Wave9_Lee

Hi Jaan I can send over some Impero pricing if you'd like - also worth a look at Lightspeed if you haven't already? cheers

Not to get 'too salesy' but we can offer Lightspeed Human Review alongside Sophos XGS very reasonably..similar product

As Dave says, assuming it's an Openreach then the FttP should be similar to your current FttC type pricing but for 1gbps/115Mbps speed. I can't speak for your current supplier, but in this situation if you were mid-term with fttc (can't quite get used to calling it SOGEA yet) with Wave 9 you could upgrade to FttP with very little fuss. It's harder to move from Ethernet Leased Line to FttP mid-term as it's generally considered a downgrade. You'll usually have a mandate to make use of the FttP service within 12 months of installation, you could potentially opt to have it as a backup in the short term if needed, budget dependant. Bear in mind if you're signing this month, it's likely to be anytime up to a couple of years before it's complete. So think I'd hold off on a leased line upgrade for now, carry on with your fttc on a flexible term if possible, perhaps get a second, if you need more bandwidth in the short term. Goes without saying if you get to the end of your current term and our provider is not being helpful I'd be happy to help (as I'm sure Dave will too!)

Normally you would ask your current supplier if they can use the new connection and migrate/upgrade the service - don't forget you would still be liable for any outstanding contract term with your current provider, so makes sense to include them in the discussion.

We can offer Fastvue currently as an on-premise installation, a cloud option due next year. Give me a shout if you need a quote, trial or more info.

Is STAS set to poll using WMI? Check STAS->STA Collector | Workstation Polling Method. If it is, check that WMI communication is allowed to your clients: STAS->Advanced->WMI Verification (and enter your client IP address that's having difficulty staying authenticated). If that's got issues, ensure that WMI is being allowed to your clients: https://community.sophos.com/sophos-xg-firewall/f/recommended-reads/125318/sophos-firewall-best-practice-for-stas#mcetoc_1esth6tqs1m

Should have said, no router required with this. Base spec models will do the throughput with an SFP - If you want to turn on the advanced protections/features, you just need to be conscious of load and think about a beefier box - let me know if this is the plan and I can help you with sizing, cheers

Hi - couple of things, could you see if you've WMI allowed on the client firewall rules? Some clues here https://community.sophos.com/sophos-xg-firewall/f/recommended-reads/125318/sophos-firewall-best-practice-for-stas#mcetoc_1esth6tqs1m Also in SFOS20 released this quarter, native AZure Auth coming but as HereIGoAgain2601 says, integration with CIXA is the best way to go if you go serverless, great endpoint AV, synchronised security, single pane of glass etc - in light of this we have a great offer for cixa to make this move affordable.. See how you go with the WMI, drop me a note if you have any more issues, we have this working in lots of places. cheers

Sophos XGS firewall is cost effective for this - you get the bonus of included features such as VPN, traffic-shaping, multi-WAN failover, and basic firewall for no extra cost. You can add web filtering and advanced threat protection for a reasonable price if needed. https://assets.sophos.com/X24WTUEQ/at/7wf85vbnnqf939bbhtxgfk/sophos-firewall-br.pdf

Ref some previous comments, just from our perspective - there have 100% been supply issues and the vendor we primarily use, Meraki have a lower price for CTC spec hardware than any other SKU/sector. We have actively tried to get best value for each of our school customers and the final price has been benchmarked against manufacturer and other reseller pricing. We've definitely had an uptick in our revenue due to the project, but it's less profitable and more hassle than any of the other elements of our business. We'll be expending significant time (and costs) of our own to try to mitigate the impact of these recent changes for our customers.

Several factors here, contention, SLA, service metrics, geography. The increasing number of alt-net providers are driving prices down in some areas, but the fact remains that if you're rural/semi-rural/town and only served by openreach, you'll pay more than if you're in Hammersmith. Our 1Gbps symmetrical ("leased line") with 6 hour fix can be between £2000-£6000, with I guess the average somewhere in the middle, depending on where you are. You're (probably) not getting ripped off, the market is the market.

It's perhaps not as bad as it first seems. Some may recall that there were complaints about mandated specification being over the top with many network managers saying they would rather have the money and select their preferred vendor to get better value for money. The compliant manufacturers at the time were, unsurprisingly the most expensive, which has led to increased costs, and delivery delays as everyone tries to secure a limited choice of stock - and inevitable price rise too. As well as the specification I think we've all found that ancilliary costs, particularly cabling have been more expensive than expected. I can easily see that what originally was a spreadsheet exercise that said 'for £150M @ £40k for primaries, £90k for secondaries, we can transform 3500 school networks' gets tricky when, due to the above, costs are more like £60k and £150k+. Maybe they've reviewed budgets, listened to complaints and are now trying to make the remaining budget as effective as they can for as many schools as possible. The new FAQs seem to introduce some much needed flexibility into the process; "Schools and their suppliers will retain the flexibility to install the most appropriate Wi-Fi and network equipment to meet local need within this allocated budget. Where schools wish to, they can refer to DfE digital and technology standards which provides guidelines around using the right digital infrastructure and technology." "What's included? - Wi-Fi and networking equipment, installation, configuration, and handover. Investment in schools up to the end of the programme in April 2025 will focus on upgrading Wi-Fi with an increased reliance on existing network equipment (switching and cabling), ensuring the proposed solution improves the current Wi-Fi infrastructure in the school. " I think comms could have been better and these are only my assumptions, but it looks like they are trying to make the best of the situation. There are some frustrations I'm sure - we have customer to chose meraki as the preferred holistic eco-system for all schools in the Trust that are now having to re-evalute vendor or find additional budget themselves. But on the other hand, there are perhaps 100's of schools who will now see some improvements who perhaps wouldn't otherwise. As we get more clarification around product choice or any changes I'll update here and here I would say that if you're given the wider choice of vendors, you should still consider long term manufacturer support, lifecycle management.

I'd be happy to provide some pricing and info - we include a dedicated project manager to minimise disruption. We can include firewall/filtering/monitoring if required, or simple diverse direct internet connections. You can book a meeting using the link below or DM me if it's of interest. cheers

It's looking like they're cutting the funding for any schools not yet approved. You've not been singled out, it seems a matter of timing. There's been no communication from DFE to us as yet - very disappointing. I suspect that they've reviewed where budgets/total spend will be and have a shortfall so are spreading the funding around thinner. We'll have to revisit our live designs with a different manufacturer. I'll update when I find out more.

We prefer the SDWAN approach with direct internet access and on-premise co-managed firewall/filter. In our view this gives much more flexibility, security and visibility. Resilience is improved by taking 2 connections from alternate ISPs/technologies inc 5G where available. One thing to consider is if all of your schools are connected to the same core infrastructure and there's an issue, you have the risk of all schools going down at the same time, as happened with empsn last year. Happy to discuss pros and cons any time.

Hi @Jobos could you drop me a PM or contact me using the info below and can help you out? cheers Lee

Hi Tom, drop me a PM or book a meeting below for a chat anytime, happy to help where I can, cheers,

I agree the DFE specs are a little overkill, but the market is already catching up in terms of features/capability and becoming more affordable. We can offer a compliant LAN/WLAN refresh as a managed NaaS (Network as a Service) model that will smooth out costs, with full manufacturer and W9 support and co-management for those schools that don't qualify for CTC.

Sophos can do this, but on-prem can also be resilient with very cost effective passive failover. We also provide same-day configured HW replacement with engineer in the unlikely event of hardware failure.

There are no dependencies between ISP services and agent or cloud based filtering really, so you could sensibly split the purchase in my view. The key thing would be to have good management/visibility of any specific firewall rules/requirements I guess. I don't know how Securly filters unmanaged devices, so that's a consideration too. Happy to quote for resilient connectivity and firewall option if you like - drop me a pm or contact me anytime. cheers

User based is best and facilitates much more accurate visibility of who is doing what - we offer Sophos XGS primarily, which can use various authentication methods to provide user level filtering, but many others do too. Check out the compliance level, customer support and usability before you buy.

Hi @RumTechie On-prem firewall remains a sensible approach for lots of reasons - happy to have a chat about how we could help if you'd like - drop me a PM or book a meeting below to suit your diary, regards Lee

Hi @chrisjako I'd be happy to discuss a Sophos option here, I believe it would work for you. Centralised Management, individual control, highly resilient. We have many happy customers in this scenario - if you'd like an outline proposal or a more technical discussion, drop me a PM or book a meeting at your convenience below? regards Lee

Hi Rob, I can arrange for a demo of LS so you can see first hand if it's better or worse if you like? Also we offer Sophos XGS as a co-managed solution that we like a lot - if you'd like a demo or pricing on either, please DM me or contact me direct using the link in my sig, cheers

@MrDrabble - no problem, will drop you an email shortly