IT challenges schools face
Schools manage hundreds of devices, thousands of accounts and some of the most sensitive data there is — information about children — often with a lean IT budget and a small staff. When the network goes down during testing or a phishing email reaches a teacher’s inbox, the whole school feels it.
- Student and staff devices at scale — Chromebooks, iPads and laptops that have to be enrolled, updated, filtered and recovered when they’re lost.
- Reliable classroom Wi-Fi — Hundreds of devices connecting at once in every room, plus guest access for families and events.
- Protecting student data — Student records, health information and parent contacts that attackers increasingly target.
- Start-of-year and testing crunches — Peaks in demand when every device and account has to work the same day.
How we support education
- Devices
Device and account management
Google Workspace for Education and Microsoft 365 administration, Chromebook, iPad and laptop enrollment, and fast onboarding and offboarding of students and staff.
Google Admin · Intune · Jamf - Network
Wi-Fi built for full classrooms
Wireless and switching designed for device density, segmented networks for students, staff and guests, and 24×7 monitoring.
Wi-Fi · VLANs · monitoring - Safety
Content filtering and safe browsing
Web and DNS filtering on and off campus that supports CIPA requirements and your acceptable use policy.
DNS filtering - Security
Protecting staff and student data
Endpoint detection and response, MFA, email security and phishing training for faculty and staff.
MxDR · MFA · training - Backup
Backup for Google and Microsoft 365
Cloud backup of mail, drives and documents so a deleted account or ransomware event doesn’t erase years of work.
Cloud backup - Planning
Technology planning and budgeting
A device refresh plan and technology roadmap that fits your academic calendar and budget.
vCIO
501(c)(3) schools save 15%. Private schools and education organizations that are 501(c)(3) non-profits get 15% off our published Managed Care pricing — the same all-inclusive service, help desk and security stack, for less.
Student privacy and compliance
Schools are expected to protect student information under laws such as FERPA and, for schools receiving E-Rate funding, to filter internet access under CIPA. We help you put the technical controls in place — access controls, MFA, filtering, logging and backups — and document them, so you can answer questions from parents, boards and auditors with confidence.
The systems schools run — and the rules around them
Most schools run a student information system such as PowerSchool, Blackbaud, FACTS or Veracross; a learning platform such as Google Classroom, Canvas or Schoology; Google Workspace for Education or Microsoft 365 accounts for every student and teacher; and a fleet of Chromebooks, iPads and laptops managed through the Google Admin console, Jamf or Intune. Add tuition and enrollment systems, door access, cameras and phones, and even a small school has dozens of systems holding student data.
Third-party platforms are part of the risk. The December 2024 breach of PowerSchool exposed student and staff records for many schools and districts, and the 2020 Blackbaud ransomware incident affected thousands of schools, universities and non-profits. Knowing which vendors hold your data, who has admin rights and how accounts are protected is now part of running a school.
Compliance depends on how you’re funded. Schools that receive E-Rate discounts for internet access or internal connections must meet CIPA, which requires an internet safety policy and filtering. FERPA governs education records at schools that receive U.S. Department of Education funds. Either way, MFA for staff, filtering that follows devices home, role-based access to the SIS and tested backups are the controls parents and boards expect. We put them in place through our managed cybersecurity services.
We show up for your school community
Our support doesn’t end at the help desk. We’re proud to support our school clients’ fundraisers and community events — like sponsoring carts at St. Anne School’s annual golf tournament. Read the St. Anne School story →
Why Schools choose CAL IT Group
- Response
A real engineer in under a minute
96%LIVE of calls answered by an engineer in under 60 seconds, and a 20-minute engineer response on every ticket — numbers we publish live on our homepage, because we’re proud of them.
Live metrics · fully transparent - Security
SOC 2 Type II attested
Our own operations are independently audited across all five Trust Services Criteria, and our full security stack with 24×7 NOC & SOC monitoring is included in Managed Care.
24×7 NOC & SOC - Local
Your team, in Huntington Beach
Over 10 years in business, grown 100% organically, with a 100% local team that learns your campus, your applications and your people — with on-site support included.
No call center - Pricing
One all-inclusive per-user price
Help desk, monitoring, security and backups in one predictable monthly price, published on our website — no surprise invoices. Schools that are 501(c)(3) non-profits get 15% off.
See your price
Related services: IT help desk, cybersecurity and backup and disaster recovery.