Education
Modernizing Network Access Control
Migrating a legacy FortiNAC deployment to a current Fortinet appliance, configurations intact.
Client Profile
The Challenge
A Legacy Platform Behind a Critical Control
Renfrew District School relied on Fortinet FortiNAC to help manage and control how devices connected to its network. The existing FortiNAC deployment was operating on a CentOS-based platform. Continuing to rely on the legacy platform introduced concerns around long-term supportability, security maintenance, and the ability to keep the network access control environment aligned with Fortinet's current appliance architecture. For an education organization, network access control plays an important role in protecting administrative systems, instructional technology, wireless devices, and other network-connected equipment. Any migration therefore needed to be carefully planned to avoid disrupting connectivity or weakening existing security controls. Renfrew District School required a focused migration to a new FortiNAC-F appliance while preserving its existing configurations and validating that core network access control functions continued to operate correctly.
The Arcadion Approach
A Structured, Low-Risk Migration Plan
Arcadion developed a structured migration plan designed to reduce risk and provide a controlled transition from the CentOS-based FortiNAC environment to the new FortiNAC-F appliance.
Arcadion first reviewed the existing FortiNAC environment, available configuration information, appliance readiness, licensing, network connectivity, and administrative access.
This readiness review helped identify potential migration dependencies before any production changes were made. The team also confirmed that the new appliance had the required network settings and resources to support the existing FortiNAC configuration.
A current FortiNAC configuration backup and migration bundle were prepared from the existing environment. Arcadion reviewed the migration package and prepared the target FortiNAC-F appliance for the configuration transfer. This included checking:
The existing configuration was migrated to the new FortiNAC-F appliance using Fortinet-supported migration procedures.
Arcadion coordinated the transition to reduce unnecessary disruption and ensure the new appliance could assume the required network access control functions. The migration focused on preserving the organization's established FortiNAC configuration rather than redesigning the network or introducing unrelated changes.
Following the migration, Arcadion performed functional validation of the new FortiNAC-F environment. The team reviewed:
Any migration-related issues identified during validation were investigated and corrected where possible within the project scope.
Arcadion provided a migration summary outlining the work completed, the status of the new appliance, and any recommendations requiring future attention.
An informal technical handoff was also completed to help the school's IT team understand the updated environment and continue managing the FortiNAC-F appliance.
The Results
A Modern, Supportable Access Control Platform
Renfrew District School successfully transitioned from its legacy CentOS-based FortiNAC deployment to a modern FortiNAC-F appliance. The project delivered several important outcomes:
Reduced reliance on an aging operating system platform.
Improved alignment with Fortinet's current FortiNAC architecture.
Preserved the organization's existing network access control configuration.
Validated core appliance connectivity and FortiNAC functionality.
Improved the long-term supportability of the network security environment.
Provided the internal IT team with migration documentation and a clear technical handoff.
Renfrew District School successfully transitioned from its legacy CentOS-based FortiNAC deployment to a modern FortiNAC-F appliance. The project delivered several important outcomes: By using a defined readiness, migration, and validation process, Arcadion helped the organization modernize an important security platform without introducing unnecessary complexity. The new FortiNAC-F appliance provides Renfrew District School with a stronger foundation for managing network-connected devices and maintaining appropriate access controls across its technology environment.
Technology Used
Strengthening Network Security in Education
You cannot protect a device you cannot see.
Schools and educational organizations support a growing number of laptops, mobile devices, classroom technologies, printers, wireless systems, and other connected equipment. Modern network access control helps IT teams identify these devices, apply appropriate access policies, and reduce the risk created by unknown or unmanaged systems.
- Network security platform modernization
- Legacy infrastructure migration
- Reliable, supportable critical IT services
Arcadion helps education organizations modernize network security platforms, migrate legacy infrastructure, and improve the reliability and supportability of critical IT services.
Ready to Modernize Your Network Access Control?
Let's replace legacy FortiNAC with a current, supportable platform.