Onslow County Schools: Securing Education and Empowering Students with Microsoft Intune
Onslow County Schools in North Carolina is using Microsoft Intune to provide secure access to technology for its students and teachers. By leveraging Intune’s Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM), the district has streamlined IT management, improved security, and created a more focused learning environment.
Balancing Security and Access
Onslow County Schools faced a common challenge: how to give students and teachers access to important software while maintaining robust security. Granting administrative privileges to all users wasn’t an option, as it could compromise system integrity. The district needed a solution that would allow for both flexibility and control.
Onslow found that solution in Microsoft Intune EPM, a part of the Intune Suite. EPM allows the small IT team to manage and update software remotely, even on devices outside the school network. It allows teachers and students to run approved software without needing administrative privileges. For example, EPM helps educators use a secure browser during online tests to prevent cheating, while ensuring that the IT staff can control which applications standard users can run at the device level.
Streamlining Device Management
With over 28,000 students across 41 schools, Onslow County Schools is the 11th-largest district in North Carolina. The district began its cloud migration to Microsoft Azure in 2018, and because they had implemented Intune, the district was able to easily transition to remote learning at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Microsoft technology is the fabric of our entire organization, from human resources to finance and from faculty and staff to students,” said Jeff Pittman, Chief Technology Officer at Onslow.
By adopting EPM, Onslow’s IT team can efficiently manage devices both on and off the network, which has been a major efficiency boost. The district purchased 14,000 EPM licenses for grades 6–12 to best make use of it for standardized tests and technical education classes in 2024.
Empowering Educators and Students
EPM has provided valuable benefits to the educational environment. Teachers can now request new software installations, and the IT team can respond quickly – sometimes within 30 minutes. Before EPM, this process could take up to 48 hours. This rapid response time allows teachers to integrate new tools into their lessons seamlessly. For example:
- Improved Testing Integrity: EPM allows the use of secure browsers during online exams, creating a focused and equitable testing environment. This helps to prevent cheating and improve academic outcomes.
- Expanded Software Access: Onslow also uses EPM to run other valuable applications for students, such as graphic design software and coding tools, with elevated privileges. This enables students to explore diverse learning opportunities.
Strengthening Security with Integrated Tools
Onslow County Schools combines Intune, Azure, and Microsoft Defender for Identity in a coordinated security plan. “There’s a tight loop between Intune, Azure, Defender for Identity, and EPM, and they all work in concert with one another,” says Pittman. The integration strengthens security while streamlining operations, providing a robust and secure IT environment for the district.
By using these integrated technologies, Onslow has nearly tripled it is Microsoft Secure Score.
Key Benefits and Outcomes
- Enhanced Security: EPM allows Onslow to maintain a security-first approach to device management.
- Streamlined IT Operations: Quick deployment of new software, streamlined device setup with Windows Autopilot, and simplified management tasks.
- Improved Learning Outcomes: Educators are empowered to deliver great instruction. Students benefit from a more focused, secure and equitable testing environment.
“Using EPM to run the anti-cheating browser has helped us improve academic outcomes so that students have a more focused, secure, and equitable testing environment in terms of academic integrity.” – Tiffany Rhodes, Teacher, Onslow County Schools
Onslow County Schools demonstrates how modern IT solutions, like Microsoft Intune EPM, can solve complex challenges in education. The school district ensures security, efficiency, and a positive learning environment for both students and teachers.
