Content filtering explanation

This summer we replaced our old bandwidth management and content filtering server with new, more powerful appliance. I want all staff to know why we did this, what the changes are, and what we plan for the future. Hopefully the benefits will outweigh the inconveniences of the learning curve.

Why we changed
Our old system could only use about half of our Internet bandwidth. So even though we had a 100 Mbps connection to the Internet we could only use about 45-65 Mbps. The new system, called Palo Alto, can handle up to 500-700Mbps, depending on how many services it is running, so we have room to grow. Also, it allows us to prioritize different types of traffic to make sure everyone is sharing equitably.

Where we are now
Currently, we have the full 100 Mbps of Internet speed. Filtering settings roughly match what we had in the past, and we are still tweaking them as we get feedback. The major exception is that if you use a personally-owned device on the "public" wireless network, the system doesn't know who you are, so it applies the most restrictive content filter settings. This will probably be a pain for those of you bringing in personal computers until we implement a workaround.

Where we plan to be
Computers that connect to the "public" wireless network need to know who you are. We plan to roll out a login screen that you will see when you launch a web browser on a device connected to the public network. This will ask you to log in so that you get the filtering rules appropriate to you. We're trying to get this done before school starts, but we need some expert help.

Still have questions? Check out our list of Frequently Asked Questions that we've gotten so far.