USD 443 approves CrowdStrike endpoint security purchase for roughly $47,008

The USD 443 Board of Education voted 6-0 June 23 to purchase CrowdStrike endpoint protection for district computers, a proposal administrators said will improve detection and mitigation of modern malware and ransomware.

Board approval authorizes the district to install endpoint agents on staff and student computers and to purchase one year of service from Pareto Solutions under the state contract.

“This is…endpoint protection,” Ted, an IT presenter, told the board, explaining that modern endpoint tools detect abnormal system behavior rather than relying solely on signature databases. He described a district trial in which the software detected and removed test malware immediately when installed on a laptop used off the district network.

Administrators recommended CrowdStrike after trials and vendor comparisons. They told the board the one‑year contract through Pareto Solutions would cost $47,007.81 and be renewable annually; the vendor included a clause limiting annual renewal increases to no more than 3 percent, staff said. The presenters cited the district’s use of Microsoft’s free tools as insufficient and said some existing solutions slowed older machines, while CrowdStrike’s agent was lightweight in tests.

The board’s recorded vote was 6-0 in favor; the motion was recorded as made by Jeff Hyres and seconded by Ryan Osmos. The contract was described in the meeting as renewable annually and purchased off a state contract; administrators said adoption would involve installing a small agent program on district computers and managing the service through the vendor console.

No legal or privacy policy changes were raised during the discussion; administrators said support and vendor responsiveness were also factors in their recommendation.