Written by Jonathan Fehr
Firewalls are a foundational layer of network security, but keeping them current, resilient and effectively managed is becoming increasingly complex and resource-intensive for many institutions. BCNET’s Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS) provides members with a cost-effective, high-availability solution that combines trusted sector expertise with enterprise-grade protection. Available through managed and co-managed service models, FWaaS helps strengthen institutional security, reduce operational burden and ensure critical firewall infrastructure remains up to date and resilient as cybersecurity threats continue to evolve.
Vancouver Community College and North Island College were the first two of the pilot schools to fully onboard this service in fall 2025, followed by Thompson Rivers University and the Justice Institute of BC. For them, the balance of flexibility and expertise has proven invaluable.
Vancouver Community College
Before adopting FWaaS, Vancouver Community College faced many of the same challenges that other colleges experience.
“We faced challenges in acquiring staff with the skillsets to manage and maintain our firewalls,” says Jack Siu, Associate Director of Network Services. “Hardware lifecycle planning, maintenance, subscription management were also pain points.”
When BCNET introduced the dedicated FWaaS model, it allowed Vancouver Community College to directly replace its on-prem firewalls while keeping its existing network segmentation intact. This resulted in a transition that delivered stability and peace of mind.
“The biggest benefit I see is risk reduction,” says Siu. “There is redundancy on both campuses and an overall reduced operational overhead. With vacation and retirements coming up, this gives peace of mind.”
Siu adds that another benefit is removing the cost of operational maintenance and accessing resources for any incidents that are always available to them.
North Island College
Firewall and WAN services are critical but notoriously resource-intensive to maintain, particularly for smaller institutions like North Island College. Recruiting and retaining specialized networking and security staff is another challenge, and the advanced skills required for firewall management can be difficult to sustain internally.
Casey Black, Chief Information Officer for North Island College, points out that one of the benefits of using BCNET’s FWaaS is the provision of a fully managed service that ensures consistent patching, lifecycle management, and advanced protection. Another benefit is cost savings.
“Fully managed FWaaS is less costly than the NIC’s existing annual hardware maintenance and software subscription costs for firewall and WAN services,” says Black, who added that they saved roughly 15% by working with BCNET. “This opens capacity for staff to focus on other priorities.”
Flexible Model Built for Members
BCNET’s Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS) delivers a resilient, high-availability firewall capability through geographically distributed infrastructure operated by BCNET. Designed to meet the needs of higher education institutions, the service is available through both managed and co-managed models, giving members the flexibility to align operational responsibilities with their internal capacity and expertise.
FWaaS provides enterprise-grade protection, ongoing monitoring and lifecycle management support, helping institutions maintain a strong and current security posture while reducing the day-to-day operational demands placed on internal teams.
