The Alabama Supercomputer Authority (ASA) presented its recent expansion of cybersecurity services for K–12 schools at the Nov. 18 State Board work session, describing a new security operations center (SOC), next-generation firewalls and a distributed-denial-of-service mitigation capability aimed at preventing network outages.

Deborah Wallace, director of the Alabama Supercomputer Authority, introduced the team and described a multi-year effort to expand security staffing and services. Rick Bagwell, the Authority’s network engineering manager, said ASA had moved from a single security staffer to a dedicated SOC with multiple analysts.

Bagwell described three headline capabilities the Authority put in place: next-generation Palo Alto firewalls deployed for about 100 school systems, a SIEM (security information and event management) feed and centralized monitoring, and a distributed-denial-of-service mitigation service that can detect and mitigate attacks within a minute. He told the board the firewall program was deployed rapidly with CARES Act funds and that ASA replaced many older Juniper/Cisco devices.

Why this matters: Schools in Alabama and nationwide have faced ransomware, phishing and DDoS attacks that can disrupt instruction and data access. The ASA presentation documented both technical infrastructure and ongoing staff training intended to reduce attack impact and speed recovery.

Key details
Bagwell said ASA’s SOC is “specifically for K–12 right now,” and he described training modules ASA is delivering to district staff and educators so that users “don’t click that link” that often lets attackers in. ASA noted it spent CARES Act funding (about $4.6 million reported in the presentation) on firewall replacements and that it operates a statewide education network connecting more than 650 sites, with 58% of those sites in K–12.

The Authority said it had replaced roughly 100 school firewalls with Palo Alto devices using a zero-touch provisioning method to meet a short installation window. ASA also reported adding distributed-denial-of-service mitigation so that large attacks can be detected and mitigated in real time rather than taking many minutes to contain.

Training and ongoing monitoring
ASA staff said it now offers two years of mandatory cybersecurity training modules for K–12 personnel. Bagwell said the combination of better firewalls, continuous monitoring via the SOC, and training had coincided with fewer successful attacks in recent months. Deborah Wallace told the board ASA expanded staffing from one security position to a SOC staff of five, and she said more analysts are needed to cover every school thoroughly.

Ending
Board members invited ASA to host tours for members to see the SOC and encouraged continued coordination between ASA, the State Department of Education and districts — particularly on connectivity, E‑Rate funding, and plans to extend services (for example, library Wi‑Fi upgrades) that support students without home broadband.