than what he initially anticipated.
“ManagedMethods continues to add features to their Cloud Monitor platform, and I’ve found it increasingly easy to use over the years,” said Phil. “I’m getting a good product at a great price, and it’s still highly competitive with all the other options out there.”
An always-on solution that stays ready when you need to take action
“There’s been numerous times where we’ve had to take action and Cloud Monitor makes it really easy to do so. We’re going on three years as a customer, and I’m super happy with it. Cloud Monitor is an important piece of our security stack.”
Phil Zaubi,
Director of Technology, Porter-Gaud School
In an ideal world, no one would have to take action against potentially harmful threats or vulnerabilities in the cloud. But when those crucial moments arise, time is of the essence.
“There’s been numerous times where we’ve had to take action,” said Phil. “And Cloud Monitor makes it really easy to do so.”
As the Porter-Gaud School grows, they can rest assured that ManagedMethods’ solutions will evolve alongside. “ManagedMethods allows you to scale based on your numbers. If I was in a school district with twenty thousand students, there wouldn’t be a lot of changes I’d have to make. It would do just as well,” said Phil.
Three years on, now securely in the cloud and equipped with all the right tools to mitigate and remediate security threats, Phil is happy with their setup. “We’re going on three years with Cloud Monitor. I’m super happy with it and it’s an important piece of our security stack.”
Want to learn more about how Cloud Monitor could improve your district’s cybersecurity? Claim your free Google Workspace and/or Microsoft 365 security and safety audit today.
