Wave9_Lee

Hi Steve, would have to argue with you here - guess it depends on the service provider. In my view, it's better to move broadband and UTM at the same time, and with the same provider. Install charges (if any) should reduced as it;s one visit/project. There can be efficiencies in terms of engineering and configuration. Importantly, the SLA will encompass both elements, so that you have one number for support of both elements (which are often co-dependent, and separate suppliers can often play the 'it's not us - must be them' card) Lastly, when moving from an LA, it's often impossible to do it piecemeal, legacy apps as well as inflexible WAN and routing design can preclude 3rd party firewall/UTM on an LA layer 2 aggregated WAN. My twopenneth!

Hi Simcfc73, Understandable, especially when legacy systems have been in place so long. Because of that our service includes full migration, configuration, installation and training. We also include unlimited helpdesk access. We rarely have issues with migration (we've done a lot) and we support you throughout the contract as much as you need. Because of the responsiveness of our helpdesk, we find lots of customer simply pass on most change requests for us to perform. You have full admin access to make changes if you're comfortable, but don't need to - the price is the same. That's enough self-trumpet blowing - hopefully other members on here can testify to our service. If you want a demo or walk-through webex etc, let me know. cheers

Individual School getting DDoSed is a relatively rare event (it tends to be more common on aggregated services, like legacy LA networks) and there are some protections available with on-site UTM, Multiple IP addressing and backup links. In fact I suspect that internal rogue users are responsible for more attacks on single schools (which a good UTM on-premise UTM would help) @Norphy we think that a firewall and web-filtering on Sophos XG is a very good compromise, where both features are excellent. I think when you add in additional security features (AV, antimalware, application control) as well as the link to their endpoint product, it's a pretty good 'package'. One management platform too, which helps..

Hi Robbie-w, I'd be happy to provide some pricing for Sophos and connectivity (if needed). I can arrange a demo, or a conversation with one of our technicians ref features etc. Also there are a few members on here we've supplied/supported who can help I'm sure. cheers

Hi Mrbios, I'd be happy to look at a quote for your Sophos and provide any advice/demo if required. We also offer some great pricing on endpoint. Kind regards

Slightly less cheap, but still cheerful - you could opt for a Sophos XG with base licence and use it to load balance your other WAN link, shape traffic, remote access etc?

They don't really sell the Web Appliance any more - you're correct in that in terms of security appliance, all focus in on XG and SG - SG still supported for several years, but if anyone would like to swap from SG to XG, we can arrange an offer - same with web appliance. - - - Updated - - - They don't really sell the Web Appliance any more - you're correct in that in terms of security appliance, all focus in on XG and SG - SG still supported for several years, there's not really a compelling reason, but if anyone would like to swap from SG to XG, we can arrange an offer - same with web appliance (sounds like a more compelling reason here!)

Hi JRA, appreciate you want some feedback from forum 'users', but if you'd like to speak to any Sophos customers of ours, I'd be happy to introduce you, cheers Lee

I might regret commenting here (again) : ) We offer Cisco Meraki on a rental basis over 3 or 5 year period, no operating lease, including ongoing support. The licence is 10 years, and that means in 9 years a faulty AP would be replaced with a new one of whatever the current equivalent is. I honestly think that the features, warranty, support and timesaving features included are worth it. But I would say that wouldn't I!

Regardless of the views of the efficacy of the IWF list or membership, I'm pretty sure most OFSTED inspectors will ask if it's implemented in the school service (along perhaps with the other recommendations in the guidance). I'm sure that many ISPs subscribe to the list, but I'm also certain that many don't - if an ISP buys their internet transit wholesale, then it may not include any site or URL blocking at all. Some ISPs even take pride in advertising their internet as 'completely unfiltered' in the name of anti-censorship. Some of the ISPs mentioned in the thread don't state on their website that they apply IWF blocklist or are members of IWF. Again, possibly not an issue, but as per some comments on here, if it's my job to make sure that my school is complying with DFE obligations, and it's pretty easy and (sometimes) cheap to do so, why wouldn't I?

For info, as it seems topical, Safer Internet Centre have updated their guidance for Appropriate Filtering for Education downloadable .pdf here: https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/teachers-and-school-staff/appropriate-filtering-and-monitoring/appropriate-filtering not wanting to re-state what many already know, more info at NEN.gov.uk both of which are advocated within the statutory guidance for Keeping children safe in education from the DFE; KCSIE 2016 I'm all for finding a cheaper/better way of doing things within schools, especially considering how constrained budgets are, but some areas have a higher consideration than simple cost. cheers Lee edit: Annex C of the KCSIE doc is where it refers to UK Safer Internet Centre guidance

Hi Tooplanx, I'd be happy to provide you with some options and pricing for solutions to meet your needs. Please drop me a PM or contact me using my details below if that's of interest. cheers

Hi Sophos can filter Youtube, do you know exactly what is being used to filter your web-traffic? regards Lee

We would, or course, second the vote for Sophos UTM. If you'd like a quote or more information, let me know. cheers Lee

Hi epoch_roots If you'd like an additional quote, we'd be happy to provide one. Just drop me a mail, or PM me - cheers

Hi mavhc - we resell VM. What do you need?

Hi Sophos pricing is based on either option - by device or by appliance size (not limited by device) cheers Lee

There are plans to deal with this from current vendors, but detail is sketchy at the moment. Some interesting articles on this : https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-camwinget-tls-use-cases-00https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-camwinget-tls-use-cases-00 https://blog.cloudflare.com/why-tls-1-3-isnt-in-browsers-yet/ It's fair to say that this isn't just of interest/concern to education users, all users interested in security will need this to be resolved.

Hi TechMonkey, If you'd like a price or demo for Sophos, I would be happy to arrange this. Sophos are very education focused in our view. regards Lee

Hi mcrompon01 We have a lot of Staffordshire customers - I'll see if I can find any that have the configuration you highlight.

FttP OD is available in lots of places, and yes we can offer it. The install charges might surprise you currently as they can be very high - Openreach basically getting you to pay for fibre build-out. The further you are from an aggregation node, the more you will pay, £10k plus in the furthest sites. They are gradually rolling out FttP (the 'not on demand' version) but this is based on local demand, but also designed not to cannabalise their enterprise connectivity business. This has always been the case with BT. In parallel we are seeing leased line prices coming down at a steady rate. Also don't forget that the prices you see on Openreach is generally for the last few hundred metres of connectivity. There will still be backhaul and internet transit to pay for (or a share of) . Leased Line (EAD) from an exchange to a site is often sub £2k per annum - the rest of the cost is backhaul, internet transit, monitoring, CPE, support, backoffice etc etc. So the like for like comparison between FttPOD and ethernet leased line, might not be as far apart as you expect over a 3-5 year period.

Hi Synaesthasia, Not used GoDaddy, but there are other hosts that will deal with .sch.uk - appreciate it's a pain to change - but if you're moving it anyway, you might as well find a host that makes it easy..

PM'd you

Hi John, When comparing broadband and filtering solutions, there's a number of factors to consider that will determine your approximate budget. Sounds like a cliche, but you will generally get what you pay for. If you want a good, reliable, fast service that is flexible with responsive support and has a solid SLA, then this will cost a little more than a DIY approach. £2-3k should be enough for a small school. Although I'm surprised at your 500 pupils and only 50 devices ratio? Also, by the look of it, you should plan for a little growth. As a growing MAT you will want to consider if there are any requirements for collaboration, remote and mobile working, as well as access to resources from/to different sites. That nowhere near an exhaustive list, we have a comprehensive guide and checklist that can help you cover most of your bases if it would help, please drop me an email or call if you'd like a copy. kind regards Lee

Hi Maxrebo You can get Sophos Iview free of charge for 100Gb of storage - chargeable after that, or you can look at Fastvue https://www.fastvue.co/sophos cheers Lee