Fronter
Fronter is the leading European provider of the Virtual Learning Environment, which is used by millions of teachers and students at thousands of learning institutions around the world. This success has been due to their strong emphasis on user involvement in development and their approach to open technology standards.
What Fronter Needed
One of the biggest and growing concerns for Fronter’s customers today is electronic security. Fronter chose CGI to be their expert security partner to identify and address the security risks in their business. Fronter also wanted to gain ISO/IEC 27001 certification, the international information security management standard to prove that their online environment was secure.
Through the experience of CGI’s security team, a high quality but easy-touse security management system was implemented. This impressed the auditors and helped Fronter achieve the ISO 27001 certification that gives their customers confidence.
The Challenge
Fronter had built its Virtual Learning Environment with over 100 web-based tools, to make the most of the advantages of the digital world and provide teachers and students with a powerful, convenient online environment. This allows teachers to customise learning and assessment, while learners get their own personal learning environment.
It was very important to Fronter that, with the rising threat of electronic infiltration, their organisation, supply chain and products were secure and that they protected the personal information of their customers.
They also wanted to prove to their current users and prospective customers that they could be trusted with the security of their online information. Fronter requested that CGI helped them gain formal certification to ISO/IEC 27001 and compliance to the EU Data Protection Directive and other relevant regulations such as the UK Government Data Handling rules.
Our Answer
There is no minimum or maximum number of lines for content in this space. Working with Fronter, our team of security experts analysed the information they held, in terms of what was used to run the company and what was entrusted to them by their customers. Using our own risk analysis method, IRIS, we identified the potential risks the information could be exposed to, both physical and from electronic channels. This allowed us to set in place recommended policies, processes and education to control these risks, building upon their current security foundations.
We brought an in-depth understanding of the personal privacy laws in Europe, including the requirements mandated by the UK Government, for handling personal information. Protecting information relating to children was vital to the success of this project and the relevant personal privacy laws were strictly followed.
The CGI team ensured that the Fronter solution was compliant with both the spirit and the letter of the UK Data Protection Act by having detailed discussions with the UK Information Commissioner.
The resulting information security management system we created enhanced their current security practices, and supported them in a more secure and traceable set of processes. Getting their suppliers to follow these processes as well gave even greater protection of sensitive information. We also created operating procedures, to allow security processes to be undertaken in a consistent and auditable manner, and developed the initial business continuity plan for the Oslo operation.
Key Benefits
- The virtual learning environment is safe and secure for their customers
- The first Pan-European Managed Learning Environment provider to achieve ISO 27001 certification
- In a stronger position to win new customers and increase revenues in new market areas
- The online personal information of students and children is secured.
