Wave9_Lee Posted December 8, 2015 Posted December 8, 2015 What you might find is that you lose access to on-net services that you take from current empsn partners (i.e. Capital Bytes, Openhive, perhaps mail filtering etc) My understanding is that not all these services are accessible from the Internet. I'm not certain - but if you take any additional services, it's worth checking.
sparkeh Posted December 8, 2015 Posted December 8, 2015 What you might find is that you lose access to on-net services that you take from current empsn partners (i.e. Capital Bytes, Openhive, perhaps mail filtering etc) My understanding is that not all these services are accessible from the Internet. I'm not certain - but if you take any additional services, it's worth checking. Of course if you leave emPSN then you can't use their services, and as far as I know you can't buy into services without taking connectivity from them... can you?
Edu-IT Posted December 8, 2015 Posted December 8, 2015 Of course if you leave emPSN then you can't use their services, and as far as I know you can't buy into services without taking connectivity from them... can you? I think the point being made is that some of the services you use, are tied in to emPSN, even though they're not provided by KCOM / emPSN direct and are in their own right a separate contract. Those companies do offer services away from emPSN.
sparkeh Posted December 8, 2015 Posted December 8, 2015 (edited) I think the point being made is that some of the services you use, are tied in to emPSN, even though they're not provided by KCOM / emPSN direct and are in their own right a separate contract. Those companies do offer services away from emPSN. I stand corrected. So what services do you have to be on network for and what can you get off network? Edited December 8, 2015 by sparkeh
Wave9_Lee Posted December 14, 2015 Posted December 14, 2015 KCom sells national network to CityFibre > Link Kcom announced on 30 November that its national network assets, excluding Hull and East Yorkshire, were up for sale. The move is in line with the company's strategic shift towards cloud services and away from the carrier market
Edu-IT Posted December 14, 2015 Posted December 14, 2015 I stand corrected. So what services do you have to be on network for and what can you get off network? I know there's some VPN services you have to be on network for. But a lot of the services you can be off network for. Best to ask the providers before you switch if you're interested in keeping any services. 1
Jobos Posted December 15, 2015 Posted December 15, 2015 Capital Bytes have confirmed their web filters/proxy will work with other providers outside the emPSN network. 1
Jobos Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 Have any Leicester city schools had their new prices yet? I asked emPSN a few weeks ago and was told there is a hold up at the LA which is worrying as emPSN have this on their website Latest Update – 29-01-2016 Schools should now have received further communication from Kcom and emPSN with regards to renewing their connectivity contracts. The deadline for renewal quotes to be approved and returned is the 31st January 2016, unless otherwise stated. We are urging schools to start considering their renewal seriously in order that Kcom can ensure that any new functionality or surveys required can be done and installed prior to the contract expiry date of 31st October 2016. If anyone, has any queries regarding their quotes, please contact Kcom or emPSN as soon as possible. - See more at: Kcom Renewals - emPSN :emPSN I thought the contracts ended in March?
JonThompson Posted February 16, 2016 Posted February 16, 2016 Have any Leicester city schools had their new prices yet? I asked emPSN a few weeks ago and was told there is a hold up at the LA which is worrying as emPSN have this on their website I thought the contracts ended in March? Nope. It's all being dealt with by a lady at the council called Rachel, who know ones met! She didn't turn up to the last NM meeting even though she was invited. It's all a bit hush, hush. As for contracts if your in the buy back scheme, it's October, but I think your supposed to renew a few months before hand to allow KCOM/emPSN to add any additional services that you wanted.
Jobos Posted February 17, 2016 Posted February 17, 2016 Nope. It's all being dealt with by a lady at the council called Rachel, who know ones met! She didn't turn up to the last NM meeting even though she was invited. It's all a bit hush, hush. As for contracts if your in the buy back scheme, it's October, but I think your supposed to renew a few months before hand to allow KCOM/emPSN to add any additional services that you wanted. So it's probably a good thing contracts don't end till October but it doesn't instil confidence in their management.
Jobos Posted March 8, 2016 Posted March 8, 2016 Well it's now the second week in March and still nothing from the LA. Both of my schools are in the buy back so I don't know where the schools stand with the contracts. I mean can we pay for services just till October and perhaps move away from emPSN then, otherwise it means staying with the emPSN for another 12 months.
Gibson335 Posted March 9, 2016 Author Posted March 9, 2016 Well it's now the second week in March and still nothing from the LA. Both of my schools are in the buy back so I don't know where the schools stand with the contracts. I mean can we pay for services just till October and perhaps move away from emPSN then, otherwise it means staying with the emPSN for another 12 months. Thing is, you have to consider the lead-in time - you'll need a new line, new router, etc, etc...and let's not forget BT's involvement. You can't really start or order soon enough in my opinion.
JonThompson Posted March 9, 2016 Posted March 9, 2016 Well it's now the second week in March and still nothing from the LA. Both of my schools are in the buy back so I don't know where the schools stand with the contracts. I mean can we pay for services just till October and perhaps move away from emPSN then, otherwise it means staying with the emPSN for another 12 months. I've PM'd you. 1
Wave9_Lee Posted March 14, 2016 Posted March 14, 2016 Of course, it's sometimes in the providers interest to leave things too late to change...! Anyone interested in a quote for an alternative, we'd be pleased to help. cheers Lee
SchoolsBroadband Posted March 14, 2016 Posted March 14, 2016 yes the sooner the better, particularly if you're upgrading to a full fibre leased line and don't have any fibre into the building already as that can takes months to complete.
Jobos Posted March 16, 2016 Posted March 16, 2016 Finally got the quote through and it says the price includes filtering. Does anyone know who the filtering is with?
JonThompson Posted March 16, 2016 Posted March 16, 2016 It could be Capita - Webshield proxy which is just Netsweeper. Or they could be offering Capital Bytes? We dumped their filtering as part of BSF and now filter through our Lightspeed. Much, much better. It's probably worth asking.
Wave9_Lee Posted March 16, 2016 Posted March 16, 2016 Both Capital Bytes and Capita use Netsweeper in empsn.
Jobos Posted March 16, 2016 Posted March 16, 2016 It could be Capita - Webshield proxy which is just Netsweeper. Or they could be offering Capital Bytes? We dumped their filtering as part of BSF and now filter through our Lightspeed. Much, much better. It's probably worth asking. I know it's not Capital Bytes as the LA are charging extra for that. My hunch is they have not included the filtering charges in the quote as it seems very cheap as it stands and getting anything information out of the LA is like pulling teeth.
emPSN Posted March 23, 2016 Posted March 23, 2016 It is great to see so many of you on here talking about our services. The network that we offer to schools is so much more than just an internet connection, a few of the major benefits include; Connection straight to the dedicated schools MPLs (Multi-Protocol Label Switching), from ADSL to 1GB Fully resilient 10Gb connections to Janet network, part of the critical national infrastructure, peering with major service providers, including Microsoft and Google Industrial standard firewalls (managed by Dell Secure Works, one of the world’s leading firewall management and support companies) All of our schools have a choice of which application service provider they then use to apply their filtering, DNS, email, anti-virus etc. If you aren’t happy with one we recommend or any other provider you select, you can change without changing your connectivity. We are owned by our schools and would like to encourage schools to contact us with any questions or queries they have about our service to them…we are ultimately here for the good of schools. Please do comment and get in touch, we are looking forward to hearing from you
emPSN Posted March 23, 2016 Posted March 23, 2016 Hi, thanks for your comment. I hope you have now had your renewal quotation from Kcom? If not, please advise and I we will chase this up for you? If you decide to leave, then yes, you would lose your connection to the emPSN network and there are so many benefits of remaining on the network. We have produced a helpful document which explains what the network does in a lot more detail and how this benefits your school. Please visit: embc Network Connection - emPSN :emPSN/. We would be more than happy to come to you and explain this in person if you would feel that this would be helpful? We shall look forward to hearing from you.
emPSN Posted March 23, 2016 Posted March 23, 2016 Hello, just to answer your query, emPSN are not finishing at all. It is simply time for contract renewal. Have you had your new quote? Is there anything we can help you with in making your decision? Please do get in touch?
emPSN Posted March 23, 2016 Posted March 23, 2016 (edited) Hello, I thought I should try and clarify this point. If schools decide to leave emPSN then you are correct, they won't benefit from being within our network. Please visit: http://www.empsn.info/embc-network-connection/ to understand more about the benefits. However, if a schools takes a connectivity service with us then they can still have their other services, e.g. web filtering, email, email filtering anti-virus etc. etc. with whoever they like...they do not have to use one of our suppliers at all. Edited March 23, 2016 by emPSN
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now