Upgrades to the system on which the JANET Web Filtering Service runs have led to a more flexible and accountable filtering service for users.

Different filtering rules can now be applied at different times of day: of use, for example, to organisations that offer adult classes in the evening, or residential sites that ban social networking during regular school hours. The page that is displayed when a site is blocked can be customised to reflect the organisation’s local policies and an optional filter list can distinguish between educational and non-educational games. The improved user interface is more intuitive than before; and organisations will appreciate the provision for multiple admin users that reduces the dependency on one person for all changes. An associated task audit trail is provided for accountability.

Other improvements include faster performance and as-you-type filter searches, and a means of dynamic failover that offers complete resilience in the event of a hardware failure.

As well as the improved centralized service it is now also possible for eligible organisations to purchase a local solution which is compatible with Active Directory and which enables individual filtering rules to be applied to users or groups of users.

For further information please go to http://www.ja.net/services/web-services/janet-web-content-filtering-service.html or contact the JANET Service Desk at service@ja.net.

David Heard
Facilities & Content Services Co-ordinator
david.heard@ja.net