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Chiba University Enhances Convenience with Netskope While Maintaining Security

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Chiba University Enhances Convenience with Netskope While Maintaining Security

Chiba University, a prestigious national university in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, boasts a history spanning 150 years. Its network infrastructure, supporting approximately 6,000 faculty members and 20,000 students, is managed by the Information Strategy Organization and the Information Planning Division under the General Affairs Department. This case study dives into the university’s transition from a traditional internet isolation system to a Netskope-integrated solution, highlighting the reasons behind the shift, the implementation process, and the resulting benefits.

Higher education icon
Industry
Education
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Region
Japan
Employees
Employees
3,615
Date Founded icon
Year founded
1872

Transitioning from internet separation to a more integrated system

Chiba University, a large institution with 11 faculties, graduate schools, and related facilities, manages a vast number of computer terminals and networks used by faculty members and students. These are overseen by the Information Strategy Organization and the Information Planning Division of the General Affairs Department.

 

Historically, Chiba University implemented an Internet separation policy for its office systems to ensure security. Administrative staff performed their regular tasks on FAT terminals, while Internet access was provided through a VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) system. Although this configuration is standard for public institutions, it was time-consuming to set up a dedicated virtual desktop environment and switch authentication each time an Internet connection was needed.

Chiba University Enhances Convenience with Netskope While Maintaining Security

As the five-year usage period of the VDI system approached its end, the university began considering alternatives that did not rely on Internet separation. Yoshiaki Nishikawa, Manager of the Office Information Section, Information Planning Division, General Affairs Department, recalls, “While the Internet separation environment was strong in terms of security, it was not very convenient for users.”

 

The shift away from Internet separation was also driven by changes in the business environment, where the Internet became increasingly essential for business purposes. Nishikawa explains, “In addition to email, we frequently exchanged large files and downloaded documents from websites. The increased use of the Internet led to growing dissatisfaction with the previous system.”

At the time, Netskope was the only company that could provide DLP in Japanese. Also, in anticipation of increased use of Microsoft365, the CASB functionality was another reason for selecting Netskope.

Mr. Yoshiaki Nishikawa, Administrative Information Section, Information Planning Division, General Affairs Department
National University Corporation Chiba University
国立大学法人 千葉大学、総務部情報企画課 事務情報係 係長、西川嘉昭 氏

One of the deciding factors was Netskope's Japanese language support for DLP, along with its CASB functionality.

Nishikawa began searching for a new solution to simplify and secure Internet connections. Initially, Netskope was not the first product he considered. “I started gathering information in early 2021 and initially had my eye on another product,” said Nishikawa. “I learned about Netskope in the summer of 2021, when I was introduced to it by Professor Imaizumi, Director of the Information Strategy Organization.”

 

Takashi Imaizumi, Chiba University’s Vice President and CIO of the Information Strategy Organization, recalls, “I was looking for ways to gather information. Due to my position, I have many opportunities to attend tradeshows and other events, and I receive hundreds of emails daily. I learned about Netskope and introduced it to Nishikawa.”

 

After narrowing down the options to three products, the decision to implement Netskope was made through a bidding process. The deciding factor was not only the bid price. At the time, Netskope was the only product that could perform DLP in Japanese. Additionally, the CASB functionality was crucial, especially with the anticipated increased use of Microsoft 365.

Chiba University Enhances Convenience with Netskope While Maintaining Security

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in remote work at Chiba University, which became a burden for Nishikawa and the administrative information staff. They frequently had to address issues such as “the VPN does not connect from my home computer.”

 

Netskope was chosen to solve these issues, and in January 2022, the migration to Netskope was completed.

Users have been very positive about it. The user can boot up the device, sign in to Netskope, and go straight to the Internet.

Mr. Yoshiaki Nishikawa, Administrative Information Section, Information Planning Division, General Affairs Department
National University Corporation Chiba University
国立大学法人 千葉大学、総務部情報企画課 事務情報係 係長、西川嘉昭 氏

Highly evaluated by users for improved convenience and reduced administrative burden

All administrative staff at Chiba University now use Netskope for their work. The convenience of the Internet connection, which had been a concern, has greatly improved, and file sharing has become easier. The user experience has been very positive. “Once you boot up the terminal and sign in to Netskope, you can use the Internet right away,” said Nishikawa.

 

Remote work has also become easier Imaizumi noted, “The terminals used by the staff are very user-friendly. Staff can work remotely from home by bringing their laptops. While other universities are gradually introducing laptops, very few allow remote access to all terminals.”

 

For the management side, there have been significant advantages as well. One benefit of the new system is that various types of information, such as access blocking and malware detection, can now be checked at once on the console. It has also become easier to configure settings to allow access to sites in response to user inquiries and requests.

Chiba University Enhances Convenience with Netskope While Maintaining Security

With the conventional VDI, it was necessary to set up firewalls and other rules manually. “University staff members are transferred to new positions every three years or so, making it challenging to explain the setup each time. In this respect, Netskope’s easy-to-understand configuration made operation much easier,” recalls Nishikawa.

As most of our operations will be in a cloud environment, we will also need to consider how to manage security and issues such as shadow IT and the use of personal accounts.

Mr. Naoya Hasegawa, General Affairs Department, Information Planning Division, Office Information Section Chief
Chiba University
Mr. Naoya Hasegawa, General Affairs Department, Information Planning Division, Office Information Section Chief Chiba University

Protection of faculty and student devices is the future challenge and seek enhanced security in cloud environments

At Chiba University, the dissatisfaction among administrative staff has been resolved, and both convenience and security have been improved. However, there are still 6,000 faculty members and 20,000 students on campus whose devices require enhanced security. Faculty members, in particular, need measures to prevent the leakage of personal information and other sensitive data. “It is not realistic to allow everyone to use Netskope, so we are looking for a good solution,” said Imaizumi.

 

Naoya Hasegawa, a technical staff member in the Office Information Section of the Information Planning Division, highlights another issue. “We have made significant progress with Microsoft 365, but we are also preparing to use cloud storage like BOX for business operations. As most of our operations will be in a cloud environment, we need to consider how to manage security and address issues such as shadow IT and the use of personal accounts,” he said.

Chiba University Enhances Convenience with Netskope While Maintaining Security

Chiba University remains attuned to current trends and applies them to its business operations. The efforts of all involved continue to strive for a better balance between security and convenience.

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