k12tech Web Logov2

This meeting was a technology check-in that included a presentation on Fortinet's Security Operations Center (SOC) as a service. The SOC service provides 24/7 monitoring of security logs. It uses FortiAnalyzer for log analysis and FortiSOAR for automation, with human review of alerts. The service is a subscription that is eligible for E-rate category two funding. It is priced per FortiGate model, and a 400E model would cost $5,400 per year at list price.

The meeting also covered other topics including:

  • Log Retention and Analysis: The SOC service includes cloud-hosted FortiAnalyzer, which offers better log analysis than FortiGate Cloud and can correlate multiple log entries. Log retention is about a year. Extra log storage is not category two eligible.
  • Other Fortinet Products: The SOC service is designed for FortiGate firewalls, but can be used with FortiClient. It complements FortiEDR. FortiSASE and FortiSIM were also mentioned as other products.
  • Alerts and Support: The SOC service has SLAs for response times, with email for low/medium alerts, and phone calls for critical issues. Customers can use a portal to view alerts, chat with engineers, and make service requests.
  • Brainstorm Conference: The group discussed the upcoming Brainstorm conference, where Sarah will present on her transition to a Fortinet network.
  • Verkada Door Access: Matt Foley shared an issue with a Verkada door access camera that required a reboot to apply an update.
  • Infinite Campus: The group discussed the online registration (OLR) system in Infinite Campus, specifically how to translate parent responses in Spanish.
  • E-rate Program: There is a case at the Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of the E-rate program.
  • AI Tool: Scott mentioned using Google's Notebook LM, an AI tool, to summarize tech notes and board minutes. He may share an AI-generated podcast of the meeting.
  • Scheduling: The group discussed scheduling a follow-up meeting for December 23rd.
  • E-rate Updates: Scott is providing E-rate updates to schools who purchased the SE service, and including free and reduced lunch data in emails and tickets.