Computelec tackles 'cyber-bullying' with Fortinet

Specialist education reseller Computelec has implemented a security suite at a Melbourne High School that will closely monitor the online activities of students in the hope of preventing "cyber-bullying".

Carey Baptist Grammar has implemented two Fortinet security appliances to meet the needs of its 2500 staff and students.

Carey Baptist Grammar ICT manager Steven Archibald said the tools will be used to analyse traffic, "identify where students are going" and prevent them from accessing inappropriate web sites whilst on campus.

"Often they know about sites before we do," he said. "In many cases the students are smarter than us."

The upgrade was also necessary to improve the speed at which administrators can generate reports on the student's online activity, he said.

Previously, it had taken some 24 hours for the school's systems to run a report, with "no guarantees you would end up with the report you wanted."

The Fortinet solution is developing reports in minutes, Archibald said.

The monitoring of staff and students is covered by an acceptable use policy that Archibald said is "pretty typical" of what administrators would use in a corporate environment.

"When students log on, there is a notice [asking] that they abide by the school's policy, informing them that we interrogate traffic to make sure they are doing the right thing."

Archibald said he discovered the Fortinet solution at a Computelec-sponsored conference in Lorne, Victoria. From there the school approached Fortinet directly, who engaged Computelec to install the solution.

Archibald said the upgrade went "very smoothly" and that the reseller had helped shape new elements of the school's internet use policy, using the experience of other schools.

Adam Hawley, business development manager at Computelec said the company has sold and installed Fortinet solutions at roughly 50 schools, installing "everything from small remote site point solutions through to complete security solutions.

"We get very involved at a consultancy level, to make sure the schools are able to translate their policy requirements into a technology solution," he said.

Computelec, focused exclusively on the education market, employs 70 Australians and has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.