Ohio's WOCO Rolls Out Internet Filtering

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 07/08/08

Western Ohio Computer Organization (WOCO) has implemented Internet filtering and reporting software from 8e6 Technologies, one of the 165 new K-12 education customers the company said it signed in the first half of 2008.

"Six months ago, Web-based proxy use was becoming a widespread problem across our 30-plus districts, and we knew we needed a filtering solution that could prevent students from accessing blocked sites via the growing number of proxies out there," said Mike Wagner, network administrator at the Information Technology Center (ITC), which provides Internet connectivity and Internet filtering to 30,000 students in area K-12 school districts.

"We evaluated a number of filtering solutions," he said, "and were pleased to learn that 8e6 had the built-in capability to block proxies, as well as other non-approved sites and applications like games and IM. We've only been using 8e6 for a few months now but are confident that this is the right solution for us."

In June, the company released a new version of its software that included blocking capabilities for non-browser applications. The pattern detection is intended to allow the school to control access to streaming media, remote access applications, and online and network games.

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About the author: Dian Schaffhauser is a writer who covers technology and business for a number of publications. Contact her at dian@dischaffhauser.com.

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