I'm curious about how schools manage and secure their networks when students bring their own laptops. Unlike school-issued devices that are tightly controlled, personal laptops come with admin access and can open up security risks. How do schools set up their networks to handle possibly hundreds of unsecured devices while still allowing access to resources like printers and scanners? I understand there might not be a one-size-fits-all solution, so I'm interested in hearing some examples and experiences from others! Thanks!
5 Answers
Honestly, a lot of schools around my area don't have dedicated network admins and just use basic ISP routers without passwords, leaving their networks wide open. It's surprising they haven't experienced more issues given the lack of security.
From what I've seen, many schools are moving away from BYOD programs due to the challenges of managing and monitoring personal devices. It's easier to stick with school-owned laptops where they can enforce stricter security measures.
A common approach is to use conditional access. Schools can place personal devices on a guest VLAN with internet access only, keeping them isolated from internal resources. This way, students can still use their laptops without compromising the network security.
When I worked in a school, we set up separate VLANs for different devices: staff devices, student devices, printers, etc. This allowed staff and students to access printers without being able to communicate with each other directly.
Many schools implement various security measures like separate SSIDs, subnets, and client isolation. Some use software like Papercut for printing that can handle requests without exposing the internal network. It’s similar to how IoT devices operate, requiring limited access to the network.
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