Securing Innovation in a Distributed Higher Education Environment

The team recognized common risks—limited visibility into network traffic, rising cyber threats, and overburdened security tools—all within the unique constraints of academia, where academic freedom, legacy systems, and complex governance complicate security decisions.

The institution faced several core challenges:

• Limited insight into unknown or unseen threats on the network
• Security controls generating noise without clarity, making prioritization difficult
• High stakes for leadership: “Don’t end up in the news for a breach”
• The need to align cybersecurity investments with student success and institutional mission, not just technical metrics
• A requirement to move quickly without disrupting existing architecture or operations

The institution needed a solution that could demonstrate value fast, withstand deep technical scrutiny, and support long-term strategic planning.

The Approach: Proof of Value Over Promises

The organization engaged with Centripetal to conduct a Proof of Value (POV) of its CleanINTERNET® service. Stakeholders said what stood out was not just the technology, but the engagement model:

• Direct, technical conversations early in the process
• Willingness to address skepticism around bold claims head-on
• Immediate follow-up and rapid scheduling of a live demonstration
• A structured Proof of Value rather than a generic proof of concept

Within days, Centripetal deployed appliances without major architectural disruption, allowing the institution to safely evaluate the solution in a real-world environment.

The POV emphasized outcomes, not just features:

• What threats were actually present on the network
• How much malicious traffic could be eliminated
• What operational burden could be reduced on existing firewalls
• How insights could inform future cybersecurity and IT decisions

Weekly briefings translated technical findings into clear, executive-ready insights, ensuring alignment across technical staff, leadership, and procurement stakeholders.

The Results: Rapid Impact, Measurable Confidence

Within the first days of the Proof of Value, results were unmistakable:

• 99% reduction in attempted zero day executions
• 99% shielding of hostile reconnaissance from compromised infrastructure directed by threat actors preventing intrusion, brute force, and exploit attempts at your perimeter.
• Dramatic reductions in malicious and unnecessary network traffic
• Immediate relief to existing security infrastructure
• Clear visibility into previously unknown threat activity
• Faster consensus among technical skeptics through real data, not claims

Beyond security metrics, the benefits extended into operations and governance:

• Leadership gained confidence through firsthand visibility, not secondhand explanations
• Procurement risks were reduced by leveraging existing vendor relationships
• Decision-making accelerated, compressing a process that typically takes months into weeks
• The solution aligned cleanly with institutional priorities, including student success, system reliability, and reputational protection

The college moved from initial contact to contract in under 60 days—an unusually fast timeline for higher education—supported by strong collaboration, responsiveness, and shared urgency.

Ongoing Value

Post-deployment, the institution continues to benefit from:

• Ongoing threat intelligence delivered in plain-language executive briefings
• Improved ability to balance security with academic freedom
• A quieter, more intelligible network environment that supports future innovation
• A stronger foundation for a defense-in-depth cybersecurity strategy

What began as a search for visibility into “what we don’t know about our network” became a cornerstone of the college’s broader cybersecurity and technology roadmap.

Conclusion

With the right combination of credible solution, responsive vendor team, and aligned incentives, even complex enterprise security deployments can move rapidly in academic environments. The institution successfully addressed its immediate cybersecurity concerns while maintaining the openness required for academic freedom, all within an aggressive timeline that set institutional records.