Smoothwall monitor

[discoveranother]

Hi all,

 

Anyone on here use Smoothwall monitor ?

 

Thanks all

[Steve21]

We are trialling it currently. Anything we can help with?

 

Steve

[synaesthesia]

Yes, used here in combination with an onsite appliance

[kennysarmy]

We've had a demo and are awaiting information from Smoothwall to setup a trial.

[discoveranother]

We are trialling it currently. Anything we can help with?

 

Steve

 

Thank you everyone for your replies.

 

Just wondered really, if you can install the monitor onto ipads manually (individually) or does it need an MDM solution ? There aren't loads of ipads.

 

Thanks

[pete]

You need the MDM (or another method of installing a profile on the iPad) to disable access to other browsers because it's a simple browser swap.

 

Otherwise students will just pick Chrome/Safari and browsing won't be picked up by SW.

 

https://monitorhelp.smoothwall.com/hc/en-gb/articles/7949853296156-How-to-Install-Monitor-on-iOS-Devices#h_01H9MQ72HEM3QH0D12HPJCE8XB

[Steve21]

As above, it's a replacement browser that it uses to do the filtering. Then requires a config profile to apply licensing etc so although it "can" be done via other Apple methods it's a lot easier with MDM

 

Steve

[bknaggs]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

 

Just wondered really, if you can install the monitor onto ipads manually (individually) or does it need an MDM solution ? There aren't loads of ipads.

 

Thanks

Mosyle is free and will do what you need MDM wise if you don't have or need a paid for MDM solution.

[bknaggs]

We are trialling it currently. Anything we can help with?

 

Steve

 

Sorry to hijack the thread but is that a time limit trial or have you signed up for a year and are trialling it that way?

 

If you've got an x days trial from Smoothwall how long have you got? We were given the impression that trials weren't possible.

[pete]

Sorry to hijack the thread but is that a time limit trial or have you signed up for a year and are trialling it that way?

 

If you've got an x days trial from Smoothwall how long have you got? We were given the impression that trials weren't possible.

 

Unless something's drastically changed, trials (if buying direct from Smoothwall) are available. We had a 1 month trial at one school. We were already customers for another product, but it was proactively offered when we mentioned a demo.

 

@tom_newton?

[Primus]

Unless something's drastically changed, trials (if buying direct from Smoothwall) are available. We had a 1 month trial at one school. We were already customers for another product, but it was proactively offered when we mentioned a demo.

 

@tom_newton?

 

We also had a trial before buying which was very flexible - this was recent too.

[bushby]

i have been using monitor in the trust since october, but was using it when it was very first visigo. very good product does what it says on the box and easy for DSL's to use. trials are avalible aswell

[synaesthesia]

If it helps, one thing Monitor is very capable of is contextual decision making. So for us, as mentioned we have an on site appliance which is not capable of this (yet, hint hint smoothie guys! ). So for example, our onsite picks up hits for drugs, reports to DSL and myself as per design and then we need to manually check the context. By which time the DSL may have already spoken to the student. However Monitor has seen the same thing, seen the context around it, for example it's just one of many hits on a google image search for "mushrooms" and therefore does not need to report it.

[Rob_D]

If it helps, one thing Monitor is very capable of is contextual decision making. So for us, as mentioned we have an on site appliance which is not capable of this (yet, hint hint smoothie guys! ). So for example, our onsite picks up hits for drugs, reports to DSL and myself as per design and then we need to manually check the context. By which time the DSL may have already spoken to the student. However Monitor has seen the same thing, seen the context around it, for example it's just one of many hits on a google image search for "mushrooms" and therefore does not need to report it.

Isn't that just because Monitor is a managed system (as in all captures vetted by a human team)? (or is there a non-managed tier?)

[synaesthesia]

Not sure - there's no chance all hits are human vetted, that's too much work even for one school!

[Rob_D]

Not sure - there's no chance all hits are human vetted, that's too much work even for one school!

 

According to Smoothwall's website (https://smoothwall.com/solutions/monitor )

Human-moderated, 24/7, 365Advanced behavioural technology and highly-trained human moderators alert designated staff to children suspected of becoming vulnerable.

 

So yes, by the sound of it not all captures reach the human team, but I think everything that comes through as email/phone alerts has been vetted by a human.

Edited February 9, 2024 by Rob_D

[synaesthesia]

I can't see that being feasibly possible short of Amazonian levels of staffing & infrastructure!

[5tu]

Still waiting for our demo/trial. Those of you that have it up and running.... are you able to configure who gets monitored via AD group membership, or is it a case of anyone who logs on to a device with the Monitor agent installed gets monitored?

[Steve21]

Still waiting for our demo/trial. Those of you that have it up and running.... are you able to configure who gets monitored via AD group membership, or is it a case of anyone who logs on to a device with the Monitor agent installed gets monitored?

 

It’s kind of a hybrid

 

Anyone who logs onto the device is monitored

 

But you can setup who gets triggered alerts based on their membership

 

Eg Year 7 students flag/alert to Year 7 head etc

But Staff alerts could be sent to go into an alert shared mailbox that no one has access to for example

 

Steve

[tom_newton]

All monitor alerts are human reviewed (yes, it is a lot of work). We are working on integrating filter alerts into Monitor...

[Steve21]

All monitor alerts are human reviewed (yes, it is a lot of work). We are working on integrating filter alerts into Monitor...

 

I'm not overly convinced that is accurate Tom (Whether it "should" be or not, or as people said above it's only applied to email/phone calls, but in my experience it isn't fully or at least it isn't giving that impression to us for logs in general)

 

For example, I've raised a query as to why a teacher typing a date format template XX/XX/XXXX got flags up as XXX content. That's obviously not a flaggable instance that any human would pass onwards or should be setting to be logged via the system and surely would be a false positive that's removed?

 

Steve

[tom_newton]

My mistake - I have just had clarification there are still some events generated automatically in levels 1 and 2 Offensive user, Sexual content, and bullying. This was probably a L2 Sexual Content. I asked the mod team leader, and she cant immediately put her hand on an escalation around XXX - meanwhile a member of the team is checking into why that might have been raised. If you have a ticket number that would be great.

[kennysarmy]

Can anyone advise how to export the list of devices from the Monitor portal?

 

I'd like to cross-reference the list of devices which it should have installed itself on and then troubleshoot any discrepancies.

[tom_newton]

Can anyone advise how to export the list of devices from the Monitor portal?

 

I'd like to cross-reference the list of devices which it should have installed itself on and then troubleshoot any discrepancies.

 

Right now I think the only option is a support ticket - we are in the process of upgrading that functionality. I

[kennysarmy]

Right now I think the only option is a support ticket - we are in the process of upgrading that functionality. I

 

That's a bit rubbish, how long are we talking until this functionality is possible?