| COMPANY: |
SHAWNEE MISSION
SCHOOL DISTRICT |
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"SMARTFILTER ON THE CISCO CONTENT ENGINE PROVIDES US WITH A VERY COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTION THAT WAS EASY TO INSTALL AND CONFIGURE. WE WERE UP AND RUNNING IN A MATTER OF HOURS." |
| INDUSTRY: |
EDUCATION |
| PRODUCTS: |
SMARTFILTER FOR
CISCO CONTENT ENGINE |
| USERS: |
10,000 |
| SPOKESPERSON: |
RICH CAVALLARO
MANAGER OF
INFORMATION SERVICES |
Background:
Computers have become an integral part of the educational process, and almost every student in the US now has access to a computer at school. To prepare students for success in life, academic leaders are working to implement more programs for computer literacy, as well as broader and more pervasive access to the Internet in educational settings. The Internet is a rich and valuable tool for both educators and students alike, but it must be handled responsibly. The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) was implemented to require schools receiving federal funds and e-Rate discounts to implement Web filtering technology in order to be eligible to receive or retain universal service assistance as one component of building a positive Web culture in the schools. |
The challenge:
The Shawnee Mission School District in Kansas serves approximately 30,000 students in forty-one elementary schools, seven middle schools, and six high schools. With nearly 10,000 Internet-enabled computers on their network, Shawnee Mission has become a leader in providing students with rich educational opportunities via the Web.
Shawnee Mission’s Manager of Information Services, Rich Cavallaro, had two goals which were initially under separate bid processes: to implement a caching solution to improve bandwidth usage, and to implement a filtering solution to provide a safe and positive Web environment for students. The caching solution was necessary, since students and teachers often rely on media-rich Internet content as part of the educational process. Caching those multimedia sites at the edge of the network was the most obvious way to provide speedier access for students and teachers, and eliminate bandwidth congestion problems. At the same time, the availability of Web content had to be controlled, to make sure that inappropriate sites did not find their way into the school network. In addition to parental concerns, the school district, like every other school district, was required to implement filtering technology to qualify for federal e-Rate discounts.
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The
solution:
Shawnee Mission didn’t start out looking for a caching device with filtering built-in, although it turned out to be the most cost-effective solution. "We started out with two separate initiatives, one for content caching and one for filtering," said Cavallaro. "We found out that the appliance we were evaluating for caching, the Cisco Content Engine (CE), also supported filtering at the same time. It was a no-brainer as far as the most cost-effective solution."
Secure Computing’s SmartFilter™ technology is highly complementary to Cisco CE, since the device functions as a central collection point for all Web content that comes into the network.
"WE STARTED OUT WITH TWO SEPARATE INITIATIVES, ONE FOR CONTENT CACHING AND ONE FOR FILTERING. WE FOUND OUT THAT THE APPLIANCE WE WERE EVALUATING FOR CACHING (THE CISCO CONTENT ENGINE) ALSO SUPPORTED FILTERING AT THE SAME TIME. IT WAS A NO-BRAINER AS FAR AS THE MOST COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTION."
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How it works:
The Cisco Content Engine is a caching appliance that sits on the edge of the network to accelerate delivery of Web-based media to end users. Typically, when a user requests a particular URL, that page is delivered from a server somewhere in the world, but not directly to the browser. It may go through two or three, or even ten or twenty "hops" before it finally gets to its destination,
causing significant delays. The Cisco caching appliance allows frequently-viewed content to be replicated in the caching device, so that it is located closer to the end user. This avoids latency and the congestion that accompanies it.
Although SmartFilter’s Control List has 30 separate categories, Shawnee Mission does not block everything on the list, it blocks only that which is required to be blocked by CIPA. Other categories, such as MP3 sites and even some game sites, are often a legitimate part of the curriculum. In the event a desired site is on the "blocked" list, an educator can easily submit a request for access. Cavallaro created a custom script that works with SmartFilter and Cisco CE, which provides a custom Web page that appears when someone attempts to access a blocked site. When that occurs, the user can either return to the previous page, or they can click on a link that says, "I want to appeal this decision." In the latter case, the user is redirected to a template, where they enter their name and their rationale for why the site should not be blocked. The case is reviewed by the Curriculum Office, and if they deem it appropriate, they will request the IT department to unblock the site either permanently, temporarily, or only for a specific audience.
Why SmartFilter for Cisco CE?
SmartFilter for Cisco CE was by far the most cost-effective solution Shawnee Mission found to address both bandwidth management and the need to comply with CIPA legislation.
The software was totally flexible, which allowed Shawnee Mission to create their own custom, actionable "deny" messages. In addition, both hardware and software were remarkably simple to implement. Since SmartFilter is a built-in option of Cisco Application and Content Networking System (ACNS) software, Shawnee Mission was up and running in a matter of hours.
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