Securing the online learning environment
CEnet’s Member Dioceses place a high value on the availability of a high quality Web Content Filtering Service that seeks to provide a safer internet experience for students and staff, with CEnet offering a Web Content Filtering (WCF) Service since mid 2000.
The service has evolved into a mature offering utilised by 15 Member Dioceses to provide a safe and secure internet experience for staff and students, and to protect users from internet-based threats such as malware, spyware, phishing, botnets and trojans.
CEnet conducts regular service reviews to ensure that services are aligned to the evolving needs of our member dioceses. A more recent review of the Web Content Filtering service commenced in August 2020 under CEnet’s continual service improvement process. The service review was guided by a Review Steering Committee, and a Working Group composed of Member Dioceses representatives.
For 12 years CEnet has utilised Zscaler to bring safer internet to staff and students within our Member Dioceses. As a result of the Service Review Process, Zscaler was again identified as the best fit for the provision of safer internet to schools. The resulting service takes advantage of scale to deliver an enterprise solution which enables local control to meet local requirements, an approach that CEnet strives to achieve.
The service has been enhanced to deliver the following outcomes for Member Dioceses:
continued confidence of parents and teachers that students can learn in a safe-by-default online environment
improvements in CEnet and member’s own cyber security posture
support for equitable online access for students
support for various internet safety/digital citizenship philosophies, at the local level.
optional expansion of a safer internet experience to locations outside of the physical school/site (e.g. home learning).
direct control over outbound network connectivity for Diocese IT teams
support for both traditional and emerging network architectures
Diocese-wide internet policy that is defined once via a single administration portal, reducing administration time and delivering a consistent application of policies in schools across the diocese
Diocese-wide reporting of internet use and online security (in addition to school-level reports)
ability to delegate internet policy and usage reporting to the school level
cost effective access to an enterprise-grade online safety and security solution
We would like to acknowledge the CEnet Infrastructure Team for their role in the integration process and ongoing effort to manage the Safer Internet Service. We also extend our thanks to the Diocese IT teams who provide daily support in the use of the Zscaler product.
Further Reading:
Zscaler Customer Success Story
Zscaler Blog, by David Jenkins, CEnet’s Infrastructure Manager
