Background
Clinton Community School District, located in Eastern Iowa, is comprised of nine educational buildings that are connected through a central network hub. As the district depends on a wide range of cloud-based platforms to support both administrative tasks and classroom learning, uninterrupted network connectivity is vital. When recurring DDoS attacks began causing widespread disruptions and made it difficult to pinpoint the affected buildings, the district leaders reached out to IP Pathways for a reliable solution.
Key Challenges
With each attack Clinton CSD faced, essential educational platforms became inaccessible, leaving classrooms unable to access lesson materials and digital resources. Communication between administration and teachers was impacted, payroll processing stalled and the district’s ability to initiate emergency protocols was compromised. Phone lines, critical for parent outreach and emergency calls, were inoperable. Teachers attempted to bridge gaps by using mobile hotspots, but these solutions were unreliable and not scalable across the district’s nine learning buildings. The district’s IT department was stretched thin and was under pressure to restore essential services and safeguard sensitive information. For Clinton CSD, maintaining educational continuity and operational integrity required a strategic engineered solution.
Solutions
To address the ongoing DDoS threats, IP Pathways delivered a comprehensive solution that included advanced DDoS protection and internet services tailored to Clinton CSD’s network. IP Pathways responded quickly, identifying malicious traffic and guiding the district through effective mitigation strategies. By assigning external IPs to each building and implementing mitigation tools, Clinton CSD could isolate and manage attacks more effectively. This minimized disruption to the network and daily educational activities. IP Pathways’ quick response and clear communication impressed the district, especially the speed of the deployment.
Paul Kissack, IT Director with Clinton Community School District stated:
“I was shocked at how quickly they had a solution implemented. We didn’t want to be without IP Pathways for our network. We could have gone with a lower cost solution, but we did not want to give up the support that came with IP Pathways.”
Summary
The persistent DDoS attacks left the Clinton CSD vulnerable. Recognizing the urgency and complexity of the situation, IP Pathways acted quickly. They deployed a targeted solution and provided hands-on support to stabilize the network. Working closely with the district’s IT department, they implemented advanced detection and mitigation tools that neutralized the attacks and reinforced every critical connection point. IP Pathways’ quick action and expertise resolved the issues and restored performance across all nine buildings. With continuous monitoring and responsive support from IP Pathways, the district has not experienced any further issues since the implementation. Teachers, administrators and students can rely on uninterrupted internet access for their school operations.
View the full case study: Clinton CSD Case Study
