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In Wyoming’s five-school Crook County School District, cybersecurity is a priority. The district keeps their schools running safely with technology to assist students, teachers, and every staff member in the area.
“A lot of our resources are online, and students interact with technology all day, every day,” says District Technology Coordinator Janell Willems. “Cybersecurity and technology are critical. It’s important that we have a secure, efficient, and functioning network for our staff and our students.”
Students across the county
The Crook County School District serves about 1,200 students across Sundance, Moorcroft, and Hulett. Staff and schools can work together over nearly 250 square miles when needed while educating elementary, middle, and high school students.
Classrooms in all the schools use online resources for schoolwork. In addition, the district streams many of its extracurricular activities, like football, basketball, and volleyball, for people who cannot attend in person.
New role, new network
Janell joined the Crook County School District in 2008, managing the school’s student information system and a large amount of data. In 2013, she transitioned into her technology coordinator role as the district went through a technology overhaul for their network.
To prepare the school district for future growth, it partnered with Golden West the same year. As the district worked on a new proactive approach to cybersecurity, Janell and her team could call on Golden West whenever her department had questions.
“Golden West has knowledge we wouldn’t be able to obtain without a lot more training and employees,” Janell says. “They have a team of experts in their field that guided us through necessary changes. I’m a big fan of our quarterly meetings to review our network and talk about upcoming projects.”
Secure support at every school
Janell’s team helps with day-to-day technology needs for the schools, with each day bringing a different project. They manage camera and door security, servers, and switches, while also balancing troubleshooting, testing platforms, and more.
Each type of technology plays a vital role in protecting students, whether through digital or physical security. With support from Golden West, Janell and her department help keep students and staff secure so schools can focus on education.
“Partnering with Golden West and meeting regularly is a good outside resource that evaluates what’s happening here, and that’s very valuable to our district,” Janell says.