Chigwell School uses Smoothwall for internet security

Founded in 1629 by Samuel Harsnett, Archbishop of York and Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University, Chigwell School has been a centre of learning for over 360 years, from the days when William Penn (founder of Pennsylvania, USA) was a pupil to modern times.

The school stands in its own grounds of over 70 acres in the village of Chigwell, close to Epping Forest and only ten miles from central London. The school is fully networked, with fibre-optic links used to connect ten major school buildings together. In addition, a 400 metre radio connection provides wireless network access to a remote building. VDSL (Very high rate Digital Subscriber Line) units are used within the school to provide extended links to three of the more remote school buildings. Internet connectivity is provided by a 2Mbit leased line over a fibre-optic carrier.

The network is used by staff and pupils alike, with almost 200 permanent Windows and Apple workstations and an ever-increasing army of portable systems.

The school's original firewall solution suffered from a power supply failure and so the need arose for a replacement firewall solution. As an emergency solution, ICT Technician Mike Clinch utilised two existing PCs to install free, fully functional versions of SmoothWall's GPL firewall software, SmoothWall Express. This worked flawlessly, allowing work to begin on finding a permanent solution to the school's security and Internet access requirements. It was noted that the capabilities of the previous, now-defunct security solution had been outgrown since its installation, and a system that offered both network protection and flexible Internet access control was now required.

The system should be cost-effective, well supported, manageable by school staff and offer the ability to customise Internet access levels for staff and students (preferably by year group). The school's local network authentication systems had recently been upgraded to use Microsoft Active Directory, allowing single sign-on access for students and teachers on any Windows or Apple workstation. Integration with this new authentication system would make management of any Internet access control system much easier, if possible.

Impressed by the performance of the SmoothWall Express software, Chigwell School investigated SmoothWall Corporate Server as part of a wider review encompassing offerings from other security vendors.

The feature-set of SmoothWall Corporate Server and its SmoothGuardian Internet access add-on module seemed to match the school's requirements perfectly. In addition, the SmoothWall solution offered a significant cost advantage when compared to the offerings of other security vendors. Local SmoothWall reseller LinuxIT were able to provide expert advice to the school, and a dedicated 2U rackmount server was purchased from Linux hardware specialists DNUK.

Installation and configuration of was a straightforward affair, and the combined Corporate Server/SmoothGuardian system now successfully manages the school's security and Internet access control needs.

Mike Clinch, ICT Technician at Chigwell School said: 'SmoothWall and SmoothGuardian have been a very good fit for the school. Unlike our previous system, the SmoothGuardian add-on module allows us to configure Internet access filters, and tailor them to the exact needs of the school. This was simply not possible using the old firewall'. 'It is commendable how the firewall protects our network from various Internet-based nasties'.

'The SmoothWall offering is a very cost effective one to implement. The hardware is easy to replace in whole or part which is not apparently offered by other commercial firewalls. It has been known for Ethernet cards to fail in service and the ability to replace using standard components is a real boon for a busy ICT department'. Chigwell School also cite the automatic software update facility as a major factor in helping save time for ICT staff.

'The first stage of our security overhaul was getting the firewall and Internet access control in place. It is intended that at a future date we will integrate SmoothGuardian with our Active Directory infrastructure to tailor web access more closely to the individual needs of year groups and classes of pupils.'

'SmoothWall Limited have been most helpful and co-operative in all our dealings with them. A great bunch of guys.'