SWGFL New System

[alonebfg]

I Have been looking at the new system that SWGFL offers ESI esi.swgfl.org.uk
Now when it first come out I thought this is going to be really good as you will be able to remove and add services to save us money for a primay school its about £3000 a year. so i looked at diffrent parts of it and there is no way to reduce costs as according to the web they charge £49 per year for there filtering. I have looked at other things and there does not seem to reduce the cost even if i remove all the services it does not reduce the cost buy much more than £200 I dont see the point they say they are given us the option to use other filtering services there is one other on there and they charge nearly twice as much and per workstation. I think this is very unfair and not good value for schools.

[CyberNerd]

© RM 1997 - 2010

what did you expect?

Don't pay it, get a Dansguardian/Squid box and do it for free

[alonebfg]

Trouble is we have to go with swgfl as it is only one reconised by the lea if i could i would go for broardband and filtering I worked it out that we could halve the cost if I did but not allowed to do it.

[speckytecky]

First I have heard of this new system - they don't seem to have asked either of the 2 Wiltshire schools I look after about it yet?

Can you post up more details or PM me about it please.

I Have been looking at the new system that SWGFL offers ESI esi.swgfl.org.uk
Now when it first come out I thought this is going to be really good as you will be able to remove and add services to save us money for a primay school its about £3000 a year. so i looked at diffrent parts of it and there is no way to reduce costs as according to the web they charge £49 per year for there filtering. I have looked at other things and there does not seem to reduce the cost even if i remove all the services it does not reduce the cost buy much more than £200 I dont see the point they say they are given us the option to use other filtering services there is one other on there and they charge nearly twice as much and per workstation. I think this is very unfair and not good value for schools.

[alonebfg]

if you goto esi.swgfl.org.uk it will tell you all about it basiclly it gives you the option to select or deselect options that you want but is very limited and not what i was expecting they have done it to get the new consourtium bid.

[SWGfL_Official]

We're sorry that by looking at ESI you've been disappointed in the new Schools Internet Service. ESI is in its initial phases, it’s actually a beta release with basic functionality. Over the next 6 months we'll be adding additional products offering more choice, flexibility and more efficient ways of working. For example, we will also bring change control online so everything is in one place rather than the slightly laborious paper based system you are currently used to - making all Internet Services easier to manage. We would very much appreciate your feedback on how the tool can better service your needs, and indeed the SWGfL new Schools Internet Services as a whole.

We're still in the process of finalising the pricing structure with local authorities (as you know this is a complicated process as each LA distributes the costs differently among schools), however in a 2010 study of five schools with a range of connectivity services from the South West Grid for Learning, their costs were compared with those of a major competitor. The case studies include rural and urban primary and secondary schools, with hub-distance ranging from 224m to 12.75km. The cost for the South West Grid for Learning services is, on average, 21% lower. More information is coming your way on this at the start of October; please keep an eye on your post from us.

For more latest on the new services, please visit our website.

Best wishes

South West Grid For Learning Team

[SWGfL_Official]

Please email us for feedback here: feedback@swgfl.org.uk or find out more information here: South West Grid for Learning Trust - Services

[alonebfg]

the problem is the services that are supplied can be put under different sections: 1) dont work, 2) have not been updated or bought up to date and 3) not cost effective. There are services that are supplied that can be done for free or a lot cheaper. I have done my own finance looking into it and have found out that an average school can save between £1000 and £2000 pounds on what you supply. I keep being told "but we give you Merlin" but this does nothing and does not support 90% of vle modules and so is not a virtual learning platform. SWGfL Filtering does not do the job any more - compare it with something like Smoothwall, which integrates with Active Directory and rules for different groups -including one thing that a lot of primaries have problems with - google pictures. SWGfL's answer is "block it". Many other filtering systems can redirect a safe search from google pics to a strict safe search. You just tell me it can't be done unless you've got isa or block all other searches except strict safe search. This is not easy as it also affects teachers. and as for Merlin it has not changed in years and you can't do anything with it. Even when you talk to RM they don't like it as they sell there own product which is a lot better.