Glenbrook Schools Protects Thousands of Students and Teachers Against Internet Dangers with SurfControl Enterprise Protection Suite

SurfControl (London: SRF), a world leader in enterprise threat protection, today announced the students and staff of Glenbrook Schools are enjoying a safer, more productive online educational experience with the help of SurfControl Enterprise Protection Suite. Using SurfControl Web Filter and SurfControl Enterprise Threat Shield, the district has increased control of its network and desktops by automatically blocking access to inappropriate content and preventing unauthorized downloads or use of instant messaging and peer-to-peer applications in accordance with the district's Internet acceptable use policy. Glenbrook Schools has reduced student and staff exposure to Internet threats while getting more value and better performance from the district's existing investments in desktops, network capacity and storage. Glenbrook Schools provides IT support and network services to more than 5,000 student and faculty users throughout the Northbrook and Glenview communities. Rampant downloading of content from the Internet and the surfing of unauthorized Web sites exposed the district network to a nearly endless deluge of malware such as spyware, Trojans and viruses. Faced with a rising number of Internet threats and limited IT resources, Glenbrook Schools required an automated security solution robust enough to detect and protect against a wide range of threats. Flexibility and scalability were key to meeting their rapidly expanding needs. SurfControl Web Filter and Enterprise Threat Shield enabled Glenbrook Schools to selectively and dynamically block content, significantly reducing the risk of malicious or inappropriate activity on the network. "Students were filling up their user folders with all sorts of things we didn't think they needed such as hacking tools, games, music, and peer-to-peer software. We found content and files that were not school-related and needed a way to control usage and manage content," said Jack Barth, Network Manager for Glenbrook Schools. "We've looked at other products on the market, but none could match the breadth of functionality and ease of administration that the SurfControl solution provides. Glenbrook Schools must comply with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) as well as school board policies surrounding acceptable Internet use and controls. Under CIPA, a school must certify that it is enforcing a policy of Internet safety that includes the use of filtering or blocking technology -- preventing access, through computers with Internet connections, to visual depictions that are obscene, pornographic, or (in the case of use by minors) harmful to minors. School board requirements govern the acceptable use policies of computers and prohibit downloading of games, music, the use of IM and any other activity that is not directly related to school activities. "Really it's SurfControl that keeps us CIPA compliant," notes Barth. "We can deliver customized reports on any number of activities we track and have a detailed audit trail that shows how we're protecting the network, what we're allowing, and more importantly what we are preventing. SurfControl helps us support our teachers by protecting against inappropriate use of the Internet that can distract from their learning objectives, or worse, create a potential legal liability for the district. By providing proactive monitoring, we're keeping the network free of unwanted problems such as spyware and malware, protecting the personal information of our users and in turn, keeping both the students and the network safe." SurfControl Web Filter protects Glenbrook Schools with advanced content filtering technology, 24/7 risk recognition, flexible policy controls and proactive updates. SurfControl Enterprise Threat Shield provides tamper-proof, centrally managed desktop protection featuring dynamic threat databases covering P2P, spyware, adware, keyloggers, IM threats, and games. The flexibility of SurfControl's web-based administration and reporting tools give Glenbrook Schools 360-degrees of visibility into Internet usage to quickly identify new threats or policy violations, and establish automated responses. "In work environments where limited internal resources have to keep up with increasing security challenges, an automated solution that offers the flexibility to customize security parameters based on an organization's evolving requirements is a necessity," said Magi Diego, Product Marketing Manager for SurfControl. "SurfControl Web Filter coupled with Enterprise Threat Shield gives Glenbrook Schools unprecedented visibility into network activity, increased control over Internet use and the peace of mind in helping to meet both Federal and district privacy and safety requirements." About SurfControl SurfControl plc is a world leading Internet Security company delivering multiple layers of threat protection to shield organizations against complex blended threats. SurfControl's Enterprise Protection Suite has redefined traditional "filtering" by offering a unified threat management solution that eliminates spam, spyware and phishing attacks, as well as Web and e-mail abuse. The SurfControl Adaptive Threat Intelligence(TM) Service provides continuous and proactive threat detection and protection from emerging threats, known blended threats, and customer-specific threats. Customers avoid significant business downtime that impacts productivity and the bottom line, while limiting legal liability and enforcing regulatory compliance and confidentiality. SurfControl has 14 offices worldwide serving more than 20,000 enterprise customers. For further information and news on SurfControl, visit http://www.surfcontrol.com .

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