Russell Education Trust Simplifies Secure Wi‑Fi Access with Foxpass Cloud RADIUS
How a lean education IT team replaced local RADIUS infrastructure with cloud-based, certificate-based authentication across multiple school sites.
The Challenge
Before Foxpass, Russell Education Trust relied on local Microsoft NPS services and physical servers to authenticate Wi‑Fi access. That setup worked, but it created infrastructure overhead and limited the team’s ability to move toward certificate-based authentication. As staff moved between school sites, inconsistent SSIDs and access experiences also made it harder to deliver the joined-up experience the trust wanted.
Password-based access also created security concerns. In an education environment, passwords were being shared, reused, or exposed, forcing IT teams to reset credentials and re-educate users repeatedly. Russell Education Trust wanted a more secure approach that would protect the network without adding unnecessary complexity for staff or IT.
The Solution
After researching cloud-based RADIUS and certificate-based authentication options, Russell Education Trust chose Foxpass Cloud RADIUS. Foxpass offered the right mix of functionality, flexibility, and value, giving the trust a practical way to reduce reliance on on-premises RADIUS servers and support a more cloud-first approach to secure network access.
With Foxpass, the team could use certificate-based authentication for managed devices while still supporting username-and-password RADIUS where needed. Foxpass also authenticates through Microsoft 365, helping the trust reduce its reliance on on-premises identity infrastructure as it continues its transition to a cloud-first architecture.
Implementation
The rollout happened on a tight timeline. Russell Education Trust discovered Foxpass during the summer holidays and had only a few days to make a decision, set it up, and prepare for the new school year. With help from Foxpass support, the team configured the product, connected access points, and began rolling out certificates across schools in the background.
“We had three days to set it up and get it working,” said Dan Hamilton, IT Engineer at Russell Education Trust. “We got everything set up across all of our devices very quickly and started rolling out certificates for all the schools in the background, while we were configuring everything.”
Results
Consistent access across school sites
Foxpass helped Russell Education Trust standardize Wi‑Fi access across its schools. By mirroring SSIDs and enabling certificate-based authentication, staff who move between sites can connect more consistently without IT needing to manage separate access experiences for each location.
Stronger Wi‑Fi security with fewer password risks
By moving managed devices toward certificate-based authentication, the trust reduced its reliance on passwords that could be shared or exposed. For guests and BYOD users, Foxpass works alongside the trust’s voucher-based captive portal, helping the team close gaps across different access scenarios.
Lower day-to-day management for IT
Once deployed, Foxpass became a low-maintenance part of the trust’s environment. Staff, sixth form, contractor, and governor groups are dynamically updated in Microsoft and synced through Foxpass, reducing manual updates. The team now primarily goes into the dashboard only to troubleshoot, check logs, or make configuration changes.
Why Foxpass
For Russell Education Trust, Foxpass provided a straightforward path to stronger, cloud-first Wi‑Fi security. The trust was able to replace local RADIUS infrastructure, adopt certificate-based authentication, support access across multiple school sites, and simplify ongoing management without introducing unnecessary complexity.
About the Customer
Russell Education Trust is a UK-based education trust that operates a series of Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, and Sixth Forms throughout the South of England. With a lean central IT team responsible for strategic planning, infrastructure, and day-to-day support across multiple sites, the trust needed a more consistent and secure way to manage Wi‑Fi access for staff, managed devices, guests, and BYOD users.