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How Newport School District Strengthens Google Cybersecurity and Stops Threats Fast

by Katie Fritchen on April 14, 2025

Saving Time and Reducing Risk: The Benefits of Google Workspace Threat Detection for K-12 Schools

Nestled in a small community in northeastern Washington, Newport School District serves approximately 1,100 students with a dedicated team of about 120 faculty and staff.

Managing the district’s technology infrastructure falls to the small, yet capable, two-person IT team. IT Director Chris Altmaier and Network Analyst Jamison Maybright are responsible for everything from repairing Chromebooks to implementing cybersecurity policies. Time is a resource they must spend wisely, ensuring that every minute is used effectively to maintain security and support their district’s needs.

“When a scam email hits our accounts, I can handle it in minutes using Cloud Monitor. We used to use Google Admin console, but we’d have to manually track it down and remove it from inboxes. What used to take a full day can now be accomplished in a few minutes.”

— Chris Altmaier, IT Director, Newport School District

When Chris sought a solution to improve visibility in their Google Workspace environment, streamline security operations, and reduce risks, ManagedMethods’ Cloud Monitor quickly emerged as the ideal choice.

“We knew we needed something, and Cloud Monitor covered a lot of the need,” Chris says. “The ability to see threats in real-time and react quickly was huge for us.”

Challenges

Before implementing Cloud Monitor, Newport School District faced a significant challenge that is not uncommon among K-12 schools: a lack of visibility into cybersecurity threats in their Google Workspace environment.

“A hacker hijacked one of our accounts and was sending phishing emails from within our domain. With Cloud Monitor, I was able to track it down, delete all the emails, and shut it down before it caused any real damage. Instead of a crisis, it was just another quick task.”

— Chris Altmaier, IT Director, Newport School District

“We knew we simply didn’t know what we weren’t seeing,” says Chris. The IT team relied on manual processes, which were reactive and time-consuming. “If a phishing email was reported, we’d have to track it down, identify affected accounts, and manually remove the threat. That process could take up to 24 hours.”

Using Google Admin console to address security threats was cumbersome and time-consuming. “I know how to do it in Google, but it takes so much longer,” Jamison explains. “You have to manually track down the message IDs, find all the affected mailboxes, and then remove the emails—sometimes it takes an entire day. With Cloud Monitor, I can handle it in just minutes.”

Chris and Jamison struggled with competing priorities and time constraints, making it difficult to manage Google security proactively. “We could probably hire a full-time cybersecurity person, but that’s not going to happen,” Chris notes.

They needed a solution that could provide automated threat detection and remediation without significantly adding to their workload.

Results

Since deploying Cloud Monitor, Chris and Jamison have dramatically improved their ability to identify and mitigate threats in real time.

One of the biggest wins has been dealing with phishing and spam emails. “My favorite feature is the Live Email Search tool. If a spam email goes out, I can just pull up the message ID, throw it into Cloud Monitor, and nuke it in three minutes,” Jamison says. “Before, it would have taken hours.”

“Every interaction I’ve had with ManagedMethods has been fantastic. From the beginning, everyone has been helpful. If you’re in a district with limited resources, give Cloud Monitor a try. It’s a game-changer for managing Google security efficiently and effectively. I wouldn’t want to go without it.”

— Chris Altmaier, IT Director, Newport School District

A recent security incident highlighted just how critical Cloud Monitor has become for the district. One evening, Chris received multiple reports from staff questioning the legitimacy of an email.

“It turned out a hacker had hijacked an account and was sending phishing emails from within our domain,” he recalls. This posed a major security risk, as the emails were coming from a legitimate school account, so they weren’t being flagged as phishing by Gmail’s filter. It also made them more convincing to recipients.

Without Cloud Monitor, tracking down and removing these emails would have taken hours, leaving more time for potential damage. “With Cloud Monitor, I was able to immediately pull up the affected account, identify all the emails sent, and delete them before they caused any real harm,” Chris explains. “Instead of a crisis, it became just another task I could handle in a matter of minutes.”

Cloud Monitor saves the two-person tech team hours of work each week. “Now, I don’t have to dig through logs, run complex queries, or wait for data to update,” says Jamison. “With Cloud Monitor, it’s all there, easy to access, and I can take action immediately.”

Cloud Monitor also helps them keep track of how school accounts are being used in third-party apps. “We can see where students and staff are using their school emails, like on social media, which gives us better oversight and control,” Chris explains.

The implementation process has been relatively easy, and Chris praises the ManagedMethods team for their support. “Every interaction I’ve had with ManagedMethods has been fantastic,” he says. “From the beginning, everyone has been helpful, and I’ve met nobody I wouldn’t want to go have lunch with.”
Overall, Chris highly recommends Cloud Monitor for K-12 technology teams. “If you’re in a district with limited resources, give it a try and see if it fits,” he advises. “It’s a game-changer for managing Google security efficiently and effectively. I wouldn’t want to go without it.”

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