Zscaler’s Zero Trust Exchange Ensures FERPA Compliance Beyond VPNs Alone

Introduction

Colleges and universities choose Zscaler’s Private Access (ZPA) software-defined perimeter (SDP) technology to secure and protect FERPA-regulated student data, offering an intelligent, cloud native security framework built for the modern education landscape. With Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Zscaler ensures that only verified users and devices gain access, eliminating the risk of unauthorized breaches. 

Additionally, Zscaler’s Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) safeguard student records by monitoring data movement, blocking threats, and preventing leaks. Advanced threat protection neutralizes phishing, ransomware, and insider risks before they cause harm. With encryption, continuous monitoring, and audit-ready compliance, Zscaler delivers seamless, scalable security—empowering institutions to protect student privacy without compromising agility, performance, or cost efficiency.

Zscaler enforces zero trust security to ensure FERPA compliance by implementing least-privileged access, continuous authentication, and real-time threat prevention. Through Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), access is granted only after verifying user identity, device security posture, and contextual risk factors—ensuring that unauthorized users are blocked 100% of the time.

How Zscaler Strengthens FERPA Compliance:

• Access control: Zscaler’s ZTNA enforces granular, role-based access, allowing institutions to restrict access to only authorized personnel. multifactor authentication (MFA) and continuous monitoring detect anomalies, blocking 99.9% of unauthorized access attempts.
• Vulnerability testing and security reviews: With automated risk assessment tools, Zscaler conducts continuous scanning, flagging vulnerabilities in real time. The ThreatLabz research team analyzes 300+ billion daily transactions, ensuring proactive defense against evolving threats.
• Data encryption: End-to-end encryption ensures that student records remain secure in transit and at rest, preventing interception by malicious actors.
• Data minimization and loss prevention: DLP policies prevent unauthorized sharing of personally identifiable information (PII) across cloud applications (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365), reducing the risk of accidental exposure.
• Breach prevention and incident response: With built-in CASB and Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Zscaler stops 98% of phishing, malware, and ransomware attacks before they reach school networks, mitigating data breach risks.
• Third-party data sharing: Inline traffic inspection ensures that student data shared with third-party vendors meets FERPA security standards, blocking non-compliant data transfers in real time.

Why CIOs, CISOs, and IT Managers Choose Zscaler as the Basis for FERPA Compliance

• Simplified security management: Centralized dashboards for monitoring and enforcing policies.
• Cloud-ready and scalable: Adapts to hybrid and online learning models without compromising security.
• Operational efficiency: Consolidates security functions, reducing tool sprawl and costs.

Take Action: Ensure Security and Compliance

As education institutions embrace cloud migration and remote learning, protecting sensitive student data is more critical than ever. Secure access service edge (SASE) integrates Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) into a unified security framework to mitigate threats, enhance performance, and ensure compliance with FERPA.

Protect sensitive student data and achieve FERPA compliance with SASE technologies. Contact us today to schedule a personalized demo and safeguard your institution’s digital future.