Back to school with the Cisco Umbrella Chromebook client

We’re excited to announce the availability of the Cisco Umbrella Chromebook client! With the Umbrella Chromebook client, you can protect your Chromebook users from threats on the internet, no matter where they are.

As more K-12 schools and organizations move towards 1:1 programs, students and staff can increase productivity and collaboration. However, these changes also introduce new security challenges; organizations must ensure access to the internet is safe while navigating limited budgets.

The Umbrella Chromebook client for Chrome OS protects against phishing attacks, offers easy to use and customizable content category filtering, and provides per-user visibility and policy — regardless of location. It utilizes Umbrella’s industry-leading DNS platform for security and content filtering. There’s no need for PAC files, proxy configurations or VPNs. Everything happens via DNS, ensuring a great user experience for both administrators and end users!

Let’s take a look at an example of how the Umbrella Chromebook client can help three different individuals at a local school be more productive, while defending against threats on the internet.

Student

Robbie is a 7th grader at a local school. He uses a Chromebook every day, both at school and at home to do research on the internet, access cloud applications to collaborate with team members, and complete homework.

Sometimes, Robbie may inadvertently try to access a website that has malicious or unwanted content.

With the Umbrella Chromebook client, Robbie is automatically protected from threats and unsafe content, no matter which Chromebook device he’s using. Robbie can safely use the internet to do homework and collaborate with classmates, whether at school or at home. And, he won’t experience a slower internet connection even with added security.

Staff

Mrs. Wilkins has been teaching for many years. She embraces new technologies and is excited for her students to be more productive and collaborate more effectively using Chromebook devices. She also has a Chromebook that she uses to review homework assignments and communicate with other faculty, students, and parents.

Mrs. Wilkins’ students have access to their Chromebooks regularly throughout the day. She wants to ensure her students are viewing appropriate and safe content when accessing the internet, but she doesn’t have time to observe each and every student all the time. And, with so many emails to go through on a weekly basis, Mrs. Wilkins has clicked on a phishing link after mistaking it for a legitimate email. As a result, she had to take time out of her regular workday to meet with IT and ensure she took the appropriate actions to protect herself from the phishing attack, like changing her passwords.

Because her school deployed the Umbrella Chromebook client across all Chromebook devices, Mrs. Wilkins doesn’t have to worry if her students are accessing unwanted content. And, she is protected from malicious content in phishing emails if she does accidentally open one.

IT administrator

As an IT administrator, Jeff is responsible for all of the desktop, mobile, and laptop devices provided by the school. He is always looking for ways to improve security and decrease the amount of time he has to spend extending web filtering across different types of devices. Jeff also needs visibility into users to see who is accessing what on the internet, and ensure the right level of control. Frequently, Chromebooks are assigned to a specific classroom rather than a student, so during the day a single device may be used by several different students.

Jeff also has limited budget and has to do more with less, even as more devices are added and new technologies are introduced. He also has to apply policies to help maintain compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA).

Jeff has decided to standardize on Chromebooks, because they are affordable, reliable, and easy to use. Most everything Jeff requires is already provided by the platform. With the simple addition of the Umbrella Chromebook client, Jeff can satisfy all of his requirements.

Jeff is able to quickly and easily deploy the Umbrella Chromebook client to Chromebook devices using an extension and application available on the Chrome Web Store. Once deployed, users are protected from threats on the internet, both on and off-campus. Jeff is also able to gain visibility into who is on the network. And, he never has to worry about software updates.

Ready to see Umbrella in action?

The Umbrella Chromebook client is the smartest way to extend powerful protection against threats on the internet to Chromebook users, wherever they are. Interested in learning more? Sign up for a free trial of Cisco Umbrella today.