GoGuardian has announced a new AI-enabled cloud-based filtering solution for K–12 schools designed to expand filtering capabilities to all mobile and personal devices connected to school networks. 

K–12 students rely heavily on their mobile and personal devices, creating a challenge for school IT teams who need to be able to monitor and filter internet exploration as mandated under the Children’s Internet Protection Act. 

“Almost all schools have a network-level filter to cover their guest networks, teacher computers, computer labs, etc.,” said Advait Shinde, co-founder and CEO of GoGuardian. “However, we know from our conversations with school administrators that an acute pain point yet to be solved is an effective network filtering solution that offers students safe internet access from their own devices.” 

Extending content filtering to the cloud could benefit IT teams by extending their reach and easing some of their workload.

MORE FROM EDTECH: Check out how web filters keep K—12 students safe.

Cloud Solutions Offer IT Teams Scalability and Management

Cloud-based content filtering solutions allow IT teams to adjust their protection protocols more easily to fit their schools’ specific needs without additional spending.

For example, schools investing in a one-to-one Chromebook initiative will not need to worry about installation concerns that come from legacy equipment that is not cloud-based. 

For the School District of Lee County in Florida, administrators used GoGuardian’s cloud infrastructure to manage over 22,000 Chromebooks across 93 schools, according to a case study. 

When Wayne Highlands School District in Pennsylvania implemented its one-to-one device program, IT leaders decided to use a cloud solution developed by Cisco Meraki to help monitor 1,200 devices while keeping costs low. 

Content filtering in the cloud also requires less physical maintenance, which helps IT teams manage their networks more easily. 

New Cloud Content Filters Can Ease Budget Constraints

Investments in cloud services have led to significant savings across industries, including in education, a benefit for budget-strapped IT teams.

Schools investing in cloud integrations benefitted from lower costs in data storage, Internet of Things preparations and annual upgrades, according to a blog post from Promethean. 

By implementing cloud-enabled content filters, K–12 schools can do away with some of the maintenance costs associated with on-premises legacy systems. 

Artificial Intelligence Expands K–12 IT Ability to Protect Students

By using AI–enabled software, GoGuardian’s new filter can learn as it protects, updating to find and block new harmful content. 

Like previous iterations of GoGuardian’s solutions, the software can also help educators identify harmful patterns in online student behavior. The filter can then notify teachers if a student may be in need of emotional or psychological intervention. 

At Putnam County School District in Florida, administrators were able to identify four students in need of such assistance after troubling Google searches were identified through school-owned Chromebooks, Edtech reports. 

With GoGuardian’s new software, teachers will be able to intervene no matter what device students are on as long as they are connected to the school network.