Users of our web filtering services have made use of explicit web filtering for an extended period. Explicit web filter requires users to make several alterations to clients before they can access the internet, these changes include setting a proxy address and port, enabling lists of proxy exceptions and where used, adding a Certificate to the device to allow SSL decryption. Once clients are set up for the service, web filtering can be applied to the client based on either the port used for the proxy service or the IP address of the source device. Web filtering will apply access to the internet based on website categorisation and the policies set up for the client.
Transparent web filtering services allow us to apply web filtering to clients without setting the proxy address and port for the client, this can simplify the setup process for the device on your network. A default filtering level is applied to your school IP address range meaning when devices are connected, they receive a filtered internet feed. Controlling the filtering levels for the client can be altered in a number of ways to suit setup needs, allowing a wider range of flexibility and control.
How can I move to Transparent Web Filtering
If you are already a NetSweeper web filtering customer the service is ready to accept transparent access, to enable transparent filtering we need to step through some checks with you to ensure we switch this on in the least disruptive way for your site. If you have any onsite webservers or devices configured to access the internet directly, we need to either configure these within the web filter or exclude them from the transparency setup, with this in place we can enable the service for you and test this with you.
All of your existing web filtering setups can continue to be used, meaning disruption is kept to a minimum for you and your users.
If you would like to move to the transparent service please drop us a line at support@empsn.org.uk and we will go through this with you.
How long does it take to make the move
We will work with you on the process which will take a few days and we would usually recommend making the switch, over a couple of weeks allowing you to familiarise yourself with the new features in the tool kit and tweak the service to suit your extended needs.
Is there a charge for the change over
Making the move from the standard service to the Enhanced level filtering does not carry a charge, our enhanced package is an updated set of product features and services available for the same price as our standard offering. The Enhanced filter includes transparent filter services.
If you would like to make use of the Premium features of filtering such as user based filtering and reporting, separate VLAN filtering, multiple site administrators, simple administrator interface and more this change carries a charge to account for the different license and the consultancy time required to customise this with you.
Where you we previously using the Advanced transparent service, you will now have access to all of the features of the Premium service at the same great price.
An Example change over
Currently a school receives our standard web filtering service, they have a proxy port for students and another port for staff. The school uses SSL Decryption.
The school would like some flexibility to enable BYOD and allow some exploration of smart devices within the school.
The schools moves from the Standard service to our Enhanced filtering offering. Existing device settings continue to work as they are with the proxy and ports set. Devices without settings are now able to access the internet on the sites default filtering level. The BYOD system uses its own IP address range for visitors, the BYOD range is setup to allow internet access without using the certificate – visitors can now connect to the BYOD network and browse the internet while onsite; no proxy settings, no certificate, just connect and go. The new smart device arrives and is connected to the site network, a fixed IP address is given to the device, and the address is setup within the web filtering service. We can now configure the web filtering for the smart device to work safely and securely within the school.
In a larger setting schools might want to take advantage of a larger range of options to differentiate filtering such as – User based filtering and reporting linked to Active Directory or Separate VLANS taking different filtering policies. These options and move are achievable with our Premium level web filtering service where we can make use of the large feature set NetSweeper services have to offer.
More Information
If you would like more information on transparent web filtering please drop us a line at support@empsn.org.uk and we will be happy to help. Thank you
