The immediate picture that comes to mind for most people when they think about cyber security is one of two things: sophisticated software or highly technical systems. In reality, one of the most important security measures is something much simpler: a firewall.

Firewalls are just one of the five technical controls that make up the UK’s Cyber Essentials scheme. They’re considered a fundamental part of protecting organisations from common cyber threats, including schools and multi-academy trusts.

But… what exactly is a firewall, and more crucially, why does it even matter for education?

What is a firewall?

One of the easiest ways to think of a firewall is to liken it to a security guard standing at every entrance to your school’s network. The job of a firewall is to monitor traffic entering and leaving your systems, allowing legit connections through while blocking anything sus or unauthorised.

Without a firewall, devices connected to the internet are far more exposed to cyber attacks.

Firewalls can range from being physical devices protecting an entire network, software installed on individual computers, to cloud-based services securing online

applications; with most schools and trusts using a combination of these.

While a firewall won’t stop every cyber attack, it forms one of the first and most important layers of defence.

Why are firewalls important in education settings?

Schools and trusts manage large numbers of devices, users and online services every day, such as staff access management systems, pupils use digital learning tools, and cloud-based applications are constantly exchanging information across the internet.

Every connection creates a potential route for cyber criminals to exploit if it’s not properly protected.

A firewall helps reduce this risk by controlling which traffic is allowed to access your network and which connections should be blocked. It also helps to prevent unauthorised access to school systems and can stop many common attacks before they reach users or their devices.

For multi-academy trusts, where multiple schools may share services or connect to central infrastructure, effective firewall management becomes even more important to help maintain consistent security across the organisation.

Firewalls and Cyber Essentials

Cyber Essentials requires organisations to use properly configured firewalls to protect internet-connected devices.

It’s worth noting that this doesn’t mean simply installing a firewall and leaving it alone. Firewalls need to be securely configured, with unnecessary services disabled, default passwords changed, and only authorised connections permitted.

Regular reviews are also important to ensure firewall rules continue to reflect how your school’s network is used.

Firewalls work alongside the other Cyber Essentials controls, including secure configuration, user access control, malware protection and security update management, to create a layered approach to cyber security.

Where does Skolon fit in?

It’s important to be clear that Skolon is not a firewall and we do not replace your school’s network security.

Instead, Skolon will complement your wider cyber security strategy by helping schools manage secure access to the digital services that sit behind those protected networks.

By providing a single, secure point of access to approved learning resources and applications, Skolon helps reduce the complexity of managing multiple logins across your digital ecosystem. Features such as Single Sign-On (SSO), Skolon Pass, automated user provisioning and synchronisation with your school’s identity provider make it easier to ensure users only access the resources appropriate to their role.

Additionally, because access is centralised, IT teams will also have greater visibility and control over how users access digital learning tools, helping to reduce unnecessary accounts and simplify identity management.

Together, firewalls and identity management solutions perform different but equally important roles. While firewalls help protect your network from external threats, Skolon helps to ensure the right people can securely access the right resources once they’re inside your digital environment.

Cyber security is like an onion.

It has layers

No single product can provide complete protection against cyber threats. Cyber Essentials recognises this by focusing on several technical controls that work together to reduce risk, for example:

• A firewall protects your school’s perimeter.
• Secure configuration reduces vulnerabilities.
• Strong user access controls help prevent unauthorised access.
• Malware protection defends against malicious software
• Regular security updates close known security gaps.

When the elements above are combined with solutions such as Skolon that simplify identity and access management, these measures help schools build a stronger, more resilient cyber security posture while making digital learning easier to manage.

Continue your Cyber Essentials journey

Firewalls are just one part of the Cyber Essentials framework. Next, explore how secure configuration helps schools reduce vulnerabilities and create safer digital environments from the outset.

This is Skolon – we gather the best digital educational tools and make them work in the classroom.

Skolon is an independent platform for digital educational tools and learning resources, created for both teachers and students. With Skolon, accessing and using your digital educational tools is easy – security increases, administration decreases, and there’s more time for learning.

The digital educational tools come from both small and large providers, all of whom have one thing in common – they create digital educational tools that are beneficial for the school environment.