Main Menu |
News |
 |
 |
Skip navigation
Edited 03 September 2010
News: Latest Release from Netsweeper Simplifies Management Workflow for System Administrators
Guelph, Ontario, Canada, June 25, 2010 - Netsweeper, a global provider of Internet content filtering and web threat management solutions, is excited to announce the latest release of its flagship product that addresses the end user experience of the system administrators.
"By forming open and trusting partnerships with our client base, we receive valuable feedback regarding our solutions that ultimately make future releases more powerful and user friendly," said Andrew Graydon, Chief Operating Officer at Netsweeper. "One of the primary areas we have been focusing on in recent months has been the overall workflow for our end users, meaning those that will be managing the system on a day to day basis. In the education space, we are talking specifically about the IT managers, administration staff, teachers, and in some cases the parents of the students."
The following features and benefits are only a few of the highlights of this release:
1. Delegating access authority with the addition of teacher override and whitelisting capabilities.
As more curricula are integrating the use of the web, teachers are required to access various sites for discussion and/ or research. In some cases, teachers require access to sites that are typically blocked by the overlying Internet policies established by the district authorities. With the Teacher Override feature enabled in Netsweeper, teachers are able to gain immediate access to a blocked site for a specified period of time. These variable time parameters are configured in the system's administration module.
In other cases, teachers will want to access a site for an unlimited period of time. Netsweeper now provides these teachers with the ability to automatically add a specific domain address to the system's whitelist, meaning it will be suitable for access going forward for all users operating under the same policy. At the same time, Netsweeper will also log, report and inform the IT administrators of this 'hard' change to ensure appropriate use of this feature is utilized and appropriate content is being unblocked.
2. eSafety messaging.
As students surf the Internet, they will undoubtedly request websites that are inappropriate or pose as a potential threat to themselves or the network. To help educate the children on the dangers of the Internet and other such political subjects such as gambling, substance abuse, violence, alcohol, etc., Netsweeper has incorporated custom eSafety messaging technology into the primary platform. As children request websites that fall under any of the identified categories, these custom messages will appear. The system will then be configured to allow children to proceed with their request or be blocked depending on the subject matter.
3. Mobile web filtering.
1:1 computing is becoming more popular each and every year. Though such programs have proven to benefit the learning experience of the students, IT administrators are challenged with the need for controlling Internet access on these devices both on and off the school network. With Netsweeper's mobile filtering technology, this is now possible for all Windows and Mac OS X devices. This technology has also been advanced to permit the parents to have full control to the filtering policies for after school use. This will ensure students are given some flexibility outside the school day but appropriate supervision is still maintained.
4. eLearning verification reporting.
Understanding how the Internet is being used both on a school network or on student assigned mobile devices is critical when educational authorities are looking to justify the investment put forth to provide and integrate technology in student curricula. With Netsweeper in place, each and every Internet request made will be logged and then made available for reporting usage on an ongoing basis. At any point in time, the detailed reporting capabilities of Netsweeper can provide an accurate overview of the activity on an entire network or a single device.
Netsweeper Inc. will be exhibiting at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) 2010 conference being held in Denver, Colorado, June 27 to 30, 2010. Located in booth #793, Netsweeper representatives will be on hand to provide further information about the latest advancements in Netsweeper's Internet content filtering technologies. Should you wish to find out more about solutions from Netsweeper immediately, please visit us at www.netsweeper.com.
"By forming open and trusting partnerships with our client base, we receive valuable feedback regarding our solutions that ultimately make future releases more powerful and user friendly," said Andrew Graydon, Chief Operating Officer at Netsweeper. "One of the primary areas we have been focusing on in recent months has been the overall workflow for our end users, meaning those that will be managing the system on a day to day basis. In the education space, we are talking specifically about the IT managers, administration staff, teachers, and in some cases the parents of the students."
The following features and benefits are only a few of the highlights of this release:
1. Delegating access authority with the addition of teacher override and whitelisting capabilities.
As more curricula are integrating the use of the web, teachers are required to access various sites for discussion and/ or research. In some cases, teachers require access to sites that are typically blocked by the overlying Internet policies established by the district authorities. With the Teacher Override feature enabled in Netsweeper, teachers are able to gain immediate access to a blocked site for a specified period of time. These variable time parameters are configured in the system's administration module.
In other cases, teachers will want to access a site for an unlimited period of time. Netsweeper now provides these teachers with the ability to automatically add a specific domain address to the system's whitelist, meaning it will be suitable for access going forward for all users operating under the same policy. At the same time, Netsweeper will also log, report and inform the IT administrators of this 'hard' change to ensure appropriate use of this feature is utilized and appropriate content is being unblocked.
2. eSafety messaging.
As students surf the Internet, they will undoubtedly request websites that are inappropriate or pose as a potential threat to themselves or the network. To help educate the children on the dangers of the Internet and other such political subjects such as gambling, substance abuse, violence, alcohol, etc., Netsweeper has incorporated custom eSafety messaging technology into the primary platform. As children request websites that fall under any of the identified categories, these custom messages will appear. The system will then be configured to allow children to proceed with their request or be blocked depending on the subject matter.
3. Mobile web filtering.
1:1 computing is becoming more popular each and every year. Though such programs have proven to benefit the learning experience of the students, IT administrators are challenged with the need for controlling Internet access on these devices both on and off the school network. With Netsweeper's mobile filtering technology, this is now possible for all Windows and Mac OS X devices. This technology has also been advanced to permit the parents to have full control to the filtering policies for after school use. This will ensure students are given some flexibility outside the school day but appropriate supervision is still maintained.
4. eLearning verification reporting.
Understanding how the Internet is being used both on a school network or on student assigned mobile devices is critical when educational authorities are looking to justify the investment put forth to provide and integrate technology in student curricula. With Netsweeper in place, each and every Internet request made will be logged and then made available for reporting usage on an ongoing basis. At any point in time, the detailed reporting capabilities of Netsweeper can provide an accurate overview of the activity on an entire network or a single device.
Netsweeper Inc. will be exhibiting at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) 2010 conference being held in Denver, Colorado, June 27 to 30, 2010. Located in booth #793, Netsweeper representatives will be on hand to provide further information about the latest advancements in Netsweeper's Internet content filtering technologies. Should you wish to find out more about solutions from Netsweeper immediately, please visit us at www.netsweeper.com.
Edited 03 September 2010
