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Simplifying Compliance and Protecting Data at Garvey School District

by Katie Fritchen on March 10, 2025

How Garvey K-8 School District Partners with ManagedMethods to Keep Data Secure and Students Safe in Google Workspace

As a K-8 district, Garvey School District is on a mission. Not only are its 500 staff members responsible for providing a premier education to over 4,500 students, they’re also tasked with developing tomorrow’s responsible leaders.

Technology plays a big role in turning that vision into reality. As Director of Education Technology, Ricky Hernandez’s job is to ensure Garvey’s IT infrastructure meets the needs of a 21st-century learning environment. That’s why the district uses Google Workspace for Education to power its cloud-based edtech resources.

Of course, these tools need protection. Hernandez’s team includes four system support specialists, who handle IT-related issues. But, for the most part, cybersecurity and safety are his responsibilities.

The good news? He has plenty of tools in his arsenal, including Cloud Monitor by ManagedMethods, to help keep data under lock and key.

The Challenge

Garvey had firewalls and content filters, but the district still lacked cloud security. That was a big problem, explained Hernandez, who knew hackers often target K-12 schools.

“With social engineering and phishing on the rise, I wanted the district to be proactive and have something to help deter our staff members from becoming victims,” he said.

“Cloud Monitor makes it feel like you have an additional staff member taking care of security issues. I don’t have to be in it 24/7. When there is something that needs to be addressed by a person, I get a notification and I’m able to take care of violations right away or delegate to someone else.”

— Ricky Hernandez, Director of Education Technology, Garvey School District

At the time, he primarily relied on spot-checking systems for potential risks, but that was a manual process. Luckily, Hernandez soon discovered the ideal solution through California IT in Education (CITE) — an association of K-12 IT professionals where members gather to share best practices, strategies, and information.

He attended a San Gabriel Valley Regional CITE meeting in which Azusa Unified School District’s technology director described his experience working with ManagedMethods. Before long, Hernandez was well on his way to taking his advice and protecting Garvey’s Google data with ManagedMethods.

The Solution

After learning about ManagedMethods’ Cloud Monitor platform and what it could do, he knew it was the right tool for the job.

“Using Cloud Monitor, I’ve been able to track down compromised accounts logging in from the Czech Republic, Russia, China, and North Korea. We’re now able to contain the issue quickly before it becomes a bigger security problem.”

— Ricky Hernandez, Director of Education Technology, Garvey School District

“I wasn’t evaluating other services as I didn’t know such a service existed,” Hernandez said. “However, I value the knowledge and input of my fellow tech directors, so when the director from Azusa Unified recommended Cloud Monitor, I knew it was worth evaluating it.”

He gathered all the information he could and presented it to Garvey’s superintendent. She was immediately interested once Hernandez mentioned how it could help them comply with regulations, like the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

For Hernandez, it wasn’t just the technology that helped make the decision. It was also the people behind it providing customer support.

“They made me feel supported throughout the entire evaluation,” he said. “And I knew I’d be taken care of even after the purchase.”

The Results

Cloud Monitor’s biggest impact has been its ability to identify suspicious logins automatically.

“I’ve been able to track down compromised accounts logging in from the Czech Republic, Russia, China, and North Korea,” Hernandez explained. “Cloud Monitor also revealed that many accounts, which belonged to students and staff that had left the district and should’ve been automatically suspended, remained active.”

Another key benefit is that Cloud Monitor can help the district lower its insurance premiums. As Hernandez explained, “We have an agreement, and part of the insurance premium questions are, ‘Do you have anything in place for social engineering or phishing?’ Now we can say we have something to protect us.”

“Using Cloud Monitor, I’ve been able to track down compromised accounts logging in from the Czech Republic, Russia, China, and North Korea. We’re now able to contain the issue quickly before it becomes a bigger security problem.”

— Ricky Hernandez, Director of Education Technology, Garvey School District

Cloud Monitor also alerts him if users share sensitive or personal information, which he’s uncovered on multiple occasions. Critically, this helps Garvey maintain CIPA and HIPAA compliance.

“That wouldn’t be possible without the platform,” he said. “I don’t have to be in it 24/7. Cloud Monitor makes it feel like you have an additional staff member taking care of security issues. When there is something that needs to be addressed by a person, I get a notification and I’m able to take care of violations right away or delegate to someone else.”

That’s a big deal, especially when you’re protecting over 5,000 accounts. For districts of that size, automated solutions can make all the difference between data breach and containment.

“I recommend that schools evaluate Cloud Monitor,” Hernandez said. “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone. I certainly realized the value of the service as my evaluation period was coming to an end — it felt as though I was about to lose a member of my team.”

Want to learn more about how Cloud Monitor could improve your school’s cybersecurity? Claim your free Google Workspace and/or Microsoft 365 security and safety audit today.