With cyber threats becoming more sophisticated, schools need better ways to protect their networks. That’s why almost 1,000 schools have adopted Secure Access – a smarter way to manage who’s connected to their Wi-Fi – a significant leap forward in school network protection.
A digital front gate for your school
Secure Access is like a digital front gate – it ensures only the right people and devices can enter the school’s network, just as you’d expect visitors to sign in before entering school buildings. By verifying users and devices and allowing only authorised users through the front gate, Secure Access minimises opportunities for cyber threats, and helps protect sensitive student and staff data. Network segmentation on the other hand limits the impact of potential future security breaches and improves your school’s data protection, as shown on the infographic below.
From small rural kura to large urban schools, every learning environment benefits from stronger network access controls. And now, almost 1,000 schools are better positioned to safeguard their digital spaces.
The impact in action
We’re thrilled by the response to Secure Access from so many schools. Aaron Warrington, Principal at Green Island School, told us:
‘I found the new guest access so easy – absolute game changer. We can put relief teachers on Guest Access Plus. I love group access too… The beauty is that the admin doesn’t need to be here, I can do it myself if a guest comes in. It’s built for non-technical people—very intuitive.’
Secure Access has been built with flexibility in mind, working reliably across a range of devices and operating systems – including those commonly used in Apple-based classrooms, as confirmed by Philip Ploeg, the head of IT at Mt Roskill Intermediate:
‘I was wondering how all the Apple devices would connect, so we’d planned for people to not use their TV. But as it turns out, Apple was fine right from the start. Everything’s working really well.’
Evolving customer experience
Secure Access is a continually evolving solution. We’ve listened to feedback from schools and IT providers, and made meaningful improvements to make using Secure Access easier and more powerful:
- More flexible guest access: the Guest Access tool in MyN4L makes it faster to generate Wi-Fi keys and gives schools more flexibility. Schools can now control who gets access, for how long and on how many devices.
- Easier device management: with the Device Registration tool in MyN4L, adding third-party or shared devices to your network is a one-off task. Schools can easily manage access for everything from printers to shared iPads.
We haven’t forgotten about the early adopters and are also working to provide an improved experience to schools migrated to Secure Access before December 2023.
Looking ahead
The milestone of 1,000 migrations reflects the growing momentum behind strengthening school cybersecurity and highlights our goal of providing safer, more secure digital environments for learners and educators alike. This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the skill, dedication, and hard mahi of assigned IT partners. Thank you to our IT Panel members for being a critical part of this journey.
We’re also rolling out some exciting improvements to Secure Access that make managing school devices even easier. Staff nominated to use the Device Registration tool in MyN4L will be able to manage the lifecycle of devices more efficiently – more details coming soon.
If your school hasn’t yet made the move, we’ll approach you once you’ve completed your Equipment Replacement. With better tools, more control, and a smoother experience than ever before, Secure Access puts you on the front foot when it comes to digital safety and security.