FILTERING AT THE EDGE OF THE EMBC

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FILTERING AT THE EDGE OF THE EMBC

• Paul Mavis
• Solutions Architect
• Synetrix Ltd.
• mailtopaul.mavis_at_synetrix.co.uk

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Filtering at the edge of the embc

• What filtering is available?
• URL/Web site
• Based on NetSweeper
• Email
• Based on Email Systems (Webroot)

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Filtering at the edge of the embc

• Classification of products in use?
• Enterprise class
• Who can use the products?
• Super administrator(s) Synetrix, Product
  Support
• Local Authority administrator(s) LA
  helpdesks/reps
• School administrator(s) ICT admin

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Filtering at the edge of the embc

• Why is it important?
• Duty of care
• Volume of email

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Email filtering

• Spam
• Very effective, typically 90 of email is never
  delivered to the end user because it is filtered
  out by the SPAM filters.
• Virus
• Very effective, although the virus threat is much
  lower these days (arguably!)

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Email filtering

• Rules
• Enforced rules
• Managed by embc and Local Authorities
• Highest preference
• Local rules
• Managed by the school site

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Email filtering effectiveness
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URL/Web site filtering

• Policy definitions
• Mainly category based
• NetSweeper maintain a global database of URLs and
  stores them against a category
• Rules
• Black lists and White lists
• Both Global and Local

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URL/Web site filtering

• Terminology
• Group
• Defines the combination of
• IP Address range(s)
• Policies
• Administrators
• A NetSweeper group generally equates to a school
  site

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URL/Web site filtering

• Predefined groups
• Managed by embc and Local Authorities
• Level1, Level2, Level3, Level4 (BECTA)
• Allow only, No Access
• When a school is first set up on the system
• The school IP range is assigned to one of the
  Levels
• Typically Level2 for a secondary
• Typically Level3 or Level4 for a primary

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URL/Web site filtering

• Predefined Levels may not be flexible enough
• To fit curriculum activity
• You might want time segments
• You might want to split up your IP range
• Curriculum machines verses admin/staff machines
• Local control of filtering
• Request through your Local Authority

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Local control of web filtering

• A new group is created
• group1_at_siteid
• You are provided with a login and password
• Login name is usually your site ID.
• You get full control over your Group
• Time segments, Clients (IP ranges), Policy
• Duty of care shifts to the school

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Portal controlled web filtering

• So far one size fits all
• Portal control binds the portal login to the
  filter policy
• Per person, profile based on personal attribute
• Staff can have level1
• Students can have level2/3/4 whichever is
  suitable
• Can also use your own Local Control policies

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Portal controlled web filtering

• Set up by your site administrator via the WAT
• Be careful
• You should set your NetSweeper base policy to the
  most restrictive in your range
• If your NetSweeper policy is less restrictive
  than your individual Portal policy you will end
  up with the strange situation where you can get
  to web sites without first logging in to the
  portal but not after!!! Complaints

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FIN

• Demo
• Questions
• See also
• The Web URL Filtering Wiki
• http//www.embc.uk.com/library/Web20URL20Filteri
  ng20Wiki/