The High School of Glasgow has installed a
web filtering solution to combat the threat of anonymous
proxies.
The decision to replace the school's existing web filtering
system followed concerns by IT management that it was becoming
increasingly difficult to protect the students from accessing
offensive or inappropriate web material. With 1,100 pupils, The
High School of Glasgow caters for children of all ages, from
kindergarten up to the age of 18 years.
"The previous system's heavy reliance on lists of URLs to
determine which sites were subject to filtering, provided avenues
for pupils to attempt, and in some cases succeed, in bypassing the
filtering system, mainly through the use of anonymous proxies,"
said school network manager Thomas Makridis.
Anonymous proxies are websites that allow users to easily bypass
web filtering, enabling them to access blocked sites. With hundreds
of new proxy sites being created every week, blocking access to
these sites using URL lists has become difficult and time consuming
for IT staff.
The new web filtering system,
Bloxx
Tru-View Technology, combines conventional tools with new
intelligent identification methods and analysis technologies, which
can identify and block websites quicker than other web filters that
rely on manual URL classification, claims Bloxx.
"The new system has the bonus of malware and anti-virus
functionality, adding additional layers of protection to our IT
network," said Makridis.