Internet browsing issues with new Smoothwall... Can't get my head round them!

[Jawloms]

Just got this from SchoolsChoice;

 

Dear Colleagues,

 

Schools internet service performance issue:

 

As of midday on Monday 18 March we are aware that schools are experiencing on-going disruption to their internet service. We would like to apologise for the disruption that this is causing and are treating this with the highest priority. We have engineers on-site working to mitigate any temporary outages and where there is a total loss of service we have been advised that the service will be restored within 10 minutes. We will provide a further update as soon as we have progress on resolving the issue.

 

 

Best regards

 

Schools’ Choice Communications

[sigma]

Only slightly off topic (but still fairly on topic) has anyone else had nothing but issues with Schools Choice and MLL this last week?

 

I've emailed network support, MLL directly, even the head of Schools Choice, nothing from anyone.

 

My trusts schools have effectively been offline for 4 days, almost 5.

 

I will be moving them all over to Schools Broadband in the Easter half term and it really cannot come quick enough, the service provided by Schools Choice is useless and I feel sorry for all the schools that will be stuck with them, I'd rather stub my toe than deal with them any longer.

 

I left when one of my schools was offline on Thursday lunchtime. Gobsmaked that its still a problem!

 

Nothing but issues. There is one person in SCC Networks who genuinely tries to help, but otherwise its rubbish.

 

From my post above from last September:

Still no Privacy Policy.

 

We have a Privacy Policy, but it falls so far short of what is required that it is a joke. We don't know what the data retention periods are who who has access to all our browsing logs or what the Decrypt/inspect policy is. It is unclear what conditions for processing Schools'Choice are relying on. It is still an issue that we can't change the Smoothwall password and that it is shared with SCC School's Choice, MLL and Smoothwall.

 

Still takes ages to navigate into reports. Still does.

 

I don't always get the report I asked for. Still happens

 

It times out in the middle of doing things. Still does

 

The Policy tester doesn't work. Still doesn't

 

Safeguarding reports don't work. Still don't

 

Can't run some detailed reorts for some small time periods. Still can't

 

Can't unblock or block anything that is case sensitive such as specific Youtube videos. Still can't.

 

Global changes happen such as new categories which are set without being informed. Still happening

 

Lack of timely response to dealing wth queries/problems I'm still waiting.

 

I'm having difficulty geting anyone to look at blocks where there's no screenshot of it even if there's a log entry, and far from all blocks are related to browsing. Its getting increasingly difficult to run reports or look at logs because its slow slow and times out.

 

There seems to be a new problem management system and the emails it generates are now "SCC" rather than School's Choice. I never saw any communication about it and its been far from seemless trying to keep track on problem numbers from The Old system, the MLL number, the Smoothwall number and the new SCC number. It makes for a lot of farting about. I've stopped bothering since very little gets resolved and as "we" cannot access the problem management system I assume they mostly get closed and forgotten about.

 

Did I ever mention that the Microsoft task that revokes expired or depracated SSL certificates is blocked? It was apparenltly blocked for everyone. I had it unblocked for the schools I support but they refused to unblock it for everyone.

 

I'm down to two schools still using County Broadband and that's 2 too many.

[sigma]

Just got this from SchoolsChoice;

 

But I was aware of this last Thurday, and as the school I was at couldn't get through to report it, I assumed that other schools were down as well. I hope that sombody was in looking at it over the weekend and that it didn't just get left until today. Still thare's no SLA.....

[Westley_IT]

Hi!

 

Having switched away from Schools' Choice and back to E2BN last summer, it's plain that Suffolk are no further forward in improving the situation.

 

This won't be of any help to you stuck in the middle of it but I received a call from a Suffolk CC management-type who wanted to get some background as to why we stopped subscribing to the broadband contract. Regrettably, I did not make a note of his name but I told him in no uncertain terms what I thought of the 'service' that was thrust upon us.

 

I even voiced my opinion that it felt like Suffolk were looking to drop the schools' broadband service entirely (and save a pile of cash) by forcing us to take alternative options. He tried to assure me otherwise but what other explanation can there be for the silence and diabolical provision?

 

By the bye, if you are suffering in silence, it's worth checking in with the School's Choice IT Helpdesk to make sure that your ticket has not been closed before it has been resolved. That's what happened to me at one point and was the proverbial straw. Good luck!